PM40064924

© copyright 2012 Vol. 41 No. 12 December 2012 Published Monthly 1.00 HST Inc.PM40064924

Grass pellet heating system to provide new cash crop By HARRY SULLIVANTruro Daily News[Bible Hill, NS]– An experimental heating system being

established at the Perennia Innovation Centre is intendedto also serve as a new cash crop for Nova Scotia farmers.

Full story Page 3

Creating sustainable fertilizer useBy STEPHEN BRUNJournal Pioneer[Summerside, PEI]– The Prince Edward Island govern-ment and four organizations have teamed up to create ablueprint for improved use of fertilizer, the first provincein Canada to do so.

Full story Page 5

Innovation the future for the potato industryBy CHARLOTTE MACAULAYThe GuardianPrince Edward Island potato farmers should look to ‘fu-ture-proofing’ their farms for both large and smallacreages because there is a sustainable, bright futureahead for both types of operations in the province.

Full story Page 10

THIS MONTH

Blueberry production reaches a billion pounds�By BARBARA SCOTTFredericton, NB]—Everyone likes blueberries—produc-tion is exploding. The combined wild and cultivated har-vest hit a billion pounds worldwide for 2011-2012 withno slowdown in sight. Some industry insiders predict pro-duction will reach 1.2 billion pounds by 2015.

Full story Page 14

COLUMNSThe Cultivator.............................................................. 7Capital Ideas ................................................................8Obituaries ..................................................................11

The Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculturehas joined the Food Processors of Canada’s(FPC) campaign to fight the Canadian FoodInspection Agency’s proposed new food pack-aging rules."There is a big concern it creates a trade dis-

advantage for Canadian food processors be-cause they (and competing multi-nationalprocessors and importers) no longer have tocomply with regulations on package sizes,"NSFA Executive Director Henry Vissers saidNov. 13

"It would require domestic processors to re-tool their plants to meet the different packagesizes of competing importers. If you have alarge multi-national: they might ask whyshould we continue to process and packagehere? Why not do it all in the States?"Canadian growers and processors have in-

vested in the present regulatory system withmachines tooled to current package sizes, Vis-sers stated. The CFIA’s proposed changeswould force them to change to US sizes, usingmoney better spent on developing new prod-ucts and markets.Noting FPC facts, he observed Canadian

processors presently pay 10 per cent of theirgross domestic product to ship to the US,while the Americans do not incur the samecosts exporting into Canada. Therefore, Cana-dian package sizes offer a level playing field.The courts have also ruled that Canadian

standard containers are not a barrier to inter-national trade."For our processors it is a double whammy

when large multi-nationals can take advantageof their size and the de-regulation on packagesizes through their greater economies ofscale."

Continued on page 13

By DAN WOOLLEY

Fighting CFIA’s new food packaging rules

Fun, friends, scholarships, travelopportunities, and excitingchallenging activities for boys

and girls aged 6-25

2012 a superlative year forMaritime apple productionBy DAN WOOLLEY2012 was a superlative year for apple production in theMaritimes. Full story Page 2

Frost on the vines at Gaspereau Vineyards in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley. (Photo: Andrea Burbidge)

o f A t l a n t i c C a n a d aFarm Focus

www.atlanticfarmfocus.ca • THE FARM FOCUS2 • December 2012 N E W S

2012 was a superlative year for apple pro-duction in the Maritimes. Barry Balsom of Arlington, Prince Edward

Island had an "outstanding" growing season.Normally he and his wife Carol would har-

vest about 350,000 lbs from their 50-acre Ar-lington Orchards; but Balsom calculated thisyear the yield will be close to 500,000 lbs.The growing season "was perfect. We had

rain when we needed it." The summer wasdry which suppressed fungal diseases, and thefall rains sized the apples before harvest.Balsom said in the previous three years,

they were trying "to farm in a monsoon sea-son which is not good for apples."This year, sales at their u-pick and roadside

farm stand were both up substantially, as weretheir out-of-province sales. The Balsom’s nor-mally ship about four to five tractor-trailerloads of apples off-Island. But by the end of2012 the grower expects the number of loadsto increase to about 10.The Balsoms have a diverse orchard with 33

different apple varieties. "It is a hard way tofarm. It would be much easier with just onevariety.” Their orchard’s cultivar diversity reflects

their very diverse customer base, from packerto retailers and direct sales to the public. Bal-som explained it also reflects constant

changes in consumer tastes and the rapid in-troduction of new varieties.He expects that consumers will pay a bit

more for apples in 2013. Balsom increased hisdirect sales price this year to reflect his in-creased input costs.Blair Stirling of Gagetown, New Brunswick

experienced a bountiful harvest. "We had alarge volume of good to high quality apples."The downside is we had quite a battle get-

ting that harvest. We had a whole lot of rainand a lot more absenteeism of our work forcethis year."2012 was one of those years in every 10-12

years when there is an exceptional harvest,Stirling said. But this year there was no fruit tosell at the end of the harvest. "So, we missed afew market opportunities."Cold weather and the labour shortage

forced the grower to conclude harvesting theweekend of Nov. 17-18. He left an estimated50,000 lbs of apples still on the trees.With shortages in Michigan, New York

State and Ontario, Stirling had opportunitiesto sell out of the Maritimes at better thanlocal prices. Most of his surplus fruit went toQuebec processors. Prices have been quitestable, the grower said. He received a modestprice increase for fresh-packed apples thatcovered his higher cost of production. The Maritimes have a lot of apples and re-

gional consumers need not worry about the

supply over the winter, he said. Stirling grows 30 varieties on 30 acres with

his main commercial cultivars beingPaulared, Cortland, McIntosh and Honey-crisp. In the past few years he has plantedGala, Golden Delicious and Ambrosia and his

heritage varieties include Bishop Pippin, Rus-sets, Wolf River and Alexander.John Eisses of Centreville, Kings County,

Nova Scotia reported: "We had a very goodcrop yield wise. The quality, also, was reason-ably good."Early November was too early to say what

this year’s crop price will ultimately be, as theharvest was headed into winter storage. "So,when it comes out of storage the truth willout." Eisses wants to maintain local and regional

markets so he sells his fruit through the Sco-tia Gold Cooperative, "and they want tomaintain the local market."As for surplus fruit, he noted, "The price is

higher than normal this year that is for sure.Yes, I am very pleased with this year. We havedefinitely been blessed."Eisses felt his yield has been as good as any

previous year, nevertheless, he is encouragedby 2012. "It was a dry summer; but the treesreceived timely rains in August."Down the road, Andrew Bishop of Nog-

gins Corner Farm in Greenwich harvested avery good yield of excellent apples. "What theprice will be I have no idea."Bishop hoped the current price would re-

main strong; but anticipated there "will besome rationalization of price."

By DAN WOOLLEY

2012 a superlative year for Maritime apple production

Wine legislationamendedNova Scotia is amending legislation to allow

individuals to directly import 100 per cent cer-tified locally grown and produced Canadianwine for personal use.A federal prohibition on the individual im-

portation of wine was lifted in June.The amendments are the result of consulta-

tions with Nova Scotia's wine industry and Fi-nance Minister Maureen MacDonald says thatshe will encourage her provincial and territorialcounterparts to make similar changes to theirlegislation. Nova Scotia is among the first to respond to

the federal bill and remove provincial barriers.

Honeycrisp.

THE FARM FOCUS • www.atlanticfarmfocus.ca December 2012• 3N E W S

New feed mill atCo-op AtlanticCo-op Atlantic officially opened a new feed

mill Nov. 19 in Moncton, New Brunswick Thenew facility that took 18 months to construct,costing nearly $8 million, will result in a signif-icant increase in efficiency in the production ofanimal feed for Atlantic farmers. The mill will replace an aging facility that had

been operating since 1946. It features comput-erized operations that include the preparationof feed formulations, and mixing and order ful-fillment in large feed trucks or individual bags.Co-op Atlantic CEO Paul-Émile Légère said

the new feed mill will have a production capac-ity of more than 35,000 tonnes per year, with theability to mix more than 1,200 different feed for-mulations, using some 170 different ingredients.‘’Our new mill will serve our farming commu-nity more efficiently than ever before. Our localcustomers, who number more than 200 largecommercial farms, will get high quality animalnutrition in formulated batches using the bestequipment and processes available today.’’

[Bible Hill, NS]– An experimental heatingsystem being established at the Perennia Inno-vation Centre is intended to also serve as a newcash crop for Nova Scotia farmers.A boiler room is being constructed behind

the Bible Hill facility that is designed to burngrass pellets. The project is to serve as a pilot

project to demonstrate how the experimentalrenewal resource can replace traditional heatingsources, such as oil, which is currently used toheat the Perennia Centre.“Agriculture is the backbone of rural Nova

Scotia and we need to think about and do thingsdifferently to grow this industry and our econ-omy,” Agriculture Minister John MacDonellsaid in a news release, issued following the Tues-day morning (Nov. 27) announcement.

The Department of Agriculture is spending$787,200 to construct a building behind thecentre for the pellet-burning boiler.A tender is to be issued for a grass pellet sup-

plier.If successful, the province hopes the grass-

burning initiative can be expanded to othercompanies and industry to the point that it willmake it viable for Nova Scotia farmers to growa special type of grass as a new cash crop.

By HARRY SULLIVANTruro Daily News

Grass pellet heating system intended to provide new cash crop

Co-op Atlantic officially opened its new feed mill Nov. 19 in Moncton, New Brunswick. On hand for the event were: Co-op Atlantic CEO Paul-Émile Légère; Board President Marcel Garvie; NB Agri-culture Minister Michael Olscamp; NB Government Services Minister Sue Stultz, and Moncton Deputy Mayor Merrill Henderson.

The Nova Scotia Federation Of Agriculturehas a new president. Dennis Boudreau fromConcession, Digby County was elected at theNov. 30 annual meeting.Also on the executive are: 1st vice-president

Chris van den Heuvel, 2nd vice-president DavidYoung, Past President Beth Densmore and Di-rector at Large Jim Baillie. Newly minted direc-tors Kimberley Stokdijk from ColchesterCounty and Lloyd Dyck from Kings County re-place Charles MacDonald and Edna Foster.

New executive

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Sometimes Christmas comes early…in unexpected ways.“Honey, I can’t see any way around it.” Jim

Cahill slumped at the kitchen table. Spreadin front of him were bank statements, a checkbook, and a notepad filled with crossed outand circled figures. He looked at his wife.“That pony has to go.”Grace turned from washing the breakfast

dishes and sat at the table, across from herhusband. “Are you sure? That’ll be like cut-ting off Susan’s arm if we get rid of that ani-mal.”“Well, look at this.” He pointed to a col-

umn of figures listing their monthly ex-penses. “The vet bills alone are killing us.”Ever since Jim had been laid off – from the

same plant where he’d worked for the past 18years – life had been hard in the Cahillhousehold, especially with a young daughterand a son in university. “Jamie needs help,even with his student loan. We can’t tell himto drop out of university so we can have acute little pony for Susan to coddle. It’s notlike we’ve got a farm, and the creature isploughing fields. She’s a pet. A darned ex-pensive pet.“Besides, Christmas is coming. You and I

can do without gifts, but we have to make aneffort for Susan’s sake. I can’t keep up with allthose electronic gadgets she and her friendschatter about. You know she expects some-thing like that under the tree. She’s still onlythirteen.”Grace got up to put the kettle on. She

needed another cup of tea. She was sick offeeling anxious all the time. It wasn’t just

about money – it was how they looked at life.Somehow, they didn’t have a compass any-more and didn’t seem to know where theywere going, let alone how to find any joy inlife.She sighed. “OK, so where would we find

someone to buy Sickles?”“The vet knows someone in the national

park who has pony rides for kids. This fellowis looking for a couple more ponies, and hehas a horse trailer to pick her up.”Grace looked at Jim. “We’ll have to find a

way to break it to Susan gently. See if the mancan come on Saturday, so she’ll have theweekend to get over it. We can tell her Fridayevening.”The next Friday morning, after Susan left

for school, Grace looked out the kitchen win-dow. The sky was heavy and gray, and lightsnow was forecast for later in the day. Hereyes sought out the pony. In front of a smallred barn, she saw the pony ambling along inher enclosure. Poor ol’ Sickles always lookedlike a lost soul whenever Susan wasn’t withher. The girl sprang out of bed every morn-ing and ran out to look after the pony. She’dhad no idea this morning that tomorrowwould be the last day of doing so. The snow started early. Around eleven

o’clock, as Jim opened the front door to sur-vey the snowfall, he was surprised to see alarge red SUV and a long horse trailer pull infront of the house. His heart sank as he real-ized the pony man, a Mr. Petten, had come aday early. He pulled on his boots, andshrugged into a coat to walk out and meethim.The driver’s door opened and a medium-

height man in his mid-fifties bounced out.He had a slightly well nourished look andseemed to be one of those people who areconstantly happy. His ruddy face was ac-cented with laugh wrinkles, and he smiledbroadly with the whitest teeth Jim had everseen. And his hair appeared to be prema-turely white. Snowy white.

He zipped up his red parka, and holdingout his hand said, “You must be Jim Cahill?” “Fred Petten?” The man nodded and Jim

found himself smiling, despite the sadness ofthe occasion. There was something about thisFred Petten that he took to right away. “Comein,” he said, and led the way back to thehouse.Fred looked over towards the barn. “Can

we look at your little lady first?”The warmth inside Jim dissipated. “Sure,”

he mumbled. “Come on over.”They trudged through the few inches of

soft snow, bowing their heads in the windthat had risen with surprising speed.As they entered the barn, Jim was sad-

dened, but at the same time relieved, to seeFred beaming at Sickles.“What a beauty you have here!” he said,

stroking the animal’s tawny neck. He lookedat Jim with understanding. “This can’t beeasy for you.”Jim shrugged and Fred asked, “Can I take

you up on that coffee you offered me earlier?”As they started towards the house, they were

amazed at the amount of snow that had fallenin the half-hour they’d been talking. Gracecame running to meet them.“Jim, the school’s closed, and Georgette’s

mother called to say Susan stayed behindwith the young Sampson boy. His parentshave gone into Gander for the day, and hewas supposed to go to his grandmother’s.Susan saw him standing alone when theywere leaving and volunteered to wait withhim. But I just rang his grandmother andshe’s afraid to drive. There’s an advisory outthat only emergency vehicles are supposed tobe on the road.”Fred reacted quickly. “Come on, Jim. Let’s

take my SUV.”Jim grabbed a shovel and cleared snow out

of the way while Fred unhitched the trailerfrom his vehicle. Both men were astonished atthe force of the snow coming down. The windwas constant, and snow drifted in as soon asthey could clear it. Fred waved Jim aboard. AsJim buckled up, Fred turned the key in the ig-nition. Warning lights lit up the dashboardand they heard a dull grinding noise. The en-gine caught, then sputtered, and died. Fred looked at Jim in dismay. “I’m too far

from your vehicle to try booster cables. Andnow I’ve got you blocked in, too.“I don’t suppose you have a snowmobile,

Jim?”“Sold it last spring.”

Fred nodded. He looked along the lonelylane where the Cahills lived. It would be hardto reach even the closest neighbour in thisweather. “Right,” he said decisively. “Can youget your pony out of the barn?” “Sickles?”“Yup. I didn’t tell you why I came a day

early. You know Lester Sampson’s a good car-penter? I have a sleigh I want to use for ponyrides over the holidays, and Lester’s been fix-ing it up for me. He needed it out of hisworkshop today because he planned to bringsome tables back from Gander to refinish,and he needed the space.“It’s in the back of the rig. And I picked up

the other pony the vet found for me.”Jim looked at him in amazement. Fred

laughed as he pulled up the hood of hisparka. “You run and ask your wife to call thatboy’s grandmother. Say we’re on our way toget the kids.” He reached into the back seatand grabbed a bulging department store bag.He winked. “My wife told me to pick up abunch of blankets for the sleigh rides today.They might come in handy now.”They’d gotten about halfway to the school

when Sickles stopped in the middle of the de-serted road. It was hard going and difficult tosee where sky stopped and earth began.There were no houses on this stretch of road,only eerie white mounds of snow hidingshrubs and scraggly trees. Jim urged the ponyon, to no avail. She twisted her head fromside to side. The other pony had stopped, too,and in the blinding snow, Jim climbed downfrom the sled. The snow was well over thetops of his boots. He grasped Sickle’s bridleand tried to tug her forward, but she refusedto budge.The pony snorted and tried to pull to the

side of the road. It took all of Jim’s strength tokeep her steady, and as he twisted with her,his eye caught a flash of bright yellow in theditch on the side of the road. It was Susan’scoat, he was sure.He scrambled down the embankment, and

there she was, calling out to him. He hadn’theard her in the wind. But Sickles had.Susan was almost completely covered in

snow, and she was lying on top of the littleboy, keeping him warm and trying to shelterhim from the worst of the snow and wind.“Daddy, I think Tommy’s leg is broken. We

couldn’t see the side of the road, and he fell. Iguess we shouldn’t have tried walking home.I’m sorry.”

Continued on page 18

By NJR RYAN

The Christmas Pony

Constable Adrian OliverC A N A D I A N

HEROES

THE FARM FOCUS • www.atlanticfarmfocus.ca December 2012• 5N E W S

[Summerside, PEI]– The Prince EdwardIsland government and four organizationshave teamed up to create a blueprint for im-proved use of fertilizer, the first province inCanada to do so.On Monday (Nov. 19), the Canadian Fer-

tilizer Institute signed a Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MOU) with the province,the P.E.I. Federation of Agriculture, the P.E.I.Potato Board and the Kensington North Wa-tersheds Association.The three-year stewardship will receive

$150,000 in funding from the CFI, and aimsto create more economically and environ-mentally sustainable practices for using fer-tilizer in agriculture.“We can’t be waiting to do these things

that we’re doing with this project. As theysay, ‘Tomorrow may be too late,’” said ChesBoutilier, president of the Kensington NorthWatersheds Association.“We need to feed the crops, but we know

what happens when we feed humans toomuch – we become obese. Another healthproblem comes when we overfeed our crops.We’re living together, having a great agricul-tural sector, but at the same time realizingwe have an environment to protect.”The organizations involved will form an

advisory committee to administer the so-called 4R Nutrient Stewardship, working

with both producers and suppliers to comeup with sustainable ways of using fertilizer.“There’s no doubt over application (of

fertilizer) in some areas, and there may beunder application in some areas,” said NormBeug, chair of the CFI. “It’s really optimiz-ing that use to minimize losses to the envi-ronment and, if you do that, the farmer isgoing to also do well because economicallyhe’ll be doing better. He’s going to be usingwhat he needs to use, but it has to be theright amount because we don’t want to seeyields dropping either.”While P.E.I. is the first province to sign a

formal MOU with the institute, Beug thinksthis Island pilot project could one day have aglobal reach.“The highest form of flattery is somebody

copying what you do, so if we can come upwith good solutions that people say, ‘Thatworks, we’re going to use it too’ – that’s theultimate objective,” he added.Environmentally the project can also help

reduce problems of nutrient overload in wa-terways, and nitrate contamination in welland groundwater by managing fertilizermore effectively.Agriculture Minister George Webster said

it all adds up to a better bottom line for pro-ducers and the planet.“People today have an increased environ-

mental awareness, and they want to see thesame from government and industry,” hesaid.

By STEPHEN BRUNJournal Pioneer

Creating sustainable fertilizer usePEI first province in Canada to sign on to three-year agreement

New investments in research and marketdevelopment will help Canadian farmers tapinto growing demand for hemp. On Nov. 5 thefederal government announced investmentsin projects with the Canadian Hemp Trade Al-liance (CHTA) that will help determine thebest hemp varieties by region and will givegrowers the tools they need to promote Cana-dian hemp in international markets.An investment of more than $64,000 from

the Agricultural Innovation Program (AIP)will be used to test and evaluate differenthemp varieties across Canada for their foodand non-food uses. This project will help theindustry identify the best hemp varieties togrow in each region for grain and fibre yield.

A second investment of over $31,000through the AgriMarketing Program will sup-port the CHTA in increasing Canada’s pres-ence in new and existing international hempmarkets. It will help the CHTA develop pro-motional material, participate in key interna-tional tradeshows, attract new clients, andundertake market research to identify marketopportunities.Hemp is a crop that can be grown for food

and non-food purposes, providing farmerswith a versatile and lucrative crop. In 2010, de-mand surpassed supply in the market. The re-sults of these projects will help positionfarmers to meet this demand and grow op-portunities in the marketplace.

Market opportunities for hemp producers

Carver named Lands Protection Act commissioner

[Charlottetown, PEI]– The province hasappointed a former cabinet minister as itsLands Protection Act commissioner.Charlottetown (Prince Edward Island)

lawyer Horace Carver, who was involved inthe drafting and passage of the Act more than30 years ago, will not review the legislation toensure it meets present-day standards.The new commissioner will start his re-

view in January, which will include holdingconsultations to determine any changes thatmay be needed.Carver served three terms in the provincial

legislature, which included cabinet roles asattorney general and community and cul-tural affairs minister.

By JOURNAL PIONEER STAFF

Horace Carver

www.atlanticfarmfocus.ca • THE FARM FOCUS6 • December 2012 N E W S

The Nova Scotia Federation of Agri-culture in collaboration with EcologyAction Centre has a vested interest in theamendments to the EnvironmentalGoals and Sustainable Prosperity Act(EGSPA) that were discussed Nov. 22 atthe Nova Scotia Legislature.EGSPA lists a number of goals the

government has set to reach by 2020.Goals that pertain to protecting ecosys-tems, air quality and renewable energyand albeit important, the list of goals isnot inclusive.The Federation feels there is a key

component missing from the amend-ments made in Bill 136. "The Act needs a stronger connection

between the environment and our econ-omy." says Past President RichardMelvin. "It is time to develop a Nova Sco-tia Food Strategy; a strategy that will pro-vide us with a sustainable food source,localize our food systems and securehealthy profitable farm businesses andrural communities." "Agriculture is integral to our rural

economies, our social fabric and our re-silience," says Marla MacLeod of theEcology Action Centre. "In recent years,

we have seen an incredible increase inawareness of and support for a local foodsystem, now we need government legis-lation to support it." The Federation along with Ecology

Action Centre have defined three goals tobe included in the Act:• 20% of our food spending from localfarms by 2020 and increased localprocurement by government. A studywould be necessary to define mea-sureable goals and benchmarks.

• A 5% increase of new farmers to theNova Scotia Farm Registration Sys-tem by 2020

• Protecting farmland with conserva-tion easements. A goal for a specificamount of farmland to be protectedshould be outlined by 2014 and in-cluded in the 2020 EGSPA goals.The Federation and Ecology Action

Centre believe that it is time for NovaScotia to develop a food strategy for theprovince and the time is right to includethese goals as a part of the government'sgoals for 2020.(Presentation made to Law Amend-

ments is available online http://nsfa-fane.ca/news-events/nsfs/)

A food strategy is the missingpiece of the pie: NSFA-EGSPA

Geoff and Debbie Crowther, owners of the Kitchen Witch restaurant in New London and home chef Holly Fraser of Murray Riverwere awarded the culinary titles of Best PEI Porktoberfest Chef. From left, Paul Larsen, chair of the PEI Hog Marketing Board; MelodyDover, owner of Fresh Media; Geoff and Debbie Crowther; Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, George Webster; and Holly Fraser.(Photo: Brian Simpson, Provincial Photographer)

o f A t l a n t i c C a n a d aFarm Focus

What do sheep say to eachother at Christmastime?

Merry Christmas to ewe!

What's the best thing to putinto Christmas dinner?

Your teeth!

o f A t l a n t i c C a n a d aFarm Focus

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THE FARM FOCUS • www.atlanticfarmfocus.ca December 2012• 7

Biosecurity: Take notice and be informed!In late October, Perennia, in partnership

with the Nova Scotia-Canada Bilateral Agree-ment under Growing Forward, hosted twoworkshops on Ruminant Health and Biose-curity in Antigonish and Truro. Although‘biosecurity’ is not a sexy topic, it is one ofgreat importance to the health and sustain-ability of farm operations, no matter the size.To sum up the overall message delivered, inthe words of a dairy producer participant,“This workshop scared the hell out of me”. It would not be a surprise if this feedback

was based solely on the presentation ofkeynote speaker, Dr. Iain Richards. The UKveterinarian has first-hand experience of thefoot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak andsubsequent cull in 2001. Perennia intendedfor Dr. Richards to be the icebreaker to kickoff its three-hour workshops. His topic wasexpected to draw a crowd, and then, once inthe seats, the biosecurity message would beshared. Instead, what ensued was an hour-and-a-

half presentation with countless questionsand conversation. Dr. Richards’ presentationwas intense and laced with raw emotion, in-fused with dramatic pauses of recollectionsof grim scenes, harsh decisions and devastat-ing loss. As an audience member, the most bone-

chilling parts of his presentation were the

pure facts. After much research and trace-ability, the UK outbreak and spread of thedisease came from utter ignorance and a fewbad decisions. It was found that the outbreakoriginated on a hog operation in a smallrural town. A single farmer neglected to in-form proper authorities of a notifiable dis-ease after feeding untreated waste to hisanimals; those animals later became infectedwith the virus (suspected to have come frominfected meat from restaurant waste). Fromthis one farm, FMD escalated out of control.The disease spread via transmission of air,which then infected a nearby farm. This par-ticular farmer did not realize that his herdwas infected and subsequently moved the an-imals from his operation to market. Thus,foot and mouth disease started to spiral outof control.So how did it spread so rapidly? Unre-

stricted animal movement, shared pens atvarious livestock markets, neglected quaran-tines, shared trailering and an overall de-crease in sanitary measures on-farmmultiplied the infection. Eventually, thecomplete halt of movement of livestock andextensive measures to prevent carrying thedisease on boots and clothing from one siteto another brought the disease under control. What has since been learned from this cri-

sis was that simple biosecurity measurescould have made this disaster an isolated in-cident instead of a countrywide infection. Itis a terrifying reminder that one bit ofmuck/manure stuck in the tread of your boot

would be enough to spread a disease likeFMD. This is a perfect example of why hav-ing boots designated for barn duty and an-other pair for off-farm activities like thecattle market and attending workshops, is vi-tally important. As a team member with Perennia who is

actively engaged in biosecurity education, wecatch ourselves repeating, ‘The best defenceis a locked door’. Step one in implementa-tion can be as easy as engaging in lockingyour facilities’ doors to keep visitors andservice personnel out of your farm buildings.No access means no chance of transmissionof disease to your herd or flock.Biosecurity is not a cost it is an investment.

What Dr. Richards stressed in his talk wasthat it is the small things you do on your ownfarm that will make a difference if a foreignanimal disease were to ever strike thisprovince. Perennia encourages farmers to consider

the following protocols to implement on-farm: develop a biosecurity plan; work to en-sure there is employee buy-in (make thempart of the planning committee); know whoyour visitors are and write it down (this helpswith tracing movement on and off yourfarm, don't be embarrassed or ashamedabout having sign-in sheets); feel free to notonly limit movement , but escort visitors aswell; have controlled entry and designatedparking and delivery areas; dictate to servicepersonnel and farm staff what is expected ofthem when they enter your farm gate; follow

a health program; vaccinate; establish aworking relationship with local veterinarians;sanitize farm equipment and remember toclean it thoroughly after loaning it out; buyfrom a limited number of producers withknown health status for their livestock; limityour overall number of sources for livestock;always quarantine new animals for at least atwo-week period before introducing to yourherd/flock; strongly consider a closed herd orflock; and, above all else..........ask questionsand educate yourself. Let us remember, “Those who do not re-

member history are condemned to repeat it."It is strongly urged that now is the time toimplement biosecurity protocols on yourfarming operations. Start small but staysmart. Your livestock and crops are yourlivelihood, where would you be withoutthem? Let’s not relive the nightmare here inCanada that nearly decimated agricultureand tourism in the UK. For more informa-tion and further support in starting to safe-guard your farm, please contact Perenniaspecialists today and visit www.biosecuri-tynovascotia.com

For more information, contact Sarah at(902) 876-0277 or swood@ perennia.ca

By SARAH WOODAgricultural Outreach Specialist, Perennia

What did Adam say on theday before Christmas?

It's Christmas, Eve!

C U L T I V A T O R

2012 Nova Scotia 4-H Market Steer, Lamb and Turkey Show ‘N’ Sale

Volume Buyers:• Oulton’s Quality Meats, Windsor• Strait Way Kia, Antigonish• Co-Op Atlantic, Truro• Co-Op Atlantic, New Minas• Carter’s Auction Services, Amherst• Atlantic Wool Growers Supplies,Princeport

• Atlantic Stockyards Ltd, Truro• Leo Glavine, MLA, Greenwood• Parker’s ESSO Ltd, MiddleMusquodoboit

• Philip Burgess Esso Fuels, Windsor• Clarence Farm Services Ltd., Truro• Robert Best, Coldbrook.

Thanks again to all the buyers for making the 2012 auctions a tremendous success!

Other Buyers:• Hants Equipment, Windsor• Rafuse Mechanical, Kingston• Curtmar Farms, Fort Ellis• Ernest Myles Construction,Hantsport

• Meadowbrook Meat Market,Berwick

• Kings Mutual Major Bantam

Hockey Team, Kentville• The Healey Legacy Group,Kentville

• Monarch Enterprises, Dart-mouth

• NS Power, Bridgewater• Apple Dome Arena, Berwick• Summit Hyundai MajorMidget Valley Wildcats,Coldbrook

• Blueline New Holland, Truro• Nova Scotia the Crossing,Windsor

• Brison Developments Ltd,

Windsor• Musqie Valley Farms, MiddleMusquodoboit

• Employees of Nappan Re-search Farm, Nappan

• Shur Gain, Port Williams• Atlantic Undercar, WindsorJct.

• MacNeil’s Free Range PoultryFarm, Centerville

• Kittilsen’s Honey Ltd, Debert• NS Federation of Agriculture,Truro

• Central Region 4-H Hosting

Committee• Clyde & Jessie Brewer, New-foundland

• Baddeck Vet Clinic, Baddeck• River’s Bend Wood Products,Antigonish

• Larry Weatherby Farm, Truro• Lunenburg County 4-HCouncil, Lunenburg

• NS Power, Dartmouth• Burchell MacDougall,Wolfville

• Oulton Fuels Ltd., PortWilliams

The Grand Champion Market Steer shown at the 2012 Nova Scotia 4-HShow was owned by Connor Morse from Kings County. Connor’s steer waspurchased by Nu-Site Building Solutions Ltd, Aylesford; K & S Building,Aylesford; and Cavandish Agri-Services, Kentville for $3.05/lb. The 15 steerssold averaged $2.33/lb.

The Grand Champion Market Lamb shown at the 2012 Nova Scotia 4-HShow was owned by Brittany Brydon, from Kings County. Brittany’s lambwas purchased by Scotian Gold Cooperative Ltd, Coldbrook for $9.00/lb.The 15 lambs sold averaged $5.54/lb.

The Grand Champion Market Turkey shown at the 2012 Nova Scotia 4-HShow was owned by James van de Sande from Antigonish County. James’turkey was purchased by KVS Electrical Inc., Antigonish for $1100.00. The12 turkeys sold averaged $588.00

Nova Scotia 4-H members extend a sincere thank you to the successful buyers at the Nova Scotia 4-H Market Steer, Lamb andTurkey auctions held at the Nova Scotia Exhibition Grounds inTruro on September 28 and 29th.

The 4-H members and the Market Committee would also like to thank the abattoirs, truckers,Dean Manning for the use of his scales, and everyone who made the auctions a great success.

Special thanks to our volunteer auctioneers Frank Berkelaar and Andy Carter.

www.atlanticfarmfocus.ca • THE FARM FOCUS8 • December 2012 C A P I T A L I D E A S

‘We’re family. We have our differences nowand again, but we get along pretty good.’On a lot of farms, that’s about as deep as

the communication strategy goes eventhough the operations have grown intomulti-million-dollar enterprises. Is that re-ally good enough?If you want to take it to the next level,

consider the example set by SeedNet.A decade ago, several Alberta seed grow-

ers saw the winds of change beginning toblow, and reckoned if they didn’t stand to-gether, they’d be swept away.“Things were changing and we could see

the big companies taking over the retailside of our business,” says current SeedNetChairman John Huvenaars, who farmsnear Hays in south-central Alberta.“That was the threat that got us talking

about what we could do to work togetherand increase the awareness of the inde-pendent seed grower.”Direct sales to farmers account for about

three-quarters of the business of the 14southern Alberta growers in SeedNet(www.seednet.ca). Take those buyers away,and they’d be left with working for largeseed companies – likely on take-it-or-leave-it terms. “We could see that if we didn’t do any-

thing, we could start counting down theyears we had left,” says Huvenaars, who hasbeen in the seed business since 1989.There’s actually a legal structure (called

a unanimous shareholder agreement) thatallows individual businesses to form an al-liance without surrendering their inde-pendence. Joining SeedNet meantpledging that you wouldn’t give up yourretail business to become solely a contractgrower, and also committing to joint mar-keting.But there were lots of details to be ham-

mered out: Could individuals still ‘whole-sale’ seed to large companies they hadworked with in the past? What would ajoint marketing effort involve and howwould it be paid for? What about collec-tively wholesaling? How would the opt-outclause work? While these were all nice people with a

common cause, they were also experiencedenough to know they needed help. So theyhired a business consultant to facilitate thefounding meeting.“This is real-world business and we had

to think of it that way,” says Huvenaars, be-fore adding with a chuckle. “We wantedsomeone there who was totally uninter-ested in our feelings.”Actually, it would be more precise to say

that while the consultant had no emo-

tional stake in the project, he was keenlyinterested in finding out how each mem-ber of the group felt. So he did things suchas breaking the large group into small onesto discuss key issues and ensure “everyonegot a say.”This is standard stuff for any facilitator.

And while it’s not complicated, it is pow-erful.“Many people aren’t comfortable speak-

ing up in a group—they’re shy about it ordon’t want to say something that soundsstupid, and so three or four people end updoing most of the talking,” says Huvenaars.“But you know what? Everyone wants to beheard.”‘Every voice is heard’ could be SeedNet’s

motto.Any time there is an issue that even hints

of being divisive, they go around the tableand everyone is expected to say something.They give everyone a chance to gather theirthoughts before meetings by sending out anagenda and background material well inadvance. They keep the agenda manageableso there’s time to talk and no rush to makedecisions.These are simple concepts but it takes

practice to get good at them, says Huve-naars.One of SeedNet’s strengths is that so

many of its members have served on

boards—in fact, the idea for the alliance washatched by growers who were directors ofthe Alberta Seed Growers’ Association. Hu-venaars was one of that group. It’s one of adozen or so organizations he’s served onover the last three decades.“Being involved in boards has allowed me

to rub shoulders with people who are at thetop of their game in their sector, and whoknow what it takes to bring a group to-gether,” says the 52-year-old.“I think the best thing that members of a

family can do is get involved in boards. Youlearn how business gets done and you cantake that back to the farm.”Taking a more business-like approach to

running the family farm doesn’t mean youcan’t hold meetings at the kitchen table, orhave to start wearing suits and ties.SeedNet began with “14 competitors sit-

ting down in a room” and succeeded be-cause every issue was given a full airing andevery member was asked to say what was onhis mind.Why would you want to do anything less

for members of your family?Archived columns from this series can be

found at www.fcc-fac.ca/learning. FarmCredit Canada enables business manage-ment skill development through resourcessuch as this column, and information andlearning events available across Canada.

By GLENN CHEATER

A simple—but powerful—way to take the family business to the next level

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THE FARM FOCUS • www.atlanticfarmfocus.caDecember 2012• 9F O R E S T R Y

Woodlot owners unhappy with priceThe price private woodlot receive from

Cape Breton’s Port Hawkesbury Paper isnot high enough.Private woodlot owners say the mill

used to pay $53/tonne that covered theirproduction costs but since its sale to Pa-cific West Commercial Corporation,wood providers are being paid $43-45/tonne.The Chronicle-Herald reported that

contractors were asked to sign three-yearcontracts agreeing to the lower price andto selling saw logs to Port HawkesburyPaper for $50/tonne.The mill that reopened in October is re-

quired to buy 200,000 tonnes from privatewoodlot owners. That’s a condition of theprovince’s 20-year forest-use agreement.Some of the agreement was made pub-

lic Nov. 9 but sections concerning biomassand stumpage rates were redacted.Another condition allows the mill to

purchase up to 400,000 cubic tonnes ofCrown land pulpwood. Natural Resources Minister Charlie

Parker said the agreement was “goodnews” for sawmills, the environment, theMi’kmaq people, and the province. Hesaid it would increase sustainable harvest-ing and reduce clearcutting.

In mid-November the Nova Scotia gov-ernment was involved in talks with ResoluteForest Products Inc. attempting to buy theassets of the Queens County paper mill thatclosed in June.Premier Darrell Dexter expressed serious

concerns that that Bowater Mersey Paper Co.would sell off the 220,000 hectares of land itowns in the province. That would make itpossible for a foreign buyer to ship the rawtimber out of NS. Bowater’s other assets, estimated to be

worth $120 million, include the Oak Hillsawmill and the Brooklyn Power Corp. facil-ity.The province will not be purchasing the

sawmill.

NS looking to buy Bowater assets

Nova Scotia plans to increase its Crownland base.On Nov. 28 the province announced a $6.3

million investment (that includes $800,000from the Forestry Transition Land Acquisi-tion Program) that will be part of the 2013-14 budget.The land the province purchases will be

utilized to increase coastal access, enhancewildlife conservation, protect Mi'kmaq val-ues, and help meet its 12 per cent land pro-tection goal. The location of the land has notbeen determined."This is an important investment in con-

servation," said Chris Miller of the CanadianParks and Wilderness Society. The national conservation biologist noted,

"Some of the most ecologically-significantecosystems in Nova Scotia occur on privateland, including old-growth forest andspecies-at-risk habitat, so allocating re-sources to acquire these properties is an im-portant step to make and will help protectbiodiversity in this province."

Nova Scotia budgetsto buy Crown land

New Brunswick Public Libraries Foundation Treasurer SusanBaker; NB Maple Syrup Association General Manager YvonPoitras; Fredericton Public Library children's librarian NancyEdgar, and library director Brian Steeves are shown with Friend-ships at Maple Sugar Time, a new children's book by NewBrunswick author Marie-France Comeau with illustrations byGilles Cormier. (Photo: Communications New Brunswick)

www.atlanticfarmfocus.ca • THE FARM FOCUS10 • December 2012 P O T A T O E S

Innovation the future for the potato industry

Prince Edward Island potato farmersshould look to ‘future-proofing’ their farmsfor both large and small acreages becausethere is a sustainable, bright future ahead forboth types of operations in the province.The good news message was delivered to

farmers attending the P.E.I. Potato Board’sannual general meeting Friday (Nov. 16) inCharlottetown by keynote speaker BobTreadway.Farmers need to seek out niche markets

said Treadway, a U.S.A. consulting futuristand foresight adviser."It's my belief that in order to be success-

ful in your industry in the future you wantto be able to differentiate your productagainst the competition and even smalleroperations can move in that direction," hesaid.Treadway looked to emerging trends to

get his point across, noting McDonald's, oneof the biggest customers of contract pota-toes, had their largest financial loss in nineyears over the last quarter.Another potential market loss is the fact

that the US is teetering on the brink offalling back into recession causing jobgrowth to stagnate.There is no doubt job loss is affecting U.S.

markets for P.E.I. potatoes, but it's not alldoom and gloom said Treadway who hasover 25 years experience in helping compa-nies strategize for the future.He provided three examples of farms in

the U.S. who have used innovation to stayrelevant in their field.A 6,000-acre farm in Oregon has diversi-

fied crops and found markets, in places likethe pet food industry, not seen before as aviable place for crops.In Montana, an 80-acre dairy farmer

found urban life encroaching on his bordersso he embraced it, and has turned his ma-nure lagoon into a pristine body of waterand the manure into compost through tech-nology and innovation.In a move also seen here on the Island, an-

other Montana farm couple enhanced theirway of life through a community-sustainedagriculture operation where the customersinvest in the operation of their 30 acre farm.Treadway said while those weren't potato

farms, flexibility and innovation can workin the potato industry too.He points to the Island example of Prince

Edward Distillery using potatoes to producetheir vodka as well as the ever expandinggourmet food market.Treadway's comments didn't fall on deaf

ears as Alvin Keenan, one of the 120 potatofarmers and industry workers taking in thespeech, said it was good to hear about op-portunities for the little guy."It was one of the finest examples of 'big-

ger isn't always better' that I've heard,” saidKeenan who is also on the executive of theCanadian Horticultural Council.He said these innovations can be applied

on everything produced in Canada."By considering, not predicting, the future

of your industry you can be sustainable,”said Treadway.

By CHARLOTTE MACAULAYThe Guardian

[Charlottetown, PEI]—Prince Edward Is-land Potato Board general manager GregDonald uses the example of a house and afoundation to describe the importance ofbrand recognition within the industry. “Tobuild a good house, you have to have a strongfoundation,” he said in summarizing a pres-entation on the P.E.I. brand given at the Po-tato Board’s annual meeting on the weekend(Nov. 16-18).Approximately 150 people attended the

annual meeting and close to 200 were in at-tendance for the awards banquet.“When it comes to marketing, we want to

reinvigorate,” he said. “Our goal is to reinvig-orate the P.E.I. brand.”Donald said the P.E.I. industry has invested

considerable time, energy and money overthe past year and a half into looking at theP.E.I. recognition, including an extensiveconsumer study in Canada and the UnitedStates.“We have a strong brand right now. That

is one of the things our survey told us,” he

said.But with changing markets, Donald said

the industry recognizes the importance oftaking a fresh look and determining just howwell the brand resonates with consumers.Food safety and traceability, regulatory

changes and the retail climate in Canada andthe Northeastern states were among topicsdiscussed at the annual meeting.Speakers included Barbara Hunt, Quality

Assurance Manager with Wendy’s Interna-tional; Bob Treadway, a futurist who advisesFortune 500 companies and agriculturalbusinesses; Revenue Minister Gail Shea whopromoted benefits in a potential Canada-Eu-ropean trade agreement, and P.E.I. Agricul-ture and Forestry Minster George Webster.Board chair Gary Linkletter reported the

year ended June 30 was a positive one for theindustry. He said coordinating research ef-forts between the board, government andother industry partners will be a board pri-ority in 2013.

Journal Pioneer

Potato industry looking to buildon strength of PEI brand

A $36,000 federal investment will make it eas-ier for potato farmers to tap into new marketsand increase their profitability.The funding will allow the Prince Edward Is-

land and New Brunswick potato industries towork with Canadian breeders to select newlyregistered seed varieties that have commercialpotential in export markets. Samples of each selected variety will be put

through trials in order to determine which arebest suited for countries in various climatezones. This will help create a stable supply ofCanadian-bred varieties that growers can tapinto to compete in the international market-place."The PEI and New Brunswick potato indus-

tries are working together on this project to in-crease our competitiveness in the area of varietydevelopment," PEI Potato Board General Man-

ager Greg Donald said Nov. 15. "We want to in-crease our collaboration with public and privateCanadian breeders so that our growers anddealers have high-quality, uniquely Canadianvarieties that suit our customers' market condi-tions in North America and abroad.""The future of seed exports from Canada will

depend partially on variety development andopening new markets," said Potatoes NB Exec-utive Director Matt Hemphill. "These trials arekey to remaining competitive and innovative ina global marketplace."The investment is provided through the

Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program(CAAP). In PEI the regional component ofCAAP is delivered by the Adaptation Develop-ment Agricultural Production TechnologyCouncil (ADAPT), and in NB, by the NB Agri-cultural Council (NBAC).

Federal boost will help future seed potato exports

Bob Treadway, a U.S.A. consulting futurist and foresight adviser spoke at the Prince Edward Island Potato Board’s annual meet-ing. (Photo: John Morrison/Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada)

THE FARM FOCUS • www.atlanticfarmfocus.ca December 2012• 11N E W S

Frank Mutch passes away

It was never difficult to find Frank Mutch atan exhibition. You walked into the barn and lis-tened. The man who was laughing, who wasmaking others laugh; the one who was tellingstories or talking about oysters—that wasFrank.Frank Mutch was 80 when he passed away

Nov. 12, 2012.An industrious cattlemen, he grew up on a

farm in Earnscliffe, Prince Edward Islandworking with his father and brother.Soon after he married Iva Docherty in 1955,

Frank established his own operation that wouldeventually be recognized across North Americaas Earnscliffe Angus Farm.Frank and Iva purchased their first purebred

Angus in 1961. He travelled extensively acrossthe country to obtain the best cattle available.He improved his herd and shared their geneticsthroughout the region. He willingly consignedanimals from the top end of his herd to a num-ber of sales.Frank was dedicated to the breed and served

as a director of the PEI Aberdeen Angus and theMaritime Aberdeen Angus Associations and asa fieldman for the region.Frank worked hard to keep quality beef ani-

mals in public focus. He exhibited Angusthroughout the Maritime provinces, Quebecand Ontario. He was a stalwart competitor atthe PEI Easter Beef Show & Sale from its in-ception in 1952 and for decades after. And hewas on the event’s board of directors for close to30 years.Frank was also involved with farm organiza-

tions and was the overall leader of the Cher-rycliffe 4-H Club for 10 years. During thatperiod the club grew to be one of the largest andmost successful in the province.

Others recognized Frank’s dedication andcontribution to the agricultural industry. He re-ceived the PEI Institute of Agrologists’ Award,the 4-H Appreciation Award, and in 1991 wasinducted into the Atlantic Agricultural Hall ofFame. Recently the Mutch family was honouredwith the Canadian Angus Association’s 50-YearAward.Frank enjoyed his family and his life. He was

well known for his humour, his ‘stories’ and his‘hearty laugh’ and will be missed by his widecircle of friends.Frank is survived by his beloved wife, Iva; the

children he cherished: Ernie (Joanne), Earn-scliffe; Dora MacKinley (Brian), York Point;Ruby MacDonald (Stewart), Cleveland, N.S.;

Stewart (Terry), Earnscliffe; and Kenny (Anne)Earnscliffe; and by the 10 grandchildren whocalled him ‘Papa’: Stephen (Jennie); JulieMutch (Derek Weeks); Ashley and Kyle Mac-Donald; Krista, Sarah, and Jake Mutch; Alyssa,Alex and Jenny Mutch. Over the past year Frank was cared for with

kindness at the Garden Home.His funeral was held Nov. 15 at the St. John’s

Presbyterian Church in Belfast, PEI. Intermentwas in the Cherry Valley Memorial Cemetery.In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions

may be made to St. John’s Presbyterian Church,the Arthritis Society or the Cherry Valley Me-morial Cemetery. Online condolences may bemade at www.belvederefh.com

Bruce ‘Scoop’Fredstrom diesBruce ‘Scoop’ Fredstrom, who

became a legend with McCainFoods, passed away Nov. 3, 2012.He was 70.Mr. Fredstrom handled public

relations for the Florenceville,New Brunswick company and wasa trusted advisor to the McCainfamily for 30 years. He retired in1970.Before coming to Canada, Mr.

Fredstrom worked in the psycho-logical warfare section of theAmerican military. He was lateremployed by the University ofNew Brunswick and by theprovincial government.Mr. Fredstrom was known for

his passion for curling. In the1980’s, he inaugurated the Mc-Cain Superspiel that brought elitecurlers from across the country tothe province.Mr. Fredstrom is survived by his

wife, Lore, of Hartland and herchildren, Anita and Mark Luboschof Winnipeg.

Frank Mutch

www.atlanticfarmfocus.ca • THE FARM FOCUS12 • December 2012 N E W S

North River farmers win environmental farm steward award[Editor’s Note: The Mathewson’s were

named the 2012 winners. This article was writ-ten prior to the NSFA announcement.][North River, NS] - Local farmers Ruth

and her mother Greta Mathewson have beennamed as one of three finalists for this year'sNova Scotia Federation of Agriculture's farmenvironmental stewardship award.The award recognizes producers who make

land, water and habitat stewardship a signif-icant part of their farm operations.The Mathewsons have operated Upper-

brook Farm, a 26-hectare piece of land inNorth River, for nearly 40 years. The farmprimarily produces North Country Cheviotsheep breeding stock and wool products but

also yields a small amount of lamb and beefand Christmas trees from a two-acre lot.With rocky, rugged fields, Upperbrook

Farm relies heavily on pasture and forage tofeed their 60 ewes, lambs and seven beef cat-tle.The Mathewsons are taking advantage of

Nova Scotia's climate and terrain to imple-ment a grass-based production system fortheir sheep. The grass-fed system is good forthe sheep and even better for the environ-ment.Forages conserve soil by decreasing erosion

and by increasing infiltration, soil structure,soil organic matter and soil microbial activ-ity. Continuous growth of grass and legumes

will also protect soil from the forces of waterand wind. Furthermore, forages generallyhave low nutrient requirements and often in-clude nitrogen fixing legumes which reducethe need for fertilizer.Upperbrook Farm also has 260 acres of

woodlot. The Mathewsons have done someselective cutting in the woodlot, based ontheir forestry plan developed by Nova ScotiaWoodlot Owners and Operators Association.They are careful not to damage the areas be-side brooks and streams; riparian areas sig-nificant for fish and wildlife habitat andwatershed conservation.They have also decided against clearcut-

ting, but chose instead to allow the trees in

parts of their woodlot to mature and die inorder to rejuvenate the forest.Like many small traditional farmers in the

province, the Mathewsons keep their energyusage to a minimum and are always lookingfor ways to conserve energy. Animals are pas-tured from May to November, reducing theamount of forage needed to be harvestedwith equipment.Upperbrook farm also has a woolen mill

and a wool washer, which allows Greta andRuth to make use of wool that would com-monly be a waste product of lamb produc-tion. Instead, the wool is cleaned and craftedinto comforters and other wool gift items."If you were to sell just the rough wool you

would only get between 40 cents and a dollarper pound," Greta explained. "By makingblankets we are creating a valuable productand diverting waste from the landfill."But Ruth wants to take this even further.

She estimates that half of the wool clippingsin Nova Scotia are sent to the landfill. Shepartnered with the Agricultural Faculty ofDalhousie to investigate feasibility of usingwool for insulation. Ruth has also partneredwith the Atlantic Natural Fibre and NaturalDye Industry Association to look into thepossibility of establishing an animal fibre in-dustry.The award will be announced during the

Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture annualbanquet on Nov. 29 in Truro.

Truro Daily News

Museum support[O’Leary, PEI] — Anyone who shops at

any Sobeys stores in Atlantic Canada in Feb-ruary will have an opportunity to supportthe Canadian Potato Museum in O’Learyand possibly even win a trip to Prince Ed-ward Island.Sobeys in Atlantic Canada and WP Griffin

Inc. in Elmsdale (PEI) are teaming up for aFebruary promotion in support of the Cana-dian Potato Museum.Museum director Bill MacKendrick ap-

proached John Griffin, co-owner of WP Grif-fin Inc., about doing a promotion for themuseum. Griffin fine-tuned the proposal andgot Sobeys onside. Sobeys is Griffin’s biggestcustomers, and Griffin’s is one of Sobeyslargest suppliers of potatoes.“The month of February is potato month,”

Griffin said in explaining the timing of thepromotion.For every 10-pound bag of Heritage Net-

ted Gems Sobeys sells during February, 25cents will be donated to the potato museum.The museum also benefits through aware-

ness, as customers have a chance to winprizes, including a grand prize golf vacationat the Rodd Mill River Resort.“Customers will go to the Canadian Potato

Museum website to enter the contest,” Griffinnoted.The paper bags will be clearly identified

with: “The Canadian Potato Museum Her-itage Netted Gems”.“Sobeys have agreed to feature that in At-

lantic Canada for the whole month of Feb-ruary,” Griffin said, adding, “We’re hoping toraise $20,000.”

Journal Pioneer

THE FARM FOCUS • www.atlanticfarmfocus.ca December 2012• 13N E W S

Success of agriculture industry depends on co-operation: Donald

Corner Brook, NL] — Despite a commonperception that the agriculture industry is inthe “doldrums,” Richard Donald is very opti-mistic about the future.Donald, the associate dean of research in

the faculty of agriculture at Dalhousie Uni-versity, was the keynote speaker at the “OurFood, Our Future, Growing the AgricultureIndustry in Newfoundland and Labrador”conference Friday (Nov. 23).The one-day event was an initiative of

Grenfell Campus, Memorial University ofNewfoundland; the Department of NaturalResources, Agriculture Development Branchand the Research Development Corporationwas held at the Greenwood Inn and Suites in

Corner Brook.While Donald’s talk highlighted a few

things about Newfoundland he approachedthe topic from a broader sense and spoke on“Getting Aligned on Agriculture in AtlanticCanada.”Following his presentation, Donald said the

reason for the Atlantic approach is because hethinks it’s gonna take a lot of co-operationwithin Atlantic Canada to make the agricul-ture industry successful.“One of the points I wanted to make in my

talk was that the model for co-operationneeds to be based on our reality of agriculturehere, not on some other national importanceand priorities.”In his talk he highlighted the uniqueness of

the region that requires special attention thatmay not be picked up in broad national pro-

grams.Donald said moving ahead with the co-op-

eration will be the tough part.“It’s easy to say it, but it’s a lot harder to do

it.”However, he suggested three starting

points.“It can start with governments coming to-

gether to collaborate on the money that’s in-vested in agriculture programs.“Two, universities can be more deliberate

about working together to support agricul-ture through appropriate research. And three,looking at the federal government agencieshere now, better co-operation between theprovincial government, federal agencies anduniversities to make that happen.”When looking at the industry as a whole,

Donald called it “a recipe for complete suc-

cess.”He said it is an area with great products

that are in and will continue to be in demand,has a skilled workforce and has support fromgovernment.“If any other company had what we had in

terms of opportunities, in terms of marketand supply, or trained people, access to re-sources, they’d go crazy,” said Donald.He said events like the “Our Food, Our Fu-

ture” conference will be important to meet-ing the goal of fostering collaboration.“Because I think it allows people to first of

all get a sense of reassurance and enthusiasmin the industry to say ‘we can do this.’”He said it’s often easy to say you’re going to

do something, but that won’t happen untilyou get together and talk with like-mindedpeople.

By DIANE CROCKERWestern Star

Many questions need answering to grow agriculture industry

[Corner Brook, NL] — Their areas of ex-pertise may be a little different, but DaveJennings and Antony Card both see collabo-ration as a necessity for the agriculture in-dustry.Jennings, a director with the (Newfound-

land & Labrador) Department of NaturalResources, said agriculture is a growing in-dustry that is essential to the future of theprovince.

“It’s one of the basic strategic things thatwe need to do in this province is to have ahealthy agriculture sector.”Jennings made those comments following

the conclusion of the “Our Food, Our Fu-ture, Growing the Agriculture Industry inNewfoundland and Labrador” conferenceFriday (Nov. 23).He said the event was aimed at creating

collaborative efforts and formalizing a rela-tionship between the Department of NaturalResources, agrifoods, Memorial University,Agriculture Canada, and the Research andDevelopment Corporation.

Jennings said research and developmentwill be a major component of growing theindustry.“We know we have a lot of questions to

answer to help this industry grow,” he said.Questions around new crops, diversifica-

tion of the industry, land base managementand climate change.Helping answer those questions is where

Grenfell will play a role.Card, associate vice-president (research)

at Grenfell said the university is investing $8million in its environmental science labs andwill be hiring five research professors who

will work across the forestry and agriculturedisciplines.“We will be at the high end of research and

development,” said Card.“That’s how we will lead.”Card said the conference was all about

bringing the various parties and stakehold-ers together.“We know what we’re doing but we

needed to engage the others and to start thatconversation. Today is the start of the con-versation.“It’s the watershed event that actually

brings everybody together.”

By DIANE CROCKERWestern Star

Continued from page 1This could be bad for farmers in the At-

lantic region "most certainly." Vissers said.FPC data he obtained indicates that Cana-

dian processors use 34 per cent of the foodgrown on Canadian farms for frozen andcanned fruits and vegetables.The planned CFIA regulatory change con-

cerns the NSFA because it impacts NovaScotia farmers and processors, Vissers ex-plained. " We have been working hard onBuy Local and this sort of thing doesn’thelp."According to the FPC, food processing is

the largest Canadian manufacturing indus-try with 290,000 employees. But since 2007about 13,000 food-manufacturing jobs have

been lost because of 78 plant closures.Canada’s food trade balance has shifted froma surplus to the current deficit of $6.5-bil-lion Vissers believes the pending changes in

CFIA’s packing rules is part of the federalConservative government’s drive to de-reg-ulate.According to a CFIA spokesman quoted in

a Chronicle Herald article the changes con-tained as part of this year’s federal omnibusbudget bill are intended to focus on im-proving food safety and so non-food safetyrelated rules will be removed. So companieswill no longer be required to use only spe-cific container sizes. The CFIA representative also claimed

packaging de-regulation will allow more in-dustry innovation and consumer choices.He promised the CFIA will work with in-

dustry stakeholders on the timing of the rulechanges so there is sufficient transition time.

Food processors said the regulatorychanges came as a surprise to many of themas they had no open discussion prior to theannouncement. The processors argue the new packaging

rules contravene a 2007 federal cabinet Di-rective on Streamlining Regulation whichstates: "Department and agencies are re-sponsible for identifying interested and af-fected parties, and for providing them withopportunities to take part in open, mean-ingful and balanced consultation at all stagesof the regulatory process."The Food Processors of Canada are seek-

ing a complete analysis of the impact ofthese changes. They insist" "If we are goingto make changes; we want a complete pack-age of reforms so Canadian companies havea fair chance to compete."

Fighting CFIA’s new food packaging rules

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Henry Vissers. (Photo: Dan Woolley)

www.atlanticfarmfocus.ca • THE FARM FOCUS14 • December 2012 B L U E B E R R I E S

Blueberry production reaches a billion pounds�[Fredericton, NB]—Everyone likes blueber-

ries—production is exploding. The combinedwild and cultivated harvest hit a billion poundsworldwide for 2011-2012 with no slowdown insight. Some industry insiders predict produc-tion will reach 1.2 billion pounds by 2015.“Production is not slowing and it is going

ahead at a very substantial rate,” Dalhousie Uni-versity Wild Blueberry Research Chair Dr. DavidPercival told growers and processors in Freder-icton, New Brunswick. Speaking at the WildBlueberry Association of North America(WBANA) Symposium, he presented figuresfrom the US Highbush Blueberry Council,showing a combined highbush and lowbushproduction of 936.87 million pounds in 2010.He noted it appears the one billion pound markwas reached this year.��Although most of the rapid growth is in cul-

tivated berries, southwestern NB grower RussellWeir remains confident in the market opportu-nities for the wild product. “We have to ask canwe really sell over a billion pounds worldwideand from what I’ve heard here, I think we can.”What did he hear? Advice to WBANA to keep

on doing what it has been doing so successfully:continue efforts to differentiate its product as“wild”, emphasize the higher antioxidant valueof the wild blueberry, continue research intohealth benefits and carry on promotion efforts.Within Canada, British Columbia is showing

the sharpest growth curve. It has bumped itshighbush production from 75 m lbs in 2008 to105 m in 2012. A similar trend is taking placedown the western coast in Washington, Oregonand California. However, the fastest growth in

North America is the southern region of theUnited States. The harvest in that area nearlydoubled in two years, from 75.20 m lbs in 2008to 120.90 m in 2010.�The growth pattern is repeated worldwide

with new areas seeing the blueberry’s potentialand most upping their production as well, al-though at a less dramatic pace.�Chile is leading the way in South America, ex-

porting 60 per cent of its crop to North Amer-ica. Elsewhere, acreage maps show blueberriesincreasing in Asian and Pacific countries, Africa,and Europe.In presenting production and acreage figures

to the symposium, University of Maine Blue-berry Extension Specialist Dr. David Yarbor-ough noted that increased production in NorthAmerica is directed to fresh sales.Neri Vautour is not threatened by the growth

in the fresh market. “I always say if they (con-sumers) get a taste, it is good for us too.”�TheWBANA Executive-Director, Canada said onefocus of current promotion is positioningfrozen wild blueberries as a convenient super-fruit. Promotions emphasis the nutrient valueof frozen wild blueberries is the same as freshwild blueberries. The ease of reaching in a bagand taking out the exact amount wanted is il-lustrated. ��“We have to change the mindset of the con-

sumer,” Dr. Yarborough said, suggesting em-phasizing the cost of a pound of frozen wildberries compared to 100 grams of fresh, and the

health benefits accrued to each.��WBANA has been promoting the health ben-

efits of wild blueberries to consumers since thefirst studies placed the tiny fruit at the top of theantioxidant scale, well above its cultivatedcousins. It has been active in helping fund re-search into the berry’s health properties for 15years. It has also been hard at work establishingthe “wild” brand. At this fall’s meeting, agenciesfrom Germany, France, Great Britain, UnitedStates, Canada, Japan and China reported ontheir efforts to promote the “wild” blueberry toconsumers and industry markets in their coun-tries. Dr. Percival said being proactive and innova-

tive has paid huge dividends for the industry. Hecomplimented several individuals (Jack Sibley,Gary Chapman, Lad Javorek, John Bragg andCam M. McLean) for their initial marketing andpromotional activities. He noted a trickledowneffect evidenced in the highbush sector pro-moting the “Ruebel” variety in the United Statesas a wild berry. Percival argued that it could bet-ter be described as a heritage variety.The Research Chair encouraged producers to

continue to differentiate their product from“wild” cultivated blueberries. He recommendedemphasizing the ecological aspect of the crop.Ongoing health-related research is vital andquality, safety and traceability are critical, Dr.Percival added.

By BARBARA SCOTT

Lowbush production preliminary figures for 2012

2012 (preliminary) million pounds

Quebec 62PEI 14Nova Scotia 40New Brunswick 44NL 1Maine 95

NA production - 256 million lbs. World (including NA) - 281 million lbs.

Wild blueberry producers to benefit from federal funding

[Truro, NS] – The federal government isproviding $700,000 to help promote Canada’sblueberry industry overseas.Cumberland–Colchester–Musquodoboit

Valley MP Scott Armstrong made the fundingannouncement this morning in Truro on be-half of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, at thestart of the 42 annual general meeting of theWild Blueberry Producers of Nova Scotia.“Our government is helping Canadian pro-

ducers increase the volume of high-qualitywild blueberry exports to target markets be-cause we know trade creates jobs and eco-nomic growth," Armstrong said, during the

announcement.The money is to be used by the Canadian

division of the Wild Blueberry Producers ofNorth America (WBANA) to undertake mar-ket research and promotion and attend key in-ternational trade shows to increase awarenessto overseas countries of the value, quality, anddiversity of Canadian wild blueberries."Canada is the world's largest producer and

exporter of wild blueberries with exports in2011 valued at $199 million. Blueberries arealso Canada's number-one fruit export. Inrural communities in Atlantic Canada andQuebec, wild blueberries contribute signifi-cantly to the agricultural industry, represent-ing $86 million in farm-gate value last year.

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New Brunswick wild blueberry grower Russell Weir of Pennfield pours Sukhwan Bang a glass of blueberry juice at the Wild Blue-berry Association of North America Symposium in Fredericton. Bang recently moved to the Richibucto area and is considering thepotential of growing wild blueberries on his parents’ (Sowan Hwang and Youma Mok Bang) farm. (Photo: Barbara Scott)

Nova Scotia MP Scott Armstrong, Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley (right) and John Cameron, NS Industry Repre-sentative for the Wild Blueberry Association of North America (WBANA Canada) hold a carton of wild blueberries. Armstrong an-nounced a $700,000 investment for WBANA-Canada to develop and enhance international markets. (Photo: AvrilVollenhoven/Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada)

THE FARM FOCUS • www.atlanticfarmfocus.ca December 2012• 15B L U E B E R R I E S

Wild blueberry growers are smaller players in world productionNova Scotia Wild Blueberry Producers As-

sociation members got the message at theirannual meeting they will be smaller players inthe world production game.The North American highbush blueberry

industry has expanded by about 10 per centannually, although planting appears to beslowing, Peter Rideout told WBPANS dele-gates.Wild blueberry growers are becoming a

smaller part of the industry, the NS Depart-ment of Agriculture Senior Planning and De-velopment Officer said. While blueberries arenow Canada’s number one fruit industry, "Weare a smaller part of a bigger industry."Dr. David Yarborough estimated that North

American highbush production would be562-million lbs this year. The University ofMaine blueberry extension specialist noted theWest Coast (California, Oregon, Washingtonand British Columbia) is NA’s leading grow-ing region, producing 263-million lbs in 2011. He noted west coast growers could produce

up to 40,000 lbs/per acre on a trellis. The second biggest growing region is the

Southern United States with 136 m lbs. thisyear. Georgia, alone accounted for 70 m. Dr.Yarborough noted Southern cultivated blue-berries are an early season fruit, grown prin-cipally for the fresh market.In the Eastern US, the Michigan crop de-

clined to 81 m lbs. this year due to an earlyspring frost, while New Jersey dropped to 54m because of a labor shortage.

Dr. Yarborough also observed there hasbeen a significant expansion in South Ameri-can cultivated blueberry production, withChile going from 15,415 metric tonnes in2005 to 70,974 in 2011.

Chile has also expanded "exponentially"into the frozen market, the niche for manyNA wild blueberry processors. He added that88 per cent of Chilean highbush blueberriesare exported to NA. Chile still has the poten-tial to increase production up to 117,000 met-ric tonnes. "Luckily these berries aren’t veryhigh quality; but they are cheap."Rideout anticipated that NA could be look-

ing at a wild harvest in excess of 250 m lbs.

Other relevant market factors he cited werethe crop failures due to the drought in theAmerican Mid-West and the 66 per cent in-crease in consumption of all blueberries from2000-2009.In the Pacific Northwest, Rideout observed

there has been more highbush productionand an increased diversion into the freezermarket.While there was a good demand in the

fresh market this summer, when inventory in-creased in the fall market movement slowed.Prices influenced a substitution in the ingre-dient market between wild and cultivatedberries.Rideout noted "a dramatic increase" in

crop volume in South America, plus an earlystart to the continent’s production season.Chile is also pushing demand through a lot ofpromotional support and undertaking a Pa-cific Rim trade initiative.Europe had a good bilberry crop with lower

prices and its harvest labor issues are beingresolved through seasonal offshore workersfrom South East Asia. NA wild blueberries are well established in

Europe with competitive prices and superiorquality, Rideout said. He recommended in-dustry focus on supplying ingredients forbakers and jam makers in the big West Euro-pean markets of Germany, France, TheUnited Kingdom and the Low Countries. He cautioned there are more fresh culti-

vated berries in the European market and theweak Euro decreases consumer-buyingpower.

In the UK since 2007, spending for freshand frozen cultivated blueberries has doubledand is increasing remarked Rideout, who alsosaw a steady increase in volume for IQF wildblueberries for the bakery trade and fruit in-gredients.In Asia, Japan remains the biggest market

where there was a good demand for the 2011crop. The Japanese market remains relativelystrong and he expected the 2012 crop saleswill be "pretty much on par for the 2011crop." Rideout saw the challenge in diversifying

the Japanese customer base from the currentjam market; the customer base is rapidlyaging which creates both challenges and op-portunities. He considered China, SouthKorea and Indonesia to offer the greatest fu-ture emerging market opportunities.Rideout told growers to expect increased

inventory pressure in the 2012 market, par-ticularly in NA with competition from SA in-creasingly diverting its production into thefreezer market. He recommended growersfocus on the stability of their key markets andthe rate of development of new ones. Regarding 2012 wild blueberry yields, Dr.

Yarborough estimated Maine will get anabove average crop of about 95 m lbs; Que-bec will harvest about 62m; New Brunswickabout 44 m, and Nova Scotia over 40 m lbs.

By DAN WOOLLEY

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www.atlanticfarmfocus.ca • THE FARM FOCUS16 • December 2012 B U Y E R S G U I D E

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Really Local Harvest producers experience Charlevoix Flavours TrailReally Local Harvest Co-op producers—part

of the Agroexperiences New Brunswick initia-tive—recently visited farmers, processors, arti-sans and restaurants on Québec’s Charlevoix’sRoute des Saveurs or Flavours Trail. The objec-tive of their mission was to apply the acquiredknowledge and information toward the contin-ued development of the provincial agritourismindustry.Seven Really Local Harvest Co-op members

are part of the Agroexperience N.B. initiative:Corn Hill Nursery, Green Thumb Farm, Les Pe-tits fruits de Pré-d’en-Haut, Magnetic Hill Win-ery and B&B, Richibucto River Wine Estate andVerger Belliveau Orchard. Agroexperiences offer visitors the opportu-

nity to get a taste of life on the farm and learnabout production and processing techniqueswhile enjoying the colours and splendid vistasof the countryside. Through the initiative, par-ticipating farms pool their resources together topromote the agritourism sector as a whole, aswell as individual farm experiences.Charlevoix’s Route des Saveurs was launched

in 1996. Like other regions in the country,Charlevoix uses agri-tourism, its diversifiedagri-food products as well as its local food in-spired cuisine as the main draw to the area. “The development of a similar route in our

region would no doubt be a great tool to attractmore visitors, while maximizing partnershipsbetween farmers, chefs, artisans and processors,”Janet Everett of Magnetic Hill Winery and B&B

explained. The development of a culinary and agri-

product based route in south-eastern NewBrunswick would also help promote farm prod-ucts at a regional level, building awareness onthe unique and quality products available righthere.The visit to Québec reinforced the group’s

view that tourism marketing efforts in NBshould be regionalized, enabling each distinct

region the ability to showcase its unique prod-ucts and experiences. This would mean usinggrassroots marketing initiatives such as the NewBrunswick Cultural Coast as a template fortourism promotion.Over the next few months, the Really Local

Harvest Co-op and Agroexperience producerswill be working with their partners to evaluatethe feasibility of establishing a culinary-basedroute in the region.

Oman market secured for Canadian cattleOman has opened its doors for im-

ports of Canadian cattle—a market es-timated at $900,000 a year.Oman is a member of the GCC, which

also includes Saudi Arabia, United ArabEmirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar.This region is one of the world’s wealth-iest associations of countries and repre-sents a priority market for Canada underthe Global Commerce Strategy.“This particular negotiation started

with a specific request for cattle in April,so resolution of the access issue was rel-atively fast,” Canadian Livestock GeneticsAssociation Executive Director RickMcRonald said Nov. 28. “Now that wehave access, our members can follow upon that request with more detail and alsodetermine what the full market potentialmight be. Our thanks to all who workedtogether to achieve cattle access toOman.” Canada has also successfully negoti-

ated market access for high-quality cattlein Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. In 2011, Canada exported $24.9 mil-

lion worth of breeding cattle worldwide.Exports of agriculture and food productsto Oman were worth approximately $1.1million annually.

Really Local Harvest Co-op producers—part of the Agroexperiences New Brunswick initiative—recently visited farmers, proces-sors, artisans and restaurants on Québec’s Charlevoix’s Route des Saveurs or Flavours Trail. In the photo an Omerto Winery em-ployee in Baie St Paul, Québec pours wine for Robert Bourgeois of Verger Belliveau Orchard and Janet and Zack Everett of MagneticHill Winery and B&B. (Photo: Contributed)

• December 201218 • THE FARM FOCUSTHE CLASSIFIEDS

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Contact Allan Weeks CBParker 902.628.9337

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Call Steven after5pm at 902-922-2305 for further details.

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Continued from page 4“It’s all right, sweetheart. You’re safe now.”

As Jim carried the boy up the slope, he heardSusan gasp. Young Tommy cried out, “Is thatSanta? Did he come early just to save us?”Jim looked up and saw Fred, in his crim-

son parka, steadying the ponies. The sleighwas painted bright enamel red and stoodout in the snow like a beacon. Lester hadrigged up miniature lights on a battery andthey twinkled all around the top of thesleigh. Tiny bells on the reins chimed in thewind.“No, that’s not Santa. But it’s one of his

helpers, that’s for sure.”“It’s a good thing we have Sickles, Dad,

isn’t it? She really saved the day!”Jim wondered if he could find work in

Fort McMurray in the new year. How couldthey let Sickles go after today? If it hadn’tbeen for that pony, he never would haveknown that Susan was so close, and cryingout for help.The two men settled the youngsters in the

sleigh and, walking one on each side, theymade it back to the house just after dark.Every light in the place was blazing. Therewere snowshoes and skis outside the doorand a police snowmobile in the driveway. Word of the rescue spread like wildfire. By

the next day, with sun blazing on the post-

card-perfect snow, Sickles was the townhero. A crew from a nearby television stationarrived and Fred, who had stayed overnight,hitched the two ponies up to the sleighagain. Susan and Tommy, with his leg nowin a cast, rode around the lane for the cam-eras and the evening news. The nationalnews picked up the story, and that weekend,Sickles was a household name across thecountry.Fred told them he’d changed his plans and

he no longer wanted to buy Susan’s pony.Instead, he asked Jim to board two of his

other ponies, and to allow him, for a fee, touse Sickles and Susan in his advertising.He’d split the cost of any of Sickle’s vet billswith them. Then he wondered if he couldhire their pony for a week each month of thesummer, provided Susan and her motherwould come stay with him and his wife atthe same time. “Maybe,” he said, “Susancould pose for an occasional photo with herpony?”And the Cahill household had one of the

nicest Christmases ever. (The Christmas Pony was originally pub-

lished in The Newfoundland Herald as partof the “Cindy’s Cove” series)You may e-mail the author at

njrryan@njrryan.com or visit www.njr-ryan.com.

The Christmas Pony

THE FARM FOCUS • www.atlanticfarmfocus.ca 19N E W S

Dairy farmers honoured by PEIVeterinary Medical AssociationThe Prince Edward Island Veterinary Med-

ical Association (PEIVMA) presented fourawards to exemplary PEI dairy farmers at itsrecent annual meeting. Three of the awards recognized Island dairy

farms with the lowest 12-month average so-matic cell counts (SCC). The recipients were:Stephen and Pauline Wood, Woodland Farm,O’Leary (58,000); Tony and Virginia van derVelden, van der Velden Farms, Bedeque(61,000), and Jeremy and Jennifer Clark,Quality First Dairy, Shamrock (77,000). This is the third year in a row that the

Wood’s have had the lowest SCC on the Is-land, and the second year the van der Velden’shave had the second lowest SCC. The PEIVMA also presented the Cow

Comfort Award, an award recognizing an in-dividual or organization that has made a sig-nificant effort to maximize the comfort of thecattle they care for. This year’s recipient wasJanet and Derwin Clow of Cassialane Farms.The Freetown farmers have prioritized thecomfort of their cows, while still achieving ex-cellent production and fertility records. Theirefforts to improve cow comfort have in-cluded, but were not limited to: separate di-vision of first lactation cows, above averagefeeder space, extra ventilation, and a dedica-tion to lameness prevention.

The PEIVMA congratulated the “progres-sive, deserving farmers” for their hard workand dedication to the industry.

NB potato growers honouredNew Brunswick growers Mogens Givskud

of Drummond and Gary Foster of MooseMountain were inducted into the PotatoWorld Hall of Recognition this fall.Close to 200 people were on hand as the

two highly respected farmers were hon-oured.Givskud received his award from Stephen

Pray, chair of the NB Seed Potato ExportCorporation, who spoke about the Dane’sinteractions with growers and the legacy hehas given the industry. According to The Bugle-Observer, Pray

said, ‘“I consider Mogens a real farmer. Hehas done everything. He started from scratchand turned himself into quite a businessman

as well. He had a real passion for agricultureand growing the best crops and seed pota-toes that he could. He did a fine job and hehas passed his knowledge on to his son.’”Foster, whose illness prevented him from

attending, was recognized by Andy Savoy ofValcon Ltd. ‘“Gary does so much for this industry. He

has done so much for the local charities, theregion, the economy and his family,”’ Savoysaid. ‘“When (Gary) believes in a cause, hetakes action, he does the work and he getsthings done. The same can be said in the in-dustry. When he has a cause, he grabs theissue. You know it’s worth supporting whenGary supports it.”’

PEI potatoes win championship honours at RWFThe only Prince Edward Island potatoes to

enter the winner’s circle at the Royal Agri-cultural Winter Fair in Toronto this yearwere at the top their class.Lewis Brothers of York took home the

Champion Tablestock prize with an entry ofYukon Gem potatoes. “Yukon Gem is a rela-tively new variety for us,” notes grower ScottLewis. “It has a nice round shape, attractiveappearance and good eating quality.”In the Seed class, Lewis Brothers won both

the Grand and Reserve Champion prizes, aswell as the Canadian Horticultural CouncilInternational Award. The Grand Championentry was a sample of Russet Burbank pota-toes while the reserve was Yukon Gems.

As Lewis commented, “This just re-affirmsthe high quality of seed and table potatoesproduced in PEI, the quality that our cus-tomers associate with Prince Edward Islandproducts.”2012 marks the 90th edition of the Royal

Agricultural Winter Fair held each Novem-ber at Exhibition Place in Toronto. PrinceEdward Island potatoes have been takinghome top honours in the horticultural ex-hibit for many years, a testament to the qual-ity of the crop produced on the Island.

Companies receive NBinnovation awardsLes Produits Restigouche and C.B.H.

Wood Products Ltd were among eight NewBrunswick companies that were recognizedlast month for their innovation.Minister Paul Robichaud presented the

Department of Economic Development'sInnov8 awards to the companies for their ex-cellence in a strategic sector. Les Produits Restigouche of Saint-

Quentin for Innovation Excellence in Value-Added Food, and�C.B.H. Wood ProductsLtd. of Hanwell for Innovation Excellence inValue-Added Wood.

Bremner Farms in receivershipBremner Farms in in Miramichi, Moncton

and Napan, New Brunswick is in receivershipbut its former satellite dealership Bremner &Sons is not.Earlier this year, Leon Bremner had a dis-

agreement with executive decisions by NewHolland’s new owners and opted to return itsinventory.In late October the tractor dealer told the

Times & Transcript that he had hired Pricewa-terhouseCoopers and temporarily shut downthe business. He believed that everything wouldbe back to normal in January.But that hasn’t worked out. New Holland placed the company in interim

receivership until all its equipment was removedand financial agreements settled.At press time, Bremner’s receiver was search-

ing for a new owner.

The Prince Edward Island Veterinary Medical Association pre-sented four awards to exemplary PEI dairy farmers. In the photoPEIVMA President Dr. Wade Sweet (left) presents the Cow Com-fort Award to Derwin Clow and Janet Clow.

www.atlanticfarmfocus.ca • THE FARM FOCUS20 • December 2012