the grower december 2014

KAREN DAVIDSON

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.Shun the French Champagne.Ditch the Spanish cava. Go forthe Canuck sparkler. Two yearsin the making, a flute of bubblesis well priced at $25 per bottle.

Winemakers from BritishColumbia’s Blue Mountain winery, for example, to NovaScotia’s Benjamin Bridge arenow sprucing up their portfolioswith sparklers. As they clink theirglasses, they are toasting the veryessence of Canada’s cool climateand soils. Sparkling wines, theyrealize, shine with early-ripening,high-acid, low-pH grapes.

“It’s hard to compete in theworld, but our winemakers areexperimenting to bring a productto market that reflects our specificterroir,” says Laurie Macdonald,executive director, VQA program.She confirms that Ontario’s liquorboard sales of domestic sparklingwines have doubled in the lastfive years.

To support the category,research is underway to strengthen the value chain fromthe vineyard to the consumer. TheOntario Ministry of Agriculture,Food and Rural Affairs and theUniversity of Guelph havepledged $240,000 to the CoolClimate Oenology and ViticultureInstitute (CCOVI). The teamcomprises University of Guelph’sGeorge van der Merwe and BrockUniversity researchers of DebbieInglis, Tek Thongpapani, JimWillwerth and Belinda Kemp.Together, they are working withChateau des Charmes and TriusWinery at Hillebrand in theNiagara peninsula.

Their quest is to find a signature Ontario sparkling winederived from different clones ofChardonnay, Pinot Noir andRiesling grapes that are plantedon different soil types. During thewinemaking process, they’ll belooking at the foaming ability ofeach variety. They will alsoinvestigate how different yeaststrains affect quality and sensory

characteristics. Since the agingtime for sparkling wine is solong, they hope to finetune methods to bring the end productto market sooner after the secondfermentation.

Mary McDermott, formerlywinemaker at Trius, has recentlymoved to British Columbia.Now stationed at Naramata, sheplans to use her Ontario experience to expand thesparkling wine program atTownship 7 winery. As sheexplains, it’s a laborious processstarting with disease-free fruit ofabout 18° to 20° brix in the vineyard. Clusters are hand-picked and put through a gentlepress. Fractioning the juice resultsin the best base wine possible.

Primary ferment occurs ineither stainless steel or oak,depending upon the producer’sdesired style. Once the base wineis prepared, yeast is added in aprocess called tirage. The wine isbottled and placed into cellars fora minimum of nine months wherea secondary fermentation occurs

resulting in the bubbles that makesparkling wine unique.

Once the wine has aged on itslees – deposits of dead yeast --the bottles are riddled. Thismeans turning and tilting the bottles either manually ormechanically in an upright rack.This allows the sediment to collect in the neck of the bottlebefore disgorgement.

At this point, the bottles areready for dosage (pronounceddoh-zahzh), topping up with amixture of wine and sugar. Thedosage recipe is tweaked by eachsparkling wine producer. Thewinemaker checks for pressure,residual sugar levels and sulfurdioxide.

“Understanding the scientificprocess is crucial, but it’s alsoimportant to have balancebetween creativity and that theoretical knowledge,” saysMcDermott.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

DECEMBER 2014 CELEBRATING 135 YEARS AS CANADA’S PREMIER HORTICULTURAL PUBLICATION VOLUME 64 NUMBER 12

MARKETING

Spend your silver on Canadian sparklers

INSIDEFruit and vegetables shineat the Royal Page 6

Windsor-Essex showcasesbusiness opportunities toAmericans Page 8

FOCUS: Grapes, vineyardsand wineries 6

www.thegrower.orgP.M. 40012319

$3.00 CDN

Ontario’s VQA sparkling wine sales have increased by 60 per cent in the last fiscal year, reflecting two trends. First, consumers crave unique, locally-produced wines. Butsecondly, the quality of Canadian sparkling wines is appreciated by wine connoisseurs. Winemaker Mary McDermott (L) and wine scientist Belinda Kemp anticipate a tastetest of the 2012 batch of sparkling wine at Trius Winery at Hillebrand, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Photos by Denis Cahill.

OPMA award winners

Congratulations to all winners atthe recent Ontario ProduceMarketing Association Gala. DonMastronardi received the LifetimeAchievement Award for his vision-ary thinking and execution, build-ing a 40-acre greenhouse inKingsville, Ontario in 1994. At thetime it was the largest in the indus-try and a first of its kind in NorthAmerica. Today the Sunset brandand the Campari tomato are bothwell-known.

The Cory Clack-Streef ProducePerson of the Year was won bySam Silvestro, currently producemanager for Walmart Canada. Hisindustry involvement includes com-mittee work on import/export offood products and food safety. He’scurrently chair of the CPMA’s marketing committee and helpeddrive the launch of the Half YourPlate program.

The recipient of the FreshAward is Adam Donikian, category manager at Sobeys. Heshines in product knowledge, seasonality, ethnic offerings andseasonal opportunities.

Anticipating market trends, he’sdeveloped a pre-ripened avocadoprogram and direct offshoreimports.

Ocean’s Fresh Food Marketwon the nod for OutstandingAchievement Award. Its Bramptonstore is praised for its multi-ethnicfresh food shopping experience.The look of the stores are NorthAmerican in style, yet ethnic inofferings with grocery aisles namedfor countries such as India, Jamaicaand Vietnam. This food emporiumis a destination for consumers looking for unique ingredients.

OFVC award honours innovation

The Ontario Fruit andVegetable Convention (OFVC) isonce again offering a trade innovation award to its 2015exhibitors. Early applications areencouraged by January 9 for mention in the Show Guide.January 30 is the ultimate deadline for judging. The winnerwill be announced opening day,February 18.

“Our goal is to recognize busi-nesses that offer new productsand services that have the potential to positively impact thehorticultural industry,” says MattPeters, OFVC president. “Wewish to provide attendees an easyway to identify innovations within our OFVC trade show.Most of all, we wish to honourexhibitors in a celebratory forumfor bringing these products tomarket.

This year, all participants’products will be showcased in anew Innovative Product Boothnear the food court at the

ScotiaBank Convention Centre,Niagara Falls. Participants willhave their product descriptionfeatured in the official OFVCShow Guide and on the innovation award tab of the website.

Applicants can find entryguidelines at www.ofvc.ca/innovation. Applications shouldbe sent to Adrian Huisman, chairof the OFVC Trade InnovationsAward Committee at [email protected].

GF2 applications dueDec 11

Growing Forward 2 Ontariofunding for project implementa-tion program will be closing theirfinal intake on December 11,2014. This is the last intake toallow retroactive expenses fromApril 1, 2014 onward.

Here is an outline of the program and its uses:• Amount: Max $350K non-

repayable contribution at up to35% cost share of projects and50% for innovative projects.Total amount on Capital Assetsfunding capped at $100K.• Eligible Activities: Adoptingand adapting best practicesaround six focus areas. Includesconsulting, contractors, incremen-tal hires, incremental materials,supplies, marketing design, print,translation, software projects,trainers and $100,000 towardsnew capital assets or alterna-tion/modification to existingassets.• Timelines: All projects mustend on, or before January 31,2018 and cannot span acrossmore than 24 months.

NEWSMAKERS

THE GROWER

AT PRESS TIME…

PAGE 2 –– DECEMBER 2014

Farm and Food Care Ontario has launched its 2015 calendar, promoting the hard work of farm families. Nearly 4,000 politicians,grocery stores, butcher shops and media contacts will be mailedcopies of the calendar and the 2014 edition of the Real Dirt onFarming booklet. Broccoli farmer Kenny Forth, Lynden, Ontario isfeatured in front of his race car in the November 2015 slot. For calendars, fill out the online order form at www.farmfoodcare.org orcall 519-837-1326.

Congratulations to Peter VanderZaag who has been awardedChina’s prestigious Friendship Award by Premier Li Keqiang. Theaward is the nation’s highest honour for achievement by a foreignexpert who has made outstanding contributions to China’s economicand social progress. VanderZaag has spent 29 years on collaborativeresearch on behalf of the International Potato Center.

Gary Cooper, owner of Strawberry Tyme Farms, near Simcoe,Ontario, has received Jamaica’s Badge of Honour for MeritoriousService, an award akin to Canada’s Order of Canada. The Jamaicanprime minister cited his sterling contribution to Jamaica through theemployment of thousands of Jamaicans in the farm labour programfor more than three decades. He was president of ForeignAgricultural Resource Management Services (FARMS) from 1995 to2006.

Jamie Reaume, executive director of the Holland Marsh Growers’Association for the last six years, has resigned. Effective December1, he will be managing Country Heritage Park in Milton, Ontario.The complex houses several agricultural organizations includingOntario Agri-Food Education Inc and Ontario Beekeepers’Association.

Alison Robertson, program manager, Ontario Fruit and VegetableGrowers’ Association, has been appointed to the Ontario FoodTerminal Board for a three-year term. The directorship is upon therecommendation of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food andRural Affairs.

Niki Bennett has joined the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growersas science coordinator. She will be responsible for research, pestmanagement and education initiatives.

The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association welcomed two newboard members for 2014-2015. Wendy Bennett, executive directorof British Columbia’s Farm and Ranch Safety and HealthAssociation (FARSHA), and David Powers, director of health, safety and environment of Oxford Frozen Foods Limited from NovaScotia, join the board for a three-year term. Dean Anderson, agriculture program manager with Workplace Safety and PreventionServices, assumes the position of chair of the board.

At the recent Produce Marketing Association trade show inCalifornia, Mucci Farms won the Impact Award. The Leamington,Ontario-based company was recognized for its innovative packagingnamely a naturally-brown tomato custom lidded tray, a standupresealable bag for Cutecumbers and their New Pint, a top-seal,resealable package which uses less plastic.

Congratulations to Owen Roberts who was re-elected to the positionof secretary to the International Federation of AgriculturalJournalists. As the only Canadian sitting on the executive, he is play-ing a key role in broadening membership from developing countries.Roberts is a monthly columnist with The Grower and is director ofresearch communications at the University of Guelph.

Don Mastronardi

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Meanwhile, Trius is experimenting with differenttypes of wine used to top up thesparkling wine bottles. In thesedosage trials, the winemakerswant to know how these liquidsaffect aroma, taste and foaming.

Their observations will beshared in early December whenthe Fizz Club meets in Niagara.Organized by CCOVI, it’s a gath-ering of 40 or so Ontario winemakers devoted to sparklingwines.

Keith Bown, vice-president ofwinemaking and viticulture atConstellation Brands, plans toattend. He brings a global perspective, given his career inhis homeland of Australia, thenNew Zealand, the United Statesand United Kingdom.

“In whatever country I’veworked, all the winemakers andviticulturists have been very collaborative,” he says. “It’s nodifferent in Canada.”

Jackson Triggs, under the

Constellation Brand, has asparkling wine team dedicated togrowing the category. Currently,less than 10 per cent of their portfolio is sparkling, but theythink that can change.

Chardonnay Musque, forinstance, is an Italian-stylesparkler, full of aromatic flavour.The 2014 vintage, about 1500

cases, is being bottled for saleduring December. At an entrylevel of about $15 per bottle, ithas become so popular that it wassold out by Christmas last year.

Other top-end sparklers aremade using the traditionalmethod, sitting on their lees forup to 2.5 years. These retail at$25 to $30 per bottle.

The holiday season representsa crossroads of cultural traditions.While it’s a sweet spot for marketing new products, the challenge is to extend sparklingwines beyond celebratory occasions of births, graduationsand job promotions. Bown saysthe next step is to convince consumers that Canadian

sparkling wine is affordable on aregular basis.

The category seems ripe forgrowth and creativity. Consider,for example, Jackson Triggs’sparkling red wine made fromMerlot grapes. “You love it orhate it,” says Bown. “But I personally think it’s a great start to Christmas Day.”

DECEMBER 2014 –– PAGE 3

THE GROWER

COVER STORY

Spend your silver on Canadian sparklers

UNITED STATES

Blueberry demandcontinues to grow

American per capita consump-tion of blueberries is estimated at43.3 ounces this year, accordingto Mark Villata, executive director, U.S. HighbushBlueberry Council. That’s upfrom 38 ounces last year andconsiderably above 27.8 ouncesjust five years ago.

Those demand trends areencouraging growers to increaseacreage and production, particu-larly in the states of Washingtonand Georgia. With newer cultivars and production practicescome better yields. The U.S.2014 crop is predicted at 703.4million pounds, smashing lastyear’s production of 666.5 million pounds.

Despite these records, the U.S.continues to import blueberries tomaintain consistent suppliesyear-round. Health-related blueberry research is expected tosustain consumption.

Source: FoodNavigator.com

INTERNATIONAL

UNITED STATES

Organic sales growby 15%

American sales of organicfruits and vegetables in 2013were up 15 per cent from theprevious year, a trend that’sexpected to hold true for 2014and 2015. That’s $11.6 billion insales. Overall, organic food comprises four per cent of the$760 billion annual food sales,according to the Organic TradeAssociation.

Apples are a good barometerof the trend. Rather than offerone or two varieties of organicapples, retailers are now showcasing two to four varietiesin bulk displays. That commit-ment is due to volumes availablethrough such companies asStemilt Growers in Washingtonstate.

Source: ThePacker.com

BRAZIL

Sliced melon capitalizes on convenience

Brazilian company ItaueiraMelon showcased a new fresh-cut format at the recent ProduceMarketing Association show,prior to official launch in theUnited States. Sales rep RodrigoLima says the positioning istowards high-end customers andaway from commodity melons.

“We remove the seeds andoffer slices that are ready to eat,without the need for spoons,forks or knives -- you just biteit,” says Lima.

He explains that the company’s melons are distin-guished from regular yellow honeydews by the colour of theskin, yellow instead of white.This new sliced format keeps theskin and allows consumers to seethe difference.

Source: FreshPlaza.com

UNITED STATES

California waterbond wins passage

California voters haveapproved a $7.5 billion bond tofund water projects in thedrought-ridden state. The proposition was part of the mid-term elections which sawGovernor Jerry Brown re-electedfor a fourth term.

The proposition was supported by rare unanimitybetween environmental and agricultural groups as well asorganized labour.

The success of the campaignwas due, in part, to details onhow the money would be spent.One-third of the funds are earmarked for more storage facilities. The remainder is forregional water infrastructure,drinking water and wastewatertreatment, restoration of contaminated groundwater, recycling and reusing existingwater or desalination, flood protection and environmentalprojects.

Source: Sacramento Bee

MEXICO

Berry sector is booming

The Mexican states of Jaliscoand Michoacan are anticipatingrapid growth in berry acres dueto last month’s agreements toship blackberries and raspberriesto China. According to theNational Association of BerryExporters (Aneberries), therewere 4,236 hectares planted withberries across Mexico in 2009and by 2013 the country had22,345 hectares.

“Entering China is a greatopportunity to increase ouracreage to 6,000 hectares in thecoming years and then to 10,000hectares,” says Rene LopezRuelas, director of commercial-ization, Seder. More thanChinese prospects are stimulatingthe boom. Some U.S. theatresare now selling berries ratherthan popcorn and berries arereplacing bananas at breakfast.


This Trius worker is washing the bottles after they have been disgorged and corked.

Close-planted Pinot Noir grapes are protected under nets in aConstellation vineyard on the Jordan bench. It’s one of the classicvarieties used for sparkling wine around the world.

il 15-17, 2015 prAéaltronès de Mrongalais des cP cpma.tion.nenvoc .ca

– DECEMBER 2014THE GROWER

CROSS COUNTRY DIGEST

BC Tree Fruits Cooperativehas elected its new board ofdirectors to be led by MalcolmMitchell. Gordon Hahn is vice-president.

Directors include Karmjit Gill,Jeet Dukhia, Talwinder Bassi,Joginder Khosa, GurjinderSandher, Jora Dhaliwal, Robert

Dawson and Nirmal Dhaliwal. BC Tree Fruits Cooperative,

based in Kelowna, is owned by500 local grower families. Theorganization markets and distributes a variety of BC-grownfruit including apples, pears,cherries, peaches, apricots, pruneplums and blueberries.

BRITISH COLUMBIA

New board elected

The Quebec ProduceMarketing Association (QPMA)is distributing the “Mandolineinvites you to discover fruits andvegetables using the five colourgroups!” toolkit free of charge tomore than 2600 early childcareproviders in Quebec. Intended forteachers, the educational toolkit isdesigned to encourage children todiscover and savour the taste offresh fruits and vegetables.

According to the Enquête denutrition auprès des enfantsquébécois de 4 ans (NutritionalSurvey of Quebec 4-Year-Olds)carried out by the QuebecStatistics Institute, 80 per cent offour-year-olds do not eat the dailyminimum of five servings of produce as recommended byCanada’s Food Guide (CFG).Given that children five years of

age and under eat more than 50per cent of their meals and snacksin daycare and that most of thefood preferences set at age twolast until age 20, it is important tointroduce kids to a wide range offlavours. This significant fact iswhat motivated the QPMA, afterlaunching the “I love 5 to 10servings a day” campaign 10years ago in an effort to raiseconsumer awareness on theimportance of eating fresh fruitsand vegetables as part of ahealthy lifestyle.

Fruits and vegetables aredivided into five colour groups:red, yellow-orange, blue-purple,white and green. The brightcolours that give produce its visual appeal come from pigments chock-full of nutrients.

Mandoline invites kids to

discover fruits and vegetablesusing the five colour groups Thekit includes a large poster and aneducational brochure filled withfun activities. Games and riddlesintroduce each colour group suchas The Blueberry Magician, anartistic activity painting with redcabbage and a cute story aboutthe stylish banana.

Educators have praised the initiative’s relevance and usefulness. In fact, the first edition of “Mandoline” won twoSociété québécoise des professionnels en relationspubliques (SQPRP – QuebecAssociation of Public RelationsProfessionals) Excellence Awardsin 2013: “Tactical Excellence –Communications Tool” and the“People’s Choice Award.”

QUEBEC

Second toolkit launched for earlychildhood educators

Gary Linkletter, the chair ofPEI’s Potato Board is disturbedthat someone has intentionally

placed sewing needles into potatoes at his Summerside farm.The food tampering case first

came to light October 3 when theRCMP were called to investigatetampered French fries at a

Cavendish Farms processing plantin New Annan.

In total, needles have beenfound in seven potatoes through-out Atlantic Canada. In all cases,the metal objects were foundbefore the potatoes were consumed.

As a result, Cavendish has disposed of 14 truckloads of potatoes. About 800,000 poundshave been destroyed or are inquarantine under the RCMP’swatch.

Without any solid leads after amonth-long investigation, the PEIPotato Board issued a newsrelease November 10 announcinga reward for tips.

“To encourage anyone withknowledge concerning this attack

on food safety to come forward,the Prince Edward Island potatoindustry has established a fund tocover a reward of up to $50,000for any information leading to thearrest and conviction of theindividual or individuals responsi-ble for inserting sewing needlesinto potatoes of Linkletter FarmsLtd. which were destined forhuman consumption,” said GregDonald, general manager of thePrince Edward Island PotatoBoard.

Individual growers and serviceindustries have pledged themoney to help police find the culprit. After a conviction hasbeen obtained, an independentpanel will determine eligibilityfor payment from the rewardfund. Information providedanonymously is not eligible forthe reward established by the PEIpotato industry. This reward is ineffect for tips received up untilJanuary 31, 2015.

Anyone knowing the individual or individualsinvolved, or who has informationthat would assist police in thisinvestigation, is asked to contactthe Prince Edward Island RCMPat (902) 436-9300. Alternatively,an email can be sent [email protected] an investigator will respond.

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

Up to $50,000 reward in potato tampering case

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Walmart Canada has joined thenew healthy eating campaign,Half Your Plate. An initiative ofthe Canadian Produce MarketingAssociation (CPMA), Half YourPlate empowers Canadians of allages to eat more fruits and veg-gies to improve their health whileproviding simple and practicalways to add a variety of produceto every meal and snack. After asuccessful launch on social mediathis summer, Half Your Plate isnow making its way onto producepackaging and into retail storesacross Canada.

“We are excited to be the firstmajor retailer to promote HalfYour Plate in our stores and fly-ers,” said Sam Silvestro, seniordirector, fresh foods, WalmartCanada. “We believe that healthyeating starts with getting enoughservings of fruits and vegetablesevery day, and Half Your Plate

provides aneasy messagefor consumersto understandand keep inmind whendoing their gro-cery shopping.”

“Rather thanhaving peoplecount servingsor worry aboutserving size,our messagingis that at everymeal, makehalf your platefruit and vegetables. Bythe end of theday, you’llhave your recommendednumber ofservings,” saidRon Lemaire,president,CPMA. “That

also translates when you’re at thegrocery store. Half your cartshould be fruit and veggies, andhaving retailers promote the campaign re-emphasizes theimportance of making healthierchoices at the store.”

Half Your Plate offers a simple, consistent way to helpconsumers navigate the many different messages they hear eachday about healthy eating. “It canbe a bit confusing for some consumers to know what makesup a healthy meal,” addedLemaire. “What we hear mostfrom consumers is that they’restruggling with what a serving isin a lot of instances and are looking for ways to make healthychoices fast, easy and affordable.”

The Half Your Plate campaignwas developed in collaborationwith health partners the CanadianCancer Society, the Canadian

Public Health Association, andthe Heart and Stroke Foundation.More information can be found at

www.halfyourplate.ca or by following @halfyourplate onTwitter, Facebook, or Pinterest.

Other Canadian retailers will alsobe using the campaign in store inthe coming months.

THE GROWER


CONSUMER OUTREACH

Fresh from the Farm vegetable and fruitdeliveries are well underway this fall –with more than 165,000 pounds on deliveryto school communities in northern andsouthwestern Ontario.

Students raised funds by selling bundlesof fresh Ontario root vegetables, whichinclude potatoes, carrots, onions and beets,and gift-boxes of fresh Ontario apples. Theinnovative Fresh from the Farm schoolfundraising campaign serves to promotehealthy eating to families while supportingprovincial farmers through the sale ofOntario produce. Nineteen school boardswere invited to participate in this year’sproject, resulting in a 35 per cent increasein sales over year one. The top sellingschool in Sault Ste. Marie sold more than800 bundles – representing almost 10,000pounds of vegetable and fruit!

Fresh from the Farm is a collaborativeinitiative between Dietitians of Canada, theOntario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’Association (OFVGA), the OntarioMinistry of Education, and the OntarioMinistry of Agriculture and Food.

Fresh from the Farm is in year two of a

pilot project, modeled after Manitoba’ssuccessful Farm to School, Healthy ChoiceFundraiser, launched in 2010.

“It’s a win-win for students, schools andfarmers, as 40 per cent of the revenue goesback to schools and our farmers receivemarket price for top quality produce,” saysAlison Robertson, program manager,OFVGA. “Fresh from the Farm is a greatway to build the domestic market forOntario grown produce while helping toinstill healthy eating habits in the next generation of consumers.”

“Fresh from the Farm not only putshealthy foods into the hands of families, itprovides opportunities for introducing therelated topics of agriculture, food andhealthy eating into the classroom,” saysCathy O’Connor, project coordinator withDietitians of Canada, one of the program’spartners. “The program raises the aware-ness of the importance of good nutrition inthe development and well-being of ourchildren.”

Plans are underway for expansion in2015 with the ultimate goal to serve allpublic schools in the province, based on

the development of a sustainable businessmodel.

To find out more about the programvisit www.FreshfromFarm.ca

or contact Cathy O’Connor [email protected]

Ontario school boards sell fruits and vegetables as fundraiser

Half your Plate campaign boosted by Walmart

These samples of root vegetables and apples are part of the Fresh From The Farmfundraising pilot for 19 Ontario school boards.

KAREN DAVIDSON

Entrepreneurship may haveskipped a generation admits BradMorley. He’s a strawberry growerwho’s forging an ambitiousmakeover of his maternal grand-father’s farm near Sault Ste.Marie, Ontario. Armed with aBachelor of Commerce degreefrom the University of Windsor,

Morley is now back in northernOntario, doing accounting by dayand saving up vacation time tofarm during the critical June/Julyperiod.

With 10 acres of irrigatedstrawberries, he’s one of only ahandful within a hundred kilometers offering the u-pickexperience. This past summer, henegotiated an agreement with alocal company that flash freezes

perogies, pasta, soup and meatballs. Because summer isdowntime for this company, it’san ideal time to flash freezestrawberries.

Morley has one kilogram bagsof frozen strawberries that arenow available for local grocers aswell as institutions. About 15 percent of Thomson StrawberryFarms’ income is now derivedfrom frozen product while 45 percent comes from u-pick. Theremainder is from “we-pick”fresh strawberries for local inde-pendent grocers. This has provento be a good business plan sincethe farm was taken over in 2009.

The fledgling business caughtthe eye of government officialswho encouraged Morley to exhibit at last month’s RoyalAgricultural Winter Fair underthe umbrella of Northern Ontario.

He and his partner Mike Maguirebrought their A-game to thebright lights of Toronto.

Their sampling offered severalcombinations but strawberry-jalapeno jam proved a big hitwith consumers. It was thesurprise of sweet and spicy thatgathered rave reviews.

While preserves are a value-added commodity, distribution isthe rub. That’s where the newMill Market is filling a criticalrole in Sault Ste. Marie. An oldmunicipal fish hatchery buildinghas been converted to a farmers’market that’s attracting a loyalclientele. It’s a hub for localfarmers and artisans alike.

For Thomson StrawberryFarm, the “buy local” mantra isworking well in both business-to-business and business-to-consumer markets.

Fruits and vegetables get their moment in the sun ROYAL AGRICULTURAL WINTER FAIR HIGHLIGHTS

THE GROWER


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Brad Morley, Thomson Strawberry Farm, Sault Ste Marie,Ontario was a first-time exhibitor at the Royal AgriculturalWinter Fair. His strawberry-jalapeno jam was a hit with con-sumers.

You can't 'beet' it! In the always popularGiant Vegetable Competition, JoanneBorcsok of King, Ontario set a new Royalrecord with a giant 62.6 lb beet. By 10pounds, she beat the previous world recordholder for largest beetroot, Cannington,Ontario farmer Norm Craven. She alsowon the Len Rush Memorial Trophy formost points accumulated in the overallvegetable competition. The inside scoop?Her seeds are sourced from Rob’s Rare andGiant Seeds.

This display of winter squash begs thequestion: How many varieties can youname? Cucurbita, the Latin name forgourd, continue to fascinate with multi-coloured, smooth and wartyspecimens.

The Amaze-ing Food Journey entrance,decorated with oversized carrots, parsnipsand beets, welcomed visitors, old andyoung alike. Thousands of school childrenwere captivated with interactive games anddisplays. One simple game invited kids tomatch the farm product to the grocery storeitem. For urban kids, this was more chal-lenging than you might think!

The National Apple Competition attract-ed more than 150 entries from BritishColumbia, Quebec and Ontario. BritishColumbia certified organic grower PeterSimonsen, Northern Lights Orchard,Naramata won first place for his GoldenDelicious apples (see above).Congratulations are also extended to grandchampion commercial apple winners:Patrick Behan, Moore Orchards, Cobourg,Ontario for his Courtland apples. ReserveChampion was awarded to StephanieLevaseur, Couer de la Pomme Senc,Frelichsburg, Quebec for her McIntoshapples. Northern Ontario grower wins rave reviews

with strawberry-jalapeno jam

THE GROWER


PREMIER’S INNOVATION AWARDS

Regional winners of the OntarioPremier’s Agri-Food InnovationExcellence awards have one thingin common: add value to commodities and look for niches.

In total, 50 winners will beannounced.

Harwood Estate Vineyards Inc.,Hillier

What’s good for the environmentand the community can also begreat for business. Just askHarwood Estate Vineyards. Thevineyard is 100 per cent solar-powered, eliminating monthlyenergy bills that previously wereup to $2,000. Nor do the greenpractices stop here. In partnershipwith Ontario’s Ministry ofAgriculture, Food and RuralAffairs, the progressive vineyardintroduced experimental pest control strategies such aspheromone disruptors and covercrops. To conserve water suppliesand ensure irrigation during dryperiods, Harwood Estate alsoinstalled a catchment system thatharvests 85,000 litres of rainwatereach year. Finally, the companyonly hires locally, supporting thelocal community and economy.Thanks to these measures,Harwood Estate has cut its costs,helped the planet and generated awhole lot of good will.

Kaley’s Acres, Castleton

These days, more and more nutrition-conscious consumers arereaching for kale. And what tastier way to enjoy it than in theform of chips? In 2009, Draupadiand Adrian Quinn converted 10acres of former tobacco fieldsinto kale production. The hardycrop has an exceptionally longgrowing season that extends rightuntil December. The real magichowever happens in the 5,000-square-foot on-farm processingfacility. Here, the nutrient-packedleaves are transformed into fivedifferent flavours of raw, guilt-free snacks. Annual sales havesky rocketed, and the operationemploys 15 seasonal and year-round workers. With demandstrong and growing, the Quinnsare now planning to open a20,000-square-foot processingplant down the road that willprocess 20 tonnes of kale a week.

Pyramid Farm and Ferments,Picton

There's lots of innovation fermenting - quite literally - inPrince Edward County thesedays. At Pyramid Farm andFerments, Alex Currie and JennaEmpey have revived the lost artof making sauerkraut, sauerrubenand other fermented vegetables.Drawing on traditional Ukrainianrecipes from the 1900s, the pairhas successfully commercializeda lactobacillus-based fermentationprocess. No vinegar or chemicals

are required. Only cabbage, beetsand other locally grown veggiesgo into their products. The result?Handcrafted products that theLCBO Food and Drink magazinecalls “winter must-haves.” Currieand Empey have doubled theirincome between 2012 and 2013.To keep up with boomingdemand, they are now planningnew fermentation tanks to expandtheir production capacity eightfold.

Rainbow Heritage Garden -Cobden

When Zach Loeks and KylahDobson wanted a better way tostore the fruits and vegetables thatthey produce, they set their sightslow. Inspired by European wineand cheese caves, they carved a

600-square-foot root cellar into anearby hillside. Excavated 16 feetbelow grade, the cellar takesadvantage of cooler undergroundtemperatures to keep their harvestfresh. To add a little extra refrig-eration power, Loeks and Dobsonharvest a hundred cubic feet ofice each February. The cellar canhold 20,000 pounds of produce,as well as 15 customers hungryfor fresh veggies. Completed in2011, their investment hasalready paid for itself. Today,spoilage rates at RainbowHeritage Garden have dropped 90per cent, while the farm's "RootCellar Days" draw big crowds.

Barrie Hill Farms – Barrie

Frozen vegetables are heating upthe local economy in Simcoe

County. A few years ago, MorrisGervais discovered the value ofhaving a local processor freezehis blueberry surplus. Spurred bythat success, he has now turnedhis sights to asparagus. Using avariety that maintains a tight tipat longer lengths, Gervais starteda trial of frozen 8.5-inch aspara-gus spears — a big jump from theindustry standard of 5.5 inches.Longer spears mean less trimmedwaste and more tips in everypackage. Freezing surplus aspara-gus allows Gervais to sell itthroughout the year, rather thanfighting for a share of fresh saleswhen the market is swamped.Meanwhile, the product itself hasreceived an enthusiastic thumbs-up from on-farm customers and local retailers.

Carron Farms Ltd. – Bradford

Customers love the beautiful red,purple, black, white, yellow andorange heirloom carrots grown atCarron Farms. But hand-sortingthose veggies so each bag con-tained the full range of coloursand the right sized carrots wasbecoming a real headache. Toremedy those bagging blues,Carron Farms tracked downequipment in Europe that couldbe adapted to meet their needs.The first of its kind in Canada,the stainless steel system usesadvanced computerized scalesand sensors to ensure each retail-ready bag contains the rightweight and colour combinations.Thanks to the efficient set-up, thefarm’s multicoloured carrots havemade inroads into larger markets— a big win for heirloom foodgrown close to home

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Windsor, Ontario -- One quarterof all Canada’s trade – worthabout $120 billion annually -flows to the United States at theWindsor-Detroit border. With frequent bottlenecks at theAmbassador Bridge, it’s no smallwonder that the summer 2015deadline looms large to completethe $1.4 billion construction ofarterial roads to the NewInternational Trade Crossing.

The bridge is an apt metaphorfor how business is expected toevolve in the years ahead. Withthe Canadian dollar at four-yearlows (88 cents) vis-à-vis theAmerican dollar, expect moreagricultural trade.

It’s precisely this juncture that

motivated the WindsorEssexDevelopment Corporation to hosta tour of Americans on October 1and 2. Headed by SandraPupatello, the group invitedprocessors and produce buyers toexplore business opportunitieswith growers in Essex County.They came mostly from Michiganand Ohio, but also from Indiana,Pennsylvania and New Yorkstates.

Altogether 135 people partici-pated says tour organizer TomQuinn. Co-packing opportunitieswere identified and businesseswill conduct further capacityassessments. Perhaps of a moreenduring nature are the relationships that were renewed.

Bill Hirzel is one example. Asa member of the third-generationof the fourth-generation Hirzel

Canning Company and Farms,Northwood Ohio, he’s quitefamiliar with the Ontario side ofthe border.

“Our side of the lake is a mir-ror image to yours,” says Hirzel,describing soils, climate andsmall family businesses. “We’vealways had a close relationshipwith the canning industry.”

He’s heartened by the plans ofThomas Canning and Company toexpand their own tomato process-ing facility at Maidstone, Ontario.However, he underlines somestark statistics from a cross-bor-der perspective. The mid-westsupplies only 10 per cent of therequirements of the U.S. tomatoindustry. Most of the tomatoesgrown in California are grown forconsiderably less in price over a100-day harvesting period, double

the season in Ohio. TheCalifornia growers have alwaysenjoyed the luxury of irrigationand produced outstanding yieldsof 55 to 60 tons per acre. In theU.S. mid-west, tomato yields arein the range of 30 tons per acre.

The competitive landscapehinges on water . . . and innovation

The Great Lakes growers andcanners suddenly feel more kin-ship as they eye the strengths andweaknesses of California com-petitors. Ohio may have more incommon with Ontario than mostrealize. Hirzel speculatesCalifornia will face a harder timeat the turn of the year when newtomato contracts are signed in theface of dwindling water supplies.Dozens of wells are being drilledin California, however if contrac-tors pull too hard on the aquifers,the water will be slightly saline.

Going forward, the Hirzel fam-ily continues to innovate in waysthat could inspire others. With 38growers on contract, they processunder the Dei Fratelli brand. Onenew product is rustic-cut toma-toes in a light puree, packaged inan aseptic container. It’s theequivalent of a 28-ounce can oftomatoes. The concept of tomatoes in an aseptic package isstill in its infancy in the U.S., butHirzel thinks that the environ-mental packaging will take offwith millennials.

More importantly, he sees animportant trend for family-sizedbusinesses looking to competeagainst multi-national corpora-tions. In addition to selling retailand wholesale, Hirzel sees anopportunity in institutional orindustrial settings. It’s efficient tosell in bulk packages to meet theneeds of a chef. Furthermore,there’s more opportunity to custom-make tomato products forspecific needs of end users.

“You can provide many varia-tions on a theme,” Hirzel says.“With basil, without basil, what-ever chunk size the client wants.”This is providing a solution to

foodservice and the growing take-out service of grocery chains.

As chair of the Centre forInnovative Food Technology inToledo, Ohio, Hirzel gains inspiration from other foodleaders. His point is that breakingdown walls between sectors andtravelling across national bordersshould create synergies.

Food processing sector faceschallenges

Roy Zahnleuter is a goodexample of an American foodprocessor experiencing Windsor-Essex from a fresh perspective.He’s in charge of produce procurement and supporting foodquality standards for Nestle InfantNutrition’s Gerber division inFremont, Michigan. It’s a positionthat puts him in daily contact withcontracted vegetable growersacross the United States and thenitty-gritty – literally – of foodsafety.

Zahnleuter’s needs are a window into the specificationsrequired for buying a long list ofvegetables: sweet corn, onions,peas, peppers carrots, potatoes,sweet potatoes, zucchini andsquash.

“A lot of areas can’t supply tous if the land has grown cotton,potatoes or corn,” saysZahnleuter. “The pesticideresidues or heavy metals andnitrates, even in small quantities,preclude sourcing crops fromthese soils.”

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THE GROWER


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“Our side of thelake is a mirrorimage to yours.We’ve always had aclose relationshipwith the canningindustry.”

~ Bill Hirzel

THE GROWER


CONTINUED FROM LAST PAGE

There aren’t many growers of process-ing vegetables from “clean” regions so he’salways interested in suppliers. However,that said, he warns that Nestle’s businessmodel is extremely strict in accepting newsuppliers.

He was very positive about the Essex-Windsor tour in terms of introducing alike-minded group to the business infrastructure of the region. Were there

surprises? He didn’t realize that the areawas a powerhouse in greenhouse vegetableproduction. And he didn’t realize thatparsnips were grown not far across the border.

Produce buyer looks for the right packaging

Scott Calandra, produce buyer for 213Meijer stores in five states -- soon to be six-- is already familiar with the Canadianlandscape. Based in Lansing, Michigan, he

regularly sources broccoli and cauliflowerfrom the Montreal area because they arepackaged to specification for freight savings. These two mainstay vegetables areshrink wrapped in breathable material,labeled with country of origin and withPLU/ UPC information for front-end efficiencies at their stores.

Doing more business in Canada is achallenge because growing seasons are typically the same for Michigan andOntario. He’s not looking for any producethat may overlap their own growing

seasons, for example. But he is interestedin visiting the Ontario Food Terminal, andthat might spark some introductions tofresh vegetable suppliers who can fulfillthe needs of a large grocery chain.

“Completion of the new bridge will beimportant in freeing up the flow fromCanada to the United States,” Calandrasays. “That would be a great benefit tomoving produce.”

The bridge is a concrete symbol of whatcan be forged. The relationships are theliving testament to trade.

Windsor-Essex tour showcases business opportunities BUILDING TRADE RELATIONSHIPS

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Steve Peters, executive director of Food and BeverageOntario, was one of the speakers who kicked off thesessions for the American tour of growers and processors in Essex County.

Louis Chibante, Red Sun Farms, explains the complexities of growing cucumbers hydroponically atKingsville, Ontario.

Organically-grown tomatoes are washed and dumpedonto a conveyor at Thomas Canning and Company,Maidstone, Ontario. They will be processed and soldunder the Utopia brand that is now being sold in Asiaand Africa.

THE GROWER


CANADIAN HORTICULTURAL COUNCIL

On November 18 and 19, industry lead-ers representing the Canadian ProduceMarketing Association (CPMA) andCanadian Horticultural Council (CHC) metwith more than 40 parliamentarians andcivil servants in Ottawa to discuss the keyissues currently affecting the Canadianfresh fruit and vegetable sector.

Some of the key issues addressedincluded financial protection for producesellers and a national fruit and vegetablenutrition policy. These meetings wereessential for the industry to address keyareas that impact the health of the industryand of Canadian consumers.

“All Canadians benefit from a strongand vibrant produce sector, which ensuresthe health and variety of our fruits and veg-etables. Members of Parliament understoodthis and were very committed to continuingtheir work with both industry associationsand those growers or shippers who operatewithin their ridings,” stated Bernadette

Hamel, chair, Canadian Produce MarketingAssociation.

“Many key officials were keen to discuss our issues, which shows the impor-tance of our industry at the national level.We re-emphasized at every meeting thatthe federal government needs to implementa PACA-like trust in response to theUnited States’ removal of PACA preferen-tial Canadian access in order to protect thewellbeing of the industry,” Keith Kuhl,president, Canadian Horticultural Council.“We also discussed the need for a nationalfruit and vegetable nutrition policy to driveCanadians to eat more fruits and vegeta-bles. Most Canadians aren’t eating enoughproduce and we need the federal govern-ment to take leadership in establishing apolicy to improve the health of our popula-tion.”

In addition to providing a diverse supplyof healthy food for Canadian consumers,Canada’s fresh fruit and vegetable sector

makes an important contribution to nation-al economic output and employment. In2013, the fresh fruit and vegetable sector

supported 147,900 jobs and created $11.4billion in real GDP.

Canadian produce industry meets MPs on Parliament Hill

IssueThe lack of payment protectionfor fruit and vegetable sellers dur-ing bankruptcies in Canadaresults in disproportionate finan-cial risk for produce companiesand has cost Canadian companiesselling in the United States ourlongstanding preferential accessto the protections under theirPerishable AgriculturalCommodities Act (PACA).

Action Needed• The creation, as soon as possi-ble, of a limited statutory deemedtrust that provides financial pro-tection for produce sellers inCanada in the event of bankrupt-cies. Assets available to trustcreditors would be limited specif-ically to produce accounts receiv-able, and any cash and inventoryfrom the sale of the produce.• A trust does not require anygovernment funding or adminis-tration. This solution would alsomeet the U.S. requirements for acomparable Canadian system inorder to reinstate our preferentialaccess to PACA.

Background• According to data fromAgriculture and Agri-FoodCanada, Canadian and US firmsoperating in Canada lose on aver-age $19 million per year throughCanadian buyer insolvency. Freshproduce is highly perishable and,unlike with other products, cannotbe reclaimed. This makes the sec-tor particularly vulnerable to pay-ment disruption. • Canada had been the only coun-try granted the same access asU.S. entities to the protectionsoffered by PACA to recover pay-ments both during bankruptciesand to recover unpaid bills outside of bankruptcy. • In order to address the gaps inprotections between the twocountries, the Canada-U.S.Regulatory Cooperation Council(RCC) mandate agreed to byPresident Obama and Prime

Minister Harper in 2011 includeda commitment to establishing acomparable Canadian approachfor protecting Canadian and U.S.fruit and vegetable suppliers frombuyers that default on their pay-ment obligations.• Due to a lack of progress in ful-filling this commitment, onOctober 1st 2014, the USDepartment of Agriculture(USDA) revoked Canada’s pref-erential access to the PACA. • This will have significant conse-quences for the fresh produceindustry in Canada, putting jobs,Canadian farms and other parts ofthe supply chain at risk. Unpaidbills will increase for Canadiancompanies exporting to the U.S.,who will have lost their previous-ly strong leverage over their buy-ers. • With preferential PACA access,Canadian companies could threat-en the licence to operate of anybuyer who was delinquent withtheir bills. This big stick resultedin a prosperous and mostly

smooth trading relationship. • Now, Canadian companies try-ing to recover unpaid bills willhave to post a bond of double thevalue of their claim. For example,a small producer owed $50,000would have to post $100,000cash, effectively removing$150,000 from their cashflow/operating line for up to ayear or longer.• Seventy-five percent ofCanada’s 10,000 fruit and veg-etable producers are small busi-nesses with average sales of lessthan $85,000 per year.• Many cannot afford this andwill simply have to walk away.Situations like this can devastatenot only the producer, but all thebusinesses connected to them andhits rural communities particular-ly hard.• Integrated supply chains withthe United States are key toensuring a year-round supply ofaffordable fresh produce forCanadian consumers. Canadasells about 40% of its fruit and

vegetable production to the U.S.Approximately 50% of the pro-duce imported into Canada comesfrom the U.S. • The biggest loser from a lackof government action will be

Canadian consumers, who willface increased prices, decreasedquality, and reduced selection andvariety in the produce aisle.

Financial protection for Canada’s fruit and vegetable industry

A cross-section of industry horticultural leaders pose for their picture onParliament Hill as part of their annual meetings with MPs. Photo by Anne Fowlie.

THE GROWER


Following are highlights from theOntario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’Association (OFVGA) board meeting heldNovember 13, 2014. The purpose of thisbrief is to keep you up-to-date on theissues that the OFVGA is working on, aswell as projects and initiatives the organization is involved in.

Crop protection

The product nominations for Codex andthe Grower Requested Own Use (GROU)program have been finalized and submit-ted. Codex addresses Maximum ResidueLimits (MRLs) and the ability to exportproduce into international markets.

Charles Stevens and Craig Hunter participated in NAFTA crop protectionmeetings held recently in Mexico. Maintopics of discussion included pollinators,joint product reviews, minor use, andMaximum Residue Limits (MRLs).Mexico does not currently have a minoruse program; Mexican growers wereencouraged to work with their governmentto get this type of program in place.Representatives from Peru, Chile,Argentina and Brazil were in attendance atthe meeting as observers.

Farm Action Now

The OFVGA has joined with GrainFarmers of Ontario, Ontario Bean Growers,Ontario Canola Growers Association andOntario Pork to form Farm Action Now.

This new coalition has been formed todevelop a farmer-driven blueprint for thefuture of Ontario agriculture and to ensureregulations are made with a clear understanding of the practicality of on-farm implementation and down-stream implications. Farm Action Now is positioned to expand with numerous agricultural organizations expressing similar concerns at this time.The group hasannounced that a balanced plan is in development to reasonably evaluate thechallenges with government agriculturalpolicy and process. Priority areas includethe responsible regulation of agriculturalpractices, access to science and technologysuch as pesticides and seed treatments, andon-farm implementation of regulatorychanges. The coalition strongly urges theappointment of an agricultural commissioner to advise the government onthe implications of existing and new regulations and to help grow the agricultural sector.

Canadian Horticultural Council

The CHC’s Fall Harvest event is currently underway. It’s an annual lobby-ing and awareness event held in Ottawa;this year’s two main issues are health andfinancial protection for growers.

Property section

The Ag Water Use Symposium will beheld November 27 at the Holiday Inn

Guelph. The conference will feature pre-sentations from various commodity lead-ers, and an experienced panel of Ontariofarmers, highlighting their challenges andbarriers surrounding water security, waterefficiency, waste water and nutrient use,and finish the day with a facilitated sessionto determine what can be done to reducethese barriers. It is hoped that this industrymeeting will identify a variety of: appliedresearch projects, academic work and edu-cation programs that will address the issuesidentified. The event is being hosted byFarm & Food Care; Brian Gilroy is theOFVGA representative to Farm & FoodCare.

Section chair Brian Gilroy reported thatthree kestrel nesting boxes that are part ofthe wildlife damage mitigation project arebeing moved into open areas. Fruit damageassessments are currently being done; birdcounts in the vineyards were half this yearof previous years; the kestrels are making adifference in keeping predatory birds out.

Safety Nets

A letter has been sent to Ontario’sMinister of Agriculture, Food and RuralAffairs, Jeff Leal, requesting that therequirement to be enrolled in AgriStabilityas a pre-requisite to participation in theSelf-Directed Risk Management (SDRM)program be removed. Finding a system thatis both fair and simple will take some workon behalf of the SDRM reference commit-tee over the coming months.

Research

A research priority setting workshopwill be held in Woodstock on November17, co-hosted by OFVGA and VinelandResearch and Innovation Centre(Vineland). Participants are to provide theirtop five priorities, after which an expertpanel narrows the list down and submits itto the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture,Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)/University Guelph research partnership.OFVGA research chair Harold Schooley iscurrently involved in reviewing Letters ofIntent that have been submitted forresearch funding through OMAFRA/UG.

Alternate Funding Mechanism

Work continues on the development ofan alternate funding mechanism for theOFVGA. The organization is currentlyfunded through a container toll, whichresults in fees being collected inequitablyfrom the sector. A motion was passed atthe 2013 OFVGA annual meeting directingthe organization to find a fair and equitablemechanism to fund the OFVGA.

The next OFVGA board meeting will beheld December 11, 2014 at the OFVGAoffice in Guelph.

Board briefsONTARIO FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION

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THE GROWER


STAFFPublisher: Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ AssociationEditor: Karen Davidson, 416-557-6413, [email protected]: Carlie Robertson, ext. 221, [email protected]: Herb Sherwood, 519-380-0118, [email protected] Grower reserves the right to refuse any advertising. Anyerrors that are the direct result of The Grower will be compen-sated at our discretion with a correction notice in the next issue.No compensation will be given after the first running of the ad.Client signature is required before insertion.The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association is the soleowner of The Grower. All editorials and opinions expressed inThe Grower are those of the newspaper’s editorial staff and/orcontributor, and do not necessarily reflect the view of the associa-tion.

All rights reserved. The contents of this publication maynot be reproduced either whole or in part without the priorwritten consent of the publisher.

OFFICE355 Elmira Road North, Unit 105Guelph, Ontario N1K 1S5 CANADATel. 519-763-8728 • Fax 519-763-6604The Grower is printed 12 times a year and sent to allmembers of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association who have paid $30.00 (plus G.S.T.) per year forthe paper through their commodity group or container fees.Others may subscribe as follows by writing to the office:

$30.00 (+ G.S.T.) /year in Canada$40.00/year International

Subscribers must submit a claim for missing issues withinfour months. If the issue is claimed within four months, butnot available, The Grower will extend the subscription byone month. No refunds on subscriptions.

P.M. 40012319

ONTARIO FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GROWERS’ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2013

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEEChair Ray Duc, Niagara-on-the-LakeVice-Chair Jason Verkaik, BradfordFruit Director Norm Charbonneau, Port ElginVeg Director Jan Vander Hout, WaterdownDirector Charles Stevens, Newcastle

BOARD OF DIRECTORSApples Charles Stevens, NewcastleFresh Vegetable - Other Mary Shabatura, Windham CentreTender Fruit John Thwaites, Niagara-on-the-LakeON Asparagus Grws’. Mkg. Brd. Jason Ryder, DelhiGGO/Fresh Grape Growers Ray Duc, Niagara-on-the-LakeFresh Vegetable - Muck Jason Verkaik, BradfordON. Potato Board Mac James, LeamingtonSmall Fruit/Berries Norm Charbonneau, Port ElginON. Ginseng Growers’ Ken Van Torre, BurfordGreenhouse Jan Vander Hout, WaterdownGreenhouse Don Taylor, Durham

OFVGA SECTION CHAIRS

Crop Protection Charles Stevens, NewcastleResearch Harold Schooley, SimcoeProperty Brian Gilroy, MeafordLabour Ken Forth, LyndenSafety Nets Mark Wales, AlymerCHC Murray Porteous, Simcoe

Throughout the year thereseems to be hardly any time toreflect on what we have done,what we plan to achieve and whatresults have come because of ourefforts. At this time of year, people are rushing to be ready forthe holiday season, trying to manage all of their social commitments and still be produc-tive in what we do. It seems thatwe are juggling so many differentthings at once that it is a wonderthat projects can get done on a

timely and effective manner. Butwe do!

There are a number of programs that the Ontario Fruitand Vegetable Growers’Association (OFVGA) has takenon over the past few years whichhave helped so many people, yettake so much effort to put forward and really make a difference. The Northern SchoolProgram, managed by theOFVGA, makes a big impact.Fresh produce is delivered tothese areas in northern Ontariowhich, at first blush to people insouthern Ontario, would not besuch a big deal.

But when you don’t normallyhave access to fresh broccoli orproduce greens, fresh fruit andOntario product, it does make adifference. This program has beenrunning in the background nowfor seven years, growing year byyear, and really making a difference in people’s lives. TheMinistry of Health and LongTerm Care deserves a lot of creditfor their vision in partnering withthe OFVGA to make this a

reality. This is a true example of a

terrific public-private partnershipand is a story of trains, planes andautomobiles. Communities in thenorth are isolated, and in manycases are very difficult to evenget to the town or village. Someare not connected by roads or rail,and the only way to get fresh pro-duce there is to fly it in. Thistakes an incredible amount oflogistical coordination and sup-port, provided by the OFVGAand many partners. And the peo-ple who receive the benefits ofthis program are very thankful.

The Fresh from the Farm program, which the OFVGA hassupported on behalf of its members for the past severalyears, is an excellent example ofwhere school groups and industrypartner up to raise funds. Butinstead of selling chocolate bars,students can fund raise usingfresh fruit and vegetables.

There are so many benefitsresulting from this program.Instead of selling “junk” food as afund raiser, students and schools

can really be proud that they aremaking a healthy choice and difference by selling fresh produce. The purchasers of theseproducts also have the advantageof choosing a healthy option, butalso support the definitive localproduction of these products. Theschools teach their students thevalue of understanding the importance of local production.Teachers become further exposedto local agricultural production,and can pass this on to their stu-dents. The school, in turn, alsogains a better appreciation of newand different ways of fund rais-ing. This is a win-win-win pro-gram for students and schools,consumers and farmers.

Finally, this past month theOFVGA has again had a booth atthe Royal Agricultural WinterFair, and has made it available tomembers of the OFVGA. Fromapples to processed vegetables,consumers and thousands of children were provided the opportunity to see what comesfrom Ontario horticultural farms.Potato growers handed out 3,500

potatoes! Recipes, calendars withOntario produce, and fun projectsfor students were provided. Butthere was also information on theoperation of the industry, theimportance of the CanadianHorticultural Council and importantly the opportunity toanswer consumers’ questions.

These programs run in thebackground in the operations ofthe OFVGA. They provide atremendous positive positioningof the fruit and vegetable producers in Ontario, and directlyconnect consumers to farmers andgrowers. They also provide anopportunity for growers to talkdirectly to consumers which isvery important in understandingmarket changes and dynamics.

We all have much to be thank-ful for over the past year. I amvery thankful and appreciative forthe support from the OFVGABoard of Directors and its staff.I wish you all the best for the holiday season, health and happiness, and hope you taketime to reflect on the events andhappenings over the past year.

To be thankful and appreciative…

These Mexican workers are happy to be in the photographer’s limelight as they harvest cabbage at Procyk Farms near Wilsonville, Ontario. With the 2014 season fadinginto the past and plans underway for 2015, one thing is common for all growers. And that’s gratitude for the untiring efforts of the good men and women who come toCanada under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program. Foreign Agricultural Resource Management Services and the entire produce industry extend holiday greetingsto all of them and their families. Photo by Glenn Lowson.

Feliz Navidad!

JOHN KELLYEXECUTIVE VP, OFVGA

THE GROWER


Was science “cool” to youwhen you were growing up? Itwasn’t for me. I thought it wasinteresting, but not particularlyfun. Things have changed, though– and quickly -- especially amongyoung people.

A new report from a scienceeducation and outreach organiza-tion called Let’s Talk Science(which has a very active chapterat the University of Guelph) saysthere’s been a huge increase inyoung people who think scienceis “fun.”

In just three years, the percent-age of those who believe there’sfun in science skyrocketed byalmost 40 per cent, to 72 per cent.

That’s not only amazing, it’sencouraging. If you appreciatescience at a young age, perhapsyou’ll mature into an adult whounderstands the value of science-based polices and decisions.

You’ll be someone whodoesn’t throw rocks at progressjust because doing so is fashionable.

You won’t follow every faddiet, thinking it’s scientificallysound.

You won’t lap up every corporate message you’re fed,thinking it’s gospel.

You’ll try to reach accordbetween evidence and emotions,which can be really challenging,

but necessary as problems andsolutions get more complex.

This has everything to do withagriculture. Recently I spokeabout communications in one ofmy favourite professor’s classes,a fourth-year human health andnutritional science class full ofstudents preparing for either aresearch or business career innutrition.

She’s working with plant scientists at the University ofGuelph to develop crops that canprovide unique flour for bakedgoods such as bagels, whichwould help your body cut thespeed at which it absorbs glucose.This could be a huge breakthrough for diabetics.

How cool is that? Who wouldn’t want to help hundredsof thousands of people, simply bygrowing, then processing a special kind of grain or oilseed?

But unfortunately, a lot of people aren’t getting past the it-sounds-cool level. The Let’s TalkScience report also noted thatalthough interest is high in sci-ence, there’s a huge gap betweenthose who say they think scienceis cool, and those who take theplunge and become a scientist asa career.

In fact, less than half of Grade12 students complete a sciencecourse. And just a little more thanone in 10 say they’d consider ascience-based career.

I think they need exposure towhat makes science not only fascinating, but useful. Andagain, agriculture comes to thefore. One of my most enthusiasticagricultural communication students has her eye on a master’sprogram in agricultural science,because she’s focused on a careeras a plant breeder.

She’s working as the studentcoordinator for a program calledSeed of the Year, which we started at Guelph nearly 10 yearsago to annually award excellence

in publicly funded plant varietydevelopment. Agricultural plantvarieties developed at theUniversity of Guelph, with thesupport of the Ontario Ministry ofAgriculture, Food and RuralAffairs and organizations such asSeCan, contribute more than $650million a year to the province’seconomy and help farmers in allparts of Ontario prosper.

It seems to me the challenge toscience is to do what farming hasdone, which is capitalize on itsgood standing (and prices) toattract some more or new blood.

Science is trying. Campaignsare underway now such asResearch Matters to show howCanadian researchers are makingmeaningful contributions to society by addressing the challenges and opportunitiesbefore them.

Science really should takeadvantage of its “fun” statusamong young people. They’redestined to become our next leaders. It’s so fortunate that theysee science in a positive way.

Can science be as fun as farming?

OWEN ROBERTSU OF GUELPH

PERSPECTIVE

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Counting viablehives or countingempty houses?

Re: No shortage ofbeehives to polli-nate our crops

I agree that there area lot of confusing facts and fig-ures out there regarding neonics.One thing that should be clarifiedin your article is that while thenumber of managed bee colonieshas increased since 2003,Statistics Canada data show that

colony production (i.e. theamount of honey produced) hasdeclined significantly then, espe-cially in Ontario. Evaluating thehealth of the bee industry bycounting the number of hives islike estimating the population ofa city by counting the houses. Alot of them could be empty.

John HotchkissAlymer, Ontario

il 15-17, 2015 prAéaltronès de Mrongalais des cP

cpma.cation.nenvoc

Alicia McFarland-Sebastian, a Wilfrid Laurier University thirdyear-student majoring in biology, is counting onion maggot flieson a sticky trap. It's part of the Integrated Pest Management(IPM) program operated at the Muck Vegetable Research Stationin Bradford, Ontario. Photo by Glenn Lowson.

– DECEMBER 2014

THE GROWER

BRUCE KELLY

It’s been a busy year for theenvironmental team at Farm &Food Care (FFC). Here are somehighlights from the key files thatstaff has been working on in2014.

Environment Advisory Council

Farm & Food Care staff workunder the direction of itsEnvironment Advisory Councilwhich provides an open forum forinput, ideas, dialogue and proactive discussion of on-farmenvironmental issues. TheCouncil discusses current agricul-tural environmental issues inCanada and provides insight intohow Farm & Food Care can bepart of the discussion and developpractical solutions. The goal is tokeep ahead of the curve of theseissues wherever possible, andreact as necessary. Topics discussed by the council at itsquarterly meetings in 2014 havebeen varied and have includedHoney Bees and Neonics, SoilErosion, Nutrient Leaching andTillage Practices, Source WaterProtection and Wash andWastewater. At each meeting,subject-area experts are invited tojoin the meeting to provideinsight on agenda items.

Water Adaptation Managementand Quality Initiative

The Water AdaptationManagement and QualityInitiative (WAMQI) is Farm &Food Care’s biggest

environmental initiative with $1.5Million in funding to support 30demonstration and appliedresearch projects. The projectsshowcase innovative technologiesand solutions for agriculturalwater use efficiency activitiesrelated to adapting to climatechange and land-based projectssuch as fertilizer trials on newcrops and innovative wastewatertreatment systems. The WAMQIproject is scheduled to concludein March of 2015.

Uncontrolled ElectricityAgriculture Working Group

The Uncontrolled ElectricityAgriculture Working Group con-sists of a coalition of participantsfrom Farm & Food Care, OntarioFederation of Agriculture,Christian Farmers Federation ofOntario, interested farmers, elec-trical experts, and consultants.The working group intends toaddress uncontrolled electricityissues in the province of Ontarioby bringing together stakeholders,academia, Hydro One and policymakers to direct research into thescope and causes of uncontrolledelectricity in order to developsolutions for electrical distribution systems.

As the demands for electricityhave grown and the load placedon the capacity of the wires hasincreased, the amount of electrici-ty that uses the ground as itsreturn path back to its source(rather than the primary neutral)has increased, causing unintendedand often unpredictable conse-quences. This working group isworking with Hydro One and

Waterloo North Hydro to addressthe issues of using the earth as areturn path and mitigating the un-intended consequences this cancause, particularly on livestockoperations. This group has coordinated several on farm visitswith the partners and is workingon some case studies to see howthe impacts can be reduced.

Ontario Pesticide Survey

Farm & Food Care continuesto manage the Ontario PesticideSurvey on behalf of the OntarioMinistry of Agriculture, Food andRural Affairs. All Ontario fieldcrop, vegetable, fruit and specialty crop farmers are askedto fill out a confidential, anonymous survey of pesticideuse. Surveys have been conductedevery five years since 1973 andare used to track trends in pesticide use. Government, com-modity boards and researchersuse the information to helpimprove minor use pesticide reg-istration lists, work toward saferuse of pesticides and to under-stand trends in use and the typesof pesticides used. The survey istotally anonymous; all you recordis your county and the crop.

The survey will track all fieldand horticulture crops and thepesticides used, acres applied andalso acres where no pesticides areused. All farmers and customspray applicators are encouragedto help fill out the survey of products they used during 2013and 2014. To participate in thesurvey, visit www.ontariopesti-cidesurvey.ca by February 15,2015.

Bee Health

As is the case with all majorissues that Farm & Food Carefocuses on, the issue of bee healthor neonicotinoids has been onewhere Farm & Food Care hasplayed a supporting role to theefforts of its commodity partners.In response to requests from itsmembers, a new fact sheet on beehealth was produced and distributed widely through FFCcommunications channels. FFCalso partnered with Grain Farmersof Ontario on two media tours in2014 for Toronto and Ottawafood writers and addressed theissue with the 125 influentialguests at both events.

Bee farmers, commodity members and researchers havebeen guests at two of theEnvironmental Council meetingsin the last year to share opinionsand perspectives on the issue.

Farm Innovation Tours

Farm & Food Care has coordinated five bus tours thisyear profiling innovation in ani-mal welfare and the environmenton farms and at agribusinessesacross the province. These tourshave proven a great way forAgricorp, OMAFRA, Ministry of

Natural Resources and Ministryof Environment staff to get out toworking farms. They also providea platform for discussion betweenpolicy makers and farmers on awide range of issues. The mostrecent tour featured NiagaraRegion flower greenhouses andthe Vineland Research andInnovation Centre.

Community Collaborative RainHail and Snow Network(CoCoRaHS)

Through CoCoRaHS, individu-als can upload rain gauge data toa central website for recordingrainfall, snow, hail and otherstorm events (and drought report-ing). The data is then accessiblefor printing customizable reportsfor your farm and to the publicand meteorological professionals.CoCoRaHS is now the largestprovider of daily precipitationobservations in the United States.CoCoRaHS has more than 1,000volunteers across Canada and

hasjust signed up 50 schools inthe Northwest Territories. We arelooking for more Ontario farmersand weather watchers to sign upand submit data to this nationalproject.

Find out more:

To learn more about all of Farm& Food Care’s environmentalinitiatives on behalf of Ontario

agriculture, visit www.farmfood-care.org and click on theEnvironment Button. Commentsand questions can always bedirected to Farm & Food Care’sEnvironmental Program ManagerBruce Kelly – [email protected] or 519-837-1326, exten-sion 292. Anyone interested inkeeping current on Farm & FoodCare initiatives can subscribe toits monthly e-newsletter by email-ing [email protected].

Bruce Kelly is environmental pro-gram manager for Farm & FoodCare Ontario.

Farm & Food Care year in review 2014

Dec 3 Ontario Potato Board Annual General Meeting, Cambridge Holiday Inn, Hall C, Cambridge, ON 10 am

Dec 5 CanadaGAP Annual General Meeting, Canadian Federation of Agriculture Boardroom, Ottawa, ON

Dec 9 - 11 Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo, Devos Place Convention Centre, Grand Rapids, MI

2015

Jan 7 - 9 Potato Expo 2015, Rosen Shingle Creek, Orlando, FL

Jan 13 Ontario Apple Growers’ Annual General Meeting, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Niagara Falls, ON

Jan 13 Fresh Vegetable Growers of Ontario Annual General Meeting, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Niagara Falls, ON 8:30 am to 10 am.

Jan 13 - 14 Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association Annual General Meeting, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Niagara Falls, ON

Jan 20-21 Ontario Processing Vegetable Industry Conference, Four Points by Sheraton, London, ON

Jan 20 – 22 Empire State Producers’ Expo, Oncenter, Syracuse, NY

Jan 22-25 U.S. Lavender Association Conference, San Antonio, TX

Jan 26-27 Scotia Horticultural Congress 2015, Old Orchard Inn, Greenwich, NS

Jan 27-28 Manitoba Potato Production Days, Brandon, MB

Jan 27-28 Nova Scotia Fruit Growers’ Association Annual Convention, Old Orchard Inn, Greenwich, NS

Jan 29-Feb 1 Guelph Organic Conference & Expo, Guelph University Centre, Guelph, ON

Feb 3-4 The Greenbelt Fund Local Food Symposium, Queen’s Landing, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON

Feb 3 – 6 8th North American Strawberry Symposium, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Ventura, CA

COMING EVENTS 2014

THE GROWER


Recently we have reviewed thedifferent retailers in the marketplace. This month we willshift our focus to building your

relationship with category managers and others in the retailer’s organization. This is achallenge for many suppliers and

there is no one solution. Youneed to have different strategiesfor different people and from oneretailer to another. Over the next

several months we will explorethe important task of developing astrong relationship with your customer.

Loblaw announced to Save Easy retailers in Atlantic Canada thatthey would be converting the stores to the Your Independent Grocer(YIG) format. One of the challenges for Loblaw is that they havemany formats, which makes their business complex. There is historywith a format but the internal challenges of more ads, pricing zonesand seasonal programs add costs.

These are changes that have to happen. I do admit I feel some nos-talgia, as Save Easy is the format I started working in when I was inhigh school. We enjoyed working at Tingley’s Save Easy and we did alot of volume in 14,000 square feet. The industry has changed and Ipredict Loblaw will have to consolidate more banners to eliminatesome costs and simplify the business.

RETAIL NAVIGATOR

Set up profiles of category managers

Loblaw converts Save Easy

A category manager’s role is similar from oneretailer to another. They are responsible for the list-ing base, sales and profitability in their categories.There are different tools and strategies available forthem to accomplish their goals but in the end theyhave to manage the number of SKUs and deliverresults associated with sales and profit. One of thebiggest challenges for suppliers is to understand thateach category manager, even within the same retail-

er, will have their own style and preferred method of achieving the results.Some want to get to know you and your business whereas others really don’t care, as

long as you deliver your end of the bargain. You need to really understand the individualbefore you can develop your strategy for working with them. I suggest you develop a pro-file of your category managers to help you deal with them effectively. There are a numberof different personality traits that you should consider when building the profile.

Overall understanding of the industryLearning 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Very goodOverall understanding of the categoryLearning 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Very goodFamiliarity with your companyIt’s all new 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Very goodFamiliarity with your itemsIt’s all new 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Very goodPerception of your businessPoor 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Very goodProgressive Do it like last year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Eager to tryTop priority _____________________________________ (sales, margin, categorygrowth, private label, new items, local etc.)Second priority _____________________________________ (sales, margin, category

growth, private label, new items, local etc.)Short-term vs. long-termShort-term 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Long-termDo the work as an individual vs. team approachIndividual 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 TeamPreferred method of communication ________________ (phone, email, meeting etc.)Where they are in their careerOn the way up 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Reached their peakSympathy to smaller producers or preference for big national companiesSympathy to small 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Favour bigCommitment to build new items or depend on the tried and trueTry new items 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Tried and trueWilling to take risks or play it safeTake risks 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Play it safeInterested in health & wellness Yes Maybe NoUnderstanding of global foods Yes Maybe NoUnderstanding of food safety in the category Yes Maybe NoParticipate in industry initiatives Yes Maybe NoInterests away from work ___________________________________

You will build your profiles over time and there might be other pieces of informationyou want to collect as you meet with them and build your relationship. Some categorymanagers want to share their interests outside of work and others don’t. I can still remember the phone calls or small packages that arrived when our kids were born.

You will see significant differences from one category manager to another when yougo through these questions. This will be the base you can use to develop a strategy forbuilding the relationship. I suggest you keep a file in your drawer or on your computer foreach category manager. Use the file to develop the profile, add notes on small or significant events that you might use later and always make notes for your file after aface-to-face meeting.

Understand the individual and they are all different

Frozen vegetables have beenpart of the mix for many years.Recently I was in a store inToronto where there was an entireend dedicated to frozen organicvegetables. This is to be expectedwith the growing demand for

organics in fresh and packagedproducts.

It was interesting for me to seethey were all product of . . .China. I was aware that manyconventional frozen vegetableswere coming from China but now

organic as well. FreshPlaza.comis a source of information distrib-uted to the produce industry.They claim that China producesmore than 50 per cent of all the

vegetables and 30 per cent of thefruit sold commercially in theworld. Obviously there is a hugepopulation to feed but the exportsof Chinese fruits and vegetables

are growing rapidly.Where does this fit in the

product mix of your customers?Do they have them or will theyhave them?

China is exporting frozen organic vegetables

PETER CHAPMAN

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THE GROWER


FOCUS: GRAPES, VINEYARDS & WINERIES

KAREN DAVIDSON

Any year is a good year foroptical sorting equipment.However this was a perfect yearfor installing a Pellenc Vision 2optical sorter along with adestemmer and petiole remover.This year’s Ontario grape harvestextended into November, result-ing in frost-bitten grapes withshattering petioles that are bestremoved from the mix.

“I have zero tolerance for petioles,” says Brian Schmidt,winemaker at Vineland EstatesWinery near Vineland, Ontario.Petioles, the stalks that joinleaves to the stems, add an undesirable vegetal character tothe wine.

Hand harvesting after a frost isexpensive, so if the grapes can bemachine harvested and the debriscan be mechanically separated,that’s a better situation for managing costs.

The optical sorter can also recognize underripe berries.Whereas 12 workers would beassigned to a sorting table toprocess two to 2.5 tons/hour, thenew optical sorter can processseven to eight tons per hour.

“This machinery offersflexibility in a tough season,”

says Schmidt. With 130 acres ofgrapes to harvest, after a cooler

than normal season, he was anxious to leave the grapes on thevine as long as possible. Schmidtwas happy to have other farmersbring grapes on a custom-clean-ing basis.

“The Pellenc Vision 2 opticalsorter is a game-changer in termsof its ability to clean fruit andreduce manual labour costs forwine producers,” says Joe

Pillitteri, sales manager,Lakeview Vineyard Equipment.“This is the first of its kind inCanada and only a few in NorthAmerica.”

The equipment’s features areclearly demonstrated in theYouTube video: Pellenc SelectivProcess Vision 2

Optical sorter saves labour, improves wine quality

This optical sorter discards unripe berries, petioles and other vegetal debris so that the cleanest fruitpossible is destined for wine.

THE GROWER


Netherlands report successful test of bird repellent robot

A test conducted by CLMResearch and Advice confirmsthat laser beams are an effectivemethod to scare away birds fromorchards. The innovativeAgrilaser bird repellent robot provides an automated solutionand does not cause nuisance tonearby residents.

CLM tested the AgrilaserAutonomic in an apple and pearorchard last summer. Before the

test, the farmer experienced majordamage from crows. After thedeployment of the automatedlaser, the birds disappeared fromthe property, significantly reducing damage to the fruit.

Fruit grower Arnold Bosgoedis positive: “After the deploymentof the laser, the orchard became alot quieter. The large groups ofcrows disappeared. I am very satisfied with the automated laser.

The system is noiseless and thebirds do not seem to get used tothe laser beam. The installationwas easy and it requires no maintenance.”

The developers of theAgrilaser, Bird Control Group hasstarted production of the system.“These results provide scope fortesting the system on a largerscale,” says Joost Lommen, CLMresearcher.

The operating principle

Birds perceive the laser beamas an imminent physical danger towhich, unlike conventional techniques, birds do not getaccustomed. A trajectory is programmed via a laptop ortablet, resulting in random sweepsin the designated area. Dependingon weather conditions, an area of100 hectares to 1,200 hectares canbe kept bird-free. Thanks to thefeatures, the robot can be configured to the dimensions ofmultiple areas and the desiredoperating periods throughout theday.

Steinar Henskes, CEO of BirdControl Group: “We are very

pleased with the positive resultsof this test. Our team haveworked for three years on thedevelopment of our laser technology, resulting in theAgrilaser Autonomic. We seemany opportunities to deploy this

system on agricultural land, largebuildings and industrial sites.”

Source: Bird Control Groupnews release

VineAlert program yields savings for Ontario grape growersKAITLYN LITTLE

As snow and sub-zero tempera-tures return to Ontario vineyards,researchers at Brock Universityare launching their annual coldhardiness program – VineAlert.Operated by Brock’s CoolClimate Oenology and ViticultureInstitute (CCOVI), VineAlerttracks a grape bud’s ability to sur-vive cold temperatures over thedormant season from October toApril. The alert system indicatesat what temperature differentvarieties would see damage whencold weather events occur. Thishelps growers know when windmachines or other freeze avoid-

ance methods are needed to pro-tect buds and vines from winterinjury.

For Ontario grape growers,this knowledge is translating intosignificant savings. An economicimpact analysis performed by theGoodman School of BusinessConsulting Group shows that theVineAlert program along with theuse of wind machines can poten-tially help growers avoid $13.8million in lost sales from a singledamaging cold weather event,$11.7 million in lost sales for sub-sequent years while damagedvines recover and $29.1 million invine renewal and replacementcosts.

“Winter injury prevention con-

tinues to be a priority for theCanadian industry,” said CCOVIdirector Debbie Inglis. “Theimpact analysis shows that theinvestment by growers in windmachines coupled with the use ofVineAlert’s data is yielding sub-stantial savings for growers.”

Last winter alone, usingVineAlert to determine whenwind machines were neededresulted in fuel savings forOntario growers between $1 mil-lion and $2.3 million according tothe analysis.

Beyond the economic savings,there are also social and environ-mental benefits from knowingwhen wind machine use is notneeded. Noise reduction during

the night and early morning hoursis important in areas where vine-yards border urban developmentsand a reduction of running timefor wind machine engines leavesa smaller environmental footprint.

Grape grower Trevor Falk saysusing VineAlert to know whenwind machines don’t need to berun helps growers be good neigh-bours and good community stew-ards. But the data goes beyondthat for him; the program pro-vides critical temperature and budhardiness information for the dif-ferent micro-climates across theprovince.

“To have research done onrepresentative vineyards is invalu-able when making business deci-

sions in the vineyard regardingwind machine use,” Falk said. To complement VineAlert,CCOVI researchers in partnershipwith the Ontario Grape and WineResearch Inc. (OGWRI) are alsolaunching a best practices manualfor managing winter injury invineyards. Developed byCCOVI’s Jim Willwerth, KevinKer and Inglis, the manual isbased on five years of cold-hardi-ness research and provides guid-ance to growers on preventingand responding to winter injury. The economic impact analysis,best practices guide andVineAlert can all be accessed onCCOVI’s website atbrocku.ca/ccovi

Drones in the wings

Drones may be the next bigthing in agricultural technology,as researchers find labour-savingapplications for these unmannedaircraft systems. In the UnitedStates, a University of California-Davis researcher is experimenting

with a fixed-wing model in grapevineyard applications. AtWashington State University,another researcher is working onwhether drones can deter birdseffectively.

Integrating these devices into a

regulatory environment will be achallenge, but the potential benefits for increased yields areencouraging. Good FruitMagazine reports that dronescould look for hot spots of disease or insects. Or they couldbe deployed to monitor irrigationequipment or harvest progress invineyard blocks.

One important feature is thatdrones can be programmed to flyin patterns, repeatedly. Thatmeans ongoing seasonal datacould be used in many ways tomanage blocks.

In the future, the cameras ondrones could focus on whatever isrelevant – monitoring traps, irrigation systems -- and sendcloseup photos through a wirelesstransmitter back to the officecomputer or your smartphone.


Researchers at UC Davis have been testing an unmanned heli-copter’s usefulness in a test vineyard in California’s Napa Valley.


‘Kid-friendly’ green and red table grapes are in the future

THE GROWER


KAREN DAVIDSON

If the colour blue could betasted, it would taste like theSovereign Coronation grape.Dusky, rich and tending towardstart, this seedless table grape is aharbinger of the wine grapes yetto come. It’s harvested in lateAugust and early September inOntario, a bit later in BritishColumbia.

While John Thwaites is bestknown for his peaches and pearsat Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario,he also sets aside 10 acres fortable grapes. Pruning and spraying are the same as winegrapes, but they do require aheavier application of fertilizer.The robust growth habit of thesegrapevines require several hedgings during the summer.Even so, workers must carefullytrim the clusters from a heavycanopy and place them into containers for direct shipment togrocers. Because SovereignCoronation grapes are so labour-intensive, he’s happy to be sellingto Costco which requires largercontainers of three-litre and two-litre clamshells.

“It’s one of our smaller crops,”says Thwaites, “but it’s importantbecause customer demand is thereto support this local fruit. A largepercentage of my crop goes toQuebec.”

In fact, 65 per cent of

Ontario’s Coronation grapes go toQuebec, confirms Sarah Marshall,general manager of the OntarioFresh Grape Growers’ MarketingBoard. About 2000 tons aregrown depending on the seasonwith a farmgate value of $4 to $5million.

The future is in seedless greenand red varieties, says Marshall,and to that point Agriculture andAgri-Food Canada has announced$63,000 in research funding tointroduce new Ontario-grownfresh grape varieties. Some testvarieties from Arkansas wereplanted last year and more will beplanted under the guidance of theVineland Research andInnovation Centre.

“I personally love the flavourof Coronation grapes but the tasteprofile is unique and not ideal fora kid’s lunch box, ” saysMarshall. “There’s an openingfor later-ripening green and redseedless varieties timed for backto school.”

Interestingly, the SovereignCoronation grape was developedin British Columbia back in the1970s by Agriculture Canada’sPacific Agri-Food ResearchCentre in Summerland. LyallDenby, the plant breeder developed the Coronation grapefrom two North American varieties: the black Patricia andthe Himrod.

To this day, Okanagan Valleygrowers cultivate more than 90

acres of these table grapes. Thispast season’s huge crop wasshipped to B.C. metropolitanareas as well as Alberta and as fareast as Ontario says PeteStraume, field person for the B.C.Fresh Grape Growers. He moni-

tors sugar levels and maturity ineach vineyard before the grapesare field-picked for direct shipment to grocers.

Two minor varieties may poseopportunities in the future:Einset, a pink seedless grape and

Venus, a blue grape. Summerland’s researchers are notdelving into research, butOntario-based Vineland Researchand Innovation Centre is takingup the challenge.

These hand-harvested table grapes are going directly into Costco cartons for shipment to Ontarioand Quebec markets.

The Sovereign Coronation grape thrives in a dense canopy.Photos by Glenn Lowson.


According to Wines of Canada, there are more than 160 fruit winer-ies across the country. Wines may be produced strictly with fruit,while some variations are blended with grapes. Processing methodsvary, enabling producers to offer several product variations, even ifonly one kind of berry is available.

The definition of fruit wine varies, but generally fruit wine is madefrom the juice of sound, ripe fruit, fruit juices or concentrate, withoutcontaining any grape products. The alcohol content in wine can vary,according to certain regulations, fruit wine has to be greater than aminimum of 7.1 per cent alcohol. If greater than 14.9 per cent alcoholby volume, it can be labelled as a 'dessert' wine or 'aperitif.' Light wineis considered that of 9 per cent alcohol by volume or less.

There are three basic kinds of wine variations that can be producedon top of a classic variety. • Iced fruit wine - This is any fruit wine that has been fermented fromjuice through cyro-extraction. At this stage, there is no measurementof what fruits should yield in the must.• Fortified fruit wine - This is the wine product obtained by addingalcohol, derived from the alcoholic fermentation of a food source anddistilled to not less than 80 per cent alcohol by volume. In addition, afortified fruit wine shall have an actual content no less than 14 percent alcohol by volume.• Sparkling fruit wine - This wine is impregnated with carbon diox-ide to a minimum of 200 kPa at 10 degrees Celsius and has an actual alcoholic strength of not less than 8.5 per cent by volume. As well,sparkling wine has to be, or derive its effervescence exclusively, fromprimary or secondary alcoholic fermentation in a closed vessel.

Greg and Mira Melien callhaskaps the grape of the north.Situated 45 minutes east ofSudbury, they are carving out alivelihood with Boreal BerryFarm and Winery. Three and ahalf years ago, they planted BerryBlue, Indigo Yum, Borealis,Tundra and Svetlana haskap vari-eties – all suited to withstandingfreezing temperatures duringflowering to as low as 7°C.

The wine is derived from thesefive haskap varieties:

Indigo Yum. The berries on thisvariety are more stretched thanthe others. Since this variety wasthe hardest of all to propagateonly a few nurseries have it. TheUniversity of Saskatchewan hasceased propagating this variety.

Borealis. According to theUniversity of Saskatchewan, thisvariety is noted for having verylarge fruit with excellent flavour.

Berry Blue. This pollenizer variety is necessary for cross-

pollinating Indigo Yum andBorealis. It’s planted at the rate ofone for every five to 10 plants ofthe other varieties. The fruit istube-shaped, ripening in mid tolate June.

Tundra. Fruit have a firm

texture, making them best-suitedfor commercial production andmechanical harvest. Berry size islarge, 1.49 g, and flavour is verygood.

Svetlana. Similar to the BerryBlue in its vigour and size, it’s

the pollinator of choice from theUniversity of Saskatchewan.Disease and pest resistant, it doesvery well in northern climates.Harvest one week earlier than theBerry Blue.

Surprisingly, their haskap wineis not sweet but dry says April

Neault who was demonstratingthe wares at the recent RoyalAgricultural Winter Fair. Thecombination of raspberry/blueberry flavour permeates thewine made by Dominic Rivardand Greg Melien.

THE GROWER


Haskap fruit wine is making a name in northern Ontario FOCUS: GRAPES, VINEYARDS & WINERIES

More about Canada’s fruit wines

Bala, Ontario is known asa cranberry destination.Now, it’s a fruit wine destination too, marketedinnovatively as a “Bog toBottle” tour. Until recently,the folks at Johnston’sCranberry Marsh & MuskokaLakes Winery were forced tocompost 20,000 pounds ofperfectly good fruit eachyear. Because consumers pre-fer bright red cranberries, the growers were discarding white, pink andlight-coloured berries. They had already produced a successful redcranberry wine. Why not put their wasted fruit to equally good use?After a lot of experimentation the first-ever white cranberry wine wasborn. Those 20,000 pounds of would-be compost are transformed into6,000 litres of award-winning fruit wine that’s sold at the farm, onlineand through the LCBO. The business was recently recognized as aPremier’s Innovation Award winner.

Bog to bottle experience

April Neault offered samples of haskap products at the recent Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.

THE GROWER


KAREN DAVIDSON

Nova Scotia’s newest wineryis Planters Ridge, a lovinglyrestored 150-year old barn onproperty that dates back to the1760s. The name is a nod to theNew England Planter familieswho put down roots after theexpulsion of the Acadians.Transplanted Ontarians JohnMcLarty and Lisa Law haveearned respect with their devotionto history, but the future rests onsix and a quarter acres ofAnnapolis Valley vineyard nearPort Williams.

“Great wine is grown in thevineyard,” says McLarty, as herushed to finish the 2014 Rieslingharvest in early November. Thesandy-clay soils which used tosupport potatoes, rhubarb, and afruit orchard are, for the secondseason, producing wine grapes.

“Other than Riesling as a single varietal, we intend to only

make single varietals of the grapevarieties that in any individualyear, are capable of standing ontheir own,” says McLarty. “Weplan to focus on both red andwhite blends.”

To reach that goal, they haveinvested in top-quality rootstock.Mindful of the cool microclimate,McLarty started with cold-hardyL’Acadie Blanc, Nova Scotia’sanswer to Chardonnay. And thenhe added Frontenac Gris, NewYork Muscat, Marquette, LucieKuhlmann and Castel. If thesesound like new characters in astage play, they are.

Here are the program notes.L'Acadie blanc was created in

1953 by Ollie Bradt at theVineland Research Centre inOntario. The grape is a crossingof the Seibel grape Cascade andthe Villard grape Sey Seyve-Villard 14-287. Cuttings of thenew grape variety were sent tothe Kentville research station inNova Scotia, now known as the

Atlantic Food and HorticultureResearch Centre. Here the grapewas given the name L'Acadieblanc after Acadia, the formerNew France colony.

Frontenac gris, developed atthe University of Minnesota, isthe white wine version ofFrontenac. It was started as a single bud mutation yielding gray(thus named gris) fruit andamber-coloured juice. It ripens inlate mid-season, producing sugarsup to 24-25° Brix.

New York Muscat producesreddish black fruit with fine muscat flavour that ripens midseason. It is hardy to 0°F andneeds good soil fertility. It is alsoexcellent as a table and juicegrape.

Marquette, introduced by theUniversity of Minnesota in 2006,is a cousin of Frontenac and agrandson of Pinot noir.According to the university website, it originated from across of MN 1094, a complex

hybrid of V. riparia, V. vinifera,and other Vitis species, withRavat 262. While cold-hardy,Marquette also has a reputationfor resistance to downy mildew,powdery mildew and black rot.

Lucie Kuhlmann is a red,French-American hybrid grapeintended for the cooler climates.The variety is named after its creator, Eugene Kuhlmann, whoalso crossed the better-knownLeon Millot and Marechal. Thisvariety tends to have a firmer tannic profile than the aforementioned varietals.

Castel is a French Americanhybrid (specifically a V. riparia XGamay cross), which was bred totake severe winters, ripen earlywith high Brix (fermentablesugar) and produce big crops.This is a prominent red varietal inNova Scotia.

While their rootstock researchadheres to the script, MotherNature has had a role in the per-formance. Their second growingseason was beset with a cold, latespring, a killing frost in June and

the tail end of hurricane Arthur.Despite their combination of lifeexperiences including science,engineering, manufacturing management, financial manage-ment and agricultural background,McLarty and Law must still contend with the elements.

This fall, the winemakingbegins in earnest with hand-harvested grapes and equipmentthat minimizes degradation of thefruit throughout processing.

“We do not use a must pump,”says McLarty. “We move fruitand must only by gravity or elevators. We only pump juice orwine. All fermentation and agingprocesses are temperature controlled and in aging of redwines we use a combination ofFrench, American and Hungarianoak barrels from six differentcoopers.”

Let the art and science beginon the 2014 vintage of two thousand cases of Planters Ridgewine. Next comes the marketing,potentially to the HalifaxFarmers’ Market one hour away.

Selecting rootstocks for blended wines at heart of new winery

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Nova Scotia creates new wine development boardWith 750 acres under vine and 18 wineries in the province, Nova Scotia’s government

has recognized the stimulative value of the industry. Last year, nearly $16.7 million worthof Nova Scotia wine was sold. The farm-gate value of the grapes topped $2 million. This past August, the government announced a Nova Scotia Wine DevelopmentBoard that embraces the value chain from growers to restaurant leaders and tourism agencies.

“The wine industry in Nova Scotia is growing at a fast pace and there is a huge potential for that to increase,” said agriculture minister Keith Colwell. He is chairing theboard to help highlight opportunities, identify barriers and provide advice on governmentlegislation, regulation and policy development.

The agriculture ministry is expected to announce the appointment of a full-time grapespecialist to be posted at Kentville, Nova Scotia. This extension position will help growers with day-to-day grape and vineyard issues says Gillian Mainguy, acting director,Atlantic Wine Institute.

Led by ag minister Colwell, the board will include representatives of Nova Scotia's

farm wineries, grape growers and support services. Members are:• Stewart Creaser, president, Winery Association of Nova Scotia and owner, AvondaleSky Winery• Carl Sparkes, owner, Devonian Coast Wines• Gerry McConnell, owner, Benjamin Bridge Winery• Gerry Chute, president, Grape Growers Association of Nova Scotia and a Bear Rivergrape grower• Jim Warner, grape grower and past president, Grape Growers Association of NovaScotia• Michael Lightfoot, grape grower• Luc Erjavec, vice-president, Atlantic Canada, Canadian Restaurant and FoodservicesAssociation• Bret Mitchell, president, chief executive officer, Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation


e

John McLarty and Lisa Law opened Planters Ridge Winery earlier this year, near Port Williams, Nova Scotia.

THE GROWER


PAM BOWEN

While the British Columbiawine industry has experiencedsteady and impressive growthover the last two decades, it hasmaintained strong investment inresearch with priorities focusedon disease and pest management,grape and wine quality improve-ment, and environmental sustain-ability. The British ColumbiaWine Grape Council (BCWGC)manages the industry’s researchlevy and was approved for $2.5million in AAFC-AIP researchfunding to address priority projects.

There are six viticulture projects led by scientists atAAFC’s Pacific Agri-FoodResearch Centre (PARC) inSummerland with collaborators atBrock University, UBCOkanagan, and the CFIA. Theprojects are focused on: selectinggroundcovers to enhance naturalpest control; diagnosing and managing trunk diseases; charac-terizing the severity of virus dis-ease infections in B.C. vineyards;elucidating factors that increasebud winter hardiness; refiningirrigation regimes for selectedrootstocks to conserve water andenhance fruit quality; and improving leaf removal and shootand cluster positioning practicesto increase fruit and wine quality.

Initiated last winter, the projects are already bearing fruit.The researchers have mapped theincidence of different leaf rollviruses and their insect vectors inB.C. vineyards and are determin-ing their impacts on fruit yieldand wine quality. They have alsoidentified the environmental con-ditions that enhance the spreadand severity of trunk diseases andare developing control strategies.

Several trials have been established to monitor the effectsof groundcover species on pestand pest predator populations andvineyard microclimates. Largeplantings of Merlot andChardonnay vines on severalrootstocks have been establishedat two industry sites. Leafremoval experiments have beenconducted in commercial vineyards and wines have beenproduced for sensory analysis.Measurement and reporting ofbud winter hardiness of severalvarieties grown at different loca-tions were initiated last winterand are underway again for thisyear. Experiments to determinethe impacts on winter hardinessof crop load and water stress havebeen established at several indus-try sites.

Dr. Pat Bowen is a research sci-entist, viticulture and plant physi-ology, with the Pacific Agri-FoodResearch Centre based inSummerland, British Columbia.

Quality driven by research in B.C.’s wine industry


In early November, Hon.David Levac, the speaker of theOntario Legislative Assemblyhosted the 36th annual wine tast-ing, appropriately on the firstanniversary of the Local FoodAct. Attendees had no easy taskchoosing between the wines ofsix Ontario wineries for the hon-our of best red and best white toserve at legislative functions for2015. All wines were made from100 per cent Ontario-growngrapes.

Samplers voted for BurningKiln Winery 2013 Strip Room inthe red category and Fielding

Estate Winery 2013 Pinot Grigioin the white category.

“2013 was a bit of a challeng-ing year,” recalls Richie Roberts,winemaker at Fielding EstateWinery, Beamsville, Ontario.“The weather was cooler, thepolar opposite of 2012.”

“The pinot gris is a varietalthat’s not widespread but we arefocusing on it in our vineyard,”says Roberts. “The results are afresh, fruit-driven wine that’sbeen fermented in stainless steeltanks.” The grapes came fromtheir own vineyard as well as sev-eral growers across the Niagarapeninsula.

At Burning Kiln Winery, St.

Williams, Ontario, winemakerPatti Fixter says that the StripRoom red is a blend of Merlot,Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.While some of the grapes camefrom the Niagara peninsula, allwere kiln-dried under the supervi-sion of vineyard manager FrankDeLeebeeck.

“The result is a ruby-colouredwine with dark fruit and hints ofcoffee,” says Fixter. “The winewas aged in American-French andEastern European oak barrels.”

THE GROWER

Ontario Legislative Assembly announces official VQA 2015 wines


Above: Curtis Fielding, grapegrower for Fielding EstateWinery, Beamsville, Ontario.

Frank DeLeebeeck, vineyard manager for Burning Kiln Winery,St. Williams, Ontario.

Fungicide resistance management – know the numbers!


WENDY McFADDEN-SMITH

In the past few years, grape growers have gained access to manynew fungicide chemistries, allowinggreater choice in product. However,this has also made the selection offungicides much more challenging.In the “good old days” we had broadspectrum products such as captan, folpan, mancozeb, Polyram, Dikar,sulphur and copper formulations,which protected vines from fungalinfections by inhibiting spore germination. The new fungicides thathave been introduced in the last 15years affect very specific processes infungi and are therefore more prone tothe development of resistance.

In order to prolong the effectivelife of these new fungicides, it’simportant to practise rotation amongfungicide groups and also minimizethe annual exposure of the pathogenpopulation to any specific fungicidegroup by limiting the number ofapplications per season. Each fungi-cide has been classified according toits mode of action. This classificationis shown on the fungicide label aswell as in the Publication 360 spraycalendar for grapes. In most cases, ifa pathogen population is resistant toone fungicide in a group, it is

resistant to all of them. This is called“cross resistance.”

We have adopted a conservativeapproach to rotation of these productsin viticulture, recommending againstusing fungicides from the same groupin back-to-back sprays and trying tokeep the use of any one fungicidegroup to a maximum of two applications per season. This is muchmore restrictive than what may be onthe label, but it has paid off so far,and many North American grape-growing regions are now following asimilar approach.

The game has become more complicated in recent years as companies seem to be moving towardco-formulations of different fungicidegroups. Sometimes this is for resistance management, as exposing apathogen to two modes of actionreduces the chance that resistance willbe selected for either. For others, thepartners in the co-formulation targetdifferent pathogens. This meansgrowers must be doubly aware ofwhat fungicide groups they have usedand make sure to rotate among all ofthem. For example, in the chartshown, an excerpt from the grape calendar of Publication 360, thefungicide groups are shown in italics.Products on the top are registered forpowdery mildew while those on the

bottom are registered for bunch rot.Note that Luna Tranquility containscompounds from groups 7 and 9.Pristine contains groups 7 and 11.Group 7 fungicides are active againstpowdery mildew. Group 9 fungicidesare active against bunch rot. Group 11fungicides are active against powdery mildew and provide suppression of bunch rot at labelledrates. However, if you use one ofthese co-formulation products for onepathogen, you are exposing the otherpathogen as well so you’ve used uptwo fungicide groups at once. Throwdowny mildew into the mix, and itbecomes even more challenging!Growers must be very strategic intheir fungicide selections and planahead for their fungicide use strategy.

The bottom line is that, as we gainaccess to new fungicides and as co-formulations become more common, growers will have to familiarize themselves with the fungicide families and make educatedand responsible choices that will notonly be economically sustainable butalso sustain the tool box we have.

Wendy McFadden-Smith is tenderfruit and grape IPM specialist forOMAFRA.

THE GROWER


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Recently, a colleague of mineloaned me a book, IPM inPractice – Principles and Methodsof Integrated Pest Management,by Mary Louise Flint (Universityof California Publication 3418). Itwas an inspiring read. Instead offocusing on the specific detailssurrounding individual pathologyand entomology problems, IPM inPractice, looks at IPM as a disci-pline within its own right.Strangely enough, reading itbrought me back in time. I didmy schooling in the era of FoodSystems 2002. That meant decent

summer job opportunities, someexcellent hands-on IPM experi-ence and the beginnings of astrong dedication to sustainablecrop production systems.

When I entered the work force,one of my first jobs was to devel-op an IPM program for the pro-cessing vegetable operations inNorthumberland and PrinceEdward County. My first sum-mer, one processor was actuallyremoving corn borer from theprocess line with a pool skimmer!Two years later, I had a career-defining moment when thestraight-faced owner told me “youdone good.” Sadly, those opera-tions are long gone, but the expe-

riences I gained from the growersand local agri-business stick withme.

As Food Systems 2002 cameto a close, we eagerly awaited theannouncement of a replacementfunding program. That announce-ment never came. But the goodresearch never stopped. It contin-ues today. When I comparetoday’s pest management “toolbox” across the gamut of veg-etable crops, it reflects a vastamount of work from all levels ofgovernment, industry and grow-ers.

But IPM is a continuum, anevolution. The outcomes of FoodSystems 2002 and the early IPM

initiatives were a better under-standing of pest biology, thresh-olds and product timing.Advances in the chemical indus-try have given us more targeted,lower-risk products. As vegetableproducers, agri-business and advi-sors we must constantly strive tolook not only at the cause andeffect of pest + product = control,but to look at the relationship interms of the whole managementsystem.

Technology and the scale ofour operations might point ustowards the easy solution. Butgood stewardship requires us toalways be looking for sustainabil-ity within our own set of pest

management practices. These arethe small, incremental changes,that when applied across the hor-ticultural landscape can make aresounding difference to our pro-duction systems, our agri-ecosys-tem, our bottom line and our owncommunities.

This winter the OMAFRAvegetable team will be holding aseries of webinars, with the goalof re-invigorating the conversa-tion around IPM. We hope to findways to inspire ourselves and ourgrowers to take on the next gener-ation of IPM, whatever that maybe.Elaine Roddy is vegetable cropsspecialist for OMAFRA.

Next generation of IPM – the time has come

THE GROWER


Scientific Name: Certoma trifurcata

Identification

Bean leaf beetle adults are fivemm in length with four blackspots on the wing covers. Asmall, black triangle is visible atthe base of the head (Figure 1,adult bean leaf beetle). Thecolour varies from yellow-to-tanor red. Bean leaf beetle larvaecomplete their development in thesoil, feeding on roots. The blackspots are not always apparent.The margins of the wing coverhave a black border.

Damage starts as large holes inthe leaves (Figure 2, bean leafbeetle feeding damage). As feed-ing continues, they consume theentire leaf except for the veins,leaving a skeletonized appear-ance. Bean leaf beetle adults feedon leaves, blossoms and pods.

Biology

Bean leaf beetles overwinter asadults in grassy fencerows, leaflitter and wooded areas. Theyemerge in late April and may befound feeding in alfalfa fields.

Early snap bean fields plantedclose to alfalfa are at the greatestrisk of bean leaf beetle damage.

The overwintering female bee-tles lay clusters of lemon-shaped,bright orange eggs at the base ofthe bean plant. Egg-laying contin-ues until late June. Larvae feedon roots and soil debris forapproximately 30 days prior topupating. First generation adultsemerge in mid-to-late-July. Thisgeneration lives for approximate-ly one month. A second genera-tion of adults emerges mid-to-lateAugust and feeds until it runs outof a food source, either due toharvest activities, crop senescenceor cold fall temperatures, and theadults migrate to their over-win-tering sites.

Period of Activity

Generational peaks occur fromcrop emergence to late-June(overwintering), mid-to-late July(first generation) and late-August(second generation).

Scouting Notes

These pests often feed in clus-

ters. Examine one metre of row ateach of 10 locations across thefield. Select a wide range of fieldlocations, including border areas.

Thresholds

Apply a control if beetlesexceed one beetle per foot of rowor if defoliation exceeds 25 percent. Defoliation prior to bloomdoes not have as strong an impacton yield. Early-season bean leafbeetle populations may be ade-quately controlled by systemicinsecticide seed treatments usedto control potato leafhopper.

Tolerances in snap beans willbe significantly lower after pod-set if the beetles are feeding onthe pods or where they maybecome potential contaminantsfor the processor.

Management Notes

• Consider using border sprays tocontrol the beetles as they moveout of the fencerow.• Consult the Ontario VegetableCrop Protection Guide(OMAFRA publication 838) for alist of registered foliar and seedtreatments.

Pest of the month – bean leaf beetle

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THE GROWER


JANICE LeBOEUF

There’s an interesting thing in pharma-ceutical research about the placebo effect.For certain classes of drugs, more than 80per cent of the response to the drug is dueto a placebo effect. It makes me wonder ifwe in agriculture are susceptible to theplacebo effect when it comes to cropinputs. If you heard that your neighbourswere boosting their yields by 15 per centby applying Product X – and you tried it –would you tend to believe you got a benefit?

If you have something in mind youwant to try next season, but you don’t wantto fall for the placebo effect, you’re probably thinking of doing a simple trial inyour fields. While you’re making your2015 plans, why not plan to get the mostout of your on-farm trials by following afew guidelines to ensure you get reliable,meaningful results from your extra effort?

Three of the most important aspects ofon-farm research are replication, replication, and replication. The morereplications you have the more likely youcan pick out real differences, and avoidbeing fooled by field variability. It doesn’t

have to be complicated. Try to figure out asimple, practical way to set up several teststrips in the field.

Don’t forget to take a few minutes forrecordkeeping when you set up the plots –and throughout the season, too.

And as busy as you are during harvest,commit the time to take yield measure-ments. The value of this data is helpingyou decide if the treatment has made youmoney or cost you money is worth it.Many times, we justify the use of newtreatments as “cheap insurance,” but“cheap insurance” can add up to a lot oftime and money. Some treatments may

even reduce yield (I’ve seen it happen) –but you’ll never know unless you measure.

There are some excellent onlineresources on on-farm research. TheUniversity of Illinois has an On-FarmResearch Guidebook (pdf) that is verypractical and helpful. At AGSTATS02(http://pnwsteep.wsu.edu/agstatsweb/),there is an online calculator where you canenter your data and get all the math andstats done for you with a click of a mouse.

You can find more by searching “on-farm research” online.

Janice LeBoef is vegetable crop special-ist for OMAFRA.

The placebo effect

ANNE VERHALLEN

Cover crops have a lot ofplaces where they can fit in horticultural crop rotations:before late planted crops such aspumpkins to provide weed suppression; after early harvestedcrops such as peas or snap beansto cover and protect the soil whileenhancing soil structure; afterwinter wheat to suppress resistantweeds in the rotation or as a partof the overall crop rotation tosuppress nematodes in prepara-tion for planting strawberries.

Looking for more details onhow a cover crop can fit herbicideconcerns or the basics on a particular cover crop species?There is an improved version ofthe Purdue Midwest Cover CropField Guide available now. Thepocket guide, released September22 is produced by PurdueUniversity and the MidwestCover Crops Council. The firstcover crops guide was released inFebruary 2012. The updatedguide is in response to theincreasing interest in cover cropsin the Midwest and to requests foradditional information.

All this new information willhelp farmers better choose appropriate cover crops for theirsituation and better manage thecover crops they grow - all forgreater potential benefit for theirsoils and cash crop growth, saidEileen Kladivko, Purdue professor of agronomy.

The updated guide featuresseven new topics:• Getting started in cover crops• Rationale for fitting cover cropsinto different cropping systems• Suggested cover crops for common rotations• Cover crop effects on cash crop

yields• Climate considerations including winter hardiness andwater use• Adapting seeding rates andspring management based onweather• “Up and coming” cover cropsThere is also more informationabout herbicide carryover,manure and biosolids applica-tions, and crop insurance issues(note: US crop insurance issues).There has been a significant con-tribution from Ontario research tothe new material, particularly inthe area of herbicide carryover

(Dr. Darren Robinson, Universityof Guelph- Ridgetown campus)The guide's second edition isavailable at Purdue Extension'sThe Education Store at www.the-education-store.com. Search bythe name of the publication orproduct code ID-433.A link to a video clip of PurdueUniversity agronomy professorEileen Kladivko explaining thebenefits of cover crops is available athttp://youtu.be/2NIyQeZ8jxQ

Anne Verhallen is soil management specialist, horticulture, OMAFRA

Looking for information on cover crops?

Helmut Spieser has recently retired from OMAFRA. Helmut’s expertise on sprayer and spray application has been highly valued byOntario’s vegetable industry. He is a dynamic presenter and his written materials are valued as being informative, practical, to-the-point and (often) comedic. Congratulations Helmut! We will miss you.

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THE GROWER

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Brian Van Brenk31760 Erin Line

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STRAWBERRY PLANTS***CERTIFIED***

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G.W. ALLEN NURSERY LTD.7295 Hwy 221

Centreville, N.S. B0P 1J0ph. 902-678-7519 fax: 902-678-5924

Email: [email protected] www.gwallennursery.com

Exclusive grower of select grafted nut trees and minor fruits.Cultivars are tested in our own experimental orchards.

Choose from Persian and black walnut, heartnut, butternut,chestnut, hazel, pecan, hickory, gingko, pine nut, mulberry,

persimmon, pawpaw, fig & more.

Proprietor Ernie Grimo

979 Lakeshore Rd, RR 3, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON Canada L0S 1J0Tel.: (905) YEH-NUTS (934-6887) E-mail: [email protected]

Fax: (905) YEL-NUTS (935-6887) Catalogue Site: www.grimonut.com

GLADIOLUS BULBSWide variety selection for retail sales and

commercial cut flower productionCatalogue available upon request or visit our website at www.lmbolle.com

L.M. Bolle & Sons813083 Baseline Norwich, ON(519) 468-2090 Fax 468-2099email: [email protected]

Howard A. ColcucNursery Manager

R.R. #4 Creek RoadNiagara-on-the-Lake, ON. L0S 1J0

Tel: (905) 262-4971Fax: (905) 262-4404

[email protected]

SPECIALIZING IN FRUITTREES & GRAPE VINES &

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ASPARAGUS ROOTSJersey GiantMillennium

Wrightland FarmRR 1 • 1000 Ridge Rd. Harrow, ON N0R 1G0

Keith: 519-738-6120Fax: 519-738-3358

If you have arural route

address,please update subscriptionwith your

civic addressto ensuredelivery.

call the circulation department at

866-898-8488 ext 221

classified ads

call the classified department at

866-898-8488 ext 221

JANUARY 2015

SPECIAL FOCUS:FOOD SAFETY ANDFOOD PROCESSING

Book by December 12Herb Sherwood

519-380-0118

THE GROWER



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The Ontario Berry Growers Association (OBGA) isworking with industry representatives to respond to spotted wing drosophila (SWD); an invasive insect whichthreatens the fresh market quality of berry crops. Up to$28,867 will be accessed through the Ontario FarmInnovation Program (OFIP), to provide growers and stakeholders with information on the biology, populationdynamics and management of SWD.

A regional monitoring program across Ontario is beingused to learn about SWD population dynamics and howtrap catches of SWD adults relate to fruit infestations ofSWD larvae. The results of the study are being sharedwith researchers who are developing population models,searching for biological controls and developing new

strategies for control. Following these steps, the aim is toincrease knowledge sharing, encourage best practices, anddevelop knowledge transfer products.

To date, a significant portion of this project has beencompleted. Traps were placed in 60 strategic locationsacross Ontario representing the major fruit growingregions. More than 200 samples of fruit were collectedfrom specific crops at regular intervals and rearing ofSWD was used to assess SWD damage at harvest.Techniques for evaluating SWD populations (i.e. saltwater test for evaluating larval infestation) have beendemonstrated to growers, crop consultants and agronomists at twilight meetings and also through web-based resources. Numerous articles, workshops and

presentations have taken place to inform stakeholders ofthe most recent information and best management practices for SWD.

“SWD has been identified by the industry as a top priority, with close to 100 per cent crop loss in some cultivars in 2012,” says Kevin Schooley, ExecutiveDirector, OBGA. “To prevent further losses, informationon SWD activity in Ontario is required to help producersincorporate timely and effective control measures.”

The OFIP is funded through Growing Forward 2 (GF2),a federal-provincial-territorial initiative. The AgriculturalAdaptation Council assists in the delivery of GF2 inOntario.Source: www.adaptcouncil.org

THE GROWER


As I prepare this, my 179thcolumn for The Grower onRemembrance Day, I think backon all those who have helpedmake the business of horticulture‘work’ for the many growersacross Ontario and indeed, acrossCanada. The issues have comeand gone, some of them in a perpetual cycle that never seem toyield to reason and hard work.(Like stones or rocks in a field.)Others have been put to bed, onlyto get other new ones croppingup. (Like new weeds in a once-clean field.) There continuesto be changes in the ranks ofthose who help us, those who weappeal to for good judgments, andthose who assail us with ‘blarney’or worse.

There are some even withinthe ranks of growers who feel itunseemly to criticize government,to place the needs of our members first, and to fight withwhatever tools we have at handwhen we know we are correct inour assessment of a situation.Seventy-five years ago we alsohad those who would appease a

dictator even while watching thehorrors he unleashed on innocentpeople. If it hadn’t been for fight-ers like Churchill, Roosevelt andothers like them, history wouldhave turned out very differently.Nowadays, it seems lessonslearned are forgotten or ignored.Those who seek to appease or totoady up for their own or onlytheir commodity’s particular benefit, in spite of potential forloss to other sectors, should thinklong and hard about how they andtheir commodity would have gotto the good place they enjoytoday without the solidarity andsupport of other sectors! Yes,there are times when toughstances are needed to be taken,and timidity never wins in thosecircumstances.

There have been accusationsmade that ‘we’ have been toohard on government at times. Ichoose to think that has been atwo way street! I have also beenpersonally accused of getting thegovernment angry with our sec-tor! Nonsense is my reply. Thosewho matter know and understandthat I write about or speak mypiece with only the best interestsof our growers -- full stop. Thereis nothing in this for me, andnever has been. What I haveheard more than once is thatmaybe my passion for an issueovertakes me at times. I agree! Iwouldn’t want it any other way.

The best solution to problemsis by creating excellent lines ofcommunications with those whoseem out of step with your ideasand convictions. This worked forme (and growers at the time)when the Ontario ministries of

Agriculture and Environmentwere at constant loggerheads overpesticide issues. Once lines ofcommunications were established,it was amazing how much common ground we had! Pre-communications on announce-ments and briefings allowed forcommon understanding, similarmessaging, and cleaner handlingof issues. Problems were avertedbefore they even became prob-lems. Later on we were able towork very closely with industryon the first pesticide containercollection program here inOntario with a new model whichis now common across Canada.Likewise, we established the firstwaste pesticide collection pro-gram with shared ministry fund-ing at a time of budget slashing!It was a good thing to be involvedwith, and the government thoughtso too. Maybe those models needto be revived in light of currentcross-ministry controversies.

When Minor Use in Canadawas at the breaking point in 2001with the imposition of GoodLaboratory Practice (GLP) forresidue trials when virtually noone in Canada was so-qualified,growers rallied together and madethe cogent arguments for govern-ment to fund the program. Onceagain, we had to take on federalagriculture staff who were averseto this new spending (becausethey coveted the money for otherprograms near and dear to theirhearts). The right folks listened,and we got what we needed. Yes,there were some who for a longtime afterwards looked upon thatprogram as a user of budget thatcould have made them heroes if

they had only got that moneyinstead! In the fullness of time,the program as operated by anexcellent team has proven againstall comers that it meets the needsof growers, as originally intended.That cannot be said for all programs!

Lately, it seems we face anuphill battle on the science andthe use of “numbers” to makecritical decisions on pesticide registrations or re-evaluations.Once again we had to express ourconcerns ‘in a strong way,’ to getthe attention needed for some-thing to happen. Like other situations over the years, a lot ofthe issue revolves around validityof data, age of the data as it canbe affected by changes in growerpractice, and the sources fromwhich updating of model information can come from. It isnot only government that may beusing old, outdated or simplyovertaken data sources. The regis-trants also need to use the mostmodern sources possible. In somecases, the modern use pattern fora product may be three or fourapplications a year of the maxi-mum rate on a label, or maybefewer total amounts if tank mixedat lower rates. Nonetheless, a re-evaluation defense may belaunched to maintain an old labelwith instructions allowing 10 or12 applications! So much hingeson just such a difference. Manyold U.S. labels were updated as aresult of their re-registrationprocess and a total seasonalamount of product is now specified along with a maximumsingle application rate. Growershere could and would often

readily accept that, but have neverbeen asked! We need to be asked!

In the U.S., the growers canand do get asked to attend what isknown as “Pre-submission consultations.” I know that this isallowed here and does happen onoccasion, but not as often. In theU.S., the same provision is madefor re-registrations but that doesnot seem to be common here atall. It should be. If growers, registrants and regulators were allable to sit down at one table veryearly on in the process, everyonewould win. There would be a lotof time saved in “Getting it Rightthe First Time” (Thank you MikeHolmes!). There would be anexcellent chance that what tensets of eyes and experiencemissed, the eleventh set could seeand correct --before it got cast instone in a document.

Growers have volunteered tobe a part of such a process to bothPMRA and to the registrants.Time will tell if the offer isaccepted and utilized.

Obviously there needs to beexperience, trust, confidentiality,and a willingness to work together. The outcomes would beworth it. At the end of the day,even the timid would feel that agood job was done by all.

Something worth rememberingas we all move forward.

Merry Christmas to all ourhard-working partners in the registration and regulation ranks.In spite of our differences attimes, I remain convinced that weall are trying to do what is rightfor Canada, its environment, andthe growers that feed us all!

And to all a good night!

CRAIG HUNTEROFVGA

MINOR USE

CRAIG’S COMMENTS

Remembering how to make it better

Management solutions for fruit pest in Ontario

engageagro.com 1-866-613-3336 © 2013 Engage Agro Corporation.

Happy Holidays! From your friends at Engage Agro.

THE GROWER


MINOR USE

KRISTY GRIGG-MCGUFFIN,OMAFRA SIMCOE ANDMARGARET APPLEBY,OMAFRA BRIGHTON

The apple leaf-curling midge(ALCM) is increasingly becoming a foliar pest acrossCanada, in provinces includingBritish Columbia, Nova Scotia,New Brunswick, Quebec andOntario. In the past four years,OMAFRA specialists have beenworking on trials to understandthe biology and management ofthis pest.

The ALCM pupate in silkencocoons in the soil or in curledleaves. Adults (1.5 to 2 mm)begin to emerge in late May toearly June. After egg hatch, mag-got-like larvae feed on the edgesof tightly curled leaves for two tothree weeks. Margins of infestedleaves are rolled in towards themid-vein and become purple orred and brittle. A curled leaf usually contains 20 to 30 larvae;however, as many as 500 larvaecan be found in an infested leaf.

To understand the life cycle ofALCM in Ontario conditions,pheromone traps to monitor adultpopulations were placed in

orchards in Durham, Niagara andNorfolk County at pink (earlyMay). Traps were monitoredtwice a week throughout thegrowing season and the numberof adults present were recorded.We found over four years ofmonitoring that a small peak intrap counts late May to early Junewas followed by peaks in earlyJune and again in early August.This indicates that there are atleast two to three generations of

ALCM in Ontario each year withadult emergence beginning asearly as pre-bloom. Terminalassessments indicated that infested terminals were present inthe orchard immediately aftermonitoring began.

In recent years, Ontario fieldtrials using Movento have beenquite successful in the management of ALCM whenapplied at petal fall. In 2013 and2014, field trials expanded to

include alternative products,Closer and Delegate.

In 2013, pheromone traps wereinstalled at pink in a Durhamregion orchard with historicallyhigh ALCM pressure. When thecumulative catch of adult midgesin the traps exceeded 10, whichcorresponded with petal fall, thefollowing insecticides wereapplied: • Delegate @ 420 mL/ha• Closer @ 400 mL/ha• Movento @ 365 mL/ha

All treatments were re-applied10 days later. Closer and Delegatetreated blocks had less terminaldamage caused by ALCM oneweek after treatment compared toMovento. Due to its mode ofaction, Movento is a slower-acting product and typically takestwo to three weeks for effects tobecome evident. However, residual activity is longer lastingfor this product, as seen by weekfour in this orchard. It should benoted that in this trial, Closer wasapplied three days earlier than theother products, which couldexplain the higher damage in thatblock by week four.

In 2014, different rates ofCloser (300 mL/ha and 400mL/ha) were applied and

compared to the high rate ofDelegate (420 mL/ha) in the sameDurham region orchard as 2013.All sprays were applied June 8and again 10-11 days later.Preliminary results show that theDelegate block had less terminaldamage caused by ALCM and theresidual activity lasted longer forDelegate compared to Closer.

In 2014, Delegate (420 mL/ha)was also compared to convention-al petal fall sprays of Calypso(440 mL/ha) and Diazinon(1kg/1,000 L water) in a NorfolkCounty orchard. A second application of Delegate andCalypso was made 10 days later.Preliminary results show thatwhile the Diazinon block had thelowest terminal damage, theDelegate block also had lowerALCM damage compared toCalypso.

The OMAFRA Apple Teamhas also been involved in anALCM parasitoid project.Collections will continue nextseason to determine if native parasitoids are present in Ontarioapple orchards, while laboratorytests will survey other parasitoidsthat could potentially be used asbiological control for ALCM.

Apple leaf-curling midge is on the upswing

NOTICE of MEETINGis hereby given that the

156th Annual Members and Directors’ Meeting

of the

Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association

will be held in

Niagara Falls, Ontario at

The Crowne Plaza HotelJanuary 13 & 14, 2015

Election of Directors of the Association will

take place as well as dealing with resolutions

and any other business that may arise.

Early instar larvae in leaf roll

Apple leaf-curling midge damage

THE GROWER


the grower december 2014

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