KAREN DAVIDSON

Springfield, Ontario –Think ofpeas and the ubiquitous GreenGiant brand comes to mind.Global processor Bonduelle supplies peas for that brand yetchances are, its name doesn’t register high awareness in agriculture. But it should. Witheight vegetable processing plantsin Ontario, Quebec and Alberta, itcontracts 90,000 acres ofCanadian vegetables.

Unlike the high-profile departure of Heinz from southwestern Ontario, BonduelleAmericas is digging in. A fire inits Tecumseh, Ontario plant onJuly 18, 2014 devastated 4.5 million kilograms of frozen vegetables and its warehouse.Bonduelle rebuilt. This month,more than a year later, the company is opening its newrefrigerated warehouse withstreamlined packaging lines.

The 2015 acquisition inLethbridge, Alberta and the reinvestment in Ontario are

noteworthy for the conglomerateheadquartered in Villeneuved’Ascq, France and helmed bythe founder’s great-great grandson, Christophe Bonduelle.The processor also owns fourplants in the states of New Yorkand Wisconsin, so it has workingknowledge of the vagaries ofbusiness on both sides of the border.

For Canadian growers, it’sworth knowing how the processoris reading the competitive land-scape. Brothers Gary and RussellWoolley, for example, and theirfather before them, have beengrowing peas, green beans andsweet corn for decades.

“We like the flexibility thatvegetable crops provide to us,”says Russell Woolley, a dairy andcrops farmer. “The peas are harvested in August and we don’thave to wait to rotate into wheat.This area, south of the 401 highway, is considered to be inthe Carolinian-Canada range.There are lots of plant specieshere and it’s a climate conducive

to growing field crops. The GreatLakes basin is not a bad place tobe with adequate yearly rainfalland access to land.”

Jim Poel, chair of the OntarioProcessing Vegetable Growers, isa pea grower himself. He agreesthat the 2015 season ended welldespite a rainy start. “We’vecome off a terrific fall,” saysPoel, “where our tillage practicesare not damaging the soil. We’veput everything to bed for winterwell.”

What Poel worries about is thelong-term future of the processingindustry. About 45,000 acres ofprocessing vegetables – peas, carrots, sweet corn, celery, greenbeans and Brussels sprouts – arecontracted to Bonduelle at plantsin Tecumseh, Strathroy andIngersoll, Ontario.

“The reality is that the visionof the corporate world is not aslong-term as of farm familieslooking to the fertility of theirsoils for the next generation,”says Poel. “In these corporatedeals, it’s all about trading labels

and infrastructure.” That said, he applauds

Bonduelle’s professional outreachduring and after the Tecumsehfire. Much of that credit goes toRob Anderson, vice-presidentBonduelle Americas operationsfor Canada and the U.S. Duringthis troubled time, there were silver linings. The global company had the financialresources to rebuild quickly.Bonduelle honoured all its contracts, diverting $20 million ofcrops standing in the field toother southwestern Ontario facilities.

“We’re a private label partner,” explains Rob Anderson,who adds that Bonduelle process-es and sells 85 per cent of thefrozen and canned vegetables inCanada. “We serve retailers andfoodservice and provide bulkingredients to industrial companies such as Campbell’sand ConAgra.”

What are the opportunities andthreats in the near term? Continued on page 3

DECEMBER 2015 CELEBRATING 136 YEARS AS CANADA’S PREMIER HORTICULTURAL PUBLICATION VOLUME 65 NUMBER 12

GREAT LAKES FARMING

Climate change or business climate:what’s the bigger threat?

INSIDEMarketing and sales in adigital world Page 7

Focus: Great LakesFarming Page 14

Kudos to agri-innovationwinners Page 22

www.thegrower.orgP.M. 40012319

$3.00 CDN

Global processing giant Bonduelle contracts about 90,000 acres of vegetables in Ontario, Quebec and Alberta for processing into frozen and canned foods at eight plants.South of the border, Bonduelle operates three processing and one packaging plant. Look at a map and they’re all clustered around the Great Lakes. The company is aninteresting case study of the opportunities and threats on both sides of the border. Gary (left) and Russell Woolley along with Bonduelle’s agricultural technical programmanager, Jennifer Thompson, sample the August pea harvest at Springfield, Ontario. Photos by Glenn Lowson.

Dumping tax notrenewed on Dutchgreenhouse peppers

The Canadian InternationalTrade Tribunal (CITT) has notrenewed the dumping tax on Dutchgreenhouse peppers. Since a rulingon October 19, 2010, any peppersfrom the Netherlands were taxed193 per cent of the value of imported goods. At that time, CITTdetermined that continued orresumed dumping of greenhousebell peppers from the Netherlandswould likely result in injury. Theruling is automatically reviewedevery five years.

After exhaustive testimony, theTribunal published its reasons, citing that “the impact of the subject goods on the domesticindustry’s profitability will be minimal, given the likelihood oflow import volumes and the unlikelihood that the subject goodswill undercut, depress or suppressthe prices of the like goods if thefinding is rescinded. For these reasons, the Tribunal cannot conclude that the dumping itselfwill likely cause material injury tothe domestic industry.”

The Tribunal ruled on October16, 2015. The Ontario GreenhouseVegetable Growers (OGVG) hasstated it will not appeal theTribunal decision.

Today’s marketplace is differ-ent. The acreage devoted to Dutchgreen peppers has shrunk modestlyfrom 3465 acres in 2010 to 2964acres in 2014 according toNetherlands Statistics. On the otherhand, Canadian acreage has grown.In Ontario alone, there are 892

acres of greenhouse peppers thisyear.

“We do not expect to see Dutchpepper imports to North Americauntil spring of 2016,” says RickSeguin, OGVG general manager.“However, OGVG will regularlymonitor the local market andimport data to see if significantDutch pepper imports result.”

OFVC award honours innovation

The Ontario Fruit and VegetableConvention (OFVC) is inviting2016 exhibitors to apply for itsInnovation Award. Applicationsreceived by December 31, 2015will be highlighted in the OFVCShow Guide. January 30 is the finaldeadline for entries. The winnerwill be announced at the Farmersand Friends reception on openingday, February 17 at the ScotiabankConvention Centre, Niagara Falls.

“We believe there is value inthis award to our exhibitors providing another marketing forumto launch a new idea and to ourgrower community highlighting thebest new technologies that willhelp them stay competitive in thechanging landscape,” says MattPeters, OFVC president.

This year, the rules havechanged to accommodate productsor services that are new toCanadian growers as of the 2014OFVC, i.e. within the last twoyears. All entries will be showcased in an InnovativeProduct display area. Submissionswill be judged comparatively by acommittee of industry personnel

and growers from a wide range ofhorticultural backgrounds.

Download the application formfrom the OFVC website:www.ofvc.ca. Submissions andquestions can be sent by email toGlenna Cairnie, OFVC executivecoordinator at Glenna@ofvc.ca.

Ontario to host Tri-National AgriculturalAccord Meeting

Ontario will host the 2016 Tri-National Agricultural Accordannual meeting of agriculturalofficials from Canada, Mexicoand the United States fromSeptember 6 - 8 in Niagara Falls.

The Tri-National AgriculturalAccord serves as a model toencourage a higher level of dia-logue and understanding betweenneighbours.

The Accord meeting is heldevery year and rotates from country to country. In 2014, officials met in Chicago, Illinois,and this year in Guadalajara,Mexico. In the past,Saskatchewan, Manitoba andAlberta have traded spots in theAccord hosting rotation.Source: OMAFRA news release

Correction

In the November issue, page19, we incorrectly identifiedWooley Apple Aphid resistantrootstock. Nick Ibuki,Summerland VarietiesCorporation, says G.41 and G.214are Wooley Apple Aphid resistant.

NEWSMAKERS

THE GROWER

AT PRESS TIME…

PAGE 2 –– DECEMBER 2015

Prince Edward Island’s longest-servingmember of parliament, LawrenceMacAulay, is the new minister of agricul-ture and agri-food. A former seed potato anddairy farmer, he represents the riding ofCardigan, PEI.

Congratulations to all the award winners atthe recent Ontario Produce MarketingAssociation (OPMA) Gala in Toronto. About 550 guests were on hand for the ceremonies. The OPMA Fresh Award was presented to JulianSarraino, a produce leader under 40 whose family company FreshProduce operates at the Ontario Food Terminal. The OPMAOutstanding Achievement Award was won by Chris Cockle, vicepresident of Wonderful Sales for innovative displays, point-of-salesmaterials and packaging.

The OPMA Cory Clack-Streef Produce Person ofthe Year was bestowedupon Mike Venton,senior vice-president forLoblaw Companies NoFrills and ProduceProcurement. He washonoured for the “GrownClose to Home” marketing program whichcelebrates local growers.

OPMA’s LifetimeAchievement Award waswon by Ian MacKenzie,president of the OPMA.He was lauded for hiscontributions to the for-mation of the DisputeResolution Corporation(DRC), as well as yearsof policy insights anddirection at OPMA.MacKenzie served at OPMA from 1994 to 1998, then went to theOntario Apple Marketing Commission. Since 2002, he has helmedthe OPMA. Best wishes for a happy and healthy retirement.

Kudos to the winners of Ontario’s Agri-Food Innovation Awards.Durham Foods, Port Perry was honoured for creating a user-friend-ly food safety app that makes it easier for companies to track anddocument their compliance with national food safety guidelines.Vineland Estates Winery Inc, Vineland, was applauded forCanada’s first optical grape sorter, a machine that is six times fasterthan hand-sorting, helping to raise standards for Ontario wine. Formore details about other winners, see page 22.

The Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fameawards were presented at CanadianWestern Agribition on November 22.Congratulations to Canadian winemakingpioneer Anthony von Mandl who was oneof the five inductees. He dedicated hiscareer to put British Columbia’s OkanaganValley on the international wine map. Hecurrently lives in Vancouver and Kelowna.

Condolences to the family of Sigmund (Sig) Nickels, an Olinda,Ontario apple grower. He was a co-founder of the Western OntarioFruit Testing Association and won the 2008 Award of Merit from theEssex County Associated Growers.

The University of Guelph is welcoming Jeff Farber as a facultymember and its new director of the Centre for Research in FoodSafety in January 2016. Farber spent 30 years working for HealthCanada.

Todd Graham has joined the Ontario Greenhouse VegetableGrowers (OGVG) in the capacity of interim science coordinatoreffective November 2015 through November 2016. Graham is actingin this position while current science coordinator, Niki Bennet, is onleave. He will be responsible for coordinating all of the association’sresearch, pest management and education initiatives during this time.

Lawrence MacAulay

Mike Venton

Fred Webber (L), Dispute ResolutionCorporation, Ian MacKenzie, OPMA.

514-984-4589

QCegcAndréLaberrgMarrc

unching.or bs fome head with , high quality

oidter

ce 1881.

Stokes Seeds Trial E

NEWNEWNEW

NENENE

Researching the Evaluation

WNEWNEW

best for our customers sin

604-957-2359

, BCABksonLeah Eric

905-308-4396

, SKON, MBy ZomerHenr

q.ws, 16-18 rotapered ear

k slightly 8 in/20 cm thic. Large bicolor.ys77 da

Cumberland

uitfrreeg

74 da

514-984-0662

QCLaura Caralampides

905-715-8595

ON, MBJim Robinsonn

ant to heat.olerTTo.curdsvy m, heaqualty smooth, fir

m high or, unify70 daayAquarius

.ances Strong toler.n to red high quality

ky loc, ba largextr, eyaCurrier

905-688-4300

ON, NSaul BanksP

519-580-3231

ON, PEI, NBviusRob Hos

long stemssmooth do

,y102 daayAs

514-984-4589

old ON L2V 5E9Thorx 10 Bo.StokeSeeds.com www 1-800-272-5560 F: 1-800-263-7233 :T

— Quality Seed Since 1881 —

905-688-4300519-580-3231514-984-0662905-715-8595604-957-2359905-308-4396

Continued from page 1

Rob Anderson’s perspective straddlingthe Canadian and American markets isvaluable. Because Bonduelle already ownssuch a high market share in the Canadianmarket and earns half of its revenue inexports to the U.S., there isn’t much roomto expand. In fact, all of Bonduelle’s plantsin Canada are nearly at capacity. By thenature of the business, plants can processonly as much as the local area can grow.Peas, for example, have a travel time ofonly 1.5 hours to maximize freshness.

“The challenge in Canada is to keep upwith changing trends and demographics,”says Anderson. “We have a healthy product, but we need to communicate thatwe’re local, we’re Canadian.”

Bonduelle is currently trialling newtechnology that might revitalize the frozenfood category. It has negotiated the global

rights to the proprietary radiant energy vac-uum technology of Vancouver-basedEnWave Corporation. Agriculture andAgri-Food Canada also has a stake in theresearch with a $2.5 million investmentearlier this year.

“It’s a very controlled process to extractmoisture from inside the vegetable,”explains Anderson. “For each commodity,the percentage of moisture removed is different, but essentially the process protects the integrity of the cell structure.”

In early tests at Bonduelle’s Sainte-Martine, Quebec plant, the result is bettertexture, enhanced colour and nutrient concentration of vegetables. While theseearly results are encouraging, he anticipatesanother two years to expand and to developthe market. He sees a niche with restaurantchefs and for industrial companies lookingfor a fresh pizza topping.

“This is not a technology which will

cannibalize our current product offerings,”Anderson says.

While the Canadian business climate isfavourable to research, he also cites thehigh costs of operating in Canada. Utilities,labour rates and labour regulations areonerous compared to the U.S. TheCanadian dollar, now valued at about 0.75cents U.S., is positive for the near-termfuture.

The American marketplace has itsopportunities and threats too. Bonduellehas 10 per cent market share of whatAnderson calls an “emerging” market.While a population of 319 million beckons,it must be remembered that Americans arealso patriotic in buying locally. Hence theprocessing plants in New York andWisconsin states.

Processing overcapacity plagues thevery competitive U.S. marketplace. WillBonduelle grow in the U.S. through

acquisition? Watch the Bloomberg wireservice to know for sure. What’s promisingis that General Mills’ sale of the GreenGiant brand to B & G Foods – finalized onNovember 2 – still contains a contract forBonduelle to supply product for the 2016season. Bonduelle is in discussions to continue that relationship, which is key forCanadian growers.

“We’re working hard to position our-selves as a North American processor,”says Anderson. “With 48 plants around theworld, we share best practices and considerourselves to be very good processors ofvegetables.”

To remain competitive, Andersonencourages growers to work withBonduelle in field trials, whether they aretesting new fungicides and insecticides ornew varieties.

“It’s very important to us to keep thosecrop rotations in place to keep up cropyields,” says Anderson.

While 2015 may have been a challeng-ing year in eastern Canada, most cropsweathered the weather. Contrary to theheadlines about climate change, the business climate is more of a threat.

DECEMBER 2015 –– PAGE 3

THE GROWER

COVER STORY

Climate change or business climate?

GEORGIA

PMA seeks produceplacement on TVshows

The Produce MarketingAssociation’s (PMA) annualFresh Summit Convention andExpo attracted a record 19,332attendees at its October event inAtlanta, Georgia. Best NewProduct Launch went toEvolution Fresh, a companybased in southern Californiawhere juices are prepared fromlocally sourced fruits and vegeta-bles. They are cold-pressed underhigh-pressure processing.

The PMA will be aligningwith the Entertainment Resource& Marketing Association toplace fresh produce front andcenter in television shows,movies and online entertainment.This partnership is part of anoverall strategy to improve con-sumer health and fight child obe-sity.

Source: FreshPlaza.com

UNITED STATES

WASHINGTON

Water issues loomlarge

For a bird’s eye perspective ofthe Washington State Tree FruitAssociation convention, look nofurther than their meeting agendafor December 7-9. Marketingstrategies to move larger cropswill be addressed by executivesfrom such companies as StemiltGrowers and Rainier Fruit Co.Growing global market share ison the menu.

But it’s the depth of the agen-da on climate change and waterissues that is most striking. Onetitle is: Integrated modeling overthe Pacific North West region toassess impacts of climate changeon water resource availability andcropping systems. The industry’sworries are captured by this title:Responding to today’s droughtand preparing for tomorrow’s.

For the complete meetingagenda, go to: http://ow.ly/UlTHj

Source: Research by TheGrower

OREGON

Light hazelnut cropreported

Growers in the WillametteValley, home to 99 per cent ofthe U.S. hazelnut crop, reportproduction is down 30 to 50 percent in 2015. Pollination prob-lems in the spring meant that thekernels didn’t develop and nutsdidn’t mature.

The warm, dry summer result-ed in an earlier harvest than nor-mal. October and November aremore usual harvest times.

While 2014 prices were soft,this year’s supply shortage isfirming prices. Growers arelooking to final harvest estimatesin Turkey which will determineglobal prices.

Source: FreshPlaza.com

NEW HAMPSHIRE

New EnglandVegetable and FruitConference

Across the border, take noteof the New HampshireAgricultural ExperimentStation’s conference inManchester, December 15-17.See www.newenglandvfc.org.

Key learnings are from plantgenetics researcher J. Brent Loy.He’s found that grafting melonsonto the rootstocks of hybridsquash increases the productionof melons. Also note BeckySideman’s development of a newcherry tomato designed to begrown in hanging baskets ingreenhouses. Rambling Roseprovides an attractive pink fruitcolour.

Source: Hortidaily.com

FLORIDA

Totally impermeablefilm for fumigation

With methyl bromide nolonger in use for pre-plant fumi-gation, Florida growers are turn-ing to other innovative options.Totally impermeable film (TIF)contains a different barrier poly-mer, ethylene vinyl alcohol,which is less permeable to gassesthan other nylon polymers.

TIF mulch provides manybenefits but because of its effec-tiveness in retaining fumigants,its downside is potential toextend plant back periods, saysJosh Freeman, University ofFlorida extensionist. This is truein spring when cool wet condi-tions prevail. Adjustments arealways required with new tech-nology. Overall, trials show costsavings of $30-60 (USD) peracre.

Source: Hortidaily.com

Bergen, NY

Brockport, NY

Oakfield, NY

Fairwater, WI

Ingersoll, ON

Strathroy, ON

Tecumseh, ON

St-Denis, QC

St-Césaire, QC

Bedford, QC

Ste-Martine, QC

PAGE 4 –– DECEMBER 2015THE GROWER

CROSS COUNTRY DIGEST

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

New brand identity modernizes PEI potatoes Following significant market research

and rounds of development and consulta-tion, the Prince Edward Island PotatoBoard is launching a new logo and packaging designs aimed at furtherstrengthening the Prince Edward IslandPotatoes brand.

The new logo blends historic brandidentity cues, such as the shape of theIsland and the red and blue colours, with amodern look. This new logo serves as aconsistent identifier of PEI Potatoes acrossboth new industry packaging and privatelabel packaging, and also serves as the newcorporate logo for the Prince EdwardIsland Potato Board.

This new packaging design also blends

the well-known look of burlap with modern elements such as recipes and socialmedia links. Bags will identify the type ofpotatoes in the bag (russet, white, yellow,or red) and will be available in both polyand paper. This new packaging designreplaces the former industry bag which wasprimarily white with the previous PrinceEdward Island Potatoes logo. To date, theindustry has already received enthusiasticfeedback from retail partners about the newpackaging and branding.

Packaging is the number one promo-tional asset for the potato industry, soefforts were made to ensure that the indus-try was leveraging the most potential benefit from packaging to promote Prince

Edward Island Potatoes. The project toupdate and optimize fresh potato packagingbuilds on work done by the industry overthe last decade and culminated with a fullreview of existing packaging as well aspackaging used by competitors in theCanadian fresh potato market.

The primary goals are for consumers toeasily identify Prince Edward IslandPotatoes in the competitive retail marketplace, as well as to make it easy tore-purchase that consistent, easilyidentifiable bag across multiple retailers.The industry expects an increased volumeof Prince Edward Island Potatoes to besold in the newly developed industry pack-aging. A soft launch of new packaging

began in the spring of 2015, but a full roll-out of new packaging is now underway thismarketing season.Source: PEI Potato Board news release

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Ambrosia growers to consider levy renewalWhen the Ambrosia apple was

first introduced to the market itwas recognized that special fundswould be needed to promote thisexciting new variety.

Consequently BC’s Ambrosiagrowers voted in 2001 to introduce a special levy for marketing and research.

Over the next few months the

New Tree Fruit VarietiesDevelopment Council (NTFVDC)will be inviting input from theB.C. Ambrosia growers and packers regarding the future and

renewal of the current mandatorylevy of $0.025 per pound ofAmbrosia apples.

Ambrosia growers have supported the levy, and the role ofthe NTFVDC, since its inceptionin 2001. The original mandatewas extended in 2006 and againin 2011. The current five yearmandate expires in June 2016. Aplebiscite of Ambrosia growerswill be held in the spring of 2016to decide on the future of themandate.

The Council, along with growers, packers, researchers andselling agencies, have been verysuccessful at improving and promoting Ambrosia. It is nowranked among the most promisingapple varieties in the world, withhigh returns to growers. This success has resulted in anincrease in BC plantings ofAmbrosia, from a few acres in1994 to more than a thousand in2015, with investment in newplantings expected to continueover the next several years. Infact, recent surveys of nurseriesand suppliers of rootstock indi-cate that Ambrosia plantings willtotal nearly 2,000 acres by 2020.

“These increased plantingsmean more production and theneed to introduce the variety tonew consumers and new markets,” says Bruce Currie,chair of the NTFVDC.“Promotion in those markets iscostly. Growers have a vestedinterest to maintain a profitablereturn and it makes good businesssense to invest funds to supportthat.” Recent economic studies in

Washington State report up to aseven-fold return to the grower forevery dollar spent on promotion.

The Council disperses levyfunds for a variety of activitiesconcerning Ambrosia apples.Funding has been provided toimprove the storability of theapple and to carry out researchinto certain apple pests. In-storedemonstrations at supermarketchains have been used yearly toencourage consumer acceptance.Social media platforms have beenestablished to engage with consumers. Videos have beenproduced to tell the Ambrosiastory and introduce Ambrosiagrowers to the public, and consumers are encouraged toview these on the Ambrosia website. There is attendance atmany consumer events such asthe Interior Provincial Exhibition,Edmonton Women's Show,Agribition in Regina, andVancouver Buy Local Event. Thelevy funds have been enhancedby matching funding which hasbeen available from time to time.

The Council will be attendinggrower meetings over the nextfew months to discuss the optionsand garner grower opinions onthe future of the Ambrosia variety. The details of theplebiscite to be voted on will befinalized following these meetings. Anyone requiring further information informationcan email the NTFVDC atambrosiacouncil@gmail.com, orcall Jim Campbell at 250-689-0408.

In July and August, theMinistry of Natural Resourcesand Forestry (MNRF) releasedtwo discussion papers. The firstconcerned the ConservationAuthorities Act (ConservationAuthorities Act: A review of therole, responsibilities, funding andgovernance of conservationauthorities under theConservation Authorities Act)and the second was regardingwetland conservation in Ontario(Wetland Conservation inOntario: A Discussion Paper).The Ontario Fruit and VegetableGrowers’ Association (OFVGA)has been diligent in responding toconsultations that are applicableto edible horticulture and theindustry’s growers.

The Conservation AuthoritiesAct consultation focused on thegovernance, funding, and theroles and responsibilities of con-servation authorities acrossOntario. Key questions werehighlighted on these three topicsto better gauge the effectivenessof the current Act.

In the OFVGA response, submitted on October 19, 2015,several key problems with thecurrent conservation authoritymodel that can affect our growerswere outlined. The OFVGA supports efforts to improve theConservation Authority structureand recognizes a great opportunity for a continued relationship between theAuthorities and Ontario growers.

The OFVGA questions the useof population as a marker offunding and board size, whenurban dwellers have access toConservation Authorities across

the province, regardless of wherethey live.

The OFVGA also suggests adistinction between the roles ofConservation Authorities and thevarious ministries and municipali-ties overseeing the regulationsthat conservation authoritiesenforce. Where disagreementstake place, the OFVGA suggestsand supports the use of a third-party ombudsman to evaluate situations as they arise.

Further, the OFVGA objects tothe use of government money byConservation Ontario to lobby theprovincial government on behalfof the conservation authorities.The source of part of this fundingcomes from the province and isconsidered a clear conflict ofinterest.

The Wetland Conservation inOntario consultation discussed thepotential for a no net loss policyfor wetlands in Ontario and couldhave an impact on the Permit toTake Water Program and furtheron-farm activities. Specifically,the paper touches on the currentsystem for evaluating provinciallysignificant wetlands as well as thecurrent inventory that MNRF hasof Ontario’s wetlands.

In our response, submitted onOctober 30, 2015, the OFVGArecognized the significance thatwetlands play in Ontario’s watersheds and commended theOntario government on takingsteps to solidify legislation thatwould allow these wetlandsgreater longevity.

However, the OFVGA questioned the accuracy and completeness of the currentinventory that the ministry is

using. Further, the OFVGA suggests that the definition ofwhat constitutes a wetland isincomplete, leaving out human-made wetlands such as

drainage ditches, irrigation ponds,and others. Scientific rigourneeds to be applied in the development of processes for theevaluation and inventory of wetlands.

There is concern from theOFVGA that the Ontario WetlandEvaluation System (OWES) is toosubjective. Findings can beskewed based on weather events,seasonality, species sightings andland maintenance.

The OFVGA recommended

that human-made wetlands beexempt from legislation pertaining to a no net loss policy.Further, the OFVGA expressedconcern about which regulatorybody should be addressing andimplementing policies such asthese and where the onus falls inproving/disproving which landshould be classified as a wetland.

For more information and fullversions of these OFVGAresponses, please visitwww.ofvga.org/news

THE GROWER

DECEMBER 2015 –– PAGE 5

The ‘AQUA Wetland System’“A new breed of constructed wetland”

AQUA Treatment Technologies Inc. designs and installs the ‘AQUA Wetland System’ (AWS) for tertiary treatment of many types of waste water including sanitary sewage, landfill leachate, dairy farm & abattoirwastewater, greenhouse irrigation leachate water & mushroom farm leachate water (i.e. manure pileleachate) and high strength winery washwater.

The ‘AQUA Wetland System’ is operated out of doorsand can achieve year-round tertiary treatment of waste-water. This sub-surface, vertical flow constructed wetlandconsists of sand & gravel beds planted with moisture tolerant plant species. Water is pumped vertically fromcell to cell. There is no open or standing water.Treatment occurs through physical filtration & biologicaldegradation. Plants shade & insulate the cells, cyclingnutrients while preventing algae growth. There is noproduction of sludge.

The AWS has been approved for use by the Ontario Ministry of Environment through over 40 EnvironmentalCompliance Approvals. Recently the Region of Niagara began approving the AWS for treatment of ‘smallflow’ winery washwater I.e. < 10,000 liters per day. Other agencies who have issued approvals includeHealth Canada, USEPA and OMAFRA. Recent projects include:1) treatment & re-use of greenhouse irrigation leach water at greenhouses in Niagara & Haldimand2) treatment of winery wastewater at Greenlane Estates Winery & numerous other in Niagara 3) treatment of landfill leachate at sites in Pembroke, Niagara and Alabama

For additional information please Contact LloydRozema at: cell. 905-327-4571email. lrozema@aqua-tt.com

LAND USE

OFVGA responds to conservation, wetlands consultations

The pristine beauty of Lake Erie's wetlands is on full display in this summer picture. Photo by Denis Cahill.

The OFVGA suggests that the definition of what constitutes a wetlandis incomplete, leaving out human-made wetlands such as drainageditches, irrigation ponds, and others. Scientific rigour needs to beapplied in the development of processes for the evaluation and inventory of wetlands.

•

Agricultural * Commercial * Industrial

50 Years of Excellent Service

Refrigeration (All Types)

Heating, Air Conditioning

Controlled Atmosphere

18 Seapark Drive, St Catharines ON, L2M 6S6

905-685-4255

www.pennrefrigeration.com

info@pennrefrigeration.com

PAGE 6 –– DECEMBER 2015THE GROWER

CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

KAREN DAVIDSON

The fresh produce industry isripe for disruption. Compared tomany markets in developed countries, digital commerce islagging in Canada. But expectthat trend to change as time-starved consumers buy more vegetables and fruit online.

Three months ago, GoogleExpress launched a delivery service in San Francisco andWest Los Angeles, upping thestakes against Amazon Freshwhich has been in the digital marketplace since 2006. Google,usually known as a “search”engine, is leveraging its home-plate advantage to take a bite ofthe $10.9 billion online grocerymarket in the U.S. It’s a spacethat’s expected to grow by almost10 per cent annually until 2019.

“Think of the new reality thisway,” said Davis Yung, CEOFresh Direct Produce, at anOctober 28 webinar hosted by theCanadian Produce MarketingAssociation (CPMA). “Three bigglobal companies – Airbnb,Alibaba and Uber – have nobricks and mortar. What are theimplications for a mature industrysuch as produce?”

That subject was explored inthe webinar: Technology and

Changing ConsumerExpectations. Initially, it’s toughfor the sector to imagine thatfresh produce could be orderedonline without a sensory experience. And yet, that’s exactly what’s happening in theU.S. and with Grocery Gatewayin Canada, an online businessoperated by Longo’s in theGreater Toronto Area.

Steve Quintin, director ofLongo’s Digital Commerce,Grocery Gateway says, “Ourbusiness is now at a tipping point,with sales of online groceriesgrowing at about 10-12 per cent ayear.” During the CPMA webinar, he explained how onlinegrocery shopping has grownorganically since 2004. By 2012,the store fulfillment model wasinterfering with day-to-day business, demanding its own fulfillment centre. Now, there’s a“dark store” says Quintin,describing it as a hybrid betweenIKEA and Costco.

“Fresh is important to us,” saidQuintin, “but fresh is a big barrierto trial. Buying behaviour is different than a bricks-and-mortarstore.”

He described how consumersmust put trust in personal shoppers to pick the freshestingredients. Then they must relythat the service, with a minimum

$45 order and $10 per delivery,will execute flawlessly on the dayand within the time frame. Thelogistics are immense to meetcustomer expectations and to getrepeat buyers. But once that confidence is achieved, the shopper’s basket rapidly expands.

To convert browsers to buyers,Quintin said it’s essential to havehigh-resolution photos and well-written product descriptions onthe website. He also noted thatonline buyers are skewed moreheavily towards convenience.Offerings of pre-cut, pre-packaged vegetables and potatoesare popular. Once consumers arehooked, the biggest percentage ofdeliveries is to the home ratherthan to a business.

Steve Dotto, tech expert andcolumnist for Canada.com, is notsurprised by this success. As thesecond featured speaker participating in the webinar, henoted how important it is to viewthe Internet as a place, not athing.

“For some in the sector, thereare different degrees of resistanceto Twitter and Facebook,” hesaid, “but I guarantee that thesechannels are relevant and haveimpact in both business-to-business and business-to-consumer environments.Smartphones are changing how

we socialize. Fueling the socialfire is mobility.”

Social media is prized for itsability to build relationships, create communities and to engender loyalty. The onlineirony, Dotto noted, is that withmillions of interactions, the consumer still seeks that personalexperience. For consumers, thatpersonal interaction is any time ofday or night. And the seller hasto honour and respect the experience.

In Dotto’s opinion, livestreaming will be a game changer.Applications such as Periscope,MeerKat and Blab work well onmobile phones.

“We can expect to see livevideo in the future,” Dotto said.“This is place shifting in realtime.”

The opportunities are immensefor growers, shippers and retailersto expand reach into consumers’homes. This is an era of just-in-time knowledge, telling the storyfrom farm to table. In return,

consumers like to participate inreview systems. This has provedan important function to Amazonwho lets consumers rate theirproducts.

“The education layer greasesthe skid for everything else,” saidDotto. “The cost of acquiring acustomer is becoming moreimportant in the online world.You have to find a way to bindthem to you.”

Small and medium-sized produce businesses have anadvantage in leveraging thesenew social media channels.Google Analytics, for example,allows you to market to targetedpostal codes. Test and learn.

Instagram is another socialmedia channel that’s skyrocketingin popularity. A high percentageof photos on Instagram are offood.

“It’s a foodie place,” saidDotto. “So take advantage of thefact that 30 per cent of U.S.adults now have an Instagramaccount.”

CHC is now accepting regis-trations for the 2016 Annual General Meeting to be held fromMarch 8 – 10 at the WestinOttawa. The AGM is a highlightin the Canadian horticulturalindustry’s calendar and is an

important opportunity for industrymembers and stakeholders tomeet to discuss a way forward forour industry in the upcoming yearand beyond. The AGM will againfollow a shortened three-day format, but new this year is that

registration can be done via theCHC website.

As in past years, we areextending an invitation to

members, stakeholders and partners to consider sponsoringthe event. The popularCompanion Program will again

be offered for spouses and partners who wish to join us inOttawa.

Time-starved consumers migrate to online produce

CANADIAN HORTICULTURAL COUNCIL

2016 AGM online registration now open

GUELPH ORGANIC CONFERENCE & TRADE SHOWJan 28 - 31 / Guelph University Centre

'WHERE FARMERS & CONSUMERS MEET'

Major workshop streams include organic cropping,soil/weed management, livestock, pastures, etc.

Also, greenhouses, orchards, compost, family farmsuccession, food safety on the organic farm.

4 days, 42 workshops (paid admission).

Sat Jan 30 – Sun Jan 31

FREE 2-day Trade Show/Sampling - featuring 165 booths

Meet organic ag. & equipment suppliers. Leading vendors: Willsie, Echo Equipment/BCS,

Homestead Organics, Organic Meadow, SunOpta, HarmonyDairy, Pfenning's, Global Repair, Nature's Path

Fri Jan 29th Organic Food & Wine Dinner

Brochure, info & prices: (519) 824-4120 X56311Registration, full brochure & exhibitor list

www.guelphorganicconf.ca

THE GROWER

DECEMBER 2015 –– PAGE 7

KAREN DAVIDSON

Think of tech years as dogyears. That’s Kelly Ward’s adviceto those using social media. The universe is evolving soquickly that Facebook, launchedin 2004, now has 1.8 billionactive monthly users worldwide.Business can’t afford to ignorethis phenomenon to reach targetcustomers.

Ward speaks from experienceas the supervisor for brand services for Foodland Ontario.For the last three years, she’sbeen actively engaged with thedemographic of principal groceryshoppers aged 25 to 55. Sheshared her key learnings onNovember 10 at the HealthProfessionals Day hosted by theRoyal Agricultural Winter Fair.

If you’re starting out withsocial media or ramping up yourpresence, ask a few questionsabout what business need you arefulfilling. Is it publishing?Marketing? Networking? Theanswer will guide you as to howand when to create content foryour target audience.

Once you’re certain about yourpurpose, build themes that you

can explore on a frequent basis.For Foodland Ontario, Ward concentrates on a theme thatintroduces faces of farming.Another theme embraces theglobe at your table, exploringhow to explore new ingredients.

Understand the social mediaconsumption patterns of your target audience. For FoodlandOntario, mornings and after children’s bedtimes are goodtimes to snag mothers. For growers, evenings might be a better time for engagement.

Create a content strategy. Forgrowers and farm marketers, thismight include thinking aheadabout the production cycle or seasonal events and planning keymessages around them. If yourfarm market doesn’t open untilMay, then it’s a good idea to keepyour regular customers engagedwith your brand. Maybe it’s areminder that the fresh strawberries from last summer aresunshine in a jar of jam.

Remember that the month ofDecember is already prime timefor many commodities, so themarketing push needs to happensooner. Or perhaps you should bethinking ahead to sports events inFebruary. If you’re a greenhouse

grower, then you’re pushingtomatoes for salsa-based snacks atfootball parties.

Be sure to consider photos andvideo. Visuals result in higherengagement and more shareability

with target audiences. Start planning your 2016 social

media calendar. Choose thechannels you want to engage in –Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,Pinterest for example – and

coordinate your key messagesaccording to the channel.

It’s a new world and a newyear around the corner. Don’tmiss 2016, the equivalent ofseven dog years.

The CHC RPC TechnicalWorking Group recently met inAtlanta in conjunction with PMAFresh Summit. Discussionsfocused on proposed options andapproaches to field sampling protocols to be conducted in2016, as well as the need forincreased outreach and education.This includes the use of appropriate labels on RPCs, aswell as flagging instances wheregrower/shippers receive RPCsdeemed to be unclean upon visualinspection. Loblaw has preparedand made available informationpertaining to labels and IFCO hasmade available an RPCQuality/Claim Form document

for use in tracking details in support of a claim. Those usingRPCs are encouraged to reviewand use these documents.

In conjunction with FreshSummit, IFCO hosted an OpenHouse of their McDonoughService Centre. CHC TWG members André Plante, LindaDelli Santi and Anne Fowlietoured the facility.

The TWG was struck inresponse to CHC AGM resolutions expressing concernover the potential risk of RPCs aspathways for human and planthealth pathogens and will meetagain in April 2016.

RPC Technical WorkingGroup meets

CANADIAN HORTICULTURAL COUNCIL

SOCIAL MEDIA

Work smarter, not harder with digital

Photo by Glenn Lowson

THE GROWER

PAGE 8 –– DECEMBER 2015

157TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGJANUARY 12 & 13, 2016 CROWNE PLAZA NIAGARA FALLS, ON

AWARD OF MERITNOMINATIONS

The award is our way of recognizing the outstanding contributionmade by an individual ororganization to our fruit andvegetable industry.Is there someone you would like to nominate?

Deadline: Nov. 30, 2015

Registration information, Agenda and Award of Merit Nomination form available at

www.ofvga.org

TWO-DAY FORMAT

with meetings Tuesday andWednesday, banquetTuesday night.

NEW ONLINE REGISTRATION

visit www.ofvga.org to findthe link to register online.

Between the years of 2006 to2012 there was a massive droughtin Syria. Around 1.6 millionfarmers and rural inhabitantsmigrated towards the cities.Previous to this, nearly 1.5 million people had migrated, displaced from Iraq during theearlier civil war and the Gulfwars. These factors, along withothers, created food insecurity.The lack of the government'sresponse to these challenges,along with ballooning populationsand unemployment, led to a col-lapse in agricultural productionand the Arab spring.

Now add ISIS to the mix.They strategically control water –and oil -- for these areas and areinvolved in a devastating civilwar. That’s how we arrive at theend of 2015, with all the inherentcomplexities of displaced Syrians

on the move. Their plight isheightened with media coverageof the recent attacks in Paris,France. The “City of Light” isshining light on these historicevents and the contributors tothem.

History shows us that peopleare generally resilient and resistmoving far from the environmentin which they grew up. It is usually a combination of war andextreme hunger that create massmigrations of people. Many in theclimate change circles bringattention to the Syrian drought.There is a general consensus thatclimate change and the warmingof the earth are one of the cata-lysts for this humanitarian crisis.

However, is it our use of fossilfuels that has really put our worldinto a potentially catastrophic climate that will be the end of ourspecies? Is a zero carbon economy going to influence thatmuch change in our temperatures,which may divert these perceivedworst-case scenarios from takingplace?

About five years ago I read abook called Superfreakonomics. Ihighly recommend the read. Thefollowing paragraph borrowsfrom that book.

At the turn of the 20th centurythere was one horse for every 17people in New York City. Thecity was covered with horsemanure and was at the point ofwhere they couldn't live with

horses and the smell, disease, andthe methane gas (a powerfulgreenhouse gas) caused by horsetransportation, nor could theyfunction without the horses.Then out of innovation, not government policy, electric streetcars and automobiles were invented and they were cleaner torun and far more efficient; theywere considered an environmentalsaviour.

Fast forward to all the cars andcoal-burning power plants whichhave now seemed to warm theplanet. Climate change debate isnot something new created by AlGore and his documentary, AnInconvenient Truth. In the mid1970s, there were articles inNewsweek and New York Times,to name a couple, about howmankind is not prepared for thisnew pattern of change in theglobal temperature, that climatechange would force economic andsocial adjustments on a world-wide scale. However these scientists were publishing journals on global cooling, notglobal warming. The big fear wasthe collapse of the agriculturalsystem. In Britain, these changeshad already shortened the growing season by two weeks. Ameasurable natural event occurredin 1991 when Mount Pinatubo,located in the Philippines, eruptedemitting more than 20 milliontonnes of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere. When combined with

water vapour, it created a naturalside effect that temporarilyreversed the rise in global temperature and cooled the earth.A single volcanic eruption cooledthe globe for two years.

When I grew up, I was taughtthat carbon was the buildingblock of life and obviously it stillis. Yet kids today would considerit a poison. Carbon is portrayedas a negative part of our environment. Let us understandthat the carbon cycle is a naturalprocess. Carbon gets released intothe air through a multitude ofactivities: growing food, drivingcars. Through photosynthesis,carbon is captured, helps growplants, and is sequestered backinto the soil through the roots.

Carbon dioxide emissions alsocome from natural processes suchas plant decay. Swamps andforests have naturally suffocatedthemselves with their own emissions and have died off.World ruminant animals areresponsible for 50 per cent moregreenhouse gases than our entiretransportation sector. It has alsobeen stated that human activityhas led to only two per cent ofcarbon dioxide emissions. Currentpredictive climate models are limited in their scope. Forecastingmodels have limitations and arenot accurate. Some models haveshown that carbon dioxide levelsin the atmosphere have risen afterthe rise in temperature, not the

other way around. One could surmise that I'm

trying to discount climate changeor the fact that our planet hasbeen continually warming. Ibelieve the data – that the earthoverall has warmed, that a warming planet creates intenseweather systems, that the polarvortex shifts have created greatvariations in our seasons, givingus false springs in January,droughts in California, snow inspring, extended warm falls, andexcessive amounts of rain. Thereare many anomalies in our weath-er patterns. We cannot argue that.It is on record. However we mustalso understand the balance.

I recently attended a foodsecurity and climate change con-ference in Ottawa. Phrases suchas transitional farming and sus-tainable nutrition are the neworder of the day.

The stars have aligned for ourprovincial government’s mandatein regards to climate change.They now have a federal govern-ment that is ordering off the samemenu. Whether we agree with theworst-case climate change modelsand fear for what the next generations will face, or we simply attribute all of this to natural variations in weather systems, we must still adapt tothe changes.

Continued on next page

Carbon, economics, food security and climate change

JASON VERKAIKCHAIR, OFVGA

Continued from page 8

The continued support for carbon taxing and/or cap andtrade will affect our economy. This will affect agriculture.It is in our continued best interest to stay at the table andfind the opportunities for Ontario horticulture.

The government has promised that all the money raisedin the cap and trade system will flow back to innovation tohelp meet the zero carbon targets. However, if the benefitsof carbon sequestering in what's considered normal farming is not counted, then I would argue the normalpractices of farming that release carbon into the environment should not be counted against farming aswell. Our modern horticultural system has become a veryefficient way to produce sustainable affordable nutrition.We need continued investment from our governments intothe production side of horticulture. If we want to see significant change in our emissions maybe we shouldimpose a hefty health tax on junk food and encouragemore fruit and vegetable consumption with a minimumhalf your plate every meal.

Food security will be discussed in concert with devel-oping global climate change policies. We need a national

food policy developed with a continental food strategy.This must start at the production level. This must be donewithout adding any more burdens to our farms.

Farmers must be recognized for the efficient way inwhich they produce sustainable nutrition. We must continue to support soil health as the essential componentfor the natural carbon cycle.

This brings us back to Paris, where the 2015 UnitedNations Climate Change Conference is being held from

Nov. 30th to Dec. 11th. Our government will be well represented and listened to. They will bring aggressive targets that must be balanced with economics and globalcompetitiveness.

Even the most well-meaning urban environmentalist orclimate change promoters are not ready to give up theirluxuries; They ride a bike 15 km a day to work and discuss agriculture while sipping on a local Cabernet asthey trade conversation on the local broccoli they had atdinner. But they would not engage in a mass migrationfrom the concrete jungle, to buy an ox, horse, and cow andmove to the countryside. Just like New York City gotthemselves to a point where they couldn't continue to livewith the horses and but couldn’t live without the horses.An innovative economic decision created the change needed to move forward, one that cost less, not more.

In Ontario, the rising cost of energy, all in the name ofa low-carbon economy, is challenging our competitive-ness. We are subject to the policies of the day and futuregenerations are subjected to the unintended consequencesthey deliver. Change will only happen once we are giventhe proper incentive. Let the change be a thriving sustainable agricultural economy.

The following board briefs arefrom the Thursday, November 19,2015 board meeting. Topicsranged from the current status ofSDRM payments, the bird damage mitigation group, and allof the latest news, including theemergence of the hive beetle.

Canadian Horticultural Council(CHC) – Adrian HuismanThe advocacy side of CHC hassubmitted a list of the new minis-ters appointed; mandate lettershave been given to all ministersfrom the Prime Minister. Nomention was made of PACAdespite it being an electionpromise.

The Fall Harvest event did nottake place in November due tothe election. The next one isscheduled for November 21,2016.

Organization for the CHCAnnual General Meeting is underway. The AGM will takeplace in Ottawa March 8-10,2016 at the Westin Hotel, Ottawa.

Safety Nets – Mark Wales

The Self Directed RiskManagement (SDRM) program isrunning smoothly with most participants having received theirfunds. The direct deposit systemis operating smoothly.

There was significant damageto some crops as a result of theMay frost. Overall the crop insurance program will not havelarge payouts this year as a longfall made for a good harvest.

The development of theOntario Retirement Pension Plant(ORPP) is continuing despite thefederal election results. The firstmeeting between the new PrimeMinister and the Ontario Premiersaw instructions go to CanadaRevenue Agency to share data.

Labour – Ken Forth

As a reminder, growers shouldbe aware that applications nextyear to the Seasonal AgriculturalWorkers Program need to bereceived well in advance. KenForth recommends 14 weeks.

Property – Brian Gilroy

The Horticultural Value ChainRound Table meeting will takeplace the last week of November.The Canadian Produce MarketingAssociation (CPMA) has with-drawn from this committee. Withthe withdrawal of CPMA, there isnow discussion on how to betterengage retailers.

The Bird Damage Mitigationproject has received partial fund-ing from OMAFRA’s AgricultureWildlife Conflict Strategy Fundto carry the project forwardanother two years. However, theministry has indicated the fundingshould be applied to anotherdeterrent than the kestrel nestingbox research. The project advisory committee will be meeting in December to discussoptions for supporting the kestrelcomponent as well. The fundingis for the Invisishield project,

which is being conducted in col-laboration with Brock University.We’re optimistic to continuework on developing other meansto mitigate the damage birds create for fruit and vegetablecrops.

The Farm and Food CareEnvironmental Advisory Councilhas met regarding phosphorusloading of the Great Lakes. Areport is available for downloadthrough the Farm and Food Carewebsite.

Research – Harold Schooley

Harold Schooley, OFVGAResearch Section chair, is cur-rently in the midst of reviewingthe Letters of Intent submitted byresearch scientists looking forfunding through the OMAFRA/Uof G Research Agreement. Theseletters are an initial look at whowill be invited to submit full proposals for research projects tocompete for limited governmentfunding. The review includes allproposals aimed at the productionsystems plants theme: fieldcrops, edible horticultural andnon-edible horticultural crops.

The OFVGA is actively supporting the development of aresearch project on PrecisionAgricultural Technologies beingled by Ontario Agri-FoodTechnologies and the Universityof Guelph. Harold has participat-ed in the engagement of this program, including the steeringcommittee and evaluation of pro-posals to support the integration

of “Big Data.” This project couldhave ramifications across all edible horticulture, and our participation on the steering committee ensures significantdirection in its development.

OFVGA has issued two lettersof support to research-based pro-jects. The first is Durham Collegewhich is applying for an AppliedResearch Tools and Instruments(ARTI) Grant. The second wassupplied to a vegetable processorfor an innovative type of packingmachinery for spinach saladgreens to prevent bruised productfrom entering the packaging.

Crop Protection – CharlesStevens

The Minor Use Priority SettingMeeting will be held March 21 -24, 2016 in Gatineau, Quebec.The first part of the meeting willbe dedicated to educating peopleabout resistance management.Members should make sure theircommodity is represented at thatmeeting.

Craig Hunter and CharlesStevens attended the NAFTAmeeting in North Carolina. Theyvisited the Bayer Crop ScienceBee Research Centre whichshowcases ways in which thecrop protection industry is beingproactive towards the health ofbees, including the neonicotinoidsituation. In future, farm organi-zations may want to think about asimilar demonstration facility inOntario. Politicians and variousschool-aged children were able to

tour the facility.In Mexico, the main issue at

the 2014 NAFTA meeting was toget the Mexican government andtheir growers to create a minoruse priority-setting meeting. OnAugust 14, 2015, the first meetingwas held, allowing us to workwith each country to have a priority setting meeting for minoruse chemistries resulting in morejoint registrations. This year’smeeting was on two subjects:MRLs for trade and an increase inmore joint reviews. More jointreviews signals great success; ifmore countries can get together to register on a chemistry withaligned MRLs, perhaps Codexwill accept more MRLs.

Craig Hunter also gave a presentation on inadvertentresidues, otherwise known as soilbound residues; the technologyfor detection of these chemistrieshas changed significantly, withparts per trillion now quantifiablein some cases. This could potentially be an issue in thefuture. The next NAFTA meetingis in Canada, however the dateand location cannot be confirmedat this time.

The Hive Beetle has beenidentified as a potential quarantine threat to the province.The beetle has been present insome hives in Ontario since 2010.Not a lot is known at present butthe Ontario BeekeepersAssociation (OBA) will addressthis at their AGM.

THE GROWER

DECEMBER 2015 –– PAGE 9

ONTARIO FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION

Carbon, economics, food security and climate change

Board briefs

Photo courtesy of Charles Stevens.

THE GROWER

PAGE 10 –– DECEMBER 2015

STAFFPublisher: Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ AssociationEditor: Karen Davidson, 416-557-6413, editor@thegrower.orgProduction: Carlie Melara, ext. 221, production@thegrower.orgAdvertising: Herb Sherwood, 519-380-0118, advertising@thegrower.orgThe 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 2015

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEEChair Jason Verkaik, BradfordVice-Chair Jan Vander Hout, WaterdownFruit Director Norm Charbonneau, Port ElginVeg Director Mac James, LeamingtonDirector John Thwaites, Niagara-on-the-Lake

BOARD OF DIRECTORSApples Charles Stevens, NewcastleFresh Vegetable - Other Kenny Forth, LyndenTender Fruit John Thwaites, Niagara-on-the-LakeON Asparagus Grws’. Mkg. Brd. Neil Reimer, ViennaGGO/Fresh Grape Growers Bill George Jr., BeamsvilleFresh 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 George Gilvesy, Tillsonburg

OFVGA SECTION CHAIRS

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

We are now a few weeks into anew federal government, with amajority government in place. Tomany, this was indeed a shock asthe general feeling was that therewas going to be a minority gov-ernment. A minority governmentwould have meant a differentform of governing, with therequirement for more consensusbuilding and a more collegialapproach. A majority govern-ment, however, gives those inpower a very strong hand indeed,and the necessity for credible andvaluable consultation is weakened. This certainly hasbeen the case in Ontario when thecurrent provincial governmentwas elected almost two years ago.

There are a number of implica-tions for not only a majority government, but also one that haschanged parties. If theConservatives would have beenre-elected, it is likely that manyof the policies and programswould have been status quo, however with the Liberal partyelected, chances are good thatthere will be a significant changein direction. For agriculture thiswill be led by new Agricultureand Agri-Food Canada MinisterLawrence MacAulay.

For horticulture, this can havesome significant implications.Probably front and center ofmajor issues affecting this sectorwas the Liberal commitment, ifelected, to resolve the PerishableAgricultural Commodities Act(PACA) challenge that is currently in place with our U.S.neighbours. Prior to October2014, Canadian sellers to U.S.buyers occupied a preferentialposition in seller protection.When this was withdrawn, itbecame the major policy discus-sion for horticulture in Ottawa.Both the Liberals and NewDemocratic Party stated that theywould work to enact enabling leg-islation to renew this process andgrant reciprocity to U.S. sellers inCanada. Further, this would add

more protection for Canadiansellers selling within Canada. Itwill be very interesting to seehow this develops and theOFVGA and the CanadianHorticultural Council will be lobbying strongly to have thisoccur.

Beyond PACA, other federalprograms are likely to change.The current federal agriculturalpolicy framework, which includesindividual agreements with eachof the provinces, will no doubt beevaluated and altered. While thecurrent Growing Forward 2framework is in place until March2018, there will be much discussion on what the future willhold for federal-provincial relations in agriculture. The agriculture policy frameworkdoes include both business riskmanagement (BRM) and non-BRM programs, such as theinnovation investments.

Compared to the previous government, the new federal government is also going to put alarger emphasis on the environ-ment and its sustainability. Theimplications for horticulture haveyet to be determined, since legislative environmental respon-sibilities also fall to the provincialjurisdiction.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership

trade agreement, which generallyhas been viewed positively bymost in agriculture for its expanded trade opportunities, willbe evaluated by the Liberal government. While it is probablethat there will be modifications tothe agreement when it is presented to parliament, it is alsounlikely that there will be enoughdisagreement to prevent passagethrough the house. The government will claim it as itsown after passage.

Trade with the U.S., whichrepresents the majority of ourhorticultural exports, will contin-ue to expand (even further withPACA protection). Reducingborder issues -- including transittime, trade delays and removingtrade irritants -- will be essentialto the perishable horticulture sector. The Great Lakes regionhas tremendous trade volume, andinternational collaboration onproduct harmonization, marketaccess and environmental concerns will be beneficial for allgrowers.

Another interesting dilemmafor the Liberal government willbe the real dynamic strainbetween rural and urban commu-nities. In the last Ontario provincial election, it becamevery evident that the power of the

urban vote swayed the election ofthe government, with most ruralseats being Conservative andmost urban seats being Liberal,with a smattering of NDP. It is nocoincidence that this appears tohave happened for a second timein Ontario. While there areexceptions of some Conservativeand NDP seats in urban centres,most of the Ontario urban seatsbelong to the Liberal party. Thatrural Ontario seats are dominatedby Conservatives is not a sur-prise. What does this mean forhow the federal Liberals deal withagricultural issues in Ontario?Will horticultural issues inOntario, which are mostly rural,be heard? Another question yetto be answered is what does thepredominance of the ruralConservative party inSaskatchewan and Alberta meanfor western Canadian agricultureand its voice in Ottawa?

Whether or not the results ofthe federal election have madeyou blue, or have you seeing red,it is essential that the horticulturalsector work with the governmenton relevant issues. The next fouryears depend on the ability of itsrepresentatives to present a clear,cohesive message that promotesthe viability and sustainability ofthe sector.

Are you blue or are you seeing red?

JOHN KELLYEXECUTIVE VP, OFVGA

This pastoral scene of sheep grazing in a sour cherry orchard was taken near Simcoe, Ontario at the farm of Brett and Carrie Schuyler. The Grower staff wishes all our readers peace and joy throughout the Christmas season. Photo by Glenn Lowson.

HOLIDAY GREETINGS

MARK WALES

Now that the garlic crop isnestled in the ground building astrong root system for 2016, it’stime for the fall growers’ meet-ing. The Garlic Growers’Association of Ontario (GGAO)will be meeting December 5,OMAFRA building, Woodstockat 9 am.

The agenda includes anupdate on current research pro-jects, a new project on bulb andstem nematodes and alternativemethods of control. Let’s shareresults from the 2015 crop seasonand marketing programs to buildon success. The website workinggroup will report on progress andhow to make it more interactivefor members.

To wrap up, let’s look at thelast 20 years and figure outwhere GGAO wants to go fromhere.

GARLIC

Building on 2015 success

THE GROWER

DECEMBER 2015 –– PAGE 11

Ontario Premier KathleenWynne is just back from a trademission to China, with $2.5 bil-lion in agreements. Not all ofthem are agricultural, but someare. And further, they’re directlyconnected to the perception thatCanadian products are superior.

Why are they considered superior? Well, because they’reCanadian. It’s like Canada hasbecome its own brand.

This comes up again andagain. For example, after significant market research inChina, Japan, Mexico and righthere at home, Canada Beef, anational advocacy group,announced what consumers,importers and processors likemost about Canadian beef is thatit’s Canadian.

At an Ontario-Europeanforum, hosted by the Universityof Guelph to connect agri-foodbusiness for investment and trade,branding expert Jo-Ann McArthurnoted that when chicken farmersconsidered branding, theirresearch revealed 85 per cent of

consumers considered it impor-tant that Canadian farmers wereidentified with the product. Thatthinking resulted in the popular“Raised by a Canadian farmer”brand for chicken.

Consider the price of brandedCanadian potatoes versus theirgeneric counterparts. It’s notunusual to find them severaltimes more expensive than non-branded potatoes. People thinkthere’s value in seeing photos ofthe Canadian farmers who grewthem or the farms they camefrom, and hearing their stories.

“Stories evoke an emotionalresponse,” said forum speakerProf. John Cranfield, chair of theDepartment of Food, Agriculturaland Resource Economics at theUniversity of Guelph. “People arebuying products with a story.”

It’s time for the agri-food sector to broadly figure out howto take advantage of these storiesand bundle the Canadian brand.Canada Beef brand officer JamesBradbury says consumers every-where “understand that Canadahas a unique environment withlots of land, water and clean air,an environment that…shapes ourvalues and inspires our work.”Sustainability is a key consumerconcern. Is it also part of our values, and therefore part of ourbrand?

There’s no time to waste.Forum participant Ezio DiEmanuele, now a senior advisorwith the accounting and businessconsulting firm MNP, says looking ahead, we know Canadaand the European Union (EU) aregoing to do more business,including a significant amount

more in the agri-food arena. Afterall, an agreement’s in place.

So why are Canadian agri-businesses waiting for someone todo something, or tell them whatto do, before they begin workingon market development there? It’salready started. A lot of work canbe done between now and whenthe EU agreement is active.That’s particularly true when itcomes to adding value to rawproducts. Canada is notorious forlow-value shipping commoditiesand buying back finished products at a much higher price,to the peril of our trade balance.

Given our country’s commitment to research, the discussion at the forum underlined to me that the Canadabrand has a big opportunity to

boast about how research under-pins products developed here –not just in the actual product, butalso areas that support its development, such as soil conservation.

Brand expert McArthur urgedCanada to take some lessons fromIreland, which has launched abranding campaign called OriginGreen that speaks to many of thesame virtues that attract ouradmirers. In it, a narrator urges allmembers of the Irish food sector

to get onboard. “Many of thethings we need to do for sustain-ability are already in place,” shesays.

Same with Canada. McArthurfurther suggested the new agricul-ture and agri-food minister drivetowards a Canada brand for our150th anniversary.

It’s the season of presents . . .and what a great present theCanada brand would be to theagri-food community, and indeedto the world.

The Canada brand will make your commodity more lucrative

OWEN ROBERTSU OF GUELPH

PERSPECTIVE

Garlic was on display at last month’s Royal Agricultural WinterFair. The brown bulbs are shallots which are interspersed with thegarlic.

Photo courtesy of Jealous Fruits, based in Winfield, British Columbia.

PAGE 12 –– DECEMBER 2015

THE GROWER

BRUCE KELLY

Those in agriculture are beingasked by both the provincial andfederal government to reduce theamount of phosphorus that runsinto Lake Erie by 40 per cent.This does not mean a 40 per centreduction in the amount of fertilizer we use, but rather we arebeing asked to reduce the amountthat runs off from our agriculturalfacilities by 40 per cent. This difference is important.

Farmers are pragmatic folksand look for practical solutions toproblems, but phosphorus management is a complex topic.As much as phosphorus likes tobind with soil particles, it can alsomove with the soil if it erodes orcan dissolve in waters that flowoff the land or down into the soil.This makes it somewhat confus-ing to figure out which practiceswe might need to modify in orderto reduce phosphorus runoff.

In my opinion there are fourbasic areas we need to focus on,where farming practices might becontributing to the problem: • Soil Erosion. We must stopwater from flowing in large volumes across fields and downslopes. We need to learn how tore-incorporate grass waterwaysback into glyphosate-resistantfield crop systems.• Building soil health and itsability to hold nutrients. Wemust look at our tillage regime,use of cover crops and crop rotations to increase organic matter, and improve the water-

holding capacity of our soils toboth store nutrients and reducewhat runs off our farms.• Nutrient use. By now most ofus have heard of the 4Rs (rightsource, right rate, right time, rightplace) but each operation needs tofocus on those Rs that mattermost to their situation. Let’sassume we are soil testing andputting on the correct source andamount of nutrients, so we needto focus on correct time andplacement of nutrients to minimize the amount of phosphorus that is moving off ourfields. We know we need phosphorus for optimal plantgrowth, but at the same time weneed to figure out when and howto put it on, so that it won’t besusceptible to movement.• Agricultural Point Sources.Tile outlets, pond outlets andbuilding outlets can be an opportunity to reduce or eliminatephosphorus outflows with newkinds of technological solutions.The Holland Marsh Growers’Association, Flowers Canada,Ontario Greenhouse VegetableGrowers and The OntarioGreenhouse Alliance are currentlyresearching water treatmentoptions and contributing to a baseof knowledge that will allowgrowers greater choices in affordable options to re-circulateand treat water streams.

The issue of phosphorus in theGreat Lakes is going to test ourindustry. There are a number ofcommodity-specific programsunderway to demonstrate the

sustainability of agriculture. Buttalking the talk is easier thanwalking the walk. We will needto prove that we can reduce theenvironmental impacts beyondour farm boundaries. Thus far,sustainability initiatives havebeen largely unchallenged as theyseek to address customer, govern-ment and consumer concernsabout sustainability. The phosphorus issue will push com-modity-driven farm sustainabilityprograms, and industry-supportedprograms such as the 4Rs toprove that they can address what-ever the criticism might be abouta specific issue: nutrient use,antibiotic use, animal welfare,social responsibility or in thiscase the reduction of nutrientsthat flow off our agriculturaloperations.

What actual farm practicesshould farmers be looking at ontheir farms? • Are you using a good crop rotation that maintains soil organic matter or is soy-on-soy aregular occurrence on your farm?• Have you looked at the drainagepatterns on your field and doneeverything possible given yourfarm’s drainage pattern to reduceoverland flow of water? Even ifthat means you have to farm differently than your neighbours?• Look at when and how you (oryour supplier) uses manure or fertilizer. Is it the best time ofyear to apply and is it incorporat-ed or side dressed where possi-ble? Are nutrients applied while agreen crop is on the field that willbind the nutrients? Or is it put on

a barren brown field where it issusceptible to runoff or snowmelt? What changes could youmake in how or when you applynutrients to keep your fertilizeraway from the water?

We must refine our systems sothat the nutrients our plants needare kept out of the waters thatflow off our farms. The issue ofGreat Lakes phosphorus and a 40per cent reduction target is notgoing to just blow over. If we are

really committed to sustainability,agriculture must respond to thechallenge and commit to specificmeasurable actions to help playour part in a reductions strategy.

For more information on waterand nutrient projects at Farm &Food Care Ontario, contact BruceKelly at bruce@farmfoodcare.org

Bruce Kelly is environmental program manager, Farm & FoodCare Ontario.

Phosphorus management – What really has to change?

Dec 1 Christian Farmers’ Federation of Ontario Convention,St. George Banquet Hall, Waterloo, ON

Dec 1 – 3 GrowCanada Conference, Calgary, AB

Dec 2 Ontario Potato Board Annual General Meeting, Cambridge Holiday Inn, Hall C, Cambridge, ON 10 a.m.

Dec 8 – 10 Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo, Devos Place Convention Centre, Grand Rapids, MI

Dec 10 CanadaGAP Annual General Meeting, Canadian Federation of Agriculture Boardroom, Ottawa, ON

2016

January 7-9 North American Strawberry Growers’ Association, in conjunction with the Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Convention, Savannah, GA

January 12 Ontario Apple Growers Annual General Meeting, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Niagara Falls, ON

January 12 Fresh Vegetable Growers of Ontario Annual General Meeting, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Niagara Falls, ON

Jan 12-13 Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association Annual General Meeting, Crowne Plaza, Niagara Falls, ON

Jan 12-14 Potato Expo 2016, Las Vegas, NV

Jan 19-21 Empire State Producers’ Expo, Oncenter, Syracuse, NY

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

Jan 26-27 Nova Scotia Fruit Growers’ Association Annual Convention, “Replant, Renew, Refocus,” Old Orchard Inn, Greenwich, NS

Jan 26-28 Manitoba Potato Production Days, Keystone Centre, Brandon, MB

Jan 28-31 Guelph Organic Conference and Trade Show, Guelph University Centre, Guelph, ON

Jan 29-30 B.C. Fruit Growers’ Association Annual General Meeting, Ramada Inn, Kelowna, BC

Feb 2-3 Ontario Processing Vegetable Conference, Four Points by Sheraton, London, ON

Feb 16 Ontario Berry Growers’ Association Annual General Meeting, Embassy Suites Hotel, Niagara Falls, ON

Feb 17-18 Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention, ScotiaBank Conference Centre, Niagara Falls, ON

Feb 24 B.C. Tree Fruit Horticultural Symposium, Trinity Baptist Church, Kelowna, BC

COMING EVENTS 2015

— Quality Seed Since 1881 —T: 1-800-263-7233 F: 1-800-272-5560 www.StokeSeeds.com Box 10 Thorold ON L2V 5E9

Stokes Seeds Trial Evaluation Researching the best for our customers since 1881.

Sybaris 56 day, straight medium size deep green pods,

uniform high quality bean.

Turnpike 75 day, large green to red 4 lobed bell with strong

disease tolerance.

Bristol 53 days. Great fruit quality, shape and dark green color.

CR2384DL 68 days. High quality

thick cylindrical roots for mineral or muck soils.

Henry Zomer ON, MB, SK

905-308-4396

Leah Erickson AB, BC

604-957-2359

Jim Robinson ON, MB

905-715-8595

Laura Caralampides QC

514-984-0662

Rob Hovius ON, PEI, NB

519-580-3231

Paul Banks ON, NS

905-688-4300

Marc André Laberge QC

514-984-4589

NEWNEW

THE GROWER

DECEMBER 2015 –– PAGE 13

RETAIL NAVIGATOR

Category managers will change

One of the realities of the foodbusiness is that you need toembrace change. The consumer isconstantly changing and theretailers are trying to keep upwhich impacts suppliers. Anotherreality is that the category man-agers you work with will changetoo. You need to be ready forthese changes. If you managethese changes properly, it shouldhave a positive impact on yourbusiness.

Be ready for a smooth transition

You should always be prepared to meet a new categorymanager or a new customer. Thismeans you have a solid profile ofyour business, your products andyour unique selling point. Not a57-page history lesson, but a succinct package that will position your business and yourproducts properly. My recom-mendation would be to reviewthis annually and it should alwaysbe ready because you never knowwhen change will happen.

Top five questions when a category manager changes

Every personnel change is different. Sometimes the assistantcategory manager gets promotedin which case he/she should havea good working knowledge of thecategory and the suppliers. Othertimes, the retailer will decide aperson in finance needs to getexposure to different parts of thebusiness. They probably havevery little experience with pro-duction, the history of the catego-ry and they might have neverheard of your business. When Itook over produce for Loblaw inAtlantic Canada, my backgroundwas in the marketing department.The growers who took the time toteach me about produce got myattention.

When a change happens, youneed to assess the level of knowledge of the new person inthe following areas:

1. What do they know aboutyour product?

You should always try to getyour product in front of the cate-gory manager. If they are familiar, then the meeting serves

as a reminder and if they are newthen you definitely need to meet.If you have a seasonal item, tim-ing might impact this. Photos andvideos work well if you are out ofseason. This is your chance toreinforce your unique sellingpoint. Why your product over theothers?

2. What do they know aboutyour company?

Category managers need sup-pliers to perform and they need tounderstand your capabilities andwhy you are a solid supplier. Youshould provide them with a briefprofile of your business andwhere you see opportunities forgrowth. Success stories fromrecent years always help to position your business.

3. What do they know aboutyour category?

I think back to when I startedin produce and I really did notknow much. I needed to learn fastand there were some supplierswho really did focus on helpingme to understand the category.Food is very seasonal and thelead times for every item can beunique. If the new person has 20years of experience in the category do not try to tell themhow to do it. If they are new tothe category this is a great chanceto position yourself as a valuedsupplier. Take the time to shareinsights throughout their firstyear.

4. What do they know aboutyour industry?

Every food department has different challenges. Years ago,most category managers hadexperience in the store and theyknew the category and the industry. That is not the casetoday. Employees do not staywith companies like they used toand companies see value in mov-ing people around the organiza-tion to get more exposure. A newperson with little experience doesnot have time to get out to plantsor fields. You need to take yourexperience to them. Withtechnology today you can make

the experience almost as rich.

5. What do they know aboutyour region?

If you are located in a regionaway from where the categorymanager is working this can be anopportunity. Even if they areexperienced in the category or theindustry you can still take thetime to help them understandsome of the unique perspectivesof Western Canada or AtlanticCanada.

When a new category managercomes into the position you havea new relationship to build. Findthe opportunities for you to add

value. Often I hear suppliers complaining when these changeshappen. It is reality and you haveto look for the opportunity.

Time of year is important

The time of year the changehappens is very important. Thiscan have a big impact on yourbusiness. Make sure you advisethe new person about lead timesrequired for decisions. Theymight not be aware that you havespecialized seed or ingredientsthat require more lead-time thanothers in the category.

Special arrangements

You should always make anew person aware of any specialarrangements you had with theirpredecessor. Do not assume theywill have a complete transitionthat includes you. Find the rightopportunity to discuss the issues.Remember the previous categorymanager made the agreement onbehalf of the company, so youhave to position it as though itwill continue.

Your first meeting or callshould focus on the top issues

Respect the time you havewith the new category manager.They probably have a lot to learnand they cannot spend an hourwith 200 different suppliers. Myrecommendation is to review thequestions we discussed earlierand put together a top three tofive issues you want to cover.Focus on these and then start towork through other items as yourrelationship evolves. They willappreciate your efforts to focuson the important items. Again,make contact as soon as possible.

Remember to say good-bye

It is always important to follow up with the departing cate-gory manager. You never knowwhen your paths will cross again.Regardless of the type of relationship you had, it is important to wish them all thebest. If you have some stories andideas about transitioning to a newcategory manager or if you haveany questions you can contact meat pchapman@gpsbusiness.ca.

RETAIL NEWS

Pete’s in Halifax purchased bySobeys

Recently, Sobeys announcedthey were buying Pete’s inHalifax. Pete Luckett and hisstores are famous for their greatproduce and his fantastic abilityto sell anything to everybody. Iremember watching Pete demohis wine when he was starting thewinery. Two women were in linefor samples, and they were probably well into their sixties or

seventies. Pete promptly askedthem, with a twinkle in his eye, toproduce ID to prove they wereold enough to drink. After a fewlaughs, they both bought thewine. He is a master. It is unfortunate we are losing anotherindependent. These stores makethe big ones better. They pushahead faster and they can respondto the consumer very quickly.When I was at Loblaw, we had towatch what these stores weredoing and they did make us better.

Loblaw to drop Loblaw brandin Quebec

Loblaw has announced theywill drop their efforts to brandQuebec stores as Loblaw andfocus on Provigo. It is amazingthe power brands can have andthe value they deliver in the mar-ket. Personally I believe the offer-ing, the pricing and the experi-ence should make the name onthe front irrelevant. ObviouslyLoblaw felt differently and theirconsumers must be telling themso.

The challenge for Loblaw isthe added complexity of theirbusiness, which adds costs. Theycompete against two large com-petitors who keep it very simple.Their low-cost model allows themto charge lower retail prices forthe same items. It will be interest-ing to see if this change will helpthe company drive sales in theface of a strong IGA, a Quebec-based Metro and more Walmartand Costco stores.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THEDESK

Flipp is a great app for flyers

It can be a challenge to followall the items on sale in foodstores. One of the great thingsabout my consulting business isthat I get to work with a lot ofdifferent people. Recently, aclient’s staff member shared thisapp with me: Flipp. It maintainsan inventory of all flyers current-ly available in different markets.You simply use the postal code toget access to the specific flyers.If you are in Ontario ,you can fol-low item and price in any marketjust by changing the postal code.

There are two great features:search and favourites. You cansearch for a particular item eachweek. If you want to know whatonions are on sale in any flyeryou simply search for onions. Inan instant you get them all onyour phone. You will even getonion rings! If you search forapples you will get fresh andApple computers! The other time-saving feature is the favourites.You can select specific flyers tobe favourites and each week theywill be there for you so you don’thave to search through every-thing.

I always encourage suppliersto understand what is happeningwith the ads and their items. Thisis a great tool to simplify thatprocess for you.

Peter Chapman is a retail consultant, professional speakerand the author of A la cart-A suppliers’ guide to retailers’ priorities. Peter is based inHalifax NS, where he is the principal at GPS BusinessSolutions. Peter works with producers and processors to helpthem navigate through the retailenvironment with the ultimategoal to get more of their items inthe shopping cart. pchapman@gpsbusiness.ca.

PETER CHAPMAN

You should always make a new person awareof any special arrangements you had with theirpredecessor. Do not assume they will have acomplete transition that includes you.

KAREN DAVIDSON

Lake Erie is ground zero fornew environmental monitoring inOntario. Concern over the healthof the lake was renewed in 2014when toxic algal blooms causedthe city of Toledo, Ohio to stopintakes for drinking water.

This cross-border issue isputting pressure on Ontario farm-ers, specifically in the ThamesRiver watershed which runs intoLake St. Clair and tributaries inthe Leamington area. Stateside,the Maumee River and Sanduskyriver systems that flow throughthe heart of Ohio agriculturalregions have been identified asmajor U.S. contributors to phos-phorus in the western basin.

As Bruce Kelly, environmentalproject manager for Farm andFood Care Ontario, reports onpage 12 of this issue, agriculture,along with other sectors, is beingcoaxed to reduce the amount ofphosphorus going into Lake Erieby 40 per cent by 2030. It’s anaspirational target. He’s careful topoint out that does not meanreducing phosphorus fertilizer useby 40 per cent but rather workingstrategically to reduce the smallamount that might currently beleaving farmland through soil ero-sion or dissolved in spring meltwater.

However, research is still lack-ing on how to advise farmers onthe practicalities and suitability ofsome of the best managementpractices for controlling phospho-

rus losses across a range of envi-ronmental conditions. ProfessorIvan O’Halloran at the Universityof Guelph, Ridgetown Campus,who specializes in soil fertilityand nutrient use efficiency,explains why.

“While we may be reducingoverall phosphorus loading intoLake Erie, we may not be reduc-ing the soluble phosphorus,” hesays. “It’s the soluble phosphorusthat’s biting us now in terms ofalgal blooms. We’ve reduced theparticulate phosphorus but not thesoluble phosphorus which is morebioavailable. Very small amountscan have a significant unwantedenvironmental impact.”

For example, O’Halloranexplains that the inter-relation-ships between soil type, soil test Plevels and cover crops species arenot completely understood. Covercrops vary in their effectivenessfor controlling soil erosion andthe loss of soil bound (or particu-late) phosphorus from farmland.Cover crops can also be a sourceof soluble phosphorus loss, partic-ularly during spring snow melts.These losses also can vary withthe age and species of cover crop.

Higher soil test P levels alsogive greater risks of both solubleand particulate phosphorus loss inrunoff, and typically higher solu-ble phosphorus levels in plants.So at what point in a given fielddoes the risk of soluble phospho-rus loss with a cover crop exceedthe benefit of reduced erosion andreduced total phosphorus loss?Often the importance of these

inter-relationships is lost whenthe main message is generalizedto a simple statement that sayscover crops are either good or badfor controlling phosphorus loss.

What researchers seem toagree on is that the practice of fallbroadcasting of dry fertilizerwithout incorporation seems alikely contributor to the problem.O’Halloran says that fall broad-casting might be convenient andallows for more time for otheroperations in the spring, but it’snot the best management practiceagronomically or environmental-ly. He understands that farmersmight also be taking advantage ofbetter fertilizer prices in the falland that suppliers are moving fer-tilizer to farms for logistical rea-sons, but he reasons that farmersin high-risk areas should ware-house fertilizer until the spring.

Fortunately, Mark Wales, asection chair for the Ontario Fruitand Vegetable Growers’Association, sits as the onlyCanadian farmer on the GreatLakes Water Quality Board. This28-member, volunteer boardadvises the International JointCommission (IJC) on the GreatLakes which in turn advises therespective national governments.

Ontario has accepted the IJCrecommendations for reducedphosphorus loading in Lake Erie,Wales reports, but it’s not a hardtarget. It’s hoped that 20 per centof the target will be reached by2020. The positive news is thatmost of the phosphorus problemis generated on the American sideof the border.

“The U.S. accepts that 90 percent of the loading is on its sideof Lake Erie, and that agriculture,sewage plants and stormwatermanagement need to be better,”says Wales. “Ohio has justbanned the practice of spreadingmanure on snow or frozen soil.We’ve had this rule in place inOntario since 2003 as a result ofthe Nutrient Management Act.And Ontario farmers do very littlefall fertilizing. Overall, Ontarioagriculture is ahead of the curveon this issue.”

Wales believes that best man-agement practices will evolve asmore research and monitoringreveal more hard data. Two factsare worth noting now. First, 40per cent of the lake sediment iscontaminated with phosphorusand significant phosphorus can befound in stream banks and sedi-ments. Farmers can’t influencewhat’s already embedded.Secondly, researchers who exam-ined runoff data are showing howmost of the phosphorus loadingoccurs between November andApril, when more extreme weath-er events tend to occur.

With that knowledge, farmerscan begin to implement targetpractices to prevent runoff duringthis critical period. The challengeis to examine nutrient use sched-ules and try to figure out how tokeep nutrients away from springmelt waters.

THE GROWER

PAGE 14 –– DECEMBER 2015

FOCUS: GREAT LAKES FARMING

Questions about phosphorous are outstanding in the field

SHuR FARMS®

Frost ProtectionAward Winning Technology! Internationally Acclaimed!

Shur Farms Frost Protection1890 N. 8th St., Colton, CA 92324

Toll Free (877) 842-9688info@shurfarms.com ~ www.shurfarms.com

Manufacturer of the world’s most advanced frost protection.

Cold Air Drain®

Powerful Cost EffectiveVersatile Convenient

THE GROWER

DECEMBER 2015 –– PAGE 15

FOCUS: GREAT LAKES FARMING

By the numbers, the Great Lakes Expopacks a punch: 4200 visitors from 43states and five Canadian provinces. GrandRapids, Michigan is where the horticulturalindustry intersects for three days everyDecember. This year’s program runsDecember 8-10.

Dave Smith, executive director of theMichigan Vegetable Council, is one of theevent planners. He points out that onlineregistration is closed but the numbers areon pace for another well-attended event.More than 450 exhibitors are expected forthe trade show including a separate areathis year for vendors to farm markets.Here are some events of special interest.

December 7Fourth National Vegetable GraftingSymposium

This is the first time that this vegetablegrafting symposium has been held in anorthern U.S. state. Previous meetings havebeen in Florida, California, and Georgia.It’s an opportunity for Canadian propaga-tors to mix with academia, extension work-ers, seed and equipment suppliers.Canadians currently supply a large percent-age of the grafted solanaceous plants, particularly tomato, to the U.S.

Matthew Kleinhenz, a panel moderator,works as an extension vegetable specialistfor Ohio State University and as a memberof a team working to help U.S. growersmake better use of grafting and graftedplants. Their reach is global with the website www.vegetablegrafting.org.

Note that this symposium is held theday before the official opening of GreatLakes Expo. The entire program can beaccessed here: http://ow.ly/UREFA

Expo attendees may participate in aVegetable Grafting Clinic on December 8and 9, 8:30 am to 5 pm. The clinic willfeature a take-your-time, do-it-yourselfapproach to learning more about grafting.Experts will be on hand to answer ques-tions. In addition, there will be publica-tions, posters, and videos available forviewing. All items needed to graft tomatoand melon seedlings will also be on hand.Clinic participants can try their hand atgrafting, with or without input from experienced grafters. Participants canspend as much time as they want and comeand go based on their schedule. Clinic participation is free with EXPO registration.

December 8 and 9Michigan Greenhouse Growers’ Expo

This two-day event is held in conjunc-tion with the Great Lakes Expo. Subjectsinclude: growing leafy greens and herbs ina hydroponic system, greenhouse insectcontrol update and the latest neonicotinoidresearch results, are using good bugs acost-effective strategy for controlling insectpests of spring crops.

December 9Food Safety Seminar

The food safety workshop with Trever

Suslow, Postharvest Technology Center atthe University of California, is booked tocapacity and is not accepting more regis-trants. He is an international expert on thesubject of wash water sanitation for adiversity of horticultural crops, both pre-harvest and post-harvest. The Grower willfollow up with highlights for the January2016 issue.

However the food safety seminar andwebinar on December 9 is open. This willfocus on the Food Safety ModernizationAct which is relevant to Canadianexporters.

Connect and collaborate at the Great Lakes Expo

OEXPUIT, VEGETABLFR

AND FARM MARKE

OLEET

HOUSENEREGSROWERG

1500, 21-C. 8EDIDS, MID RAPRANG

OEXPable grR Show for fruit and vegetEIMERhe PT

4 002 + seedentta | 70 ontiucaed

Orowers, greenhouse growers and farm marketers!

psokshord wons anssin se | 450+ exh

EN CONTINVEOE CCLAOS PEVD

LAZD PANRY GAYE AMWD THAN

MO.COPXEL.GW.WW

orstbihi

RNTEE

LTEOZA H

4

S

, 002 + denttaPre-conference even

IGEE RNILNO

G.WWWOY NR BTESIGER

s

8

eed | 70 ontiucaednts on Dec. 7: Farm Market

. 2T.PEN SOITRATST

OC.GLEXPOVEO SA. 18 TVO

ps

. 18

okshord wons anssin se | 450+ exhable Grafting Symposiuegetour and National Vt Bus To

V.O-N

OM

orstbihium

NEREFNOTH COS BRVEON COTITRATSIGER

WOHE SE TRADD THS ANEC

THE GROWER

PAGE 16 –– DECEMBER 2015

THE GROWER

DECEMBER 2015 –– PAGE 17

THE GROWER

PAGE 18 –– DECEMBER 2015

KAREN DAVIDSON

When research dollars arefinite, it pays to collaborate.That’s what the Great Lakes FruitWorkers have been doing since2006. In the past month, about 50fruit researchers, extensionistsand independent IPM consultantsgathered in Geneva, New Yorkfor a conference that drilled downinto seven subjects. They are: • New Fruit Production Systems& Technologies• Plant Breeding & New CultivarTrials• Plant, Water, & NutrientManagement• Pest & Beneficial InsectManagement• Disease Management• Postharvest Management• Extension Tools & Techniques

Jennifer DeEll, OMAFRA’sfresh market quality programlead, looks forward to these annual gatherings because thereare so few colleagues in her post-harvest storage specialty.From her base in Simcoe,Ontario, she collaborates withRandy Beaudry, Michigan StateUniversity and Chris Watkins,Cornell University.

“It’s important not to duplicate research work,” says

DeEll. “If we’re aware of eachother’s research focus, we canidentify the gaps and plan trialsthat will not overlap.”

The Honeycrisp apple is a casein point. This popular cultivar isprone to storage disorders, chill-ing injury and is CO2 sensitive. Itmakes sense to build a knowl-edge base and unified recommen-dations for growers in the GreatLakes area. Future research isexploring dynamic controlledatmosphere environments as wellas integrating 1-methylcyclo-propene (1-MCP) into orchardsfor harvest management. Thisethylene-binding inhibitorextends the storage life of apples.When new products or labelextensions are registered, theseresearchers can provide expertiseon how they work in the field.

Randy Beaudry, horticultureprofessor with Michigan StateUniversity, complements theHoneycrisp work. He researchescontrolled atmosphere storageimpacts while Jennifer DeElllooks at sensory science and ethylene effects. Their most up-to-date results will be shared withstorage operators at a controlledatmosphere clinic slated forAugust 3, 2016 in Grand Rapids,Michigan.

FOCUS: GREAT LAKES FARMING

Connecting cross-border

HEIDI M. HENRICHS, PAUL D.CURTIS, JAY R. BOULANGER

As part of a USDA-SCRIstudy, our research team has spentthe last two years examining birddamage to fruit crops in NewYork State, as well as Michigan,Oregon, and the PacificNorthwest. We examined manydifferent aspects of bird damageincluding:1) bird species causing damageand their behavior;2) spatial distribution of damagewithin a plot (edge vs. interior);3) effect of the surroundinglandscape;4) grower opinions; and5) economic costs.

The main goal of this projectis to identify cost-effective, effi-cient, and environmentally-friend-ly ways to deter birds from eatingcherries, blueberries, apples, andwine grapes.

In 2013, we pilot tested severaldifferent techniques in New YorkState, including bird distresscallers, hawk kites, and “airdancers” (inflatable, flexible fab-ric, colourful “people”, poweredby a fan to move around).

Bird behavior data were col-lected through the use of 15-minute point counts, and 1.5-hourobservation periods, where allbirds present were recorded aswell as their specific foragingbehavior in the target fruit plot.

The top four birds seen duringthese periods in blueberry plotswere:American robins (Turdus migra-torius), Baltimore orioles (Icterusgalbula), European starlings(Sturnus vulgaris), and cedarwaxwings (Bombycillacedrorum).

Given the nature of blueberryplantings in New York, we hadvery few plots with more thanfour rows of Blue Crop planted ina block, so we were unable tofind differences in bird damagebetween the edges and interior ofplots. Data concerning thesurrounding landscape and itseffect on bird damage are stillunder analysis.Assessments and surveys of birddamage to blueberries in centralNew York took place in 2012 and2013, with 14 sites and 12 sites,respectively.

Preliminary analysis indicatedthat the average amount of blue-

berries damaged by birds in allsites was significantly higher in2012 (21.8%) than 2013 (8.7%).We believe this is due to the poorfruit crop in 2012, caused by thewarm March temperatures, andfollowing late-April freeze. Withthe low fruit numbers in 2012,bird damage was a moreimportant part of overall croplosses.

We set up a small pilot test ofair dancers in four sites during2013. The average percent loss tobirds in the air dancer sites was7.4 per cent, which was lowerthan for paired control blocks, aswell as non-trial sites (8.3%,9.6%, respectively), although thiswas not a statistically significantdifference.

Simultaneous trials inMichigan blueberries reflectedthis trend, but low sample sizesmake it difficult to show a statis-tical difference. Air dancersshowed a similar trend in ourgrape trials, and were the onlydeterrent to show any measurableeffectiveness for our target fruitvarieties.

We have updated informationfrom a larger trial conducted withair dancers in New York and

Michigan states. The air dancersshowed significant reductions infruit losses caused by birds onlyfor wine grapes in the largerstudy. Trials in sweet cherriesand blueberries did not show sig-nificant reductions in bird dam-age. Updated results will be pre-sented at the Ontario Fruit and

Vegetable Convention in NiagaraFalls, Ontario on February 18,2016.

Heidi Henrichs, Paul D. Curtisand Jay R Boulanger areresearchers with CornellUniversity's Department ofNatural Resources.

Air dancers as a potential bird deterrent in blueberries

THE GROWER

DECEMBER 2015 –– PAGE 19

FOCUS: GREAT LAKES FARMING

Frost protection equipment to be featured at Great Lakes Expo

The last two winters have been harsh for Michigan,New York and Ontario farmers. Mitigating that cold damage may be possible with equipment such asFrostGuard manufactured by AgroFrost, a Belgian company.

Originally designed for small vineyards and orchards,Frost Guard has a gas burner and powerful fan, driven byan oil or gas engine. There’s enough fuel to last one night.

Two stationary models are available to match differentcrops. The model with the outlet just above the ground issuitable for most orchards or low crops such as strawber-ries. In orchards, it covers an area in the form of an ovalfrom 65/90 by 110/120 yards. Capacity depends on thedensity of the trees. In open fields, it covers a circle with adiameter between 110 and 130 yards.

The second model with the outlet above the machine is

for vineyards, greenhouses and high crops such as raspberries. This model covers a circular area with a diameter between 110 and 130 yards.

The Frostbuster, the most economical model, is pulledby a tractor and covers eight hectares. It works with thesame technology as the other models but has to be driventhrough the mapped-out orchard.

According to distributor Werner Zurbuchen, Waterford,Ontario, these new models have reduced noise levels andlower consumption of fuel. All parts are covered and better protected against rain. One of the most importantbenefits is that when the Frost Guard machine is used, therelative humidity goes down and the dew point is raisedsignificantly. This results in less hoar-frost and less ice onthe plants.

One of the applications of FrostGuard equipment is to

improve fruit set in low temperature during blossom. Itcan also be used to raise the temperature in plastic tunnels,bring forward the first harvest date at the start of the season or extend the last harvest date.

For more information, go to www.agrofrost.eu or contact Werner Zurbuchen, tazuwerner@gmail.com.

Farming year-round with moveable high tunnelsThe biggest challenge of certified

organic grower Mike Bollinger is how tomanage the growth of his River Root Farmbusiness. Demand for his year-round crops,grown in Decorah, Iowa, is as far afield asMinneapolis and Chicago. Localrestaurants want his clamshells of spinachand lettuce mix as well as arugula, mustard

greens, kale and pak choy. High tunnels have made four-season

production possible. As well, these hightunnels are mobile so that he can start afield crop and then cover it with a tunnelfor late fall harvest. It’s not unusual forhim to plant greens in mid-February andMarch. Rotating these tunnels from place

to place disrupts diseases and pests whileavoiding nutrient mining.

His first exposure to these methodscame at the famed Four Season Farm inMaine. The practices have transplanted sowell to Iowa that he’s building a 5,000-square foot high tunnel now with another3,000-square foot tunnel for spring 2016.

Scale-appropriate products such as anchoring and tunnel parts, trellising kitsand drip irrigation can be found atwww.smallfarmtools.ca

Attend his talk at the Great Lakes Expoon Wednesday, December 9 as part ofHoops and Tunnels.

EX

X 08 6 3

SV1580S

C S

SC 1336

EXol.: esist./TR

day bi-color popular Obsequality andpackage. 71Rp1-g genes

X 08767143Bm

th, Et , Ps

t.An 80

with the advancement to ever(IR) (IR) Rp1-d,g

ession, with super high eatingd improved rust resistance143 has both the Rp1-d and for resistance to common rust.

SV1580Sol.: Etesist./ToR , Ps

ithformer withRpG+Rp1D(HR

day consistent per(IR)

exandpotential, yieldhighEasy to pull ears during hand o

vest.har

C

h, Pst

d. A 79

h good tip fill, R) (IR)

.flavorcellent or mechanical

SC 1336ol.: Psesist./ToR . An 83 day yellow high

, great color quality with good husk coverRpG(HR)

and tip fill.

aJJa

ammie Elaine Rudaammie Elaine Ruud

yy

.COEEDIEGERSS

One of the most important benefits is that when the Frost Guard machine isused, the relative humidity goes down and the dew point is raised significantly.This results in less hoar-frost and less ice on the plants.

KAREN DAVIDSON Anyone remember what happened on April 21, 2015?

That’s the day Google changedthe algorithms on its searchengine, placing a higher rankingon websites that are mobile-friendly. For any business thatcounts on consumer traffic tomake sales, this is a major shift.

Some American and Canadianfarm marketers realized the significance and called on DannyMauk, FarmWebDesign, St.Louis, Missouri to upgrade theirwebsites. He’s a specialist in agritourism and farm markets,everything from pick-your-ownapples to cut-your-own Christmastrees.

“My primary focus these daysis responsive web design,” hesays prior to his presentation atthe Great Lakes Expo onDecember 8 - 10, 2015. “Thatmeans creating mobile-friendlywebsites that can be accessedfrom anywhere and still be readable on a desktop, tablet orsmartphone. The text may belarge but it must be transformedto different-sized screens withoutthe user having to zoom in.”

Here are Mauk’s seven tips forwebsites that work in the farmretailer environment.

Make sure to have access to allpages

Navigation must be simple onyour website. There should be nopages that are hard to findbecause of hidden links. If youlist ripening dates for apple varieties, for example, then theymust be accessible from yourhome page.

Create wording that maximizesSearch Engine Optimization(SEO)

When customers Google for aproduct or service, they use keywords. The more precise you arein describing your business andthe more frequently you repeatthat phrase on your website, theeasier that local customers canfind you.

“Longtail key words such aspick-your-own apples are betterthan shorttail key words such asapples,” Mauk explains.

Also research what key wordsare relevant to your target audience. For example, when youpartner with like-minded organizations such as your com-modity group or marketing asso-ciation, you will get more traffic.Think of your provincial aspara-gus group or your provincial farmfresh marketing association.

Use social media as a teaser todrive traffic

Incorporate social media intoyour marketing plans so that youdrive traffic to your website. It’sthe website that drives sales. UseFacebook and Twitter toannounce weekly contests, triviaquestions and Farm Fact Fridays.

Make photos and video a priority

“If photos are worth a thousand words, then video isworth a million words,” saysMauk. He recommends a ratio ofhalf written content and halfimages for better SEO. Theimages tell a story, especially ifthey depict the farmer in the field.While drones are the new toy, hedoes not recommend drone shotsfor websites. “Drone shots are toohigh to convey any personal con-nection with what you’re selling,”he says. “After 30 seconds, theimpact is gone. Rather, take pho-tos at ground level of kids playingor customers picking up freshproduce.

Freshen your content

Keep your content accurateand seasonal. Blogs are helpfulin relaying the cycles of the yearand binding your customers, evenwhen produce isn’t for sale.Share your seed catalogue decisions, for example. Or showa photo of a warty pumpkin in the

field to draw interest to a traditional commodity.

Reformat your content

These days, customers expectto be connected in real time nomatter where they are. If they’rein the back woods and don’t havea cell phone signal, they can stillGoogle your farm to find directions. Make sure your farmaddress and directions are at thetop of the website home page tomake it easier to find you.

Stay connected to graphictrends

“Country weddings are verytrendy right now,” says Mauk.“And many farm retailers offerdestinations for country weddings.” There’s a fine linebetween a rustic feel to your website and an urbane sensibility.Simplicity is sophistication. Keepthe website clean with whitespace. Some examples are:www.vineyard354.com based inLawton, Michigan andwww.downeysfarm.com based inBrampton, Ontario.

THE GROWER

PAGE 20 –– DECEMBER 2015

FOCUS: GREAT LAKES FARMING

7 tips on creating and maintaining attractive websites

THE GROWER

DECEMBER 2015 –– PAGE 21

MINOR USE

Aprovia fungicide launched for leaf disease control in horticultural crops

Syngenta Canada Inc. islaunching Aprovia, a new fungi-cide for broad-spectrum diseasecontrol and management in sever-al horticultural crops, includinglow-bush blueberries and pomefruit.

Aprovia fungicide contains theactive ingredient Solatenol, (ben-zovindiflupyr), a newly registeredGroup 7 succinate dehydrogenaseinhibitor (SDHI) foliar fungicide.

“With the introduction ofAprovia, we have an excellentnew product that sets a new stan-dard for scab control in pomefruit and other key diseases in arange of crops,” says EricPhillips, product lead, fungicidesand insecticides, with SyngentaCanada. “Aprovia complementsand further enhances our strongportfolio of crop managementtools for horticultural growers.”

Aprovia moves in a translami-nar fashion, binding tightly to theplant’s waxy layer and slowlypenetrating into the tissue. Thisbinding, combined with the prod-uct’s high potency, delivers pow-erful disease control.

In pome fruit, Aprovia con-trols scab (Venturia inaequalisand Venturia pyrina), to halt dis-ease development. Aprovia alsocontrols powdery mildew(Podosphaera leucotricha) andAlternaria blotch (Alternariamali). Aprovia can be applied at a120–200 mL / acre rate starting atthe green tip, or when environ-mental conditions are conducivefor disease.

In low-bush blueberries,Aprovia controls blueberry leafrust (Thekopsora minima) andprovides suppression ofValdensinia leaf spot

(Valdensinia heterodoxa).Growers can apply Aprovia at200–300 mL / acre at the firstsign of disease and only duringthe non-cropping year (known asthe vegetative or sprout phase) ofthe low-bush blueberry produc-tion cycle.

Across several replicated trialsand sites, an Aprovia applicationduring the sprout year resulted inconsistent late-season leaf rustcontrol, as well as an increase inthe number of floral buds. Thishelps to set the stage for higheryield potential in the subsequentfruiting year.

Aprovia is applied as a foliarspray in pome fruit and low-bushblueberries and can be effectivelyused in treatment programs incombination with other crop pro-tection products. Consult theproduct label for details.

Aprovia will be available forpurchase in spring 2016.

For more information aboutAprovia fungicide, please visitthe Aprovia product page atSyngentaFarm.ca, contact yourlocal Syngenta Representative or

our Customer Interaction Centreat 1-87-SYNGENTA(1-877-964-3682).

Source: Syngenta Canada newsrelease

Quality Seed, Quality Service

Make it a harvest to look forward to!

SEEDWAY Vegetable Seeds www.seedway.com 800‐952‐7333

Our experienced representa�ves can help you! Brian Tregunno 416‐505‐0853 • Frank Jonkman 519‐801‐5882

Powell (BGS 307) Starbor Omero Pearl •New onion in the Prince class.•Yields large, round, classybulbs.•Long storage poten�al.•Resistant to Downy mildew.•108 days.

• Dark blue‐green leaves.• Uniform stems of even length areeasy to bunch.• Bolt resistant.• 50 days.

•Early maturing red fresh marketcabbage.•Good uniformity, 18 ‐ 24 count.•Compact plant can be crowded.•Intermediate resistance to BlackLeaf Speck.•71 days.

•Pearl parsnip showcases brightwhite color.•Uniform roots carry goodweight distribu�on. •Holds well inthe field.•120 days.

New!New!

Become familiar with brown marmorated stink bug HANNAH FRASER

Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB)numbers have been down this year, althoughnumbers trapped at our urban hot spotincreased dramatically over the warm spell oflate September. Almost all individuals are

adults now, although we continue to find theodd late instar nymph (plus a few really earlyinstars that won’t have enough time to com-plete their development). Many of these adultsare looking for places to overwinter, but someare still out there in the landscape and poten-tially in your crop. Late season crops are atrisk from feeding injury by this insect. Make

sure to familiarize yourself with the pest andsigns of damage.

If you think you have found BMSB onyour farm, contact us! Take a picture, collectsome samples. Contact the AgriculturalInformation Contact Centre at 1-877-424-1300or email ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca or visitour webpage www.ontario.ca/stinkbug.

Apple scab

THE GROWER

PAGE 22 –– DECEMBER 2015

BRIGHT IDEAS

Agri-Food Innovation Excellence Awards reward ingenuity

Once again, many horticulturalproducers have been recognizedfor their smarts. None is morehappy that Laurie Thatcher-Craigand her husband John for theirprocess of flash freezing hops forfreshness. They won theMinister’s Award in a late-November ceremony in Toronto,Ontario in conjunction with thePremier’s Agri-Food Summit.

Fresh hops are preserved withflash freezing

Clear Valley Hops claims tosupply the freshest hops in theworld, and they go to greatlengths to deliver on that promise.As soon as the hops are harvest-ed, they are transferred to a 40-foot-high oast house for low-heat drying, preserving theirflavour-rich essential oils. Oncethe hops are dried, Clear Valleydoesn’t waste time baling them -

instead they go straight to pellet-ing. Finally, they are packed inmaterial that blocks harmful oxy-gen and ultraviolet rays, flushedwith nitrogen and flash-frozen.The entire process, from harvestto freezing, takes just 24 hours.Laurie Thatcher-Craig and JohnCraig have poured more than $1.3million into their Collingwood,Ontario enterprise, but the invest-ment is paying off with numerouslong-term brewery contracts.

In total, 50 award recipientshave been recognized. One of theLeader in Innovation Award winners was Durham Foods, PortPerry and another was VinelandEstates Winery Inc, Vineland.Read on for their thumbnailsketches. More winners will beprofiled in the months to come.

Spinach producer transformsCanadaGAP manuals into app

To achieve food safety andtraceability certification, foodproducers and processors have tokeep a number of thoroughrecords and manuals. And forsmall operations, that can bedaunting. Durham Foods has justmade it a whole lot easier withtheir new GAP App. The hydro-ponic spinach producer has takenthe manuals from CanadaGAP -the national food safety programfor fruits and vegetables - andtransformed them into a user-friendly app. Bye-bye time-consuming paperwork. Instead, workers can enter informationand document issues with a fewswipes and taps on tablets strategically placed around theplant floor. The app promptsthem with required activities forthe day. It also generates reportsand makes food safety audits acinch, slashing the costs of thecompany’s food safety program.

Optical sorter delivers better-quality grapes

To make a great wine, youneed to be choosy. No under-ripegrapes, no bits of leaves or stemsand definitely no bugs. A coupleof ladybugs can ruin an entiretonne of grapes. But hand-sortinggrapes is a slow, back-breakingbusiness. That’s why VinelandEstates has invested in an opticalsorter. The first of its kind inCanada, it scans 2,000 grapes persecond, gently de-stems the fruitand removes bugs and unwantedplant material. Puffs of air thensort the grapes by colour, size andshape, letting winemakers selectexactly what they want. The optical sorter is six times fasterthan hand-sorting, and it deliversbetter-quality grapes. By loweringcosts and raising standards, thismachine promises to revolution-ize winemaking in Ontario.

Seven hops growers bandtogether for pelletizer mill

Ontario-grown hops seem likethe natural choice for theprovince’s craft breweries.There’s just one problem. Mostbreweries are set up for pelletizedhops, but the price tag of commercial pellet mills is wellbeyond the budget of small-scalehops producers. That’s where oneMeaford hops grower got creative. Nicholas Schaut andMonique Vanden Heuvel,Bighead Hops banded togetherwith six other producers to form aco-op and adapt a pelletizer totheir specific needs and scale.Bighead put the mill into operation in 2014, producingmore than 3,000 kilograms of pelletized hops. A few tweaksthis year have helped speed upthe processing time by nearly 50per cent. Breweries and cideriesare snapping up the hops, givingco-op members the dollars theyneed to plant even more acres ofOntario hops.

Grape growers benchmark sustainability

More and more, when consumers enjoy a good wine,they also want to support goodenvironmental practices. A newsustainability certification program launched by the GrapeGrowers of Ontario and the Wine

Council of Ontario provides thatassurance. The web-based pro-gram spans the entire journeyfrom soil to shelf, covering habi-tat conservation, energy efficien-cy, water conservation and more.An online assessment tool makesit easy for grape growers andwinemakers to benchmark theiroperations and identify areas forimprovement. Once a third-partyauditing process is put in place,they can earn certification thatwill serve as a passport to premium market segments,enhance their international competitiveness and give consumers around the world yetanother great reason to chooseOntario wines. DebbieZimmerman, CEO, GrapeGrowers of Ontario and MaryJane Combe, Wine Council ofOntario accepted the award.

Flavourings boost locally grownnuts

Customers go nuts for JewelsUnder the Kilt, a line of locallygrown walnuts, pecans and hazel-nuts roasted with an addictivemixture of flavourings that rangefrom chipotle to pumpkin pie. Inthe early days, Elizabeth Burrowgrew all the nuts herself on her95-acre Fergus, Ontario farm,using sustainable practices suchas shellfish-based fertilizer,strategic inter-planting and organic insecticidal soap. As thepopularity of her snacks hasgrown, she has planted other nutvarieties to expand her offerings.Burrow has also turned to otherfarms to supplement her nut supply, as well as provide maplesyrup, peaches, apples, pumpkinsand other flavourings.

Continued on next page

Laurie Thatcher-Craig and her husband John have invested significantly in their process of flashfreezing hops for Ontario craft breweries.

Vineland Estates Winery (L - R): Premier Wynne, Brian Schmidt,Minister Jeff Leal

Durham Foods (L - R): Premier Wynne, Shelley and Jim Sheehan,Minister Jeff Leal

THE GROWER

DECEMBER 2015 –– PAGE 23

BRIGHT IDEAS

NEW EQUIPMENT

Agri-Food Innovation Excellence Awards reward ingenuity

Continued from page 22

A never-frozen French fry captures new markets

The rich, sandy soils nearSudbury have always producedtasty potatoes - and now you canenjoy all that flavour in a fresh,never-frozen French fry. In 2015,Valley Growers launched“Farmhouse Fresh Fries.” The process is simple: cut thepotatoes, blanch them briefly in ahigh-powered fryer to lock in theflavour and nutrients, and thencool and package them. That’s it.There are no chemicals or preservatives, yet the potatoesstay fresh for 25 days. French frylovers can find them in thebagged salad section of Walmartand Loblaw Superstores, whilerestaurants can source themthrough Gordon Food Service.Thanks to Tami Rainville and

Gérald Philippe at ValleyGrowers, local farmers havegained access to big markets, 16new jobs have been created, andNorth America's favourite indulgence just got a little fresher.

Identifying banker plants tohost insect warriors

Like all greenhouse cucumbergrowers, one of the VanderHout'sbiggest headaches is bugs: theaphids, thrips and whiteflies thatmunch on their plants. Jan andDale VanderHout, BeverlyGreenhouses, Dundas, Ontario arefighting fire with fire, cultivatingbeneficial insects that destroycucumber bugs. TheVanderHout’s have found the perfect mix of plants to supportinsect warriors: grasses for hisaphid parasites, ornamental peppers for the bugs that fightthrips and mullein for a whitefly

predator. By experimenting intheir 20 acres of greenhouses,they figured out the best loca-tions, watering regimes and prun-ing regimes for these “banker

plants.” The result is better pestcontrol with little or no need forinsecticides.

“We continue to try differentideas to improve the process,”

says Jan VanderHout. “This is awork in progress.”

Source: OMAFRA backgrounders

Valley Irrigation, a Nebraska-based firm, has introduced a newanchor package that allows centerpivots to irrigate more land. Thecompany is expanding its Benderproduct line with a new anchorpackage that extends the reach ofirrigation machines even further.

Valley Benderproducts allow acenter pivot tobend and wraparound in-fieldobstacles, irrigat-ing the acresbehind it. Thenew BenderAnchor allowsgrowers to useBenders on longer

machines, up to 2,000 feet afterthe Bender, as well as on roughor rolling terrain, to irrigate evenmore acres.

For more information, go towww.valleyirrigation.com.

What’s new in irrigation

Dale (left) and Jan VanderHout, one of 50 winners of the Ontario Premier's Agri-Food InnovationExcellence Awards, are pictured in their cucumber greenhouse which uses natural insect control.

In the propagation facility of Beverly Greenhouses, banker plants(right) are grown side by side with cucumber seedlings. Theyinclude mullein, Purple Flash ornamental peppers and differentkinds of grasses. When fully grown, these “banker” plants areused to raise natural enemies of greenhouse pests. Photos by GlennLowson.

CHERYL TRUEMAN, RACHEL RIDDLE, ELAINE RODDY

Over the past two years, there have beenseveral changes in the efficacy of fungicides commonly used to controldowny mildew in cucumbers. The resultsfrom field trials conducted by theUniversity of Guelph reflect trends alsoobserved in Michigan and North Carolina.

Figure 1 and Figure 2 show the resultsof the Ontario 2015 downy mildew

fungicide trials conducted at Ridgetownand Simcoe. Note that in both trials, a significant decline was observed in the efficacy of both Presido and Tattoo C.Presidio performed no better than theuntreated control, while the results fromTattoo C were no different thanchlorothalonil (Bravo Zn).

The Canadian Pest ManagementRegulatory Agency (PMRA) is currentlyevaluating a new active ingredient calledoxathiapiprolin (Orondis Ultra). In both ofthe University of Guelph studies,

oxathiapiprolin demonstrated good controlagainst cucumber downy mildew. Ifapproved, this product will provide a goodoption for rotation with currently registereddowny mildew fungicides.

Cheryl Trueman is college professor,University of Guelph – Ridgetown Campus.Rachel Riddle is research technician, University of Guelph – Simcoe.Elaine Roddy is vegetable crops specialist,OMAFRA.

Update: fungicide efficacy on downy mildew in cucumbers

IAN SEIFRIED

Squash bees are native pollinators. They are directlyassociated with the cucurbita family of crops (squash, pumpkin,gourd, zucchini, marrow andcourgette). This means that thesquash bee populations dependsolely on the production of thesecrops to establish their broods aswell as feed their larvae.

Cucurbita flowers are synchronized to open just as thesun comes up and close as soonas the temperature heats up,approximately three hours later.

Squash bees are similarly synchronized to start collectingpollen as the sun comes up andstop once the flowers begin towilt. You can find both solitarymale and unmated females in theflowers; you can even touchthem, as they are stinger-less.

Squash bees are medium-sizedwith a very hairy thorax andblack and white horizontal stripesrunning down the abdomen ending with a smooth point, without a stinger. The specializedhairs on the squash bees’ thoraxand legs enable the bees to pickup cucurbita pollen which is larger, stickier and coarser than

other types of pollen. This makesthem more efficient than otherpollinators such as the bumblebeeand honeybee.

The squash bee constructsground burrows that are a seriesof lateral tunnels ending in individual brood cells. The cellsare connected to a central verticaltunnel (which can be up to 45cmdeep) leading to the surface hole.The surface hole is approximatelythe width of a pencil and can befound either in the field that ishome to cucurbita crops oraround the edges of fields.

The squash bee burrows aredirectly affected when tillage is

used. Tillage can fill in these burrows, destroying the centraltunnel along with several broodcells, and even kill the squashbees trapped inside.

A small field survey of squashbee activity in commercial pumpkin fields was conducted inJuly and August, 2015. The

number of bees varied considerably. Total bees observedin 10 minutes (one- minute intervals at each of 10 locationsacross the field) ranged from 11to 170, depending on the location.

Ian Seifried is summer researchtechnician, OMAFRA.

The squash bee: essential native pollinator

PAGE 24 –– DECEMBER 2015

THE GROWER

Leah Erickson (BC/AB)604-957-2359

Marc AndréLaberge (QC)514-984-4589

Jim Robinson (ON/MB)905-715-8595

Paul Banks (ON/NS)905-688-4300

Henry Zomer (ON/MB/SK)905-308-4396

Rob Hovius (ON/PEI/NB)519-580-3231

LauraCaralampides (QC)514-984-0662

~ Quality Seed Since 1881 ~

SCAN this QR Codeto browse our

vast inventory of vegetable seed. www.StokeSeeds.com

T: 1-800-263-7233F: 1-800-272-5560

OUR EXPERTS ARE HERE TO HELP!

Figure 1. AUDPC (area under the disease progress curve) for leaf area affected bycucurbit downy mildew in cucumber cv. Vlasstar, Ridgetown, ON, 2015. Fungicideswere applied on a 7-day interval July 7-Aug 4. Columns with the same letter are notsignificantly different from each other.

Figure 2. AUDPC (area under the disease progress curve) for leaf area affected bycucurbit downy mildew in cucumber cv. Vlaspik, Simcoe, ON, 2015. Fungicideswere applied on a 7-day interval July 16-Aug 6. Columns with the same letter arenot significantly different from each other.

Photo by Jeffrey Carter

THE GROWER

DECEMBER 2015 –– PAGE 25

VEG FOCUS

JASON DEVEAU

Where crops are planted inrows, growers can save on chemical costs and reduce potentially wasted spray by performing banded applications.A banded application is treatingparallel bands (Figure 1), unlike abroadcast application where theentire area is treated (Figure 2).This means only a portion of thefield or orchard/vineyard floorreceives spray, so the totalamount of product applied perhectare (or per acre) should beless for banded than for broadcast.

Banded applications are usedin many situations, including:• Applying herbicides right over acrop during planting, both forpre-emergent or post-emergentcrops.• Applying insecticides/fungicidesby “directed spraying” using drophoses or row kits; the latter is pictured in Figure 3.• Carefully spraying herbicidebetween the rows to controlweeds in the alleys of an established crop (Figure 1).• Applying herbicide under fruittrees or grape vines to controlweeds (Figure 4).

It’s easy to make mistakeswhen calculating product rates forbanded applications and these canbe costly errors: too little meanspoor control and too much meanswasted product and possible cropinjury. This article describes howto calculate sprayer output andproduct rate for common bandedapplications.

Step 1: Determine broadcastvolume

Pesticide labels typically listbroadcast product rates (e.g.amount of formulated product perhectare or acre). In this example,let’s say the label recommends abroadcast product rate of 500 mlof formulated herbicide appliedusing 100 litres of spray mix per

hectare (i.e. added to 99.5 Lwater).

Step 2: Establish sprayer settings

Select a travel speed that issafe, gives decent efficiency anddoesn’t compromise coverage.For this example, we’ll say thesprayer is moving at 8.0 km/h.Select a band width that com-pletely covers the target row andsome of the adjacent area wherecontrol is desired. Band widthshould be measured along theground for soil-applied productsor along the top of plants forpost-emergence products. We’lluse Figure 1 for our settings:bands are 50 cm wide on 100 cmcentres. We’ll say that a singlenozzle swath can treat the band,and that we’re spraying twohectares of planted area.

Step 3: Calculate the bandedsprayer output

We can calculate how much ofthe planted area actually receivesspray using this formula:[band width (cm) / row width(cm)] x total planted area (ha) =actual sprayed area (ha)[50 cm / 100 cm] x 2 ha = 1 haFor completeness, here’s the U.S.formula:[band width (in) / row width (in)]x total planted area (ac) = actualsprayed area (ac)From this we now know that weshould be able to go twice as faron a tank spraying a bandedapplication as we would a

broadcast, because we’re onlyspraying half the planted area.

Step 4: Calculate the nozzleoutput

Use the following formula toconvert the broadcast output intothe banded output:[broadcast output (L/ha) x travelspeed (km/h) x (swath width (cm)/ number of nozzles in perswath)] / 60,000 = nozzle output(L/min)[100 L/ha x 8 km/h x (50 / 1)] /60,000 = 0.67 L/minFor completeness, here’s the U.S.formula:[broadcast output (gal/ac) x travelspeed (mph) x (swath width (in) /number of nozzles in per swath)]/ 5,940 = nozzle output (gal/min)Note that if multiple nozzles werecontributing to the swath, such asin figure three or figure four, thisformula will account for it. Youstill mix the labelled product rateat a ratio of 500 ml of herbicideto 99.5L water, but as we determined in step three, weshould be able to spray twice theplanted area using a banded application as we would a broadcast application.

Step 5: Use the nozzle catalogueto find the right nozzle

Using a nozzle manufacturer’scatalogue, select a nozzle thatgives the desired spray quality(usually coarser for herbicides)and will produce the 50 cm swathwe’re looking for (which can beadjusted a little using boom

height). Always choose to operatea nozzle in the middle of its pressure range.

Step 6: Calibrate the sprayer(i.e. double-check)

Follow your typical calibrationprocess and make minor adjustments until the nozzle discharge per minute results inthe desired banded output. A ratecontroller will handle this on larger sprayers, but if you don’t

have one you can make smalladjustments to speed and pressureuntil the desired output isachieved. Ideally, if your mathwas right, these changes won’t beneeded. When performed correct-ly, banded applications are a greatway to focus your efforts on thetarget, saving time and money.

Dr. Jason Deveau is applicationtechnology specialist, OMAFRA.

Sprayer math for banded applications

KRISTEN OBEID

Fruit and vegetable growers havebeen dealing with insect and dis-ease resistance to pesticides formany years. The challenge of her-bicide resistance is no different.Most of the talk these days isabout glyphosate-resistant (GR)weeds in field crops, but we donot hear much about resistantweeds in hort crops. Should fruitand vegetable growers be wor-ried? The short answer is yes!Actually, the first cases of GRweeds were found in orchards,not in glyphosate-tolerant (GT)crops. Worldwide there are 31weed species (11 grasses and 20broadleaves) with reported

glyphosate- resistance.Currently, in Ontario there arefour:• Giant ragweed• Canada fleabane• Common ragweed• Tall waterhempAll four species have populationsthat have multiple-resistance toglyphosate and Group 2 herbicides, such as Prism,Pinnacle, Upbeet and Classic toname a few.

In fruit and veg crops the mostconcerning herbicide resistantcases are:• Crabgrass species resistant toall grass herbicides• Pigweed species resistant toGroup 5 and Group 7 herbicides,which includes, Sencor, Gesagard

and Lorox found throughout theprovince• Gramoxone and glyphosateresistant Canada fleabane• Group 2 resistant Eastern blacknightshade found throughout theprovinceSo . . . where do we go fromhere?• Continue to use IntegratedWeed Management practices• Use multiple herbicide modes-of-action with overlappingweed spectrums in rotation,sequences, or mixtures• Use the full recommended herbicide rate and proper application timing for the hardestto control weed species present inthe field• Scout fields after herbicide

application to ensure control hasbeen achieved. Do not allowweeds to reproduce by seed or toproliferate vegetatively.• Get any suspect weeds testedimmediately for potential resistance.

Kristen Obeid is responsible forweed management, horticulture,for OMAFRA.

Photo right: Canada fleabane isthe most worrisome because ithas been found in orchards andother perennial systems to beresistant to glyphosate andparaquat.

Should growers be concerned about resistant weeds?

Figure 1 Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

All greenhouse growers battle thrips and white flies, themost ubiquitous pests of controlled environments.

A new website seeks to provide solutions.GreenhouseIPM.org serves both floriculture and vegetablegreenhouse sectors. It’s a collaboration of the best expertisebetween Flowers Canada Growers (FCG), the OntarioMinistry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs(OMAFRA), Vineland Research and Innovation Centre(Vineland), Agriculture Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) PestManagement Center (PMC).

THE GROWER

PAGE 26 –– DECEMBER 2015

BITS AND BITES

Got thrips? Got white flies? Go to GreenhouseIPM.org

JOHN STANLEY

Cache Creek . . . where is thatI can hear you asking. I asked thesame question when I recentlyhad the opportunity to work witha retail client in the town.

Cache Creek has a populationof 1,040 people and is situated354 kilometres northeast ofVancouver in British Columbia,Canada.

It was mid-October when Iwas asked to work with the clientand I rented a car and travelled upthe Fraser River valley to get totown. I accept this is not thetourism season, but most retail

operations had shut for the seasonand getting a decent cup of coffeebecame a challenge.

I often get asked to consult“off the beaten track.” Manyretailers keep telling me that theydo it tough not being in an urbanmarket where consumers are constantly walking past the door.There are some key differencesthat remote retailers have to focuson, however, the lessons fromCache Creek could be applied toretailers anywhere in the worldwhether they be in a small townor a major city.

1. Stand out from the crowd

Cache Creek is located on theTrans-Canada Highway, at apoint where travellers will be prepared to stop on their journey.This means you need to provide aclear unique offer to make peoplestop -- your “curb appeal” needsto stand out from the crowd. Thiscan be achieved by unusual architecture or simply paint. Bebold. I drove into town and gotthe camera out when I saw anestablishment that was determined to stand out from thecrowd. Compare this to a consultancy job I recently had inTimor Leste where I walkeddown a street of clothing retailersthat all looked the same. My only choice was based on price.

In Cache Creek I had plenty ofchoice in motels, but the majorityall looked the same. I checked into the Bear Claw. Why the BearClaw? Well, because it lookedmore appealing, it reflected thearea I was in and the owners hadbuilt a log cabin rather than astyle of motel I can find anywhere in the world.

2. People make a difference

I went into the restaurant for ameal. There was nothing specialabout the menu -- it was a standard menu that you can findanywhere in a remote townaround the world.

What was special was Gina thewaitress. She was welcoming anda “day maker.” She realized herjob was to make the experiencememorable.

When she gave me the billthere was a picture of a pumpkinon the receipt that she gave me.When I congratulated her on her“Delight Strategy” she explainedthat she changes her doodle onthe receipt as the seasons change.Simple, but unique.

Too often in remote retailestablishments, as strangers weget processed rather than having aunique experience. I am due backin Cache Creek early next yearand guess where I will be staying.

3. Work as a group, not as anindividual

British Columbia excels atdeveloping regional tourism. Toget to Cache Creek you passthrough the region of Langley,Abbotsford and Chilliwack.These three councils have joinedtogether to provide the“Experience Guide” of the region.Each region has then developed a

Self-Guided Circle Farm TourGuide. The guide has an illustrated map with the aim ofgetting the tourist to linger longerin the region. Get tourists to stoplonger and all retailers benefitfrom the opportunity.

Some research carried out inAustralia indicated that if youcould get a tourist to stop in townthey would, on average, spendaround $170 per head in localbusinesses.

4. Provide me with somethingdifferent you can promote

My client is Horsting’s FarmMarket. This long establishedmarket has a bakery and isfamous across the province for itsbread and pies. In fact accordingto Trip Advisor it is the numberone restaurant out of the 15 intown to stop and eat. The pieswere started by the Horsting family who maintained the tradition and nostalgia. The farmwas recently purchased by theShane family who are building onthe tradition and tourism opportunity.

Remote means you have to tryharder. If you do not try, thechances of failure are also higher.My challenge to you is that thenext time you go to a remotearea, study the unique retailersand discover what they are doingthat is unique to ensure they areproviding a positive memorableexperience.

Reprinted with permission fromJohn Stanley Associates. JohnStanley is a global retail consul-tant based near Nannup, WesternAustralia. He regularly visitsCanada. For more marketing advice, go to www.johnstanley.com.au.

The lessons from Cache Creek, British Columbia Thrips White flies

DECEMBER 2015 –– PAGE 27

THE GROWER

MARKETPLACETo advertise phone: 519-380-0118 • 866-898-8488 x 218 • Fax: 519-380-0011

SEED AND ROOTSTOCK

Providing quality

apple trees for 40 years.

• Bench graft• Sleeping budded eye• 9 month bench• 1 year old whip• 1 year old feathered• KNIP tree• 2 year old tall feathered

(instant orchard)

Brian Van Brenk31760 Erin Line

Fingal ON, Canada N0L 1K0519-902-6353

www.vanbrenk.cabrian@vanbrenk.ca

If you have arural route

address,please updatesubscriptionwith your

civic addressto ensuredelivery.

call the subscription department at866-898-8488

ext 221

Oriental Vegetable Seeds

AgroHaitai Ltd. Ph: 519-647-2280 • Fax: 519-647-3188

seed@agrohaitai.com• www.AgroHaitai.com

Bitter Melon

STRAWBERRY PLANTS***CERTIFIED***

RASPBERRY CANESProducers of Quality stock for 46 years. Grown under the

Nova Scotia Certification Program. Shipping across North America.

Contact us for more information and a free brochure

G.W. ALLEN NURSERY LTD.7295 Hwy 221

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

Email: sales@gwallennursery.com 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: nuttrees@grimonut.com

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: lmbolle@execulink.com

KEDDYC.O.

• Certified Strawberry Plants & Raspberry Canes• All popular varieties available

• Grown under the Nova Scotia Certification program. Plants shipped across North America.

Contact us for a FREE brochure!

982 North Bishop Road, Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada B4N 3V7Ph: (902) 678-4497 Fax: (902) 678-0067

Email: keddynursery@xcountry.tv

Sell your farmequipment here.

classified ads

call the classified department at866-898-8488

ext 221

THE GROWER

PAGE 28 –– DECEMBER 2015

MARKETPLACETo advertise phone: 519-380-0118 • 866-898-8488 x 218 • Fax: 519-380-0011

EQUIPMENT

DON ARTHUR ORCHARD EQUIPMENT(519) 599-3058 donarthur3@gmail.com Clarksburg, ON

LOW DRIFT SPRAY TOWERS - ADD TO ANY TURBO-MISTTurbo-Mist 400 gal., diaphragm pump, electric controls $8,150Turbo-Mist 500, electric ball valve controls, very low hours $13,900Turbo-Mist 500, short turn hitch, electric, good condition $17,900Turbo-Mist 500, centrifugal, hydraulic controls $18,000Turbo-Mist 600, centrifugal, new hydraulics, tall tower $10,700Turbo-Mist 600, centrifugal, electric, almost new $17,900Perfect KG-220 H.D. flail mower, A-1 condition COMING

** INSTANT PHOTOS TO YOU BY E-MAIL - ALL ADVERTISED ITEMS **TRADES, CONSIGNMENTS, LEASING, DELIVERY ANYWHERE

NEW TURBO-MIST SPRAYERS2016 MODELS WITH SOME NEW FEATURES - NOW HERE

1-800-811-6238pfs@reach.netSPRAYING EQUIPMENT

OUR SPECIALITY

NEW . . USED . . SERVICE

YOUR SOURCE FORJOHN BEAN AND

DURAND-WAYLAND

YOUNOW

have beento the rest,

call theBEST!!P

HIL

LIP

SFA

RM

SU

PPLIE

S

Albert Van Oosten519-771-2292Office: 519-458-4720 Fax: 519-458-4313 Email: albertvanoosten@yahoo.comMailing address: #447 Hwy #2, Princeton, ON N0J 1V0

ASPARAGUS

ASPARAGUS CROWNS

MillenniumMary Washington

Sandy Shore Farms Ltd.(519) 875­3382

www.sandyshorefarms.cainfo@sandyshore.ca

CONTAINERS

LABELLING EQUIPMENT

NOTICE OF MEETING

P: 1-888-770-8454 F: 1-888-567-1297

www.madleyglobal.com

AUTOMATION SYSTEMS & ROBOTICS

GREENHOUSE ROOFING

www.thegrower.org

Sell your farmequipment here.

classified ads

call the classified department at866-898-8488

ext 221

ASPARAGUS ROOTSJersey GiantMillennium

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

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

NOTICE of MEETINGis hereby given that the

157th Annual Members and Directors’ Meetingof the

Ontario Fruit and Vegetable

Growers’ Associationwill be held in

Niagara Falls, Ontario at The Crowne Plaza Hotel

January 12 & 13, 2016Election of Directors of the Association will

take place as well as dealing with resolutionsand any other business that may arise.

THE GROWER

DECEMBER 2015 –– PAGE 29

MARKETPLACETo advertise phone: 519-380-0118 • 866-898-8488 x 218 • Fax: 519-380-0011

CONTAINERS

LOUTH & NIAGARA ORCHARDSP.O. Box 43 • Virgil, Ontario • L0S 1T0 • 905-468-3297

4000 Jordan Road • Jordan Station, ON • 905-562-8825

Supplying Fruit and Vegetable Growers with:

• Baskets • Berry Boxes• Masters • Waxed Cartons• Fertilizer • Crop Protection Material• Vineyard Trellis Supplies

Pipe& Fittings

for Water Systems• PVC, ABS, Poly, Copper

• Stainless, Brass, SteelProduct Lines

• Drip & Micro Irrigation• Septic & Sewer• Drainage & Culverts• Berkeley Water Pumps

Winona Concrete & Pipe Products Ltd.

489 Main St. W., Grimsby, ON. L3M 1T4

info@WinonaConcrete.comPhone (905) 945-8515 Fax: (905) 945-1149

or call toll-free

1-800-361-8515

IRRIAGTION

REFRIGERATION

Sell your farmequipment here.

classified ads866-898-8488

ext 221

THE GROWER

PAGE 30 –– DECEMBER 2015

There has recently been areport released in Quebec thatreveals what on the surfaceappears to be a serious pesticideissue. Their environmental monitoring programs haverevealed increased levels of certain pesticides in soil andwater. This has been tied toreports of increased pesticide useon farms. In the immediate hueand cry for action, several basictenets were missed -- either deliberately or from a lack ofknowledge.

These are not the first suchreports in recent times, but theymay end up in creating unseemlyaction before logic can prevail.

The world of analytical chemistry has advanced a longway from its infancy. If one looksat the parallel developments inother fields such as rocket science, medicine, robotics andothers, it should be to no one’ssurprise that pesticide residuechemistry has advanced dramatically during the past 50years. Even in the years between1960 and 1975, residues could befound, identified, and quantifiedby 1975 that were just not findable before. In RachelCarson’s ‘evidence’ for SilentSpring, there were many references to DDT residues. Itwas only later that these were re-run using newer techniquesthat proved these residue resultshad merged DDT and PCBresidues into one, since up untilthen, they were not distinguish-able between each other. This factoid shows how ‘solid’ conclusions were later reversedwhen new developments allowedbetter knowledge to prevail. DDTwas soon thereafter removed from

general use, but it had alreadybeen in steady decline because ofpest resistance, a fact rarely evenmentioned at the time.

In more recent times, growershave faced the growing dilemmaof once ‘unfindable’ residues, thathave no residue limits establishedbased on former ‘non-detects,’suddenly being not just found butat quantifiable levels leading torejection in foreign markets with‘zero’ tolerances. The growershad done nothing wrong -- ‘thesystem’ had let them down.

When pesticides are submittedfor registration, the companymust supply a lot of data.Included in their package areresidue trials on various crops,done in every cropping zonewhere such use was proposed.These replicated trials producethe expected residue outcomesunder the maximum allowedrates, the shortest pre harvestintervals, and over at least twoyears for data/climate variation.All of this data is developed usinga standard residue detectionmethodology which must also besubmitted. In all future residuework for new registrations or forenforcement purposes, this ‘standard’ methodology must bethe only one used.

These ‘standard’ analyticalmethods are also used for theclinical tests used in experimentaltesting for toxicology, and all thefeeding studies. Obviously thesame standards must be used toline up with the residues fromapplications to reach usable conclusions. A risk analysis mustuse the same standards through-out to be meaningful.

There have been screw-upsalong the way. One time a contract lab was used by the federal government to determineresidues in a Canadian crop. Morethan 40 growers were subsequent-ly charged with illegal residues ofa common fungicide. They sworethat they had done nothing different than in past years, to noavail. They were fined, and theirnames were published as ‘offenders.’ It was only two yearslater when a brave soul did aninvestigation and showed the contract lab had not used the‘standard method’ - a newer andmore sensitive method had been

substituted! It took time, but veryquietly the charges were stayed.The negative publicity attached totheir false convictions could notbe undone.

Back to the Quebec situation. The results of their monitoring

no doubt have numbers that needto be examined and explained.First and foremost, the methodol-ogy needs to be checked againstthe standards that are used to setthe ‘acceptable’ limits. Secondly,the absolute numbers found needto be examined with regard totheir immediate and possiblefuture impact where they arefound. The old adage that thedose makes the poison has neverbeen more applicable.

I heard that even the way inwhich the ‘data’ was portrayedleaves a lot to be desired. It is anold trick to alter the scale of agraph to show what may appearto be a steep slope of findings ofone item versus another, when infact if the same scale is used, theslope is virtually flat. Figuresdon’t lie, but liars can sure figureout how to skew impressions!

Finding residues in and ofitself is not surprising if the pesticide is known to be used inan area. In fact, with modern analytical techniques it would bemore surprising to NOT findresidues. Many products are usedacross Canada every year, and ifused correctly, will not lead tounacceptable harm. More disturbing is when unexpectedresidues are found -- especiallywhen the pesticide is not used inthe area or not for many years.

Of critical importance is notjust whether a residue can befound, but whether it is biologically active. Just like finding a tumour in your body --if it is cancerous it is bad, but if itis benign then it is often notremoved. The new tests such asMRIs or CAT scans can find themass, but the ultimate test is tosee if the mass is a problem.Some pesticide residues aredetectable but are ‘tied up,’ beingtightly ‘bound’ to soil particles,and are no longer biologicallyavailable or active.

The residues being found maynot be unexpected, but certainlyneed to be explained. The knowl-edge about their significance iscritical.

The actual level of theseresidues is the pivotal factor. Ifthe laboratory techniques used arenow quantifying residues belowthose ever found before, that doesNOT in and of itself mean thatthose levels are significant. Infact, there are often ‘bridging’factors used to translate betweenold and new techniques. Put quitesimply, an ‘old’ three PPM (partsper million) may be equivalent toa ‘new’ 36 PPM meaning the newtest is 12 times more sensitive.Likewise, if the toxicology studythat determined an acceptabledaily intake was 2.5 PPB (partsper billion) would now bedeemed equivalent to 30 PPB (or0.030 PPM) using the newmethodology.

There is a whole body of information techniques to exam-ine the relative relevance of data.

The ‘Impact Quotient’ has beendeveloped to see what collateralchanges happen if pesticide useschange. These changes includedosages, frequency, choice ofactive ingredient, where when andhow they are applied, and theactual chemical properties of thepesticides used.

When Ontario had its ‘FoodSystems 2002’ program, its statedpolitical intent was to reduce theuse of pesticides by 50 per cent. Itmore than achieved that goal.However, what was even moreimportant was that it actuallyeven further reduced the‘Pesticide Impact’ as measuredusing the “EIQ” (EnvironmentalImpact Quotient) as developed inNew York State. At the end of theday, it is the impact reduction thatmakes the most sense.

Before Quebec rushes torestrict pesticide use by legislation, they need to know ifthe actual impact of what hasbeen ‘found’ is actually significant. Further, they need tolook at the best means to managepesticide use that achieves political means while not only notnegatively impacting agriculture,but in fact Improving crop production. It can be done -- ithas been done!

Numbers can be used to‘prove’ almost anything unlessthey are broken down to verybasic levels. I hope and trust thatanalysis will be done before irretrievable and possibly harmfulactions are taken in the name ofpolitical response.

CRAIG HUNTEROFVGA

MINOR USE

The best offense is a good defense.So switch on your crops’ natural defenses andprotect them from disease with Regalia Maxx.

engageagro.com Regalia is a registered trademark of Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc. © 2013 Engage Agro Corporation.

CRAIG’S COMMENTS

Significance of data

Now that you’ve found it, what does it mean?

THE GROWER

DECEMBER 2015 –– PAGE 31

MINOR USE

Pristine fungicide forcontrol of root rot onBelgian endive

JIM CHAPUT

The Pest ManagementRegulatory Agency (PMRA)recently announced the approvalof an URMULE registration forPristine fungicide for control ofcrown and root rot caused bySclerotinia sclerotiorum onBelgian endive in Canada.Pristine fungicide was alreadylabeled for use on a number ofcrops in Canada for control ofdiseases.

This minor use project wassubmitted by Ontario in 2012 as aresult of minor use prioritiesestablished by growers and exten-sion personnel.

The following is provided asan abbreviated, general outlineonly. Users should be makingpest management decisions with-in a robust IPM program andshould consult the complete labelbefore using Pristine fungicide.

Pristine fungicide is toxic toaquatic organisms, small mammals and non-targetterrestrial plants. Do not applythis product or allow drift to othercrops or non-target areas. Do notcontaminate off-target areas oraquatic habitats when spraying orwhen cleaning and rinsing sprayequipment or containers. Boscalidpresent in Pristine fungicide ispersistent and may carry over. Itis recommended that any prod-ucts containing boscalid not beused in areas treated with thisproduct during the previous season.

Follow all other precautionsand directions for use on thePristine fungicide label carefully.

For a copy of the new minoruse label contact your local cropspecialist, regional supply outletor visit the PMRA label sitewww.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/pest/registrant-titulaire/tools-outils/label-etiq-eng.php

Update on potato crop protection products

EUGENIA BANKS

It is never too early to find outabout the new crop-protectionproducts that were registeredrecently and that should be available for the 2016 season.Here is a list of pesticides, somewith new active ingredients (seechart).

There are also label changes tosome registered products. Forinstance, the label of Rampart(phosphite) has been expanded toa foliar application forsuppression of late blight and

pink rot.

In general, any product that suppresses late blight should betank mixed with a compatiblecontrol product. A betterapproach would be to tank mixtwo compatible control-products.If the weather is favourable forlate blight, this disease can explode and devastatepotato fields very quickly.

There are new registrations forpotato psyllids. This tiny insect isthe vector of the bacterium thatcauses Zebra Chip. This past season, I placed several yellowsticky cards in three Allistonfields to monitor for potato psyllids, but no potato psyllidswere caught on the cards. In thepast, this insect has been reportedin BC, AB, SK and QC. Psyllidswere found in Ontario a fewyears ago, but only in a green-house, not in the field.

It is always good to have registered products available forthe control of potential pests.

There will be more updates tocome as new products are registered.

Eugenia Banks is potato specialist, OMAFRA.

Trade Name Application Method Disease or Insect

Aprovia(Syngenta) Group 7

In-furrow * Suppression of Rhizoctonia stem canker, stolon cankerand black scurf.

Sercadis(BASF) Group 7

Foliar & Aerial Control of early blight and white mould. Use of a non-ionic surfactant is recommended

In- furrow Control of Rhizoctonia canker

Voliam Express(Syngenta) Group 3A &28

Foliar Control of black cutworm, variegated cutworm, armyworm, potato psyllidActive ingredients: pyrethroid + diamide

Agri-mek SC(Syngenta) Group 6

Foliar Control of potato psyllid & spider mites (not a pest inON)

Control is at least 85% control*Suppression is 65 to 85% controlMay provide some control" is less than 65% control.

THE GROWER

PAGE 32 –– DECEMBER 2015

1rebmeceDerofebuqE.S.S.Hro,isrO

AMAFnownod% 03

YAAYPPA,WW,ONYUB

5102,51tnempi

,toirahC,A

!RETLAATY

102,ht52yluJameryapt’noddna1rebmeceDerofeb

!61llitrednia

5102,51

aWnaanVnO ecette

5OCCOSSCIISDDI%55%

dnaanleelmaam tnnteenmmepiipuuiqque erofeef !

!!TNNTUUNOOU

cette--ttt-iituuirF ereerdro bmmbeemcceeD

rofeefbde !55!10220,51reerb

tIIt

tt Icct

eeclle

eelSSe

noondr

oorffo

lallllaall

CCaF

DAADRRA

GGRPUUP

EEU

EEERRE

FFR

.s

mms

eemtteIIt

.sllsaiiilaail

ttaeet

dde

!!SS!EES

DDEAAD

lllC

ittl

fkbt

iV

fdii

o

FREPAFEERG

emdcolruoyllaC

n

PUORGISROTCE

oitcirtesre mos,oe vitatenesreprla

.

CETTIURFAAMF

ylppasneerfakoobot

q

EMURTSNIESLUP

eoniiV

!

STTELTARBSTN

tnempiuqnaraelcdnadesunidulcni,noitamrofon

ofoac.gaedivorptisi

e

.S.S.HRAILCNIS

cnslaedgn

eromr

ac.eagdivorp.www

65.509|a c.eagdivorp@ofni

2.008.11628.3

edivor

|

7821.362

anpmoCtetltarBAorgA

yyn