the grower september 2015

KAREN DAVIDSON

The Cold Snap pear is now onstage, and it deserves to blushwith all the fanfare. After 20years of painstaking study, thesebred-in-Canada, grown-in-Canadapears are set for their consumerdebut at the Royal AgriculturalWinter Fair, November 6 -15.

John Thwaites, a peach andnectarine grower, first fell for thepear more than a decade agowhen it was still a numbered vari-ety at the Agriculture CanadaHarrow Research Station. As thepear was planted in test orchardsin the Niagara peninsula underthe name AC Harovin Sundown,he followed their progress.

“I was amazed how resilient

this pear variety was to fireblight,” he recalls, referring to thecontagious, orchard-destroyingdisease. “This was a variety thatappealed to me because I was trying to add diversity to my cropmix as well as lengthen the marketing season. This winter-storing pear fits with the growthof our business.”

While the first rootstock wasplanted on his Niagara-on-the-Lake farm in 2007, it was notwithout considerable research anddebate. A fellow fruit grower inAustralia convinced Thwaites toplant the new pear variety in ahigh-density orchard at spacingsof 3 l/2 feet times 12. To plant1,000 trees to the acre was aneyebrow-raising move, but onebacked by tours to Washington

State’s pome tree orchards andNew York State’s CornellUniversity. That’s where TerenceRobinson had staked his famewith trellis systems and taught anew generation how to use them.

Today, Thwaites is satisfiedwith his high-density decision. Inthe fourth year of production,Cold Snap was yielding 10 tonsper acre and more is expected asthe trees mature.

“This is a very tasty pear thatstores well,” says Thwaites, whoadds that ethylene-reducing technology extends storage life.“We’ve kept this pear untilChristmas. Bring it to room temperature for several days andit will mellow nicely and not gomushy like other varieties. It’ssweet but not crunchy.”

The high-density trellis systemallows for more sunshine-kissedpears with a red blush, a verymarketable trait. That visual characteristic was noted in consumer focus groups conductedby Amy Bowen, research program leader, consumerinsights, Vineland Research andInnovation Centre (Vineland).Bowen says that visual appearance is important to consumers for whom pears arenot a top-of-mind purchase. TheCold Snap pear differs from itsBosc and Bartlett competitors inthat it’s slightly larger in size.The texture is pleasing to thepalate as is the balance of sweetness and acidity.

Continued on page 3

SEPTEMBER 2015 CELEBRATING 136 YEARS AS CANADA’S PREMIER HORTICULTURAL PUBLICATION VOLUME 65 NUMBER 09

VALUE CHAIN

Grocers hungry for winter-season pear

INSIDESDRM update Page 5

OFVGA summer tour Page 6

Focus: New equipmentand technology 4

www.thegrower.org

P.M. 40012319

$3.00 CDN

After 20 years in Canadian breeding trials, the Cold Snap pear is ready for its consumer debut in 2015. Anticipating significant volumes, Oleen Smethurst, (L) Costco’sgeneral merchandise manager for produce, visited the Niagara peninsula last summer to learn more about the fruit. John Thwaites (behind her) gave a tour of his Niagara-on-the-Lake, high-density orchard along with Mike Ecker, president, Vineland Growers’ Cooperative Ltd. Photos by Glenn Lowson.

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Competition deadline is Oct 13for RAWF

Growers may still be in thefields now but staff at The RoyalAgricultural Winter Fair arealready focused on November 6,when the 93rd annual Fair opensfor 10 days at Exhibition Place.

A horticulture display puttogether by industry volunteers isalways a hit with the public andcompetition is still intense to pro-duce winning fruits and vegetables.The apple competition is growingin popularity with more exhibitorsthan in past years. In the vegetablecompetition, the 2015 feature contest is yellow cooking onions

with prize money of $100 for thefirst place product.

Giant vegetables always draw acrowd at The Royal. This year, thefeature giant vegetable is Red BeetRoot with a $200 prize for the topentry. Growers can earn even morefor the biggest pumpkin or squashwith a top prize of $1,000 for thebiggest entry. The closing date forentries in all horticulture categoriesis October 13.

And if your household makesjams, jellies, pickles or relish, TheRoyal’s competition is now moreaccessible than ever. To level theplaying field, jams and jellies willnow have both amateur and professional classes so first-timersand hobbyists have a chance towin. The Royal will also introducea new display case for jams and jellies, sponsored by Bernardin.

And even if you’re not compet-ing, why not spend a day at TheRoyal? Support your industry andsee the best in crop, livestock,equine and culinary competitions.To find out more about the Fair andfor complete competition rules, goto royalfair.org or contact [email protected].

Primer for federalelection Oct 19

The Canadian ProduceMarketing Association (CPMA)and the Canadian HorticulturalCouncil (CHC) will be hosting awebinar September 15 to discusskey issues including:• The election to date and what

you can expect until October 19• Why produce is important topolitical parties and what they’resaying so far• CPMA and CHC election advoca-cy campaign and other activities• Getting the produce voice heardlocallyWebinar: Produce Industry FederalElection PrimerThursday, September 15th2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. EDT

Participation is limited, soplease register early for this freewebinar at hortcouncil.ca/events/webinars.aspx

This webinar will be offered inEnglish, however the PowerPointpresentation will be made availablein both languages prior to the webinar. If there is sufficient interest, a separate French webinarcan also be organized. If interestedemail Trevor Eggleton at [email protected].

NEWSMAKERS

THE GROWER

AT PRESS TIME…

PAGE 2 –– SEPTEMBER 2015

The Ontario GreenhouseVegetable Growers(OGVG) has announcedthat Rick Seguin, for-mer regional director,Ontario, for Agricultureand Agri-Food Canada(AAFC) will become thenew general managereffective September 8.He replaces GeorgeGilvesy, who has beenin the role for the lasteight years. In turn,George Gilvesy hasbeen appointed as chair of the OGVG board by the Ontario FarmProducts Marketing Commission effective November 1, replacingoutgoing Don Taylor, who is retiring.

Mr. Seguin brings extensive policy, economics and managerial experience to the general manager’s role after a 32-year career withAAFC and other federal government departments. Since January2015, he has been seconded to the Federal Economic DevelopmentAgency for southern Ontario as director general. He also has nineyears of accumulated experience working in agri-food trade development, specifically in Dubai, United Arab Emirates andDhaka, Bangladesh.

Seasonal agriculturalworker Dagoberto Cruzwas the focus on thecover page of the August6 edition of theCanadian Champion. His story chronicles thebenefits of coming towork for Bert andLauraine Andrews at Andrews’ Scenic Acres, Milton, Ontario forthe last 16 years. A native of Tenancingo, Mexico, Cruz supports theuniversity education of his daughter who wants to become a lawyer.

John Van de Vegte has joined the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture,Food and Rural Affairs as the engineering specialist in the Eloraoffice. For the last three years, he has been the project manager inrobotics and automation at the Vineland Research and InnovationCentre. His endeavors have contributed to automated packaging systems, automated planting systems and robotic harvesting.

INTERNATIONAL

UNITED STATES

Bejo Seeds bets on kohlrabi

In a value-added venture, Bejo Seeds has partnered with FarmStand Fresh Foods to produce fresh-cut, kohlrabi veggie sticks.Together they are distributing to both the U.S. and Canada.

The kohlrabi program is in its early days, however Jeff Trickett,Bejo Seeds sees potential with seed varieties such as Kossak GiantKohlrabi. It’s a time-consuming vegetable to prepare, but in a fresh-cut format, it shows promise.

Jose Marrero, Farm Stand Fresh Foods, is currently looking forgrowers in the U.S. and Canada.

Don Taylor, outgoing OGVG chair.

Continued from page 1

When introduced to the Cold Snap pear,consumers’ interest perks up. They enjoythe breadth of apple varieties, so why notin pears?

“We now have a wealth of understand-ing of consumer perceptions of the entirepear category,” says Bowen.

For a research institution to have thisdepth of consumer insight is now part andparcel of bringing new fruit varieties tomarket. When the genetics of the pear weretransferred from Agriculture and AgriFoodCanada to Vineland in 2009, a new business model was born. The agreementwas that Vineland would have the globalrights to the variety. Vineland then sub-licensed the growing and marketingrights for Canada to the Vineland Growers’Cooperative Ltd. headquartered in JordanStation, Ontario. In return, the growers’cooperative pays a tree royalty and a per-acre, production fee to Vineland whichthen is reinvested for more varietal, sensory and consumer research.

To date, Vineland has sub-licensed theCold Snap pear to Star Fruits in France andto the Association of International Groupof Nurseries based in Washington state. Inthe fine print, these sub-licensees cannotmarket Cold Snap fruit into Canada duringthe production season.

“We are employing an exclusive modelthat is relatively new to Canadian growers,” says Lana Culley, Vineland’sdirector of business development. “Theidea is to enable licensees like the Co-op todevelop a brand and carve out a place inthe retail market, generating added value.While not all varieties are right for thismodel, we feel that these pears presentgreat value and present an opportunity toexpand pear options for consumers. ColdSnap represents the first of several varietiesin the pipeline. We are currently finalizing

the terms of the next variety with the Co-op.”

For its part, Vineland Growers’Cooperative has contracted farmers in bothOntario and Nova Scotia to produce ColdSnap pears in quantities that will fill retailer orders. About 7,000 to 8,000bushels are expected this year and almost

double that volume in 2016. That’s alsoreassuring news for wholesalers such asCostco.

“Canadians are looking for new,flavourful produce items,” says OleenSmethurst, Costco’s produce general merchandise manager for the last decade.“The fact there’s a Canadian story makesthe pear completely perfect.”

For Vineland Growers’ Cooperative,2015 will represent its fifth year of delivering tree fruit to Costco. The relationship started with a test season ofpeaches, then has bloomed to includeseven different items.

“Niagara peninsula growers do a spectacular job of delivering quality under

strict specifications,” says Smethurst.“These specs are not easy to hit. Productcan be refused at depots if the productdoesn’t meet the specification. I can saythat their product is comparable toCalifornia.”

With global markets in constant flux,not to mention currency rates, Smethurstunderlines the importance of local fruit toCostco. “There’s not enough Ontario fruitto buy,” she says. “There weren’t enoughEarly Golden plums and blue plums to buyin 2014. I couldn’t get enough product.”

This is encouraging news for Niagara-area growers who are betting that the ColdSnap pear will not only add another item totheir sales list but refresh the pear category.

SEPTEMBER 2015 –– PAGE 3

THE GROWER

COVER STORY

Grocers hungry for winter-season pear

NEW YORK

New York AppleGrowers rebrand

The 145 members of the NewYork Apple Growers haverebranded under Crunch TimeApple Growers. The change wasspurred by confusion with othergroups such as New York AppleSales and New York AppleAssociation.

The association has recentlylaunched SnapDragon andRubyFrost apple varieties whichwere developed out of theCornell breeding program.Growers pay royalties on treespurchased, acreage planted andfruit produced, and the incomehelps support Cornell’s applebreeding program.

The SnapDragon apple varietywill launch in October in thenortheast, mid-Atlantic andsoutheast regions. RubyFrost willbe in stores in January 2016.

For more information, visitCrunchTimeAppleGrowers.com.

Source: FreshPlaza.com

INTERNATIONAL

PERU

World PotatoCongress goes toLatin America

Peru will host the 10th WorldPotato Congress in 2018, the firsttime for the congress to be heldin Latin America. The triennialevent supports the global growthand development of the potato.

While Peru’s potato heritageplayed an important role in itsproposal, the country snaggedthe honour due to its fortunestoday. Peru, Latin America’s toppotato producer, actively promotes its native potatoes andpotato products internationally.

More than 800 potato scientists and industry representatives are expected tovisit the Peruvian city of Cusco,high in the Andes. It’s the formercapital of the Incan empire,known for growing potatoes forthousands of years.

Source: FreshPlaza.com

The Cold Snap pear was bred by DavidHunter, an Agriculture and Agri-FoodCanada researcher, now retired.Because of the long juvenile phase inpears, seedling orchards need to begrown and evaluated for at least 10years. Further testing is required tointroduce new cultivars which explainsthe 20-year time frame from cross-breeding to consumer launch. UnlikeBosc or Bartlett pears, this fire blight-resistant variety is characterized by arosy blush and a welcome balancebetween sweetness and acidity.

The Cold Snap pear will be available December through March according to theVineland Growers’ Cooperative. The long-storing characteristics of this pear extendthe availability of local pear varieties from late summer right through to springthaw.

– SEPTEMBER 2015THE GROWER

CROSS COUNTRY DIGEST

ALBERTA

Little Chef Approvedrecipes feature creamer potatoes

Just in time for back to school,The Little Potato Company haslaunched a new program to pro-vide tools and tips to make it eas-ier for parents to cook with theirkids. The program will include agrowing collection of “Little ChefApproved” recipes featuringcreamer potatoes, and tips forcooking with kids of various agesat www.LittlePotatoes.com/LittleChef. Social media such asPinterest and Twitter will be usedto invite parents and kids to sharefavourite recipes.

Research has shown that foodpreparation and cooking skillsimpact both kids’ and teens’ foodchoices. When kids are exposedto fresh, unprocessed foods and

learn to prepare them well, theyare more likely to feel comfortable buying and cookingthese foods as adults.

“Over almost 20 years in business, we’ve noticed that aspeople learn about our littlecreamers and their nutritiousgoodness as a vegetable, the morelikely they are to enjoy cookingwith and sharing them,” saysAngela Santiago, CEO and ChiefPotato Champion, The LittlePotato Company and mother offour. “We think it’s important tohelp kids learn about cooking anddelicious, healthy food ingredients early so they grow-upwith great eating habits, includingour creamers.”

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Hot summer challenges

Thanks to Town HallCommunications, Leeann Froesehas canvassed several BritishColumbia grape growers on thestatus of their crop. WhatChristine Coletta, owner ofOkanagan Crush Pad, has to sayis typical of this year’s sun-drenched province. The winery is based in Summerland inthe Okanagan Valley.

“At Okanagan Crush Pad weare more than half way into yetanother great season in theOkanagan. But as we like toremember, it isn’t over until it’sover, and the next three monthsare the most crucial to shapingvintage. Will we get those coolerfall days with cold nights thatallow for hang time that createsthe phenolic ripeness and naturalacidity that we all crave? Or willthere be a quick, sharp finish tothe growing year that leaves uswith high sugars, resulting inwines with higher than normalalcohol levels? Time will tell.

An early spring and unseasonably warm summer has

challenged viticulturists through-out the valley. We did not get thetypical rainfall we expect in Juneand the rest of the summer hasbeen dry and hot. A careful watchon irrigation levels has beenrequired.

Bountiful crop sets with largecluster formations and smallberry size should result in someexcellent wines next year. Theearly spring start will guaranteethat most crops will finish ontime and viticulturists will surelybe pleased about that. With veraison starting we anticipate alate September /early Octoberharvest. Let’s keep our fingerscrossed and hope that the weathercontinues to co-operate as weeagerly anticipate yet another outstanding year.

As far as water use goes, vineyards used significantly lesswater than tree fruits, and vineyards with drip irrigation,even less than vineyards withoverhead irrigation. Our homeorganic vineyard, SwitchbackVineyard, used seven inches ofirrigation water a year comparedto the standard 19 inches. At thispoint the Okanagan is on waterrestrictions, but this is an annualoccurrence and nothing out of theordinary as is being experiencedin the lower mainland.

From the forest fire situation,there has been absolutely zeroimpact from fires and smoke inour area. A few people have saidon social media that they are concerned that the smoke canimpact the harvest. This kind oftalk is a little on the sensationalside as smoke would have to bewithin close proximity -- not 50km away -- and for an extendedperiod of time, not a day or two,to have any impact on grape quality.”

Christine Coletta, owner,Okanagan Crush Pad,Summerland, B.C. Photo byLionel Trudel.

Agricorp is mailing participantpackages in September for theself-directed risk management(SDRM) plan for edible horticulture to eligible producersacross Ontario. SDRM: EdibleHorticulture is part of Ontario’sRisk Management Program(RMP) to help producers mitigaterisk associated with farm busi-ness. A maximum of $100 mil-lion in funding is availablethrough RMP for cattle, ediblehorticulture, grain and oilseed,hog, sheep and veal sectors. The participant package forSDRM: Edible Horticulture contains all the forms required toparticipate, along with importantinformational materials. TheSDRM: Edible HorticultureParticipant Handbook and theProgram Details and ChangesInformation Sheet provide all theinformation needed to understandthe plan and complete the depositand withdrawal forms. Agricorpwill mail a participant package toproducers who:

• produced and sold an eligiblecommodity in Ontario in 2014.Eligible commodities includefruit, vegetables, herbs, spicesand more. A complete list isavailable at agricorp.com.

• filed a T1163 with theCanada Revenue Agency or

submitted a Statement A toAgricorp for 2014

• farmed an eligible commodity for a minimum of sixconsecutive months in thetaxation year

• have a minimum of $5,000 inallowable net sales (ANS).Details about ANS are availableon the information sheet and atagricorp.com.

How the plan works

Make a deposit

The producer deposits funds intoa self-directed risk management(SDRM) account, by submitting acompleted Deposit Request and acheque to Agricorp. A DepositRequest is included in each participant package.

Government contribution

The government will contribute tothe producer’s SDRM account.Government contributions may bemade in instalments; one at thetime of the deposit and a possiblesecond after all participating producers have made theirdeposits. This ensures producerswho make deposits later in theprogram year will have equalaccess to the available funding.

Make a withdrawal

Producers can submit aWithdrawal Request wheneverthey need the funds from theirSDRM account to cover any lossor expense. A WithdrawalRequest is included in each participant package and is alsoavailable on agricorp.com.Producers can enrol for directdeposit to have withdrawalsdeposited directly into their bankaccount instead of waiting for acheque. Details are available onagricorp.com.

Related programs

SDRM: Edible Horticulture ispart of a comprehensive suite ofbusiness risk management pro-grams designed to help mitigaterisks. Different programs coverdifferent risks. Participation in allprograms ensures you have maxi-mized coverage for your farm.

AgriStability

AgriStability protects againstlarge declines in farming incomecaused by production loss,increased costs or market conditions. For producersenrolled in both RMP andAgriStability, RMP payments are

offset against the provincial portion of AgriStability paymentsfor the corresponding programyear.

Production Insurance

Production Insurance covers production losses due to thingssuch as adverse weather, disease,wildlife and insect and disease

infestations. Production Insuranceclaims also count towards a pro-ducer’s ANS which is the basisfor the maximum governmentcontribution. Government contri-butions are not offset againstProduction Insurance claims. Visit agricorp.com for moreinformation.

Source: Agricorp

THE GROWER


Growing Forward in place until March 31, 2018 Ontario growers are reminded

of some administrative changes tothe Growing Forward II programby Margaret May, regional program lead, Ontario Soil andCrop Improvement Association. • Producers can apply to the program either though the online

portal (ontarioprograms.net) or byprinting off the applications andsubmitting them via fax, email orby post.

• The forms are all availablethrough the portal if you chooseto go that route, or can be printed

from this link:http://ow.ly/QLwck

• In order to apply toEnvironment and ClimateChange, producers need to com-plete the Enrolment, Application,Focus Area Information page and

include a copy of the certificaterecognizing completion of an EFPand an Action Plan from EFP.For most categories workshopattendance is a prerequisite.Attach a certificate verifyingcompletion and an action plan.

• There is funding for the hydrogeological assessments incategory A.0.2 at 50 per cent costshare. The next application intakedate for producers and processorsis scheduled for November 16 toDecember 3.

• Note that the GF2 intake datesor organizations and

collaborations are different.Applications are now beingaccepted under this stream untilOctober 15. Refer to the websitefor future application intake datesfor organizations and collaborations.

• A list of MANDATORY work-shops that are available to attendcan be found through the follow-ing link: http://ow.ly/QLwSS

• The program guide is availablefrom the following link:www.ontariosoilcrop.org/docs/gf2_costshare_producer_guide_2015-2016.pdf

Time to participate in SDRM: Edible Horticulture RISK MANAGEMENT

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 & numerousother 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. [email protected]

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– SEPTEMBER 2015THE GROWER

ONTARIO FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION SUMMER TOUR

KAREN DAVIDSON

Carrots, onions and celeryhave dominated the HollandMarsh for decades as JasonVerkaik recalls his Dutch grand-father’s marketing trek with horseand wagon back in the 1930s.With influxes of immigrants, firstthe Italians in the 1960s and thenthe Asians in the 1980s, the menuhas diversified. Greens such askale, dandelion and raddichiowere introduced by the Italianswhile Chinese bok choy wasgrown to suit Asian fare.

Today, the vegetable industrythat sprouts from muck soils isworth $1 billion, says Verkaik,chair of the Ontario Fruit andVegetable Growers’ Association(OFVGA) and one of the hosts ofthe OFVGA summer tour. To

protect that economic engine willtake some ingenuity.

“The biggest issue today isglobalization of price,” saysVerkaik. “Last year we were selling onions for $3 per bushelwhen it cost $4 per bushel to produce. All onion-producingregions in the world had exceptional yields. That situationwas worsened when Russiansanctions against European produce disrupted normal tradingpatterns. It’s a free market and noone wants to sit with produce instorage.”

So while the trinity of carrots,onions and celery is a mainstay,there’s an eye on growing newcrops to satisfy the palates of newCanadians. Purple-topped beetsand okra, for example, are centerplate fare in these Asian cultures.There’s a potential for

global vegetables, but the biggestchallenge is guaranteeing supplyto the major grocers. It’s still iffyto meet their numbers.

“Let’s be realisitic,” saysVerkaik “Can we grow these vegetables efficiently enough tobe profitable? That’s the question.We have fluctuations in our seasons and we can’t make afarm on that. We need moreresearch for the future.”

With land costs of $25,000 to$35,000 per acre in the HollandMarsh, it’s not clear that farmerswill risk growing a new crop forwhat is still a niche market duringthe summer months. That question is the focus of study bythe Vineland Research andInnovation Centre, whose ongoing trials are looking atAsian eggplant and okra.

‘The Holland Marsh is a $1 billion salad bowl’: Jason Verkaik

Just five years ago, CarronFarms launched a CommunitySupported Agriculture (CSA) program with 45 boxes in the firstweek. It was early days for thetrend that was taking its cue fromlocavores who wanted to knowthe source of their vegetables.Farmers such as Jason Verkaikand his sister Lesley Martin saw aniche for hand-delivered vegetables.

Their twist? On top of their

own carrots, onions and beets,they partner with 50 other farmersto supply the cream of the crop ofeach type of produce. It’s notunusual to find kale, purple cabbage and even cranberry beansin their weekly offering, suitablynamed Harvest Share Food Box.Many customers call it Christmasin a box.

In 2015, the program lasts for20 weeks, packing about 7,500 to10,000 pounds of produce per

week. Do the math on 500 boxesper week, and that’s a total of150,000 pounds of produce in oneseason – direct to the consumer.

“The bumper sticker FarmersFeed Cities is not just about protein,” explains Lesley Martin.“I sometimes feel like a preacherwith this program as I am con-stantly educating our consumersthat if they give their weeklyboxes 30 to 40 minutes storingand prepping the produce, then

their food will give them a lifetime.”

The box includes tips on stor-age as well as a weekly recipe.One family sets aside a time eachSunday that’s devoted to makingthe weekly recipe together.

“I am a produce broker, a produce educator, a produce

preacher, a recipe provider, anOntario farmers’ advocate butmost of all my favourite title withthis program was dubbed by oneof our consumer’s three-year-oldson,” says Martin. “ He calls methe Vegetable Lady and that isjust fine with me.”

This food box is out of the box On a weekly basis, The Harvest Share Food Box goes to 500 customers containing surprises such as cranberry beans. The program is operated by Carron Farms Ltd.

THE GROWER


ONTARIO FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION SUMMER TOUR

The Holland Marsh’s high organic matter is a boon anda curse. Organic matter measures as high as 80 per cent, abonus for growing root crops. The onus, however, is ongrowers to clean suspended solids from the washwater ofthe harvested crops. And that’s the subject of research andtrials by the Holland Marsh Growers’ Association WaterProject.

“We’re looking at not just phosphorus but at the turbidity of the water,” says HMGA water project managerCharles Lalonde. During the three-year project, one of thegoals is to reduce risks to the environment from vegetablewashwater discharge. A favourable outcome will be tocomply with regulations from the Ontario Ministry of theEnvironment and Climate Change. One unique challengeis associated with suspended particles from muck soils. Adifferent washwater system is required than for mineralsoils.

To date, several technologies have been evaluated withmixed success. The endgame is to build capacity in theindustry to supply proper treatment options. The newestfactsheet has been posted on Regulatory Permitting andCompliance. For that factsheet and more information, goto www.HMGAWater.ca.

This round of research comes after a significant $26million upgrade of the 28 kilometre canal system that supplies water to the Holland Marsh. Started in 2010, thisis the largest drainage project ever undertaken in Ontario,says Frank Jonkman, storm water management for theTown of Bradford.

The process included the assessment of any landownerswho stood to benefit. Farmers in King Township, a majority of the marsh, were assessed $450 per acre beforeany grants were applied. The end tally was $106 per acrepaid over five years. Landowners outside the marsh had a

final bill of five dollars per acre. Interestingly, the project was sensitive to the 18

different fish species identified. Jonkman reports thatmore than 45,000 fish were relocated in the process while32,000 square meters of littoral shelves were built in thenew canals to provide spawning habitat.

“Every rainfall, loose organic soil ends up in the river,”says Jonkman. “We just finished dredging and up to threefeet is taken out every time we drain.”

Rehabilitation of the canal system hasn’t come toosoon. “If you go back to the destruction of HurricaneHazel in 1954, you realize that we’re overdue for another50-year event,” says Jonkman. “In recent rainstorms, wecan get two inches in 40 minutes, so we need to do something with that water. The new canals help.”

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OUR EXPERTS ARE HERE TO HELP!

The Muck Crops Research Station is an important hub operated by the Universityof Guelph. It focuses on trials for new crop protection products, seed cultivars andnew crops.

These data loggers provide a myriad of weather information, including rainfall,temperature and humidity.

Yellow sticky traps monitor onion maggot fly activity which determine generationpeaks and damage potential.

A staffer inspects for second-generation onion maggot fly damage in onion plots atthe Muck Crops Research Station. Photos by Glenn Lowson.

“If you go back to the destruction of Hurricane Hazel in 1954, you realize that we’re overdue for another 50-yearevent. In recent rainstorms, we can get two inches in 40 minutes, so we need to do something with that water. The newcanals help.” ~ Frank Jonkman

THE GROWER


ONTARIO APPLE TOUR

Practical experience is shared on managing high-density orchards

Mori Essex Nurseries Ltd.

Founded in 1950 by LinoMori, this nursery stock companyhas 650 acres in Essex Countywith head office in Jordan at theVineland Growers’ Cooperative.Staff planted 1.5 million rootstock in the spring of 2015and will harvest 900,000 this fall.

A majority of the production –75 per cent – is devoted to apples,with the remainder in peaches,plums, cherries, apricots andhazelnuts. Rob Haynes explainedthat apples are grown on M9, B9plus four Geneva rootstocks(G935, G202, G41 and G210) aswell as B10. They are gradually converting from stool bed production to tissue cultured rootstocks. The advantage isvirus-free rootstock with morejuvenility (accepts buds at smallersize) and more uniformity. At thisjuncture, 80 per cent of the applesare Honeycrisp, Ambrosia andGala. Other cultivars can bepropagated on order. Custombudding is available.

Photo left: Rob Haynes (L) andproduction manager MarcusWeber inspect fireblight-resis-tant, Geneva apple rootstock atMori Essex Nurseries, Harrow,Ontario.

The Fruit Wagon

Doug Balsillie and LeslieHuffman bought their first farmon the shores of Lake Erie in1983 and now farm 35 acres.They sell fresh fruit, berries,some vegetables and flowers attheir roadside Fruit Wagon aswell as farmers’ markets. Mostof their apples are sold wholesale.

Orchard renovations are ongoing with the trend to higher-density and intensive manage-ment. Back in 1988, they wereplanting 400 trees per acre. In

2015, they planted 1980 trees peracre – Ambrosia at 11 x 2.

Hand thinning is done usingthe Equilifruit disk and /orCornell Young Tree Guide. Thefarm utilizes sleeping eye treesstarted in grow-tubes with bamboo supports, as well as nursery trees. Trickle irrigationand fertigation are used fromplanting time to encouragegrowth to reach the top wire asquickly as possible.

As of 2012, the farm has participated in OAG cultivar trials, including SPA 766, SPA813, SPA 365, SPA 493, Salishand Nicola. The site is also usedfor a nursery branching trial withMori Essex Nurseries and CornellUniversity to test Maxcel,Promalin and Tiberon for treebranching.

E & B Medel Orchards Ltd.

Ernie and Katie Medel boughttheir first farm in 1961. Bill andDoris joined in 1980, with son-in-law Jared Blair coming on board

with their daughter Melissa in2005. Together, they manage 120acres of apples, seven acres ofpears, five acres of plums and 15acres of peaches. Frost fans wereinstalled in 2013. New plantingsare with a 12 x 4 trellis system.Their packing line was recentlyupgraded in 2015 with a programmable logistics computer.

Sugar Apple Orchard Ltd.

Paul Frankis joined thisorchard in 1990 to manage 95acres of apples and a small sweetcherry block. He started plantinghigh density in the 1990s at 12 x6 and 12 x 5. In 2007, he plantedGala at 12 X 4. In 2015, he plant-ed Ambrosia (G41) at 12. 2.5.Hail stung the orchard in both2000 and 2001, so hail nettinghas now been installed. Hebecame a believer in frost fansafter spring frost loss in 2012.Frankis uses four-wire trellis fortall spindle tree training, using thewire trainers to tie branches onyoung trees.

The Ontario Apple Tour visited Essex county, the most southwestern reaches of Ontario on July 21. At one of the stops, Doug Balsillie, The Fruit Wagon, discusses thefarm's evolution in training systems from central leader to vertical axe to solaxe to tall spindle. Photos by Glenn Lowson.

Since hail wiped out his crop in the early 2000s, Paul Frankis hasnot been without hail netting.

KAREN DAVIDSON

Elora, Ontario – If you’re a potato grower, it’s alwaysabout what new variety improves the growing, processingor eating experience. About 30 people attended the annualpotato research field day organized by Vanessa Currie,University of Guelph. There were 104 potato lines andcultivars showcased at the Elora Research Station.

Of note were purple-skinned potato varieties as well asthose with coloured flesh. Rong Cao, Guelph FoodResearch Centre, explained that the anthocyanins have animportant role in antioxidant and anti-inflammatoryeffects.

“Scientists are rethinking systemic inflammation andoxidative stresses – free radicals – at the cellular level,”said Cao. “Plant foods – fruits and vegetables, grains andnuts -- are a major source of phenolics and carotenoids.Yellow-fleshed potatoes, for example, have a pigmentfrom the carotenoid family containing lutein, important foreye health.

But it’s the phenolics, purple compounds, that havebecome the focus of more recent research. “Think of redgrapes, blackberries, purple varieties of potatoes and car-rots,” he said. “The darker the colour, the higher level ofantioxidant activity.”

One grower asked if a dehydrated purple potato wouldbe a potential product. Cao thought that it would dependon how the potatoes were dried. Processing heat affectsstability. Freeze drying purple potatoes might be a betterroute in preserving the health benefits while saving pro-cessing costs on energy.

In another presentation, Agnes Murphy, research scien-tist based at the AAFC Potato Research Centre inFredericton, New Brunswick, explained how the potato tri-als at the Elora Research Station relate to the Accelerated

Release program across the country. Similar adaptationtrials are conducted in Prince Edward Island, NewBrunswick, Manitoba and Alberta with demonstration tri-als also set up in Saskatchewan and British Columbia.

All the trial data from across the country, includingagronomic and culinary evaluations, and disease and pestevaluations are distilled by the end of November. From the48 cultivars currently on trial, about 10 to 15 will be iden-tified that show the most promise for adaptation, yield andculinary qualities. About half of the lines are for the chip-ping industry, so measuring chip processing quality is animportant trait.

In February 2016, an open house will be held for theAccelerated Release program, with a real-time link to theLethbridge Research Centre. “If you see a selection thatyou like, you can order a 10 kilogram sample to try,” saysMurphy. “Seed is available for two consecutive years, thenthe selections are offered exclusively on a competitive bidbasis. At that point, the grower can evaluate the cultivarunder field conditions for three years. A license can benegotiated as well as naming rights from Agriculture andAgri-Food Canada.”

THE GROWER


ONTARIO POTATO RESEARCH FIELD DAY

Reviewing the best cultivars for the future

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104 cultivars were on display at the recent OntarioPotato Research Field Day.

Dr. Rong Cao, Guelph Food Research Centre, inspectsa purple potato cultivar.

THE GROWER


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

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

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

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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 Don Taylor, Durham

OFVGA SECTION CHAIRS

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

There are many words thatcome into the vernacular of horti-culture to describe the ability tostay in business. The governmentis driving hard on the words“Competitiveness” and“Innovation.” Indeed innovationis the heart of many of theGrowing Forward 2 (GF2) programs and these are designedwith the intent to improve thecompetitiveness of the farmer.This in itself is laudable becauseit will keep our growers at theforefront of new technologies andways of doing business.

One of the key challenges,however, for growers to qualify

for GF2 funding is that whateverthey are applying for must beinnovative. This is defined as featuring new methods, and mustbe advanced and original. So inessence GF2 funding is designedfor the early adopters of technologies, because once aninnovation becomes applied on afarm or a few farms the relativeinnovativeness becomes less, andby default more difficult for thegovernment to provide support.

This leads to a larger discussion on moving innovationforward on a sector basis. It certainly does not come without aprice to the industry, and for theindustry to remain globally competitive, this is going to bepart of the cost of doing business.Other jurisdictions are investingheavily in new developments,technologies and business practices that are going to pushthem to be more efficient.

Ontario horticultural farms arealso doing this. A great exampleof how the sector is embracingnew technology while at the sametime addressing key issues con-cerning water and environmentalmanagement is in the greenhousesector. Low or zero water discharges are not only efficient

production, they vastly reduce theneed for outside water sources.This is made possible by significant investment in sensortechnology, information technology (IT) and engineering.

Adoption of new technologieswill also assist in addressing oursky-high energy costs. Everyfarmer knows that the price paidfor energy in Ontario is and willcontinue to be a significant challenge to profitability. Usinghigh efficiency lighting, highercapacity planters and tools whichreduce the number of timesrequired to go over a vegetablefield can assist in improving theexpense line of the balance sheet.

New technology does not haveto be in the form of equipmentand does not have to be driven byimproving the cost of production.New tools which enhance cropprotection are continually beingdeveloped and brought to market.Methods of production that canreduce the need for these tools arealso being embraced, includingthat being done in the greenhouse(such as insects that eat otherinsects) and in the field (forexample, use of predatory birds toremove fruit damaging birds).

New varieties that are disease-

and insect-resistant will no doubtenhance returns to producers.The development of theMillennium Asparagus a fewyears ago brought tremendousreturns to the sector.Improvements in cold and frosttolerance could reduce theimpacts of spring chill events,and potentially reduce thereliance on agricultural insurance.And those technologies which aredesigned to address consumerneeds such as the Innate potato orthe Arctic apple – both genetical-ly designed to prevent browningand enhance consumer appeal --will potentially change the landscape for growers.

Technologies for labour sav-ings are also a great opportunityfor growers since this is often thehighest cost of production. Evenusing analyses such as processengineering -- as proposed by theVineland Research andInnovation Centre – can lead tosavings and improvements in efficiency, as well as enhance theway that people work in manyareas of production. Increasingcapacity of growers by movingfrom older technologies to even“near-new” technologies canimprove the bottom line for

growers. It may not have to bethe sparkling, brand new development that is needed toenhance grower competitiveness.

All of these advances needinvestment. With ever-increasingglobal competition it is essentialthat growers have the ability toinvest in their businesses so thatthey do not stagnate.

How do we pay for theseinvestments? It is well knownthat it is very difficult to passthese costs to the marketplace andfarmers need to have financialtools available to help theminvest. Perhaps investing in technologies that reduce the needfor crop insurance could be aninvestible option for the government. Perhaps speedingup the time for depreciation ofcapital assets would be a viableoption, thereby providing growerswith more liquid capital to re-invest in their businesses.Improvements to the ability offarmers to invest in these tech-nologies are necessary to keep theterms “Innovation” and“Competitiveness” relevant to themodern grower. We are workinghard to make this a reality.

Innovation and new technologies are essential

JOHN KELLYEXECUTIVE VP, OFVGA

Carrot harvest was well underway at the farm of Doug van Luyk, Newmarket, Ontario on August 19. The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers' Association summer tourobserved the harvest in action. The harvesting equipment is custom manufactured in the Holland Marsh with many innovative features. The final touch is the paint job in'John Deere' green.

WEATHER VANE

THE GROWER


I love living in Canada andbeing a Canadian. That said, tome, travel beyond our bordersmakes life a little richer, especial-ly where food and agriculture areinvolved -- which is almosteverywhere you look.

Some cities have exceptionallystrong agriculture and food connections. Chicago, for example, is one of America’sgreat agricultural cities, owinglargely to its central Great Lakeslocation.

In the mid 1800s, Chicagohelped open the midwest to grainexports via the railways and shipsserved by its port. The railwaysystem also helped move livestock from the prairies wherethey were grown, to the highlypopulated east coast. The ChicagoBoard of Trade was developed tohelp facilitate contracted grainsales and prices for U.S. farmers,

and still sets the pace today forprices everywhere.

For consumers, the city’s livestock heritage has led to thedevelopment of some of the country’s top steak houses andchains. And the immigrants thatcame here for work provided abroad palate of ethnic flavours,including the fantastic Italianfood my family and I enjoyedduring a summer holiday there afew weeks ago.

But although most of theingredients for our pizza camefrom American farms, I doubt ifmore than a few fellow dinersthought about the farmers whogrew them, or the agriculture system that processed them andtransported them here.

Historians note even nativeChicagoans are three or four generations removed from agriculture. And when touristslike us visit, it’s the food, not thefarmer, that typically comes tomind.

This discrepancy isn’t lost onAmerican farmers. A debate isgoing on in the U.S. right nowabout how much of the multi-billion dollars the federal government spends to supportfarming should be dedicated topromoting food exports, versustrying to stimulate more domesticconsumption – particularly, offruit and vegetables.

Academics are weighing in. Arecent study published in theJournal of Agricultural and

Applied Economics said modestdecreases in trade promotionexpenditures, coupled with moremoney for domestic promotionefforts, could influence domesticmarket conditions, caloric intakeand nutrient consumption.

There's more to this thanhealth. Sure, exports are good forthe economy. But any effort topromote American food domestically can be spun as beinggood for health and for keepingAmerica strong. In that way, eating more U.S. fruit and vegetables also feeds Americans’strong sense of patriotism, andappeals to their desire for greaterself-sufficiency and security.

My brother-in-law Todd, aproud American, produces videosfor corporate real estate companies in Michigan trying tosell industrial properties. He’s noslouch. We stopped to see himand my sister Beth on our way toChicago, and had a chat aboutGMOs. He wondered why foodcompanies “put” GMOs in food,like they’re some kind of additive, and why these compa-nies can’t just pick them out, likemost people do (or try to do, andfail) with anchovies on a pizza.

He felt a little better when Iexplained the GMO traits thathelp fight insects, boost produc-tion and resist certain herbicides

are not expressed in the parts ofplants that we eat. But the conversation was further affirmation that agriculture has alot of catching up to do with consumers everywhere.

And farmers, who still havecredibility with the public, needto be the ones who take the lead.It takes a herculean effort tomeaningfully connect with journalists, restaurateurs and grocers and of course consumersthemselves, to introduce agriculture and talk about food.

However, work is somethingagriculture is familiar with. Andthat’s good, because there’s lot todo.

Should food promotion be global or domestic?

OWEN ROBERTSU OF GUELPH

PERSPECTIVE

Garlic ice cream? It’s allat a festival near you

MARK WALES

Garlic festivals are a greatopportunity for consumers tosample and purchase the manydifferent varieties that producershave to offer along with manygarlic products. They can trytasty treats such as garlic icecream and fresh roasted garlicbulbs. There is always entertain-ment and practical presentationsat every festival.

In September, Stratford

(September 12-13) and Toronto(September 20) are two opportu-nities to purchase one of Ontario'shealthiest crops. For informationand links go to www.garlicgrow-ers.on.ca to find out more aboutthe abundance of festivals inOntario. Harvest is all completedfor garlic growers so this iseveryone's chance to get freshOntario garlic before it is gone.

Mark Wales is president of theGarlic Growers’ Association ofOntario.

– SEPTEMBER 2015

THE GROWER

BRUCE KELLY

Farm & Food Care Ontario onbehalf of the Ontario Ministry ofAgriculture, Food & Rural Affairs(OMAFRA) is undertaking awater efficiency pilot project thatwill go by the name SMARTWater.

The SMART project isdesigned to help growers in theHolland Marsh optimize their

water use which ultimately affectsinput costs and discharges to thewater system through wastewaterand tile drains. Workshops will beconducted for growers in the win-ter of 2016.

Interested growers are invitedto participate in the developmentof workshop materials that willaddress water supply and use;recycling and treatment; watersystem energy and water use andmanagement.

There are several areas thatgrowers could participate in, allof which are valuable in helpingto identify water and wastewateruse. There is no cost to participate. 1.Case Study Water UseAssessments: Three water useassessments will be conductedduring the 2015 growing seasonto develop case studies for:• Vegetable processor;• Potato irrigation system;• Irrigation system of another typeof vegetable grower.Each assessment will include on-site collection of information per-taining to current water uses, loss-es and estimated costs; prepara-tion of a water balance; identifi-cation of opportunities to reduce,reuse and optimize current wateruse and losses; and developmentof business cases (costs, equip-ment life, simple payback, etc.)for implementation of the identi-fied opportunities, and recom-mendations. A final report will beprepared documenting the currentsituation, identified opportunities,

economic assessment and recom-mendations.

Grower Time Requirement:One day with the assessmentteam on-site plus one additionalday.

Grower Benefits:• Water use and wastewater usecharacterization;• Identification of opportunities,cost savings and simple paybacks;• Identification of potential incen-tive programs to implementopportunities;• An experienced third party look-ing at your system and seeing itthrough fresh eyes (spot thingsyou had not considered).

2. Focus Groups: The goal is togather information from growersabout their current practices andknowledge, future plans and bar-riers to investment. Three focusgroups are proposed, one for eachtarget audience:• Vegetable processors;• Potato irrigators;• Other vegetable irrigators.

Grower Time Requirement:The duration of each focus groupwill be approximately two hoursfollowed by a complimentarylunch.

3. Water Use Assessments:Eleven assessments will be con-ducted at agricultural operationsin the Lake Simcoe andNottawasaga watersheds. Theseassessments are for the benefit ofgrowers and will not become partof the workshop materials. Theywill include:• One meat processing facility;• 10 at agricultural operations

including vegetable processing,irrigator, nursery, sod, and green-house facilities.

Each assessment will includethe on-site collection of informa-tion pertaining to current wateruses and losses and estimatedcosts; the identification of oppor-tunities to reduce, reuse and opti-mize current water use and losses;the business case (costs, equip-ment life, payback) associatedwith the identified opportunities;and recommendations. A finalreport will be prepared document-ing the current situation, identi-fied opportunities, economicassessment and recommendations.

Grower Time Requirement:One day on-site with the assess-ment team plus one additionalday.

Grower Benefits:• Water use and wastewater usecharacterization;• Identification of opportunities,cost savings and simple paybacks;• Identification of potential incen-tive programs to implementopportunities;• An experienced third party look-ing at your system and seeing itthrough fresh eyes. For more information on the pro-ject or if you are interested in tak-ing part in a water assessmentplease contact either Bruce Kellyat Farm & Food Care [email protected] or JodieMott at the Holland MarshGrowers’ Association: [email protected]

Bruce Kelly is environmental program manager, Farm & FoodCare.

SMART water project focuses onHolland Marsh

Sept 3 Muck Crops Research Station Grower Day, Bradford, ON

Sept 9 Ontario Berry Growers’ Twilight Meeting, Heeman’s Strawberries, Thames Centre, ON

Sept 12-13 Stratford Kiwanis Garlic Festival, Stratford, ON

Sept 15 – 17 Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, Woodstock, ON

Sept 15 – 17 37th International Carrot Conference, Nottawasaga Inn, Alliston, ON

Sept 16 OPMA’s Annual Produce Industry Golf Tournament, Lionhead Golf and Conference Centre, Brampton, ON

Sept 16 Grape Growers of Ontario Annual Celebrity Luncheon, Club Roma, St. Catharines, ON

Sept 20 Toronto Garlic Festival, Artscape Wychwood Barns, Toronto, ON

Sept 20-22 First Global Minor Use Priority Setting Conference Workshop, Chicago, IL

Sept 22 – 26 International Plowing Match and Rural Expo, Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, ON

COMING EVENTS 2015��

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THE GROWER


RETAIL NAVIGATOR

Annual sales plans are a win-win

We all get busy and it is easyto put off building a sales plan.Unfortunately, this is one of themost important initiatives in abusiness. The annual sales planallows you to predict what youwill accomplish in your businessand how it will get done. It is alsoimportant to share components ofthe plan with your customers --the retailers.

Develop credibility with yourcustomers

Building an annual sales planaccomplishes two things for youwith the retailer.1) Illustrates the professionalapproach you are bringing to thetable.2) Provides the opportunity toreview the sales plan to ensureyou are both on the same page.

Improve your results

Very important to ensure youhave what you need when youneed it. This will ensure continu-ity of supply to the retailer.1) Provides the information youneed to order inputs2) Provides information you needto order packaging3) Understand your cash flow

Building the plan

The process of building theannual sales plan does not need tobe complicated. If your item is inthe stores 12 months you need toproject a sales number by SKUfor each month and if your item isseasonal you should project theweekly sales by SKU.

My recommendation is to startwith your baseline sales. Theseare the sales you would do eachweek at regular price. Check tosee if your base line is accurateby using the total number ofstores you are in with each cus-tomer and project the cases perstore per week or per month.Each retailer will have a differentsales trend that you need to startwith. Influences such as addedreal estate or competitive pressurewill impact their overall sales upor down. Unless there is a goodreason, your item will followthese trends. Be realistic!

Once you have the base linesales you can begin to add thepromotional plan. Review the

results from the previous years toassess the opportunities. Somepromotions work better than oth-ers so determine where the bestweeks or months are for youritem. With the history you candetermine your x factor. This isthe multiple of regular sales toadd sales. Time of year and typeof promotion will impact the xfactor. For example you might geta sales lift of three times with ademo and five times with an ad.Plan each of the different types ofpromotions for your SKUs. Whenthese are added to your base lineyou will get your total weeklysales.

Remember to ensure you areprojecting the sales when you willsell the product, which, might beone to many weeks prior to theproduct going to the retailer. Thiscan get confusing when coordi-nating with retailers’ ads.

Once you have a plan builtyou should use the format todetermine how you can generatemore volume or more profit.Experiment with different pricesand promotion ideas to find theoptimum solution. Remember toinclude your everyday sellingprice and the discounts you needto participate in ads or the cost ofproduct for demos.

Share components of the planwith the retailer

Building a detailed sales planwill help to understand your busi-ness better. You can also takesome of the sections such as base-line and promo sales to reviewwith the retailer. You do not needto give them the whole plan --keep it simple to focus on theimportant numbers. Remember toonly show them the sales youhave with that specific customer.Prior to the year or the seasonyou should review this with thecategory manager. Make sure youare far enough in advance toallow any changes. Often if yousuggest ad weeks they will takeyour advice and slot the items in.Do your homework to understand

what happened last year prior tothe meeting.

The plan needs to stay alive

Set up your plan with space toadd actuals and year to date.There are a lot of variables but inthe end the sales number is whatit is. Year-to-date is very impor-tant to determine how you aredoing relative to the plan.

At the appropriate time, sharewith the category manager, goodor bad! This will allow you tohave the conversation about whyyou are close to the plan or not.Do not wait for them to call you.They have many items to manageand you have to keep your salesgoing.

If you have a process for

planning your sales or if you haveany questions you can contact meat [email protected].

Shopping in Korea is a familyouting

Recently I had the opportunityto speak to a group of retailers inKorea. While there, I was able tovisit a Home Plus store, which isowned by Tesco. It is always fas-cinating to see stores in differentmarkets. We are all trying to sellfood but there are so many differ-ent items and methods of sellingfood.

Fresh departments aredesigned to be a bridge betweenthe traditional wet markets andwhat we think of as supermarkets.There are third-party vendors in

the stores for some items and theyare more aggressive with sellingto the customer. Produce is a veryimportant department. Consumerswill judge the entire store basedon the quality of the produce.

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. [email protected].

PETER CHAPMAN

In Korean stores, it's common to find fermented seaweed.

Greens are very important in the Koreandiet.

Many different varieties of mushrooms aredisplayed, except for button mushrooms.

“Remember to ensure you are projecting the sales when you will sell the product, which, mightbe one to many weeks prior to the product going to the retailer. This can get confusing whencoordinating with retailers’ ads.”

THE GROWER


KAREN DAVIDSON

Princeton, Ontario - As labourcosts continue to escalate, so doesthe need for technology. Thedrums are beating in NorthAmerica for a $15 minimumwage and in some Canadian jurisdictions such as Ontario,employer contributions toimproved retirement plans are setto start in 2017.

While the Ontario RetirementPension Plan will have a two-year

phase-in, beginning with thelargest employers, farm employers will eventually berequired to contribute 1.9 per centof an employee’s wages up to amaximum of $90,000. At the toprate, that would mean an extraemployer contribution of $4.50per day per employee. (For more information, seehttp://ow.ly/Qu9gk)

These trends have been underway in Europe for quite afew years, forcing growers to findnew solutions. Those innovations

are now making their way toCanada, thanks to a new companycalled Specialty VegetableEquipment. The 50/50 partnershipis between Albert Van Oosten, anequipment specialist and StreefProduce, Princeton, Ontario.Formed in January 2015, thecompany has succeeded in testinga European prototype, single-manelectric asparagus harvester inOntario and has made a numberof improvements to meet NorthAmerican conditions.

Two self-propelled sprayershave just been imported fromEurope and will be on display atCanada’s Outdoor Farm Showthis month. These machines haveoptions that have never beenavailable in Canada before.

“We don’t have a lot of historybut between us, we have a lot ofexperience,” says Albert VanOosten. He’s also convinced thatenvironmental issues are changing how farmers view soilhealth and water conservation.“Farmers are entirely invested inthe environment,” he says.“Nothing disappears, it just converts. What goes up will comedown.”

That means farmers are interested in not only labour-saving technology, but energy-saving technology with less environmental footprint. Here aretwo examples of equipment that’sbeen field-tested in 2015.

Automatic hoe in action

Equipped with an infraredoptical bar, the Remoweed hasthe capability to remove weeds

both between the rows andbetween the plants in the samerow. The machine scans andremoves weeds found along thewidth of its frame while movingforward. One single pass isrequired to weed, aerate and side-dress.

Lettuce grower HenkDroogendyk and his distantcousin Matthew purchased thefirst machine in Ontario and put itto good use in the 2015 growingseason. On his 80 acres of sandyloam soil near Princeton, Ontario,Henk grows romaine, boston andleaf lettuce. Because herbicidesare not allowed in these crops,manual weeding is necessary andexpensive. In particular, shepherd’s purse is a weed whose

flowers can cause rotting in lettuce. If a week’s worth of lettuce is lost due to this pest,then there’s a gap in marketing toBayshore Vegetable Shippers.That’s not the ideal position for acompany promising continuoussupply to major grocers.

“This machine is working pastour expectations,” saysDroogendyk. “I would say 95 percent of the weeds are removedand the remainder is not a problem.”

Shared between the two farms,the machine is used about 20hours per week, every week ofthe season. The payback isexpected within a few years.

Continued on next page

Labour-saving equipment now top priority as costs increase FOCUS: NEW EQUIPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY

Henk Droogendyk and his son Leo and daughter Janine demonstrate the automatic hoe in lettuce. Photos by Glenn Lowson.

Shepherd’s purse is a particularly pesky weed whose flowers contaminate lettuce. It’s an important weed to control to ensureuninterrupted harvests throughout the growing season.

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Electric asparagus harvester showspromise

Port Burwell, Ontario - The one-person,one-row electric asparagus harvester haspotential according to Ken Wall, SandyShores Farms, Port Burwell, Ontario. With300-plus acres in production, Wall agreedto try a prototype from Holland this pastgrowing season.

The concept is to improve harvest timeswith the ability of a one-person harvesterto speed up and slow down betweenclumps of asparagus. Every second countsduring the limited seven-week season.

Current gas-engine harvesters have three orfive operators moving at a constant speed.The problem is that asparagus doesn’tgrow evenly, rather in clumps of spears.The operator can’t jump ahead to the nextclump without compromising the workerharvesting in the adjacent rows.

“I see opportunities for improvements inefficiency by as much as 100 per cent,”says Wall. He bases his opinion on timetrials that he conducted on the prototypemachine with different operators.

The electric two-battery system can becharged overnight so that there’s enoughpower for an entire day’s work. The

Holland prototype is being modified to fitthe standard 48-inch row common inCanada. The next model will have a joystick under the seat for steering.

“Innovation is a process,” says Wall. “Itcould take three to five years to learn anddiscover the best way forward. This conceptual design is very good and a stepin the right direction.”

More efficiency is needed in the asparagus industry if competitors fromCentral and South America are to be keptat bay. Those jurisdictions have dramatically lower costs of labour andmuch less regulatory burden.

While Ontario retailers have been supportive of the local asparagus industry,their support is not open-ended. The product must be cost-competitive to remainon shelves.

The irony, notes Wall, is that theOntario government has challenged agriculture to create more jobs by 2020,yet increased minimum wage rates at thesame time.

“On the one hand, we’re told to increasejobs, but we can’t do it with one hand tiedbehind our back,” says Wall. “We have nochoice but to look for labour-saving technology.”

THE GROWER


FOCUS: NEW EQUIPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY

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The 2015 Innovation Report is now available.Check out vinelandresearch.com/publications/innovation-reports

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This one-person asparagus harvester is a prototype tested at Sandy Shores Farms, Port Burwell, Ontario during the 2015 harvesting season. With enough power in a battery-charged unit for a day's work, this worker can modify the speed according to the crop density in front of him. This unit has efficiency benefits over the more traditional three-person, gas-engine powered harvester shown to the right.

Labour-saving equipment now top priority as costs increase

THE GROWER



Sidewall shearing in high-density apple orchards saves labour MARIO MIRANDA SAZO

In recent years, many applegrowers have adopted the tallspindle system, planting at threefeet by 12 feet so that partialmechanization is possible.Mechanical summer pruning hasstarted at a few farms in the LakeOntario Fruit Region where Iconduct extension activities forCornell University. An importantrequirement in this system is toplant densities of more than 1,200trees per acre and to develop anarrow, fruiting wall type ofcanopy.

Over the last three years, wehave conducted on-farm researchwith cooperator ScottVanDeWalle at Alton, New York.One of our objectives was toevaluate and identify an optimaltiming and method of sidewallshearing for apples. Summerhedging to replace summer handpruning has shown promisingresults. However, the transition-ing of a mature tall spindleorchard to a fruiting wall willrequire extra care to pre-form thetree the previous winter so thatthe apple flower bud load will notbe reduced excessively.

Our summer sidewall shearingresults were positive in 2012 and2013 but will require three ormore years to fully determine ifthis approach has long-term posi-tive results or if negative treegrowth or potential yield reduc-tion in the long term may negatelabour savings from mechanicalsidewall shearing. We are encour-aged so far in that there was littleregrowth from sidewall shearingtreatments, but we measured ayield reduction for Gala andLinda Mac in 2013.

Three apple growers in NewYork state have implemented

sidewall shearing at their farms.At one of these sites with a verynarrow fruiting wall and superspindle trees, hedging has beenconducted 12 inches from thetrunk of Gala, Honeycrisp andSweeTango the last two years,and this year to Fuji, Zestar, AceyMac, Macoun and Pinova trees.They have developed a systemwhere hedging is conducted at theend of the dormant season or atpink to pre-form the trees into ashape or “box” so that later sum-mer hedging does not cut offfruits. From the pre-formed “box”shoots grow during the seasonuntil they are hedged again in lateJuly or early August at 14 inchesfrom the trunk.

This spring, another 30-acreorchard site, of mature tall spin-dle trees was hedged at 24 inchesfrom the trunk to form or estab-lish the “box” concept. Hedgingoccurred in the late winter afterthe removal of big wood throughlimb renewal pruning. The prun-ing of the tops was conductedmanually after hedging and it lefta manicured fruiting wall with avery narrow top. The shoots com-ing from the “box” will behedged again in the summer of2015 at 26-28 inches from thetrunk.

The cost and time for summerhedging amounted to a fraction ofthe time – about five per cent –compared to manual summerpruning with loppers and ladders.If sidewall shearing in the sum-mer can reduce summer pruningcosts by 95 per cent and improvelabour efficiency without nega-tive effects on return bloom, vig-orous growth response, or a sig-nificant yield reduction, it willalso have a significant impact onorchard profitability.

Results from this two-yearsummer shearing study areen

couraging so far in that there waslittle regrowth from the sidewallshearing treatments with the tallspindle system. The trees to besummer hedged can be pre-shaped in the previous dormantseason so that the hedger does notcut off any fruits.

We plan to continue otherhedging experiments at growerfarms and at the Geneva ResearchStation in the years to come. Along-term strategy that a growerin France has implemented is touse annual sidewall shearing oftall spindle trees for two succes-sive years with no other dormantpruning but in the third year, toadd a dormant winter correctivepruning to remove limbs thathave become large and are caus-ing internal canopy shading andpoor quality.

Mario Miranda Sazo is with theCornell Cooperative Extension,Lake Ontario Fruit Program,Newark, New York.

View of a fruiting wall after hedging in early August 2015. Photos courtesy of Mario Miranda Sazo

Shoots after hedging.

“The cost and timefor summer hedgingamounted to a fraction of the time –about five per cent –compared to manualsummer pruning withloppers and ladders.”

THE GROWER



Hedging contributes to higher quality apples KAREN DAVIDSON

Harrow, Ontario - It was on atour to Chile organized by theInternational Fruit TreeAssociation (IFTA) that DougBalsillie first became aware ofthe benefits of hedging. In 2010,the practice hadn’t taken root inthe South American country butthere was plenty of discussion.The vegetative growth is shearedat just the right time to decreaseshading to the lower part of thetree and to harvest sunlight fromtop to bottom of the tree. Theresults are bigger quantities of ahigher quality apple, while reduc-ing the cost of manual pruning.

Balsillie is a strong advocatefor IFTA. “If you’re going tospend $30,000 to plant an acre ofapples, then you’d best spend$2,000 a year on internationalmeetings,” he says. “The rewardsare knowledge and networks. OurEuropean friends are now hedg-ing every year and manuallypruning every other year or threeyears. Time will tell how thisworks for us. The big drivetowards hedging is to savelabour.”

In the intervening years,Balsillie followed the globalresearch and became convinced

that he should build his ownmachine without all the bells andwhistles. He also witnessed hedg-ing results on an IFTA tour tonorthern Italy in 2014. It tookseveral years, but between himand a neighbour, they built amachine that debuted at The FruitWagon farm in June 2015.

“From what we’ve learned, it’sbest to employ this practice onthe longest day of the year,around June 21 for our latitude,”says Balsillie. “Hedge too earlyand you’ll initiate a response withtoo much regrowth. Hedge toolate and you’ll stimulate weakvegetative growth.”

The idea is to hedge duringthose long sunlit days so thatthere’s enough growth to initiatea fruit bud for next year. He setthe machine to shear 18 to 24inches from the leader at the bot-tom and six to eight inches fromthe leader at the top. This resultsin a tall slender canopy, a fruitingwall that can be picked easily.

Harvest time is near for hisvarieties that range fromAmbrosia to Silken. Balsillie isexpecting better fruit quality andhigher packouts.

“We’re committed to hedg-ing,” says Balsillie. “It’s going tobecome an integral part of the tallspindle growing system for

apples.” Sam Bourgeois agrees that

hedging is the way of the future.The apple grower from VergerBelliveau Orchard inMemramcook, New Brunswickwas also on the IFTA tour toItaly. He and a neighbouringfarmer, La Fleur du Pommier,now have a hedging machinesourced from the U.S.

This summer, Bourgeoishedged 20 high-density acres at

the 10-12 leaf stage. It’s his pick-your-own orchard with severalapple varieties. He’s not sureabout the timing. Like Balsillie,he knows that the practice mightbe too early or too late.

“There aren’t enough studiesin our region,” says Bourgeois.“We’ll be experimenting for thenext few years.”

What is clear already is thatthe box shape of the trees is help-ful when harvesting by platform.

The platform doesn’t hit andinjure the fruit. But the biggestadvantage is that the practice ofsummer hedging saves labour.

“It’s not just about savinglabour costs,” says Bourgeois.“Finding labour is hard.”

This new equipment is part ofan integrated management systemfor high-density orchards.

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KAREN DAVIDSON

Real-time tracking of harvestand packing is here for many ofOntario’s fruit growers, thanks tosoftware company DragonflyInformation Technologies. A productivity dashboard was rolledout in mid-August to give grow-ers a bird’s eye view of their current harvest and packing activities.

The newest version of the software system is now activelyused by more than 150 Ontariogrowers to manage more than17,000 acres of apples, grapesand tender fruit.

“We’ve deployed the systemfor several new growers thisyear,” says Matt Deir, DragonflyIT. “We’ve added support forforklift-mounted tablets to lowerset-up costs and make the systemcompatible for external accessstorage. The new hands-free system helps growers to managetheir inventory and has the addedbonus of increased traceability asit automatically tracks the harvest, storage and packing ofproduct.”

Dragonfly IT has made a namefor itself with Ontario’s fruit,grape and apple growers. Its FruitTracker software is customizedfor an industry adhering to a

higher standard of safety protocols. At first, its goal was toreduce administrative time documenting spray records tocomply with CanadaGAP. Theprogram has evolved to includepremises identification, productidentification and supply chainmovements.

The cloud-based software version is designed for the entirevalue chain from growers,

packers and distributors to industry associations and retailers. In 2014, Fruit Trackersoftware won the Premier’sAward for Agri-Food InnovationExcellence. Dragonfly is now amulti-dimensional solutions company focused on agribusiness

including cloud-based FruitTracker software, informationtechnology consultation and guidance services, and hardwaretechnology.

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THE GROWER


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Dragonly IT recently rolled out its real-time harvest and packing productivity dashboard to givegrowers a bird’s eye view of current harvest and packing activities.


THE GROWER


MARY RUTH McDONALD

Drones, also unknown asUAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles)or RPVs (remotely piloted vehi-cles) have many potential uses,although it may be some timebefore we see drones deliveringpackages. In agriculture,researchers have been usingdrones to do many tasks, includ-ing: trap spores of fungi highabove the ground, count apples inorchards and apply sprays tohard-to-reach areas of vineyards.However, the most interest seemsto be for field scouting and precision agriculture. Can “aerialsurveillance” be used to identifyareas of fields where disease isstarting or where additional fertilizer is needed?

At the Muck Crops ResearchStation, we have been workingwith High Eye Aerial ImagingInc. to look at how digital imagestaken from the sky can help withthe integrated pest managementprogram and in assessing researchplots. The company uses an octocopter- a UAV with eightpropellers – fitted with a camera.The octocopter is controlled fromthe ground and sends digitalimages back to a computer.Flights occur once a week andcover the field plots at the MuckStation and selected fields that arepart of the Muck CropsIPMprogram. Both ‘true colour’and near infrared images aretaken, and the infrared images arefurther processed to provide moreinformation.

This is the second year of theresearch project and we havelearned a lot, but there is muchmore to be discovered and devel-oped. The octocopter is best suit-ed to aerial photography on theMarsh. A fixed wing aircraftneeds more space to take off andland, and manned aircraft cannotfly low enough to get detailedimages. Some of the differencesin disease development that havebeen seen appear to be related tosoil conditions. Areas of a fieldthat show old creek beds or otherdifferences in soil structure arethe first areas where Stemphyliumleaf blight develops. Growershave noticed that Stemphyliumblight is worse where onions areunder stress, and the pictures confirm this.

Currently, members of theMuck Station staff are working tofind the best ways to use the digital images to make fieldscouting more efficient. At thispoint it takes extra time and effortto combine field scouting with aweekly review of the images. Inthe future, we expect that scoutswill look at the aerial images atthe start of the week and adjustscouting patterns to check out anybare patches or disease ‘hot spots’that appear. Another part of theproject is to produce “falsecolour” images with specific

colours that can be converted todata points to compare the intensity of chlorophyll or planttemperature for statistical analysisof different treatments, such asfungicides.

This work has been possible asthe result of the project“Innovative technologies forimproved plant health of fieldvegetables.” This project wasfunded in part through GrowingForward 2, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative. TheAgricultural Adaptation Councilassists in the delivery of GrowingForward 2 in Ontario. The projectwas sponsored by the BradfordCooperative Storage Inc. and theFresh Vegetable Growers ofOntario also provided funding.The project is lead by Prof. MaryRuth McDonald, Dept. of Plant

Agriculture, University ofGuelph, and involves graduatestudent Selasi Tayviah and IPMCoordinator Dennis Van Dyk.

Mary Ruth McDonald is researchprogram director, Department ofPlant Agriculture, University ofGuelph.

Aerial imaging explored at the Muck Crops Research Station

True colour aerial photograph of the Muck Crops ResearchStation plots taken by High Eye Aerial Imaging.

False colour image from aerialinfrared photograph. The center green section is a carrottrial. An onion trial is in thelower righthand corner.

Wednesday September 9th,Heeman’s Strawberries 20422Nissouri Rd. Thames Centre ONN0M 2P0 (just east of London).There will be lots to see including both June and day neutral strawberries, tunnel raspberries as well as their green-house operation. Several trialsbeing conducted on site that willbe highlighted. The OBGA will

spend some time bringing members up to date on the proposed marketing board forOntario Berries. Program startswith a farm tour at 4:00 pm followed by dinner around 6 pm.The cost will be $15-$20 per person to cover the cost of dinner. Please RSVP to KevinSchooley, at 613-258-4587, [email protected].

Ontario Berry Growersannual twilight meeting


THE GROWER

PAM FISHER

The weather changes of latesummer and early fall are oftenfavourable for leaf diseases onstrawberries. Rainy weather,extended wetting periods andheavy dews, all contribute to thebuildup of spots, blotches andpurplish lesions.

A couple of well-timed fungicides in late summer willhelp to control this problem.Depending on the disease complex present, different fungicides have their strengthsand weaknesses. Identifyingwhich leaf diseases are present isthe first step in choosing the bestfungicide. See table 4-21, page135-136 of OMAFRA Publication#360, Guide to Fruit Production2014-2015, to learn which fungicides provide the best control of leaf diseases. Fordetails on biology and life cycleof these diseases, seewww.Ontario.ca/cropipm.

Common leaf spot: This fungaldisease can be especially severeon Mira and Kent. Spots are purple with light centers.Infection occurs through the

underside of new leaves, beforethey are fully expanded.

Angular leaf spot: This is a bacterial disease, and is not controlled with most fungicides.Lesions are translucent and lookwet. Look for milky ooze inhumid conditions. The bacteria inthis ooze are easily spreadthroughout the field by workers,splashing rain or irrigation, andequipment. Use Copper 53W orTivano to suppress angular leafspot. If symptoms are showing upnow, fall sprays might help toreduce inoculum. All cultivars aresusceptible especially Wendy,Annapolis, and Jewel.

Leaf scorch: Research hasshown that winter injury is moresevere where this fungal diseaseis abundant. Look for solid purpleblotches, without a white centeror border. Kent and Clancy aregood indicator varieties for leafscorch.

Leaf blight: Caused by the fungus phomopsis, leaf blight iscommon on Governor Simcoe.We saw it on Malwina this yearas well. Lesions are multi-coloured and often

V-shaped, progressing inwardfrom a leaf edge.

Powdery mildew: This fungaldisease causes a range of confusing symptoms, from diffuse reddish specking, to a reddish-brown scorch. Often,affected leaves are curledupwards, causing a pinkish burnon the underside of the leaf. Veryfaint white powdery patches cansometimes be seen on the lowerleaf surface when infections arenew.

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THE GROWER

BERRY FOCUS

Raspberry herbicide optionsKRISTEN OBEID

To the right is a table that provides herbicide optionsfor new and established raspberry plantings. Each row inthe table provides rotation options for your managementprogram.

Why use one herbicide over another:

Preemergence herbicidesCasoron (Group 20) – long residual good on winter annuals and some perennials. Can be applied very late inthe fall / winter, as long as the ground is not frozen.Devrinol (Group 15) – expensive at labeled rates, good-to-moderate control of annual grasses and broadleaves; moderate control of groundsel. Spray only once per season in the fall or spring before weeds emerge.Princep Nine-T (Group 5) – great on annual grasses andbroadleaves.Sinbar (Group 5) – will also burn off small seedlings.Controls a large number of weeds including harder to control annuals and winter annuals: annual sowthistle,common chickweed, purslane, dandelion, henbit and yellow wood sorrel. However, may cause phytotoxicity.To avoid injury use low rates, lowest on sandy soil.

Postemergence Herbicides2,4-D (Group 4) – Apply at any time during the yearexcept during bloom. Keep off of new shoots. Do NOTspray more than two applications. Higher rates can beused for spot applications to control dandelions and otherperennial weeds.

Gramoxone (Group 22) – direct spray at the base ofcanes in the spring before new shoots emerge or in the fallwhen canes are mature. Gramoxone is a non-selectiveherbicide that will control all green plants.

Poast and Venture (Group 1) – for grass control. Ensureapplication is made at the appropriate leaf stage for thevarious grass weeds. Do NOT substitute other surfactants.

Comments on some newer strawberry varieties ELIZABETH HARLOW

A strawberry variety trial was planted in 2014 at theSimcoe Research Station in southern Ontario. The follow-ing information was based on observations from this trialin 2015, conversations with growers, and trial results fromother berry-producing regions in northeastern America.

A severe frost on May 22 impacted the early yields ofour trial.

Donna

This late-season strawberry originated from New Zealandin 1993, but it is new to Ontario. The fruit is medium-large, full red straight through, and heart-shaped with asmall calyx. The flavour is tart and juicy, and not verysweet. Some of the berries might have an irregular shape.Its flesh and skin are both soft and bruise easily. Donna issensitive to foliar diseases, and it produces relatively lowyields. It is recommended for trial planting only.

Laurel

This mid-season strawberry originated from a crossbetween Allstar and Cavendish made in Kentville, NovaScotia in 2012. Laurel is an improvement on Cavendish; itis firmer, more uniform, and more resistant to diseases.The berry is medium-large, bright red and very high quali-ty. The flavour is good, and it is an attractive, aromaticberry that ships well. Laurel is tolerant of leaf diseases andred stele, but susceptible to botrytis. It might not be fullywinter hardy for northern Ontario, and it produces averageyields. It is a good variety for fresh markets and pick-your-own.

Lila

This mid-season strawberry originated from a crossbetween Queen Elisa and Wendy made in Kentville, NovaScotia in 2012. It produces medium-small, shiny, orange-red, round conic berries with a slightly uneven surface anda grainy texture. The flavour is sweet and juicy, but some-what tart. The plant is semi-upright with an open growth

habit that makes it easy to pick. It is winter hardy.Recommended for fresh markets or pick-your-own.

Rubicon

This mid-season strawberry originated from New Haven,Connecticut. The berries are moderately firm, with excel-lent flavour and aroma. It has dark green foliage with abluish tinge. Rubicon is resistant to red stele and blackroot rot, but plants are susceptible to anthracnose. It toler-ates frost well, and produces good yields. It is recommend-ed for trial planting.

Malwina

This strawberry originated from Germany. They are a verylate-season variety, maturing after Valley Sunset. Theberries are large and of excellent quality. They maintaintheir size through the season. It has excellent flavour. It isvery vigorous; nitrogen needs to be managed to avoidexcessive vegetative growth. Malwina is tolerant of verticillium and red stele, but susceptible to leaf blight.

Mayflower

This mid-late season strawberry originated from EastMalling, United Kingdom. The berries are small, but high-quality, and have good flavour. Mayflower tolerates wetweather well, and is high-yielding.

Elizabeth Harlow is a USEL student, Ontario Ministry ofAgriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

cpma.ca

THE CANADIAN PRODUCE MARKETING ASSOCIATION

WE HELP THE PRODUCE INDUSTRY PRODUCE POSITIVE RESULTS

Note: only apply herbicides when needed. This table is an example of timing the various herbicides registered inraspberries depending if you have summer or everbearing varieties. Note: Herbicide Group Numbers in brackets below which are important for rotation purposes to prevent resistance development. *DTH = days to harvest

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THE GROWER


TRADE SHOWS

Don’t miss sprayer demo at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show At Canada’s Outdoor Farm

Show (COFS), organizers listento what attendees want to see andplan demonstrations and interac-tive displays accordingly.

It’s always worthwhile for arefresher course on spraying.

Jason Deveau, application technology specialist, OMAFRA,will be talking about the differences in droplet size, canopypenetration and coverage betweenconventional sprayers, air-assistsprayers and electrostaticsprayers.

“As soon as the droplet leavesthe sprayer, it’s out of the

applicator’s control,” saysDeveau. “Although users can calibrate their sprayer to emitcoarse or fine droplets, there aremany factors impacting the efficiency of each droplet size.”

According to Deveau, coarsedroplets move like a cannonballin the direction they are fired, andfall like rain; when they hit a flat

broad leaf, their journey ends. Hesays large droplets can be hard torely on to fully penetrate a densecanopy, especially at low vol-umes. Fine droplets slow downquickly when released, and areimpacted by humidity, wind andthermals. Generally, fine dropletsneed something to assist them toreach the intended destination.

There are two types ofsprayers that can help guide finedroplets into the canopy. The firstis an electrostatic sprayer fromOn-Target Spray Systems and theother, a self-propelled, high-clear-ance Alpha Evo sprayer fromHardi.

The On-Target sprayer hasbeen built specifically for thesprayer demonstration at COFS.It uses an electric charge to polar-ize droplets and attract them tothe nearest plant surface.Together with air-assist, theyshould reach the intended destina-tion. Different configurations onthe On-Target sprayer are usedfor a wide range of crops. Thetarget for this demonstration is adense planting of soybeans, butboth sprayers should perform aswell in any notoriously dense hor-ticultural crop such as strawber-ries or potatoes.

Hardi’s Alpha features air-assist which improves sprayaccuracy and counteracts wind,which extends the window ofopportunity in which to spraycrops. This new high-clearancesprayer is one of two currently inNorth America and it’s a greatopportunity to see it in action atCOFS.

“We want to show two differ-ent technologies for sprayingcrops, not determine whichsprayer is better,” says Deveau.“Both will be compared to a typi-cal application using conventionalnozzles and no air-assist.”

Canada’s Outdoor Farm Showruns September 15 - 17 atWoodstock, Ontario. Visitwww.outdoorfarmshow.com.

Michelle Painchaud keynote speaker at 2015 Canadian Greenhouse Conference

It takes a small village to operate greenhouses these days, underlining theimportance of teamwork and motivatingemployees. Michelle Painchaud is a leadership coach to businesses such asSeacliff Farms and Westcoast Vegetables,helping to drive performance. With practical experience of more than 20 years,she will be sharing her tips as the keynotespeaker at the 2015 Canadian GreenhouseConference.

Her keynote presentation “How toCreate a High Performing Organization” isslated for Wednesday, October 7th. Thefollowing day, she will be leading a workshop: “Don’t deprioritize - energize!”Her insights may challenge your understanding of your leadership style andhow it affects employee performance andengagement.

Other program highlights include “Askthe expert” sessions where you can bringpictures, samples and questions toOMAFRA experts. Identifying pest problems is a common request. Basic diagnostic techniques to broadly identifycommon suspects will be demonstrated.Sara Jandricic, OMAFRA Vineland andCara McCreary, OMAFRA Harrow will beshowing how to prepare and pack samplesto ensure a successful diagnosis.

Michael Brownridge, VinelandResearch and Innovation Centre, will shareproven solutions and approaches whendealing with pest outbreaks while maintaining an effective biocontrol program.

The results of a pilot study undertakenby the Ontario Greenhouse VegetableGrowers will be shared on lighting to

fulfill 12-month production. Xiuming Hao,Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, willtalk about lighting strategies to improveproduction efficiencies. Eric Doef, DoefGreenhouses Ltd, Lacombe, Alberta willshare experiences with artificial lighting inhis cucumber, tomato, pepper and lettucegreenhouses.

Also look for research updates by DavidLiscombe, Vineland Research andInnovation Centre on developing traits for

Canadian greenhouse vegetables. ValerioPrimomo, also from Vineland, will be talking about breeding greenhouse tomatoes for Ontario environments.

For a full conference agenda forOctober 7 and 8, go to www.canadian-greenhouseconference.com. The pre-conference bus tour starts Monday,October 5 with Leamington as the destination. Pre-registration is required forthis popular event.

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Michelle Painchaud

Photo by Glenn Lowson

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THE GROWER


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THE GROWER


We are now fully into electionmode across Canada. It is up toevery grower to push for his orher issues with their local candidates, and to party faithfulwho decide on any policy shiftsneeded to swing votes or ridings.It is not enough to just look at themost immediately pressing issues.Many have been captured in pastyears’ resolutions yet neverachieved and are languishing as‘policy’ in various associationrecords.

None of this may be enoughhowever, given the voting recordsof the past. Low voterturnout/apathy allows things toremain as status quo forever. Incountries such as Australia, it ismandatory to get out and vote.Heavy penalties can be imposedon those who do not vote withoutsolid reasons.

In a book I read many yearsago, an entirely different conceptof voting was laid out as entirelyreasonable, doable, and one leading to very different out-comes. It was prophesized thatthe public had become so blaséabout government, that those whochose to run were ‘less thanideal.’ Likewise, those who eventook time to vote were likely toelect folks who were grossly incapable of the jobs they had todo as elected members.

Funnily enough, it was sug-gested that Australia had been thefirst to try a different form ofelection eligibility. In one state,they tried it in an election andthat subsequently led to that stategetting industry, jobs and industryactivity away from the rest of thecountry, by having a governmentmade up of well qualified

individuals who could create aneconomic atmosphere conduciveto success. Other states followedsuit, and then the national elections were re-designed to doso as well. It took many yearsuntil other countries in the then-Commonwealth to follow,with mother England being last.

Part of the overall concept wasthat to attract the talent needed torun a government, the atmospherehad to change from what was invogue. Under the existingapproaches to selecting candidates, no one with a longsuccessful business backgroundwould give that up to run.Instead, a person who had maybeworked in someone else’s busi-ness, but with no financial com-mitment on the line, could run,win, and become the minister oftrade as an example. Someonewho had been a bus driver couldbecome the minister of trans-portation, and someone who haddone their three-year mandatorymilitary service as a stoker second class could become theminister for defense! This is notto denigrate any individual or job,but to point out that better talent

may exist but is not availableunless the conditions of the workchanges.

The change in elections comes about by chang-ing the basis of ‘democracy’ thatin fact has only been in place formost of the world since the timeof WWI. Up to that time in mostwestern societies, only men couldvote, and every man got one vote.Long ago it was only the wealthywho actually chose, if choice waseven allowed.

The theory was that votersalways select those who have noeye for tomorrow and that spend-ing all (and more) of today’swealth will be somehow correctedlater. Voters can be bribed withtheir own money, and the pay-back will be assumed to be madeby someone else!

Does any of this sound familiar?

The changed voting proposalworked like this. Everyone cur-rently eligible to vote gets thatone vote. However, people couldbe eligible for additional ballotsbased on different criteria basedupon their considered contribu-tion to the good of their country.

In the book, there were six additional criteria. The last one,or the ‘seventh vote’ was onlyheld by a very few people, andauthorized solely by The Queenas an honour bestowed for anover-and-above contribution. Theother criteria listed then may notall apply in today’s society, butnonetheless, allowed those whocontributed to have a greater sayin the affairs of their government.

The result of this formula wasassumed to be so good that everyone would want to adopt it.However, those already holdingthe reins of power were vehemently opposed, for selfishreasons of course! They knew intheir heart of hearts that the newproposal would be better for thecountry, but not necessarily forthem in particular! There werebetter talents out there who mighttake on the jobs that they knewthey struggled with. However,politicians tend to hang on topower for as long as possible.

In this case, the old partiesremain, and it is up to them toattract the best of the new talentcoming forward to represent themin any forth-coming election.

Maybe all that changes is thatthose who contribute get a bettersay, and as a result a better kindof government emerges. Maybedumb decisions still get made, butfewer of them!

Perhaps we need to at leastadopt the concept of mandatoryvoting. The other change maytake a lot more effort to bringabout!

Regardless, it is up to all voters to make sure their issuesare heard, by all candidates. If theissue is never raised, how can oneexpect it will be dealt with, andresolved? If you don’t get out,then maybe a well-organizedgroup will get out with the oppo-site (wrong in your eyes) messageand win the day. Never rest onyour oars until the race is won!Many a ship was torpedoed justbefore entering harbour when thelevel of surveillance was loweredin anticipation of shore leave.

Stay the course, deliver yourmessage/concern right up to election day, and hope that any/allthe parties heard it, and then actappropriately.

(With apologies to N.S.Norway author of: In The Wet)

CRAIG HUNTEROFVGA

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2011 popular vote by province, with graphs indicating the number of seats won.Source: Elections Canada

CRAIG’S COMMENTS

Blame it on election fever

TRACEY BAUTE

Lots of people have been send-ing in pics of eggs, nymphs oradult stink bugs and asking whichstink bug it is. So I thought I’d tryto help sort them out for you.

There are predatory stink bugsand then there are plant feedingstink bugs. It is important to makesure you can identify the goodones from the bad ones. Most arebrown with the exception of thegreen stink bug.

Green stink bugs are the easiest to identify. The adults arequite large and green. Thenymphs are very colourful withblack, orange and green-yellowmarkings and are easy to distinguish from others.

There are a few brown

coloured stink bugs which are alittle more difficult to sort out. Iput together a Brown Look-A-Like Stink Bug Guide to helpwith identifying the adults andeggs. Nymphs look similar to theadults but lack wings.

Brown marmorated stink bugis very different in terms ofimpact but has not been found incrops in Ontario yet. Thresholdsfor this invasive pest are differentfrom above. If you find brownmarmorated stink bug in thefields, please contact theOMAFRA Ag. Contact Centre at1-877-424-1300. We will respondquickly to alert growers andimplement appropriate management strategies.

Tracey Baute is an entomologistfor field crops, OMAFRA.

THE GROWER


CROP PROTECTION

Watch out for bacterial blight in hazelnuts

ERICA DE JONG ANDMELANIE FILOTAS

While most members ofOntario’s emerging hazelnutindustry recognize the importanceof managing eastern filbert blight,other pests can also affect thiscrop and will require attention.Following two cold winters, wehave seen an increased incidenceof bacterial blight in manyOntario hazelnut orchards. Whilenot quite as devastating as filbertblight, this disease can still significantly affect the health ofhazelnut trees, particularly newlyestablished ones.

Bacterial blight is caused bythe bacterial pathogen

Xanthomonas arboricola pv.corylina, and most commonlycauses losses in young, establish-ing trees less than six years ofage, or in very stressed oldertress. Bacteria enter the treethrough natural openings orwounds on buds, branches ortrunks. Bacteria spread betweentrees and orchards by rain splash,infected nursery stock or contaminated pruning tools. Thefreezing weather experienced inrecent winters not only weakensthe trees and makes them moresusceptible to infection, but alsoincreases wounds and cracks thatcan provide entry points for thebacteria, which may be why wehave seen an increased incidenceof the disease in Ontario

hazelnuts. The best way to recognize

bacterial blight is on the leaves,where it causes angular, reddishbrown spots that may be surrounded by a yellow halo,which may eventually coalesce atthe tip of the leaf (Figure 1).Spotting lesions on branches ortrunks can be challenging, as theyare easily confused with winterinjury, sunscald or normal barksplitting. Lesions are typicallyvertical sunken splits in the bark(Figure 2), which may ooze asticky liquid in humid conditions.If you remove the outer layer ofbark near a bacterial blight lesion,the underlying tissue will bebrown. Infected buds can turnbrown and fail to leaf out.

Although not as common, spotting can also be found on thenut husks (Figure 3). Lesionsgirdling branches and trunks initially cause premature wiltingof leaves under hot, sunny conditions, followed often bydieback of small branches (Figure4). These symptoms can be a cueto start looking for lesions by following the dead branches backinto and down the tree.

It has also been reported thatbuds can be infected for morethan 200 days before symptomsappear -meaning infected treescan look healthy. If you find bacterial blight symptoms,remove heavily diseased trees orprune out diseased material 60-100 cm below the infested

area. Sterilize pruning tools following every cut in order tominimize the further spread of thebacteria within the orchard.Burn or remove all diseasedmaterial from the orchard.Stressed trees are more susceptible, so ensure young treeshave adequate nitrogen and irrigation, but avoid water-logging the roots. Commercialhazelnut growers can refer toOMAFRA’s Fruit ProductionGuide for treatment options forthis disease.

Erica De Jong, OMAFRA summer student and MelanieFilotas, specialty crops IPM specialist, OMAFRA

Figure 1 – Bacterial blightlesions on hazelnut leaf

Adult green stink bug (T. Baute, OMAFRA)

Green stink bug nymph (H. Bohner, OMAFRA)

Figure 2 – Bacterial blight lesion/canker in hazelnut bark Figure 3 – Bacterial blightlesions on hazelnut husk

Figure 4 – Wilting and branchdieback caused by bacterialblight lesions on hazelnuttrunk

How to identify stink bugs

THE GROWER


SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainable Farm and Food Plan receives $50,000 The Sustainable Farm & Food Plan

initiative, a collaborative project ofOntario’s farmers and food and beveragemanufacturers, has received a significantboost in the form of almost $50,000 infunds from the Grand River AgriculturalSociety (GRAS). The Sustainable Farm &Food Plan initiative will build upon thesuccess of the Environmental Farm Plan(EFP) program by expanding the scopeinto a whole farm sustainability plan thataddresses not only environmental practicesbut also economic and social issues important for sustainability.

Food and beverage companies and consumers are increasingly demandingassurances that their food supplies aresourced using sustainable farm practices;this initiative will help address theseissues.

The funds will go towards conducting aGAP analysis of agricultural sustainabilityinitiatives (existing and under develop-ment) in Canada and internationally. Thisresearch, said project lead Gord Surgeoner,will reduce redundancy and help to ensurethat the Ontario pilot project is useful andrelevant to all of Ontario agri-food, andeventually Canadian agri-food.

Paul Walker, president of the GRASsaid, “We are proud to have providedresources to this project. Ontario farmershave done a superb job of providing safenutritious food, while maintaining the quality of our agricultural environment.This is an important initiative for our

producers and we are pleased to help.”Since 1991, more than 38,000 Ontario

farm families have completed anEnvironmental Farm plan (EFP), resultingin millions of dollars in environmentalimprovements on their farms. The new initiative will build on the success of theEFP program with three objectives: toguide farmers in the identification ofneeds/opportunities for improvement insustainability; to assure/inform the generalpublic about these transformations; and tohelp address growing requirements by foodmanufacturers and retailers for assurancethat farm products have been produced in asustainable manner.

Sustainable Farm & Food Plans will bebuilt upon the efforts of existing programs,including EFP, food safety, Codes ofPractice, regulatory standards and variouscommodity initiatives, to build a cohesiveprogram that encompasses the whole farm,rather a commodity-specific approach. Theprocess will be electronic and be housed inProvision Coalition’s online sustainabilityportal, a partner organization representingCanadian food and beverage manufactur-ers. This pilot program will be developedin close cooperation with Canadian foodand beverage manufacturers, food serviceand retailers to ensure supply chainrequirements are met.

This project is funded in part throughGrowing Forward 2 (GF2), a federal-provincial-territorial initiative. TheAgricultural Adaptation Council assists in

the delivery of GF2 in Ontario. It has alsoreceived support from Ontario Agri FoodTechnologies.

A report entitled Our Commitment toSustainability, which is a basis for the project, is in development and will bereleased September 15, 2015 at theOutdoor Farm Show, once Ontario farmand food organizations have had a chanceto review and comment on the draft document.

Sustainable Farm & Food Plans is ajoint initiative developed by the following

collaborators: The Ontario Federation ofAgriculture, Christian Farmers’ Federationof Ontario, the Presidents’ Council,Ontario Agri Food Technologies and Farm& Food Care Ontario. The groups are alsoworking closely with the food industry onthis initiative through the ProvisionCoalition.

For more information contact Gord Surgeoner, chair, Sustainable FarmCoalition Steering Committee,[email protected]; 519-826-4195. Source: News release

Photos by Glenn Lowson

the grower september 2015

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