savoury vegetable chips have hit the sweet spot with...

KAREN DAVIDSON

Make peace with parsnips.The pale cousin to the carrot isno longer getting short shrift atfarmers’ markets or restaurants.The rising popularity of the rootvegetable along with such standards as beets is causingsome farmers to think aboutplanting a few more acres.

John and Cristina Hamblyhave kept parsnips in their 850-acre crop rotation for manyyears. With 38 acres under culti-vation near Bradford, Ontario,parsnips aren’t a hassle to grow.They adapt to both muck andmineral soils. Three years ago,the farm turned to newerhybrids from Norseco that arelonger than the traditional shortand stubby varieties. Yields areexpected to be in the range of athousand 25-lb bags per acre.

Parsnip (Pasfinaca sativa)looks similar to parsley for agood botanical reason. It’s a

member of the parsley familywhich includes carrots and celery, all of which make goodfriends in a soup or stew.

“Parsnips are a staple for us,”says Cristina Hambly. Howeverdemand can be spotty. Lastyear, the U.S. sold out ofparsnips and pulled crop fromCanada, supporting high prices.But this year, it’s a more normalseason. Old-crop parsnips willbe cleared out of 32°F. storagejust as the new crop is harvest-ed in late September and earlyOctober.

Gwillimdale Farms sell tothe Ontario Food Terminal andlarge retailers, with 35 per centof the crop exported to theUnited States. Parsnip demandpeaks at CanadianThanksgiving, AmericanThanksgiving, Christmas andsurprisingly St. Patricks Day.

Two thousand miles away,Pete Schouten is pleasantly surprised at the success of hisparsnip acres near Surrey,

British Columbia. Since 1920,Heppell’s Potato Corporationhas reinvented its farming business throughout the generations. In the last threeyears, Schouten and his partnershave made parsnips popularagain –as handcrafted chipsunder the trademark Hardbite.

“We had totally gone out ofgrowing parsnips because therewas too much on our plate atpotato harvest,” says Schouten.“Now we’re growing our ownparsnips and sourcing fromother British Columbia farmers,the prairies, Ontario and beyondto fill the demand for our chips.The parsnip market has spikedwith the entry of a couple biggrower names in NorthAmerica.”

The growth of the processingbusiness has taken the farm bysurprise. They are experts inpotatoes and operate BritishColumbia’s only potato chipfactory, but no one foresaw howquickly the line would expand.

The entry of parsnip, beet andcarrot chips – a savoury snack –has hit a sweet spot with consumers craving all-natural,healthy ingredients.

Schouten admits that thelearning curve has been challenging. Potatoes andparsnips aren’t equal when itcomes to making chips.

“The more sugar in aparsnip, the easier it burnswhen frying” he says. “We arestill figuring out the best balance between sugars andstarches for batch frying parsnipchips. What we know about thespecific gravity of potatoesdoesn’t translate into an equalswap with parsnips.”

Specific gravity, an expres-sion of density, is a commonlyaccepted barometer of potatoquality. The number correlatesto the starch content and thepercentage of dry matter of thetuber.

Continued on page 3

OCTOBER 2016 CELEBRATING 137 YEARS AS CANADA’S PREMIER HORTICULTURAL PUBLICATION THEGROWER.ORG

FROM PRODUCER TO PROCESSOR

Savoury vegetable chips have hit the sweet spot with consumers

INSIDENew equipment debuts at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show pg 6

Heads-up on cap and trade pg 8

Focus: Greenhouse innovation pg 12

Volume 66 Number 10P.M. 40012319$3.00 CDN

For growers in Ontario’s Holland Marsh, there’s no better way to celebrate the harvest than with Soupfest which attracts two thousand consumers to Ansnorveldt Park, nearBradford, Ontario. This year’s October 1 event will honour the humble roots of parsnips, carrots, beets, onions, leeks and potatoes. Parsnips, for example, are just one of thecrops now glamorized by leading chefs. Cristina Hambly (pictured) and her husband John can testify to the enduring qualities of the root vegetable as they keep 38 acres ofparsnips in their rotation at Gwillimdale Farms Ltd. Photo by Glenn Lowson.

The Royal celebrates theYukon Gold potato

The 94th annual RoyalAgricultural Winter Fair opensNovember 4 at Enercare Centre,Exhibition Place, Toronto. Newfor 2016, Ontario Potato Growersand the University of Guelph arefunding a special exhibit to commemorate the 50th anniver-sary of the release of Yukon Goldpotatoes, which were developedat the University of Guelph.Look for the exhibit in the horticulture display area.

As usual, The Royal’sHorticulture Committee will create a display of award-winningproduce for the public to view.There are some special vegetableclasses this year that qualify foradditional prizes. The featurevegetable is white or yellow vegetable marrow. The featuregiant vegetable (by weight) isturnip. Another special for 2016 isany giant vegetable carved like ajack-o’-lantern. Entry deadlinefor horticulture is October 11. Forcomplete entry details, go to TheRoyal’s website:exhibitor.royalfair.org

What does Bayer’s purchase of Monsantomean?

European-based Bayer is buy-ing American-based Monsanto for$66 billion. The merger,announced September 14, 2016,combines Bayer’s crop protectionline -- extending across majorcrops in all key geographies --with Monsanto’s leadership inseeds and traits and its ClimateCorporation platform. The com-bination makes the new companya market leader in NorthAmerica, Europe and Asia.

“The agriculture industry is atthe heart of one of the greatestchallenges of our time: how tofeed an additional three billionpeople in the world by 2050 in anenvironmentally sustainableway,” says Liam Condon, mem-ber of the Board of Managementof Bayer AG and head of theCrop Science Division. “It hasbeen both companies’ belief thatthis challenge requires a newapproach that more systematicallyintegrates expertise across seeds,traits and crop protection includ-ing biologicals with a deep com-mitment to innovation and sus-tainable agriculture practices.”

The combined agriculturebusiness will have its globalSeeds & Traits and NorthAmerican commercial headquar-ters in St. Louis, Missouri, itsglobal Crop Protection and over-all Crop Science headquarters inMonheim, Germany, and animportant presence in Durham,North Carolina, as well as many

other locations throughout theU.S. and around the world. TheDigital Farming activities for thecombined business will be basedin San Francisco, California.

From a general horticulturalperspective, remember that bothcompanies have seed divisions.Monsanto’s DeRuiter seeds iswell recognized for its green-house tomato breeding whileBayer’s Nunhems seeds isrespected for its greenhousecucumber varieties. In fact,Nunhems sells 120 seed varietiesacross 25 vegetable crops. A yearago, Nunhems bought SeedworksIndia for its genetics in tomatoes,hot peppers, okra and gourds.The strategic acquisition sig-nalled Bayer’s intentions for moregrowth in Asia where more than50 per cent of the globe’s popula-tion resides.

If the deal passes muster withantitrust regulations, the closingis not expected until 2017.

NEWSMAKERSTHE GROWER

AT PRESS TIME…

PAGE 2 –– OCTOBER 2016

The Dispute ResolutionCorporation and Canadian ProduceMarketing Association (CPMA)recently held a joint event inOttawa, hosting 23 embassies and11 industry representatives.Ambassadors, High Commissionersand Agricultural Minister-Counselors received informationon how their vendors can beexport-ready, particularly in fillinggaps that Canadian producerscan’t fulfill in off-season. Country delegations are encouraged to participate in CPMA’s upcomingtrade show to be held in Toronto May 9-11, 2017.

At the recent convention of the Quebec Produce MarketingAssociation (QPMA), the executive committee was announcedfor 2016-2017. Board president is Roland Lafont, Vergers Saint-Paul; first vice-president is Francis Bérubé, Sobeys Quebec; second vice-president is Dino Farrese, Bellemont Powell; pastpresident is Stephan Schmekel, Fresh Del Monte Produce(Canada). Sophie Perreault is chief executive officer, QPMA.

Felicitations to MichelLevac (Bellemont Powell)who was declared 2016Pillar of the QuebecIndustry for his personal qualities and professionalcontributions throughouthis career.

Congratulations to Jodiand Adrian Roelands,founders and owners ofRoelands Plant FarmsInc., named Ontario’s2016 Outstanding Young Farmers. They operate a greenhouse insouthwestern Ontario near Lambton Shores where they customgrow premium cucumber, tomato and pepper seedlings for sale tovegetable production greenhouses. It’s one of only seven operations of its kind in North America.

Summerland Varieties Corporation has launched a new website:www.summerlandvarieties.com. Also look for their Facebook atwww.facebook.com/summerlandvarieties and on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/SVCVarieties.

Congratulations to Super Farms Potato Ltd of Saint-André, NewBrunswick, who was named 2015-2016 McCain Champion PotatoGrower for Grand Falls. Jean-Guy Levesque, with sons Jules andLuc, and grandson, André received a trophy, a $1,000 cheque andan all-expenses-paid trip for two to a destination of choice. TheLevesque family has been contracting with McCain for 43 yearsand has been in the Top 10 thirteen times, but this was their firsttime winning the Champion Grower title.

The third annual Yield Contest Award winner was Les FermesBernard & Gérard Levesque, with a yield of 525 cwt/acre. Therunner-up was Luc Ouellette & Fils, coming in at 483 cwt/acre.This award is given to growers who produce the highest-yieldingfields and share best management practices with the growergroup.

Farm Credit Canada, the Grape Growers ofOntario and the Niagara Grape and WineFestival have announced that Jamie Quai ofQuai du Vin Estate Winery, St. Thomas, hasbeen crowned 2016 Grape King. The Quaifamily is in its third generation of grape growing in Elgin County since 1972. Theaward honours his expertise of vineyard management and vineyard quality of 22 acres.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy retirement to Pam Fisher,berry specialist for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food andRural Affairs (OMAFRA) based in Simcoe. After 34 years withthe ministry, in several ag-related positions, her last day isOctober 31. The Grower extends its thanks for her coordinationof the bi-monthly Berry News which is enjoyed all across thecountry.

L-R: Stephan Schmekel (BoardPresident for 2015-16), Roland

Lafont (Board President for 2016-17), Michel Levac (2016 Pillar of

the Industry in Quebec)

L-R: Sam Silvestro, WalmartCanada and CPMA chair;

Fred Webber, DisputeResolution Corporation;

Tanya Sefolo, ministerplenipotentiary, South

African High Commission.

Source: Agence France-Presse

Continued from page 1

If parsnips are destined forfrying, then storage conditionsmust also be adjusted to a bitunder 43°F., a little warmerthan table parsnips or other rootcrops. These findings, alongwith others, have made the processing enterprise anything

but smooth. With potatoes,processors expect to recover 34per cent of finished productfrom one pound of raw product.That ratio is still an aspirationaltarget with parsnips.

Observations in the fryingplant have led to different agronomic decisions in the field.With the help of Norseco seedcompany, Schouten has

changed from tablestock to processing varieties of parsnips.

“We want a fatter parsnip,not a leggy parsnip,” explainsSchouten, “with fewer whippertails.”

The fat parsnip is importantwhen batch frying. The goal isto have a more consistent cutand thickness to make the bestchip. Only three ingredients are

used: parsnips, non-hydrogenat-ed sunflower oil or non-hydro-genated canola oil and sea salt.As the product label explains,“no artificial anything” is used.The line has expanded toinclude carrots and beets.

These farmer-grown, farmer-owned handcrafted chips havecommanded respect at leadingtrade shows in North America.The 18-carrot gold chips wonthe Innovative New ProductAward at the Sweets and SnacksExpo in Chicago this past May.The Drop Mad Beets chips wonNew Product Award recognitionfrom the Retail Council ofCanada in 2015. The publicityhas helped propel the brandinto health food outlets andBulk Food stores across Canadaand the United States.

The premium brand alsocommands a price: $4.49 retailfor a 150-gram package. Forthose who want gluten-free,

cholesterol-free, transfat-free,GMO-free, there’s a higherprice point.

What does the future hold inthis exploding business? “Weplan to continue innovating,”says Schouten. “We have a couple new flavours to intro-duce as well as new products.”

The biggest news is a 33,000-square-foot facility is openingfor its first run of vegetablechips this fall on the Surreyhome farm. The biggest challenges now are twofold:procurement of enough rawproduct to keep the factorybuzzing and managing thebatch-frying process in a waythat guarantees a consistenttaste and texture at a winningprice point.

As the adage goes: if youbuild it, they will come. In thiscase: if you build a vegetablechip, consumers will bite.Hard.

OCTOBER 2016 –– PAGE 3 THE GROWER

COVER STORY

Savoury vegetable chips have hit the sweet spot with consumers

CHINA

One-bite watermelonsspark demand

A thumb-sized watermeloncalled ‘Pepquino’ is causing astir in China where it’s grownnear Hangzhou and Shanghai.Originating in South America,its uniqueness is not only itssize but high nutritional valueand flavour.

Similar to regular watermelon, it has a soft andtender peel. Its inner fruit fleshis bright green, tasting some-thing akin to a crisp cucumber.

Nutritionally, these watermelons are a rich sourceof vitamin C, potassium andmagnesium. When ripe, it has asweet-and-sour taste. One variety smells like banana andlime. Source: FreshPlaza.com

INTERNATIONAL

CALIFORNIA

New riced cauliflowergets rave reviews

If cauliflower is the newkale, then riced cauliflowermay vault the cruciferous vegetable into a new era ofpopularity. Gold Coast Packinghas launched Caulifornia Snowas a versatile, gluten-free product that can be cooked asrice or substituted for mashedpotatoes or pizza crust.

While there was a supplyshortage earlier in the year, thecompany has recovered itsmomentum and is handlingmore volume. The trade-marked product comes in one-pound bags and has a shelflife of 16 days. Source: FreshPlaza.com

ASIA

51% of global population lives in Asia

Millions -- no billions -- of people live in Asia. The circle on theglobal map encompasses China, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh,Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Burma, Thailand, South Korea,Nepal, Malaysia, North Korea, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Cambodia,Laos, Mongolia, and Bhutan. More than 51 per cent of the globalpopulation of 7.4 billion lives in these countries.

The global population is expected to grow to 8.4 billion by mid-2030 and 9.6 billion by mid-2050. In the short term, the questions must be about water supplies and what export foodopportunities are in store for Canadian farmers.

Source: Hortidaily.com

FLORIDA

PMA expects largestFresh Summit expo

The Produce MarketingAssociation’s (PMA) 2016Fresh Summit Convention &Expo will deliver the largestFresh Summit ever with morethan 1,100 exhibitors when itconvenes in Orlando Floridafrom Oct. 14-16.

The program is organizedinto communities of interestincluding: science and technology, industry talent, floral issues, leadership andglobal connections.

General session topicsinclude innovation, personalbranding and PMA’s annualstate of the industry. Sixteenworkshops will help attendeesfind solutions to industry challenges including talent,developing effective marketingstrategies to increase consumption, demonstratingbest food safety practices, usingtechnology to increase transparency and more.

Source: FreshPlaza.com

Pete Schouten, Heppell’s Potato Corporation, is pleasantly surprised at the success of Hardbite chips.

– OCTOBER 2016THE GROWER

CROSS COUNTRY DIGEST

Move over McIntosh.SweeTango apples are takingup more space at retailer counters for its complex taste ofcitrus, honey and spice. Thenew tag line is “free thecrunch.” SweeTango is uniquein that the eating experiencecomes with a crisp bite througha thin skin that is unlike anyother apple on the market.

Harvest has begun in NovaScotia’s Annapolis Valley wherethey are grown for premiumretail prices of $2.99 per pound.Select chains in Atlantic Canadathrough to Ontario will be

carrying SweeTango in varyingtray sizes and bags includingtwo-pound pouches. Dependingon volumes, the crop lasts untilDecember.

“Fruit size is down a littledue to drought, but the colourwill be exceptional,” explainsDavid Parrish, CEO, ScotianGold Cooperative Ltd.,Coldbrook, Nova Scotia.“We’re not sure whySweeTango is colouring so wellwhen other varieties are greenas grass. Brix levels will behigher than last year. We startpicking at about 14 brix.”

The premier apple requires alot of orchard stewardship. Thevariety has a tendency to getrust in the early spring and itdoesn’t grow as big asHoneycrisp, so it’s important tofinetune the crop load. Oncepicked, it stores well.

About 30 Nova Scotia growers have the rights to growSweeTango and plan moreplantings in 2018.

“The apple industry is ridinga wave of optimism right now,”says Parrish.

SweeTango “club” apples do well for ScotianGold Cooperative

NOVA SCOTIA

The Canadian andManitoban governments areinvesting more than $210,000 ina new vegetable research sitenear Winkler, focused onimproving yields, developing

new varieties and creatingopportunities for potato, sweetpotato and carrot growers. Thejoint announcement came fromfederal agriculture ministerLawrence MacAulay and

Manitoba agriculture ministerRalph Eichler on August 29. Funding will be providedthrough Growing Innovation –Capacity Knowledge andDevelopment to support

research focused on:• nutrient and pest manage-ment for potatoes;• new varieties of sweet potatothat are better suited forManitoba’s shorter growing season; and• variety evaluation and cropmanagement techniques toimprove quality and yield forcarrots.

The research site will beoperated by Peak of the Market,a grower-owned cooperativeresponsible for sellingManitoba’s fresh market potatoes and other vegetables.The company will contributemore than $477,000 toward thisthree-year research project.

“We appreciate working inpartnership with government,which will allow us to continue

to build the industry,” saidKeith Kuhl, chair, Peak of theMarket and president ofSouthern Potato. “New cropsand varieties are a key compo-nent to ongoing success.”

Canadians are eating moresweet potatoes and demand hasincreased by 83 per cent overthe last 10 years. Most are currently imported from theUnited States. Manitoba growers have found the growingseason to be too short to successfully grow available varieties.

Manitoba farmers grow morethan 9,000 acres of fresh marketpotatoes and 600 acres of carrotsfor Peak of the Market everyyear. The company and itsgrowers employ more than 1,000people in Manitoba.

Vegetable variety and yield research boosted on Winkler site

MANITOBA

@growernews

The Grower

www.thegrower.org

Tracy Shinners-Carnelley, director of research and qualityenhancement, Peak of the Market (L) explains current researchtrials to Manitoba’s minister of agriculture, Ralph Eichler.

THE GROWEROCTOBER 2016 –– PAGE 5

CROSS COUNTRY DIGEST

According to the BC Wine Institute,BC’s cool-climate grape crop is on trackfor another excellent vintage this year.Hot and dry conditions in the spring ledto the earliest bud break on record andthe earliest harvest ever for some wineries in the Fraser Valley, VancouverIsland and the Okanagan. The low average temperatures and high rainfallallowed BC grapes to have more time toripen on the vine and to accumulateflavour and aromatic compounds. Thiscontributes to wines that are fresh, com-plex and balanced with higher aciditythat make them versatile food pairings.

On Vancouver Island

Bailey Williamson, winemaker forBlue Grouse Estate Winery in Duncanon Vancouver Island, is expecting anoth-er excellent harvest at the CowichanValley estate. A strong growing season inApril and May, followed by a cooler Juneand July than the previous year, led to anelongated flowering and fruit set cycleand allowed the grapes to mature andripen to classic levels. The Blue Grouseharvest started on September 10, begin-ning with the popular Siegerrebe, an aromatic white varietal which tends toripen earliest. After that, there will be abreather in harvest until the end ofSeptember, when the rest of the grapeswill be harvested in earnest. Compared

to all the vintages since 2012, this year’sharvest started within a week of normal.

In the Fraser Valley

Conditions on the mainland were similar to Vancouver Island. AndrewEtsell, general manager and viticulturistof Singletree Winery in Abbotsford notesthat with the warm and dry August, thegrapes developed beautiful flavours withbalanced acids and sugars. Singletreebegan its harvest on August 25 – oneweek earlier than 2015, and the winery’searliest harvest on record. “We startedwith our Siegerrebe, which is evolvinginto one of our most popular wines,”Andrew shares. “We’re also keeping aclose eye on our estate Pinot Noir, whichwe have just harvested for our first-everestate sparkling wine. Other estate varietals, such as our Pinot Gris,Chardonnay, Gruner Veltliner and

Sauvignon Blanc, will follow after that.This year’s harvest will not yield asmuch fruit as 2015, yet the fruit will beclean and very high quality.

In the Okanagan – Naramata Bench

After an unseasonably warm spring,followed by an early summer,Serendipity Winery’s Katie O’Kell wasconcerned that the harvest would takeplace much earlier than normal at herestate Naramata vineyard. However, thecooler, wetter weather moved in, whichallowed the grapes to mature at a moremoderate pace.

Serendipity’s harvest started onAugust 29 with Chardonnay and PinotNoir and continued on August 31 withViognier. With a dry and cool climate,the phenolics (flavour and aromatic com-pounds) will eventually catch up to thebrix (a measure of potential alcohol) that

is currently sitting in the low 20s.

Okanagan South

Likewise, Lawrence Buhler, directorof winemaking for ENCORE vineyards,which produces wines under the TIMEWinery, Evolve Cellars and McWattersCollection labels, is also in the middle ofan active harvest. Compared to last year,Buhler and his winemaking team saw atwo-day early start to the season onAugust 17. Harvest has almost beencompleted for the still whites, with additional harvests to take place inSeptember for red varietals.

Regarding the balance of the 2016harvest, Lawrence says the reds arematuring well and the cooler weather isexcellent for proper fruit developmentand sugar accumulation in the berries.

Source: Town Hall Brands news release

Grape harvest isin full swing

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Abbotsford’s Singletree Winery Serendipity Winery’s estate vineyard,Naramata

Evolve Cellars in Summerland

– OCTOBER 2016THE GROWER

CANADA’S OUTDOOR FARM SHOW

Heartnut Grove launchesPolyplanter Jr.

Kubota introduces M4 Narrow tractor

The Polyplanter Jr. is idealfor market gardeners says BobWalker of Heartnut Grove(HG) located in MountBrydges, Ontario. Its U.S. man-ufacturer says the device oper-ates much like a water-wheeltransplanter making it simplerthan seeding by hand. It comescomplete with a full range of 10disks for different-sized veg-etable seeds offering versatilityto a wide range of growers.

“This adaptable machine canplant coated lettuce seed up to

as large as a lima bean,” saysWalker.

It’s designed to seed anywhere between five-inchand 25-inch plant spacings. Thebeaks are adjustable. It’s apush planter, making it portableand ideal for small plots of land.

“There are more marketfarmers and organic farmers allthe time,” says Walker. “This‘farmer’s friend’ is a real showspecial at $499.”

For more information, go to:www.heartnutgrove.com

Right-sized equipment appeals to specialty commodities KAREN DAVIDSON

Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show has a reputation for acres

of iron, showcasing equipment that’s large, larger andsuper-sized. But that generalization would be unfair tothe many dealers who demo equipment that’s right-sized for specialty markets. Here’s a rundown of

three manufacturers who brought new tools to the 2016 edition of the show.

Mark your calendars for September 12-14, 2017.

Kubota Canada Ltd. had acornerstone presence at thisyear’s show with its permanentevent centre and a ride n’ drivearea. The company introducedits M4 Narrow tractor whoseversatile design makes it idealfor orchards and vineyards or insnow removal operations.

Martin Carrier, product manager, agricultural divisionfor Kubota Canada Ltd.,explained that the M7040 and8540 tractors have been retired,with 70 and 85 hp respectively.The new tractor is truly narrowat 48 inches, with horsepoweroptions of 72.6, 95 and 108 hp.The tractor with the mosthorsepower can easily handle

spraying in the hilly terrain ofBritish Columbia.

The redesigned cab promotes operator efficiencywith all main controls on theright side of the operator whilethe steering wheel has 40degrees more tilt. Dual sidemirrors and an easy-access fusebox are standard. Inside thecab, the semi-circle layout offunctions is helpful to high-density orchardists.

The transmission has 12gears with options for 24. Highproductivity requires versatility,such as traveling at low or sustained speeds. This tractor’stransmission has 12F x 12Rspeed, with six speeds in two

ranges. Growers who travelfrom two to seven mph andhave only three gears willappreciate the versatility of thisnew tractor.

Of note is that the corporateentity of Kubota purchasedGreat Plains Manufacturing inKansas earlier this year. JohnFerguson, a territory managerfor the Land Pride line inOntario, explains the significance to the horticulturalsector.

“Food plot seeders are available with small discs, aspreader and harrow to plant allin one passs,” he says. “Thisequipment will be of interest tomarket gardeners.”

Garlic-EEZ eases planting As a garlic grower, Ken

Hunt’s least favourite time ofyear is planting. The Dundalk,Ontario farmer has 2.5 acres inproduction and is plantinganother acre this month. So heand a friend fabricated a newmachine to reduce the back-breaking labour.

“As a lover of garlic and agarlic grower, I just couldn’tseem to plant enough cloves ina day,” says Hunt. “After a fewdays on my hands and knees, I

thought there should be an easier way to plant. As thismachine came together and theprototypes worked out better,we were planting up to 2,400seeds per hour and in a regulareight-hour day, 20,000 cloves.That is about 250 to 300 poundsof garlic seed per day.”

The unit is ground-driven,has an adjustable planting widthmade of solid steel and weighsbetween 400 and 500 pounds. Itoperates with a small or large

tractor on a three-point hitch. As Hunt explains, Garlic-

EEZ is aimed at the market gardener to medium-sized grower. The planter, priced at$3,650, may also be used toplant other root crops and seeds.An undercutter attachment isalso available to make garlic harvesting easier. For moreinformation, go to www.garlicplanterequipment.ca.

The M4 Narrow Tractor was launched at the Kubota Canada Ltdpermanent event centre at this year’s edition of Canada’s OutdoorFarm Show, Woodstock, Ontario.


KAREN DAVIDSON

Between October 31 andNovember 14, about 700 grow-ers of highbush blueberries,raspberries and strawberries willbe receiving ballots to vote onan amalgated Ontario associa-tion. It’s an important step toorganize an industry with annual farmgate sales of $30million. The vote, conducted bythe Ontario Farm ProductsMarketing Commission, mustgarner a positive response fromtwo-thirds of the producers whovote and they must represent atleast 50 per cent of the eligibleacreage of those producers whovote.

The outcome of the vote is afirst step in gaining support ofthe Ontario Farm ProductsMarketing Commission, theMinister of Agriculture, Foodand Rural Affairs and ultimate-ly, the Ontario government.

Details were shared by JennVan deVelde, past president,Ontario Berry Growers’Association (OBGA) at aSeptember 13 end-of-summertour at Barrie Hill Farms.Contrary to some perceptionsthat Berry Growers of Ontariowould be a marketing board,

Van deVelde stressed that itwould not have pricing powers.

Producers would self-assesstheir bearing acreage once eachyear by March 1 by completingan online declaration. Based onthe reported bearing acres,growers would be assessed $250as a minimum license fee forany combination of acreage ofthe three crops between twoacres and up to five acres. Eachadditional five acres would beassessed a license fee of $50 peracre. Random audits would beconducted annually by a thirdparty.

Based on current knowledgeof bearing acres, Van deVeldeestimates that annual licensefees would total about $177,400.That figure represents 0.6 percent of total farmgate sales. Theproposed association has threepriority areas for the monies collected: market developmentand promotion, research andgovernment relations. It’s antic-ipated that about $70,000 wouldbe earmarked for marketing/promotion and research. Bypledging its own research funds,the association would be eligible for matching government funds in some programs.

The proposal suggests a

nine-member board of directors.Initially, the Farm ProductsMarketing Commission wouldappoint the first board andthereafter growers would electtheir representatives for thecrop that they grow. Therewould be three growers of blueberries, three growers ofraspberries and three growers ofstrawberries. A nominating committee would ensure balanced geographical representation.

Directors would be elected tothree-year terms with initialterms being staggered so thatthree directors expire in anygiven year. A chair and vice-chair would be elected by theboard. Kevin Schooley, currentOBGA manager, would be thesenior staff person of the neworganization, offering continuitywith his network, skill andexperience.

A commodity-specific committee for each berry commodity would be established to advise onresearch and marketing requirements and funding allocations. Funding for researchand promotion would be basedon the percentage of dollars collected for each commodity.

If the proposal goes forward,

it is expected that the OntarioBerry Growers’ Association andthe Ontario HighbushBlueberry Growers’ Associationwould transfer their residual netassets to the new umbrella organization and then dissolveboth predecessor organizations.Strawberry growers would nolonger be required to pay acheck-off based on their plantpurchases to OBGA.

Both founding organizationsrecommend that there is

considerable benefit to combining forces and recommend a ‘yes’ vote. If anyone does not receive a ballotby the end of October andwants to vote, contact LaurindaLang, Ontario Farm ProductsMarketing Commission, at 519-826-3242. Complete informationis available in the growers andmembers section of the OBGAwebsite:www.ontarioberries.com.

BERRY NEWS

Vote to be held to form Berry Growers of Ontario

THE GROWERPAGE 8 –– OCTOBER 2016

STAFFPublisher: Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ AssociationEditor: Karen Davidson, 416-557-6413, [email protected]: Carlie Melara, ext. 221, [email protected]: Alex Nichols, 519-763-8728 x 218, [email protected] Grower reserves the right to refuse any advertising. Anyerrors that are the direct result of The Grower will be compen-sated at our discretion with a correction notice in the next issue.No compensation will be given after the first running of the ad.Client signature is required before insertion.The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association is the soleowner of The Grower. All editorials and opinions expressed inThe Grower are those of the newspaper’s editorial staff and/orcontributor, and do not necessarily reflect the view of the associa-tion.

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

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

$30.00 (+ HST) /year in Canada$40.00/year International

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

P.M. 40012319

ONTARIO FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GROWERS’ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2016

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. Mike Chromczak, BrownsvilleGGO/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’ Remi Van De Slyke, StraffordvilleGreenhouse Jan Vander Hout, WaterdownGreenhouse George Gilvesy, Tillsonburg

OFVGA SECTION CHAIRS

Crop Protection Charles Stevens, NewcastleResearch Harold Schooley, SimcoeProperty Brian Gilroy, MeafordLabour Ken Forth, LyndenSafety Nets Mark Wales, AlymerCHC Adrian Huisman, St. Catharines

By now, most of us haveheard something about theimpending cap and trade pro-gram that will be implementedin Ontario on January 1, 2017,but how about the details ofthat program? Any idea aboutwhat challenges or opportunitiescap and trade will present onyour farm?

Likely you know very littlewith any degree of certainty andyou are not alone. There is nodoubt you will be paying a fewcents more for a litre of gas anddiesel fuel. If you use naturalgas, you will also pay a fewcents more per m3 or almost adollar per G1 for cap and trade.All fossil fuels will be taxed atthe same rate per unit of carbonthey produce. Sad news, too,that we are told not to expect

offset credits for any “normalagricultural production practices.”

There are a number ofaspects of the current climatechange programming that mayprovide some relief to agricul-ture. We have been promisedthat agriculture in and of itselfis exempt, though this is a smallconsolation as exemption is onlyprovided for methane and othergreenhouse gases produced inagricultural processes and notfor the combustion of fossilfuels in agricultural production.

Another potential positive isthat forests and grasslands thatare established with a commit-ment to remain in place for anumber of years – 100 years hasbeen speculated – could possi-bly be eligible for offset credits.Exactly how that will work isnot clear at this time. Given thelow emissions profile of Ontarioelectricity, there is not expectedto be any cap and trade-relatedincreases associated with electricity use. And lastly, thegovernment has committed touse the profits accrued from thecap and trade program to fundthe Climate Change ActionPlan, which aims to help withthe transition to a low-carboneconomy.

Expanding on the concept ofoffsets, there may be offsetsavailable for operators who can

sequester carbon in the soil,prove that it is real, enforceable,permanent, quantifiable, additional, verifiable andunique and go through theprocess of applying for the credits. Another hope lies in thetransition away from fossil fuelsto electrically driven energyuses such as geothermal, heatpumps and electric vehicles. Aproducer’s decision to switch tothese technologies would, at thefarm level, need to be economically driven taking intoconsideration the financial assistance provided by theClimate Change Action Plan aswell as the price of electricity.For greenhouse growers, theremay be some relief offered tothose who invest in energy curtains or condensers on boilers unless that is consideredbusiness as usual. We can hope.

All of this is to be done inconjunction with Quebec,California and Mexico. I readrecently that Mexico has creditsit is willing to sell. Our provincial government has chosen to follow the Californiamodel closely to make carbontrade between the two jurisdic-tions simpler even thoughCalifornia has recently faced itsown challenges which certainlyputs into question the feasibilityof the current model. Let’shope they figure it out by

January 1.That really brings me to the

point I want to make. The goalof reducing carbon emissions isnot a bad idea. To reduce ourdependence on fossil fuels alsois not a bad idea. On these twoideas, I can concur with theprovince. However, I struggleintensely with understandinghow the current cap and trademodel will realistically achieveits targets without driving businesses out of the provinceor out of business altogether. Iponder to no avail how addingcosts to the consumer, who ultimately must pay, will be apositive impact on the environment.

Our current production standards are some of the bestin the world in all respectsincluding environment, foodsafety, labour conditions, pesticide regulations, etc. andyet still Ontario’s farmers faceincreasing bureaucratic andsocial pressure to demonstratetheir commitment to food security. While Ontario’s farmers support creating a sustainable and secure foodsource, this increased level ofregulation comes at a cost andthe use of a carbon pricingmodel applied unilaterally tonearly all farms will only serveto add to this cumulative burden.

The silver lining of this current program may hinge onwhat the provincial governmentdoes with all the money collected under cap and trade.Will it all go to subsidizing electric cars, geothermal andpublic transit or will there beconsideration for the food producers, the farmers that feedpeople? This issue is a very difficult one because of theamount of environmental passion that is driving it but wemust do our best to impact theregulations around cap andtrade before it is too late and weare forgotten.

You can make a differenceby supporting your ag organiza-tion through this process.Encourage the representativesof the Ontario Federation ofAgriculture or Christian FarmersFederation of Ontario to continue to dig in on the issue.Support your ag organizationand its staff as they try to navigate the mountain ofupcoming carbon regulations.The Ontario Fruit andVegetable Growers’ Associationis working on this issue, alongwith the Ontario GreenhouseVegetable Growers and othersto find some potential glimmerof opportunity in what currentlyseems so dark a challenge.

Lost and found: carbon, cap and trade

JAN VANDERHOUTVICE-CHAIR, OFVGA

According to The Weather Network, Kamloops, British Columbia took top spot for the most days above 30°C this past summer: 37. Toronto, Ontario came a close secondwith 33 days. Those statistics are no surprise for Ontario grape growers who relished the sunny days and now look forward to harvesting a superlative vintage. Richie Roberts,winemaker at Fielding Estate Winery, moves totes of grapes to the crush pad at Lincoln, Ontario. Photo by Glenn Lowson.

WEATHER VANE


The huge federal fundingannouncement at the Universityof Guelph in September, for aseven-year, $77-million initia-tive called Food From Thought:Agricultural Systems for aHealthy Planet, is being herald-ed as a turning point in Canadafor the next agricultural revolution – the digital revolution – which will be driven significantly by the coming together of big data andmodern farming.

In fact, the university’s scientific lead for the project,Guelph Food Institute directorProf. Evan Fraser, says FoodFrom Thought stands to makeGuelph the Silicon Valley ofagriculture and food.

Here’s why.The project builds on some

assets that are uniquely theUniversity of Guelph’s, andhave given it an established

platform on which to nurturesuch an agricultural revolution.The first asset is the partnershipbetween the university and theOntario Ministry of Agriculture,Food and Rural Affairs(OMAFRA), a formal arrange-ment that seizes on the historicconnection between the two.

The ministry dedicates millions of dollars every year --$54 million in 2015-16 -- to thepartnership, to fund agricultureand food research and develop-ment, laboratory services andtraining and education at theUniversity of Guelph. The partnership also supports theprovince’s largest network ofresearch stations, dedicated tolivestock and field crop development, managed by theuniversity for its researchers’use.

In 2017, the partnership willcelebrate its 20th anniversary.Independent impact studieshave shown it generates morethan $1 billion a year in economic activity in Ontario.The stability it gives the agriculture and food sector inOntario helped make the pursuit of Food From Thoughtpossible.

And so did newer assets. Onethat comes immediately to mind– and one that is an intrinsicpart of Food From Thought -- isthe Biodiversity Institute ofOntario (BIO), at whose headquarters the project’sannouncement was made.

BIO is home to a game-changing technology calledDNA barcoding, sometimesreferred to as the “Barcode ofLife.” DNA barcoding uses avery short piece of DNA toaccurately identify a species,similar to how a supermarketscanner uses the black stripes ofthe Universal Product Code.

In agriculture and food, DNAbarcoding has several applica-tions. In the field, it can lead toaccurate pest identification,which is crucial for farmers trying to figure out how to protect their crops and livestockfrom insects, bacteria and fungi.Off the farm, it can help guarantee the authenticity ofCanadian exports. It can alsoidentify problems such aspathogens or toxins earlier, andallow faster and better responses to food safety threats,protecting consumers andexporters.

The huge amounts of databeing generated by BIO andother activities on campus haveprompted Guelph researchers toconnect with those who havesupercomputing capacity, andwhat’s called “big data” expertise. Guelph entered thisfield early – and uniquely, forits biological applications --through its involvement with asupercomputing network calledthe Shared HierarchicalAcademic Research ComputingNetwork (SHARNET), inwhich Canadian universities

share and join their computingcapacity.

Building on that foundation,Food From Thought has attracted IBM Canada as a keyindustry partner. Its role willinclude tools and training fordata analytics, plus securingcloud-based storage for theincredible amount of information gathered throughsupercomputing, and from precision agriculture technologythat has already started appearing on farms. Scientificdirector Fraser says big data“will improve the understand-ing of the complex interplay

between farming practices, thegenetic potential of our cropsand livestock, and the environment.”

So now, through the CanadaFirst Research Excellence Fundthat funded Food For Thought,Guelph has a new injection ofresources to support graduatestudents, outreach and of coursea whole array of research activity.

Aggies and non-aggies canrally around this initiative withequal enthusiasm. This is ourcountry’s entry into the agricultural digital revolution.

Guelph readies to become the Silicon Valley for agriculture and food

OWEN ROBERTSU OF GUELPH

PERSPECTIVE

Professor Evan Fraser speaks at the Food from Thought announcement at the University of Guelph.

On August 17, the CanadianHorticultural Council (CHC)hosted a crop protection information tour of Quebec horticultural production facili-ties for staff of Health Canada’sPest Management RegulatoryAgency (PMRA) andAgriculture and Agri-FoodCanada’s Pest ManagementCentre (PMC). For governmentstaff who evaluate and regulatecrop protection products andcoordinate minor use pesticides,this was an opportunity to seefirst-hand how growers manage

horticultural crops and pests ingreenhouse, orchard and fieldsystems.

Tour participants visited thegreenhouse facility of LesSerres Lefort, Ste-Clotilde, aproducer of organic peppers andcucumbers and hydroponic lettuce on 12 hectares of production area. They observedthe extensive biosecurity procedures which limit theintroduction of pests into thefacility.

Following lunch at PhillionEcological Orchard,

Hemmingford, provided byVegPro International andl’Association des producteursmaraîchers du Québec, participants visited an apple andpear orchard to gain a grower’sperspective of the impact of theproposed PMRA re-evaluationdecisions, in particular, captan.This discussion was linked topost-application activities andthe minimal exposure of workers in modern high-densityorchard plantings.

The tour concluded atVegPro International,

Sherrington, with a visit to fieldproduction sites of young leaflettuce (“mesclun”), onions andother vegetables. Integratedpest management was discussedincluding disease monitoringand forecasting based on modelling and spore trapping.

This tour allowed CHCmembers and staff to interactwith 37 key government officials who regulate crop protection products and to \discuss how regulatory decisions impact horticulturalproducers in Canada.

CANADIAN HORTICULTURAL COUNCIL NEWS

Understanding how the regulations impactreal-life horticulture

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

Marc AndréLaberge (QC)514-984-4589

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

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

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

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

LauraCaralampides (QC)514-984-0662

~ Quality Seed Since 1881 ~

www.StokeSeeds.com

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

OUR EXPERTS ARE HERE TO HELP!

CHC’s general manager Rebecca Lee (L) and CHC chair KeithKuhl suit up at the facilities of Les Serres Lefort, Ste-Clotilde.

BRUCE KELLY

By the end of a hot, dry summer like that of 2012 or now2016, we are always talkingabout water: do we have enoughhere in Ontario and who wouldget access when sources runshort?

Weather whiplash is the onlyway to sum up this year and thissummer. Extremely hot and dryconditions were experiencedthrough the growing season andnormal-to-above normal rainsarrived more recently in August,but they came too late for manyfield crops.

For most vegetable growers,the recent rains bring somerelief and an opportunity tocatch up on some sleep afterlong nights of irrigation, but thefinancial toll on people, costsand equipment is just starting tohit home. Fuel bills, burned outpumps, reduced crop yield andchallenges in maintaining quality this summer will leavemany with a drought hangoverthey will be thinking about longinto the winter.

Irrigation has been the keyfor many vegetable growers, butnot all fields can be irrigatedand many potato and tomatocrops have underperformed.Berries suffered storage issuesand if they were not irrigated,simply withered in the field.

After the drought of 2012, manywho had not had irrigation started to invest in new systems.Many grape and apple producers added drip irrigationto new and existing acres overthe last few years, and madegood use of this equipment thisvery dry summer.

After a dry summer like this,we once again start talkingabout equipment types, watersources, potential irrigation projects (Niagara Region forone) water security and water-taking permits. But as yet wehave not wrestled with thequestion of how we would allocate water, if sources aredepleted. The Permit to TakeWater (PTTW) process onlygoes so far, and cannot guarantee the water will bethere when you actually need it.

In a terrible case of timing,Nestle Waters has been lookingto renew some of its water- taking permits in the midst of adrought-plagued summer sparking a debate about bottledwater, how much the companypays for the water and the risksto local communities.

Bottled water and where itcomes from has become a lightning rod recently as communities do not think it isfair to have water removed inlarge quantities from theiraquifer with no direct

community compensation andthey wonder what risk it posesto their own local supply. Waterusers are either municipal,industrial, agriculture or recreation. And bottled water,although industrial in nature, isreally in a category by itself andoften bears the brunt of waterdiscussions and polarized views.There are few bottler support-ers, although there are lots ofcustomers because someone isbuying and drinking the water.

The Ontario government isnow moving to review water usecharges and bottled water isgoing to be at the top of the list.

While acknowledging thatthere is a difference betweentaking water for agricultural orindustrial use and taking it tosell bottled water, OntarioPremier Kathleen Wynne saidin August that some of the conditions of the permits forbottled water use are outdated.

“There’s the issue of thequantity of water that’s taken,there’s the issue of the cost ofthat water,” Wynne said.

Wynne has asked OntarioEnvironment Minister GlenMurray to review permit conditions for bottled watercompanies and determinewhether there is a sufficientprice on removing water.

While I am not aware of anymove to change the rules foragriculture or to charge agriculture for water use(beyond those currently onmunicipal systems), this directive may open up discussions on how we wouldallocate water if the going gotreally tough. Ontario is blessedwith abundant water resources,but in some years the timing isa little off and we will have to

face some hard decisions aboutallocation.

As for the fate of the waterbottling industry, I suspect theywill continue to be the industrywe all love to hate given thecost of water is not their onlychallenge as an industry.Collectively, EnvironmentalDefence and the OntarioFederation of Agriculture haverecently come out with a proposal to lobby the Ontariogovernment to implement adeposit return program for single-use plastic beverage containers which would presumably apply to water, pop

and others to help fund environmental programs.

A few resources that are ofuse can be found on the government’s websites: “DryConditions and Low WaterResponse” and “Irrigation” areavailable on the OMAFRA website. “Permits to TakeWater” can be found on thewebsite of the Ontario Ministryof Environment and ClimateChange.

Bruce Kelly is environmental program coordinator, Farm &Food Care Ontario.


THE GROWER

Who gets the last drop?

Oct 1 Holland Marsh Soupfest, Ansnorveldt Park, Ansnorveldt, ON

Oct 3-4 Advancing Women Conference, Fairmont Royal York, Toronto, ON

Oct 5, 6 Canadian Greenhouse Conference, Scotiabank Conference Centre, Niagara Falls, ON

Oct 14-16 Produce Marketing Association Fresh Summit Conference and Expo, Orlando, FL

Nov 1 Paper and Paperboard Packaging Environmental Council “How Green is your customer” seminar, Islington Golf Club, Toronto, ON

Nov 4-13 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Enercare Centre, Toronto, ON

Nov 11 Ontario Produce Marketing Association Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony, Universal Event Space, Vaughan, ON

Nov 21-23 50th Annual Alberta Potato Conference and Trade Show, Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, Banff, AB

Nov 21-23 CHC/CPMA Fall Harvest Event, Ottawa, ON

Nov 23 Asparagus Farmers of Ontario Annual General Meeting, Hungarian Hall, Delhi, ON

Nov 29-Dec 4 Outstanding Young Farmers Event, Niagara Falls, ON

Dec 4-6 North American Strawberry Growers, Raspberry Growers and Blackberry Growers, Grand Rapids, MI [email protected]

Dec 6-8 Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo, Devos Place Convention Center, Grand Rapids, MI

Dec 6-8 GrowCanada Conference, Westin Ottawa, Ottawa, ON

Dec 7 Ontario Potato Board Annual General Meeting, Holiday Inn, Cambridge, ON

Dec 8 CanadaGAP Annual General Meeting, Canadian Federation of Agriculture Boardroom, Ottawa, ON

Dec 13 Fresh Vegetable Growers of Ontario Annual General Meeting, OMAFRA office, Woodstock, ON

COMING EVENTS 2016

Planning for seasonal pro-grams happens earlier than mostother initiatives. Lead times arelonger, especially if off shorenon-food items are tied in.Retailers plan these programs atleast a year in advance so youneed to be thinking further outthan that. It doesn't have to bethe fine details but items, ideasand opportunities.

Retailers will start with thekey selling seasons related toholidays. These are changing asthe consumer changes. Morefood-related holidays are celebrated within different cultures so make sure you areeducated in these. In producethe local grower program wouldbe planned at the same time asholidays.

Once the key selling seasonsare planned they will move onto the programs that are twoweeks and fit them in aroundthe big ones. Often they willstart with what worked last year,plan them again and then determine where the gaps are.

Use your own calendar topredict what your customerswill be doing. You should havethemes from last year recorded,just as they would. Plan theyear as if you were the categorymanager -- where are youropportunities? You might findsome things they have not considered. You should alsohave ideas from other marketsthat you experienced whiletravelling.

Look for opportunities foryour items in themes that arenot specifically for produce.Tomatoes and onions forbruschetta during Super Bowlwill drive incremental sales,which is the goal.

Getting into the programs

Ask your customers for thelead times they are using toplan seasonal programs. Usethese dates to determine whenyou need to put opportunitiesin front of them.

You need to be right on pricebut often these programs aredesigned to deliver sales andmargin, not just sales. They will

be looking for items to roundout the program and make it anevent in-store.

Plan your production aroundthe early lead times into thewarehouse. Often they will shipitems for a theme earlier thanads to give stores a chance tobuild displays and also break upthe work for the store. Do notmiss these deadlines! They arevery important to retailers andyou create a lot of extra work ifyou miss your commitments.

If you are working earlyenough you can suggest ideas toyour category manager. Sendthem pictures of things youhave seen in other markets andset them up to need your items.

Communication needs to beclear to ensure they know whatthey are getting and the samefor you. Often these programsrequire products, packaging,displays that are outside regularbusiness. It is costly if one sidedoes not deliver.

Check the execution

Plans are great and they needto be made, however the realityis in the store during the event.Schedule your time in thestores to understand how itlooks out there for your customer and consumers. Yourexpectation might be differentthan what you see. Go earlyenough to impact change, ifrequired. Communicate to your

customers, which reinforces thatyou are in their stores.

If you don’t get the execution you want, use it as abargaining chip next time.

If you have some ideas tomake participating in seasonalprograms more effective pleasegive me a call at (902) 489-2900or send me an email at [email protected].

WHAT’S IN STORE?

Food is popular with the under-10 crowd

Have you heard of Shopkins?If you have kids under 10 youmight have. These small plasticcollectibles, shaped like foodand other consumables are instores everywhere. Theyappeared on the market aboutthree years ago and they arenow into what they call seasonfive.

The product was developedand produced by a company

called Moose Toys fromAustralia. Perhaps this nextgeneration will be trained froman early age to love shopping forfood!

THE OTHER SIDE OF THEDESK

Loyalty programs are big business

Recently I saw this sign(above) in our local AtlanticSuperstore (Loblaws). I was surprised at the dollars theyhave returned to consumers inthis one store. According to thesign consumers have redeemed$327,880 worth of free groceriesin this store alone.

If this store averages$450,000 per week, that is $23.4million per year. The free groceries are worth 1.4% to thebottom line of this store. That isa huge number in the foodindustry. Do you participate inthe loyalty programs your

customers have? If you add inthe marketing and system costs,this program is a huge invest-ment for Loblaw. The real mathis more complicated but it doesn’t change the fact that youneed to understand these programs and decide if you canparticipate. With this investment, it is big for yourcustomers.

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]

THE GROWER

OCTOBER 2016 –– PAGE 11

RETAIL NAVIGATOR

Thinking ahead to seasonalprograms

PETER CHAPMAN

Innov

vation is

a lot ls alIt’s

the fu

like familyl about

e.uture

y:

ovide

AgSolutions egistis a r

e’ve prWeowers sincegr

e info For mor

ed advanced solutions fo

ed trade-mark of BASF Corporation; uster

e just gee 1950. And we’rgo to agsolutions.ca/ho

e

sed with permission by BASF Canada Inc.

or horticulturetting started.

eorticulture.

© 2016 BASF Canada Inc.

When Beverly Greenhousesbuilt their two-acre propagationfacility two years ago near

Dundas, Ontario it wasn’t longuntil Grodan GroSens monitorswere installed in the stone wool

slabs. The wireless device logsdata every three minutes forwater content (WC), electrical

conductivity (EC) and temperature in the substrate.What happens in the wool substrate impacts the functioning of the root zone.

“It was a turning point for usin understanding the exponen-tial growth of seedlings,” saysJan VanderHout. “The needsfor water are immense, especially in the last weekbefore transplanting.”

The collected data is criticalin adjusting inputs for the fast-growing cucumber plants,especially since the greenhouseis built on cascading floors. Thefloor is not flooded but must bemanaged for a precise amountof water to reach the root zone.In winter, it’s easy to overwater.Too wet conditions invite

diseases such as Pythium. Grodan, the monitor

manufacturer, has introduced aweb-based application whichallows the operator’s smartphone to be connected tothe farm’s servers. On-site oroff-farm, the operator can checkreal-time conditions in the propagation greenhouse.

“It’s technology like this thathas allowed us to control andadjust the environmental conditions within our propagation greenhouse,” saysVanderHout. “We have totalcontrol over our pest controlprogram for thrips, white fliesand spider mites. We have nothad to use any chemical controlssince our propagation green-house opened two years ago.”


FOCUS: GREENHOUSE INNOVATION

Modern living quarters in modular housing units to attract employees

Real-time environmental monitoring has multiple benefits

KAREN DAVIDSON

Two innovators in the greenhouse industry are piloting anew way to house employees.Paul J. Mastronardi, GoldenFresh Farms and Red Sun Farms,Kingsville Ontario have contractors putting the

finishing touches on modularhouses at a new location inWapakoneta, Ohio.

“We are setting the bar by creating an environment whichcreates a sense of community andhome,” says Paul J. Mastronardi,Ohio greenhouse operator. “Ourplans include an additional unitfor our retail partners and

customers to stay while visitingon site so they are able to gainfirst hand insight in the totalexperience of our operation.”

Each modular design includes1,134 square feet of living spacecomplete with two living rooms,two kitchenettes, two bathroomsand four bedrooms. These newmodular Vectorbloc units are

being installed by ConnexioBuilding Systems Inc., and aremaking their debut in the agriculture industry with the RedSun Farms’ Ohio expansion.

Five units are under construction with each unit having maximum capacity foreight residents. Once complete,the Ohio greenhouse and distribution center will start operating with approximately 75employees. However, this operation has been designed toallow for growth of up to 200acres within the next seven to 10years, with the potential to createup to 400 jobs.

The goal is to attract employees that will be productivein the work culture offered byRed Sun Farms.

“We are always on the lookoutfor innovative ways to do business or grow our business,”

says Harold Paivarinta, Red SunFarms. “When the opportunityarose to incorporate this type ofhousing into our new Ohio location, we were excited.”

Through factory control in theassembly process, the housingunits are designed to deliver sustainability and efficiency. Theresult is less waste, tighter construction allowances, and ultimately a shorter constructionschedule. All of these parametersensure a timely delivery withoutcompromising quality and comforts. The housing is LEED-certified – another plus in tellingthe behind-the-scenes productionstory.

As the pilot program unfoldsin Ohio, this housing will be considered for future buildsthroughout Red Sun Farms’ facilities.

With real-time environmental monitoring, Jan VanderHout says nochemical controls have been used since opening the propagationfacility two years ago. Photo by Glenn Lowson.


Pilot project: Lighting in Ontario greenhouse vegetablesTODD GRAHAM

The consumer demand forgreenhouse vegetables in thewinter months requires the use ofartificial lights to supplement thelow natural light during that period. Traditional crop startingdates are in early to mid-Januaryand terminated in late Novemberleaving a three to four month gapwhen there is little or no production.

A pilot project was initiated byOntario Greenhouse VegetableGrowers (OGVG) in cooperationwith Agriculture Agri-FoodCanada , Harrow (AAFC) andOntario Ministry of AgricultureFood and Rural Affairs, Harrow(OMAFRA) at commercial vegetable greenhouse operations,to address the need for information on lighting strategies,economics and benefits for theOntario greenhouse vegetableproducer.

Seven commercial sites wereselected for tomato, cucumberand pepper in glass and double

poly greenhouse structures andvarious light combinations ofHigh Pressure Sodium lights(HPS) with Light EmittingDiodes (LEDs) at different combinations and light intensitieswere evaluated. The combina-tions were as follows: three tomato producing greenhousesone with glass covering with HPSoverhead and LED interlighting,a poly covered greenhouse withLED interlighting (over-wintercrop) and another poly coveredgreenhouse with LED interlight-ing for spring production; threecucumber producing greenhousesone with poly covering high wirecucumber with HPS overheadand LED interlighting, one withpoly covered umbrella systemwith LED interlighting andanother glass covered high wiremini cucumber with HPS andoverhead LEDS; one pepper polycovered greenhouse with HPSoverhead and LED interlightingwith various light intensities.

In general there was improvedgrowth and production whenlight was increased with

variations depending on the cropand the level of lighting applied.

Early Conclusions• Interlighting with LEDsincreased high wire mini cucum-ber yield by 22.3 per cent withone interlighting strip and 30.8per cent with two interlightingstrips• Overhead LEDs versus over-head HPS did not show a higherproduction as the light intensitieswere not comparable althoughboth treatments surpassed yieldfrom no lights by >100 per cent• Interlighting in traditionalcucumber cropping had a 30 percent increase in production• Pepper experiment LED inter-lighting improved plantgrowth, fruit yield and qualitycompared to the top HPS treatment. As well, LED inter-lighting significantlyincreased fruit dry matter contentand the content of health promoting compounds in fruits,including total phenolic content,total carotenoid content andantioxidant activities• Tomato HPS lighting withLEDs interlighting increasedyield but requires further studies.Summer interlighting with LEDsshows some promise• Tomato interlighting withLEDs in February to May didshow increased production butyield did not offset the increasedcost of production. Further studies are necessary.

Economic analysis of the datais underway and information on

the prices needed to offset theincreased cost due to lighting arebeing established.

Dr. Todd Graham is science coordinator, Ontario GreenhouseVegetable Growers.


NOTICE OF MEETINGNotice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of the

FRESH VEGETABLE GROWERS OF ONTARIOwill be held in the Town of Woodstock, Ontario at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

December 13, 2016 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.mIn the large boardroom

Election of Directors of the Association, discussion of financial reports and any other business that mayarise will take place. Lunch will be provided. Meeting details will be posted to the FVGO website as they

become available.

www.freshvegetablesontario.com To register for the meeting please call the FVGO office, 519-674-1500 ext 63592

or email [email protected]

KAREN DAVIDSON

The European fairy tale ofJack and the beanstalk hasmade its way across the pondand is becoming a Canadiansuccess story. First-generationfarmers Jordan and DuffyKniaziew are setting the stageto market their EuropeanRunner Beans to the masses.Currently they are grown inLeamington, Ontario and

shipped to retailers acrossOntario, Quebec and the north-eastern United States. Futureplans are to ship throughoutNorth America.

Since 2013, the brothers havededicated a portion of theirgrowing facility to research anddevelopment aside from theircurrent allotment for marketsupply. Growing beans whichare twice the length and size ofa typical green bean has takenseveral years to finetune. With

every crop, a little more information is gathered in orderto meet the growing demands ofall-season production. Theyhave spent considerable timeworking with seed companies toidentify the right varieties foryear-round harvest.

The long runner bean differsfrom the more commonlyknown green bean. In a garden,the cotyledons stay in theground during germination andthe plant is a perennial vinewith tuberous roots. The vinecan grow past twelve feet inlength, making it ideal for acontrolled greenhouse environment. In a short timespan, the Kniaziew’s havebecome the largest purveyors ofgreenhouse-grown long runnerbeans in North America.

“It’s about the wow factor,”says Jordan Kniaziew, who getsa positive response telling hisstory while travelling through-out airports. “Most people havenever seen a bean that big, andfrom there, our conversationusually leads to how I like tocook them.” His go-to recipe istaken from the asparagus playbook. He starts by applyinga healthy coating of olive oil, alight dusting of salt and pepperand then grilling them on thebarbecue and finishing themwith some freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Offering a wide variety ofproducts under the Zing!Healthy Foods brand, theKniaziew brothers are keenly

aware of how colours appeal tothe diverse Canadian market-place. Their pencil-hot peppersare gaining traction with suppliers whose consumer baselean towards a more culturallydiverse food supply. Marketedas “Spice Night,” the packagefeatures fine hot peppers in red,

yellow and brown colours.“Everyone knows a jalapeno

pepper,” says Kniaziew, “andeveryone knows a habanero, butwe wanted something in-between in terms of heat. Wefeel we found that sweet spot,or spicy in this case,” Kniaziewconcludes.


THE GROWER


Long runner beans are a runaway success in the greenhouse vegetable mix

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 ofdoors and can achieve year-round tertiary treat-ment of wastewater. This sub-surface, vertical flowconstructed wetland consists of sand & gravel bedsplanted with moisture tolerant plant species. Wateris pumped vertically from cell to cell. There is noopen or standing water. Treatment occurs throughphysical filtration & biological degradation. Plantsshade & insulate the cells, cycling nutrients whilepreventing algae growth. There is no production ofsludge.

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]

Jordan Zniaziew, Zing! Healthy Foods, is successfully growing andmarketing long runner beans in Ontario, Quebec and the north-eastern United States.


FROST PROTECTION

THE GROWER

[email protected] 866-898-8488 x 218

CONTAINERS

P: 1-888-770-8454F: 1-888-567-1297www.madleyglobal.com

SALESSERVICESUPPORT

LABELS & LABEL MACHINERYAUTOMATION & ROBOTICS

Used Wooden AppleBins For Sale!

48” x 48”, plywoodUsed wooden posts

8’ x 2”ALGOMA

ORCHARDS905-242-6141

ORCHARD SUPPLIES

Book your ad for November 2016

Focus: Seed and Rootstock

Deadline: October 14

866-898-8488 x [email protected]

@growernews The Grower www.thegrower.org

PLASTIC BASKETS• MADE IN CANADA• 2 LITRE & 4 LITRE PLASTIC BASKETS• SUITABLE FOR SEVERAL PRODUCTS• STRONG DURABLE PLASTIC• STURDY HANDLES• WEATHER PROOF• AIR VENTILATION• RELIABLE DELIVERY

[email protected]

– OCTOBER 2016

THE GROWER


SEED AND ROOTSTOCK

Providing quality

apple trees for 40 years.

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

(instant orchard)

Brian Van Brenk31760 Erin Line

Fingal ON, Canada N0L 1K0519-902-6353

[email protected]

ASPARAGUS

ASPARAGUS CROWNSMillennium

Mary Washington

Sandy Shore Farms Ltd.(519) 8753382

[email protected]

classified ads

866-898-8488 ext 221

Mori Nuseries now has various types of hoop houses ready for sale.

Sold by the square foot. Both Gothic and round types available.

All specialized nursery equipment will be sold.

As example of equipment:2005 Univergo Hydra Weeder, Model SARL M 923

This is a 3 seat unit in excellent condition.

Call 905.468.3217 ext. 225 or [email protected]

Fresh newsdelivered weekly to

your inbox!Sign up at www.thegrower.org

EQUIPMENT

DON ARTHUR ORCHARD EQUIPMENT(519) 599-3058 [email protected] Clarksburg, ON

NOW IS THE BEST TOME TO BUY, LEASE OR TRADE FOR BESTPRE-SEASON PRICING AND MORE TIME TO RECONDITION, ADVERTISE AND SELL YOUR TRADE.

LOW DRIFT SPRAY TOWERS - ADD TO ANYTURBO-MIST*** USED APPLE BIN CARRIER FOR 5 BINS

- WOOD OR PLASTIC SPECIAL $2,650

**** WISHING YOU A SAFE & BOUNTIFUL HARVEST ****

[email protected] EQUIPMENT

OUR SPECIALITY

NEW . . USED . . SERVICE

YOUR SOURCE FORJOHN BEAN AND

DURAND-WAYLAND

YOUNOW

have beento the rest,

call theBEST!!P

HIL

LIP

SFA

RM

SU

PPLIE

S

NEW TURBO-MIST SPRAYERS2017 MODELS WITH NEW FEATURES -

HERE IN OCTOBER

@growernews

The Grower

www.thegrower.org

THE GROWER

GREENHOUSE ROOFING

REFRIGERATIONIRRIGATIONORCHARD SUPPLIES

REAL ESTATE

Pipe& Fittings

for Water Systems• PVC, ABS, Poly, Copper

• Stainless, Brass, SteelProduct Lines

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

Winona Concrete & Pipe Products Ltd.

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

[email protected]

Phone (905) 945-8515 Fax: (905) 945-1149

or call toll-free

1-800-361-8515



@growernews

The Grower

www.thegrower.org

•

Agricultural * Commercial * Industrial

50 Years of Excellent Service

Refrigeration (All Types)

Heating, Air Conditioning

Controlled Atmosphere

18 Seapark Drive, St Catharines ON, L2M 6S6

905-685-4255

www.pennrefrigeration.com

[email protected]

Gerry Loeters for Royal LePage, RCR Realty.PH. 519-765-4217Cell. 519-773-6460

BLUEBERRY FARMBlueberry farm for sale in West Elgin near West-Lorne on majorHighway. Appr. 13 acres in full production. Lots of room for expansion. Certified organic for 2017 crop possible. Full list ofequipment and financials available for serious inquiries only.

Call Gerry Loeters Royal LePage RCR Realty ph. 519-765-4217 or cell 519-773-6460

[email protected] .

WARWICKORCHARDS & NURSERY LTD.7056 Egremont Road, R.R. 8 Watford, Ontario N0M 2S0

Tel: (519) 849-6730 Toll free: 877-550-7412Fax: (519) 849-6731

Email: [email protected]

• BIN TRAILERS• BIN TIPPERS• Picking LADDERS• Picking BUCKETS

• Tree STAKES• TIE MATERIAL• TREE GUARDS


I think I was at the OFVGAfor a day when then-editorJamie Reaume ‘told’ me that Ihad to write a column for TheGrower. Today’s version represents the 200th versionand a total of about 250,000words that have ‘spewed’ frommy scribbling pen. It has been alot of fun along the way.

Early columns focused onthe many ‘wrongs’ in thePesticide world. I even got akind of warning from a formermanager that maybe I was beingtoo negative. My response thenwas that since it was CanadianPesticide issues that I wasexpostulating on, there were alot of negatives to write about!Another piece of advice that Itook to heart then was that inthe Federal Health Minister’slist of top 20 issues, pesticidesranked 47th! The only way toget his attention was a face-to-face meeting and that happenedsoon thereafter due to behind-the-scenes work by Jeff Wilson.One of the outcomes was theMinor Use Program, which justgoes to show that tenacity canpay off.

Along the way I have beenasked repeatedly about where Iget the fodder to write about.Another question is often abouthow long it takes to write a column. The first one is easy-there are so many interesting (atleast to me) things happening inthe world of Horticulture andCrop Protection that I neverhave a shortage. I also like toadd in some personal things tokeep some folks off balance asthey wait for my next thrust!Throughout the columns there

have been personal anecdotes,experiences and opinions thatallow readers to get a betterhandle on who I am and whatmakes me tick.

The time to write a columnvaries from an hour to severaldays. I often read it a day laterand start to fine tune somethings. Research on numbers foraccuracy of historical items isneeded to augment my memorywhich is not infallible, and somedata may take some time totrack down.

In the early years I evenwrote a couple of short ‘stories’to augment The Grower atChristmas time. One was actual-ly published and the other, asequel, is still ‘in the can.’ Mychildren still remember metelling them ‘made up stories’and I guess this has carriedonward. Using a story to make apoint has always worked for me.Comparisons, metaphors andalliteration can be the writer’sbest friend at times. Dredgingup old anecdotes works for metoo.

The stories that have ahuman element seem to get themost response. I have been sofortunate to work for so manygifted people who were pre-pared to share their knowledge.Almost all of them have passedaway, and the best way to hon-our them and to keep theirmemory alive is to write aboutthem. The same thing goes forthe members of the many organizations, committees andgroups that I have had the pleasure of working with andknowing.

Just today I had a chance totalk about the old ‘rules’ thatthe Horticulture ExtensionStaff lived with, back in theday. Simple things includedtaking no holidays during thesummer. That was when farmers needed us so we wereexpected to be on hand.Likewise, staff deportment wasmonitored and some wereadmonished for attire and conduct. As an example: Use ofthe government car went fromany personal use within reason,to just use in your counties ofresponsibility and neighbouring

counties, to just for commutingfrom home to the office, to nopersonal use whatsoever. Woebetides the staffer who used thegovernment car (with decal toshow it was a ministry vehicle)to attend an event (non-work)on a Saturday and parked itwith a case of beer on the backseat wherever anyone could seeit! And then there was theemployee whose spouse usedthe government car for Saturdayshopping an hour’s drive from‘home’ and certainly raisedsome eyebrows! There wasanother one who drove fivehours away from ‘home’ oneFriday for a personal visit andon the next day (Saturday) thecar was hit by a train far fromhome and totally destroyedalthough he walked away. Hewas also ‘covered’ for that incident.

It just goes to show thatthere are rules for some, andloopholes for others. A lessonwell worth remembering!(The above is just an exampleof how a simple comment canunleash a flood of carefullyhoarded trivia for re-cycling!)Perhaps my favourite columnswere the ones that I preparedprior to a Remembrance Dayissue. Anyone who has been

reading for a while will know ofmy deep and abiding respect forthose who have volunteered toserve our country. Often thesebecome a family remembrancepiece, but also include manyothers. I continually find out,usually too late via obituary, ofthe contributions of people Ihave met, but whose stories Inever knew. One of the professors at Guelph whom Iknew of but never had as aninstructor (Tom Lane) was aPOW in WWII and was in thesame camp as a longtime familyfriend. I only found that outwhile chatting to him a fewshort years ago and Tom passedaway this summer. It reallystruck me that he rememberedand acknowledged our friend byacknowledging his organizationof hockey games and buildingof the rink at Stalag Luft III.The skates and sticks came viathe Red Cross, and later theskate blades were ‘re-purposed’as digging tools for the tunnelused in The Great Escape, andthe hockey stick handles wereused on the bellows used toprovide air movement in thosetunnels. It just proves what asmall world it really is.

I must admit that at times Imay have been a tad harsh on

the Pest ManagementRegulatory Agency (PMRA)and its predecessor organiza-tions. It was done solely to getattention to the problem athand, and not necessarily meantto denigrate the efforts of thevast majority of hard-workingfolks in that organization.(There were a few who diddeserve even more acerbitythan I dished out, but they willremain anonymous as I have nowish to even credit them byrepeating their names and misdeeds.) On the other hand,when I actually handed outkudos, some went to PMRAstaff who went above andbeyond to gain understandingof issues from a grower perspective before making adecision that would cause serious repercussions. Evenwhen I had to ‘point out theerrors of their ways’ I alwaysalso tried to point out we preferred to work with them,and not make it a public debatewhich could become a lose-losesituation.

There are still a few morecolumns in me, and as long asour editor sees fit to publishthem you can look forward tomore ‘Craig’s Comments’ in thefuture!

CRAIG HUNTEROFVGA

MINOR USE

CRAIG’S COMMENTS

Looking back

QUEUNIEDSTURT

S

nibg

S

GAGENGEN ORGA

ROTAATSEN CS50 murtcpesoad a brsi cimeysts ungf

on.itecnf gand neww entrurng citecot pre,eassi dtns agaierr irarictc aimes systihT. onitcade offomque a uniserowr

d.lei and ysantleotng pridivoe pracfurrfseaffhe led on ti dron hasiutole oncanthe pltffofffhed as be wtan’cCS50ROTAATSEN

de icgi t ath srffeo

omrh ftowgrs aetaey crtiv

ht

omco.Ca

EENCAORMRFPE

QUEUNI

pos

S

co.graeggane.wwwodSonppiNfokraemdartedertsiegrasiCS50ROATNES

ouryon offitecayprshe e t

Craig Hunter testified at the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry earlier this yearregarding crop protection issues.

JIM CHAPUT

The Pest ManagementRegulatory Agency (PMRA)recently announced theapproval of an URMULE registration for Copper Sprayfungicide for control of fireblight on pears in Canada.Copper Spray fungicide wasalready labeled for use on a

number of fruits, vegetables,tree nuts and ornamentals inCanada and pears in BritishColumbia only.

The minor use project forpears was submitted byOMAFRA in 2014 as a result ofminor use priorities establishedby growers and extension personnel in eastern Canada toexpand this label across thecountry.

The following is provided asan abbreviated, general outlineonly. Users should consult thecomplete label before usingCopper Spray fungicide.

Copper Spray fungicide istoxic to birds, small wild ani-mals, aquatic organisms andnon-target terrestrial plants. Donot contaminate off-target areasor aquatic habitats with CopperSpray fungicide when spraying

or when cleaning and rinsingspray equipment or containers.

Follow all other precautionsand directions for use on theCopper Spray fungicide labelcarefully.

For a copy of the new minoruse label contact your local cropspecialist, regional supply outletor visit the PMRA label sitewww.hc-sc.gc.ca


MINOR USE

Copper Spray fungicide label for fireblightcontrol on pears in Canada

Crop Target Rate CopperSpray Fungicide

Applications Remarks

Pears Fireblight 2.2 kg in 1000 Lper ha

Apply when blossoms open. Incase of hail damage, immediatelyrepeat this treatment. Apply amaximum of 10 applications peryear, leaving a minimum of 5 daysbetween applications.

Do not apply onAnjou.

The Pest ManagementRegulatory Agency (PMRA)recently announced theapproval of an URMULE registration for Princep Nine-Therbicide for control of weedson tree nuts (crop group 14-11)in Canada. Princep Nine-T herbicide was already labeledfor use on hazelnuts, some treefruits, berries, asparagus, ornamentals and corn inCanada.

The minor use project fortree nuts was submitted byOMAFRA in 2012 as a result ofminor use priorities establishedby growers and extension personnel.

The following is provided asan abbreviated, general outlineonly. Users should consult thecomplete label before usingPrincep Nine-T herbicide.

Princep Nine-T herbicide istoxic to birds, small wild ani-mals, aquatic organisms andnon-target terrestrial plants. Donot contaminate off-target areasor aquatic habitats with PrincepNine-T herbicide when spraying or when cleaning andrinsing spray equipment or containers. The use of thischemical may result in contamination of groundwaterparticularly in areas where soilsare permeable (e.g. sandy soil)and/or the depth to the watertable is shallow.

Follow all other precautionsand directions for use on thePrincep Nine-T herbicide label

carefully.For a copy of the new minor

use label contact your local cropspecialist, regional supply outlet

or visit the PMRA label sitewww.hc-sc.gc.ca

Jim Chaput is OMAFRA’s minoruse coordinator.

Princep Nine-T herbicide for weed control ontree nut crop group in Canada

Crop Target Rate PrincepNine-T Herbicide

Applications Remarks

Tree nuts(see labelfor list ofcrops)

Labeledweeds

2.0 – 2.5 kg 1 application inspring prior toemergence ofweeds

DO NOT apply to almond,macadamia nut, pecan, filbert, orwalnut trees that have beenestablished in the grove for lessthan two years.

Fireblight in pears

Hazelnut orchard

THE GROWER


kubota.ca

|a

AMCAt Kubota

E WITH A 6a Canada we make e

A6-YEAR WAexceptional quality pr

.t

.ARRANTY.o prove itroducts TTo

At Kubotawe’ve intror 3,000 hours on in our prowith the b

a Canada we make eroduced our best warhours* on BX, B andapplicable M Series troducts, we’re also cbest possible experien

exceptional quality prrranty ever: Enjoy a F L Series tractors, anractors. Because we’rcommitted to providnce.

t,y

0*

nts

o prove itroducts. TToree 6-year warrantyd 6 years or 5,000

re not only confidening our customers

*Whichever comes first. This wa

arranty is only valid in Canada to Canad

dian Market Products distributed by Kub

vailable on BX, B, L, Mbota Canada Ltd. A

MX, M, M5 and M6 Series tractors. See

e your dealer for complete details.

savoury vegetable chips have hit the sweet spot with...

Documents