InsideHorticulture innovators share strategy Page 4

Building a betterberry nation Page 7

What’s a spife? Page 12

www.thegrower.org

By Karen Davidson Big box berries? Why not if the

product is sold to big business.More growers are finding innovative ways to sell directly toconsumers.

Take Twin Berry Farms, forexample. Twin brothers Ricki andNewton Sahota operate an on-lineblueberry delivery service directto downtown Vancouver offices.About 100 corporate clients,including BC Cancer and invest-ment firm Odlum Brown, nowsubscribe to the service that deliv-ers five-pound boxes for $16.50each to company reception rooms.A champion within each businesssends email reminders about orderdeadlines, while individualemployees order on-line and payupfront. If the company orders 15boxes or more, delivery is free.Part of the benefit is reducing theenvironmental footprint with bulkdeliveries of local produce duringthe July 2 to August 24 season.

The twist is that it’s more thana commercial transaction. Their“Goodberry Program” links eachorder to affiliate charity, CanuckPlace, a children’s hospice, or thecompany’s charity of choice witha two-dollar donation for eachorder. Doing good plus eatingberries that are good for you is awin-win proposition that earnspublicity in local media.

“The concept of charity mixedwith summer fruit has been aneasy pitch to local media,” saysRicki. “We are a known brand inVancouver.”

The brothers are now preparingfor their sixth season of farm-direct-to-office retailing. Last season grossed $50,000 with abusiness that is an offshoot of the

Sahota Blueberry Farms whole-sale business in Pitt Meadows.

Growing up in the Vancouversuburb, Ricki and his brotherthought farming was a chore.Today, they thank their Indo-Canadian parents for nurturing160 acres of prime farmland for

blueberries. Hand-picked in themorning by up to 200 pickers inpeak season, the blueberries aregraded, packaged in five-poundboxes and cooled at room temper-ature with fans. From experience,Ricki says this is just enough totake out the heat but not enough to

make the berries sweat. The berriesare delivered downtown between8:30 am and 2 pm the next day.With this process in place, theyfeel comfortable in offering a 32-hour freshness guarantee.

The summer of 2010 will seethem branch out to the Vancouver

Farmers’ Market with a stallwhere they can further develop thebrand and encourage deliveries tocustomers mid-week. Email blastsand media appearances completetheir marketing plan which directsconsumers to www.twinberry-farms.com. Continued on page 3

Thinking outside the box, twin brothers Ricki and Newton Sahota have successfully built an online blueberry delivery service to downtownVancouver. Just as comfortable amongst the business towers of the city as their farm in a nearby suburb, these entrepreneurs are the new facesof farming in multi-cultural Canada. Happy Canada Day!

Tornado rips through Canada’s tomato capital

CELEBRATING 130 YEARS AS CANADA’S PREMIER HORTICULTURAL PUBLICATIONJULY 2010 VOLUME 60 NUMBER 07

By Karen Davidson An F2 tornado devastated the

small town of Leamington,Canada’s self-proclaimed tomatocapital, on June 6. Damageincludes 16 acres of greenhousetomatoes and cucumbers with anestimated value of $17 to $21 million, says Len Roozen, Chair,Ontario Greenhouse VegetableGrowers. Another 2,000 acres offield tomatoes and winter wheat,somewhere between 100 and 500tender fruit trees and 10 acres offlower greenhouses were damagedaccording to an Ontario Ministryof Agriculture, Food and RuralAffairs spokesperson.

“All of our growers were in fullharvest,” says Roozen. “The lossesrepresent about one per cent of our

greenhouse capacity.” Thoseexperiencing damage include:Pelee Hydroponics, Bob DickPlant Farms, Simoni Farms,Erieview Acres Inc and RainbowAcres. Given the density of horticultural workers in the area,industry leaders were relieved thatno physical injuries were reported.

“It’s a miracle that no one washurt,” says Roozen. “If the tornado’s path had been just onekilometer to the north, destructionwould have been much greater.And if timing had been on a weekday, then worker injuries couldhave been severe.”

In addition, there are five acresof greenhouses with infrastructuredamage to vents, estimated at $2to $2.5 million to replace. Another

35 acres lost plastic roof coveringworth $700,000. Insuranceadjusters came to the scene veryquickly, however total figureshave not been tabulated.

Politicians at municipal,provincial and federal levels weredispatched to the scene in theweek following the disaster to witness the destruction first-hand.Everyone from Premier DaltonMcGuinty to provincial AgMinister Carol Mitchell to federalMinister of Science andTechnology, Gary Goodyear,toured the area.

For the Ontario Disaster ReliefAssistance Program to be activat-ed, the province must apply to thefederal government. At press timeJune 21, no formal request hadbeen made. Any assessment willbe made based on the amount ofdamage, not the category of tornado.

Putting a face -- or two -- on the brand

P.M. 40012319

“All of our growerswere in full harvest.The losses representabout one per cent of our greenhouse

capacity.”

- Len Roozen

PAGE 2 –– JULY 2010

THE GROWER

NEWSMAKERSJoseph Hackett made it over the finish line in The Ride to Conquer Cancer on a 213-kilometer cycling ride from Torontoto Niagara Falls June 12 and 13. Featured last month on thispage, the migrant worker qualified for the race with $2800,including a significant cheque from the Barbados LiaisonOffice. Along with Hackett, another worker George Knightand farm manager Robbie Montgomery completed the rideraising $10,000 in total.

The Grape Growers of Ontario recently honoured Hugh Fraser, ag engineer with OMAFRA, with its Award of Merit2010. His professional dedication to the grape and wine industry has been vital in implementing bird control devices,frost protection equipment and wind machines.

The Holland Marsh Growers’ Association recently won theBradford Board of Trade’s New Community Leadership Development award. It was accepted by Alex Makarenko,Chair.

The Agricultural Adaptation Council (AAC) has announcedTerry Thompson as the new executive director. He hasworked for AAC since 1998, after a career with the OntarioMinistry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and Agricorp.

OFVGA helps negotiateno farmer fees on bagged

fertilizer

Farmers will be exempted froma proposed fee on fertilizers set forJuly 1, thanks to lobby effortsfrom OFVGA, Ontario Federationof Agriculture and Ontario Agri-culture Business Association whorepresents fertilizer dealers. “Thesavings amount to millions of dol-lars per year for our members,”says Craig Hunter, OFVGA repre-sentative to talks with StewardshipOntario.

An arms-length group from theMinistry of the Environment,Stewardship Ontario had proposeda fee of 46 cents per kilo for allbagged fertilizer. Ontario agricul-ture uses more than 30,000 tonnesof bagged fertilizer. The originalintent was to pay for the House-hold Hazardous and Special Wastecollection and recycling program.

“Our position was that growerswould not dispose of fertilizer,”says Hunter. “They would use iton their crops. Growers are pre-cluded from using the urban-basedprogram in any case.”

Sales of fertilizer to bona fidefarmers will be tracked at point ofsale, and will be exempted fromthe fee which will be paid by thestewards (manufacturers) of thefertilizer. The fee is set based onthe estimated volume of collec-tions that determine the cost to runthe program, versus the volumessold.

Farmers will need to show theirfarm registration number to theirdealer, who will track of salesvolumes. Once the sale is deter-mined to be to a legitimate farmer,no fee is directed to the manufac-turer. This exemption will apply toall farmer sales, includingmicronutrients and N-P-K sales.

Canadian on-farm foodsafety standard for pro-duce now internationally

recognized

After a thorough and intensivecomparison process spanningalmost a year, CanadaGAP – anon-farm food safety program forfresh fruit and vegetable producersand packers – has been successful-ly benchmarked against the Glob-al Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)requirements.

GFSI approval means Canada-GAP is recognized as equivalentto other GFSI-benchmarked pro-grams for the primary productionsector, such as SQF 1000, Global-

GAP and PrimusGFS, whichmany buyers require, both inCanada and abroad. The Canada-GAP scheme has been recognizedby GFSI for certification optionsB and C and the recognition covers the common food safetyrequirements that run through thesix different commodity specificmodules.

This recognition will allowfarmers who are certified toCanadaGAP to remain competi-tive and have continued access tomarkets, which are increasinglydemanding that companies implement a recognized food afety program.

Harmonized sales taxcomes into force July 1

Ontario and British Columbiawill be enacting the harmonizedsales tax (HST) on July 1.

With this shift in costs, it’simportant for growers to be awareof implications for their opera-tions. David Rinneard, NationalAgricultural Manager, Bank ofMontreal says the tax change willnot have any material effect, fore-casting $30 million in savings toOntario farmers and $15 million toB.C. farmers. On average, indi-vidual farmers should expectabout $600 in annual tax savings.

Large purchases, such as apickup truck, used to be subject toprovincial sales tax but will nowbe taxed under the HST and as aresult, will attract an offsetting taxcredit. The issue for farmers isthat historically there were point-of-sale exemptions with a farmeridentity card. Now farmers willhave to apply for these tax credits.

“There’s now an added incen-tive to be applying for these taxcredits on a quarterly basis, just asyou may have done for GST,”advises Rinneard. “If you don’tapply and wait for a year, therecould be quite an impact on cashflow.”

With the tax rebates, Rinneardsays growers have a few goodoptions. Either pay down debt,make a capital investment or makean AgriInvest contribution whichattracts a matching governmentcontribution. These are smartways to manage rebates that mightotherwise go into general operat-ing funds.

Interest rate trendsdemand strategy now

Some segments of the Canadi-an agriculture industry could face

an unsettling outlook in three tofive years if they don’t take stepsnow to manage their debt, increasetheir productivity and bring theirdebt-to-income ratios back intobalance, according to Dr. GeorgeBrinkman, professor emeritus andformer Chair of the Department ofFood, Agricultural and ResourceEconomics at the University ofGuelph.

In a news release issued by theBank of Montreal, Dr. Brinkman,who specializes in farm viability,urges Canadian farm businesses toshed unproductive assets and todevelop a business strategy tomanage the impact of interest ratesthat are expected to rise by asmuch as three to five per cent by2015.

“Rising interest rates are thereal vulnerability that Canadianfarm businesses face today,” saidDr. Brinkman. “Many Canadianfarmers are carrying an inordinatelevel of debt vis-à-vis comparablemarkets in the world. Conse-quently, the impending rise ininterest rates, expected over thebalance of 2010 and throughout2011, poses an issue for Canadianfarms.

“It’s important that Canada’sagriculture industry takes stepsnow in planning for higher ratescenarios in three to five years justwhen the rest of the global econo-my is picking up and governmentsmay not have an appetite foranother bailout,” he said.

Canada’s economy is expectedto strengthen this year on the backof monetary and fiscal stimulus,according to the BMO EconomicsDepartment. One consequence ofthe improved economic climate isthat the Bank of Canada will likely continue raising overnightlending rates, raising rates steadilybut gradually from the recentlyannounced 0.5 to 3.25 per cent bythe end of 2011 and to 4.25 percent by the end of 2012.

“Longer-term interest rates arelikely to increase less than short-term rates, with the 10-year Gov-ernment of Canada yield expectedto climb from 3.40 per cent cur-rently to 3.95 per cent by the endof this year and to 4.70 per cent bythe end of 2011 and to 5.10 percent by the end of 2012,” said SalGuatieri, senior economist, BMOCapital Markets. “Agri-businessesare advised to consider theirfinancing and interest rate optionssooner rather than later in order totake advantage of current histori-cally low long-term borrowingcosts.”

At press time…

1-800-811-6238 info@phillipsfs.ca

price parts service

CLASSIFIEDrefurb 362 modular John Bean ask $9,995refurb LV 321 narrow John Bean ask $5,995new Hardi 3pt Air Cannon Sprayer $5,500new 100gal 3pt John Bean Air $6,995Demo 10 sensor SMART SPRAY $16,500.00 Feature 3 yr old John Bean 400gal Smart Spray turning hitch and more SPECIAL PRICE

phillipsfs.ca

Call us FirstSTAY CLEAN WITH

Our SIMPLE Turning HitchSOLD

PARTS AND

REPAIRSac.fsspillihp

EALCYASTTA

nruTEMPLSIruO

TIWNA

htciHgni

rstiFsullaCS TRAPPA

ANDSRIAEPPAR

SS

t

ALCnhJoraludmo263rbufrehJowrroan123VLLVrbufrenonnaCrAitp3irdaHwenaBenhJotp3lag001wenTSMARrsonse01moeDeF

EDIFSI599,9$sk anaBe599,5$sk anaBen005,5$ryeraSpn599,6$rAina

00.005,61$YAAYSPRertuae

DLSO

0

8

p

32-611-800-81c.fsspillihp@fonivrestsrapecirp

8ac

eciv

SRIAEPPAR

dloyr3 John Bean 4modnachtihgnirnut

400gal yarSpt raSmre CIPRALISPEC

E

Charles Stevens, an OFVGA director, (second from left) is pic-tured with his team at the finish line. Photo by Courtney Stevens

Photo by OMAFRA.

Tornado damages Leamington greenhouses

Temporary duty placed on Dutch bell peppers

The Canada Border Services Agency announced a positive preliminarydecision on June 21 of dumping with respect to low-priced Dutch sweetbell peppers being sold into the Canadian market. A temporary duty of95 per cent of landed value was placed on imported Dutch bell peppersas the injury inquiry continues. The Canadian International Trade Tri-bunal will now investigate the extent of injury and report in 120 days.

JULY 2010 –– PAGE 3THE GROWER

Continued from page 1The concept of selling busi-

ness-to- consumer but deliveringbusiness-to-business has earnedthem kudos among fellow farmers.As a result, the Sahotas were runners-up in the recent BC Out-standing Young Farmer contest.With that experience under theirbelts, Ricki realizes that some oftheir best ideas still need to cometo fruition. His twin brother, New-ton, is a chef who is developing ablueberry chutney with Indianspices. Given their media profileand client database, chances arethis brand extension is anothergreat idea bubbling in the kitchen.

The Sahota brothers aren’t theonly ones cooking up new ideas.Steve and Micki Smith planted ahigh-density apple orchard nearPort Elgin, Ontario and in adecade, have ramped up the enter-prise to a full-time income fromtheir on-farm market. For Steve,farming was a second career afterteaching high school for 27 years.

“We listen to consumers,” saysSmith, who has just won the$5,000 Premier’s Agri-Food Innovation Excellence award.“When we started about 10 yearsago, our consumers said therewasn’t much to do after half anhour. So we built a corn maze andfour years ago, we built a bakery.We had an incredible response tothe bakery when we sold out at11:30 am on opening day.”

Their success is testament togood marketing that drives con-sumers to a rural location on agravel road. Open only fromLabour Day to November 1, thetwo-month window is an intenseperiod of selling apples from their6,000 trees direct to consumersand providing education to schoolstudents. New varieties piqueinterest with everything from Sunrise to Gingergold to Zestar!Just planted three years ago from aUniversity of Minnesota release,the Zestar! apple is a good fitsince it matures in late August, thesame time as their farm market’sopening.

“I’m a research guy at heart,”admits Smith. He was one of thefirst to grow Honeycrisp apples in

Ontario, another popular varietyalso bred at the University of Minnesota.

So how did the Smith’s buildtheir success from a drive-in shedand a garden tractor, just a decadeago? They started with rack cardsat the store and then a stand at thelocal pumpkin fest where SteveSmith earned the nickname“Snag.” With a convivial person-ality, Smith invited people out tothe farm. By collecting names andaddresses, they were able tolaunch an e-newsletter called“The Bushel Basket” that encour-aged repeat visits with the ripeningof later varieties.

The website at www.smithsap-ples.com brims with productioninformation, including a YouTubevideo “Planting an apple tree withSteve Smith.” No laggard on thecommunications front, the Smithshave forged ahead this past springwith a Facebook page and a

Twitter account. Cautious butencouraged by John Stanley’sseminar at last winter’s OntarioFruit and Vegetable Convention,he has conducted some marketresearch through Facebook by ask-ing a simple question: If we wereto develop a new bakery productincluding fruit, what kind of fruitwould be your favourite?

“We had 25 comments rightaway and were surprised thatrhubarb came out on top,” saysSmith. They have stumbled upon a

rhubarb sour cream streusel pierecipe that Micki is now perfectingin their own bakery for releasenext fall. And yes, a photo of thattest pie is on their Facebook page.

It’s early days, but Facebookseems to be a new tool that is providing ongoing feedback frommore than 200 followers. “Twitteris a slow thing,” adds Smith. “It’sjust been a month since startingbut my sense is that this tool willwork better with other direct marketers with the Ontario FarmFresh Marketing Association.”

Pumped by the recent innova-tion award, Smith is putting morefaith in Facebook with photos ofhand-thinning his apple trees.Consumers do take an interest inwhat’s happening on the farm and

they follow the progress of theseason. When they understand allthat it takes to grow apples, Smithsays it’s much easier to ask forproper compensation. How about$12 for an apple pie?

Putting a face -- or two -- on the brand

Always read and follow label directions. Log on to www.uap.ca for full label information.West: 1-800-561-5444 Ontario & Maritimes: 1-800-265-5444 Quebec: 1-800-361-9369 BC: 1-604-534-8815

® ™ Echo is a registered trademark and DuraShield is a trademark of Sipcam Agro USA Inc. 9048 01.10

This next generation fungicide has a higher concentration of chlorothalonil and is registered for use on a wide variety of crops. Echo is a proven fungicide that delivers broad-spectrum disease control, as well as DuraShield™ defense against the weather. Echo’s multi-site mode of action provides a strong foundation for your disease management program. No bundles, no burden, and no bull.

Echo®. The stronger the better.

Echo®

DurashieldExcellent Rainfastness

™

Strength. Concentrated.

Steve and Micki Smith posted their Agri-Food Innovation Excellenceaward on Facebook.

This spring, Steve Smith put a video of planting an apple tree onYouTube and then linked it to his Facebook page.

If we were to develop anew bakery productincluding fruit, what kind of fruit would be

your favourite? We had25 comments right away

and were surprised that rhubarb came

out on top.”- Steve Smith

PAGE 4 –– JULY 2010

THE GROWER

Agri-Innovation award winners share incremental improvements

Application Deadline - October 31, 2010

New commercial buildings, additions and major renovations planned for construction

anywhere in Ontario outside the 416 area code may be eligible for major grants and

incentives from the High Performance New Construction (HPNC) Program. Incentives are

based on verified kW savings. If you incorporate energy efficiency measures into your

new construction project, not only will it qualify for significant incentives and grants from

HPNC, it will provide a lifetime of energy cost savings and have a higher market value.

Contact us today. The rewards could be green – in more ways than one. For more

information call 1-888-OPA-HPNC or visit www.hpnc.ca. Applications available online.

Are you planning, or designing,

a new construction project?

Then contact us right away.

Don’t miss the boat.

The HPNC program is one of those financial incentive concepts that actually works. We got

on board early and we’re already seeing a payback. Plus, the incentives are a real bonus.

It was easy, and they made it happen for us. Paul Allen, Distribution Manager, Columbia Sportswear‘ ’

By Karen Davidson(With files from OMAFRA)

“Innovation retains a tinge of risk,” wroteRosabeth Moss Kantner for the HarvardBusiness Review. “In early 2010, productrecalls (Toyota Prius) received as muchpress as product launches (Apple iPad). Atthe World Economic Forum, a global bankchairman blamed the financial crisis onexcessive innovation, arguing that the focusshould be on operational improvements.”

Kantner went on to argue in the May 2010article that searching for blockbuster breakthroughs can paralyze companieswhile incremental improvements can propel business forward. Ontario’s Agri-Innovation Excellence winners will likelyagree that their awards are for incrementalimprovements rather than out-of-the-parkhome runs. For a look at what makes themworthy of the spotlight, here’s how theyhoned their operations for the $5,000 award.

Global Fruit – Clarksburg (Grey County)Marius Botden’s high-density orchards benefit from a sprayer that saves money,protects the environment and is less noisythan other conventional sprayers. It reducesthe amount of pesticide by 30 per cent byreclaiming any product that does not depositon the trees. It also reduces spray drift by95 per cent and reduces run-off. Spray ratescan be lowered from 3.5 litres to 1.2 litresper acre, recording savings in crop protection costs.

Algoma Orchards Ltd – Clarington(Durham Region) No strangers to the apple business, Mike

Gibson and Kirk Kemp, have taken theirbusiness to a new global standard as the firstin Canada to install a processing system thatcan sort different apple varieties into 22 distinct quality grades. Imaging equipmentcategorizes 54 images per apple per secondduring the sorting process. This helps thefacility inspect, handle, naturally preserveand package apples at a rate of 64,000pounds an hour. Little is wasted since a newjuicing plant presses 12 million litres offresh apple juice a year to handle any

juice-grade apples. Efficiency extends to thewaste water management system whichprocesses and recycles all water after it goesthrough sorting, packaging and juice lines.This state-of-the-art facility can store up to1.2 million apples in controlled environ-ments that minimize the fruit’s agingprocess.

Spirit Tree Estate Cidery – Caledon (PeelRegion)Environmentally-conscious owners Tom

Wilson and Nicole Judge have built anupscale artisan cider mill, farm market andwood-fired oven bakery using green designand technology. Their 650-square metrefacility uses straw bale construction. Otherenergy savings are found from the geother-mal heat pump that heats and cools thestructure, ultraviolet technology that treatsthe pressed cider, and an Ecoflo biofilterthat handles waste water.

100 Mile Market Incorporated – Kitchener (Waterloo Region) This company provides timely delivery oflocal fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy andgrains from more than 110 producers torestaurants, hotels, caterers and food serviceoutlets. The service frees up farmers to concentrate on production rather than marketing and delivery.

Cedar Beach Acres – Kingsville (EssexCounty) Rob Mastronardi and Amy Butcher havefilled their 16-acre greenhouse operationwith cocktail tomatoes, roma and beefsteaktomatoes, eggplants, red, yellow and orangepeppers, and mini-cucumbers, all marketedunder the “Pure Flavor” brand. They farmwith pinpoint precision as a result of a traceability system that tells not only whereeach vegetable came from, but who pickedit, what the yield was from the row it waspicked, and what inputs were used to growit. This allows the operation to trace the produce through the process, have bettercontrol inventory, and reduce costs.

Continued on page 5

A home-designed sprayer has saved thousands in crop protection materials at GlobalFruit, Clarksburg, ON.

THE GROWER

JULY 2010 –– PAGE 5

Continued from page 4The computerized system wasadapted as a result of OMAFRA’s2007-08 Traceability Project, andhas given Cedar Beach Acres astrong competitive edge in themarketplace.

Kevin and Jason StallaertFarms – Chatham (Chatham-Kent County) Over-wintering carrots for springharvest extends the market for thiscrop - a practice already takingplace in the United Kingdom. Thisknowledge led some Ontariogrowers, with 10 years of experi-ence growing carrots, to researchand adopt existing techniques fortheir own operations. They blan-keted a 25-acre test plot of maturecarrot tops with black plasticmulch and large square bales ofstraw, creating a natural, in-ground cooler for the carrots. Theresult yielded more than 30 tonnesof beautiful carrots with appealingappearance and flavour. The buyers were so pleased with theend product that they asked for100 acres of over-wintered carrots.This field storage technique ishelping to bring domesticallygrown carrots to the marketplace52 weeks of the year.

Strom’s Farm – Guelph(Wellington County)

This year, Strom’s Farms is them-ing its corn maze with The Salva-tion Army to help raise funds forcharity. A series of clues guides

visitors about the charity whilemaking their way through themaze. Since 2005, this strategy hasgathered $18,000 for charitieswhile raising the profile of thefarm for agri-tourism. Amy Stromsays, “At the end of our season, were-evaluate what worked and whatdidn’t, what our customers wereasking for and how we can contin-ue to grow the farm financiallywhile growing the customer’sexperience. For us, being innova-tive is to create a new experienceeach year as we slowly grow our‘Harvest Fun’ farm destination.”

Great Northern Hydroponics –Kingsville (Essex County) Great Northern Hydroponics inKingsville has installed a naturalgas-fired heat and power genera-tor. It is efficient, cost saving andenvironmentally responsible – andit generates enough energy to sell12 megawatts into the grid. Inaddition to electricity production,hot water and carbon dioxide fromthe co-generation facility is usedby the company for heating andfertilizing crops in its 50 acrehydroponics greenhouse.

Berry Hill Fruit Farm - AylmerGrowing fruits and vegetables thatare in demand, selling locally andbuilding brand recognition havemeant increased profits for Dickand Renee Saarloos of ElginCounty. By selling directly tolocal retail outlets and increasingthe volume of sales, the farm sawa 30 per cent increase in grossfarm revenues in 2009. Since2006, 19 acres of apples have beenremoved and replaced with sweetcorn and tender fruits, and the on-farm fruit stand sells from mid-June strawberry season, to wellinto the fall. A caricature of'Farmer Dick' is the recognizablebrand that local shoppers look andask for at local retail food outlets.

Enniskillen Pepper CompanyLtd. - PetroliaPicking a peck of bigger, betteryellow peppers is more possible asa result of an innovation imple-mented at Adrian Roelands' green-house operation in Lambton Coun-ty. An ingenious system of fixedand moving wires that are high upin the greenhouse ceiling opensthe canopies of individual plants,

allowing better sun exposure onthe peppers. Seven of the grower's13 acres of greenhouse are nowoperating with the new system inplace. An added bonus is thatworkers don't have to reach as farto pick the peppers due to denser,closer rows.

J. Malecki Holdings Limited -DrumboThis farmer knows how to sowwith precision. He designed anddeveloped two types of automated

precision seeding equipment foruse by greenhouse operations thatgrow cabbage, broccoli and cauli-flower. The 'muck bed seeder' isconsidered to be among the high-est quality and most competitivelypriced in the market and showspromise in increasing acreageplant yield by 20 to 40 percent.The 'tray propagation seeding system' enabled a team of threepeople to seed 3,000 trays in a single day, a process that usuallytakes five people up to a week tocomplete. The equipment is rentedout to other farms and generates70 per cent of the farm's income.

Riverbend Farm Inc. - Niagara-on-the-LakeCherries are one of nature's sweet-est gifts - so are birds and rain - butthese two can rob an orchard of itsfruit. Over the last three years, thehigh density dwarf cherry trees onRiverbend Farm have been protected by plastic, greenhouse-like tunnels that hide the fruit fromwinged cherry-pickers and damaging rain and hail. As aresult, the farm produces sweeter,larger cherries since they stay onthe trees much longer. The needfor fungicide and insecticidespraying has dropped about 40 percent - and workers enjoy harvest-ing cherries in the pouring rainwithout getting wet. This familyfarm is among the first in Ontarioto use tunnel coverage to helpgrow their sweet cherries.

Continued on next page

Innovation is incremental

Canning and Amy Strom.

Kimberley Kroslak, Food Safety Officer and Guido van het Hof, President and General Manager, GreatNorthern Hydroponics, are proud of their energy innovations.

Viewpointe Estate Winery –Harrow (Essex County) Back in 1997, the breeding program for disease resistance ingrapes fell on hard times atVineland. About 2800 seedlingsoriginally sourced from a Swissprivate breeder found a new homeat Harrow. That’s when H.P.Pfeifer and John Fancsy of View-pointe Estate Winery becameinterested in the prospects ofdeveloping the Cabernet Sauvi-gnon cross for their local vineyard.It wasn’t until 2005 that the firstcrop was available for a benchwinemaking by a third party, Niagara College. The taste resultsencouraged further developmentof three cultivars, each with valuable traits of cold tolerance,upright growth pattern, diseaseresistance to powdery and downymildew and good sugar, acid andpH levels.

The idea of having a varietaluniquely suited to Essex County isimportant not just viticulturallybut for marketing reasons, saysJohn Fancsy. The disease resis-tance factor alone allows the vine-yard to reduce its pesticide use byup to 50 per cent. In addition,Fancsy says that they have a trialblock where spur pruning allowsthe cane to stay tied to the wirewhile workers “give it a haircut.”

Compared to cane pruning, thismethod still ensures viability oftwo or three buds per spur withhuge labour savings. The varietal,while not recognized by VQA, isdistinctly suited to local condi-tions – a factor that has enticedother growers to trial in their ownvineyards.

Terroir – the global concept ofall environmental aspects impart-ing unique character to a wine –

plays out in these new varietals inEssex County. Viewpointe EstateWinery plans a seminar July 31where the concept will be discussed in terms of potentialeffects on not just grapes, buttomatoes as well.

Brenn-B Farms Limited -WaterdownBrenn-B Farms have modernizedtheir potato packing system -

saving them time, energy andmoney. They’ve updated theirpower source and developed a newbarrel washing system thatdecreases water usage by one-third, increasing capacity by asmuch as 75 percent. Productionhas doubled and potatoes and prof-its are rolling. These changes willalso help them start exporting theirpotatoes to the U.S. market.

Ontario Beekeepers’ Associa-tion Technology Transfer Program - MiltonSince the early 1990s, the OntarioBeekeepers’ Association Technol-ogy Transfer program has beenembraced by bee breeders in theprovince. They have participatedin testing and worked closely withthe technology transfer team toimprove hive health. The programhas played a key role in the selection of honey bee stock fordisease resistance characteristics.The program has succeeded on itsteam efforts - and is yielding sweetresults.

100 km Foods Inc. and The NewFarm - TorontoThe 100 km staff provide gather-ing and distribution services toconnect local farmer suppliers andhigh-end restaurant buyers. Sec-ond, weekly food boxes including

meat, cheeses and pantry productsalong with the traditional freshfruits and vegetables are provideddirectly to Toronto consumersfrom the local producers. Finally,some of the high quality organicproducts from the same suppliersare given to a Toronto food bank.Donations from the network ofdowntown clients are used to paythe farmers for the food. It’s awin-win-win, since the farmers areincreasing their revenues expo-nentially, the distributor is so busythat it’s hiring more employees.

About the awards programThe five-year, $2.5 million Premier’s Award for Agri-FoodInnovation Excellence is now inits fourth year. Up to 55 regionalaward winners are chosen annual-ly with a cash prize of $5,000. Eligible applicants are farmers,primary producers, groups offarmers, combination of agri-foodbusinesses or an agri-food relatedorganization. Examples of innova-tions include, but are not limitedto, improved farm practices,responding to consumer demands,environmental stewardship, healthand safety on the farm, energyinnovations, education and marketing of agriculture to soci-ety, local food, and traceabilityinitiatives.

THE GROWER

PAGE 6 –– JULY 2010

Innovation is incremental

July 7 and 8 16th Annual Southwest Crop Diagnostic Days, Ridgetown, ON 519-674-1690

July 13 Ontario Weed Tour, Woodstock, ON (am) and Huron Park (pm) Research Stations

July 14 Ontario Weed Tour, Harrow Research Station (am) and Ridgetown College (pm)

July 15 Ontario Weed Tour, Elora Research Station (am) 877-242-1300 or ag.info@omaf.gov.on.ca

July 24 & 25 Parks Blueberry Pancake Festival, Bothwell, ON9 am to 2 pm

July 30 – Aug 1 PMA Food Service Conference and Trade Show, Monterey, CA

August 4 – 6 Canadian Horticultural Council’s mid-summer apple meeting, Oshawa, ON

August 11 SP2 Peach Twilight Meeting, Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, Victoria Avenue Farm, Vic Barn, Vineland, ON 5:30 pm

August 14 Garlic is Great Festival, Newmarket Farmers’ Market, 395 Mulock Drive, Newmarket, ON

August 17-18 North American Strawberry Growers Association,Summer tour, Intercontinental Hotel, Montreal, QC.

August 19 Ontario Potato Field Day, HJV Farm Equipment, Alliston, ON 3 pm

August 19 – 21 Quebec Produce Marketing Association “From the Earth to the Table” Annual Convention, Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel, Montreal, QC

August 27 – 29 Winona Peach Festival, Winona, ON. www.winonapeach.com

September 14 – 16 Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, Woodstock, ON

COMING EVENTS 2010

Could you benefit from a

better business approach?Does your organization want to increase market profitability and innovation through beneficial business management practices?

If so, AMI can help with funding. To be eligible, your

project must:

Demonstrate the benefits of business planning

Address farm business management gaps and opportunities

Support on-farm implementation of beneficial business management practices

For complete funding criteria and more information:

www.takeanewapproach.ca • 519-822-6618

•

•

•

Jean Fancsy is the welcoming face of Viewpointe Estate Winery,extolling the virtues of a distinct Essex County wine taste and style.

By Karen Davidson Forty per cent of Canada’s

raspberries are produced by onegrower located in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. Infact, Abbotsford Growers Co-opand its 120 members process mostof those berries from 2,500 acres.Yet, would it surprise you to knowthat they don’t sell one single raspberry in the province?

That doesn’t mean to say therearen’t pick-your-own raspberriesand a fresh market. But the bulkof those berries are made intopurees which are frozen in 28- or42-pound drums for food manufacturers, most of whom areEuropean companies with plantsin the U.S. The marketplacechanged drastically with lastyear’s recession explains StephenEvans, General Manager of theCoop. With so much dependenceon the American market, theCooperative looked farther afieldto new markets. Surprisingly,Korea took five times its normalpurchase of raspberries in 2009.And China is becoming a newmarket where the fruit is still verymuch a novelty.

“By diversifying our market-place and using our Pacific Gateway location, we have astrength for future markets,” saysEvans. “In fact, our Chinese brokers already have family ties inBritish Columbia so it’s natural forthem to be bringing product herebut just as lucrative to be takingproduct back.”

Thanks to recent federal funding of almost $28,000 throughthe Investment Agricultural Foundation, the Cooperative isinvestigating new market opportu-nities in aseptic processed berriesright here in Canada. Asepticpurees negate the need to keepraspberries block-frozen, creatingbenefits to fruit processors andmanufacturers alike.

To date, there has been no sig-nificant uptake of aseptic purees inCanada, says Evans, which iscounter to the trend of the Euro-pean companies who are askingfor this product in their Americanmarkets. Rather than thaw pureesto the right consistency and thenrefreeze the leftovers for their fruitfillings, manufacturers are lookingto the flexibility of aseptic packag-ing. That’s why the Cooperative isworking with one of its brokers -Brian Goldberg from All GoldImports Inc.- to survey food man-ufacturers in Ontario and Quebecabout their knowledge of asepticpackaging and receptivity to trying sieved and seedless aseptic bags in a box. His initialreport is due in September, a timely juncture for trialing thisyear’s processed crop.

For more information aboutaseptic purees, obtain a sample orto participate in this online survey,please contact Stephen Evans at(604) 864-0022 ext 22.

THE GROWER

JULY 2010 –– PAGE 7

Building a better raspberry business

12/09-12680

Other insecticides move through the plant in a single direction often leaving portions unprotected and susceptible to insect pressures.

With two-way systemic action, Movento®

insecticide moves inside the plant simultaneouslyin two directions – thoroughly protecting the entire plant. Movento controls insect infestationsyou can see and can’t see in a broad range of horticultural crops. It’s a breakthrough in insect control for fruits and vegetables.

With Movento – you’re home free.

Put an end to hide-and-seek with Movento’s two-way systemic insect control

BayerCropScience.ca or 1 888-283-6847 or contact your Bayer CropScience representative.Always read and follow label directions. Movento® is a registered trademark of Bayer. Bayer CropScience is a member of CropLife Canada.

David Mutz, left, and his father Henry operate Berry Haven Farms at Abbotsford, BC.They ship fresh raspberries to customers in BC and Alberta.

Cool berries compete with California

“It’s hard to be in the fresh raspberry market,” saysDavid Mutz who farms with his father Henry on 75acres near Abbotsford, British Columbia. “Everythingneeds to be cooled as soon as possible.”

As a third-generation fresh raspberry grower atBerry Haven Farms, Mutz has learned that every hourof cooling from the cane – to about 33 or 34 degreesFahrenheit -- adds a day of shelf life. The niche aspectof raspberries is that they never fill a full load of 30pallets, so freight rates are higher with less-than-load(LTL) freight to loyal markets in Edmonton and Calgary. “Western Canada has been good and veryfaithful to us,” says Mutz who chairs the RaspberryIndustry Development Council.”

Funded by member levies, the council plays a piv-otal role in developing efficiencies for both processedand fresh berry growers in a world market. In partic-ular, they compete against the quality and price of California which has duplicated its strawberry tem-plate for raspberries and more recently blackberries.

It has been a little more than sixmonths since our annual meetingwhere I was elected Chair of theOFVGA. It has been an incrediblelearning experience that hasexposed me to a number of challenges and opportunities. Asan apple grower I have also beenbusy doing what I can to maximizethe value of my apples, to help offset the ever increasing inputcosts that all of us are faced with.The real challenge is that the valueof the food that we produce hasnot increased in the last 25 years.For a large percentage of fruit andvegetable farmers labour costshave increased so dramaticallythat profitability has been jeopardized. The OFVGA has andcontinues to stress this point to anyand all whom we talk to in government, the value chain andthe media.

It has been stated that the $30million payment to horticulture in2008 as part of the Pork-Beef-

Horticulture Program was to helpoffset increased labour costs. Itwas OFVGA’s lobby efforts thathelped make horticulture part ofthe program. One of the main reasons why the OFVGA began tolook at a Cost of Production Insurance Program(COP) was todevelop a long-term solution to theever increasing production costs.The other main reason why a COPprogram was considered was thefact that the Grain and Oilseedsector had been able to access athree year, COP, RMP Pilot Program. The government of theday facilitated staff support to helpus develop how a program wouldwork and then an OFVGA lobbyeffort took place, led very effectively by Brenda Lammens.The lobby effort grew into a coalition of other non-supply managed commodities called theOntario Agricultural Sustainabili-ty Coalition (OASC). The primarytask of this group is for a cost ofproduction insurance plan andchanges to the AgriStability Program which would make itmore accessible to farmers. One ofthe cruelest facts these days is thatmoney that had been budgeted togo to farmers through AgriStability cannot be accessed byfarmers. The money is beingrolled back out of the agricultureportion of the budget despite desperate need in a number of sectors.

For some OFVGA commodi-ties a COP program will not workfor a variety of reasons. This isdiscussed with government when-

ever the opportunity arises and anenhanced AgriInvest Program isgiven as the preferred option forthose commodities. The main challenge in moving theproposed Business Risk Management Program forward isthe federal government’s unwillingness to consider the program.

One of the responses that ouroverall government “system” hasin dealing with a problem, is tostrike a committee to look at theproblem. As a member of the federal Horticulture Value ChainRoundtable (HVCRT) I have beenperipherally involved with theLabour Working Group andrecently volunteered to participatein the Labour Innovation Sub-Committee. After our firstmeeting we confirmed our goal oractivity outcome to be a globallycompetitive horticulture sectorwith greater efficiency and profitability through the devel-opment and implementation of innovative technologies/mechanization and advanced management practices whichreduce the need for and the costof labour.

Later this summer a survey orquestionnaire will be circulatedasking for your input on whatinnovative technologies or mechanization options are available within your sector andwhat technologies need to bedeveloped. Please provide asmuch information as possible tohelp us achieve our desired outcome. This is one part of what

needs to be done to help us continue to farm.

All the best and may our weather be average.

THE GROWER

PAGE 8 –– JULY 2010

The business of lobbying isindeed a strange creature.

On the farm, as in most businesses you have a routine, youhave a process and everything youdo has a purpose. You see theresults of your actions and your

inactions as well, and these resultsare all remarkably predictable.There are things of course thatcome along that mess with whatyou are trying to build or grow,that alter the outcome of what youare trying to do; you accept thatrisk as part of doing business. Youwatch your crops grow, you anticipate a good harvest and takepride in what you have accomplished; you hope for thebest.

In the world of lobbying wealso hope for the best but unlikemost businesses we can not predictthe outcome. It is not an exact science. What we know is that tofoster change we need to be active;we need to tell and show those inpower that there is need for changeand that the cost of inaction isgreater than the cost of the action.

Almost always the determiningfactor as to the amount of change,if any, is dependant upon the current political agenda.

Lobbying can be frustratingbecause like advertising we knowit is important but we are neversure of just what worked and whatdidn’t or what is preventingchange from happening.

What I am sure of though is thevalue that the OFVGA hasreturned to its members over thepast few years, $130 million in adhoc program funding since 2003and all on membership fees of lessthan one tenth of one percent offarm cash receipts to our sectorWhile it was the Government ofOntario and not the OFVGA thatwrote those cheques to our members or to our member associations for research, those

cheques were none the less as adirect result of our lobby. Some-times we lobbied alone but usuallyin concert with our member associations. The strength andneed of a unified voice was andremains paramount it can never beoverlooked or overstated. It is thisunification that gives us ourstrength. Don’t let anyone tell youotherwise.

While there are many questionsabout process and what works andwhat doesn’t there is one thing thatI am absolutely certain of and thatis if we are not there lobbying onyour behalf then it will not happenand there will be no assistancecoming your way, at least not as itpertains to the broader sector.Marketing boards do a good jobbut they are mandated to work ontheir commodity specific issues.

I have been involved in farmpolitics since 1980 I was a keyplayer in the grape and wineadjustment program of 1989 andnumerous others before and sincethen and we never once receivedassistance that we hadn’t lobbiedfor. The same holds true today,you have to fight for what youbelieve in and you have to stayunified; failing to do so gives government a great excuse to donothing and that is something wesimply can not afford. Remembergovernment doesn’t just wake upin the morning and say “I wonderwho I can sprinkle some gold duston today”, program assistance islike respect, you earn it!

For what it’s worth it’s the wayI see it!

Art SmithCEO, OFVGA

STAFFPublisher/Editor . . . . . . . Karen Davidson, kdavidson@ecomente.caProduction: Carlie Robertson, ext. 221, production@thegrower.orgAdvertising: Herb Sherwood, 519-380-0118, hsherwood@cogeco.ca

The Grower reserves the right to refuse any advertising. Any errors that are the direct result of The Grower will be compensated at our discretion with a correction notice in the nextissue. 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 thesole owner of The Grower. All editorials and opinions expressedin The Grower are those of the newspaper’s editorial staff and/orcontributor, and do not necessarily reflect the view of the association.

All rights reserved. The contents of this publicationmay not be reproduced either whole or in part without theprior written consent of the publisher.P.M. 40012319

OFFICE355 Elmira Road North, Unit 105

Guelph, Ontario N1K 1S5 CANADATel. 519-763-8728 • Fax 519-763-6604

The Grower is printed 12 times a year and sent to allmembers of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Asso-ciation who have paid $30.00 (plus G.S.T.) per year for thepaper through their commodity group or container fees.Others may subscribe as follows by writing to the office:

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

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

ONTARIO FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GROWERS’ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2010

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chair Brian Gilroy, MeafordVice-Chair Mac James, LeamingtonFruit Director Ray Duc, Niagara-on-the-LakeVeg Director Jason Ryder, DelhiDirector Len Troup, Jordon Station

Apples Brian Gilroy, MeafordFresh Vegetable - Other Jason Ryder, DelhiTender Fruit Len Troup, Jordan StationON Asparagus Grws’. Mkg. Brd. Lonnie Duwyn, DelhiGGO/Fresh Grape Growers Ray Duc, Niagara-on-the-LakeFresh Vegetable - Muck Jason Verkaik, BradfordON. Potato Board Mac James, LeamingtonSmall Fruit/Berries Norm Charbonneau, Port ElginON. Ginseng Growers’ Doug Bradley, TillsonburgGreenhouse Jim Veri, Exeter

OFVGA SECTION CHAIRS

Crop Protection Charles Stevens, NewcastleResearch Harold Schooley, SimcoeProperty David Lambert, Niagara-on-the-LakeLabour Ken Forth, LyndenSafety Nets Mark Wales, AlymerCHC Murray Porteous, SimcoeAGCare/Nutrient Man. Charles Stevens, Newcastle

Labour is one component of competitiveness

Brian GilroyChair, OFVGA

There is no free lunch

Growers invited to participate in labour survey The Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC) is

researching the labour needs on farms with less than $100,000 in grossreceipts. Applications Management Consulting has been contracted bythe Council to conduct this research.

This project is a follow-up to the work CAHRC completed in 2009about recruitment and retention on larger farms. An important part ofthe current research project about smaller farms is a survey of produc-ers requesting information about their current and future labour needs,whether they have difficulty hiring help etc. The link to the survey isposted on the CAHRC website at www.cahrc-ccrha.ca.

These Caribbean workers are hard at work picking raspberries at thefarm of Doug and Anna Mae Pardo’s west of Blenheim, ON

The following are highlightsfrom the OFVGA board meetingheld May 20, 2010. And be sure tocheck out OFVGA’s new websiteat www.ofvga.org and sign up toreceive news updates to yourinbox as soon as they are posted.

Safety NetsSafety Nets Chair Mark Wales

reported that accounts are sup-posed to be set up at local banksfor AgriInvest and growers shouldbe receiving notices when theseare ready.

Agriculture Canada’s nationalBusiness Risk Management con-sultations for Ontario were heldMay 13 (Guelph) and 14 (Lon-don). The consultations will wrapup with sessions in Western Cana-da in early June. The goal of theconsultations is to get feedbackfrom industry about what the nextsuite of business risk managementprograms should look like. MarkWales represented the OFVGA atthe consultation in London.

Although the consultationprocess is called Agriculture 2020,it was pointed out at the Londonsession that the need for changesto business risk management pro-gramming is now and that if noth-ing is done soon, agriculture inOntario will look much differentby 2020. The consultation com-mittee has a mandate to have areport of findings prepared for theFederal-Provincial-Territorialministers of agriculture meetingcoming up in July.

ResearchFunding for the horticulture

national agri-science cluster wasannounced by the federal govern-ment several weeks ago. The hor-ticulture sector, through the Cana-dian Horticulture Council (CHC),applied for approximately $11million in funding for various pro-jects, but ended up receiving onlyapproximately $3 million.OFVGA Research Chair HaroldSchooley reported that a change infunding criteria had been imple-mented during the process, whichresulted in the low number offunded projects. Agriculture andAgri-Food Canada (AAFC)research stations and scientistswere originally to be included inany funding proposals, but werelater deemed to be ineligible forfunding. As a result, all horticul-ture projects with lead researchersfrom AAFC are currently in jeop-ardy unless other lead researcherscan be found. CHC is now work-ing to adjust the program leadswithin projects to comply with thisnew parameter.

PropertyCarbon sequestration work

shop – Property section chair DaveLambert attended an informationmeeting for the farming sector,hosted by the Ontario Federationof Agriculture, on carbon seques-tration. The general sense is that itlikely won’t offer a lot of benefitback to farmers after the arduousprocess is completed and everyoneelse in the chain has taken theirshare. There could be a role forOFVGA or the OFA to act as anaggregator on behalf of its mem-

bers, but it is all incumbent on acarbon trading system actuallybeing set up.

Fertilizer disposal fee – A levyon fertilizer sold in bags 30 kg orless had been proposed by Stew-ardship Ontario and was to beimplemented in Ontario in July ofthis year under the Ministry of theEnvironment’s Municipal Haz-ardous or Special Waste Program.Fertilizer sold in bags over 30 kgwill be exempt from the fee, whichhad been proposed at $0.41/kg butis now proposed at $0.02/kg.While the fee is greatly reducedmany growers still would beaffected as they purchase fertilizerin smaller bags for orchards, veg-etable farms and greenhouse pro-duction. At the meeting discussiontook place about the logistics ofexempting agriculture from thislevy. A small working group hasbeen established to work on gener-ating an exemption for agriculture;Craig Hunter represents OFVGAon this committee.

Water Opportunities and WaterConservation Act – This new leg-islation was introduced in theprovincial legislature in mid-Mayand received first reading. It isanticipated to have significantimplications for municipalities,but no immediate impact on agri-culture. There is concern, howev-er, that conservation of supply,which will impact irrigation, maybe included in the legislation dur-ing either the committee or secondreading stages.

Pesticides and ADHD - CraigHunter reported on a recentlyreleased study that has been mak-ing some headlines that linkedpesticide use with the presence ofAttention Deficit HyperactivityDisorder (ADHD) in children.There has been no confirmation ofthese findings by any otherresearchers. In fact, at the end of thereport it specified that there was noconclusive evidence linking pesti-cide residue on food to ADHD.

Labour The Farm Safety Association

has been merged with the Industri-al Accident Prevention Associa-tion (IAPA), and Ontario ServiceSafety Alliance (OSSA) to form anew organization called SafeWorkplace Promotion ServicesOntario. OFVGA Labour ChairKen Forth has been appointed tothe board of this new organization.

Chair ReportOFVGA Chair Brian Gilroy

attended a fundraiser for MP LarryMiller who is chair of standingcommittee on agriculture and agri-food. Gilroy was also present atMichael Ignatieff’s release of thefederal Liberal platform concern-ing food held recently in the Hol-land Marsh.

Discussions are taking placebetween the OFVGA, industrypartners and government represen-tatives around the potential devel-opment of a new program thatwould see fresh fruits and vegeta-bles being provided to communi-ties in Yukon, Nunavut and theNorthwest Territories, as well asfly-in communities in Ontario’s

north.CEO Report

CEO Art Smith, together withChair Brian Gilroy, attended theannual Canadian Produce Market-ing Association meeting and tradeshow, held this year in Vancouver.OFVGA has been approached toprovide its support for the creation

of provincial refundable tax creditprogram for farmers who makefood donations to food banks. Sar-nia-Lambton MPP Bob Bailey hasintroduced a Private Member’sBill to establish the tax credit. TheOntario Federation of Agriculture(OFA), Ontario Greenhouse Veg-etable Growers (OGVG) andDairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO)are already supporting the initia-tive. The Board was supportive ofthe proposal.

Crop diversification inOntario’s vegetable sectorAhmed Bilal, a research associ-

ate at the Vineland Research andInnovation Centre, provided theBoard with an update of what is

happening in the area of cropdiversification. Approximatelyhalf of the population of Torontois not born in Canada and growingethnic communities are providingnew opportunities for edible horti-culture. The goal, says Bilal, is toreplace imported produce – both togrow our sector and to reduce the

risk of diseases coming into thecountry through imported pro-duce. As well, producing ethnicvegetable crops domestically willimprove product freshness, tasteand nutritional values that are cur-rently lower as produce is harvest-ed and shipped before it is totallyripe in order to prolong its shelflife. In the GTA, demand for ethnicvegetables from the Chinese,South Asian and Caribbean com-munities alone is $61 million permonth. Research shows that con-sumers from these communitiesare ready to pay more if they canget better quality produce. Threevarieties each of five different

vegetable crops - callaloo, fuzzymelon, okra, eggplant and yardlong bean – have been selected forproduct trials at various Ontariolocations in 2010. They wereselected according to marketdemand, their climatic and nutri-tional needs, their post-harvestneeds (requiring storage methodsthat are the same as traditionalOntario vegetable crops) and thatthey’re not being commerciallyproduced in Ontario at this time.The selection was made in consul-tation with value chain partnersincluding large retail chains, theOntario Ministry of Agriculture,Food and Rural Affairs, the Uni-versity of Guelph and localimporters of ethnic produce.

Bilal says there are productionchallenges related to growing newcrops, including being able tosource seeds, coping with theimpact of lower temperatures onplants (many of these crops arenative to regions where tempera-tures regularly hit 40 – 50C), pestcontrol, genetics, growing envi-ronment – our temps are not ashigh, 40-50C as in their nativelands and pest control. From amarketing perspective, growersmust consider where to sell newcrops which can be hard to do if amarket isn’t yet established, howto meet labeling requirements andtaking care not to flood the marketwith too much product

As part of this project, addition-al trials are also being undertakenon Chinese red hot peppers andIndian kaddu, including sensoryand marketing tests to confirmacceptance by consumers. Con-tact the OFVGA office for moreinformation.

Next board meeting date:Thursday, July 15, 2010.

THE GROWER

JULY 2010 –– PAGE 9

Board Briefs

Loves this. Loves this to death.

Get the best of both worlds with Serenade, a highly effective broad-spectrum bio-fungicide that kills diseases, while embracing Mother Nature. Serenade offers very effective disease control plus a new, unique mode of action, which makes for an excellent resistance management tool with no MRL residuals.

Serenade – the fungicide you can count on to protect your crop.

Always read and follow label directions. Log on to www.uap.ca for full label information

West: 1-800-561-5444 Ontario & Maritimes: 1-800-265-5444

Quebec: 1-800-361-9369 BC: 1-604-534-8815

Some things just work.

® SERENADE and AgraQuest are registered trademarks of AgraQuest Inc. 9050 12.09

Fungal pathogen

es tvLo Lothis. es this to dvo death.

excellenanfor makesun, newaplusol contrrfeofenadeSere. Naturre

whdiseases, kills thatoadbrfectiveefhighly

wboth of best theGet

managementesistance rrentwhicaction,of modenique

disease fectiveefveryersMother embracinghile

bio-fungicide -spectruma enade, Serrwithworlds

thSome

tch

work.justhings

egise r® SERENADE and AgraQuest ar

B1-800-361-9369Quebec:

Ont1-800-561-5444est:W

ecdirlabelfollowandeadrAlways

op.croyour otectprfungicthe –enadeSere

esidreMRLno withtool

ed trademarks of AgraQuest Inc. 9050 12.ster

1-604-534-8815BC:

1-800-265-544tario & Maritimes:

labefullfor.uap.ca wwwtoonLogctions.

tooncount canyoucide

duals.

.09

44

informationel

Ahmed Bilal, Research Associate Crop Production and Diversificationshows callaloo seedlings at a field trial at the Vineland Research andInnovation Centre. Photo by VRIC.

THE GROWERPAGE 10 –– JULY 2010

Growers are told repeatedly tolook for local market nichesbecause they’re accessible, andpopular – consumers have becomeenamoured with local food andgovernment departments, such asthe Ontario Ministry of Agricul-ture, Food and Rural Affairs, havecreated programs to support it.But seldom is such local-foodadvice accompanied by a $60-million-plus opportunity, everymonth.

Now, though, that’s what University of Guelph researcherssay exists, following a provincial-ly funded study of the demand forwhat they call ethno-cultural foods– those specific to certain ethnicgroups and cultures – in theGreater Toronto Area (GTA).

The trio of Prof. Glen Filson,School of Environmental Designand Rural Development, Dr.Bamidele Adekunle and SridharanSethuratnam, director of directfarmer services for FarmStart,estimate there’s a $60-million-plusdemand per month in the GTAalone for such foods.

They conducted more than 750interviews at ethnic grocery stores

and food markets, focusing theirefforts on the most dominant ethnic groups living in the GTA –South Asians, Chinese and Afro-Caribbeans.

They discovered ethno-culturalfoods were in high demand.Respondents had a variety of rea-sons why: they said the foods werenutritious and even medicinal,reflecting their tradition or culture.Some said they offered a preferredtaste or were part of their vegetar-ian lifestyle.

And what were they craving?Specifically, South Asians wantedokra, eggplant and bitter melon,while bok choy, Chinese broccoliand eggplant were the mostdesired by the Chinese communi-ty. Afro-Caribbeans’ interest inokra, African eggplant, gardeneggs and smooth amaranth round-ed out the list.

Based on those findings, theresearchers estimate the demandper month for these ethno-culturalvegetables is at least $33 millionfor South Asians, $21 million forthe Chinese group and $7 millionfor Afro-Caribbeans.

Add to those figures the small-er ethnic groups whose needs arelikewise going unmet, and this alladds up to a gigantic, unfulfilledmarket.

Filson and his team think thegap could be filled by Ontariofarmers. After all, more peoplewant to eat locally grown food,and Filson says they’ll pay a pre-mium for it if it meets their needsand if it can be obtained fresh, inan accessible location.

This is the kind of research thathelps create and inform policy.Producers may need some guid-ance to grow these exotics, partic-ularly because growing conditionsare appreciably different here thanin the vegetables’ native country.Perhaps some of the more delicatevegetables can be started in thegreenhouse, then finished in thefield. In any event, knowing thesize of the market can help deter-mine the size of the effort requiredto get growers up to speed.

To Filson, there’s no questionsuch investment could have afavourable impact on an economythat continues to look for brightlights.

“Money put into this potentialmarket could also provide supportduring Canada’s economic repairand regeneration,” he says.

Producing ethno-cultural foodsis one approach farmers can taketo meeting the needs of new Cana-dians. Another is to teach themabout substitutes, helping themunderstand the alternatives thatexist in their new homeland. Now,we basically put a new menu infront of them, and expect them tounderstand. That’s not communi-cation.

What’s needed is a centralinformation source that canexplain the nutritional, environ-mental and social virtues ofOntario-grown food. This wouldbe a boost for Ontario agricultureand help farmers here service theirbiggest potential customer base.Maybe more consumers would bewilling to pay the true cost of food,and keep farmers from having tobeg governments for bail-outs, ifthey had supporting evidence thatOntario-grown products were better.

New market opportunities are right in our backyard

Owen RobertsUniversity of Guelph

It’s up to all of us to speak up about what we do

Most of us in agriculture havethe same gripe. Whether we farmor whether we work for or withfarmers, our common complaint isthat agriculture is misunderstood.The general public doesn’t “get”what we do because they don’tknow. And we’re often a littleamazed at how much people don’tknow, especially about things thatwe take for granted.

How could they not know thatoranges don’t grow in Canada,why we spray our soybeans andthat there’s a season for cherriesand peaches? On the flip side –how COULD they know thesethings?

Most Canadians are severalgenerations removed from thefarm, meaning we have very littledirect connection to the land andthe crops that are grown on it. Ourschools generally don’t teach agri-culture and most have eliminatedany food or home economicsclasses that used to be a standardoffering. Our modern, globalizedworld means we have strawberriesand asparagus year-round, and weenjoy a steady supply of citrus andbananas and mangos and all man-ner of other produce in our grocerystores; fruits and vegetables weused to only read about or see onspecial occasions.

What’s important for us to keepin mind is that it is those sameconsumers who directly influence

what we grow, and where, whenand how we grow it – throughtheir purchasing decisions at thesupermarket, the lessons theyteach their children and the causesthey support. And on a more directlevel, it is through the politiciansthey vote for and through the jobsthat they have: in classrooms, ashealth and nutrition professionals,and as those who formulate thepolicies that shape our municipal,provincial and national laws.

For many farmers, it is enoughto just keep up with the day-to-dayresponsibilities of running a farmand staying on top of the mound ofpaperwork created by a seeminglyever-growing list of rules, regulations and compliance pro-grams that must be followed. Thelast thing many want to find timefor – or even think is important –is talking to the public about whowe are and what we do.

That is where groups likeAGCare – of which OFVGA is amember – and other agricultural

organizations play a crucial role.AGCare, together with the OntarioFarm Animal Council (OFAC),has developed a proactive outreach program over the lastnumber of years that talks to people about where their foodcomes from.

It can be a direct conversationthrough our displays at exhibitionsand fairs, or a more indirect reachthrough tours we do with chefs,culinary students and the media.This past week was one suchexample – and a terrific one at that.

AGCare and OFAC spent a dayon the road with 30 of the mostkeen and enthusiastic food writers,recipe developers, cookbookauthors and home economistssouthern Ontario has to offer. Wetoured an egg farm in WellingtonCounty and a market garden/fruitfarm in Halton Region andanswered questions about foodand farming all day long – fromhen housing and welfare to wateruse, Greenbelt legislation and

seasonal agricultural workers.For the foodies, it’s a great

chance to ask questions firsthandof farmers or farm organizationstaff on the tour, and for ourselvesand our farmer tour hosts, it’s anideal opportunity to address misconceptions and clear the airon contentious issues. This is theseventh year we’ve run the foodmedia farm tour and every yearour crowd gets a little bit bigger.And the dividends of our invest-ment of time and resources areconsiderable – getting our messages out, building relation-ships and, of course, some mediacoverage along the way as well.

The way I see it, the only waywe can help ease our frustrationabout people who don’t under-stand agriculture – whether it isbureaucrats, political staff,reporters or consumers – is tospeak up and speak out. Our agri-culture, our country and our futurewill be the better for it and it’s upto us to make it happen.

Lilian SchaerAGCare

Amaranth

Okra

EggplantPhotos courtesy of OMAFRA

“Ethno-cultural foods are a$60-million-plus opportunity

in the Greater Torontoarea.”

THE GROWER

JULY 2010 –– PAGE 11

By Dr. Jason S.T. Deveau, ApplicationTechnology Specialist

It’s first of July, and for many orchard, high-bush and nursery spray applicators it’sabout mid-season; some airblast sprayershave already put in over 100 hours of spray-ing. There have been significant increasesin canopies since the sprayers were calibrated at the first of the season. Larger,

denser canopies mean that it’s time to reconsider spray distribution and sprayer settings.Beyond re-calibrating the sprayer, here are a few important adjustments:1) Fan speed:

Growers are recognizing that excessive air in early season blows spray straight throughthe canopy. To correct this, they reduce air speed. This is a good practice! Now, however,canopies are fuller and growers may have to increase the fan speed to compensate. Toincrease your fan speed, use a higher PTO speed, gear-down and throttle-up, adjust bladepitch or use a hydraulic motor. Remember, you only need enough air to overcome ambientwind and to move leaves and deposit spray in the middle of the canopy. Do not performalternate row middle spraying.2) Nozzle wear:

The rate of tip wear depends on spray pressure, the product sprayed, and the nozzlematerial. Upgrading to a harder, more durable tip can reduce maintenance costs, but evenceramic is generally worn in two years. I’ve already pulled disc-core nozzles from sprayersthat were new in April but are completely spent now (see Figure 1). How are your nozzlesholding up? Even if the sprayer empties where it normally does, plugged filters and strainers can cancel out worn nozzles and you can’t tell with just a shoulder-check. Cleanthe nozzle strainers and nozzles with a toothbrush in a bucket of water, then check nozzleoutput one by one. If one is out by 10 per cent compared to the manufacturer’s rate, replaceit. If two are out, replace them all. It’s worth it.

3) Spray Distribution:More canopy often means rethinking sprayer distribution and output volume. For

example, some apple growers choose to open another nozzle position lower on the boom tohit low-hanging branches, but this is not the best way to redistribute spray. The betterapproach is to turn on a lower nozzle position and then redistribute a higher sprayer outputover the entire boom; this way, the whole canopy gets more spray, not just the bottom ofthe target. Yes, this means replacing all your nozzles with a set that puts out a higher volume, but your nozzles will last longer since you’re changing them mid-season.

4) Sprayer Output:There’s no hard and fast rule, but you should consider increasing overall sprayer output

by at least 15 per cent. I was in an apple orchard early this season, working with a growerto determine an optimal sprayer output (see Figure 2). At 600 L/ha, paper (A) was obviously over-sprayed. Now, however, the grower needs almost 700 L/ha to achieve adequate coverage in the same trees!

5) Forward Speed:Since you will be reconsidering nozzle rates anyway, also consider slowing down a

little to improve canopy penetration. I was in an orchard last week where the grower washaving trouble achieving adequate coverage in the centre of his trees. When we redistrib-uted the spray pattern to match his canopy and slowed down to 5 kph, his coverageimproved significantly.

Remember, when you make any changes to your sprayer, put water sensitive paper in themiddle of the target canopy about two-thirds from the top (generally the hardest-to-hit location). Spray from both sides and go back to check your coverage. If you don’t see goodcoverage, further adjustment is required.

Mid-season airblast sprayer adjustments save money

Figure 1. Brass is the softest nozzle material, but all materials will wear. (A) A whirl plateused for about 100 hours in a typical apple orchard spray program. Note the spurs, pitsand distorted orifices. This plate has an output about 15 per cent more than when it wasnew. (B) A new whirl plate for comparison.

Figure 2. Early in the season, canopies are open and have very little foliage. As the season progresses, more volume is required to achieve adequate coverage. (A) Yellowspray sensitive paper placed in the centre of an apple tree canopy in early May andsprayed with 600 L/ha. Note the run-off and poor distribution. (B) Yellow spray sensitivepaper placed in the same tree, in the same location and sprayed with 350 L/ha. Note theeven coverage and no run-off. By mid June, this same tree required >700 L/ha to achieveadequate coverage.

By Alison Robertson, OFVGAIn May I had the opportunity to

attend the National Farm Conference in Detroit Michigan.There were over 700 attendees, 33of which were from Canada. It wasgreat to see that Canada was

represented from coast to coast.There were delegates from BC,Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan,Ontario, New Brunswick, andNewfoundland. Delegates from allacross the United States were therein full force.

During the conference atten-dees had the opportunity to learnabout initiatives to get more localfarm products into pre-school, K-12, childcare facilities, hospitals,colleges and prisons. There wereworkshops pertaining to profes-sional development with informa-tion on media training, policyadvocacy, and research and evaluation. The keynote speaker,Kathleen Merrigan, USDADeputy Secretary of Agriculture,spoke about the progress of theUSDA’s Know Your Farmer,

Know Your Food initiative and theopportunities created by MichelleObama’s Let’s Move! campaign.

The conference offered something for everyone, fromfield trips and short courses toworkshops, a sampling of localfoods and of course...the chance tonetwork. Some of the workshopstopics were “Healthy Food inHealth Care”, “The Impact ofChicago Public School Purchaseson Michigan Farmers”, “FoodSafety From Farm to School”, and“Creating Economic Opportunityand Addressing Food Security”.

The hosts of the conferencewere The Community Food Security Coalition and TheNational Farm to School Network.The Community Food SecurityCoalition is a non-profit, NorthAmerican organization dedicatedto building strong, sustainable,local and regional food systemsthat ensure access to affordable,

nutritious, and culturally appropriate food for all people atall times. The National Farm toSchool Network was formed fromthe desire to support community-based food systems, strengthenfamily farms, and improve studenthealth by reducing childhood obesity. With funding from theW.K Kellogg Foundation, the Network coordinates, promotes,and expands the farm to schoolmovement at the regional, state,and national levels. The Farm toSchool Network assists children inunderstanding where their foodcomes from and how their foodchoices impact their bodies, the environment, and their communities.

The location and dates of theirnext conference have not beenposted yet but we will make sureto publish them in Coming Eventsin The Grower as soon as theybecome available.

Caramel sauce stored in separate compartment for apple dippingResponding to consumer requests, Scotian Gold is producing apple slices in a caramel

dip in a container that protects integrity of both products. “We have been producing freshapple slices in a bag format – individual and family size for the past 10 years, selling toschools, hospitals and at retail,” says Karen Corey, Scotian Gold Cooperative Limited.“Many people love apple slices, but love them more with caramel dip. So we looked for a

convenient packaging format that would maximize the shelflife of the apple slices and combine the dip all in

one.”The parfait cup can fit in a cup holder in

the car, is easy to grab and go and displayswell on a cooler shelf. A 16-day shelf lifecan be guaranteed for the apple slices inthis format. The separate caramel dip cup

fits perfectly in the lid of the parfait. Scotian Gold Cooperative Limited stores,

packs and markets approximately 50 percent ofthe apple production in Nova Scotia. Scotian Gold is

the largest apple packing and storage operation inEastern Canada with fruit arriving from 55 family-

operated apple orchards across the province.

Gold kiwifruit is scooped with a spife The New Zealand success story with kiwifruit – a berry descended from a wild Chinese

vine – just keeps growing. Horticulturalists from New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty importedChinese gold kiwifruit seeds in 1987 and started their quest to take the small, commercially

unviable fruit to international status. Through natural cross-pollination with select gold kiwivines and grafting with vigorous green kiwi vines, researchers developed the complexflavour of gold kiwifruit, increasing shelf life with each generation. The gold variety hitNorth American stores a decade ago and today, is known mostly in Asian stores.

The gold kiwifruit was sampled at the recent Canadian Produce Marketing Associationtrade show with a spife, a kid-friendly knife that cuts the fruit in half and then serves as aspoon to scoop out the fruit. Could this clever eating utensil be used with Canadian fruitssuch as melons?

That’s not the only smart marketing tool for this family of green and gold kiwifruit soldunder the ZESPRI brand. Just for the record, ZESPRI is not an acronym but rather an amalgam of the fruit’s attributes. It’s a computer-generated word developed in 1996 tobrand all kiwifruit grown in New Zealand. Researchers found that kiwifruit was describedas vibrant, vigorous, healthy, nutritious, effervescent, zesty, full of life, full of fun and fullof energy. So they plugged all of the attributes into a computer program and it promptedthe word “ZESPRI.”

Today, 2,500 New Zealand growers earn $600 million through the branded programaccording to Karen Brux, General Manager, ZESPRI International North America.

THE GROWERPAGE 12 –– JULY 2010

New products at the CPMAHow you eat the product is part of the story

Only at Sheehan’s TruckCentre we offer our customers everything fromgreat trucks, fast deliveryof parts to extraordinarycustomer service. We arelocated in a 52,000-sq/ftfacility with 65 highlytrained staff to take care ofyour transportation needs.We have over 200 newand used vehicles on display in our newlypaved lot. Call us today for a test drive, quote on a new truck or any other questions thatyou may have.

National Farm to Cafeteria Conference inspires

By Becky Hughes, John Zandstra and Adam Dale,

University of GuelphDay-neutral strawberries are

relatively new to Ontario. A num-ber of day-neutral cultivars areavailable but most were developedin California and, therefore, maynot be well suited to Ontario.Day-neutral cultivar trials wereestablished in 2005 at the Univer-sity of Guelph Research Stationslocated at Cedar Springs and Sim-coe in southwestern Ontario, andNew Liskeard in northeasternOntario. The trial was also grownunder a Haygrove high tunnel atCedar Springs resulting in fourenvironments and six cultivarswith four replications.

Four vegetatively-propagatedcultivars and two seed-propagatedcultivars were compared in theOntario trials. Day-neutral straw-berry plants produce relatively fewrunners, making it difficult topropagate them economically inthe relatively short growing seasonin Ontario. Seed propagated F1-hybrid strawberry cultivars havebeen used on a limited scale inEurope. Dormant bare-root plantsof Albion, Diamonte and Seascape

were obtained from commercialnurseries. Seed of Elan and MilanF1 hybrids was obtained from theNetherlands and plug plants wereproduced in Simcoe for all foursites.

Twenty-plant plots were estab-lished with 20cm between plantsand 30cm between rows on raisedbeds covered with black polyeth-ylene mulch. Each plot consistedof two rows on beds at 1.5 and1.7m centers in New Liskeard andCedar Springs, respectively. InSimcoe, plots consisted of fourrows on beds at 1.8m centers. Theplots were planted May 6/05, May30/05 and June 6/05 at CedarSprings, Simcoe and NewLiskeard, respectively. Trickleirrigation was located below theplastic and all plots received regu-lar irrigation and liquid fertilizerapplications. Cultural practiceswere adapted to the local soil andclimate. In New Liskeard theplants were covered with strawmulch covered with a 1.5 oz/sq ydfloating row cover for the winter.

In Cedar Springs, a winterfloating row cover only was usedand, in Simcoe, the plants were notcovered for the winter.

The blossoms were removedfor the first six weeks after planting, and thereafter fruit washarvested twice weekly in the firstand second year. Fruit was sortedinto marketable (no rot and regularly shaped with a diametergreater than 1.5 cm) and unmarketable. The marketablefruit was weighed and counted,and berry weights were calculated.

The results depended on theyear and environment. In the firstpicking year, the two hotter environments, Simcoe and CedarSprings’ tunnel had lower yieldsand berry size than the two coolerenvironments, New Liskeard andCedar Springs outside (Table 1).Milan and Elan produced largenumbers of moderate-sized fruitsat Simcoe, whereas Tribute andSeascape performed better in thetwo cooler environments. Thelargest fruit was usually producedby Albion at all sites.

In the second picking year,Seascape and Tribute had thehighest yields at all sites althoughthe yields of Milan and Elan wereonly slightly lower (Table 1).Albion and Diamonte were largefruited but lower yielding.

Diamonte had low winter survivalat all sites averaging 74 per centplant survival (Table 2). At Simcoe, the plants were not pro-tected for the winter and the lowyields of Diamonte, Milan andElan could be related to higherwinter damage even though theplants survived. Albion had amuch lower survival rate in NewLiskeard than the other sites. Theuse of a tunnel at Cedar Springsincreased the yields of Albion inyear two.

The high percent unmarketablein New Liskeard tended to be dueto tarnished plant bug damage,while in Simcoe, it was due toberry size and rot. Albion ratedhigher than Seascape for fruitquality in the ratings done in NewLiskeard and Simcoe (data notshown).

Overall, Seascape and Tributeconsistently produced high yieldsat all sites, but Seascape has larger

fruit. Milan and Elan producedmoderate yields, but the fruit wasgenerally small. Albion and Diamonte produced large fruit butlow yields. Of these two, Albionappears more adapted to southernOntario conditions and its highfruit quality makes it more suitedto certain markets.

Of the cultivars tested to date,Seascape continues to be the mostadapted to Ontario conditions.Albion has larger fruit and higherfruit quality than Seascape but it islater, produces lower yields and isnot as winter hardy. It may be pos-sible to adapt the cultural condi-tions to improve yields of Albionas it seemed to perform better inthe tunnel at Cedar Springs in thesecond year.

Several new day-neutral culti-vars have become available since2005. These are currently beingevaluated at trials in Cedar Springsand New Liskeard.

THE GROWER

JULY 2010 –– PAGE 13

Day-neutral strawberry cultivars forOntario producers

North American Strawberry Growers Association Meetings and Tours

August 17-18, 2010 North American Strawberry Growers AssociationSummer Tour: Montreal region. Quebec. Don’t miss this opportunityto learn about day neutral strawberry production and many other innovations. www.nasga.orgFebruary 8-11, 2011 North American Strawberry Growers AssociationAnnual Meeting and North American Strawberry Scientists Conference: Tampa Florida: Mark your calendars and book your hotelnow. This meeting will be packed with information for strawberrygrowers. See www.nasga.org for information.

Site Cultivar Total Yield (g/plant)

% Marketable

BerryWeight

(g/berry)

2005 2006 Total 2005 2006 2005 2006

Simcoe Albion 85 130 215 66 67 12.0 9.9

Diamonte 66 46 112 50 48 10.3 10.6

Elan F1 160 46 206 47 35 6.0 6.7

Milan F1 191 51 242 49 46 7.1 7.4

Seascape 82 195 277 67 62 8.4 7.8

Tribute 73 159 232 48 50 6.9 7.2

CedarSpringsTunnel

Albion 27 363 390 96 72 9.3 13.5

Diamonte 17 233 250 98 69 7.8 14.4

Elan F1 58 345 403 93 67 4.7 9.3

Milan F1 89 358 447 89 67 5.1 9.7

Seascape 21 437 458 98 74 4.6 10.5

Tribute 87 442 529 94 71 4.8 9.6

CedarSprings

Albion 95 241 336 90 75 11.2 15.3

Diamonte 98 252 350 95 65 9.9 15.0

Elan F1 60 273 333 95 60 4.8 10.8

Milan F1 139 330 469 92 65 6.7 12.3

Seascape 155 377 532 98 66 7.8 11.3

Tribute 248 413 661 93 71 5.5 11.3

NewLiskeard

Albion 103 107 210 65 55 14.7 13.4

Diamonte 82 104 186 44 40 17.4 12.0

Elan F1 157 282 439 51 41 7.4 8.1

Milan F1 106 254 360 45 39 8.9 8.8

Seascape 187 373 560 64 62 13.1 11.3

Tribute 213 300 513 57 39 8.0 7.2

Cultivar % Winter Survival

Simcoe CS Tunnel CedarSprings

NewLiskeard

Albion 87 90 89 76

Diamonte 74 86 70 64

Elan F1 74 100 100 92

Milan F1 81 100 92 92

Seascape 99 100 100 91

Tribute 93 100 100 90

Table 1

Table 2

THE GROWER

PAGE 14 –– JULY 2010

The following workshops arecurrently available for any groupthat would like food safety educa-tion:• Irrigation water• Post harvest water• Hygiene and hand washing• Manures and composts• Traceability• Multi-Commodity on-farm foodsafety• Risk assessment• Compost tea• And introducing: Persistent Pol-lutants – information for UrbanFarmers

Irrigation waterDo you wonder about the qual-

ity of your irrigation water and itspotential effect on food safety? Doyou know how to take a properwater sample from your pond? Doyou know where to send yoursample and how do you interpretthe results? This session willanswer these questions and more.

Post harvest waterDo you wash your produce

with recycled water? If yes, attendthis session and learn about:• the risks of using poor qualitywater• pros and cons of some common-ly used sanitizers• factors that can alter the effec-tiveness of sanitizers, and

• ways to monitor sanitizer levels

Hygiene and hand washingDo you have workers that han-

dle produce? This session willgive you the information you needto train your workers.

Manures and compostsDo you use manure, compost or

compost teas? This session covers:• the potential risks to ready to eatcrops• issues with making compost• the do's and don'ts on applying,handling and storing manureand/or compost

TraceabilityAre you considering a trace-

ability system for your operation?This session will:• increase your understanding ofwhat traceability means for youroperation• highlight the benefits to yourbusiness

Multi-commodity on-farm food safety

Do you have both livestock andedible crops on your operation?Learn about the food safety prac-tices that will help you reduce therisk of cross-contamination

Risk assessmentIdentify and assess your food

safety risks on the farm, and mea-sures you can take to minimizethose risks.

Safe use of compost teasDo you use compost tea or are

interested in learning more aboutcompost tea? Attend this work-shop to learn about the risks ofusing compost tea and how toavoid them.

Persistent Pollutants – Information for Urban Farmers

You asked, we listened. This isa new workshop based ondemand.

Unsure about the food safetyrisks of heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants inyour crops? Attend this session tolearn more about the risks andwhat you can do.

If you are interested in any ofthe above workshops, give us acall. We are happy to providethese workshop free, to groups of8 or more.

Can't find a workshop to suityour needs? Let us know! We willadd new workshops on other topics based on demand.

For more information:Toll Free: 1-877-424-1300Local: (519) 826-4047E-mail: ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca

Food safety workshops for On-Farm Food Safety

NURSERY / SEED / ROOTSTOCK

Quality fruit trees

for over 50 years.

Peaches Apricots NectarinesPlums Pears

Cherries Apples

1695 Niagara Stone Road, RR 2NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, OntarioL0S 1J0Phone: 905-468-3217Fax: 905-468-7271E-Mail: fruittrees@morinurseries.com

ECO CLEANING

GREENHOUSE SALES

www.cleanfarms.ca

FARMERS: TAKE ACTION!

™

RINSE + REMOVE + RETURN

Recycle ALL your empty pesticide containers.Getting involved is no cost to you, and it’s simple –

1. Triple or pressure RINSE to ensure no product is wasted.

2. REMOVE caps and booklets

3. RETURN them ALL to your local collection siteWithout these simple steps, your containers cannot be properly recycled.

For locations in your area, please visit our website.

By Sandra Jones, OMAFRA, Crops On-FarmFood Safety Program Lead

Did you know that planting grassed water ways orvegetative buffer strips around your irrigation pond isa good food safety practice? Established buffer strips

can entrap and filter contaminants before they enteryour pond and potentially contaminate your water. Infact, strips as narrow as 4 to 5 metres can trap up to70 per cent of the sediment and help you maintaingood quality water for irrigation.

Food safety tip

DISMANTLING LARGE GREENHOUSEStructures for glasshouses, or could be used for

covering tarp, metal, netting for berries, etc. 300 hp boilers, steel pipes, valves, grow lights, rolling growing

benches, computer climate conttrol system and much more.

Look at our web site www.eneractiontime.comgo to Documents . . . click on: For sale used

greenhouse structure and contents.519-205-0650

FUNGI

Beneficial Fungi -Will make nutrients availale to plants-Will take space from harmful fungi-Will increase yield and return on $$$

Customly designed for your soil and crop. Order yours today. Phone: 519-822-6743 or 519-830-1767

1977 Farmall 140 tractor. Includescultivators, fertilizer attachment,regular hitch. All in excellent condition. Priced to sell at $6,000firm. 519-738-4286

For Sale: Girette. In good condition. Has 16ft. lift. Comes with compressor torun pneumatic tools. $3,000 obo.905-396-5360 or 905-355-5550

2007 Harnois Greenhouse,40X102 ovaltech III, completewith benches and furnaces andautomatic controls. Asking$27,000.00. Fantastic lookingstructure. 2001 Delhi FoundryTransplanter, 2 row. Can be eas-ily converted to 4 row. Model 204.This planter is loaded with manyextras. Will email photos. Asking$5000.00. Just like new. Used 2seasons. Poinsettia Pot covers

and sleeves form Highland Sup-ply. Preformed for 4,6,8 and 10inch pots. No longer growingpoinsettias. Will email photos.Please call (519) 695-5342. Serious inquiries only please.

THE GROWER

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

JULY 2010 –– PAGE 15

CONTAINERS

LLOYD BAG CO.(www.lloydbag.com)

Established in 1939

BURLAP (JUTE)TREE WRAP / LINERS / SHEETS

WOVEN POLYPROPYLENE

PAPERLENO MESH

COTTON AND CANVASFOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

MARK ALLOTT BEV ADDEMAN JASON LONGGeneral Manager Sales Sales

1-800-549-2247114 St. Clair Street • P.O. Box 208, Chatham, Ontario N7M 5K3

Telephone (519) 352-9300 • Fax (519) 352-3413E-Mail: info@lloydbag.com

FRUIT & VEGETABLE PACKAGINGWellington Wood Products (1972) Ltd.

Manufacturers and Suppliers of:

• Corrugated Baskets & Masters • Wooden Baskets • Wooden Hampers

• Plastic Containers & Bags • Cider Supplies • Apple Packaging & Cartons

• Waxed Cartons • Custom Corrugated Cartons • Berry Containers & Masters

* Triple Wall Bulk Bins

A large INVENTORY of all types of packaging.We can deliver your order DIRECTLY TO YOUR DOOR.

For current, competitive pricing call

1-800-265-2397 www.wwp.on.ca

Wellington Wood Products410 Sligo Road WestMount Forest, ON N0G 2L0519-323-1060 wwp@wightman.ca

Wellington Wood Products1587 "B" County Road 34Ruthven, ON N0P 2G0519-326-2394

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

Supplying Fruit and Vegetable Growers with:• Baskets • Berry Boxes• Masters • Waxed Cartons• Fertilizer • Crop Protection Material

Mesh Plastic Berry Quarts Distributor for Baskpac Plastic Baskets

MAPS

BIRD REPELLERSGREAT EAGLE

(44” wingspan) $99.95BLACK EAGLE

(26” wingspan) $59.95BLACKHAWK

(13” wingspan) $29.95

OLOF’S TRAVELMAPS7037 WYANDOTTE ST. E.WINDSOR, ON. N8S 1R1

TEL: 519-944-9196FAX: 519-944-8331

Email: info@olofmaps.comWebsite: www.olofmaps.com

ASK FOR MORE INFORMATION

CALL ABE FIRSTFOR BETTER PRICES, MORE

CHOICES, FAST, AND FRIENDLY SERVICE. BUY A DIESEL ENGINEFROM THE DIESEL MECHANIC.

AVAILABLE NOW

1) New 4 cylinder Cummins, 80 HP with 2 stage Rovatti pump, murphy, on trailer, etc. $11,900

2) Cummin 4 cylinder turbo 100 HP with 3 stage Rovatti Pump, murphy on trailer, etc. $13,850

3) Also 6 cylinder Cummin 5.9 L (165 HP) with 3 stage Rovatti Pump on trailer etc., murphy. $15,750

4) Iveco complete pump units, 80HP, 2 stage F33/K100. $11,900

5) Iveco 4 cylinder turbo 110/ 130 HP. $12,900

6) Perkins/ John Deere diesel engines. $12,900

A. KOOLMEESR.R. 1, Otterville, ON N0J 1R0

(519) 879-6878 Fax: (519) 879-6319

EQUIPMENT

CLASSIFIEDS

CLASSIFIEDS

THE GROWER

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

PAGE 16 –– JULY 2010

EQUIPMENT

DON ARTHUR ORCHARD EQUIPMENT(519) 599-3058 Clarksburg, ON.

Made inCanada

ALL STAINLESS STEEL

Turbo-Mist 600 Gal, Narrow, Centrifugal Pump, One Only.......$20,500Turbo-Mist 500 Gal, Centrifugal Pump, Short Turn (New) .......$19,500Turbo-Mist 500 Gal, Diaphram, Short Turn ............................$14,900Good Boy 1000 Litre, Electric Controls, Nice, Clean ................$3,900Seppi SMO 250, 8ft Flail, Low Hours ....................................COMINGSeppi SMO 200, 6 1/2 ft Flail, Almost New ............................$6,200Pallet Cart - HandJack, 5,000 lb, New-Never Used ...............$450Apple Bin Dumper to Fit Tractor Loader ...............................$900Perfect Wide Offset Rotary Mower, Good Condition ...............COMINGApple Bin Carrier 5-Bin Tandem Axels- Narrow, Low ProfileApple Bin Carrier 6-Bin Tandem - Two AvailableNew Perfect KG2200 H.D. Flail Mower at 2009 PricingHydraulic Mini-Cylinders For Sprayer Valves

Wanted: For Cash, Trade, or ConsignmentClean Sprayers, Mowers, Bin Carriers, Narrow Orchard Tractors

LEASE TO OWNNEW TURBO-MIST 500

GAL, 30” TURBINE$399.00/MONTH

ZERO DOWN PAYMENT

FOR SALE

Big Red Machine

Fold-Up sides,

Holds 8 skids.

Good for Aroma

Tomatoes

and Ground Crops

Good Condition

Call: 519-796-2903

TIMM ENTERPRISES LTD.

3 point hitch P.T.O. driven SPADING MACHINESThe spading machine uses large spades to break up the soil up to

12” (30cm) deep.

Features:

• No dead furrow

• Mixes manure, compost etc. completely

• Allows for better drainage as it does not create a flat bottom

• Allows for better air penetration

• Creates ready to use fields and beds, no plowing, discing or

harrowing needed!

Models in stock from 40.9” to 86.6” wide, sizes up to 13’ available

by special order.

Mail: P.O. Box 157, Oakville, Ont., Canada L6J 4Z5

Office & Warehouse: 5204 Trafalgar Rd., Milton, Ont., Canada L0P 1E0

Phone (905) 878-4244 Fax (905) 878-7888 Sales 1-888-769-TIMM (8466)

www.timmenterprises.com

Comments on the Gramegna Spading Machine...It is simply amazing! It incorporates our compost readily and does every-thing else the literature sheet and independent tests said it would do.......The spading machine you sold us works wonderfully. We had a problemwith heavy soils and no real solution short of getting different land. Yourmachine literally solved our problem.......Perhaps the most important contribution of spading is that it eliminates

the use of ploughs, disks, and harrows....

Visit www.timmenterprises.com/machines/spader.htm to see the spading machine in action!

PICKLED VEGETABLESREAL ESTATE

FREIGHT SERVICE

Warehousing & Distribution Transborder Freight Services.

For additional information please contact us directly or visit our website shown belowPHONE: 905-672-6255 FAX: 905-672-6322website: www.cole.ca email: info@cole.ca

Servicing your import and export requirements since 1958

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

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

plants@sympatico.ca

Howard A. ColcucNursery Manager

SPECIALIZING IN FRUITTREES & GRAPE VINES &

PRIVET HEDGING. VARIETY AND PRICE LISTAVAILABLE ON REQUEST

AlpineNurseries(Niagara) Limited

NURSERY

2 - 88’ x 20’ Gothic style greenhouse frames1 - 88’ x 20 ‘ Coldframe3 pallets (90 Bales) Pro Mix HP3 - 48’ exhaust Euro FansNumerous greenhouse supplies3 Dosatrons, case of inserts, 1201, 1204, 1206, Jumbo 606 and more.5 - Natural gas furnaces

We are retiring and are going out of business. Complete Business -TURN KEY - for sale. Acerage with house, on pavement also for sale.

Phone 306-542-3854 or 866-542-3567

THE GROWER

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

IRRIGATION

REFRIGERATION

Custom Built Designs - Domestic and International Markets

JULY 2010 –– PAGE 17

Pipe& Fittings

for Water Systems

• PVC, ABS, Poly, Copper• Stainless, Brass, Steel

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

Winona Concrete & Pipe Products Ltd.

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

Phone (905) 945-8515

Fax: (905) 945-1149or call toll-free

1-800-361-8515

haygrove.com l 1-866-HAYGROVE l tunnelbuzz.com

Haygrove Owners Conference (others welcome) December 3, 2010 - Lancaster, PA

Learn from the experts! in BritainSept. 26-29, call to register (deadline Aug 13)

ScoringAg.com

for exporting to USA:

Traceback and trace-up systems,

COOL acceptable,

PROVEN:

SIMPLE,

SECURE,

INEXPENSIVE

lenhardt@thot.net705 324 2709

ww

w.s

cori

ng

Ag

.co

m

TRACEABILITY

THE GROWER

PAGE 18 –– JULY 2010

One of the things that I reallylike about how PMRA conductsbusiness these days is the PublicRegistry. Anyone can go to thissite and see what applications havecome in on any given date. If soinclined, one can track how theyprogress through the system bywatching the outcome side as well.

The U.S. EPA has long had anopen window to their registrationprocess by publishing their workschedule for two years ahead. Bycomparing the U.S. and the PMRAlists, one can see how we stack upfor access to new technologies. Iteven shows which companies havefiled for joint registrations, forglobal submissions, or work sharewith EPA. By default, one can seethe companies who, for whateverreason, refuse to take advantage ofone of those opportunities. It is sadto see that even in these muchimproved times some companiesstill refuse to accept help. That isalso true for those who haverefused to take advantage of

“Project 914,” a fast track ‘catch-up’ registration avenue to reducethe Technology Gap. What will ittake for these folks to get on side?Can growers or the PMRA usemoral suasion to get them to thetable? How can we help them sellmore product if it is not offered for registration or for sale?

The PMRA public registry hasmuch to offer. For instance, I cansee that there are 12 new fungicides being offered for firstregistration since Jan 1, 2010!Back in the seventies when I pliedmy trade as a plant pathologist, wefelt extremely fortunate to see theodd one or two new ones get reg-istered in the decade-- productssuch as Benlate, Bravo, Easout,and Bayleton. Since then, we havelost an arsenal of fungicides includ-ing Benlate, Phygon, Maneb,Ronilan, Dyrene, Difolatan, Dikar,Elgetol, Karathane, Morestan, etc.The idea of having so many newones over the next two years is likean advent.

Our next challenge will be tofigure out how best to fit them intoexisting Pest Management Pro-grams. In the process of gatheringenough data to register them, companies seldom have time orresources to see how, from a grower’s perspective, they can beused in combination, in rotation,and in mixtures with any and allother choices out there, especiallyincluding those of the competition.In the days when Agriculture andAgri-Food Canada, (AAFC), theprovince, and the University ofGuelph, as well as their counter-

parts across Canada had the staffresources, the financial where-withal and most importantly themandate, all these new activeswould have been tested incessantly to find out the requiredinformation before registration.The paucity of in-the-field scientists today is only surpassed

by their lack of resources or mandate to do such work. It hasfallen on the Pest ManagementCentre (PMC) more and more todo work like this that goes beyondits original mandate. It appearsfrom where I sit that Research

Branch of AAFC is still in a piqueabout ‘losing’ some staff resourceswhen the PMC was establishedseven years ago. Get over it! TheAAFC centres were endowed withmore than $1 million for (desper-ately needed) new equipment atthat time. Much of this has beenco-opted to all the other programsof research branch at those locations, but the research branchstaff have not been freely availableto lend their expertise to the PMCprogram in return. It seems to methat the needs of the growers beingsatisfied by the PMC registrationwork are being placed second byResearch Branch due to someinternal squabble. The scientistsneed both ‘permission’ and a pushto help fill in the needs associatedwith the new chemistries. Is it toomuch to ask that an old feud be putto bed in the best interests ofgrowers? Is it better to ask that allAAFC scientific and managementtravel to China be held inabeyance while this importantwork gets done? It would be ofgreat interest to growers to knowjust how many trips to China havebeen made in total by federal staffover those past seven years, and atwhat cost?

The new technology will go along way to replacing the lostfungicide products -- many as aresult of the re-evaluation processin place since 1998. The same canbe said for insecticides, althoughnot as many. There has been adearth of new herbicides over thepast few years as a direct result ofthe glyphosate-resistance genetics

leading to such dominance in themarketplace. The new 2008Ontario Ministry of Agriculture,Food and Rural Affairs(OMAFRA) Pesticide Use Surveywill show the extent of that dominance. However, the spectreof resistance means that the herbicide development stream isbeing turned up once again. I suspect that in just a few years wewill see many more new herbicides as well.

Growers will be seeing moretechnology over the next few yearsthan at any other time since thesixties. It is important that ALLcompanies use all the availableresources to get them registeredand all possible uses be labeled.Equally important, the researchcommunity must spring to actionso the growers can use all these tobest advantage.

Even in a time of apparent plenty, there is still much thatneeds ‘fixing’ to get the mostadvantage we can.

We must keep asking!The following is the list of

submitted fungicides.FluopicolideNatamycinTetraconazolePicoxystrobinSedaxaneKasugamycinPenflufenFluxapyroxadMono and di-potassium salt ofphosphorus acidAmetoctradinCylufenamid1 un-named

Craig’s CommentsAAFC Research Branch - We need help!

Craig HunterOFVGA

for Fungicides, Miticides & Insecticides in Horticultural Cropsfor Fungicides, Miticides & Insecticides in Horticultural CropsThe Source...The Source...Call us at

1-866-613-3336 or visitwww.engageagro.com

| www.valent.ca | 519-822-7043Read and follow the label instructions before using.All products are trademarks or registered trademarks of Valent U.S.A. Corporation.© Valent U.S.A. Corporation, 2009. All rights reserved.

Minor Use

EPA moves to terminate all uses of insecticide Endosulfan to protect health of farm workers and wildlife

The U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA) is taking action to end alluses of the insecticide endosulfan in theUnited States. Endosulfan, which is used onvegetables, fruits, and cotton, can poseunacceptable neurological and reproductiverisks to farmworkers and wildlife and canpersist in the environment.

New data generated in response to theagency’s 2002 decision have shown thatrisks faced by workers are greater than pre-viously known. EPA also finds that there arerisks above the agency’s level of concern toaquatic and terrestrial wildlife, as well as to

birds and mammals that consume aquaticprey which have ingested endosulfan. Farmworkers can be exposed to endosulfanthrough inhalation and contact with theskin. Endosulfan is used on a very smallpercentage of the U.S. food supply and doesnot present a risk to human health fromdietary exposure.

Makhteshim Agan of North America, themanufacturer of endosulfan, is in discus-sions with EPA to voluntarily terminate allendosulfan uses. EPA is currently workingout the details of the decision that will eliminate all endosulfan uses, while

incorporating consideration of the needs forgrowers to move to lower-risk pest controlpractices in a timely manner.

Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide,and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), EPA mustconsider endosulfan’s risks and benefits.While EPA implemented various restric-tions in a 2002 re-registration decision,EPA’s phaseout is based on new data andscientific peer review, which have improvedEPA’s assessment of the ecological andworker risks from endosulfan. EPA’s 2010revised ecological risk assessment reflects acomprehensive review of all available

exposure and ecological effects informationfor endosulfan, including independent exter-nal peer-reviewed recommendations madeby the endosulfan Scientific Advisory Panel.

Endosulfan, an organochlorine insecti-cide first registered in the 1950s, also isused on ornamental shrubs, trees, and herba-ceous plants. It has no residential uses.

For more information: www.epa.gov/pesticides/reregistration/endosulfan/endosulfan-cancl-fs.html

Canadian growers can expect similaraction here, especially if the U.S. cancels allresidue tolerances, says Craig Hunter.

Understanding mechanisms ofresistance to glyphosate in giant ragweed will be one topic at theElora portion of the OntarioWeed Tour, July 15.

Growers in Ontario now haveaccess to a new tool to protectsweet corn from corn borer andcorn earworm and cole crops fromswede midge, thanks to a newminor use registration forDuPont’s Coragen insecticide.

Swede midge, a pest that candamage brassicaceae crops, wasfirst identified in Ontario in 2000.The tiny insect has an appetite forvegetables including: broccoli,Chinese broccoli, Brusselssprouts, cabbage, Chinese cab-bage, bok choy, nappa cabbage,cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlra-bi, mizuna and mustard greens.

“This insect can be a real chal-lenge to manage,” said HannahFraser, provincial entomologist forhorticulture crops at the OntarioMinistry of Agriculture, Food andRural Affairs (OMAFRA).“Research conducted by Dr.Rebecca Hallett at the Universityof Guelph indicates that they canhave four to five overlapping gen-erations over the growing season.”

According to Saghir Alam,development specialist withDuPont Canada, three years oftesting have proven that Coragenwill be particularly useful in man-aging the overlapping generationsof swede midge. “With extendedresidual versus other insecticides,Coragen provides effective controlof this damaging pest,” Alam said.

Coragen will also fit well in anIntegrated Resistance Manage-ment (IRM) system because it ispowered by the active ingredientRynaxypyr, which comes from awhole new class of chemistry –Group 28, the diamides. This iscritical in the integrated manage-ment of swede midge, where theuse of multiple insecticide applica-tions to control overlapping gener-ations can lead to resistance issues.

Identifying and controllingswede midge

The tiny, light-brown adultswede midge is hard to differenti-ate from other midges; and the lar-vae are even harder to scout.According to OMAFRA, swedemidge larvae are initially 0.3 mmlong and transparent, typicallyfeeding in groups near the growingpoint. According to Fraser, dam-age from swede midge can be con-fused with other common prob-lems in crucifer crops; therefore,when swede midge first showedup in Ontario, it was not immedi-ately recognized.

Low levels of damage canrapidly become a large problem ifthe population is left unmanaged.Without a good Integrated PestManagement (IPM) program thatinvolves regular monitoring,growers could lose the entire cropto swede midge.

“Growers must followOMAFRA guidelines, monitoreach field and spray early,” saysAlam. “Swede midge is not likeother pests, such as cabbage loop-er or diamondback moth, where ifyou miss spraying one instar youcan get them when they’re bigger.

In this case, it’s very difficult tosee the pest and by the time yousee damage, it’s too late.”

OMAFRA recommends usingcommercially available pheromonelures and white Jackson-style trapsto help track the emergence andactivity patterns of the pest, aswell as to determine the need andtiming of insecticide sprays.

Effective at multiple stages inpest life cycles, Coragen providesgrowers with excellent crop protection for potatoes, brassicavegetables, fruiting vegetables andleafy vegetables, improving cropquality and yields. The rapid cessation of feeding, residualactivity and excellent rainfastproperties of Coragen deliverlong-lasting plant protection.

Controlling corn earworm(CEW) and corn borer (ECB)

on sweet corn According to Jim Chaput,

OMAFRA minor use coordinator,

Coragen insecticide can be usedfor control of CEW and ECB at arate of 250 - 375 mL per ha in 100L water per ha. Application shouldbe coincided with peak egg hatchbased upon field monitoring.Reapply if monitoring indicates itis necessary but do not apply morethan once every three days.

Do not apply more than fourtimes per year and do not applywithin one day of harvest forsweet corn.

Coragen insecticide can beused for control of swede midge ata rate of 250 mL per ha appliedwith a modified seed oil adjuvantsuch as Hasten or MSO. Beginapplications when thresholds havebeen reached based uponpheromone trap monitoring.Reapply when monitoring indi-cates it is necessary but do notapply more than once every threedays.

THE GROWER

JULY 2010 –– PAGE 19

Coragen insecticide label expanded to control corn borer and corn earworm onsweet corn and swede midge in Brassica vegetables

Swede midge damage in cauliflower. Photo by Saghir Alam.

WHEREFARMERS

MEET™

TILLAGE EQUIPMENT DEMOS

CANADIAN ENERGY EXPO & BIOGAS DEMO

CELEBRATING HEALTHY LIVING EXPO • Presented by Foodland Ontario

PRECISION SEEDING DEMO • Featuring Automatic Row Shut-off

COMPACT AG CONSTRUCTION EXPO & DEMOS

GENUITYTM TECHNOLOGY EXPO

QUALITY BEEF CARCASS COMPETITION& RFID TAG READING DEMOS

SOLAR PUMPING & GRAZING DEMOS

LIVE ROBOTIC MILKING DEMOS • Featuring Lely & DeLaval

GROBER YOUNG ANIMAL DEVELOPMENT CENTRE• Showcasing Live Research Trials

RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS FROM THE ONTARIO AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE • University of Guelph

TILAGGE QUPQQM

NGGQDOSCS RYM

XGG&BMORHBM E M

Get a FREE ONE DAY PASS when you register your Premises withOnTrace from August 1-27, 2010.

Visit: www.ontraceagrifood.com

WHEHRHFAMST RSS M H MA S M

“There’s always something new to see. You can’t just go once. You must go every year.”

M M MMaw Farms, Courtright ON

oofirgaecartno.www:tisiV.0102,72-1tsuguAmorfecarTnO

erPruoyretsigeruoynehwSSAPYADENOEERFateG

moc.do

htiwsesime

SnapshotTuesday, July 139:00 am – Woodstock2:00 pm – ExeterWednesday, July 149:00 am – Harrow2:00 pm – RidgetownThursday, July 159:00 am – Elora

Highlights at Each LocationWoodstock9:00am: Introductions andOverview by Clarence Swantonand François Tardif, Univ. ofGuelph9:15 – noon: Self guided tourExeter2:00pm: Introductions andOverview by Peter Sikkema,Univ. of Guelph2:15pm – 5:00pm: Self guidedtourWhat to expect:• Tolerance of sweet corn to isox-

aflutole plus cyprosulfamideHarrow9:00am: Introductions andOverview by Rob Nurse, AAFC9:15am: Field plot discussion:Presenter: Rob Nurse, AAFCTopic: Organic weed managementin pumpkins grown for seed9:30 – noon: Self guided tour

What to expect:- Crop tolerance and weed control in sweet corn/tomato/fieldcorn/seed corn/soybean/ediblebeans/pumpkin- Weed management during thetransition from conventional toorganic vegetable production- Does freezing or over-heatingof herbicides in solution affectefficacy?- Tolerance to POST herbicideapplication after hail damage insweet corn/field corn/tomato/white beanRidgetown2:00pm: Introductions andOverview by Peter Sikkema andDarren Robinson, Univ. of Guelph2:15 – 5:00pm: Self guided tourWhat to expect:- crop tolerance and weed control in vegetable crops- Management of cover cropsusing a roller/crimper for produc-tion of organic cucumber andsquash- Predicting weed emergenceusing soil temperature and mois-ture to improve herbicide timingin red beet- Cumulative stress of in-cropherbicides and drift in tomato- Do insecticides antagonize orsynergize postemergent broadleafherbicides in snap bean?- Crop tolerance in winter wheatand crop tolerance and weed control in field corn/soybean/edible bean- Effect of water hardness on theefficacy of glyphosate and glufos-inate- Biologically effective rate ofglyphosate as affected by weedsize at the time of application.Elora9:00am: Introductions andOverview by Clarence Swantonand François Tardif, Univ. ofGuelph9:15 – 9:45: Graduate studentpresentations - Understanding mechanisms ofresistance to glyphosate in giantragweed9:45am – noon: Self guided tourWhat to expect:- Weed control in biomass crops- New herbicide combinations inpotatoes- Yellow nutsedge control

For enquiries and/or directionsto locations, please contact: Rob Nurse,Robert.Nurse@agr.gc.ca, 519-738-1288

THE GROWER

PAGE 20 –– JULY 2010

Ontario weed tour datesEmergency use registration for thripsBy Jim Chaput, OMAFRA, Minor Use

Coordinator, GuelphThe Pest Management Regulatory Agency

(PMRA) recently announced the approval of anemergency use renewal registration for Carzol SP Miticide-Insecticide (formetanate hydrochloride) forcontrol of onion thrips on dry bulb onions in NovaScotia, Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta. Carzol SPMiticide-Insecticide was already labeled in Canadafor control of mites and leafhoppers on apples, pears,peaches and nectarines. In 2008 and 2009, the emer-gency use registration of Carzol helped dry bulbonion producers manage this serious pest problem.Furthermore a complete minor use submission isunder review to seek eventual, full registration of Car-zol for thrips control on dry bulb onions in Canada.

Onion thrips, Thrips tabaci (Lindeman) are considered a key pest wherever onions are grown andthe number one pest of onions in most provinces.Various life stages of onion thrips actively feed ononion leaves, reducing photosynthesis, reducing plantvigor and yield, and vector and transmit Iris YellowSpot Virus (IYSV).

Carzol SP Miticide-Insecticide was identified as aviable solution to help manage onion thrips. There

have been no new products registered in Canada foronion thrips management in several years and controlfailures continue to increase.

The emergency use registration of Carzol SP willhelp in the interim to manage resistant thrips populations; however management of onion thripswill require a comprehensive IPM and resistancemanagement program with access to all availabletools and strategies. The following is provided asgeneral information only. Users should consult thecomplete label before using Carzol SP.

Carzol SP Miticide-Insecticide can be used forcontrol of onion thrips in dry bulb onions in Ontario,Nova Scotia, Manitoba and Alberta until October31st, 2010 only. Carzol SP can be applied once at arate of 1.4 kg product per hectare or Carzol can beapplied twice at a rate of 0.84 kg product per hectareat a 7 – 10 day interval. Do not exceed 1.68 kg perhectare per year. A minimum spray volume of 94 Lwater per hectare is recommended and a 30 day pre-harvest interval is permitted.

For copies of the emergency use label contact JimChaput, OMAFRA, Guelph (519) 826-3539 or visitUAP Canada Inc. website at www.uap.ca or N.M.Bartlett’s website at www.bartlett.ca