KAREN DAVIDSON

It takes a lawyer to understandhow the Supreme Court ofCanada made its April 29 decision on Fraser v Ontario(Attorney General), but farmersclearly understand the result:farm employers need not fear thatfull-blown collective bargainingwill be imposed on them by thecourts.

For Ken Forth, broccoli grow-er and chair of the Labour IssuesCoordinating Committee (LICC),the historic 8-1 decision supportsthe constitutionality of Ontario’sAgricultural EmployeesProtection Act (AEPA). The ruling means that the provincehas correctly balanced the rightsof employers and farm workers.The legislation recognizes theneed to market perishable agricul-tural products while protectingthe rights of farm workers to joinunions but preventing them fromgoing so far as collective bargain-ing that could potentially paralyzea business.

“We’ve been working on thelabour file for 20 years,” saysForth. “We’ve given verifiableevidence on everything we’vesaid and informed the court justexactly how agriculture works.”

While the case pertains toOntario legislation enacted in2002, the Supreme Court decisionresonates with the entire country.That’s because seven attorney-generals of other provinces andindeed, the federal attorney-general, were intervenors in the

case, arguing for their rights tomake labour law just like Ontario.It would seem that Ontario’s lawis an excellent model.

“What is protected is associa-tional activity, not a particularprocess or result,” Chief JusticeBeverly McLachlin and JusticeLouis LeBel wrote for the majori-ty of the court’s nine judges. “The AEPA provides a speciallabour regime for agriculturalworkers. However, on the recordbefore us, it has not been estab-lished that the regime utilizesunfair stereotypes or perpetuates

existing prejudice and disadvan-tage,” the justices wrote. “Untilthe regime established by theAEPA is tested, it cannot beknown whether it inappropriatelydisadvantages farm workers. Theclaim is premature.”

For its part, the United Foodand Commercial Workers’(UFCW) union has respondedwith shock that it has lost the second challenge in a decade.

“The reality is that appealingto the courts has ended,” saysWayne Hanley, UFCW president,in a website news release.

“Appealing to the decency andthe will of voters is next.”

With an Ontario election setfor October 6, the UFCW will betaking their mission to the media.But the facts get in the way oftheir cause. In earlier discussions,Forth says that UFCW has notreadily accepted that Ontario,unlike California, has no corpo-rate farms with 5,000 workerseach. The average is closer to 10. In Ontario, minimum wage is$10.25 per hour plus workersreceive housing, access to healthcare and Canadian Pension Plan

benefits. The migrant workerswho arrive every year under theSeasonal Agricultural WorkersProgram – about 15,500 inOntario – have been the focus ofunionization drives by theUFCW. Primarily from Mexicoand the Caribbean, the workersearn enough to send family mem-bers to school and to provide forelder years. These countries wel-come the opportunity to negotiatelabour agreements with Canadathat result in remittances to support their local economies.

Continued on page 3

INSIDERain forecasted forgreen energy parade Page 4

Sun rises on Harovin Sundown pear Page 5

Focus: Alternative energy Page 12

www.thegrower.org

JUNE 2011 CELEBRATING 131 YEARS AS CANADA’S PREMIER HORTICULTURAL PUBLICATION VOLUME 61 NUMBER 06

P.M. 40012319

Ken Forth is one of those rare farmers who can plant broccoli with his 16 Jamaican workers one day and sit down with lawyers and unionrepresentatives in Washington the next, just as he did in early May. His work regarding the Supreme Court of Canada case has been sharedwith other growers Hector Delanghe, Mark Wales and Anthony Cervini and staff member Ken Linington on the Labour Issues CoordinatingCommittee. Thanks to this group, they have invested countless hours preventing the unionization of horticulture. Photos by Denis Cahill.

Supreme Court of Canada balances rights of farm employers and workers

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Assiniboine Riverfloods some Manitoba vegetablegrowers

The once-in-300 years floodevent of the Assiniboine River inManitoba is causing less damagethan predicted to horticulture.

“It’s not as bad as first thought,”says Larry McIntosh, presidentand CEO, Peak of the Market.

The deliberate breach of thedikes on May 14 at Hoop andHoller Bend directly affects fourhighly productive vegetable farm-ers near Portage la Prairie. One ofthose is Doug Connery who operates 1,200 acres at RiverdaleFarms. He has become a familiarface speaking to media.

It’s too early to assess whatthe planting schedule may looklike for carrots and cookingonions. “We’re already a coupleweeks behind normal in planti-ng,” McIntosh told The GrowerMay 17.

Although the provincial gov-ernment has promised financialcompensation, calculating damage will take months.

Michigan offers hightunnel workshops

While spaces are limited, commercial growers are invitedto sign up for Michigan StateUniversity Student Organic Farmworkshops which cost $40 each.Dates and topics are:Monday, June 27: Drip Irrigation for Hoophouse andField Production Monday, August 15: MarketingOptions for Year-Round Vegetables Monday, September 12:Hoophouse Cropping for WinterHarvests

All workshops are held atMichigan State University Horti-culture Teaching and ResearchCenter 3291 College Rd, Holt,Michigan. All workshops will beheld from 1 to 5 pm.

Visit www.hoophouse.msu.eduor email admontri@msu.edu.

Haskaps available

Phytocultures Ltd. hasannounced the launch of two newreleases of haskap: Indigo Gemand Indigo Treat. University ofSaskatchewan researcher, Dr.Bob Bors, is credited with devel-oping Canada’s native Loniceracaerulea through his search forgermplasm in Canada’s borealforest. Known by several names– blue honeysuckle, honeyberryand swamp honeysuckle– thesenew edible berries are available atleading plant and nursery suppliers.

Try Veseys Seeds PEI (mailorder catalogue); Harbour Green-house Co-Op Ltd, MackinnonsHarbour Nova Scotia; HalifaxSeed Co Ltd Halifax Nova Scotiaand WestRiver Greenhouse, Pictou Nova Scotia. For moreinformation, contact www.phytocultures.com

Assess your leader-ship skills

The Canadian AgriculturalHuman Resource Council isoffering an on-line self-assess-ment tool. Look to www.cahrc-ccrha.ca/whatsnew.html.

Designed specifically for lead-ers in Canadian agriculture, thisleadership self-assessment willidentify your areas of strength aswell as areas which may needdevelopment. Competency inleadership stems from four areas. Within each of these competencyareas, you will be asked to exam-ine your current knowledge, skillsand attitudes.

You will also be asked howimportant each area is in yourcurrent role. This will help identify not only your currentlevel, but also where you canmost benefit from additionaltraining or support.

AgriSpirit fundseeks applicants byJune 20

Farm Credit Canada (FCC) isaccepting applications for its FCCAgriSpirit Fund from now untilJune 20. Registered charities andnon-profit organizations interest-ed in funding this year areencouraged to visit www.agrispir-it.ca for eligibility requirementsand to apply online. FCC willgive a total of $1 million in funding to rural communitygroups across Canada for capitalprojects.

FCC annually awards ruralcommunity groups between$5,000 and $25,000 in AgriSpiritfunding for community improve-ment projects such as emergencyservices equipment, playgrounds,recreation centres and care homesin communities with populationsfewer than 100,000. Since 2004,FCC has provided $4.5 million to480 capital community projects.

For a project to be consideredfor funding, it must meet specificcriteria and be completed beforeDecember 2013. FCC willannounce the selected projects inDecember 2011.

Naturally Norfolk contracts organic veggies

The Naturally Norfolk individ-ual-quick freeze (IQF) plant is ahub of activity this year, startingwith asparagus in May and thenmoving to strawberries in June.The Simcoe-Ontario based facili-ty will be drawing fruits and veg-etables from as far west as EssexCounty and as far east as PrinceEdward County.

“The reception has been phe-nomenal in the marketplace,”says Jim Irvin, president, Natural-ly Norfolk. “We are one of thefirst companies in Ontario to havea certified organic processed veg-etable line.”

The IQF process will be usedfor organic peas, beans and sur-prisingly, cooking onions to ful-fill contracts. Irvin has contract-ed 200 acres of organic vegeta-bles that will be available inmajor grocers next winter.

Business currently on thebooks is enough to keep a dailyshift going for the next sixmonths with the peak season inJuly and August.

PAGE 2 –– JUNE 2011THE GROWER

NEWSMAKERSThe refurbished federal cabinet, now 39 ministers strong, hasfew changes with the note that Christian Paradis, MP Mégan-tic-L’Erable, becomes junior minister for agriculture support-ing Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Gerry Ritz. Parliamentresumes June 2.

Congratulations to the Canadian winners of new product inno-vations at the United Fresh show in New Orleans. They are:

Sun Drops grape tomatoes from Mucci Farms, Leamington,ON which shares the Best New Fruit Product award withNaturipe BerryQuick BlueberrySnacks. Pure Flavor GrillReady VegetableMix won Best NewVegetable Productby Pure Hot HouseFoods Inc., alsobased in Leamington,ON.

Other category winners included:

Best New Packag-ing: MIXIM Classic5x5 6oz. BushberryPackaging System,Sambrailo PackagingBest New Food Safety Solution: SmartWashTM, New LeafFood Safety SolutionsBest New Processing Equipment: Primus Gemini – New andImproved Fresh Berry Sorter, Best SortingBest New Packing/Packaging Equipment: Volmpack Ultrek320 Vertical-Form-Fill-Seal Bagger, Volm Companies, Inc.

Ginseng Growers of Ontario has elected the following board ofdirectors for 2011: Doug Bradley, chair; Ken Van Torre,vice-chair; Jeff Rice, treasurer; and directors Remi Van DeSlyke, Jim Lucas, Dave Smith and Carl Atkinson. Executivedirector is Marvin Karges.

Gerald Renkema is the newly elected chair of the AgriculturalManagement Institute, based in Guelph, ON. Brenda Lammens, former chair of OFVGA, becomes vice-chair. Newdirectors are Frank Hoftyzer, David Lee and Jim Wheeler.

Emily Dickinson is the new Program Coordinator for theCanadaGAP program, with several years’ experience on On-Farm Food Safety activities with the Canadian HorticulturalCouncil. She will be involved in auditor training, documentreviews and updates as well as external and internal communi-cations.

Mastronardi Produce, headquartered in Kingsville, ON, hasbeen awarded the DuPont Food Quality Award for 2010 for itsSunset brand of greenhouse vegetables. It’s the first time afresh produce company has won the award in the 10-year history.

The Canadian agri-food industry lost an icon with the passingof Wallace McCain, 81, on May 13. The son of NewBrunswick potato farmers, he and his brother Harrison grew thestoried empire of McCain Foods, a French fry conglomeratethat spans the globe. In the mid-1990s, he went on to purchaseMaple Leaf Foods Inc., reinvigorating a waning brand andappointing son Michael as CEO and son Scott as leader of theagribusiness division.

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JUNE 2011 –– PAGE 3THE GROWER

INTERNATIONAL

RESEARCH

Strawberries reducerisk of esophagealcancer

Consuming strawberries regu-larly may reduce the risk ofesophageal cancer, the sixth lead-ing cause of cancer-related death.A team of researchers at the OhioState University ComprehensiveCancer Center recently reportedthat of patients who ate at leasttwo ounces of freeze-dried straw-berries per day for six months, 80per cent were found to havefewer bloodborne biomarkers forthe carcinoma afterward.

Further research may deter-mine which compounds found instrawberries act to inhibit thegrowth of precancerous lesions.The vitamins and nutrients foundin strawberries include polyphe-nols, which is a class of anti-inflammatory compounds andantioxidants.-- betterhealthresearch.com

TRADE

Chilean cherries tobe up 25 per cent

The Chilean Ministry of Agri-culture is projecting overallgrowth of 10 per cent in its fruitsector in 2011. Estimates arebased on better internationalprices for fruits, particularly inAsia which has high demand forcherries.

José Antonio Galilea, ministerof agriculture, expects advancesof 40 per cent for blueberries, 25per cent for cherries, nine percent for table grapesand five per centfor kiwi. -- El Mercurio

EXPANSION

Greenhouse business grows inCalifornia

The Santa Maria valley inCalifornia will be home to one ofthe largest greenhouse operationsin the U.S. – and it’s Canadian-owned. Windset Farms, withgreenhouses in Delta andAbbotsford, British Columbia, isbuilding a 5.1 million square footgreenhouse for tomatoes, cucum-bers and other vegetables. Con-struction of the 64-acre project isexpected to finish in late summer2011.

Windset has the rights to Lan-dec’s BreatheWay packagingthat extends the shelf life ofcucumbers as well as grape,roma and cherry-type tomatoes. -- FreshPlaza.com

CROP PROTECTION

Makhteshim Aganmerges with ChemChina

Known as a global leader inoff-patent crop protection solu-tions and Mana Canada in thiscountry, Makhteshim Agan hascleared all hurdles in its mergerwith the China National Chemi-cal Corporation (ChemChina).

ChemChina informed thecompany on May 6, 2011 that ithad also received the approval ofthe State Administration of For-eign Exchange of China.

The company has global salesof US$2.38 billion and is rankedseventh in global agrochemicalcompanies. In Canada, it offers16 active ingredients in its port-folio of insecticides, fungicidesand herbicides. -- Makhteshim Agan newsrelease

INNOVATION

New Zealand applerocks consumers

A new apple variety that wasnearly abandoned because it wasthought to be too small, returnsto New Zealand supermarketshelves, its small size now pro-moted as a virtue.

Called Rockit, the little redapple is in just its second seasonof commercial production butalready demand is outstrippingsupply.

“It’s about 1 1/2 times the sizeof a golf ball,” Havelock NorthFruit Company owner Phil Ali-son said. “It’s very sweet andvery crisp. It’s for people whowant a healthy snack.

“Rockit is the name becauseit’s new and innovative, hasbursts of flavour and will takeoff.” --FreshPlaza.com

Supreme Court of Canada balances rights of employers and workersContinued from page 1

So is it business as usual? No matter what the Supreme Court says inOttawa, the business reality is clear on the ground.

“All growers need to take to heart the tenets of the Agricultural Employ-ees Protection Act,” concludes Forth. “Listen to your workers and considercarefully what they say. If they aren’t happy, you don’t have a business.”

Right: Jamaican workers start planting 200 acres of broccoli - sixrows at a time with an Italian-made planter -- on the farm of Ken Forthnear Orkney, Ontario. Some of these workers have been returning for morethan 20 years. Photo by Denis Cahill.

“Fraser is clearly one of the most signif-icant labour and constitutional decisions inCanadian history,” says John Craig,Heenan Blaikie, who has been working forthe legal firm for a decade and was aprime presenter on the case. "The SupremeCourt's decision was a great relief. TheCourt confirmed that labour laws shouldbe determined by legislators, not judges.We have been saying this for years, andthe highest court in the land agreed."

Here is Craig’s backgrounder on whathappened in the Ontario Court of Appeal’sdecision in Fraser v. Ontario, which wasrecently overturned by the Supreme Courtof Canada.

In its 2008 decision, the Ontario Court

of Appeal determined that the exclusion ofagricultural workers from Ontario’s Labour Relations Act (“LRA”) and theirinclusion in a separate statutory regime,the AEPA, was unconstitutional because itfailed to provide adequate statutory protec-tions to allow these workers to engage incollective bargaining. The Court of Appealfound that while the AEPA allowed work-ers to form or join employee associations(including unions) and to make representa-tions to their employers regarding theiremployment, unlike the LRA, it did notcompell employers to respond to and bar-gain with employees, did not regulatelabour disputes, and did not limit represen-tation rights to a single association or

union per group of employees.The Ontario Court of Appeal identified

four protections that the Legislature wasrequired to enact to enable agriculturalworkers to exercise their right to bargaincollectively:• A duty to bargain in good faith;• A requirement that employee representa-tives be selected based on the principles ofmajoritarianism and exclusivity;• A mechanism for resolving labour disputes (i.e., strikes and lockouts);• A mechanism for resolving disputesregarding the interpretation and adminis-tration of collective agreements.

While the Court of Appeal was notentirely clear in this regard, it appeared to

suggest that the constitutional right of collective bargaining in section 2(d) of theCharter generally requires statutory protection of the above-noted features.

At the time the Court of Appeal’s deci-sion was released, many observers com-mented that it may be in conflict with theSupreme Court of Canada’s 2007 findingin the B.C. Health Services case that theconstitutional protection for collective bargaining does not guarantee a particularmodel of labour relations.

The Supreme Court of Canada heard theappeal in Fraser v. Ontario in December2009 and the matter has been underreserve until the decision was renderedApril 2011.

Ontario v. Fraser – Supreme Court of Canada allows the Appeal

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KAREN DAVIDSON

Farmers beware. In the nextfour months, green energy willbecome a political hot potato inOntario.

If elected in the upcomingOntario election October 6, Conservative leader Tim Hudakhas vowed to end a $7 billion,untendered deal with Samsungand to cancel the feed-in-tariff(FIT) program which pays above-market rates for greenenergy. Although Hudak saidcontracts would be honoured withindividual farmers who supplypower to the grid, it’s clear growers should decide on applications well before the election.

If the current Liberal govern-ment stays in power, an anticipat-ed program review is likely todecrease prices per kilowatt hour.Prices are as good as they’regoing to get.

The microFIT program -- forfarmers producing 10 kilowattsper hour power or less – has beenwidely subscribed with 28,000applicants. The attractive rates of80.2 cents/kilowatt hour with aroof-mounted solar panel or evena ground unit at 64.2 cents/kilo-watt hour offer a generous returnof about 10 per cent.

One of the turnkey installers isAg Energy Cooperative based inGuelph, Ontario. Because thecompany is involved in day-to-day installations, it learns firstabout emerging issues.

“What we’re hearing is thatcertain geographies of Ontario arebecoming constrained in theircapacity for new hook-ups to theelectrical grid,” says LoriGallaugher, director of marketing

and business development, AgEnergy Cooperative.

Chatham-Kent-Windsor isnearly full as is the Toronto andOttawa areas. With the heads-upthat some hookups might becomeimpossible and that prices arelikely to change, Gallaugher suggests growers take a hard lookat options over the summer. Theapplication process should be tothe Ontario Power Authority andsimultaneously with your localdistribution company to see if anelectrical connection is feasible.Better to find out early if you canaccess the local system.

The Ontario Fruit and

Vegetable Growers’ Associationrecently wrote the provincial premier asking for support offarmers adding roof-mounted,solar panel installations to newbuildings. The overwhelminguptake of the microFIT program

has resulted in new structuresbuilt for the purpose of generatinggreen energy. But the OntarioPower Authority reminds produc-ers that it clarified the definitionin July 2010.

“To be eligible as a rooftop

facility, the application has to berelated to a project that is perma-nent and on an existing building,” says Jim MacDougall, manager ofFIT procurement for the OntarioPower Authority. “The clarifica-tion was to ensure that the program was not encouraging theconstruction of new buildings thatwould not otherwise have beenbuilt, but may have been builtpartially as a means of obtaininga higher FIT price under the program. This would not be consistent with the principles ofthe program.”

MacDougall says that thebuilding supporting the solarinstallation can be a barn,bunkhouse or facility for value-added production on thefarm.

The FIT Program call centrenumber is 1-888-387-3403.

PAGE 4 –– JUNE 2011THE GROWER

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Feed-In Tariff Prices for Renewable Eneergy Projects in OntarioAugust 13, 2010

Renewable Fuel Size tranches Contract Price ¢/kWh Escalation Percentage 5

Boimass 1,2

≤ 10 MW 13.8 20%

> 10 MW 13.0 20%

Biogas 1,2

On-Farm ≤ 100 kW 19.5 20%

On-Farm >100kW ≤ 250 kW 18.5 20%

Biogas ≤ 500 kW 16.0 20%

Biogas >500kW ≤ 10 MW 14.7 20%

Biogas > 10 MW 10.4 20%

Waterpower 1,2,3

≤ 10 MW 13.1 20%

> 10 MW ≤ 50 MW 12.2 20%

Landfill gas 1,2

≤ 10 MW 11.1 20%

> 10 MW 10.3 20%

Solar PV

Rooftop ≤ 10 kW 80.2 0%

Rooftop >10 ≤ 250 kW 71.3 0%

Rooftop > 250 ≤ 500 kW 63.5 0%

Rooftop >500 kW 53.9 0%

Ground Mounted ≤ 10 kW 64.2 0%

Ground Mounted 2,4 >10 ≤ 10 MW 44.3 0%

Wind 2

Onshore Any size 13.5 20%

Onshore Any size 19.0 20%

1 Peak performance factor applies.2 Aboriginal price adder and community price adder eligible as outlined in the posted FIT price schedule.3 In the case of an incremental waterpower project, the incremental project, together with the existing gen-erating facility to which it is incremental, cannot exceed 50 MW.4 In the case of an incremental solar project, the incremental project together with the existing generatingfacility to which it is incremental cannot exceed 10MW.5 The percentage escalated will be applied to eligible renewable fuels as calculated in Exhibit B of the FITcontract.

KAREN DAVIDSON

Niagara-area growers planted20 acres of Harovin Sundownpears this spring. Their hope is torejuvenate a pear industry that’sdwindled to a scant thousandacres in Ontario.

“We love this made-in-Canadapear,” says Mike Ecker, president,Vineland Growers Cooperative,Jordan Station, Ontario, with anod to the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada breeding program.“AC Harovin Sundown eats well,has the texture of a Bartlett yet asweet flavour all its own. Theagronomics are there in spadeswith fire blight tolerance, winter

hardiness, post harvest storagelife and sustainable yields.”

Ecker’s excitement is based ona new approach for bringing aproduct to market. First, there’sthe knowledge that consumertaste testing by Isabelle Less-chaeve at the Vineland Researchand Innovation Centre (VRIC)was favourable long before com-mitting to test acreages. Thenthere’s the marketing agreementthat the cooperative has justsigned to pay $1.50 per tree inroyalties to VRIC which, in turn,will plow back the monies intomore research. And lastly, there’sa three-year ramp-up to 250 acresto finetune harvesting and storage

before the Sundown pear reachesconsumers in 2014.

In the past, new varietieswould be bred, grown and mar-keted to consumers without muchtinkering. But Ecker says that theSundown pear will benefit fromknowledge on proper time of har-vest and how long it can bestored.

“You can pick it wrong,” saysEcker, who admits that they havealready picked too early one yearand too late the second year in tri-als. “If it’s too hard, it’s not palat-able. If it’s too soft, it goesmushy in two days. We’ve onlygot one chance with the con-sumer.”

So the Vineland Growers’Cooperative will be testing pres-sure per square inch for hardness,brix levels and how long to storewith the aid of SmartFresh tech-nology. To date, they are encour-aged about storability well intoMarch, or about six months afterharvest. Those facts augur wellfor a positive response frommajor retailers who will have reli-able supplies with this locallygrown fruit.

For Jim Brandle, CEO, VRIC,the marketing agreement withVineland Growers Cooperative isexactly what was envisioned inthe recent 15-year strategy for theOntario tender fruit industry.

“To stay competitive, theCanadian industry must forgenew types of marketing alliancesthat will secure premium marketsand increase grower margins,”says Brandle. “The agreementbetween VRIC and the Coopera-tive will do exactly this. TheCooperative is already a trustedmarketer with well establishedretail agreements in eastern Cana-da and coordination for more than70 per cent of the pear productionin Ontario.”

Growers in Ontario, Quebecand the Maritimes who are inter-ested in producing Sundownpears should contact the Coopera-tive directly.

THE GROWER

JUNE 2011 –– PAGE 5

Just as Shakespeare set his mar-ket scenes as rustic and rollickingaffairs, so too do modern-era mar-kets. Farmers Markets’ Ontariohas taken an entertainment leaffrom the bard, equipping its 160-odd members with training videosand marketing materials. Theiradvice? A little theatre keeps thecrowds happy.

At last winter’s Ontario Fruitand Vegetable Convention, TracyLamb, communications consultantpresented a number of tips andtools for creating a great marketexperience. “A customer who isemotionally connected to a busi-ness is likely to spend 46 per centmore than one who is merely sat-isfied,” she said.

According to Lamb, the mainingredients for a great customerexperience are surprise anddelight. A great experi¬ence isinteractive and engages all the

senses, appealing to sight, sound,smell, taste and touch. Takentogether, these elements forge anemotional connection that brings

people back to your market, weekafter week.

A recent study for an easternOntario market cited “it’s an out-

ing” as the second most commonreason for return visits. Apartfrom farm-fresh food and realfarmers, customers are lookingfor social connection, socialresponsibility, and inter¬actionsthat are stimulating, fun and inter-esting. “They’re willing to paymore for that connection,” saysLamb.

And more often than not, theoutings are multi-generational.“Where kids are having fun, andare entertained, parents andgrandparents are out spending

money,” states Lamb. So yourmarket needs to do differentthings to delight the different agegroups. Face-painting for kids andcomfortable seating for seniors“surprise and delight” in entirelydifferent ways.

How well does your market ormarket stall appeal to the senses?Do you delight with stunningarrays of colour, friendly greet-ings, cheerful music, eye-catchingdisplays, sumptuous food tasting,mouth-watering smells, unexpect-ed courtesies, unusual activitiesand useful food facts and tips?

The Petrolia Farmers’ Marketinvolves different communitygroups in the heart of the marketeach week. One week, a tai chigroup will be practising a routineand the next, a featured vendormight bring in a herd of alpacas.Can you imagine driving by afarmers’ market and not beingsurprised to see alpacas or peoplepracticing tai chi?

At Desbarats Farmers’ Marketinvolving international exchangestudents with vendors has allowedthe small northern town to offerservices in fluent German andFrench.

For your own tool kit, go towww.ontariofarmersmarkets.com.

Farmers’ markets polish their marketing tools

Sun rises on Harovin Sundown pear with new plantings

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THE GROWER

PAGE 6 –– JUNE 2011

In many ways, the past fewmonths (weather aside) have beenpretty good for our growers. TheSupreme Court of Canada over-turned the Ontario Appeals Courtdecision regarding the right tocollective bargaining, effectivelysaying that the province has theright to establish its own rulesaround this issue. Congratulationsto all the folks at the LabourIssues Coordinating Committeefor all their hard work on this

issue over the years. The government of Ontario

also announced risk managementprograms for the meat, grain andedible horticulture sectors. Youwill recall I wrote about this inmy column last month and thatwhat is being considered for oursector is a modified Self-DirectedRisk Management (SDRM) pro-gram. I can report that we areworking on the development ofthis program and that the discus-sions are both quite smooth andgoing quickly. I will report morein a month or two.

I would also like to report onsomething else that is going onand while it may not be a newprogram or new legislation, itwill, if carried through, havehuge benefits for our farmers.What I am talking about is a newapproach to the development ofregulations that impact our mem-bers and not just those developedby OMAFRA but other ministriesas well.

The Government of Ontariohas set out to study the implica-

tions of regulations to doing busi-ness in Ontario. It is not just theregulations that are being lookedat but also the process of thedevelopment of new regulationsand the elimination of outdatedones.

The Ontario Federation ofAgriculture (OFA) was taskedwith facilitating the agricultureand agribusiness sectors . Theyare to be commended for the verygood job they did.

Five priorities were developed(highlights only):

1) Engagement in the regulatorydevelopment process-a mandatory early consultativeprocess on any new regulationthat would affect farmers regard-less of ministry -a framework to help definemodern farming practices to helpwhen developing or amendingregulations

2) Review of existing OMAFRAregulations- a government-industry work-

ing group to review existing regu-lations to amend or delete outdat-ed or ineffective regulations

3) Inspection and enforcementactivities- recommend more consistencyand accuracy among ministrieswhen dealing with inspection andenforcement issues- enhanced communication andinformation sharing between min-istries and the agri-food sector toachieve greater consistency andaccuracy in regulatory inspectionand enforcement

4) Service standards to streamlinelicensing and permitting approvalprocess- eliminate inconsistent informa-tion requirements and reduceapproval time

5) Compliance incentives- encourage compliance with

regulations and thus minimize the need for enforcement penalties(carrot vs. stick approach)

The five points mentionedabove may not seem like muchbut they are most significant. Wehave all heard, for far too long,that many regulations impedebusiness, so as simple as the rec-ommendations mentioned abovemay seem, amendments to themwill make a huge difference toyou the farmer. There is no roomfor inconsistency and outdatedregulations.

Regulations are necessary.They have a purpose but theymust be written to meet that pur-pose and in a way that does notunduly encumber business or fos-ter unintended consequences.Enhanced communicationbetween those in the agri-foodsector and the policy makers willgo a long way to a better, morestreamlined system.

Well-done OFA.For what it’s worth, it’s the

way I see it.

ART SMITHCEO, OFVGA

STAFFPublisher: Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ AssociationEditor: Karen Davidson, 416-252-7337, 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.

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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’ Association who have paid $30.00 (plus G.S.T.) per year forthe paper through their commodity group or container fees.Others may subscribe as follows by writing to the office:

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

ONTARIO FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GROWERS’ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2011

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEEChair Brian Gilroy, MeafordVice-Chair Mac James, LeamingtonFruit Director Ray Duc, Niagara-on-the-LakeVeg Director Jason Ryder, DelhiDirector Norm Charbonneau, Port Elgin

BOARD OF DIRECTORSApples Brian Gilroy, MeafordFresh Vegetable - Other Mary Shabatura, Windham CentreTender Fruit Fred Meyers, Niagara-on-the-LakeON Asparagus Grws’. Mkg. Brd. Jason Ryder, DelhiGGO/Fresh Grape Growers Ray Duc, Niagara-on-the-LakeFresh Vegetable - Muck Jason Verkaik, BradfordON. Potato Board Mac James, LeamingtonSmall Fruit/Berries Norm Charbonneau, Port ElginON. Ginseng Growers’ Doug Bradley, TillsonburgGreenhouse Jan Vander Hout, WaterdownGreenhouse Don Taylor, Durham

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

Moving in the right direction

The past month has beenextremely busy for the peopleinvolved with the growing of fruitand vegetables here in Ontario.Farmers are busy growing thefood that everyone needs and theorganizations that represent themhave been finalizing the details ofa new risk management program.In the very near future, farmers ofedible horticultural crops willhave access to a Modified Self-Directed Risk Management Pro-gram. After a number of consulta-tion meetings and conferencecalls, the OFVGA Safety NetsCommittee has been working

with OMAFRA and Agricorp rep-resentatives to get the programoperational this year. It is refresh-ing to see everyone workingtogether and we are optimisticthat it will be a program that willprovide valuable support forfarmers. It is quite possible thatrecords could be broken regardingthe speed at which this programwill go from announcement toimplementation. Congratulationsto all involved.

In looking back at the monthof May it has been eventfularound the country and the world.Mother Nature has been verynewsworthy this spring withnumerous floods, tornadoes andwild fires. Food is also becominga very newsworthy item as foodprices are directly linked to a lotof the political unrest around theworld. As food is being discussedI see an opportunity for farmingto become a more valued profes-sion. We are making gainsprovincially. I can only hope thatthe recently elected federal gov-ernment becomes more respon-sive to the needs of the farmingcommunity.

Here in Ontario, we experi-enced the earliest spring inrecorded history last year and this

year has been one of the coolestand muddiest I have ever seen.

Our ability to adapt is essentialand one thing that farmers are

very good at.

As food prices increase, farming can become a more valued profession

BRIAN GILROYCHAIR, OFVGA

Despite a late spring, asparagus harvest is now in full swing on 800 acres in Ontario. This grading crew atJason Ryder's farm, Delhi, has been coping with a cool and rainy season. Yields have been reduced by adisease called purple spot stemphylium. Photo by Denis Cahill.

Dear Editor,

In a recentarticle, “Corn and

honeybees: Theperennial

problem of pesticides,” it wasunfortunate that the authors failedto mention a new product thateffectively controls the key insectpests in field, seed and sweetcorn, while having very low toxicity to honeybees.

DuPont Coragen insecticidewas available to sweet corn growers under emergency registrations in 2008 and 2009and received full registration in2010. It provides corn growerswith a new tool for effective control of European corn borer,corn earworm and western beancutworm, complemented withvery low toxicity to honeybees.

Coragen has long-lasting residual control and is classifiedas a reduced risk insecticide. Ithas a negligible impact on keybiological control agents – parasitoids and predators – andpollinators, at field-use rates.This selectivity, along with itsrobust control of important insectpests, makes Coragen an excel-lent tool for integrated pest man-agement (IPM) programs.

While it is very important tohighlight the safe use of pesticides in areas where bees areactive, growers also need to knowthat there is new technologyavailable with very low toxicityto honeybees.

Bill Summers Government Affairs and FieldDevelopment ManagerE.I. duPont Canada Company

THE GROWER

JUNE 2011 –– PAGE 7

Have you moved on from thefederal election? I haven’t. I’mstill overwhelmed by the resultsand I haven’t seen anything sig-nificant happen to suggestchange, other than the usualexposé of surprise finishers, suchas successful NDP candidate RuthEllen Brosseau, who had nevereven set foot in “her” riding untiltwo weeks after the election.

Now, did factors such as attackads help her win against the otherdominant parties? Experts sayattack ads work. We knowBrosseau didn’t win because of atireless door-to-door campaign, orher familiarity with her constituents, or her expertise inFrench, or her long service recordto the community. So maybeattack ads had something to dowith it.

Attack ads don’t work for me.They make me want to attackthem. I believe they reflect theworst human qualities. Visitors tothis country watching attack adswould think we really despiseeach other. I don’t think we do.But every few years, whenever anelection comes up, we buy into

this hatred and maliciousness. Blech.Those aren't Canadian values,

and they're certainly not rural val-ues. And thankfully, for the mostpart, while federal campaignorganizers were sharpening theirfangs and spitting blood at eachother, candidates in rural Ontariowere taking a different tact.

Ontario Federation of Agricul-ture President Bette Jean Crewssays she sensed a conciliatorytone and open mindedness amongrural candidates this year. Shesays regardless of their politicalstripes, they seem committed toworking together on at least acouple of fronts.

First, they know the will existsacross Canada for the creation ofa national food policy. Eachparty, as well as several specialinterest groups, has some versionof a food policy, or a vision for it.Some include farms. Othersemphasize the environment. Andstill others deal with educatingconsumers.

A government truly and demo-cratically representing the nation-al interests of the country willgather these assorted policy docu-ments, try to find the commonali-ty and then, in an inclusive, trans-parent way, create a policy thateveryone can rally around. It willunderline how a country toodependent on imports is at risk.

But, according to Crews, itwill also bring focus to anothermatter that seems to particularlyresonate with rural Canadians(perhaps because they’re closestto the land) – that is, well over amillion people around the worldgo hungry every day, more thanthat are poor and the retail cost offood is rising. So is the cost ofproducing it. As an exporting

nation that, despite embarrassing-ly mean political attack ads, has asense of morality, we need to cre-ate a food policy that strengthensfarmers’ ability to feed Canadiansand others.

Of course, feeding others isonly part of the answer to worldhunger – helping them feed them-selves is the other part. That’swhy a food policy needs to alsosupport research into vital food-related matters. What we learndomestically through research canhelp address global concerns suchas climate change and tradeissues.

A new food policy needs to becognizant of how food productionand on-farm energy productioncan be balanced, as well. If ever acase could be made for a domes-tic alternative energy supplyinvolving farmers, it’s now, aspetroleum giants once againgouge us in unprecedented ways.A policy is needed to lay out theparameters for alternative energyproduction, especially surround-

ing the many environmental ques-tions that have yet to be settled,and energy production’s relation-ship with agriculture.

A sense of urgency surroundsthis matter, though Crewsbelieves that with a four-year federal mandate, there’s time toreach consensus and do it right.

Farmers should be front andcenter in a national food policy’screation. Recognizing agricul-ture’s importance to the economy,the province asked the federationto take a lead role in discussionsamong all sectors for the OpenFor Business initiative, and forthe new farm business risk man-agement program that’s beingwidely lauded in Ontario.

Could farmers also take a leadin helping coordinate the nationalfood policy? Absolutely. It allstarts with them. They should berecognized for their key role inkeeping us and others fed.

owen@uoguelph.ca

On-farm energy will need to be part of new food policy

OWEN ROBERTSUNIVERSITY OFGUELPH

PERSPECTIVE

LETTER TO EDITOR

2914, Cure-Labelle Blvd, Laval (Québec) Canada H7P 5R9Tel: 514-332-2275 Toll free: 800-561-9693 Fax: 450-682-4959 Toll free: 800-567-4594

Visit us at www.norseco.com

SUPERIOR SEEDS, SUPERIOR SERVICEMichel Grat ton

Montreal Area, Quebec

Tel: 514-332-2275Fax: 450-682-4959

Yvon RiendeauMontreal Area, Quebec

Tel: 450-454-9997Fax: 450-454-5015

Yves Thibault, agr.Central and Eastern

Quebec and Atlantic Provinces

Tel: 418-660-1498Fax: 418-666-8947

Warren PeacockOntario

Tel: 519-426-1131Fax: 519-426-6156

June 8 Ontario Produce Marketing Association Annual General Meeting, 12 noon, Room 205, Ontario Food Terminal, Toronto, ON

June 9, 10 2011 Riesling Experience, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON

June 22 Soil Management Workshop, Simcoe County (infield workshop/bus trip) Contact Woodstock OMAFRA: 519-537-6621

July 5 – 7 The Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council Annual Forum on Employment and Skills Development, Rodd Charlottetown, PEI

July 7, 8 Federal/provincial/territorial agriculture ministers’ meeting, St Andrews, New Brunswick

July 14 50th Anniversary Simcoe Research Station Open House, Simcoe, ON 2 pm – 7 pm

Aug. 2 – 4 Canadian Horticultural Council Mid-Summer Apple Meeting, Old Orchard Inn, Wolfville, NS

Aug 18 – 20 QPMA Annual Convention, Fairmont Tremblant, Mont-Tremblant, QC

August 24 Herb Demonstration Day, OMAFRA Simcoe Research Station, Simcoe, ON

COMING EVENTS 2011

Erie Shores wind farm located in Elgin County, Ontario is a 99 MWfacility producing enough electricity to power 23,000 homes. Photocourtesy of Elgin County Economic Development.

Following are highlights fromthe OFVGA board meeting heldApril 21, 2011. The purpose ofthis brief is to keep you up-to-date on issues that the OFVGA isworking on, as well as projectsand initiatives the organization isinvolved in.

PropertyWildlife conflict strategy:

Property section chair Dave Lam-bert reported that the Ontariogovernment, through the OntarioMinistry of Agriculture, Food andRural Affairs and the Ministry ofNatural Resources, recentlyreleased a discussion paper on anew agriculture-wildlife conflictstrategy. Work is underway toupdate compensation levels paidto farmers for livestock losses.Wildlife damage to crops andlivestock has been a key issue forfarmers for a number of years.Provincial government officialshave indicated that work willsoon begin on developing a strat-egy to address crop losses due towildlife damage.

Occupational Health and Safe-ty: Farmers are required to pro-vide training for their employeesin on-farm occupational healthand safety; training materials areavailable in various languagesfrom the Farm Safety Associationbut some farmers may need helpin delivering the materials in dif-ferent languages. OFVGA willlook into additional informationand resources to help farmersmeet their employee health andsafety obligations. More informa-tion on the Act and tools to assistwith on-farm implementation areavailable at http://www.farmsafe-ty.ca/pages/ohs_act.html.

Crop protectionGrower Requested Own Use

program: Crop Protection chairCharles Stevens reported that sev-eral products approved for theGrower Requested Own Use(GROU) program have beenremoved from the eligibility list.GROU allows farmers to importan identical product from theUnited States that may be avail-

able for a lower price south of theborder for use on their own farms.The program was implemented asa way to lessen price discrepan-cies between crop protectionproducts sold in Canada and theU.S. Some products, even if theyare approved for the GROU pro-gram, may be subject to addition-al regulations. For example, if aproduct that is restricted in theU.S. is on the GROU approvallist, a Canadian farmer must havea state pesticide license to buy theproduct in the U.S. and import itinto Canada. U.S. retailers are notallowed to sell the product to any-one who does not have the stateapplicator license, and there iscurrently no recognition of licens-es or permits – such as the Grow-er Pesticide Safety Course inOntario – from other jurisdictions.

New pests in Canada: Twonew pests affecting horticulturalcrops have been identified inCanada for the first time. Thespotted wing drosophila attacksfruits and berries, including rasp-berries, blackberries, blueberriesstrawberries, cherries, plums,peaches and nectarines. Thebrown marmorated stink bugaffects fruit trees, vegetables andlegumes, as well as ornamentalcrops. The Canadian Food Inspec-tion Agency is putting monitoringprograms in place to try to deter-mine the extent of the pests,which are native to Asia and cancause severe crop damage. Nocontrols are currently registeredin Canada.

Significant commodity issuesTelone: Farmers are concernedabout the loss of Telone, a soilfumigant that has been withdrawnfrom the market by its manufac-turer due to a request by the PestManagement Regulatory Agency(PMRA) for extra data. OFVGAhas asked PMRA to reconsider sothat Dow will reinstate the prod-uct. There are no known environ-mental or health problems withTelone and there is currently noreplacement product available forgrowers in Canada. The problemis of particular concern to farmers

who grow root crops, muck cropsand ginseng; they depend onTelone to keep their crops free ofpathogens and nematodes. Grow-ers say the loss of this productwill threaten the future of ginsenggrowing in Ontario. Heat and power co-generationopportunities: Ontario green-house farmers in the Leamingtonarea are interested in exploringheat and power co-generation (co-gen) opportunities. Ontario PowerGeneration’s policy is to onlyfocus on co-gen opportunities infive Ontario urban centers. Leam-ington is not included on this listso farmers are unable to proceed.This policy is made all the moreconcerning by a shortage of elec-tricity in areas of south Essexwhich is threatening to delayplanned greenhouse vegetablesector expansion. It was reportedthat in the Netherlands, more than20 per cent of green power gener-ated in that country comes fromgreenhouses. Compliance with environmentalstandards: Greenhouse vegetablefarmers are working with theMinistry of the Environment totry to resolve issues surroundingcompliance with environmentalstandards. There are some sugges-tions that greenhouses should beconsidered industrial and not agri-cultural users, which would meanthat environmental standards andsolutions used by the rest of agri-culture would not apply to green-house farmers.

Self-Directed Risk Management(SDRM) update

Work has begun between hor-ticulture sector representativesand officials from the OntarioMinistry of Agriculture, Food and

Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) todevelop the Self-Directed RiskManagement (SDRM) programfor edible horticulture announcedby the Ontario government in theMarch provincial budget. Adetailed proposal is expected togo to the Treasury Board in Junewith the goal of having an appli-cation process in place by fall.

Lobbying priority settingThe board continued discus-

sions around setting priorities forits lobbying efforts. Key issuesidentified by board membersincluded safety nets, promotion ofOntario products/farmers,research and tech transfer, soci-etal costs and offsets, horticulturefor health and school snack pro-grams, harmonization of regula-tions, water, PACA and taxation.A draft strategy will be developedfor discussion at an upcomingmeeting.

Labour

Labour section chair Ken Forthreported that work is ongoing toencourage the Canadian govern-ment to establish a PACA-liketrust in Canada. In the U.S., thePerishable Agricultural Com-modities Act (PACA) licensesbuyers of produce to ensure thatthose who sell produce receivepayment for their products and atthe same time has established leg-islation that protects produce sell-ers when buyers fail to pay. TheOFVGA and the Canadian Horti-culture Council are lobbying forthe establishment of a made-in-Canada PACA-like trust programthat extends the same benefits tothe Canadian produce industry asin the U.S. There is no cost to

government for this program; itwould only require a legislationchange to enact it.

Note: In the days following theBoard meeting, the SupremeCourt of Canada released its deci-sion in the Fraser case with a rul-ing of 8 to 1 in favour of denyingthe right of farm workers tounionize.

Director roles and responsibili-ties

The Board reviewed a reportprovided by Strive as a follow-upto a governance training work-shop held last month. This includ-ed recommendations for succes-sion planning, and board andcommittee functions.

International Federation ofAgriculture Journalists Congress in Ontario

The Board agreed to provide$2,500 to support the Internation-al Federation of Agriculture Jour-nalists congress that will takeplace in Southern Ontario thisSeptember. The event, set forSeptember 14 to 18, will welcomeup to 300 international farm jour-nalists and agricultural communi-cators to Canada for the first timesince 1967. The congress willstart in Guelph, include three con-current two-day tours to south-western, midwestern and easternOntario and end in Niagara Falls.The congress program includesconsiderable coverage of horticul-ture. More information is avail-able at www.ifaj2011.com.

The next board meeting willbe held June 9th at the OFVGAoffice in Guelph starting at 10a.m.

THE GROWER

PAGE 8 –– JUNE 2011

Board briefs

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THE GROWER

JUNE 2011 –– PAGE 9

LILIAN SCHAER

Farmers have to start beingmore proactive to counter grow-ing influence by activist groups,an influence they’re increasinglywielding with retailers and restau-rants. Paul Hodgman, a consultantand former Executive Director ofAlberta Pork, is working on anew initiative with AGCare andthe Ontario Farm Animal Council(OFAC) that is aimed at buildingrelationships between food pro-ducers and major food buyers – inthis case, retail and restaurantchains.

“Activists are pressuring thefood industry. This is not a newissue but what has changed is thatit’s business driven now,” Hodg-man told an audience at theAGCare-OFAC annual meetinglast month. “Their activities areabout driving a vegan diet andthese groups are extremely wellfunded.”

Modern activist groups arewell-funded, sophisticated andinfluential. After considerablesuccess in Europe, the UnitedStates and Australia, they haveturned their sights on Canada, andare going directly to the board-rooms of major food companiesin an effort to convince them tochange their business practices tosuit activist demands.

“We are up against a bigmachine with a lot of money,” hesaid, adding that although the pri-mary focus is currently on target-ing livestock production practices,other issues like pesticide use arealso starting to feel pressure fromacross the supply chain. Forexample, that pressure can startwhen an activist group buysshares in a major food companyand introduces a resolution todemand a certain farm practice oraudit.

Activist efforts are bringingabout changes to buying policies,public policy and the regulatoryregime, which means farmers canbe forced to change their prac-tices. These changes will impactthe entire supply chain throughincreased costs and will lead tofragmentation in the industry. According to Hodgman, the statusquo – a patchwork of individualinitiatives across the country bycompanies, commodity groupsand small scale coalitions – isunacceptable. The industry is con-sistently in a reactive instead ofproactive position and there’s areal need to build trust amongstthe players through coordinatedcommunications and advocacy. This includes developing relation-ships within the food supplychain, sharing intelligence andseeking alliances with counter-parts in Europe and the U.S.,improving relations with govern-ment as it shifts to an increasinglyregulatory approach and finally,becoming crisis-ready to dealwith targeted activist attacks andcampaigns on all facets of

farming. Hodgman’s work with AGCare

and OFAC is focused on findingsolutions to drive these goals for-

ward, which is being developedfor the Ontario groups but with aneye on the need to address nation-al efforts in the future. He is

currently examining four differentapproaches to food industry advo-cacy, including operating thework as a project under existinggroups like AGCare or OFACthrough to creating a new struc-ture nationally. Part of the pro-ject is to examine what successlooks like for the agri-food sec-tors in other jurisdictions, includ-ing the United States and Aus-tralia who are facing more pres-sure than Canada to date. Regardless of what may ultimate-ly be implemented, Hodgmansays it is critical that the wholesupply chain becomes involvedand that core funding and neces-sary resources are put in place.Dedicated staff is also importantin order for the strategy to beeffective. Leadership for the pro-gram must come from within theindustry and it must have nationalrecognition and support.

“We need to position ourindustry properly to deal withthis. All sectors in the industrywill be attacked on one level oranother so we have to be ready,”he concluded. “And time is of theessence. One of the results of awell fed, wealthy economy ispeople with time on their handswho will take up causes becausethey can afford to do so. We can’tstand by and pretend this isn’thappening.”

AGCare, Agricultural GroupsConcerned About Resources andthe Environment, is a coalition offarm organizations, including theOFVGA, committed to communi-cating about agriculture and theenvironment. AGCare is the envi-ronmental voice of Ontario’s45,000 fruit, vegetables, and fieldcrop farmers. Visitwww.agcare.org.

Building trust between farmers and food industry key tokeeping activists at bay

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Issues like pesticide use are also starting to feel pressure from acrossthe supply chain, said Paul Hodgman, guest speaker, AGCare andOFAC AGM.

Ground breaking and installa-tion of the first solar Feed-in-Tar-iff (FIT) project of its size in theAlliston, Ontario area is under-way at Sunrise Potato Storage.Sunrise Potatoes is owned byPeter and Carla VanderZaag

along with their partners, daugh-ter Ruth and her husband Nick.The solar FIT project is a jointventure with a son and daughter-in-law from Ottawa.

The 250 kw project will beone of the first that meets the new

60 per cent domestic content stan-dard and will use exclusivelyOntario contractors. CanadianSolar, based in Ontario, has man-ufactured the solar panels at itsnew Guelph facility which hasadded more than 400 jobs to theburgeoning green industry.

Ethosolar, the panel installerfor this project, is based in Barrie,Ontario, and has considerableknowledge about the FIT applica-tion process and the hurdles ingetting hooked up to the grid,having already installed morethan 300 microFIT projects acrossthe province. On its website(www.ethosolar.com), Ethosolarhas indicated that capacity issuesappear to be most significant in

the southwestern part of Ontario. The Alliston solar project is

expected to be connected to thegrid in late June -- an additionthat fits the sustainable philoso-phy of Sunrise Potatoes. Sunriseis known for producing potatoesfor the chip industry and organicpotatoes for fresh consumptionand processing. It supplies mar-kets year-round through its state-of-the-art storage facility. Anyoneinterested in the FIT project isinvited to join the VanderZaagsand EthoSolar for an open houseand tour on Friday, July 8, 2011.

KAREN DAVIDSON

Lynn Ogryzlo knows how totease the appetite with recipes likegrilled cheese and asparagus sand-wich. She is a household name inthe Niagara region, as a foodwriter for Niagara This Week andfounder of the Niagara CulinaryTrail. But she’s about to goprovincial with a new cookbook –Ontario Table – that will be soldonly through farmers’ markets.The rationale behind the uniquedistribution channel is that farm-ers’ markets are powerful eonomicengines in the community.

“If everyone spent just$10/week in local produce at afarmer’s market, there would be$2.4 billion injected into theOntario economy,” Ogryzlo says.That’s why she’s launching“Ontario Table” on June 22 at

Nathan Phillips Square Farmers’Market in downtown Toronto – asavvy move to attract consumersand media.

Ogryzlo is no novice to cook-book publishing success, after sell-ing 15,000 copies of NiagaraCooks. She blends novel uses oflocal food with a pinch of grow-ers’ backgrounds. Beside herrecipe for yellow plum soufflé, forexample, is a tribute to Niagara-on-the Lake Kurtz Orchards.Ogrylzo discovered that yellowplum pureé could be substituted ina lemon square recipe with delec-table results, overcoming thesometimes bitter taste of lemons. In all, the new cookbook features20 destinations with more than100 recipes. She shines a spotlighton the root vegetables of Hager-man Farms in Prince EdwardCounty, using brie cheese as the

secret ingredient in a recipe forscalloped potatoes. If anyone is aregular at the Ottawa Farmers’Market, they will recognize thestory about Rochon Gardens andtheir eight varieties of melons.

All of the proceeds from the$29.95 cookbook will go to farm-ers who sell them at their localfarmers’ markets. There are nowabout 175 of them in Ontario.

Growers can obtain copiesthrough Ontario Farm Fresh Mar-keting Association (if they’re amember at www.ontariofarm-fresh.com) or through 20 tourismoffices across the province. Allproceeds remain with the growers.The book can also be orderedthrough www.lynnogryzlo.com.

New cookbook to be sold at farmers’ marketsTHE GROWER

PAGE 10 –– JUNE 2011

Recycle your emptypesticide containers

™

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REMOVE Caps and booklet,

leave the label on

RETURNTo your local

collection site

Visit www.cleanfarms.ca to find the collection site nearest you.

++Join the thousands of farmers across the country who are

recycling their empty pesticide containers. Protecting our farms,families and the environment is our shared responsibility.

IT’S FREE AND EASY!

Digging for a solar first

This large solar project is being installed at Sunrise Potato Storagefacilities at Alliston, Ontario.

GEORGE SHEARER

This article is a follow up tothe last two articles written on theNutrient Management Act. Manygrowers have been contacting theOFVGA office for additionalinformation on wash water dis-charge.

The Ministry of the Environ-ment (MOE) has indicated to theOFVGA that growers who dis-charge wash water to a ground orsurface water receiver need tohave certificates of approval fromthe Ministry. The situation is lessclear when it comes to waterbeing discharged into a reservoiror directly onto the land. Accord-ing to MOE, Agriculture SourceMaterial is handled on a case bycase basis and anyone who is dis-charging washwater should con-tact their local area or districtoffice to determine how they fitin and a list of MOE contacts isprovided below. Should the Min-istry of the Environment deter-mine that you are indeed in needof a Certificate of Approval foryour discharge water they willwork with you at that time tobring you into compliance andgive you some time to do it aslong as you continue to worktowards an approval. Be warnedthough as this process is not acheap one and the application feealone not including any consult-ing or engineering fees starts at$7500 and can go up dependingon the complexity of your specif-ic situation.

Growers may also contactGeorge Shearer, OFVGA SurfaceWater Specialist, for informationat 519-763-6160, ext. 219.

• CENTRAL REGION OFFICEGeneral Inquiry: 416-326-6700Toll Free: 800-810-8048Fax: 416-325-6345 - For FOI alsoAddress: Place Nouveau8th Flr, Toronto ON M2M 4J1

• BARRIE DISTRICT OFFICEGeneral Inquiry: 705-739-6441Toll Free: 800-890-8511Fax: 705-739-6440Address: Unit 1201, 54 Cedar Pointe DrBarrie ON L4N 5R7

• HALTON-PEEL DISTRICTOFFICE General Inquiry: 905-319-3847Toll Free: 800-335-5906Fax: 905-319-9902Address: Suite 300, 4145 North Service RdBurlington ON L7L 6A3• TORONTO DISTRICT

OFFICE General Inquiry: 416-326-6700Fax: 416-325-6346Address: Place Nouveau9th Flr, 5775 Yonge StToronto ON M2M 4J1

• YORK DURHAM DISTRICTOFFICE General Inquiry: 905-427-5600Toll Free: 800-376-4547Fax: 905-427-5602Address: 5th Flr, 230 Westney Rd SAjax ON L1S 7J5

• SOUTHWEST REGIONALOFFICEToll Free: 800-265-7672Fax: 519-873-5020Address: 733 Exeter RdLondon ON N6E 1L3

• LONDON DISTRICTOFFICE General Inquiry: 519-873-5000 Toll Free: 800-265-7672Fax: 519-873-5020Address:733 Exeter RdLondon ON N6E 1L3

• OWEN SOUND AREAOFFICE General Inquiry: 519-371-2901Toll Free: 800-265-3783Fax: 519-371-29053rd Flr, 101 17th St EOwen Sound ON N4K 0A5

• SARNIA DISTRICT OFFICE General Inquiry: 519-336-4030Toll Free: 800-387-7784Fax: 519-336-4280Address: 1094 London RdSarnia ON N7S 1P1

• WINDSOR AREA OFFICE General Inquiry: 519-948-1464Toll Free: 800-387-8826Fax: 519-948-2396Address: Unit 620, 4510 Rhodes DrWindsor ON N8W 5K5

• HAMILTON REGIONALOFFICE General Inquiry: 905-521-7640Toll Free: 800-668-4557Fax: 905-521-7820Web Site: www.ene.gov.on.caAddress: Ellen Fairclough Bldg12th Flr, 119 King St WHamilton ON L8P 4Y7

• GUELPH DISTRICTOFFICEGeneral Inquiry: 519-826-4255Toll Free: 800-265-8658Fax: 519-826-4286Web Site: www.ene.gov.on.caAddress: 4th Flr, 1 Stone Rd WGuelph ON N1G 4Y2

• HAMILTON DISTRICTOFFICE General Inquiry: 905-521-7650Fax: 905-521-7806Fax: 905-521-7820Address: Ellen Fairclough Bldg9th Flr, 119 King St WHamilton ON L8P 4Y7

• NIAGARA DISTRICTOFFICE General Inquiry: 905-704-3900Toll Free: 800-263-1035Fax: 905-704-4015Web Site: www.ene.gov.on.caAddress: 9th Flr Suite 15, 301 St Paul StSt Catharines ON L2R 7R4

• KINGSTON REGIONAL

OFFICE General Inquiry: 613-549-4000Fax: 613-548-6908Fax: 613-548-6911 - DirectorAddress: Unit 3, 1259 Gardiners RdKingston ON K7P 3J6Mailing Address: PO Box 22032Kingston ON K7M 8S5

• KINGSTON DISTRICTOFFICE General Inquiry: 613-549-4000Fax: 613-548-6920Address: Unit 3, 1259 Gardiners RdKingston ON K7P3J6Mailing Address: PO Box 22032

Kingston ON K7M 8S5

• OTTAWA DISTRICTOFFICE General Inquiry: 613-521-3450Fax: 613-521-5437

Address: 2430 Don Reid DrOttawa ON K1H 1E1

• PETERBOROUGH DIS-TRICT OFFICEGeneral Inquiry: 705-755-4300Toll Free: 800-558-0595 - WithinArea Codes: 705, 613, 905Fax: 705-755-4321Address: Robinson Pl South Tower2nd Flr, 300 Water StPeterborough ON K9J 8M5

THE GROWER

JUNE 2011 –– PAGE 11

Do you discharge your wash water?

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Can a tropical crop providebiomass in a temperate climate?The answer is a resounding yes,according to Agricultural Environmental Renewal Canada(AERC) with research facilities inDelhi, Ontario.

The bio-agro seed companyspecializes in developingsorghum and pearl millet hybridsfor both grain and forage. Unlikemiscanthus and switchgrasswhich are perennials, sorghumand pearl millet are annuals.

“For some farmers, growing anannual for bioenergy may be aplus,” says Anand Kumar,research lead, AERC. “High bio-mass sorghum has the flexibilityto be used for animal production.Most important, it can fit into acrop rotation. It adapts to sandy

soils with an acidic pH of 5. Andit’s very drought-tolerant.”

Until recently, all the sorghumand pearl millet varieties that

were grown in Canada were U.S.varieties. Through extensiveresearch, AERC has developedvarieties and hybrids that can be

grown under climatic conditionsacross Canada and in similar conditions worldwide.

From 2002 to 2005, AERC

research focused on developinghigh-biomass sorghum (HBS).Results showed dry matter yieldsranged from nine to 11 t/ha, aboutthe same as corn silage. Morerecent research from 2006 to2008 showed hybrids could yield45.3 to 55.3 t/ha of green bio-mass. Pearl millet has even betteryields of around 13 t/ha of bio-mass. It is popular in Ontario andQuebec as a means of controllingroot lesion nematodes in tobacco,potato and strawberries withoutuse of fumigation.

AERC has shown that biomassyields can be increased by at least1.5 times by using narrow rowspacing and high plant popula-tions. High-biomass sorghumwill take 100 to 105 days fromseeding to harvest. It will begreen at harvest with moisturecontent higher in late-maturinghybrids than lower-yielding, earlier-maturing hybrids thatsenesce before harvest. Kumarnotes that late-maturing typestend to produce thicker stems thatmay require different dry-downsteps.

The cost of establishment isgenerally 70 to 75 per cent ofcorn silage. The 2011 OMAFRAenterprise budget for corn silageshows that it costs $327.35 peracre. So estimate about $230 to$250 per acre for high-biomasssorghum, factoring in a reducedfertilizer application. “As a rule,we recommend application of 70per cent of fertilizer quantityapplied to corn,” says Kumar.

Two principal methods of harvest are in vogue: swathingfollowed by baling or chopping ofwindrows and direct forage chopping of a standing crop. Yourchoice of harvesting methodshould be based on the finalmoisture content of the biomassrequired for the end use and subsequent drying level needed toachieve it. Using a swather to cutand windrow for later pick allowsbiomass to be field dried beforepick-up and transport.

AERC’s preliminary estimatesof combustible energy ofsorghum is around 7500 to 7700BTU per pound. This value compares favourably with severalother grasses and overlaps valuesfor woody feedstocks.

Ongoing trials will be on viewthis summer in the Delhi area.

THE GROWER

PAGE 12 –– JUNE 2011

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

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Pearl millet for biomass Sorghum for biomass

NICK BETTS

In Ontario today, our ‘base-load’ energy – electricity - islargely supplied by nuclearpower. The electricity that fluctu-ates upon usage, or ‘ramp poten-tial,’ is used for quickly increas-ing production from baseload tolevels that will accommodate thehigher need. This is when theSmartMeters kick into premiumprices! This ramping tends to beproduced through burning of fos-sil fuels, whether it is coal, natur-al gas, or oil.

Many alternative energysources are available to offsetsome of these more controversialelectricity generators. Optionssuch as wind and solar tend to begood sources for baseload energy,as it is impossible to ramp up onsolar energy, for example, whenthe sun isn’t shining.

Using biomass as an alterna-tive to fossil fuel consumptionhas excellent potential, both as ameans of clean energy, environ-mental preservation and localproduct marketing. One of thebiggest hurdles with growingagricultural biomass for thermalenergy generation is transporta-tion and densification. Manynations around the world readilygrow and utilize agricultural bio-mass for energy production, butthis is usually done on a regionalor city-level. By down-scalinggeneration plants, process effi-ciencies can be increased, such aslimiting distances from field to

plant, lowering densificationneeds, decreasing costs and han-dling fees.

Ontario Power Generation hasproposed burning biomass in theirlarge-scale plants. To my knowl-edge, I’m not aware of any evi-dence that supports this economicmodel in a positive way. Thatbeing said, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has funded a projectthrough the Canadian AgriculturalAdaptation Program (CAAP), inOntario. Delivered through theAgricultural Adaptation Councilof Canada, researchers are look-

ing to develop an innovative agri-cultural biomass value chain sec-tor in Ontario. Ontario Soil andCrop Improvement Association(OSCIA) is coordinating the fieldresearch of this project. Thisinvolves growing 900 acres ofenergy crops across Ontario infield-scale size comparison plots.

I just returned from the Interna-tional Biomass Conference andExpo in St Louis, Missouri. Thisconference encompassed everyaspect of the global biomassindustry, including focus panels

on thermal, power, biorefining,and project development of fivedifferent tracks: crop residues,dedicated energy crops, forest andwood processing residues, live-stock and poultry wastes, munici-pal solid waste, urban wastes andfood processing residues. A briefconference report is available onmy blog at croppedthoughts.wordpress.com.

Ontario Energy Crops

All grasses grown for this pro-ject are perennial species. Whileseveral annual grasses are underproduction in the U.S., they offerlimited environmental benefitswhile increasing handling andmaintenance costs. By usingperennial grasses, the crop is like-ly carbon-neutral or even carbon-negative, sequestering carbon inthe root mass that remains in thefield year after year. These grass-es are extremely low mainte-nance; little, if any fertilizer isused, no pesticides are needed,and the harvesting for most will

occur in the early spring when allcustom harvesters are sitting idle.Other environmental benefits forlong-term rotation (sometimes20+ years) grasses would comeout of planting them in high-ero-sion potential soils, vegetated fil-ter strips of milkhouses andgreenhouses, and along riparianbuffer zones. Yet another avenuefor research is the impact theselong-term rotation crops will havewith respect to biodiversity. Thereis likely research on the not-too-distant horizon looking at the eco-logical benefits associated withgrowing various energy cropslong term.

Our Project Process

The OSCIA process startedwith innovative farm cooperatorssubmitting applications andreceiving funds to grow, maintainand harvest several energy crops.This four-year program will pro-vide data on basic agronomy ofvarious crops in varied climes andsoils (collected by the Universityof Guelph), as well as the experi-ences of the farmers themselves.By providing funds for theseexperimental crops, we decreasethe risk for early adopters whileproviding the industry with unbi-ased information for a speedierramp-up.

All 26 farmers will have multi-ple field days on-site, organizedby the OSCIA regional communi-cations coordinator. In addition,Canada’s Outdoor Farm Showwill have four side-by-side one-acre comparison plots of twovarieties of switchgrass and mis-canthus. These plots will be on-site in Woodstock at least untilthe end of 2013, in an attempt toprovide exposure, information,and appeal to this new cropoption.

Nick Betts is Outreach Coordina-tor, Ontario Soil and CropImprovement Association.

THE GROWER

JUNE 2011 –– PAGE 13

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

How biomass could fit into Ontario energy plans

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Acres Planted

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Big Bluestem Indian Grass Cordgrass

es PAcr Planted

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Spring 2011

KAREN DAVIDSON

Ontario’s greenhouse industryhas made tremendous strides inmanaging energy costs in recentyears, finetuning feedstocks forbiomass boilers. For one, BertMucci of Southshore Greenhous-es in Kingsville, Ontario hasbecome more efficient in heating47 acres of peppers, the secondlargest pepper operation in theprovince. He formed a separatecompany called Remasco in April

2007 to provide thermal and elec-tric power using clean alternativefuels. His company has contract-ed a municipal solid waste com-pany in the Greater Toronto Areato supply Enerpax fuel pellets.

“This energy services compa-ny was launched to be ready formiscanthus and a wide assortmentof energy crops on the horizon,”explains Jim Gallant, Remasco’svice-president of operations andengineering. “In our case, wehave designed and constructedtwo gasifiers that under reducedoxygen conditions, volatize thepellets and burn the syn-gas. Wethen take the hot gas stream andput it through a heat recoveryboiler. The resulting low-pressuresteam is used for greenhouseheating and possibly lighting.”

With natural gas prices comingdown recently, the savings arenow negligible, however Gallantsays there is solace in controllingcosts over the duration of a 20-year contract. Currently, abouthalf of the heat for the 47-acre

greenhouses at Southshore is gen-erated by solid waste pellets.Gallant estimates that in the nextyear, the percentage will increaseto 75 per cent, displacing naturalgas and wood-chip biomass.

In the interim, Remasco isworking with University ofGuelph agro-forestry researcherson “woody” biomass rather than“grassy” biomass. While there’smuch interest in perennial grassessuch as miscanthus, they are diffi-cult to process and have ash melt-ing problems and densificationissues. The advantage with somespecies of woods, such as hybridpoplar or short-rotation willow, isthat they contain higher BTUs,have lower ash content and canbe grown on marginal lands with-out displacing food-growingopportunities.

Philosophically green, woodybiomass will also need to proveits credentials economically. Thatstory is yet to be written.

THE GROWER

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Three greenhouse growers, three biomass feedstocks

PAGE 14 –– JUNE 2011

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Above: Jim Gallant, Remasco,predicts municipal solid wastefuel pellets will fuel close to 77per cent of greenhouse needs by2012. Left: Enerpax fuel pellets.

Miscanthus Dean Tiessen has just harvested his

third-year crop of miscanthus. Opposite tomost crops, the perennial grass is taken offthe field from February through April when it’s dry and can be processed into

cubes for burning in a biomass boiler.Now that the crop is getting established,yields are about 11 tonnes per acre at hisLeamington, Ontario farm.

“Compared to natural gas, miscanthus isnot a perfect solution,” says Tiessen, presi-dent, New Energy Farms. “But it allows usto fix our energy cost for 20-plus years.”

It takes about 37 hectares of miscanthusto heat one hectare of greenhouse for ayear. He figures that miscanthus costs

about $55,000 to heat one hectare of green-houses – still about half the cost of naturalgas. That’s a considerable saving whenheating greenhouses.

In 2011, the Tiessen family will bebuilding a densification facility, providinglocal growers with a method to convert theraw biomass into energy pellets. By 2015,the goal is to process 100,000 tonnes bio-mass per year. The facility will draw froma 20- to 50 -kilometre radius.

With more agronomic data compiledevery year on miscanthus, Tiessen expectsfarmers will be convinced to grow the bio-mass crop on a contract basis, especiallyon marginal lands.

Municipal solid waste fuel pellets

37 hectares of miscanthus are required to heat one hectare of greenhouse, says DeanTiessen, New Energy Farms.

JOHN KELLY

Last year, a Steering Commit-tee representing a cross sectionof agriculture (including OFA,OSCIA, OFVGA, OAFT andgrowers), industry, academic,and government experts wasestablished, which included bothinput providers (growers) andend users (OPG, greenhouseoperators). This project wastasked with examining the use ofagricultural biomass and how itmight contribute to producingpower and heat to help reducenet greenhouse gas emissions.

As part of this committee,three working groups addressedmajor components of the use ofbiomass in Ontario for power andheat generation. They havesought input from industry.• The Agri-Sustainability Work-ing Group has a focus on envi-ronmental sustainability anddevelopment of a sustainabilitycertification system.• The Technical Working Groupis addressing agronomic, infra-structure and combustion chal-lenges.• The Business Case WorkingGroup is trying to determine if abusiness case can be made ateach step in the value chain.

These efforts are very impor-tant to the fruit and vegetablesector, and in particular to groupsthat are high users of energy tomaintain building heat andpower. This steering committeehas held two public informationalforums, the first held in Februaryfocusing on agronomics includ-ing discussions on perennial andannual crops, and woody bio-mass. A second technologyforum was held in April, and thisincluded presentations from endusers, including greenhouse heatuses and requirements.

John Kelly is Vice President,Erie Innovation and Commer-cialization.

THE GROWER

JUNE 2011 –– PAGE 15

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Wood chipsBeverly Greenhouses owned and operated by the VanderHout fami-

ly is a big believer in wood chips. So big, that they buy 8,000 tonnesper year to fuel biomass boilers to heat 15 acres of greenhouse cucum-bers near Waterdown, Ontario. About 80 to 90 per cent of the heatcomes from this single source with natural gas as a back-up. Theirfarm is one of the original converts, burning wood for 28 years, with aboiler made by Seaforth-Ontario company, Boilersmith.

“Our two main boilers are Boilersmith Units but the oldest one isonly 10 years old,” says Jan VanderHout. “The maintenance of thecombustion areas is substantial. Burning wood is cost effective, but theinfrastructure involves handling equipment, wood storage and labourcosts.”

One challenge with wood is that it’s not an on-demand delivery.Vander Hout emphasizes the importance of having relationships withsuppliers and even more importantly, to have storage for a buffer.Most of the wood is burned between November and April, so havinga three-month supply is not out of the ordinary.

Right: Jan VanderHout, Beverly Greenhouses, burns 8,000 tonneswood chips annually to heat 15 acres of cucumbers near Waterdown,Ontario. He keeps three months of wood chips in storage. Photo byDenis Cahill

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MICHAEL CELETTI

The demand for Ontario garlichas never been higher than it hasin recent years. Unfortunately thebulb and stem nematode (Dity-lenchus dipsacci), a pest of garlic,onion and leeks is causing signifi-cant damage to Ontario’s garliccrop. This microscopic worm-likepest has been spreading on garliccloves used for seed and hascaused complete crop failure insome fields. The cool wet springexperienced earlier this year mayresult in the spread of this pestwithin fields if infested garlicseed was planted last fall. All gar-lic growers should plan on scout-ing and keeping an eye on theircrops for symptoms of this pest.

Obvious symptoms in garlicoften do not appear until late Juneor early July. Severely infectedplants turn yellow, dry premature-ly and appear stunted. Ofteninfested plants on which thenematodes have been feeding andreproducing will appear to havethicker leaves and necks. Some-times a small yellow spot or pim-ple is left on leaves where thenematodes were feeding as theymoved down between the leavestowards the bulb. Severely infest-ed garlic bulbs tend to be soft,shriveled, discoloured and lighterin weight. The basal plate (theregion of the bulb where the rootsattach) of severely infested bulbsmay also appear to have a dry rotwhich can be easily separatedfrom the bulbs. Bacteria, fungiand onion maggots will ofteninvade nematode-infested bulbscausing them to become mushy

with soft rot and decay. Oftensymptoms of bulb and stemnematode in garlic look very similar to symptoms of Fusariumbasal plate rot.

The nematodes move downbetween the leaves of garlic infilms of water left from rain, dewor overhead irrigation and contin-ue to feed, develop and multiply.They can live for 45 to 75 daysand begin to reproduce within 19days after hatching from eggswhen temperatures averagearound 15°C. A single female canlay up to 500 eggs within her lifespan and several generations canbe produced within one growingseason. The short period of timebetween egg hatch and maturitytogether with the frequency ofreproduction often results in anexplosion of this pest under coolwet conditions.

Managing bulb and stemnematode is not easy once it isintroduced and becomes estab-lished in a field. A four-year croprotation with non-susceptiblecrops such as a cereal crop, fumi-gating soil or planting a nema-tode-suppressing cover crop suchas oriental mustard or Frenchmarigolds in the rotation beforeplanting garlic have all beenshown to keep this pest undercontrol in the soil. However, it isequally important to plant onlynematode –free garlic seed oncethe soil is cleaned up. If clean,nematode-free seed is not avail-able, growers can try dippinginfested bulbs in hot water; how-ever, this is a very tricky tech-nique and must be performedcarefully to prevent damage tobulbs. If garlic bulbs are exposedto temperatures above 50°C,

injury to the garlic cloves mayoccur resulting in poor germina-tion and establishment. If thetemperatures fall below 44°C, thenematodes may not be killed.

Hot water treatment of garlicbulbs used for seed has beenshown to be an effective methodfor reducing and in some casescompletely eliminating the nema-tode from seed. There are severalrecipes for treating garlic seed inhot water to reduce or eliminatebulb and stem nematode. It is bestto use healthy looking bulbs sinceunhealthy bulbs may not survivethe hot-water treatment whichcould lead to poor germinationand establishment. Some recipessuggest presoaking the bulbs in0.1 per cent detergent and watersolution for about one hour atroom temperatures to reduce sur-face tension before dipping theminto the hot-water bath. The stan-dard method is to soak bulbs for30-45 minutes at 38°C and thenimmediately submerge them intohot water kept at 49°C for 20minutes followed by a cool bathat 18-22°C for 10-20 minutes andthen drying the bulbs. The tem-perature of the hot water bathsmust be maintained and measuredprecisely with high quality stan-dardized thermometers for bestresults.

The Ontario Garlic GrowersAssociation (OGGA) has recentlyreceived funding from the Agri-culture Adaptation Council(ACC) under the Growing For-

ward program to continue propa-gating clean nematode-free garlicseed at the Northern HorticulturalResearch/SPUD Unit at the Uni-versity of Guelph, New LiskeardAgricultural Research Station. Inaddition the funding will be usedto conduct a survey to determinethe distribution of bulb and stemnematode in garlic acrossOntario. The survey will alsodetermine the strains of this pestattacking Ontario garlic by Agri-culture and Agri-Food Canada.All garlic growers are encouragedto submit garlic samples fornematode testing. Workshops willalso be conducted in various loca-tions across Ontario to updategrowers on the progress of theclean garlic seed program and thesurvey.

For more information contactMichael Celetti, OMAFRA PlantPathologist at (519) 824-4120 ext58910 or Marion Paibomesai,OMAFRA, Vegetable Specialist(519) 826-4963.

THE GROWER

PAGE 16 –– JUNE 2011

Bulb and stem nematode: A menace for Ontario garlic

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Figure 1. Garlic plant infested with bulb and stem nematodes appearsstunted, dry and senesces prematurely.

Figure 2. The basal plate (the region of the bulb where the rootsattach) of garlic bulbs severely infested with the bulb and stem nematode are rotted and can be easily separated from the bulbs.

MARION PAIBOMESAI ANDMICHAEL CELETTI OMAFRAMICHAEL TESFAENDRIAS,UNIVERSITY OF GUELPHMUCK CROP RESEARCHSTATION

Stemphylium leaf blight is afoliar disease of onions and garliccaused by the fungus Stemphyli-um vesicarium. Symptoms start assmall yellow to brown to purple,water-soaked lesions that developinto elongated spots that turn darkolive brown to black when sporesdevelop. Leaves may be com-pletely blighted as the lesionscoalesce (Fig. 1 and 2). Thesymptoms of Stemphylium leafblight are easily confused withpurple blotch, which is caused byAlternaria porri (Fig. 3). Infec-tions of this disease are primarilyconfined to the leaves, and lesionsare typically found on the side ofthe leaf that faces prevailingwinds, but can also be found onboth sides of the leaf.

This fungus invades damaged,diseased or dying leaf tissue andunder ideal environmental condi-tions causes serious leaf damage.Like purple blotch, developmentof this disease is favoured bywarm (18 - 25°C) humid condi-tions and long periods of leafwetness (16 hours or more). Sincethe pathogen is likely to enterleaves that have been physicallydamaged or infected by other dis-eases it is important to maintainhealthy plant stands and controlother common foliar diseases ofonions such as downy mildewand Botrytis leaf blight. It hasalso been noted that Stemphyliumleaf blight may ‘invade’ pre-exist-ing purple blotch lesions causingthe lesions to turn black. Thesefoliar diseases of onions can pre-maturely defoliate the crop there-fore compromising bulb qualityand can also make the crop moresusceptible to secondary diseasesthat affect bulb quality (i.e. stor-age rots caused by bacterialpathogens).

This disease was identified invarious locations in Ontario inmid-July of 2010. During scout-ing for diseases of onions in2010, Stemphylium leaf blightwas observed in many fields inthe vicinity of Bradford, Ontario.This disease was first seen byscouts in 2008 in a few fields,more infected fields were identi-fied in 2009, and in 2010 yieldlosses were associated with thisdisease. In New York State, thisdisease is a problem in mid-Julyand August. In Michigan, the dis-ease is an occasional problem, butcan be more difficult to controlthan other foliar diseases ofonions.

Research has shown thatfungicides registered for the con-trol of purple blotch will also beeffective on Stemphylium leafblight; however, further investiga-tion is required to improve man-agement of this disease. Current-ly, there are no fungicides regis-tered for control of this disease inOntario; however, this disease has

been identified as a top onionminor use priority for Ontario in2010. Like other major foliar dis-eases of onions, the pathogen

over-winters in infected cropdebris left over from the previousyear, so be sure to bury leafdebris left from last year’s crop

through deep cultivation, rotatecrops with non-host crops forthree years and remove culls andvolunteer plants from the field. Ifpossible increase plant spacing tofacilitate air movement andquicker drying. Irrigate crops dur-ing the late morning or earlyafternoon to allow leaf surface to

dry quicker and reduce the poten-tial of infection.

On another note, a new fungi-cide by Syngenta called Inspirehas been labelled for control ofpurple blotch in bulb vegetables.Please follow all precautions anddirections for use on the labelcarefully.

THE GROWER

JUNE 2011 –– PAGE 17

Stemphylium leaf blight of onions in Ontario

Figure 1. Stemphylium leaf blight(Stemphylium vesicarium) symp-toms on onion leaves.

Figure 2. Stemphylium leaf blightinfected onions in a field.

Figure 3. Side-by-side comparison of purple blotch (Alternaria porri)(left) and Stemphylium leaf blight (Stemphylium vesicarium) (right).

THE GROWER

PAGE 18 –– JUNE 2011

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THE GROWERJUNE 2011 –– PAGE 19

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THE GROWER

PAGE 20 –– JUNE 2011

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THE GROWER

JUNE 2011 –– PAGE 21

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MINOR USE

Diagnosing vegetable crop problemsJANICE LEBOEUF, OMAFRA VEGETABLE CROP SPECIALIST, RIDGETOWN

It's happened to us all. The season isrolling along. The crops are looking good.Then, all of a sudden, disaster strikes!Well, maybe not a complete disaster, butsomething is munching on the crop or theleaves are turning brown or the plants arewilting or the blossoms are dropping or….. You know the feeling. What now?

What you need is a 12-step program -especially this one, which only has sixsteps.

1. Keep an open mind. Don't jump toconclusions.2. Look for clues. Observe the wholefield and surroundings to look for patternsof damage. Observe the plants, includingroots. The location, pattern and symptomsshould give you an idea whether the problem might be caused by insects,pathogens, nematodes, or physical damage;soil, chemical, physiological, nutritional, orenvironmental factors; or a combination.Make written notes.3. Collect information on the field history. Again, make written notes.

When were the symptoms first noticed?What has been done to the field: tillage,fertilizer, pesticides? What about theplants: variety, source of seed or transplants, condition of seed or transplants, when seeded or transplanted,seed treated? What were weather

conditions recently or at time of criticalgrowth stages or field operations?

Have neighbouring fields been sprayed?Do neighbouring fields have similar prob-lems? Do other plant species in the field(ie. weeds) show symptoms?

What crops were in the field previously?What pesticide/fertilizer programs wereused? Did problems or problem areasshow up in previous crops?

Are there soil or plant analyses available? Is soil compaction present?What is the soil type?

Do equipment sizes (widths) match thepattern? What other pesticides were in thesprayer previously?4. Collect samples. Samples of plants orplant parts (or insects) can be collected andshown to crop experts or sent to the PestDiagnostic Clinic. Soil or plant samplescan be collected from “good” and “bad”areas of the field. Analysis may show differences in nutrient content. Take photos too. Digital photos can be e-mailedto crop experts or diagnostic clinics andmay help in identifying the problem.5. Diagnose the problem using all available sources of information: yourexperience, reference materials, expertopinions, lab reports.6. Decide on corrective measures.Sometimes there is no effective or econom-ically feasible action that can be taken orthe plant may grow out of certain problemswith no ill effects. In other cases, appropriate corrective action should betaken. This could include nutrient or

pesticide application, improving drainageor replanting. Determine what could bedone in the future to prevent the problem.

These on-line resources can help with diag-nosis:• Ontario CropIPM (ontario.ca/cropIPM orwww.omafra.gov.on.ca/IPM/english/index.html)

- an interactive, online resource foridentifying pests and disorders and for pestmanagement information for many vegetable crops as well as apples and

strawberries• OMAFRA Vegetable Web Pageswww.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/hort/vegetable.html)

- includes information on pests, disorders, crop nutrition, soil and tissuetesting laboratories and more• Pest Diagnostic Clinic, University ofGuelph www.guelphlabservices.com/AFL/Service_Growers.aspx)

- includes guidelines on sampling, shipping samples

THE GROWER

PAGE 22 –– JUNE 2011

The origins of The OntarioGrower/Vendor Pesticide Educa-tion Program go back to 1979. Ameeting was convened between aCropLife (CACA in those days!)rep. and from the Ministries ofEnvironment and Agriculture.These folks were Len Hawkins,Doug Wilson, John Onderdonckand myself. (The rest of thoseguys are long retired, so I guess Iam the corporate memory for themeeting!) It started out initially totrain vendors and quickly expand-ed to cover grower training. Vol-untary training sessions ensued,until 1991 when the farm coali-tion group AGCare (AgriculturalGroups Concerned aboutResources and the Environment)asked the Minister of Environ-ment to make the program

mandatory. The minister was non-plussed- since when did growersask FOR this kind of legislation?This was granted with a five- yearwindow, becoming mandatory by1996.

In Ontario there are currently22,000 certified growers, 1,100agricultural assistants and 1,100certified Vendor Outlet reps. Thisis the definition of a success storyanywhere anytime!

Other provinces have takenvarious approaches. Some have amandatory program, some are stillvoluntary. One still has no pro-gram at all.

One of the original premises ofthe Ontario growers was that acourse could entitle them to betteraccess to some pesticides, if theycould show they had the knowl-edge and skills to use them, evenif the regulators had some reser-vations about toxicity, environ-mental fate, etc. This has notcome to pass, simply because thePMRA has always defaulted tothe least trained group- theprovince with no program. Noneof this is to say that the growersin any province that do not have amandatory course do not operateat the highest skill level. Howev-er, the growers who have takenthe course here will state that theyhave improved their practices,and that they value the course. It

is just a sign of the times that weneed to demonstrate our skill.

The time has come for anational course agenda, mandato-ry attendance and a passing gradeto access the most contentiousproducts. There is a need to haveall growers across Canada step upto the plate on this issue! Perhapsthe ‘carrot’ needs to be labels thatrestrict access unless the appro-priate certificate has been earned.No exceptions! The ‘stick’ to getcourses in place may be a lack ofaccess for some growers to theseproducts enjoyed by others whoare certified.

One of the current issues thathas pushed this to such a highneed is the current PMRA reluc-tance to register someproducts/uses that require confir-mation of access restrictions to atreated crop by any unprotectedworkers or the public. The labourprotection rules tend to be inprovincial hands, and are asdiverse as the training courses.Since there is no good assurance(at least to them) that protectionis on the minds of ALL the users,and since no one can provideassurance that provincial labourrules are enforced at the leveldeemed necessary, PMRA plays itsafe by denying the uses. It isnow up to growers across Canadato show their willingness to get

the training, to allow registrationof such new products. They cansafeguard access, once theyunderstand the why and the how.It will also be beneficial to havethe training down the road forother reasons such as Food SafetyProgram requirements.

How to proceed?There is already a national

education sub-committee of theFederal/Provincial/TerritorialCommittee on Pesticides and PestManagement. There is already acomplete set of training materialsin the provinces with programs.Other than adding the province-specific legislation to the materi-al, almost everything is ready andavailable. What needs to happennow is for growers to demand thecourses and demand that they aremandatory. It will take leadershipin every province, and maybe afederal push to get it done. TheFPT leaders need a mandate andthey can proceed with a national-ized effort.

The benefits go far beyond thecurrent product/use access issues.The assurance to your public thatyou are indeed trained will go along way. Furthermore, it putsyou on-side in the ongoing debateabout pesticide use by anybody.A course taken every five years isneither onerous nor expensive-relative to the cost of everything

else you need to pay for in orderto operate these days. In Ontario,once you have achieved the firstpass, you are allowed to just writethe exam in five year intervals.Notwithstanding that, almosteveryone still goes back for theone-day course. As one growerstated, ‘I learn something newevery time.’

Growers have always taken thehigh road when it comes to beingprofessional. Certainly in thiscase with a five year re-testing,they exceed even the ‘profession-al’ applicator, who need onlyattend an initial course, only writeone initial exam and then remainlicensed forever with a yearly feepayment. It begs the question:who is the true professional?

At the end of the day, weexpect the PMRA to recognizethose who do have their certifica-tion, by registering products fortheir use, even if it means restrict-ing such access by labelling. Ourgrowers across Canada who arewilling to meet a higher standardshould be respected for so doing,and trusted to meet ALL therequirements on a label.

Fair is fair after all.

CRAIG’S COMMENTS

Pesticide training - make it national!

CRAIG HUNTEROFVGA

MINOR USE

For more information on the BASF family of products, contactAgSolutions® by BASF at 1-877-371-BASF (2273) or visitwww.agsolutions.ca ® - Registered trade-mark of the BASF group of companies.

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Inflation can be good!DR. JASON S.T. DEVEAU, APPLICATION TECHNOLOGY SPECIALIST, OMAFRA

I toured the USDA’s agricultural research station atOhio State University last year. My reason for visiting wasto meet Heping Zhu, a USDA researcher specializing inhorticultural sprayers. Heping was a wealth of knowledge,but one tip in particular caught my attention.

When you calibrate airblast nozzles (because I knowyou do) it’s tricky to hold a braided hose over a nozzlebody while juggling a pitcher or collection vessel. Thehose can pop off, you can lose volume and you have apretty good chance of getting sprayed.

Some have tried hose clamps, but that drags out theprocess. Others have attached funnels to the hose to cap-ture more spray, but that’s still cumbersome.

Enter the ‘Inflation’ (see figure 1). This is the rubberliner that goes inside milking tubes on dairy farms. Forsanitation reasons, they can only be used for so manymilkings (six weeks or so) before the dairy farmer has toreplace them. This is good news for airblast operators

because the used inflations fit securely over the nozzlebody and can be flexed with one hand to direct the sprayinto the collection vessel (see figure 2).

If you don’t know a dairy farmer to get used inflations,you can go to your local farm supply store and buy a set offour new ones for less than $30.00. Heping was kindenough to offer me a crate of used inflations to take backto Ontario with me, but I politely declined. After seeing

them I didn’t want to have to explain what they were whenI reached customs at the border!

Figure 2. Inflation used on a tower sprayer to calibrate anozzleFigure 1. Typical rubber dairy inflation

THE GROWER

JUNE 2011 –– PAGE 23

MINOR USE

Beleaf insecticide granted first Canadian registration for severalspecialty crops

h a r v e s t t h e p o t e n t i a l

| www.valent.ca | 519-767-9262

Read and follow the label instructions before using.

ReTain is a trademark of Valent BioSciences Corporation, in various countries.

© Valent U.S.A. Corporation, 2009. All rights reserved.1-866-613-3336

JIM CHAPUT, OMAFRA, MINOR USE COORDINATOR,GUELPH

ISK Biosciences Corporation and the Pest Management Regu-latory Agency (PMRA) recently announced the registration ofBeleaf (flonicamid) 50SG insecticide for several crops in Canada.These are the first registrations of this new active ingredient inCanada and mark an important milestone in addressing the pestcontrol product technology gap between the U.S. and Canada.This product and the pests it controls have been identified formany years as a critical pest management tool needed by Canadi-an producers.

Beleaf (flonicamid) 50SG insecticide is registered for controlof aphids on Brassica vegetables, root vegetables, tuberous andcorm vegetables, cucurbit vegetables, hops, leafy vegetables,fruiting vegetables, pome fruit and stone fruit. The followingtable provides a summary of the crop registrations on the newCanadian Beleaf insecticide label. Consult the full product labelfor detailed instructions, precautions and restrictions.

Follow all other directions for use on the Beleaf (flonicamid)50SG insecticide label carefully. Consult individual crop andaphid control recommendations on the Beleaf (flonicamid) 50SGinsecticide label for additional use restrictions.

Beleaf (flonicamid) 50SG insecticide should be used in anIntegrated Pest Management program and in rotation with othermanagement strategies to adequately manage resistance. Consultprovincial guidelines and local extension specialists for monitor-ing protocols and aphid management recommendations.

We wish to thank the personnel of ISK Biosciences Corp. andFMC Agricultural Products for their support of this registrationand the personnel of the Pest Management Regulatory Agency forevaluating and approving this important pest management tool.

For copies of the new Beleaf (flonicamid) 50SG insecticidelabel contact Jim Chaput, OMAFRA, Guelph (519) 826-3539 orvisit the UAP Canada website at www.uap.ca

Crop or Crop Group Rate Productper hectare

(kg / ha)

Remarks Pre-harvest interval

Beleaf (flonicamid) 50SG Insecticide

Brassica vegetables [broccoli, Brusselssprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese broc-coli, Nappa cabbage, mustard cabbage, kohlrabi]

0.12 – 0.16 Aphids: A maximum of 3 applicationsis permitted at a minimum 7 day interval.

0 days

Cucurbit vegetables (bittermelon, squash,cucumber, cantaloupe, Chinese cucumber,Chinese okra, melons, muskmelon, pumpkin,watermelon)

0.12 – 0.16 Aphids: A maximum of 3 applicationsis permitted at a minimum 7 day interval.

0 days

Fruiting vegetables (eggplant, tomato, pepper,tomatillo)

0.12 – 0.16 Aphids: A maximum of 3 applicationsis permitted at a minimum 7 day interval.

0 days

Leafy vegetables (celery, celtuce, chrysanthe-mum, amaranth, chrysanthemum, dandelion,endive, fennel, parsley, radicchio, cress, let-tuce, rhubarb, spinach, escarole, Swiss chard)

0.12 – 0.16 Aphids: A maximum of 3 applicationsis permitted at a minimum 7 day interval.

0 days

Root vegetables (except sugarbeets) [red beet,burdock, carrot, chervil, celeriac, chicory,ginseng, radish, turnip, rutabaga, horseradish,salsify, parsnip]

0.12 – 0.16 Aphids: A maximum of 3 applicationsis permitted at a minimum 7 day interval.

3 days

Tuberous and corm vegetables (potato, sweetpotato, ginger)

0.12 – 0.16 Aphids: A maximum of 3 applicationsis permitted at a minimum 7 day interval.

7 days

Pome fruit (apples, pear, quince, crabapple) 0.12 – 0.16 Aphids: A maximum of 3 applicationsis permitted at a minimum 7 day interval.

21 days

Stone fruit (apricot, cherry, nectarine, peach,plum, plumcot, prune)

0.12 – 0.16 Aphids: A maximum of 3 applicationsis permitted at a minimum 7 day interval.

14 days

Intercept greenhouse insecticide label expanded JIM CHAPUT, OMAFRA,MINOR USE COORDINATOR,GUELPH

The Pest Management Regula-tory Agency (PMRA) recentlyannounced the approval of anURMULE registration for Intercept greenhouse (GH) insecticide for control of swede

midge on greenhouse transplantsof head and stem Brassicavegetables, crop subgroup 5A inCanada. This includes broccoli,cabbage, cauliflower, Nappa cabbage, Chinese broccoli, Brussels sprouts, mustard cabbageand kohlrabi. The active ingredi-ent imidacloprid was alreadylabeled on a wide range of

vegetables and fruits as well asornamentals.

The minor use project forswede midge was sponsored in2004 by Agriculture & Agri-FoodCanada, Pest Management Centre(AAFC-PMC) as a result ofminor use priorities establishedby growers and extension person-nel. Intercept GH Insecticide was

also the subject of several emergency use registrations forswede midge between 2006 and2010 in several provinces. Theminor use label expansion forIntercept GH insecticide is a sig-nificant step towards developingan improved pest managementtoolkit for this pest in Canada.

The following is provided as a

general outline only. Users shouldconsult the complete label beforeusing Intercept GH Insecticide.For swede midge on GH transplants of Brassica vegetables(broccoli, Chinese broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, mustard cabbage, nappa cabbage,cauliflower, kohlrabi) Intercept isto be applied as a transplant trayplug drench at a rate of 4.1 gramsper 1000 seedlings. Do not useless than 15 L solution per 100m2of seedling trays. Apply duringseedling stage prior to transplanti-ng and allow a minimum of 10days between application andtransplanting.

Do not apply more than onceper crop season and do not applywithin 21 days of harvest forBrassica vegetables.

Intercept GH Insecticideshould be used in an integratedpest management program and inrotation with other managementstrategies to adequately manageresistance.

Follow all other precautionsand directions for use on theIntercept GH Insecticide labelcarefully.

For a copy of the new minoruse label contact Marion Paibomesai, OMAFRA, Guelph(519) 826-4963, Jim Chaput,OMAFRA, Guelph (519) 826-3539 or visit the Bayer Environmental Science website atwww.bayeres.ca, the Plant Products website at www.plant-prod.com or the Evergro websiteat www.growercentral.com

THE GROWER

PAGE 24 –– JUNE 2011

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Savvy Farmer, a source ofpest control information, haslaunched a mobile app as a com-panion to its desktop software.

It has specially designed amobile site for Savvy Farmer tofunction on most mobile devicebrowsers: I-Phone; I-Pad, Black-berry (vers. 4.2.1+), Playbook, Windows, Android,and Symbian.

Savvy Farmer subscribers cannow access many of the key fea-tures of Savvy Farmer from theirmobile device for no extracharge.

SavvyFarmerlaunchesmobile app

DuPont has announced an expansion ofits Coragen label to include control ofwestern bean cutworm (WBC) in sweetcorn. The active ingredient is rynaxypyr, anew class of chemistry belonging to group28, the diamides.

“This is a relatively new pest inOntario,” says Sylvain Legault, senior salesrepresentative, DuPont. "Last year therewere some pockets in Ontario where

damage was quite extensive. The registra-tion for WBC comes just in time as thisyear's late spring could make the corn cropmore susceptible to WBC."

WBC moths generally don't like to layeggs in corn that has already tasseled. Thisyear's later-planted crop may not tasslebefore WBC moths start laying eggs.Given the choice, moths also tend to layeggs in shorter corn. "Later-planted sweet

corn could be at an even higher risk if it ispre-tassel while the rest of the field corncrop is beyond that stage," says TraceyBaute, field crops entomologist forOMAFRA.

Coragen provides rapid cessation offeeding, residual activity and excellentrainfast properties. As a reduced riskinsecticide, it is also effective against anumber of key pests in corn, including

European corn borer and corn earworm. A key benefit is negligible impact on

honeybees and other key biological controlagents at field-use rates. Coragen is alsoregistered for insect control on potatoesand a wide range of vegetable crops. Formore information, contact 1-800-667-3925or visit the website www.dupont.ca/ag.

MINOR USE

Western bean cutworm can be controlled in sweet corn