The Grower September 2014

KAREN DAVIDSON

Leamington, Ontario – ForDuffy Kniaziew, greenhouseheaven would be a sunny-side-upday of 23°C and five to 10 millimetres of rain overnight. Aspresident of Orangeline Farms, hesounds strangely reminiscent of afield farmer who wishes forSaturday night rain – seven timesover.

Along with brother Jordan,vice-president, sales and market-ing, they have adopted some ofthe most advanced technology inthe Canadian greenhouse industry. Flexible heating hoses,for example, can be raised higheras the crop moves up trellises.And in the brilliantly lit green-house, robotic cars weave silentlythrough the alleys, hauling thepepper harvest to the packing station. Yet, in this carefully calibrated ecosystem, theKniaziew’s are humble enough torespect rainwater, the ultimateendowment of Mother Nature.

“Rainwater has value to us,”says Duffy Kniaziew (pronounced NA-JEV) whoexplains that the industry hasbeen challenged lately to meetstricter environmental rulesregarding water management.“We decided to research wherethe best practices were headedand realized that rainwater is anasset. It’s better than well wateror municipally-sourced waterbecause it has less sodium andfewer chlorides.”

That insight led to a new roofdesign for the 12 acres of glassgreenhouses built last year.Rainfall is channeled into an outside pond with a liner. Severalmillion litres of water can bestored, ready to be pumpedindoors into holding tanks. Likeany other utility or fuel, backupsystems exist to supplement rainwater.

While the rainwater is free, theinfrastructure to manage this precious resource is not. “There’sno how-to manual for managingthese automated systems,” says

Kniaziew. “We’re still learninghow to optimize the water whilesaving more of the nutrient solution.”

A tour of the greenhousereveals investment in PowerBees,automated guided vehicles thatfollow markers or wires in thefloor using lasers for navigation.While these were pioneered in theauto industry, they adapt well togreenhouses with wide pathwayswhere it’s easy to program repetitive routes.

“These machines improve thehandling of the product,” saysKniaziew. “The speed of the ridecan be predetermined for the gentlest travel to cold storage.With a consistent system, we canbe more focused on the workersthemselves.”

European-designed automationmay be daunting, but Kniaziewexplains that their equipment ismonitored by video cameras andthe pictures relayed back to global networks for technicaldiagnosis.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

SEPTEMBER 2014 CELEBRATING 135 YEARS AS CANADA’S PREMIER HORTICULTURAL PUBLICATION VOLUME 64 NUMBER 09

TECHNOLOGY

Chanelling rain, sun, energy of workers to grow a perfect pepper

INSIDEOFVGA summer tour goes to the city Page 8

Focus: New equipmentand technology Page 14

High-density appleorchards featured inGeorgian Bay Page 18

www.thegrower.org

P.M. 40012319

$3.00 CDN

Orangeline Farms expanded their 20 acres of double poly greenhouses last year, adding 12 acres under glass. Brothers Jordan and Duffy Kniaziew adopted the latesttechnology in infrastructure, specifically the capture of rainwater to nourish their peppers and new specialties: strawberries and giant runner beans. Here, Duffy providesa tour of the new complex near Leamington, Ontario. Photos by Glenn Lowson.

CanadaGAP changesfor 2015

Starting April 1, 2015,CanadaGAP auditors will belooking for assurance that pack-ing, repacking, storage andwholesale operations seekingCanadaGAP certification havesourced their product from sup-pliers who are also certified toCanadaGAP or to another indus-try-recognized, third-party foodsafety audit/certification.

“The time is right for thischange,” noted Jack Bates, chairof the CanadaGAP board. “Theboard is unanimous in seeing thisas the next logical step to main-tain the rigour and integrity thathas come to be associated withCanadaGAP certification.”

The next release ofCanadaGAP manuals (2015) willreflect these revisions.

Direct any questions to theCanadaGAP office at 613-829-4711 or [email protected].

PEI French fry plantto close

The Island’s potato industry is“reeling” with the news thatMcCain Foods will close itsBorden-Carleton French fry facil-ity as of October 31, 2014.

“We were shocked and disap-pointed by the news fromMcCain,” said PEI Potato Boardchairman Gary Linkletter onAugust 7. “As is the situation inseveral parts of North America,contract volumes at McCain’s

PEI plant were reduced over thepast few years. We understandthat global French fry demandhas increased significantly during2014, and we had hoped thatMcCain would use the excessprocessing capacity in Borden tosupply some of that expandeddemand. Instead, we’re nowdealing with the loss of theplant.”

In 2014, McCain contractedwith 23 Island family farms fordelivery of more than $7 millionworth of potatoes to the Borden-Carleton plant that’s operatedsince 1990. McCain representa-tives have confirmed that theywill honour the contracts they’vesigned with growers for 2014, butplans for beyond 2014 are notknown at this point.

Linkletter concluded, “Giventoday’s announcement, we’reconcerned for the growers whocontracted with McCain in 2014,the McCain and employees andtheir families, and the supportindustries involved with theMcCain plant. We have hadsome discussions with provincialand federal government represen-tatives today, and we’ll sit downwith them shortly to discussoptions for finding other markets,including reverting to deliveringpotatoes to McCain facilities inNew Brunswick for processing in2015 and beyond. We’d also liketo identify a means of keeping theplant operating in some manner.”

Statistics Canada, Island growers planted 90,500 acres ofpotatoes in 2014, down 20 percent from the high of 113,000acres in 1999. The potato industry is worth more than

$1 billion to the Prince EdwardIsland economy each year.

It pays to post jobs

Earlier this summer,Employment and SocialDevelopment Canada suddenlychanged the rules on how jobopenings must be advertised. AllCanadian growers who rely onworkers through the SeasonalAgricultural Worker Programmust post on the online job bankat www.jobbank.gc.ca.

The job bank posting is arequirement in addition to anyjobs you post in local newspapersor trade publications.

By going to the website andtyping in “farm worker,” you cansee the variety of postings ranging from ginseng farmlabourer to greenhouse worker.Minimum wages are listed as areexpectations of the worker andnumber of weekly hours.

“I’m advising to post jobs 365days a year,” says Ken Forth,chair of Foreign AgriculturalResource Management Services(FARMS) “Employers must bevigilant that their advertisement isrefreshed every 30 days to prevent the advertisement beingdropped. In case you have aworker who gets sick or needs togo home, you’ll be covered withthe internet posting and it shouldn’t take so long to get areplacement worker.

NEWSMAKERS

THE GROWER

AT PRESS TIME…

PAGE 2 –– SEPTEMBER 2014

Kudos to the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers who won second best booth at the Produce Marketing Association MontereyFoodservice Conference & Expo. With more than 160 exhibitors,this event is focused solely on fresh produce in foodservice. Theinteractive booth was a hit with “Asian” twisted bruschetta andrefreshing cucumber water.

L-R: Margaret Wigfield, OGMA; Fiona McLean, OGVG marketing & communications coordinator; George Gilvesy,OGVG general manager; Nancy Hewitt, foodservice specialist.

Congratulations to 2014 Canadian Winery of the Year: PellerEstates Niagara. Judges for the National Wine Awards of Canada,who tasted 1335 wines from across the land, complimented the con-sistency of the Peller family wines. The winery received a platinummedal for their 2012 Signature Series Sauvignon Blanc plus fourgold medals for: 2012 Private Reserve Gamay Noir CarltonVineyard, 2013 Private Reserve Rosé, Signature Series Merlot and2012 Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

Dr. Claudia Schmidt is the new research scientist, horticultural economics at Vineland Research and Innovation Centre. Her responsibilities are to provide business case support to Vineland’sbusiness development office and research teams, and provide strategic advice to the senior management staff. Previously, she wasa research associate at the George Morris Centre.

The Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association has made twostaff changes. Andrew Graham is taking over as executive director.A 23-year veteran of the association, Graham has been involved inproject development, delivery and management with a focus on envi-ronmental programs. Harold Rudy assumes a new position as exec-utive officer, research and business development. Rudy’s new role isto increase collaboration with the research community, starting withthe University of Guelph. He will be identifying closer linkages toestablish and leverage research funds for applied, on-farm research.

Brothers David and Bobby Harris are Prince Edward Island PotatoGrowers of the Year, announced at the annual O’Leary PotatoBlossom Festival in late July. They operate Harris Brothers Inc.,employing 16 people.

The World Potato Congress appointed three new directors and aninternational advisor at its June 2014 annual general meeting. Newdirectors are: Ron Gall, New Zealand, Dr. Nora Olsen, U.S. andAnne Fowlie, currently executive vice-president, CanadianHorticultural Council. The new international advisor is Dr. PeterVanderZaag, Alliston, Ontario.

Winkler-based SouthernManitoba Potato has re-brandedas it heads into another chapter of growth for the company whichwas established in 1960. Withthe new branding, SouthernPotato has adopted the position-ing of “Growing Partnerships.”

Food and Beverage Ontario has moved its offices from Cambridgeto Guelph, Ontario. The new headquarters are based at 100 StoneRoad West, Suite 201, Guelph. Phone 519-826-3741.

Best wishes to entomologist Les Shipp on his retirement fromAgriculture and Agri-FoodCanada’s Harrow ResearchStation after a 34-year career.Most recently, he has helpedpioneer bee vectoring whichallows biopesticides to bedelivered to greenhouse plants.

L-R: Marion, Keith andJeremy Kuhl

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

It’s often the case that settings simply need to be reprogrammed.

All of this automation supplements hand labour for delicate crops that have now expanded from peppers to strawberries and long runner beans. At Orangeline Farms,pickers are responsible for specific rows during the entiregrowing season. Workers post their photos to the rows andtheir identification is linked to the harvesting carts. Oncethe carts have been weighed and unloaded at the packingstation, their volume and picking rate is immediately displayed on a Hortimax Labour Insight board.Strategically located beside the lunch room, the figures

lead to friendly competitive banter. Who is the fastesttoday?

Gathered on a daily and weekly basis, this labour datacan generate patterns of picking behavior by individualand group. Different picking rates can be caused by a dipin pepper production or to a spate of bad weather – tworeasons for depressed output, not necessarily related to theworker. When managers analyze the data, they can decidehow to correct and improve the output in specific rows ofthe greenhouse.

With such a modern greenhouse, the Kniaziew brothershave also invested in marketing to tell their story. As thisis Jordan’s responsibility, he has branded their greenhousevegetables with the Zing! label and positions these prod-ucts as healthy foods for active lifestyles. Their new giant

runner beans, for example, are a high-value package thatmight very well appear beside the herb section of a gro-cery store.

All of these technical improvements have allowed thefarm to extend their shoulder season by four to six weeksin the early winter. They can now grow and market pep-pers from end of February to mid-December. Most oftheir production finds a home with domestic retailers.

Their Zing! story should resonate well with retail buy-ers, but it is still the case that product must compete withforeign imports. “We’d like to make more inroads,” saysDuffy Kniaziew. “We never like to hear that retailers arealready supplied. That’s why we’re growing in specialtiesthat no one else can deliver locally.”

SEPTEMBER 2014 –– PAGE 3

THE GROWER

COVER STORY

Chanelling rain, sun, energy of workers

A collecting pond – with a liner -- is put to good use during an August 12 thunderstorm. It receives the rainwaterchannelled from the greenhouse roofs and then water is pumped, as needed, into indoor storage tanks. Throughlaboratory testing, the Kniaziew brothers have discovered that rainwater has less sodium and fewer chloridesthan municipally-sourced water.

Flexible heating hoses can be moved up the trellises asthe vines grow.

Freshly picked red peppers are sorted at a gradingstation.

Giant runner beans are the latest addition to the Zing!line-up.

PAGE 4 –– SEPTEMBER 2014THE GROWER

CROSS COUNTRY DIGEST

Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz has announced aninvestment of more than $1.7 million to the WildBlueberry Association of North America which will beused to market and promote Canadian wild blueberriesinternationally.

The investment will help the wild blueberry sector toaccess new, and boost existing, foreign markets. Marketingcampaigns targeted at the United States, European Unionand East Asia will promote the benefits of using Canadianwild blueberries. In addition outreach to trade representa-tives and consumers will occur through meetings, tradeshows, and incoming missions to Canada.

Formed in 1981, the Wild Blueberry Association of

North America has been promoting and marketingCanada’s number one fruit export and represents andassists growers and processors in Quebec and the Atlanticprovinces. In 2013, wild blueberries generated close to$196 million in export sales. Wild blueberry production inCanada has increased to meet export demand which, overthe past 10 years, has grown by more than $40 million. Funding comes from the AgriMarketing Program, a five-year, $342 initiative under Growing Forward 2 that seeksto build and promote Canada's ability to expand domesticand export markets through promotional activities to helpposition and differentiate Canadian products.

MARITIMES

Wild blueberries get funding boost

RUSSIA

Fruit and vegetableimports bannedfrom western countries

On August 7, Russiaannounced a broad banon fruits, vegetables andother foodstuffs originating inCanada, the U.S., E.U, Australiaand Norway for one year. Thepolicy is expected to hurt theNetherlands particularly hardwhich exports €600 million ayear to Russia.

The U.S. will also feel theeffects with $1.6 billion in foodexports to Russia. The impact onfruits is relatively small withfresh apple exports at $13 millionand pears at $12 million.

It is expected that countriessuch as China, South Africa,Serbia, Azerbeijan, Turkey andLatin America will benefit asthey move to fill gaps in supply.

The European Union is now

INTERNATIONAL

conveningmeetings to consider

compensation for loss ofincome due to the Russianimport ban. Specifically, growersof cauliflower, cucumbers, mush-rooms, peppers and tomatoes arethe ones hardest hit.

Dutch-based horticulture companies are enduring stormyweather, with an estimated 500companies at risk. Some grow-ers acknowledge that they canendure the crisis for 10 to 12weeks before folding.

Greenport Holland haslaunched a ‘Strong Together’campaign on Facebook withmore than 6,500 likes onFacebook.

Source: FreshPlaza.com

NEW ZEALAND

Smitten apples forNorth America

Prevar Limited, based in NewZealand, has an exclusive licenceagreement with Pegasus PremierFruit Co in Washington state, togrow Smitten apples. Co-ownersBarclay Crane and RandySteensma are behind the market-ing of exclusive cultivars for theNorth American market.

Ten sites are already growingthe cultivar in Washington state.They describe this cultivar ashaving extraordinary eating qual-ity, storage and shelf life, withinitial reports of $55 to $60 dol-lar per box packouts. This newcultivar is viewed as one toreplace older varieties such asRed Delicious and GoldenDelicious.

New Zealand began commer-cial plantings six years ago andhas exported for three years.


ASIA

New productsunveiled

Hong Kong is hosting thecontinent’s largest fresh producetrade show from September 3 –5. Asia Fruit Logistica will hostmore than 460 exhibitors from 38countries, including Canada.New products and technologiesare key to boosting growth in thefast-moving fresh fruit and veg-etable business in Asia. At the New Zealand pavilion,visitors will get to see Piqa Boo,

the first of a groundbreaking newrange of pear varieties. Bred byfruit science company Plant &Food and commercialized byPrevar, the Piqa range of pearscombines the flavour ofEuropean pears with the textureof Japanese varieties and theshelf-life attributes of Chinesetypes.

New technologies will also bemaking a debut at Asia FruitLogistica, with Italian companyTuratti showcasing its new straw-berry capper, which removes thefruit’s calyx.


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The island’s 250 potato grow-ers have put a promotional wrapon hay bales dotting the country-side. The Prince Edward IslandPotato Board’s initiative started ayear ago and has grown in scalethis summer. With 89,000 acresdevoted to potatoes, it’s easy tofind locations to place the balesnear major highways where localsand tourists alike are reminded ofa major economic asset. Several

phrases are used including:“Rows and Rows of World-Famous PEI Potatoes” or “GrownHere, Loved Around the World”or “I Heart PEI Potatoes.”

Right: This wrapped bale canbe seen near the Wilmot River.Photo courtesy of the PEIPotato Board.

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

That’s a wrap!

THE GROWER


The Fresh Produce Alliance (Canadian HorticulturalCouncil, Canadian Produce Marketing Association,Dispute Resolution) has submitted comments to IndustryCanada’s consultations on the Bankruptcy and InsolvencyAct (BIA) and the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act(CCAA). The coalition brief is fully supported by therespective memberships. All submissions have been postedto the Industry Canada website at http://tiny.cc/bankrupt-cy-act.

Of particular note the is the Canadian Federation ofIndependent Business (CFIB) submission, which high-

lights the importance of a thriving small business sector asan essential component of a healthy economy, and effi-cient and fair bankruptcy legislation is a critical compo-nent of a well-functioning SME sector. The CFIA submis-sion specifically address payment protection for SMEs,including the case of fruit and vegetables producers.“CFIB agrees with the Fresh Produce Alliance that adeemed trust mechanism will be an effective tool to helpsmall businesses recover payments when a buyer declaresbankruptcy and will also provide much needed security tofruit and vegetable producers.” Their recommendations

include establishing a deemed trust mechanism to providesecurity and increase fairness for buyers and sellers offresh produce in case of buyer bankruptcy.

A delegation from the US, including representativesfrom Western Growers, Florida Tomato Exchange, FloridaFruit and Vegetable Association, Produce MarketingAssociation and United Fresh travelled to Ottawa duringJuly to engage is a series of meetings with various officialsin support of their submission to the consultation whichstrongly supports the creation of a PACA-like mechanismfor Canada

Consultation period closes for Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act(BIA) and the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA)

The summer Board of Directorsmeeting and tour was heldin Winnipeg and the surroundingarea on July 23-24, 2014.Hosted by Keith Kuhl and Peakof the Market the meetings andassociated visits were productive,informative and an opportunity toshowcase Manitoba’s horticulturesector. In conjunction with theBoard meeting there was anopportunity for members to meetwith the Management Team fromPeak of the Market and also tourthe distribution centre which isundergoing major renovations.A number of guests joined theBoard for the tour, including BevShipley (Lambton-Kent-Middlesex) and Chair of theHouse of Commons StandingCommittee on Agriculture andAgri-Food, and representativesfrom Bayer CropScience,CropLife Canada, Farm CreditCanada, John Deere Canada, Peakof the Market and SyngentaCanada. The tour guide was Dr.

Tracy Sinners- Carnelley,Director, Research & QualityEnhancement for Peak of theMarket. CHC President KeithKuhl emphasized the importanceof the interaction with industrypartners to enhance relationshipsin order to ensure success for all.

Tour stops included:• Connery’s Riverdale Farms

(Portage-La-Prairie): familyowned farm producing over 650acres of asparagus, broccoli,green onions, strawberries, carrots, and cooking onions• Mayfair Farms (Portage-la-Prairie): owned and operated bythe Giffin family, the farm growsraspberries and an assortment ofmixed vegetables

• Kroeker Farms Limited(Winkler): potatoes, onions andcereals on approximately 5000acres, of which fifty percent areirrigated; the farms has both con-ventional and organic production• Southern Manitoba Potato:owned and operated by family ofKeith Kuhl and produces 6, 370acres of potatoes, wheat, canola,

corn and soybeans• The day concluded with a bar-b-que dinner hosted by Keith Kuhland family.

Sincere thanks to the Manitobahosts and guests who participatedin the tour.

CHC Board of Directors summer meeting and tour

The CHC Mid-Summer AppleMeeting was held on July 21-22,2014 in Penticton, BC. The eventwas hosted by the BC FruitGrowers’ Association and spon-sored by Summerland VarietiesCorporation and AgroFresh. Theindustry meeting and orchard tourwere well attended by apple grow-ers and industry representativesfrom across the country as well asthe Okanagan Valley.

The working session includeddiscussions on market situations andtrends, research projects and priorities, CFIA regulatory moderniza-tion, crop protection and the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program.The agenda also included presentations from Summerland VarietiesCorporation on the commercialization of new tree fruit and berry vari-eties, AgroFresh on their products SmartFresh and Harvista, trade datafrom Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and an overview of theOkanagan Sterile Insect Release Program. The 2015 Mid-SummerApple Meeting and tour will be held Kentville, Nova Scotia.

The July 22 orchard tour included stops at:• Lual Orchards in Oliver (BCFGA Research & Development Ltd.’stest orchard)• Machial Orchards (Oliver)• Hester Creek Winery (Oliver)• The Sterile Insect Release Facility (Osoyoos)

The CHC Apple Working Group would like to recognize and thankthe hosts and sponsors for a successful and much appreciated event.

For more information on the Mid-Summer Apple meeting and theCHC AWG, please contact Amy Argentino, Manager, Projects andPrograms at [email protected] or 613-226-4880 (ext. 208).

Mid-Summer AppleMeeting and Tour

CANADIAN HORTICULTURAL COUNCILTHE GROWER


Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MP Bev Shipley at Mayfair Farms,Portage-la-Prairie, Manitoba. Photos courtesy of CHC.

Peter Swetnam, Dr. Tracy Shinners-Carnelley and Keith Kuhl atConnery’s Riverdale Farms, Portage-la-Prairie, Manitoba

THE GROWER


Highlights from the July 2014OFVGA Board meeting

Following are highlights fromthe Ontario Fruit and VegetableGrowers’ Association (OFVGA)board meeting held July 24, 2014.The purpose of this brief is tokeep you up-to-date on the issuesthat the OFVGA is working on,as well as projects and initiativesthe organization is involved in.

Crop protection

Section chair Charles Stevensreported that the EnvironmentalProtection Agency in the UnitedStates has reduced the MaximumResidue Limits (MRLs) forMancozeb. This means Canadiangrowers exporting produce whereMancozeb has been used to theU.S are now subjected to stricterrules with respect to MRLs.Canada has not made a similarchange, which means U.S growers are not subject to thesame regulations.

The Pest ManagementRegulatory Agency (PMRA) isproposing re-evaluation ofMetiram. A 90-day commentperiod is open until September18, 2014. OFVGA will be working in conjunction with theCanadian Horticultural Council tosubmit a response on behalf ofgrowers. For more information orto provide comment, visitwww.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/pest/part/consultations/_prvd2014-03/prvd2014-03-eng.php.

PMRA has revoked the emer-gency registration of Ripcord forSpotted Wing Drosophila (SWD)control on bushberries, includingblueberries. More information onSWD can be found atwww.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/swd-catches2014.htm.OFVGA will be participating inupcoming consultations that willbe held by the Ontario Ministryof Agriculture, Food and RuralAffairs with respect to the use ofneonicotinoids. Consultationdates have not yet beenannounced.

Labour

Employment and SocialDevelopment Canada (ESDC) isrequiring all Ontario growers whoparticipate in the SeasonalAgricultural Worker Program(SAWP) to post their open jobson the online job bank atwww.jobbank.gc.ca. This is inaddition to other job postingrequirements. All SAWP employ-ers have been notified of thechange; more information isavailable from F.A.R.M.S at 1-866-271-0862.

Research

Dr. Tyler Whale has beenhired as the new President ofOntario Agri-Food Technologiesto take over from GordSurgeoner, who is retiring this

fall. Whale was previously withthe Catalyst Centre at theUniversity of Guelph and willassume his new position inSeptember.

Vineland Research andInnovation Centre is hosting aninformation meeting at theirresearch farm in Vineland on July30 starting at 6 pm. Topics to becovered include ethnic vegetables,sweet potatoes, hardy roses, andVineland’s consumer insightsresearch. More information canbe found atwww.vinelandresearch.com.

Safety Nets

Section chair Mark Wales pro-vided an update on the newOntario Retirement Pension Plan(ORPP) being proposed by theprovincial government. It isexpected to entail a 3.8 per centcombined contribution based onemployer and employee each con-tributing 1.9 per cent on annualearnings of up to $90,000.Employers with comparable pen-sion plans may be exempt,although more informationaround this and other details haveyet to be determined. The intro-duction of the program is expect-ed in 2017.

Growing Forward 2 funding forfarmers

Harold Rudy, Barb Caswelland John Laidlaw of the OntarioSoil and Crop ImprovementAssociation made a presentationto the board on Growing Forward2 funding opportunities availablefor farmers and to provide clarification around the application process.

While previous funding programs followed a first-come,first-served principle, theImplementation stream of theGF2 funding uses a merit-basedapproach. There are six focusareas for producer, processor andorganization and collaborationfunding applicants: environmentaland climate change, assurancesystems, market development,animal and plant health, labourproductivity enhancement, andbusiness and leadership development.

The three main program components are workshops andeducation, capacity building andimplementation. Workshops areavailable for Environmental FarmPlan, Growing Your Farm Profits,Food Safety (webinar format),and biosecurity. A workshop fortraceability is currently underdevelopment. The workshops arenot a pre-requisite for funding,but answers from the respectiveworkbooks may be needed tocomplete certain questions on theFocus Area Project InformationForms provided with fundingapplications.

The GF2 cost-share fundingcap per single farm business, covering both Capacity Building

and Implementation funding programs, is $350,000 over thefive-year timeframe of the GF2program (to March 31, 2018).Maximum funding provided to aproject for capital expenditurescannot exceed $100,000.

Capacity building includesthings like audits, plans, work-shops, training costs or consultingwork; a lot of what is needed todevelop a strong application forimplementation funding can comeout of this step. Cost share isavailable at 50 per cent and isdetermined based on set eligibility criteria; there is nomerit component to this level offunding.

Implementation funding isavailable for projects involvingreplacement, repairing, buildingor purchasing activities, such asmaking improvements to amanure storage or implementing anew inventory system to improvetraceability. Application evalua-tion is merit-based and applicantsmust select from a list of pre-

ferred Best Management Practiceswithin the six areas of focus.

Cost share of 35 per cent isavailable, with up to 50 per centif a project is designated as inno-vative. Applications are acceptedduring set intake periods and arenot evaluated until the intakeperiod has ended. The next intakeperiods are August 4 – 28 andNovember 10 – December 11,2014. Projects are reviewed todetermine eligibility and thenscored based on merit. Projectscan be declined if they meet theBMP requirements but do nothave a high enough merit level.

Tips for success:• Read the program guide carefully. The Focus Area ProjectInformation Form provides anunderstanding of how merit isassigned.• Take time to complete yourapplication; projects are not evaluated on a first-come, first-served basis. It can be helpful tofill out an application first in writ-ing before submitting it online.

• Do the capacity building workto have plans and assessments inplace and make sure you submitthe relevant documentation withyour project application asrequired.• Get the quotes you need or collect invoices – you can stillapply for funding for a projectthat has already been completedas long as the work has been donein the current program year. Eachprogram year ends on March 31.• Summarize expected expensesand milestones for the project andprovide a clearly written projectdescription that outlines whatyou’d like to do and why.

More information about GF2funding opportunities for farmersis available at www.ontariosoil-crop.org/en/programs/growing_forward_2.htm or by contacting theOntario Soil and CropImprovement Association’sregional program leads atwww.ontariosoilcrop.org/en/pro-grams/workshop_leaders.htm.

Board briefsOFVGA

This irrigation equipment tangled with a tornado near Keswick, ON. GF2 funding is available for environmental and climate change. Photo by Glenn Lowson

Apprenticeship in Horticulture Technician

Space is limited - Apply today!

The Apprenticeship in Horticulture Technician program consists of two, twelve-week sessions: Level 1 (Basic) & Level 2 (Advanced).

now accepting applications for Level 1 (Fall 2014 entry) and Level 2 (Winter 2015 entry).

Your career options include:

Business Owner/Operator Landscape Designer Landscape Horticulture Technician Retail Sales Representative Pest Management ScoutNursery or Greenhouse Technician

For more information, please contact Shelly Byrne at 613-258-8336, Ext. 61345 or [email protected]

www.kemptvillec.uoguelph.ca

ONTARIO FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION SUMMER TOUR TO TORONTOTHE GROWER


KAREN DAVIDSON

To move more than fivemillion tons of perishable produce every day still takes a lotof raw energy. Even with towmotors, men must put their muscle behind some unwieldyloads that won’t easily move up aramp. And that’s on top of a $2million hydro bill to power NorthAmerica’s third-largest

wholesale market.Yet, this theatre of commerce

is modernizing says operationsmanager Gary DaSilva. Besides building a covered walk-way in the heart of the wholesalersection, the board of directorsrecently approved $6 million for abackup generator to be installedsometime in the next two years.This move is needed to mitigaterisk of power outages as wasexperienced a year ago when

torrential rains flooded Torontoneighborhoods.

With the Ontario FoodTerminal (OFT) managing18 coldrooms, the risk is potential loss ofup to $25 million in inventory.The nature of globalization is onfull view in any given cold stor-age with produce ranging fromGreek string figs and SouthAfrican apples to American pears.Improvements to the cold chainare critical to maintain food

safety standards.Rabba Fine Foods is a good

example of a buyer that uses theOFT cold rooms without havingto invest in their own warehouse.With 33 stores in the GreaterToronto Area, this neighbourhoodchain is at the market four days aweek buying produce. Six of theirown trucks navigate perennialgridlock to get product to consumers.

“Distribution is our Achilles

heel in Ontario,” agrees JamieReaume, OFT board chair. Theterminal’s location just off one ofToronto’s busiest commuter high-ways often begs the question ofwhether a move is in the future.The fact that more than 5,000buyers are registered to use thewholesale facility as early as 2am speaks to the power of arobust “stock” exchange. Multi-million dollar renovations put anend to any debate of moving.

The Ontario Food Terminal: A Shakespearian theatre full of sound and fury

Photo by Herb Sherwood Photo by Carlie Robertson Photo by Carlie Robertson

THE GROWER


Mobile food trucks get rave reviews forthe novel dishes from Gorilla Cheese toSlow Taco. But something new is percolat-ing near the Toronto, high-rise apartmenttowers that are a slog to a farmers’ market

or green grocer. In these communities of“vertical poverty,” the Mobile Good FoodTruck is coaxing seniors and disadvantagedcitizens to come out of their apartments tosample fresh, local produce.

FoodShare is collaborating with a number of agencies including the City ofToronto’s health department to deliver theweekly service. A revamped WheelsTrantruck visits the food deserts of the city,offering fresh fruits and vegetables.

“Many areas of the city aren’t hospitable to farmers’ markets, so we’vehad a spectacular response to mobile

trucks,” says Meredith Hayes, senior manager for education, FoodShare. Whathas worked well is supplying culturallyappropriate foods. Shoppers are delightedto find a range of locally grown okra andlong beans and other mainstay root vegeta-bles in season. If a particular item is notoffered one week, organizers will try tohave it for sale the following week.

FoodShare pilots Mobile Good Food Truck

The Ontario Food Terminal ishome to many wholesalersincluding Fresh Advancements.It provides the raw product forsister company, Freshline Foods,a leader in fresh-cut fruit and veg-etables located a few kilometresto the west. Freshline Foods, forexample, routinely cuts importedpineapple and mango into spearsfor fruit platters while locally-grown cabbage and carrots formthe basis for custom blends ofcole slaw. If a client wants to adda little basil to the salad mix,

that’s no problem. Each order isto custom specifications.

“We are a Canadian companyserving Canadian customers, fromrestaurants to retailers,” explainsNoel Brigido, vice-president,Freshline Foods. “Food safety isour number one concern. We cannot risk a food recall.”

Brigido points out that thechallenge is for smaller, independent growers to becomecertified in food safety protocols.Freshline sources produce frombigger suppliers but would like to

broaden their supplier base. It’sdifficult to find those niche players.

For example, there’s an opportunity in melons. Varietiesgrown in Ontario are for the freshmarket. They are sweet-tasting

but lack the texture to stand up tofresh-cut salads.

“Our quality is not measuredby visual cues,” explains Brigido.“For pre-cut fruits, we need thepressure, the firmness to be there.Different varieties for the

fresh-cut market are required.” Many Ontario growers are

suppliers to Freshline Foods, butthe opportunity stands for morebusiness if specifications areunderstood for pre-cut produce.

Wanted: more local suppliers to Freshline Foods

ONTARIO FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION SUMMER TOUR TO TORONTO

MAKE A HEALTHY CHOICE!Fill half your plate with fruits and veggies!

Book your exhibit space TODAY for our Annual Convention

and Trade Show! Montreal, QC April 15-17, 2014

convention.cpma.ca

cpma.ca

More about FoodShare Toronto

FoodShare’s Good Food Programs connect families and communities with affordable,fresh, culturally diverse vegetables and fruit, increasing consumption of healthyproduce and improving the income of Ontario family farms. Every year, FoodSharedelivers 40,000 Good Food Boxes through 180 volunteer-run drop offs, and the BulkFresh Produce Program for Schools and Community Agencies delivers affordable freshproduce directly to more than 300 locations, serving 70,000 children weekly.FoodShare supports more than 20 Mobile and Good Food Markets within the City ofToronto and Ontario’s North through a partnership with Nishnawbe Aski Nation. Withthe Ontario Food Terminal and 25 local farms, FoodShare establishes better foodaccess and more direct farmer linkages through expanded food hubs.

THE GROWER


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

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

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

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

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

P.M. 40012319

ONTARIO FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GROWERS’ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2013

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEEChair Ray Duc, Niagara-on-the-LakeVice-Chair Jason Verkaik, BradfordFruit Director Norm Charbonneau, Port ElginVeg Director Jan Vander Hout, WaterdownDirector Charles Stevens, Newcastle

BOARD OF DIRECTORSApples Charles Stevens, NewcastleFresh Vegetable - Other Mary Shabatura, Windham CentreTender Fruit John Thwaites, 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’ Ken Van Torre, BurfordGreenhouse Jan Vander Hout, WaterdownGreenhouse Don Taylor, Durham

OFVGA SECTION CHAIRS

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

Ontario is blessed with theability to produce a tremendousvariety of food crops to help sus-tain its population, as well asmake a significant contribution tothe economy. Anyone who haslived in agriculture knows that wecan produce with high quality,consistency, sustainability andsafety.

The problem we encounterhowever, is that most of the popu-lation is a generation or tworemoved from the farm and haveno appreciation of the scope andscale of farming and agriculturein Ontario. When I speak to col-leagues in downtown Toronto, forexample, on what happens inagriculture I am often met with apolite “yes I think it is great thatwe can produce food in Ontario”but with no knowledge really ofwhat it takes to get Ontario freshand processed produce to market.

When we start talking about

the leading sectors in the econo-my, invariably the conversationwill turn to the auto sector, infor-mation technology (IT), aero-space, pharmaceuticals and othersectors that directly impact themon a daily basis (most drive, use acell phone and computer, andhave had a need for pain relief atsome time in their past). Whohas the latest vehicle or cellphone? The conversation doesnot often turn to what variety ofpotato they choose, or who pro-duced their cucumber or pepper.And when they start talking aboutthe latest apple, the discussion isnot surrounding that which growsin Ontario orchards. (I sometimeswonder if Apple™ Corporation,after they chose the MacIntosh™– Mac™ for short, wouldn’t use aGala or Honeycrisp for one oftheir other technologies).

There is also a lot of ignoranceabout the level of contribution ofagriculture, let alone edible horti-culture in particular, to theprovince’s economy.Knowledge of the grape and winesector in Niagara is high.Comparatively speaking however,the same cannot be said for thatof the greenhouse vegetable sec-tor. A huge contributor to therural and small urban economy, itis not a well-known area. Weare one of THE LARGEST CON-TRIBUTORS to the economy,and we need to keep telling ourstakeholders this message.

So harvest time is really a timeto shine the light on agriculture.We need to get our urban neigh-

bours to understand real agricul-ture and real agricultural prac-tices. I think it is great that wehave urban schools in Torontogrowing different plants andusing them as tools to teach stu-dents about plant nutrition andphysiology. It does not howeverteach them the true essence offood production and the businessaspects of agriculture. I encour-age you to invite people to seeyour operation in action. Bringthem out to Canada’s Outdoor

Farm Show in Woodstock. Notonly is it a great exhibition ofagricultural technology, it is atremendous learning experience.

The same can be said for ourpoliticians. It is no secret thatthere is a divide. Those of ourrepresentatives in the Ontario leg-islature who are not familiar withthe practice of farming – I wagerif asked -- would take the time tolearn. The legislature does notsit again until October 20, so nowis a great time to get politicians

engaged. I think that we need toshow them the real story on horti-culture, and the impact thatQueens Park decisions, such asthose affecting minimum wage,labour and crop protection, canhave on the rural economy.

The fall harvest is a great timeto show what we have done andwhat it takes to get it done. Takeadvantage of this time and let usshine!

Harvest is really a time to shine!

JOHN KELLYEXECUTIVE VP, OFVGA

With the passing of Ontario’sprovincial budget, the OntarioRegistered Pension Plan (ORPP)will become a reality. Under thisplan, employees who do not havea workplace pension plan willhave 1.9 per cent deducted fromtheir pay and the employer will

have to match that deduction,which essentially becomes a pay-roll tax. The cost of labour variesfrom farm to farm, but one con-stant on farms producing horticul-tural products is that labour is amajor component of the overallexpenses and cost of production.

This tax comes on the heels ofanother 7.3 per cent increase tothe minimum wage ($.75 perhour). The ORPP is not to comeinto effect until 2017, and thiswill give us time to prepare andmake adjustments. Farms willadjust by reducing labour coststhrough reduced hours foremployees and decreasing thenumber of new hires. In this mar-ket of top-down pricing and glob-al competition, farms cannotexpect to recover these costs fromthe marketplace. Reducing labouror improving efficiency of labourmay be the only options.

It was a little over a year agowhen Premier Wynne challengedthe Ontario agri-food industry todouble its annual growth rate andcreate 120,000 new jobs by 2020.I viewed this challenge with skep-ticism but was encouraged by thefact that the government seemedengaged in the agri-food industry.However, I fail to see how down-loading these costs to our sectorcan help us meet the ambitioustargets. These two concepts arein contradiction with each other.

Lobbying against social pro-grams is certainly a difficult bal-ancing act; perhaps the CanadianPension Plan (CPP) will comeshort of providing a comfortableretirement for some Ontarians butthere has to be a better way tohelp those without a workplaceplan. The ORPP is beingopposed by 86 per cent of smallbusinesses in Ontario who are

calling it a job killer. We alreadyhave a substantial employerhealth tax, the highest minimumwage and the second highestWorkplace Safety and InsuranceBoard (WSIB) rate in Canada.

How much more can we beasked to pay before there is a sig-nificant economic impact on oursector? There is a limit -- theORPP is only another 1.9 per centbut it’s 1.9 per cent that our com-petitors are not paying. If thiscontinues, we will not be compet-itive in the Canadian market letalone the global marketplace. Itputs Ontario production at a sig-nificant competitive disadvantage.

We will continue to take ourconcerns to the government andwe will be reminding the ministerof agriculture, food and ruralaffairs what is needed for us tomeet the premier’s challenge.The agri-food sector generates

$34 billion in gross domesticproduct and sustains 740,000jobs. If the government is seriousabout growing our sector, theymust support Ontario farmers toremain competitive. Increasingcosts which our competitors donot have will not achieve this.

Additionally, they must bringspending on research and innova-tion back to levels we once hadand invest in rural infrastructureat a proportionate rate as urbaninvestment. The challenge thepremier laid out is not unachiev-able, but it will take sound gov-ernment policies and investmentsin rural Ontario. I did not noticethese spending initiatives in therecent budget but I did noticeanother two per cent hit!

Just another two per cent

RAY DUCCHAIR, OFVGA

A cabbage field extends to the horizon of Lake Erie in Ontario’s Norfolk County. Photo by Glenn Lowson

THE GROWER


What’s sparked the acceleratedsense of passion in Ontariomunicipal candidates this year?People always get geared up forlocal politics, because municipalissues affect them so directly. Butthis year election fever seems tohave started very early, way backin the early summer months, longbefore the October 27 electionwas even on most voters’ radar.

Maybe there’s a ripple effectfrom the ceaseless Rob Ford circus in Toronto. Or maybe withpeople’s ongoing drive towardsthe security of a community andall things local, municipal politicsare taking on an even greatermeaning to voters. I’m not sure,but whatever it is, this municipalelection has the makings of anunusually vigorous slugfest.

The Ontario Federation of

Agriculture wants you to wadeinto the municipal conversationnow. As urban Canadians increas-ingly feel a part of agriculturethrough continued local fooddevelopment, so will their electedrepresentatives be urged to speakout on it.

And that’s fine if these representatives are bringing for-ward important issues that haveurban and rural angles, such astransportation and employment.

But if they’re trying in earnestto make decisions on agriculturalmatters they really don’t under-stand (e.g., raising livestock intheir backyard, farming equip-ment using municipal roadwaysand support for basic research,among them) farming has a problem.

You’d think that given all thecommunication platforms at ourdisposal that information sharingwould be easier than ever. Butthat’s not the case. Even thoughthe pursuit of local food keepsclimbing, the understanding ofrural issues does not. Everyonewith a cause has access to thesame communication platforms asfarmers.

That’s not to say their causesare more important than the mostbasic one of all – that is, growingfood. And there’s no bigger con-stituency than consumers of thatfood.

But as the federation says,

farmers are a minority in mostOntario municipalities. Thatmeans they must be active asfarm families and farm businessowners. They must work withlocal governments to help themunderstand agriculture and not letrural communities be forgotten.“We must be sure that local ser-vices to farmers, farm familiesand farm businesses are top ofmind with candidates,” says federation president Mark Wales.

This plea is not unlike a similar request the federationmade to farmers prior to June'sprovincial election. Farm issuestranscend political borders, whichfarmers were reminded of when

candidates were most recentlycreating provincial platforms.

Municipally, the overarchingmessage to farmers from thefederation is similar: get active.Make sure municipal office candidates hear and understandthe concerns of farm constituents.Then, if they’re elected, they canmake informed decisions onissues that impact Ontario agri-culture.

The federation echoes comments about the importanceof local governments to people’slives – specifically, to farmers.“Municipal leaders are responsi-ble for important communityfunctions, including services,

building and maintaining infrastructure, waste managementand land use planning,” saysWales. Municipal councillors arealso responsible for funding allthese services, roadways andbridges through taxpayer andfarm property tax dollars.

To help, the federation has created an elections kit that canguide farmers' discussions aboutagriculture with local municipalcandidates. The kit, available atwww.ofa.on.ca, includes a sampleletter to candidates, backgroundon municipal governance, andinformation and questions to askcandidates on nearly 20 differentissues from land use planning towildlife damage, drainage andnatural gas service.

Farmers should get out in frontof this now. As fall approaches,more candidates will be gearingup for the October election.There’s really only one way foodproduction messages will get ontheir agenda, and that’s throughthe active involvement of farmers.

Agriculture needs to be a municipal issue too

OWEN ROBERTSU OF GUELPH

PERSPECTIVE

I have been advised the following statement waspublished in OFVGA's August issue of The Grower:"Although science is not clear on the link [with bee

deaths], groups such as Sierra Club have been lobbyingfor a ban on their use."

I would ask you give us an opportunity to explainour position in any future publication.

All our education programs are based on science and when it comesto neonicotinoid pesticides the science is quite clear. Only the pesticideindustry suggests it is not. The PMRA itself has acknowledged thatneonicotinoids kill bees.

Bees, however, are only the canary in the coal mine providing uswith an early warning. This class of pesticides also kills or harms allinsects that come into contact with them. There is also peer-reviewedscience linking them with impacts on birds and amphibians. We do nottake these issues lightly.

We believe strongly in promoting and supporting Canadian agricul-ture as do our members and supporters. We have endeavoured toensure our public statements remain respectful of the agricultural com-munity.

We realize the use of this class of pesticides has become wide-spread and the industry is heavily promoting them to the agriculturalcommunity. However, the evidence of harm is significant and grow-ing. We hope to work with the agricultural community to find mutual-ly acceptable solutions.

In the meantime we urge OFVGA to look closely at the indepen-dent science.

John BennettSierra Club Canada FoundationOttawa, ON

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Feedback on neonicotinoids

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THE GROWER

KIRSTEN GRANT

Simcoe, Ontario - Subsurface drip irrigation is widelyrecognized as a highly efficient irrigation method.However, during irrigation or heavy rains, water replacesair pockets in the soil and oxygen levels in the spacesaround the root hairs can temporarily drop. Low oxygenlevels can negatively impact the soil microbial community,and affect plant growth. By adding air along with water tothe soil, root respiration and microbial activity isincreased. The addition of air, therefore, may have significant benefits to the growing conditions for somecash crops grown in Ontario.

A University of Guelph research team led by Rene VanAcker is comparing the benefits of air injection subsurfacedrip irrigation system to conventional subsurface dripirrigation on vegetable production at the Simcoe ResearchStation. Also involved in this project are John O’Sullivan,Robert Grohs and Peter White of the University of Guelph,and Rebecca Shortt, water quantity engineer for theOntario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

The potential benefits of aerated drip irrigation arebeing tested by comparing the yield and quality of vegetables grown under three treatments. These include non-irrigated crops, subsurface drip irrigation, and subsurface drip irrigation with aeration. Air is drawn intothe drip irrigation system using a Venturi valve. This is arelatively inexpensive technology to add to an existingsubsurface drip irrigation system. The aerator is a simpleVenturi valve in the pipe that allows air to be drawn intothe drip line mixing with the water as it heads underground. The system has no ongoing costs once theaerator is added to the drip system. The aeration system is

being tested on field tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers andsweet corn. Previous trials have shown increased yieldsbetween 13 and 18 per cent in other fresh market fruitsand vegetables.

This project is one of 28 under the Water AdaptationManagement and Quality Initiative (WAMQI). WAMQI supports projects that showcase innovative technologiesand solutions for agricultural water conservation/efficiencyand the efficient use of nutrients related to water quality.

WAMQI is administered by Farm & Food Care withfunding provided under Growing Forward 2.

For more information on any of the 28 WAMQIprojects visit: www.farmfoodcare.org and click on theEnvironment button or contact Farm & Food Care’s environmental program manager Bruce Kelly at [email protected].

Kirsten Grant is a summer student at the Ontario Ministryof Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and Farm & FoodCare.

Research project examines drip irrigation on vegetable production

MICHIGANGREENHOUSEGROWERS EXPO

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734-677-0503 for registration questions or to receive registration and program information by mail.

616-794-0492 for information on exhibiting in the trade show.

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for registration, program and other information

Significant increases in yield and quality have beenachieved for tomatoes (above) and other crops byincreasing oxygen, via aerated irrigation water, to thecrop root system.

The orange Venturi located between the pressuregauges draws air from the atmosphere to enrich thesubsurface drip irrigation water with oxygen.

THE GROWER


It has been interesting to fol-low the growth of Longo’s storesin the face of increased competi-tion within the grocery channel.This retailer has been able togrow to 26 stores in the GreaterToronto Area (GTA) fromBurlington to Aurora toPickering. Longo’s differentiatewith their staff and their listingbase to survive in the face ofsome big competition.

When I visit Longo’s stores

there are two things that impressme: the engagement of the staffand the unique listings they main-tain. These are two importantattributes for a relatively smallretailer competing with the likesof Loblaw, Sobeys, Walmart,Costco and Metro.

In June, I was in the Longo’sstore in Milton and an employeein the meat department was eagerto take the time to explain thevirtues of their local program andpoint out these products on theshelf. It is refreshing to talk to anemployee who is knowledgeableand more importantly engaged.This is consistent with my experi-ence in other Longo’s stores. Thislevel of engagement sets Longo’sapart. One of the biggest chal-lenges for the bigger chains isgetting employees to engage withthe customer. You can sell whenyou are engaged.

If you have the opportunity tovisit a Longo’s store spend sometime looking at different cate-gories. I have to applaud them for

finding some unique items. Theycannot compete with the big guyson price 52 weeks of the year.They just do not have the buyingpower or the economies of scale.However, they can compete byoffering unique items and theyshould be able to get new items tomarket quickly, given their size.

Store execution is critical inthe competitive, over-stored mar-ket of today. These stores executewell in fresh with emphasis onlocal product. They do deliverlocal to Ontario consumers acrossthe store.

Longo’s started as a fruit andvegetable market in 1956 andthey continue to use produce as acornerstone of the offering.Produce is first in the flow andthey claim family members stillbuy at the terminal six days aweek. It is also important to rec-ognize that they have continuedto evolve for the consumer. Theyoperate Grocery Gateway, whichoffers shoppers in the GTA anonline option for grocery shop-ping. Longo’s also have a person-alized rewards program calledThank You Rewards. Dollars pur-chased result in points that can beredeemed against future transac-tions. Personalized offers are cre-ated for members based on shop-ping habits.

At the Store 2014 conferencein June, Ken Kuschei who isLongo’s director of consumerinsights shared some results fromtheir mobile app. They have beensuccessful at getting their Thank You Rewards members to spendup to 11.4 per cent more whenusing the mobile shopping list. You can find more informationabout Longo’s and GroceryGateway on their websites: • www.longos.com• www.grocerygateway.com

I will continue to watch asLongo’s carve out their niche. Asthey grow they will have to workharder to maintain the two uniqueattributes they have in the market-place.

The following are my sugges-tions for suppliers who want tosell product to Longo’s:

1. All of the stores are located

within the Greater Toronto Areaso suppliers who operate in thismarket who are perceived to belocal will have an advantage.

2. Longo’s rely on the OntarioFood Terminal for a significantamount of produce. If this is yourdepartment, you will have todetermine which is the bestopportunity to get your product toLongo’s.

3. If you have a story to tellabout your product and someattributes that make it unique,Longo’s could be a great opportu-nity. They are very good at sup-porting these types of items andthey do a good job telling thestory in store. Make sure you pro-vide them with the information totell the story.

4. With 26 stores the volume theyrequire for regular movement andads is obviously much smallerthan the big chains. This can be amore realistic amount of productfor smaller producers or proces-sors.

5. You will need to understandthe rewards program and partici-pate.

6. Longo’s produce theExperience Magazine. This couldbe an opportunity to providerecipes and other product useinformation. Make sure you checkout the offering either in store oron the website.

7. You can find the details aboutLongo’s Corporate SocialResponsibility program on theirwebsite. They put a lot of empha-sis on giving back so you need toknow where you fit as a supplier.

8. With its approach of keepingcategories slightly different thanthe competition, Longo’s could beopportunities for new or uniqueitems. Given the smaller size ofstores they probably do not haveroom for several line extensions.

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

RETAIL NAVIGATOR

Engaged staff and unique offering set Longo’s apart

PETER CHAPMAN

Sept 6 - 7 Stratford Garlic Festival, Stratford, ON

Sept 9 – 11 Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, Woodstock, ON

Sept 10 Ontario Berry Growers’ Association Twilight Tour, 4 pm, Josmar Acres, Lynden, ON (RSVP: 613-258-4389 or [email protected])

Sept 13 - 14 Niagara Garlic Festival, Great Mountain Centre, Stone Road, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON

Sept 16 – 20 International Plowing Match & Rural Expo, Simcoe County, Ivy, ON

Sept 17 Grape Growers of Ontario 31st Annual Celebrity Luncheon, Club Roma, St. Catharines, ON

Sept 19 - 20 British Columbia Lavender Workshop, University of BC, Okanagan, Kelowna, BC

Sept 21 Toronto Garlic Festival, Evergreen Brick Works, Toronto, ON

Sept 29-30 Grocery Innovations 2014, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, ON

Oct 3 Cornell University Small Fruit Open House, Ithaca, NY

Oct 4 Holland Marsh Soupfest, Ansnorveldt Park, Ansnorveldt, ON

Oct 7 – 13 Norfolk County Fair and Horse Show, Simcoe, ON

Oct 8 - 9 Canadian Greenhouse Conference, Scotiabank Conference Centre, Niagara Falls, ON

Oct 20-24 North American Plant Protection Organization Annual Meeting, Huatulco, Oaxaca, Mexico

Nov 2 – 5 Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association Tour (members only), Simcoe County and Muskoka Region, Ontario

Nov 7 – 16 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Direct Energy Centre, Toronto, ON

Nov 12 Paper & Paperboard Packaging Environmental Council “Paper Facts and Fiction” seminar, Brampton, ON

Nov 15 – 22 International Fruit Tree Association Study Tour, Northern Italy

COMING EVENTS 2014

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Agricultural * Commercial * Industrial

50 Years of Excellent Service

Refrigeration (All Types)

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905-685-4255

www.pennrefrigeration.com

[email protected]

THE GROWER


KAREN DAVIDSON

A 30th anniversary with yourtractor brand says a lot about therelationship. That’s not dating,that’s a marriage.

“Since 1984, Kubota has beenthe workhorse for snow removal,field cultivating, subsoiling andpulling farm wagons,” says TomHughes, Springridge Farm. “It’s areliable and safe piece of equip-ment for pulling our customers.”

He’s referring to their hillylocation on the Niagara escarp-ment. It’s an agri-tourism attrac-tion for thousands in the GreaterToronto Area west of Milton,Ontario best known for its straw-berries. All tractors on the farmare four-wheel drive with a loaderas a safety guard in addition to aparking brake. Despite adheringto a maintenance schedule, there

are inevitable breakdowns.Hughes attests to timely repair,with parts arriving usuallybetween 24 and 48 hours.

The entire equipment line orig-inates with Kubota including twodiesel-run lawn mowers, smalleryard tractors for unloading trucksand a larger M-series for fieldwork.

“The Japanese tractor company continues to evolve,”says Hughes. “Their lineup hasair-conditioned cabs withimprovements to the clutch, steer-ing and lighting. They also havegreat tire options. Depending onthe use, you can get an industrialtire or a medium or large tire.”

Key features are:• Xenon exterior lights which arebrighter for evening or nightspraying • Good sight lines from the cabfor safety plus heated glass on

three sides• Extensive line of implementoptions

Freezer/cooler addition

The farm equipment relation-ship is an old one, but the criteriafor searching out new suppliers isjust as stringent. SpringridgeFarm has built a new cooler andfreezer from Penn Refrigerationto replace a rented tractor trailerreefer.

“At Springridge we make ourown pastry in the quieter seasonsand freeze it,” Hughes explains.“So a safe and reliable freezer isessential.”

After years of research, looking at other farm markets andtalking with Penn Refrigeration atthe Ontario Fruit and VegetableConvention, the Springridge Farmteam decided to build an

industrial-size, in-house coolerand freezer. It’s 28 feet by 36feet in a driveshed with 11-footceilings.

“It’s like a refrigerated patio,”says Hughes. “The design is brilliant in that the cooler airfeeds into the freezer air. Thereare two independent coolingunits, so that if one breaks down,there is a back-up.”

Deciding where to locate thecooler/freezer was one of thebiggest decisions in the process.Consulting with staff was crucialin understanding the traffic flowfrom kitchen to freezer.

Hughes is happy that theywent with a footing design with aclosed-loop, glycol floor-heat system that’s powered with a residential-style water heater. Oneof the biggest concerns waswhether frost might penetrate thefloor. A heated floor deals withthe concern of the floor lifting.

Another key design elementwas eight-inch, engineered structural panels to keep the coldin. They are white and bright,making it easy to see inventory.They can be wiped down ifthere’s a spill, another advantagein meeting food safety standards.The eight-inch thick walls havemore R value -- building insulation -- than four-inch walls,meaning it takes less energy to

keep the space at temperature.Just completed in April with a

new power service, this storagefacility is expected to pay foritself in five years.

“It’s the reassurance of nobreakdowns with other people’sequipment,” says Hughes. “It’snot so much the cost of the freezer but protecting your crop.”

Hughes mentions another benefit: the power of pallet pricing. While they freeze theirown farm’s strawberries and raspberries, they can now buyfruit such as cherries in season,knowing that they can be frozenfor jam-making in the winter season and pies all year.

At Springridge Farm, everynew piece of equipment or line ofinventory is discussed by themanagement team. That meansnot just the Hughes family butvarious managers.

“Those who are working in thetrenches can offer a differentpractical perspective,” saysHughes. “When we were designing the shelving for ourfreezer, we asked about heightand configuration. We ask whatwould work best and give ourteam a couple days to come backwith suggestions. When we areconsidering new equipment, lotsof our best ideas come fromstaff.”

Research safety and reliability in equipment purchasesFOCUS: NEW EQUIPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY

At Springridge Farm, an agri-tourism attraction near Milton, Ontario, Tom Hughes says the safety and reliability of Kubota tractors has been proven for 30 years. Photos by Glenn Lowson.

NOTICE of MEETINGis hereby given that the

156th Annual Members and Directors’ Meeting

of the

Ontario Fruit and Vegetable

Growers’ Associationwill be held in

Niagara Falls, Ontario at

The Crowne Plaza HotelJanuary 13 & 14, 2015

Election of Directors of the Association will

take place as well as dealing with resolutions

and any other business that may arise.

THE GROWER


The 2014 edition of Canada’sOutdoor Farm Show (COFS) willbe held September 9 to 11, show-casing the latest agricultural tech-nology near Woodstock, Ontario.The Horticulture Pavilion, spon-sored by The Grower and OntarioFruit and Vegetable Growers’Association, is located at the heartof the show grounds on 2nd and3rd lanes. It’s a hub for horticul-tural services, media and prod-ucts.

The Ontario Fruit andVegetable (OFVC) conventionjoins as an exhibitor. The COFSand OFVC organizing teams areworking together to promote theirevents to farmers, says StefanieNagelschmitz, farm show teamlead and communications. “TheOFVC will have an exhibit in theHorticulture Pavilion with com-mittee members ready to answerquestions about the 2015 speakerline-up.”

More biomass equipmentdemonstrations are scheduled.AGCO, along with several part-ners such as the OntarioFederation of Agriculture, willhost new corn stalk baling demoseach day at 2:30 pm in the south-west demo field. These will befollowed by Vermeer BiomassEquipment Demos at 3 pm locat-ed in the large-scale miscanthusand switchgrass plots.

Back for the first time in 10years, the Skid SteerRide’N’Drive will let farmers getbehind the controls of multipleskid steer brands in one place.Located near the DucksUnlimited Farm Pond, this venuewill be scattered with obstaclesfor testing how skid steers turn,load, dump and switch theirattachments. Participating brandsinclude Bobcat, JCB, John Deere,Kubota, New Holland andVermeer. Pop by anytime

between 10 am and 3 pm eachday.

Farm Credit Canada presentsnew farm management computingsoftware. FM PRO Mobile isused with Field Manager Pro or360, letting you choose where and

when you manage your field data. AgExpert Mobile, used with

AgExpert Analyst, lets you recordincome and expense transactionsas they happen.

A new sprayer educationaldemo sponsored by BASFCanada is themed, “One Rinse,Two Rinse, Best Rinse?” As thename implies, this seminar focus-es on the best approaches toquickly and effectively clean outsprayers between uses. OMAFRA’s application technolo-gy specialist Jason Deveau (pic-tured above) will lead thesedemos at noon and 3 pm daily.

For more information, go towww.outdoorfarmshow.com.

For hort growers at Canada’s Outdoor Farm ShowFOCUS: NEW EQUIPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY

CALL ABE FIRSTFOR BETTER PRICES, MORE

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NEW IRRIGATION PUMPUNITS ON TRAILER

• Cummin 4 cyl & 6 cyl• John Deere, 4 cyl & 6 cyl• Iveco/Cummins, 4 cyl & 6 cyl• Kubota & Deutz etc, etc.

Rovatti PumpsBerkeley Pumps, etc.

And many more new or used up to 550 HP.

We build them all big or small.Also couplers, hoses, clamps, forsuction, camlock, ringlock, bauer

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THE GROWER


FOCUS: NEW EQUIPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY

The Spudnik Three-RowAirSep harvester made its debutat the Ontario Potato Day in lateAugust, attracting growers fromseveral provinces and the U.S. tosee how this machine might benefit their operations. With justnine machines manufactured inNorth America, six are sold inCanada this year. HJV Equipmenthad one on display at its Alliston,Ontario headquarters. It’s alreadysold to a local customer for fallharvest.

The Idaho-built SpudnikAirSep harvester has been developed in the last five years ina quest to separate stones andclods from potatoes and to

minimize bruising. Until now,stones and potatoes were elevatedand then cross-channeled to a sideelevator before being separated.The new technology consists of afan which blows air into a cham-ber, holding the potatoes in sus-pension. The heavier stones fallbelow into a conveyor and theninto a stone box.

“The concept of air separationis simple,” explains Dan Mann,vice-president of sales, root cropequipment for HJV Equipment.“This system separates the stonesand clods from the potatoes earlybefore there is a change in direction of product flow. Thisallows for a reduction in

bruised product.” With this harvester, growers

may consider planting potatoes onland that was marginal potatoland or on heavier soils. In areas

of sandstone, the issue of separat-ing stones is much more challenging because they arelighter and often of the sameweight as potatoes. Tests in

Prince Edward Island wereextremely positive in dealing withthis problem, says Mann.

Harvester separates stones from potatoes more efficiently

Is that an airplane or a sprayer? If you view the YouTubevideo called ATI Agritronics Inc. Spray Nozzle Lights,then you’ll understand instantly how much sense theselights make.

LED lights on sprayers have been quickly adopted bywestern Canadian farmers because of how they light upindividual nozzles. For those who have to spray underpoorly lit conditions, these are an excellent tool for trou-bleshooting a clogged nozzle.

“Not only can you see if a tip is plugged, but you cansee changes to the spray pattern,” says Jason Deveau,OMAFRA application technology specialist. “This is ter-rific feedback for applicators who, until now, could onlysee if they were on or off.”

Applicators are reminded that temperature inversions

which can lead to long-distance transport of a spray cloud,are common on clear, calm nights. These conditionsshould be avoided when spraying.http://sprayers101.ca/spray-drift/surface-inversions/

Agritronics, a Saskatoon-based company, also makesflashing red lights for transporting equipment at night.“Having the lights on a string allows for much better flexi-bility and gives other road users a much better idea of thedimension of the equipment,” says Tom Wolf, a spraytechnology researcher, in Saskatchewan.

In Ontario, Northern Equipment Solutions has the dis-tribution agreement for this equipment. While cash cropfarmers have been early adopters, Paul Smith says thatthese lights are also well suited to horticultural uses.

Light up your sprayer for nozzle efficiency and safety

THE GROWER


KAREN DAVIDSON

Don Chapman has not regretted buying a precision corner arm for his center pivotirrigation system. The carrot andcelery grower near Queensville,Ontario says that he gains five to15 per cent more coverage in afield, by watering the corners.

With a total length of 287 feet,this big arm has an end gun thatcovers an extra 100 feet.

“The biggest advantage is thatit allows you to irrigate a squareor rectangular field more efficiently,” says Chapman. It’sthe GPS guidance system thatmakes the difference. A RTK-GPS receiver is mounted on topto steer the arm.

The field must be computer-mapped first, setting an outerperimeter to keep the rig withinits bounds. It’s up to the growerto decide from a panel on thecenter pivot how much water touse and where it should be distributed.

“It’s been proven over timethat if we don’t water at the critical time, crops sufferimmensely,” says Paul Van denBorre, specialty ag equipmentsales rep for HJV Equipment.“There’s more science-basedinformation all the time on irrigation. The rewards are thereif you understand your specificcrop’s needs.”

This particular Valley modelhas a Nelson R3000 rotator sprinkler. A 32-ounce blackweight keeps the nozzle in place,preventing wind from playinghavoc with the spray pattern. Inthis example, the yellow 42-sizeorifice determines the volume ofwater. The green rotator isresponsible for a 60-foot diameterfootprint of water. Water isdirected over a big footprint without pounding the crop.

“Remember that different irrigation systems have theirspots,” says Van den Borre. “Bigreels, pivots, trickle all have a

role in different situations, cropsand soils.”

With this particular centerpivot system, labour is reducedwith no need to lay pipes.However, computer supervision isrequired to monitor what’s goingon. No equipment should be leftin the way of this moving rig.

Several precision corner armsare now in use in Ontario. Vanden Borre expects the next generation of technology willcome with variable rate irrigation.

Photos by Glenn Lowson.

Precision corner armenables further reach insquare or rectangularfields


and orchards.wheels or low compaction tracks. An ideal tractor for vineyardsCategory I & II 3 pt hitch with live independent PTO plus chooseFactory Cab in 70 to 85 Hp Kubota diesel, Hydraulic Shuttle,

orHp 85 to 60 in models ROPS width, overall 48" features; ractors are anything but narrow ons M Series Narrow TTrKubota’

THE GROWER



KAREN DAVIDSON

The Ontario Apple Tour, host-ed by the Georgian Bay Growers’Association on July 30, proved inspades that many acres have beenconverted to high-densityorchards. What’s clear is that thisintensive system requires propermanagement and equipment totake advantage of efficiencies.

Nowhere is that more evidentthan in self-propelled platformsfor a multitude of tasks: pruning,tying leaders, hand thinning andharvesting. The Orsi line of platforms are offered by ProvideAgro, specialists in orchardequipment based in Beamsville,Ontario.

“We’re getting good feedbackfrom our clients on harvest effi-ciencies in high-density systems,”says Matt Peters, sales manager.“The platform can also be used toinstall trellis wire with a pneumatic staple gun.”

In response to clients whodon’t want to commit four workers on the full-size platform,the equipment company has manufactured its own two-personplatform. Available at a lowercost this fall, the battery-operatedequipment quickly shows the

benefits of automation versus ladders.

What will be new toorchardists is a Holland-manufactured sprayer that’s specific to high-density orchards.“We’re just introducing thissprayer so that growers canachieve excellent coverage fromtop to bottom in these new wallsof apples,” says Peters. The needfor this specialized equipmentwas evident at the orchard ofTom Ferri.

First-hand experience with self-propelled platform

John Ardiel and his two sonsGreg and Liam purchased a self-propelled platform last spring:Techno Fruit by Frumaco. ThisSpanish-manufactured machinehas auto steer but also four individual platforms that can beraised or lowered with an electrictoggle switch. This flexibility isideal for different tasks in theorchard.

“We’re really impressed withthis machine,” says Ardiel. “Howdid we operate without it?”

With one-third of their 200acres in high-density apples, this

machine has proved 50 per centsavings in pruning time and handthinning time and 60 per cent sav-ings in tying and wiring requiredto support trellis systems. Onemachine can cover 60 to 80 acreswith various density plantings.The self-propelled platform willhelp achieve goals of renovatingfive to eight per cent of the conventional orchards every year.

The Ardiel family is lookingforward to fall harvesting whentheir pickers will place applesdirectly onto a conveyor belt. Nobags or baskets will be required.

Two additional pieces of

equipment are aiding the orchardtransformation. An escavator isused to compact and install postsat a rate of 30 to 80 per hourdepending on the soil. And trickleirrigation is being installed withthe help of former liquid manuretanks converted to water reser-voirs. A combination of collectedrainwater and wellwater will be attheir disposal.

What caused this damage?

The configuration of appletrees – conventional or high-density – does not deter insects.

Management levels intensify with high-density apple orchards

When Paul Fox of Double RManufacturing first started developing amore flexible and portable bale processorfor the livestock market, he had no idea itwould find a following in Canada’s straw-berry and vegetable fields, poultry farmsand a need on land recovery operations.

“I wasn’t aiming for these markets,”explained the company president, recallingthe day a P.E.I. strawberry grower enteredhis shop, raving about how well theBeddingPro worked at spreading strawmulch in his berry fields. “I was scratchingmy head, trying to figure out what this guywas talking about.”

The Crapaud, P.E.I. - based companyfor the bale processor, conveniently fitsonto a rear or front-mounted three point-hitch. The bale processor has developedquite a following in Canada and the U.S.

Claude McCardle of P.E.I. purchasedhis bale processor 12 years ago after contracting out his straw spreading to theoperator of a large-scale bale processor.

“Contracting out didn’t work verywell,” recalled McCardle, who grows abouteight acres of strawberries plus raspberriesand low-bush blueberries at his farm calledthe Berry Patch.

He went on a hunt for a straw spreaderthat could be powered by his 50 horse-power tractor, and he discovered theDouble R model. “That’s the big advan-tage. I didn’t have a very big tractor andwith those big bale busters you require atleast a 100 horsepower tractor.”

McCardle, whose farm is located justoutside of Charlottetown described his baleprocessor’s coverage as perfect. “It basi-cally unrolls the bale as it was originally

baled up and shreds it. And you can con-trol both the speed of the bale as it rolls outand your forward speed.”

He also is very pleased with the ease ofoperation of the bale processor. “I can doit myself, no other labour is required.”This is in stark contrast to the amount oflabour McCardle used to require when heoperated a small square bale processor.“You had to follow the machine and therewere two guys sitting there looking at youall the time.”

Ralph Stirling purchased the Double Rmachine for his family’s Wolfville, N.S.area operation last year, mulching strawonto the farm’s eight acres of strawberries.

“Of all the bale processors I’ve tried,this one worked the best,” he said. “Mostchop too fine or don’t have even coverage.Sure, it takes a little practice but this oneworked great.”

Fox has spread the word about his

product farther afield. Ten years ago hetraveled to Ontario with his proto-type,providing a field test in a Guelph -areaberry field. About 10 - 12 growers from asfar away as Ottawa viewed the test, whichlasted about two to three hours. By theend, “everyone was happy,” said Fox.“Every grower does something different; adifferent thickness, a different speed.”Over the course of the test, Fox madeadjustments to his bale processor and easily accommodated the demands of theassembled growers.

Fox explained that many growers areimpressed with the coverage his baleprocessor provides. With one round baleequaling approximately the amount ofstraw found in 18 small square bales, manyof the assembled growers explained theycan get eight inches of coverage over 500feet from 18 square bales. Using this baleprocessor, Fox achieved eighth-inch

coverage over 1,500 feet using one roundbale.

“It sheds and fluffs,” he said. “That’swhat impresses them the most; the balegoes so much further.” Paul has taken theBeddingPro to shows in Ontario in NiagaraFalls, Tillsonburg, Woodstock and theCanadian Plowing Match. It’s been tenyears since building the first BeddingProand sales are very good and the popularityis growing. We are proud to offer a well-built and reliable Canadian product at afraction of the cost of other bail processors.

The BeddingPro is designed to fit ontractors with a minimum 40 horsepowerengine, making it ideal for both large andsmaller growers. It is relatively compactwith a size of five-and-a-half square feetand has a base weight of 1.000 pounds.Fox explained the small size allows it towork in small spaces with little head room,such as under netting or ginseng shade.The machine was designed to keep thedust, often associated with bale processingto a minimum.

Fox said the company has developedattachments such as V in and V outoptions, self-loading options and a bottomfan delivery attachment which will allow a50’ broadcast or will spread both sides. Aside delivery attachment is also available.These attachments will allow the shredderto be more versitile and meet all of theneeds and requirements of livestock grow-ers, poultry producers and for crops likestrawberries, blueberries, ginseng and veg-etables and land reclamation.

For information, call Paul Fox at 1-888-658-2088, email [email protected],or visit www.doublermanufacturing.com.

P.E.I bale processor continues expanding across Canada and U.S.ADVERTORIAL

Matt Peters demonstrating Orsi picking platforms for apples T & K Ferri Orchards near Thornbury, Ontario

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

European apple sawfly is moving slowly westwardthrough Ontario says Margaret Appleby, provincial applespecialist. Its spread has been monitored since the 1980s,but now it can be found as far west as Georgian Bay.

In an OMAFRA factsheet, Appleby explains that thispest overwinters as a mature larva in a cocoon a few centimeters below the soil surface. The larvae pupates inthe spring and adults emerge during the pink stage ofapples. The female lays eggs just after the king floweropens. Eggs are deposited singly at the calyx end of theflower, often at the base of or between the stamens. Aftereight to 10 days, newly hatched larva burrow into theapple and feed on tissue just below the skin of the youngfruitlet at the calyx end. This causes a distinctive scar.(See photo) As larva matures, it tunnels into the seed cavity.

Monitoring can be done using 3D visual traps

consisting of non-UV white sticky boards that mimic blossoms. A line of traps is placed on the south side oftrees during tight cluster and pink, and remain in theorchard until two weeks after petal fall. There are twotimes when European apple sawfly can be controlled withan insecticide.

At pre-bloom, adult European apple sawfly are usuallycontrolled by broad-spectrum insecticide applied at pink.Post-bloom, young newly hatched larvae of this pest arecontrolled by application of an insecticide.

Current biological control research trials involving aparasitic wasp are underway. A bio-pesticide – Quassia –is being investigated for control of European apple sawfly.

At harvest time, trains work well

At Global Fruit, their high-density orchards demand

fast harvest and turn-around to the storage facility. FiveMacroPlastic bins are designated for fresh apples and thenon the fender of the trailer, there are two small containersfor juice apples. These are for any apples that are misshapen, too small or don’t have enough colour.Together these bins are mounted on a train and pulled by asmall tractor into the orchard explains Gerbe Botden.

The five-member picking team has a crew leader whosupervises harvest on the spot, making sure the correctapples are going to the right bins. If the binyard reportsany negative trends – not enough colour – then the message is quickly communicated to the crew to be morediligent in picking. Pickers wear gloves to protect theapples from bruising. Each apple is placed singly into thebin.

In a salute to the company colours, all bins are green todifferentiate from bins of neighbouring farms.

THE GROWER


Management levels intensify with high-density apple orchards


levelling

www.provideag.ca

1.800.263.1287905.563.8261

Beamsville, On

The new orchard standard.3-cylinder Kubota diesel. Auto levels both ways to 6° slope. Ultra sonicsensors for auto steer. Hydrostatic drive with speeds between 0 and 15km/h.The levelling is designed with flexibility in mind and can be optioned toaccommodate many different row widths and tasks. It’s Built to Last.

A Bartlett CompanyEST. 1912

[email protected]

The Bartlett

Leave the ladder in the barn.

This 2-man electric orchard platform will allow you toprune, thin, train, hang phermones, hang hail net,and pick without the use of inefficient ladders!Designed with High Density orchards in mind, thisplatform can be used in 9-15’ row widths with it’seasy to use width and height adjustment. Easy tooperate, costs next to nothing to charge, affordable.The Future of Orchard Production NOW.

John, Liam and Greg Ardiel have bought a self-propelled platform for multiple orchard tasks.

Scarred tissue from European apple sawfly MacroPlastic bins are arranged on a trolley for harvest at Global Fruit.

THE GROWER


CANADIAN GREENHOUSE CONFERENCE OCTOBER 8 & 9, 2014

This year’s annual conference at the Scotiabank Conference Centre, Niagara Falls, Ontario, promises aroster of global experts to shed light on how to grow better, more profitably. For vegetable growers, here’sthe speakers’ agenda.

Previous to the conference, October 7, OMAFRA greenhouse specialists Shalin Khosla and GraemeMurphy will be hosting a bus tour. Destinations are to be posted by September 1. For details on reservinga seat on the bus tour and for registering, visit www.canadiangreenhouseconference.com

Connect. Inspire. Grow.

• VEGETABLE SEEDERS

Planet Jr. Gaspardo Cole

• CASH CROP PLANTERS

Conventional – Pneumatic (Air)

• FERTILIZER ATTACHMENTS

(SideDressers)

• ROW CROP WEEDERS, ETC.

• DISC HILLERS

• SPECIALIZED ROW CROP EQUIPMENTCultivator Steels, Sweeps, Hoes, Furrowers,Hillers, Etc.

JOHN C. GRAHAM CO. LTD.DISTRIBUTORS

88 Erie Street North • P.O. Box 13Leamington, Ontario • N8H 3W1

Tel:(519) 326-5051 Fax: (519) 326-0480

Mesh Bagging and Weighing systems

Bag Closing Systems, Sales, Service, Parts

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

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

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

The AWS has been approved for use by the Ontario Ministry of Environment through over 40 EnvironmentalCompliance Approvals. Recently the Region of Niagara began approving the AWS for treatment of ‘smallflow’ winery washwater I.e. < 10,000 liters per day. Other agencies who have issued approvals includeHealth Canada, USEPA and OMAFRA. Recent projects include:1) treatment of cider mill washwater at Bennett’s Apple and Cider in Ancaster2) treatment of winery washwater at DiProfio Wines and Lincoln Farm

Winery in Niagara3) treatment of pond water at Hihojo Farms for supply of hog drinking waterFor additional information please Contact LloydRozema at: cell. 905-327-4571email. [email protected]

Wednesday, October 8

Speakers Topics

Les Shipp, AAFC Harrow The latest buzz on bee vectoring of microbial agents

David Ben-Yakir, Israel Optical manipulation of greenhouse pests

Irene Vanninen, Finland Impact of specific light spectra in pests and predato-ry bio-agents

John van de Vegte, Vineland Research andInnovation Centre

A vision of the future of automation in greenhouses

Les Shipp, AAFC Harrow Early and mid-season thrips control using predatorymites on greenhouse crops

Xiuming Hao, AAFC Harrow Lighting from HPS to LEDs

Graeme Smith, Australia Greenhouse plant physiology

Thursday, October 9

Bernard Erven, Ohio State University Hiring the right person vs filling the position

Michael Pautier, Vineland Research and InnovationCentre

A novel resource to improve the quality and diseaseresistance of greenhouse vegetables

Interactive session What are my options?

MycostopPrestopRhapsodyRootshieldBotanigard

TagroeMet 52No FlyAgriphage OmniLyticsTimorex Gold

Les Shipp

THE GROWER


AMANDA GREEN, WEED MANAGEMENTPROGRAM LEAD-HORTICULTURE

Field and hedge bindweed are best controlled whenthey are flowering. (Fig. 1). Control by phloem mobileherbicides, glyphosate (eg. ROUNDUP or TOUCHDOWNTOTAL) or 2,4-D will be the most effective at the earlyflowering to full bloom stage. Field bindweed has a veryextensive root system that can reach a soil depth of sevenmetres and after six months of germination can producemore than 260 metres of vertical roots and more than 45metres of rhizomes. Because of this extensive root systemand ability to re-establish, a systemic herbicide that willtranslocate through the phloem, with the sugars, to theroots will give the best control. When bindweed is flower-ing, root energy reserves will be at the lowest and sugarswill be translocating from leaves photosynthesising,through the phloem, to the roots and rhizomes. At thisstage glyphosate and 2,4-D will be translocated to theroots and rhizomes and be the most effective in killingbindweed.

When applying glyphosate you can use a wick wiper,hand drip applicator or hand sprayer for spot application.With 2,4-D apply only on crops and their stage that areregistered on the herbicide label. Control of bindweed will

also be more effective if it is growing vigorously. Contactherbicides, such as paraquat (GRAMOXONE), diquat(REGLONE), glufosinate and bentazon (BASAGRAN), in

crops where these products are registered, will provideabove ground control but you will more than likely getregrowth (Fig. 2).

Effective bindweed control is all about the timing

Crowne Plaza Hotel, Ventura, CAFebruary 3-6, 2015

We invite you to the 8th North American StrawberrySymposium to be held Feb. 3-6, 2015 in Ventura,California, U.S. This meeting of strawberry scientists andproducers from around the globe promises to be remark-able. California, where nearly 90 per cent of U.S. straw-berries are grown, features a unique coastal environmentwith its western ocean exposure, moderate temperatures,

warm sunny days, and cool foggy nights – perfect forgrowing strawberries year-round.

Please reserve the dates of February 3-6, 2015 for the8th North American Strawberry Symposium (NASS) –two and a half days of workshops, research presentations,poster sessions, a banquet, and other special events. TheSymposium will be followed by a post-conference tour onFebruary 6, which will encompass strawberry productionin the region and opportunities to visit other horticulturaloperations. The Program Committee is committed to mak-

ing this a world-class research symposium for growers andscientists, and we eagerly look forward to seeing you inVentura.

Look for a mail-in registration form and more programdetails (abstract deadlines, keynote speakers, etc.) andopportunities for industry, organization and agency spon-sorship on the NASGA website: http://www.nasga.org/.On-line registration will become available in September.

8th North American Strawberry Symposium

Amanda Green will be filling in as Ontario’sWeed Management Program Lead for KristenObeid. She has a B.Sc. in Agriculture and isworking towards completion of her M.Sc. with aresearch focus in weed science. She is particular-ly interested in weed management issues in horticulture such as herbicide resistance, UserRequested Minor Use Label Expansion and herbicide evaluation for new crops in Ontario.

She is stationed at the Harrow Research Centre.Feel free to contact her with queries about weedmanagement.

Contact info - [email protected] or519-738-1232.Right: In matted-row strawberries, herbicideapplication around Labour Day is importantto control field violet (shown right) and otherwinter annuals.

New Weed Management Program Lead

EVAN ELFORD, NEW CROPDEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST,OMAFRA

Harvest timing for blue honey-suckle (Lonicera caerulea L. ),a.k.a. ‘haskap,’ has become acommonly discussed issue as pro-duction increases across theprovince. When a number of newcultivars were introduced a fewyears ago, it was thought that theberries would ripen in late Mayunder Ontario conditions, creatinga niche opportunity for an early

season berry crop. Over the lastfour years we have learned thathaskap are not ready for harvestin May and typically ripenbetween the middle of June andearly July, depending on environ-mental conditions of the year.

Understanding the optimal har-vest time for these berries is animportant factor when developingthe market for this new crop. Ifhaskaps are harvested too early,the bitter flavour could deter cus-tomers and negatively affect mar-ket development for the crop.However, if harvested at the right

time, the berry flavour is quiteacceptable and may provide cus-tomers with a wider selection offresh berries at farm markets.

Fruit colour typically startschanging at the beginning of Mayand continues through the monthof June. But don’t be fooled bypurple fruit – fruit colour is not agood indicator of fruit ripeness inhaskap!

Harvest timing trials using var-ious methods to understand opti-mal time for picking have beencompleted on other fruit species.A few of the parameters that have

been studied in relation to fruitripeness include: Total SolubleSolids (TSS) (of which sugar con-tent is one component), pH andTitratable Acidity (a general mea-sure of acidity).

Unfortunately there are noreplicated studies outlining theseparameters for haskap. However,measurements of TSS using a

hand held refractometer, com-monly known as a ‘Brix meter’(Figure 1), have been performedon haskap fruit grown in Ontarioduring the 2013 and 2014 sea-sons. Values obtained from thesereadings may provide a generalindication of when the haskapfruit is ready for harvest.

When are haskaps ready for harvest?

Fig. 1 Field bindweed in flower Fig 2. Regrowth of field bindweed after herbicideapplication

Brix meter

THE GROWER


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The University of Lethbridge will be establishing aresearch chair in potato science thanks to a $1 millioninvestment by a consortium of association and industrypartners. Over five years, funds will come from the Potato

Growers of Alberta (PGA), McCain Foods, ConAgraLamb Weston and Cavendish Farms.

“Growers and processors identified a need to expandresearch in this critical field,” says Terence Hochstein,

PGA’s executive director. “There are only a handful ofresearchers dedicated to the discipline throughout westernCanada, and we expect this new chair will greatly enhanceand complement the current capacity that exists.”

New research chair in potato science

Vineland Research andInnovation Centre will receive$1.1 million for further researchon seasonal field production oforiental long eggplants and okra.Canada’s evolving demographicsare ripe markets for these worldcrops. Some funds have alsobeen earmarked to evaluategreenhouse technologies as well

as to develop sweet potato vari-eties adapted to colder climates.

This investment is madethrough the federal Industry-ledResearch and Developmentstream of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s AgriInnovationProgram, a five-year, up to $698-million initiative under GrowingForward 2.

Right: Valerio Primomo, (R)vegetable breeder, and SheilaAttersley, research assistant,compare notes on sweet potatoresearch plots at VinelandResearch and InnovationCentre, Vineland, Ontario.Photo by Denis Cahill.

Funds for hort research

THE GROWER



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THE GROWER


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THE GROWER



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THE GROWER


Notice to readers: This columnmay be considered inflammatoryand if you read further, it is atyour own risk!

Now that I have that off mychest, let me explain. It seemsthat agriculture and its peripheralindustries are considered guiltyuntil they can prove themselvesinnocent when it comes to certaingovernment officials. I havealways had a few farmer inquiriesmade here over past years when asituation arises for them, but lately the problems are coming inmore frequently.

Let me use an example. Agrower who has had a history ofcontinual harassment by a neighbour about his pesticide usereceived a visit from Ministry ofEnvironment (MOE) staff toinvestigate a ‘new’ complaint.His first reaction was to ask ifthey had reviewed his ‘file’wherein the past allegations (andexonerations) would be self-explanatory. The answer was“no.” They insisted on visiting hisspray shed since they were onsite, but he (rightfully) refusedthem entry as they were not properly dressed with protectivegear (unless shorts, tees, and sandals are OK in a spray shed).They still insisted. Against hisbetter judgment he gave one ofthem his protective gear, and afterentry and inspection he wascharged with an offense! Yes, hedid have a bag of an old pesticideinside under safe storage, but just waiting until the next waste pesticide collection when it couldbe safely disposed of as per ‘normal’ practice. There was alsoa small container of unregistered

product left over from an on-farmresearch trial that had not beencollected by the researcher, and ittoo was destined for disposal.Would any clear-headed and reasonable person have chargedhim? Did they also charge theneighbour with harassment? (No!)Did the storage itself meet allcodes? (Yes!) Did the staff getreprimanded for their actions?(What do you think?)

In another situation, a growerhad a pond on his property withno outlet drain. He directs rainwater from the roof of hisgreenhouse into the pond underhis site water management plan.Notwithstanding this, he isrequired to get a permit to take(his own) water from the pond toirrigate the crop indoors! This isthe height of lunacy when, if theglass was removed and the rainfell on the crop, no permit isrequired for the very same water.In a different scenario, if someonehas a trout farm and they want toadd water to their ponds or tanks,they do NOT need a permitbecause fish are considered live-stock and exempt. If rain falls ontheir pond, they do not need tomanage it. Yet, a greenhouseowner must get a permit whenrain falls on the glass roof, even ifthey own and control the (artificial) pond into which thewater is directed!

In yet another case, a veg-etable grower who only washesthe dirt from the roots of field-grown vegetables (no processingwhatsoever) prior to boxing it forshipment is required to get a permit if he runs that wash waterback to a holding pond (no outlet)and then use it again (diluted) asirrigation water back onto hisown crops. Someone in ‘authority’ decided that he wasoperating a ‘sewage works’ andthat needs a permit.

These examples are to showthe lengths to which farmers areforced to go because of ‘generous’ interpretation of Lawby ministry staff. The costsinvolved to try to be compliantare growing by leaps and bounds,with no assurance that one caneven be compliant!

This nonsense has got to end.

When Acts and Regulationsare passed in parliament (federalor provincial) they are the Law.When they get to the ministrystaff to enforce however, it is theywho create the policy, directiveand guideline language to facili-tate the actions deemed necessaryto enforce the Law. This is wherethe intent of the Law gets blurred.Staff get well inculcated into the‘this is how we do it approach’from other staff. The policies getaltered over time, as do the guide-lines to make life easier (for thestaff). The poor grower at theother end of the stick cannot justabide by the intent of the originalLaw that was passed, but must tryto deal with the actions that resultfrom policies which may be farfrom what was intended. In fact,the enforcers may have little orno understanding of the originalintent of the law but only thedirections coming down to themto ‘get the job done.’ They rarelyunderstand what it is that agriculture is doing, but thatseems to matter naught.

When the policies or guidelines get really out of whackthere is little if any chance thatthey will get changed because an‘outsider’ wants that. However,when an insider (staff) wantschange, it can and does happen!When staff are acting as directed,there is almost no chance for a

grower to get redress such as inthe cases alluded to above. Incourt, the policies, directives andguidelines become de facto ‘theLaw,’ not the actual Law that waspassed by elected officials. The‘protection’ of staff while doingwhat is deemed to be their jobalways outweighs the originalintent!

Just this week I heard of agrower who got legal advice toNOT pursue the ministry or thestaff in court. It was deemed better to pay a not insignificantfine because it would be cheaper.Not only cheaper now, but forfear that they could become a‘target’ down the road if theyever won their case today. Itdidn’t matter that he was ‘right’in what he had done!

What a sad state of affairs.

Back in the day, ministry staffseemed to have and use discretionbetter than what we see today.Reasonableness worked bothways when, with a good discussion and better understand-ing, the situation was resolved toeveryone’s satisfaction. It nowhas devolved into confrontationand anger (lawyer versus lawyer)in too many cases. Good workingrelationships that could and didmore and better things for theenvironment are being ruinedbecause of the inflexible approachcoming down from on high. (Notsure how high, but certainlymighty!)

What agriculture needs is ahigh profile case in court toexpose how draconian, and unreasonable the policies havebecome as opposed to what theHansard records show was theintent when the Law was enacted.We need the understanding of ajudiciary that can stay some ofthese orders and recommendchange in policies back to reasonable approaches.

From where I sit, it seems tobe the only option: right nowthere is no balance or reasonableness left in the system.

If these ideas have ‘contaminated’ anyone’s mind, Iplead for understanding of thecause and the intent!

CRAIG HUNTEROFVGA

MINOR USE

CRAIG’S COMMENTS

Policy fixes needed to make the law work as intended

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It seems that agricultureand its peripheral industries are consideredguilty until they canprove themselves innocent when it comesto cer tain governmentofficials.

JIM CHAPUT, OMAFRA, MINOR USECOORDINATOR, GUELPH

The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA)recently announced the approval of an URMULE registration for Phostrol fungicide for suppression ofPhytophthora foliar and root rot on ginseng in Canada.Phostrol fungicide was already labeled for management of diseases on some vegetables, ornamentals,berries, grapes, pome fruit and turf in Canada.

This minor use project was submitted in 2013 as aresult of minor use priorities established by growers andextension personnel in Canada. Management ofPhytophthora on ginseng with effective, reduced risk products is a priority of producers and buyers alike.

The minor use label expansion for Phostrol fungicide isa helpful step towards developing an improved pest management toolkit for ginseng in Canada. The followingis provided as an abbreviated, general outline only. Usersshould consult the complete label before using Phostrol

fungicide.Phostrol fungicide can be used for suppression of

Phytophthora foliar and root rot at a rate of 5.6 L perhectare. Begin applications when conditions become con-ducive to disease development and continue on a sevenday interval if disease conditions persist. Phostrol fungi-cide can be applied to a maximum of nine times and usedup to the day of harvest.

Phostrol fungicide should be used in an integrated pestmanagement program and in rotation with other manage-ment strategies to adequately manage resistance. Do notcontaminate aquatic habitats when cleaning or rinsingspray equipment or containers.

Follow all other precautions and directions for use onthe Phostrol f ungicide label carefully.

For a copy of the new minor use label contact SeanWesterveld, OMAFRA, Simcoe (519) 426-4323, theOntario Ginseng Growers Association (519) 426-7046 orvisit the PMRA label site www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/pest/registrant-titulaire/tools-outils/label-etiq-eng.php

THE GROWER


More than 10 years ago, whenAgriculture and Agri-FoodCanada (AAFC) announced theestablishment of the Minor UsePesticides Program (MUPP), hor-ticultural and special crops pro-ducers hoped for access to thenewer and better crop protectionthat their U.S. competitors werealready using.

MUPP was modelled after theUnited States Department ofAgriculture’s InterregionalResearch Project No. 4 (IR-4).For the past 10 years, the partnershave come together every year toagree on a total of 37 prioritiesthat include the 10 most harmfulinsect pests, 10 plant diseases, 10weeds, five regional priorities andtwo organic production priorities.Occasionally, when there is noobvious solution to a new prob-lem, several products can bescreened.The MUPP specialists atAgriculture and Agri-FoodCanada use various trials to determine the effectiveness ofpesticides against each prioritizedpest. These field, greenhouse,and/or growth chamber trials,coordinated through PestManagement Centre headquartersin Ottawa, occur at seven researchcentres: Agassiz, BritishColumbia; Harrow, Ontario;

Kentville, Nova Scotia; Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Québec;Scott, Saskatchewan;Summerland, British Columbia;and Vineland, Ontario.Researchers also measure pesticide residues in crops; forexample, a pesticide will reactdifferently when applied to applesand raspberries.

To date, the MUPP has completed more than 950 projectsand more than 1,200 new pesticide uses have been regis-tered by Health Canada’s PestManagement Regulatory Agency(PMRA).Important dates in the history ofthe MUPP• 2003: The first priority-settingworkshop• 2004: First submission complet-ed to register a minor use pesti-cide - for the control of BlossomBlight in coriander• 2005: First minor use pesticideregistered - for the control ofPythium Root Rot in turf• 2008: The MUPP extendedthrough the federal-provincial-territorial agricultural policyframework Growing Forward(2008–2013)• 2009: 250th submission completed to register a minor usepesticide• 2010: 500th new minor use of

pesticides registered• 2011: First “A” Priority withoutsolution product registered foruse, enabling growers to controltwo fungal diseases in lowbushblueberry• 2012: New pesticide residuesanalysis lab, established atVineland Research andInnovation Centre• 2013: More than 950 projectsundertaken and to date, 521 submissions for registration havebeen presented to the PMRA, 380registrations received for 1,238new uses.Source: Excerpted fromInnovation Express Magazine,AAFC

Photo by Glenn Lowson

A quick history of the Minor Use Pesticides Program (MUPP)

MINOR USE

Phostrol fungicide label expanded for ginseng

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THE GROWER


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Documents

The Grower September 2014