http://www.thegrower.org/ News story updates from TheGrower.org en-us http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=0m0m2r1g4p5t Incorrect date - In the October issue of The Grower on page 7, Board briefs under paragraph with regards to Research priorities, it states that there will be a meeting with VRIC to discuss research priorities that has been scheduled for November 23 and OFVGA will distribute a meeting notice. ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=8z6e3s8a8g1b LEAMINGTON, ON- October 19, 2010 -  The Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) announced its final determination today, upholding the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers’ (OGVG) complaint of injurious dumping by Holland of bell peppers into the Canadian marketplace. The complaint, which was filed on December 24, 2009, alleged that imports of greenhouse ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=9o2d2r5p9q5t September 8, 2010 (Guelph, ON) - The third annual Ontario Harvest Gala, hosted by the Ontario Farm Animal Council (OFAC), will be held on Thursday, October 21 in Guelph. Each year, farmers and others working in agriculture meet at the event to celebrate Ontario’s bounty. During the gala, the ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=7t7m5w8l8p4g Canada, September 06, 2010 - Cavendish Farms has purchased the breeding rights for "Prospect", a potato variety it says is suitable for French fries and good for the environment. It's the first time the Prince Edward Island company has bought the rights to an entire variety of potato. That means Cavendish decides ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=0r4q2e4n9u5r Simcoe, Ontario (September 8, 2010) -- A new winery has opened its doors in the south central Ontario region. Wooden Bear L is the newest facility to commercialize in the Simcoe Ontario area and has located its facility at 801 Norfolk Street South. The winery specializes in wines produced ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=9r7b0p2p3r7m Vineland, Ontario, September 9, 2010- Vineland Research and Innovation Centre has recently partnered with Let’s Talk Science, a national, charitable science outreach organization, to bring relevant and reliable information about environmental and agricultural issues to teens via CurioCity.ca – an interactive science-based website. At CurioCity.ca, teens are able to explore the ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=3s8o4p1k7r0h WHAT'S NEW Applications are now being accepted for the fifth year of the Premier's Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence program. The deadline for submissions is November 15, 2010. Awards will be announced in spring 2011. ABOUT THE PROGRAM The Premier's Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence was established in 2006 to recognize and foster ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=9t9c5t3y1w7h Winnipeg, September 13, 2010 - Charitable or not-for-profit organizations in Canada providing safety training related to agriculture may now apply online for funding from the new $100,000 FCC Ag Safety Fund. Farm Credit Canada (FCC) and the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) are partnering to provide support ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=8j9y6z9y9a5y Industry-government collaboration leads to success in food, flowers and plant research Vineland, Ontario, September 21, 2010- Dr. Jim Brandle, CEO Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, opened the Vineland campus doors today to share latest science and innovation work with industry partners. “Vineland ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=8m4b7e0a0s7y   Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association 152nd Annual General Meeting and Convention January 10, 11 and 12, 2010 Crowne Plaza Hotel, Niagara Falls 5685 Falls Avenue, Niagara Falls, Ontario L2E 6W7 Click to download ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=8n8p2k8s9z0k Guelph ON, November 15, 2010 – Farmers with permits to take water are being reminded to check the expiry date of their documents. The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (OFVGA) is encouraging growers to review their paperwork this fall to ensure that their permits remain current or can be ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=2r6x1j0j1w6u Are you working on an innovative project or do you have an innovative product? You could win an award through the Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Program. Applications must be in by November 15, 2010. The awards program includes the Premier’s Award (up to $100,000), the Minister’s ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=6w6b0j0d5v8m  Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, November 17, 2010 --- The Prince Edward Island Potato Industry welcomed Rick Mercer, from The Rick Mercer Report, on October 12, 2010, through invitation by the PEI Potato Board. Rick Mercer and his crew met with Jason and Bertram Webster, of Middleton Farms, and Troy Webster, of ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=9n7x4a6a1h8l  The preliminary production estimate for the 2010 Canadian potato crop is 97,279,000 hundredweights (4 412 575 tonnes). This is down 4 per cent from last year’s revised production. Area planted was set at 356,700 acres (144 356 hectares), down 4 per cent, while area harvested is estimated down 5 per cent at ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=8g0e3x0o2v3x  With slim budgets and big issues, the Fresh Vegetable Growers of Ontario are digging deep for survival, both as an association and as individual growers. The umbrella group represents all unregulated vegetables from artichokes to zucchini. The past year has challenged all growers with wage increases, energy hikes and gaps ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=6y0a0y1i1j5w  With the asparagus seed business exceeding $600,000 from Ontario growers, customers in the U.S. and the U.K., directors are investigating a business model that would be at arm’s length from the Ontario association.That’s a key issue says Jason Ryder, newly elected president, at the recent Ontario Asparagus Growers’ Marketing Board ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=2g5n7x3y7s0s Guelph, January 25, 2011 – New technologies and the latest research developments in the field of agricultural irrigation will be the focus of an upcoming Ontario conference. The three day Ontario Agricultural Irrigation Conference will feature a drip irrigation course, presentations by irrigation experts and assistance with the Permit To ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=1f4i4n2w3p3v Guelph, January 20, 2011 – The long-serving general manager of the Ontario Tender Fruit Board and the Fresh Grape Growers Marketing Board was recognized for his contributions to the Ontario horticulture sector last week. Adrian Huisman was named the recipient of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association (OFVGA) Award ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=1j4z0d4i2w8x Guelph ON, January 26, 2011 – Ontario’s horticulture farmers have banded together with the provincial government again this year to bring healthy fruit and vegetable snacks to school children in Northern Ontario. The Northern School Snack Program has launched its 19 week program at 110 elementary schools. “The connection between food ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=0h2r9l9f3k5c  With the largest wine flute setting a Guinness Book of World Records at the Niagara Ice Wine Festival, Ontario’s grape producers are feeling more celebratory than they have in a couple years. Follow the money trail to the 2010 crush to find out why. The value of the crop ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=9y5z3n0h9y3e  Thanks to funding from CropLife Canada, a new pilot workshop “Airblast Sprayers 101” will be offered to growers in southern Ontario in March 2011. Four venues are currently being scouted in Meaford,Woodstock, Simcoe and Harrow by Dr. Jason S.T. Deveau, OMAFRA application technology specialist who developed the course. ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=4y2o4u4l1e6x OFVGA and Erie Innovation and Commercialization have engaged the George Morris Centre to examine food distribution and market access issues within the South Central Ontario region and to develop a food distribution model for the area. Interviews with many industry members have already taken place. However, to broaden the scope of ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=1v1w7y9h8p4h The establishment of a risk management program (RMP) was the single most important action the provincial government could have taken in today’s budget, say farmers representing the Ontario Agriculture Sustainability Coalition (OASC). The new program will help ensure the economic success of Ontario’s non-supply managed commodities, which include beef, pork, ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=0x1r0s3v9r2d  Flavour is complicated. It’s assessed by taste, texture, temperature and most importantly, smell. But flavour is not the starting point for most berry researchers. It’s usually agronomics. That’s why the March 2011 formation of EUBerry is so promising, a multinational consortium funded with ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=9j3r7s9l8w9i LEAMINGTON, ON, May 3, 2011- The Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers (OGVG) would like to clarify that Ontario greenhouse tomatoes are not the source of a recent tomato recall due to salmonella contamination. Yesterday, Mastronardi Produce Ltd., a marketing company, advised the public not to consume Field & Farm brand, Grape Tomatoes, ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=4u9k7u9i1p6o Guelph, June 29, 2011 – Ontario’s fruit and vegetable farmers are pleased with today’s provincial government announcement of a new self-directed risk management program for the edible horticulture sector. Farmers have long been asking for a bankable, predictable and stable risk management program as the fruit and vegetable sector has ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=2c4k1i5e0c3t Dr. Jason S.T. Deveau, Application Technology Specialist Gillian Ferguson, Greenhouse Vegetable IPM Specialist Many people think it was Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) that coined the word “robot,” but it was actually Czech playwright Karel Capek (1890-1938), from the Czech word for “forced labour” or “serf.” Now some greenhouses are using robots to spray ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=1q0u8o8q8k5r Christmas is Thanksgiving for Cheryl Peck and her family at The Cider Keg. That’s because October to December is the biggest sales season for this fifth-generation, 125-acre apple farm near Vittoria, Ontario. With one-quarter of the apples destined for a value-added treat, the harvest tastes sweetest as sparkling cider, fruit ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=2w0h7p9h0q0v LILIAN SCHAER for AGCare Members of two Ontario agricultural coalitions voted in August to amalgamate their two organizations into one to promote food and farming in the province. The joining of Agricultural Groups Concerned About Resources and the Environment (AGCare) and the Ontario Farm Animal Council (OFAC) will mark the first ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=5l6x5t5l2p4d 2012 February 7, 8    Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association Annual Meeting, Lamplighter Inn, London, ON February 7 – 9    Canadian International Farm Show, Toronto, ON February 8 – 10    Fruit Logistica, Berlin, Germany February 15, 16    Agricultural Management Institute Conference “Take a New Approach: Global ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=3f5o3n9q7q6b  Just for fun, think of all the things you were supposed to learn how to do, but are now obsolete: how to save a file on a floppy disc, how to record something on a VHS tape, the point of a pager/beeper. If you missed the 90s and most ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=3j9o3k2t0i8c There’s nothing like a farmers’ market to sharpen presentation skills. And when it’s the Byward Market, in the shadow of the nation’s Parliament Buildings, there’s even more of a spotlight with city dwellers and tourists alike viewing the wares. Gerry and Diane Rochon, who grow 90 acres of fruits ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=3b7x5q7d1j7q What’s that real estate term? Location, location, location. Kevin and Krista Ward are the beneficiaries of that maxim by virtue of their on-farm retail store just a couple miles south of Wasaga Beach, Ontario. For those without a map, that’s like casting your lure into a stream ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=2k7d5r7u8x3p  (Niagara Falls, ON, January 11, 2012) – There is a new leader in place at the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association (OFVGA). Potato grower Mac James was elected Chair of the Board at the organization’s 153rd annual general meeting yesterday. He succeeds Brian Gilroy who stepped down after serving ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=1u0h5w5l7q6p What many oenophiles may not know is that this year’s vintage started in March. Under wind machines. At dawn break. That’s when Glen Koop, and other Ontario grape growers, were monitoring unseasonable temperatures and the abnormally rapid deacclimatization of grapes. Many wine grapevines are susceptible to winter ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=0j0k8z5t8b8n Given the attention focussed on large passenger vehicles in the recent past, it seems timely for a brief refresher on the relevant requirements for operators of such vehicles. Chapter H.8 of the Highway Traffic Act defines a “bus” as "a motor vehicle designed for carrying ten or more passengers and ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=9e8v5f8a6w4g Calgary, AB – Build it and they will come. That’s what happened when Calgary hosted the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) Annual Convention and Trade Show April 11 – 13. The marketing opportunity was seized by 230 companies active in the fresh fruit and vegetable market in Canada. In ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=3g5m2v5b2y7e Prince Edward Island native Heather Moyse has returned to her roots. The Summerside native and Olympic Gold Medalist in women’s bobsleigh feels totally comfortable hefting a bag of potatoes, almost the same weight as her medal. Yes, it’s surprisingly heavy! Thanks to ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=7v1d7o5x9t7s In the U.S., 80 per cent of the carrots are grown in California. And while that statistic may not be useful in an everyday sense, it’s important in terms of the lessons about treating a North American pest: root knot nematode (RKN). ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=7y8u2j1r3q0o This spring will not be easy for growers of root crops without the usual arsenal of nematode control products. While new nematicidal products are on the market, none are registered for carrots and little, if any, trial data are available on Ontario muck soils warns Marion Paibomesai, OMAFRA’s vegetable ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=3y3i2g3k7l7z I’m among that crowd of Canadians who feel they’re getting taken to the cleaners by Big Oil, while governments stand by and collect tax on inflated gas prices. Greed is the only reason that’s emerging after the most recent mean-spirited spike at the pumps. Other excuses – ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=1j9x1x0h6a6n LILIAN SCHAER If farmers don’t like what’s being said about their industry, it’s up to them to do something about it. That’s the message South Dakota ranchers and agricultural advocates Troy and Stacy Hadrick brought to a sold-out crowd at the Farm and Food Care annual meeting in Waterloo last month. Their ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=3b8g6f6f1t1q AHMED BILAL With the wide variety of cultures represented in the Greater Toronto Area, there is growing demand for fresh fruits and vegetables from around the world. At the moment, the bulk of these vegetables are imported, yet we have the capacity to grow many of these crops in Canada. ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=6c0p5n0e8i6b Tree fruit growers have long timelines, patiently waiting years for trees to bear fruit. That’s why they’re the logical target for growing hazelnuts. Martin Hodgson sees only opportunity for hazelnuts, given that candy maker Ferrero Canada Inc. has a plant in Brantford, Ontario. He’s lobbying for an organization along with ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=2o0f7a9b3b9x Russian dandelion may look like a weed pest, but in fact, may prove to be a new industrial crop for Canadian growers. Native to Kazakhstan, the plant’s tap roots are a source of natural rubber. That’s why University of Guelph researcher Dave Wolwyn is investigating potential to identify ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=4z0v5l1m6e1r Hops are enjoying a revival. While the long-legged perennial plant has had a checkered record since Prohibition, the craft brewing business is dusting off the history. Local ingredients are the charm. “Now the stories are emerging of what grandfathers used to do when portions of nearby towns ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=0k5d1j5m2j1n Here’s the challenge. Rehabilitate leachate water into water that can be irrigated again. That’s what Lloyd Rozema is offering through his company, Aqua Treatment Technologies Limited. In a large project completed with Ontario Plant Propagation in 2010, a full scale wetland treatment system was installed to filter ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=9f3b6k0u1d4a Keoma, Alberta may seem an unlikely place to grow seed potatoes, but its seclusion is a plus in keeping pests and disease at bay. Just 25 miles northeast of Calgary, that’s where brothers Markus and Ludwig Reicheneder have helped build Rockyview Elite Tuber Ltd. “Our parents have ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=4p7r6j3r7f4v  If you could rent an apartment inside the head of a millennial, what would you find? “Millennials love to see imagery reflecting themselves and those that they know,” says Kathy Perrotta, NPD Group. The consumer researcher says this is just one of the habits of a group that represents ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=9o7g4q9y6b9e I recall the time back in the 1990s when severe cuts were made by the Ontario government that led to widespread lay-offs of OMAFRA staff. In particular I remember the anguish of a friend who signed each and every severance letter. In his case, he knew each one of them ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=9b1d3k3c7d2a   J. CHAPUT, OMAFRA, MINOR USE COORDINATOR, GUELPH The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) recently announced the approval of an URMULE registration for RANMAN 400SC FUNGICIDE for suppression of white rust on spinach in Canada. White rust is a common disease of spinach in many areas of North America and has been ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=5m1m4n4y9s2z  J. CHAPUT, OMAFRA, MINOR USE COORDINATOR, GUELPH The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) recently announced the approval of a minor use label expansion for CALLISTO 480SC Herbicide (mesotrione) for control of weeds on established asparagus in Canada. Callisto herbicide was already labeled for management of weeds on corn, mesotrione-tolerant soybeans, cranberries ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=2c8o9w2u0x0i Spring freeze causes widespread damage to apple crop For immediate release Vineland ON, May 4, 2012 – Ontarians can expect fewer locally grown apples in stores this fall and those that will be on the shelves will likely be more expensive. That’s due to spring frost that has caused widespread damage to ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=3a5q0n7b6n0v Kroger, Loblaw, Safeway agree to accept standard 4”x 2” RPC labels that result in a cost effective solution for growers and packers (May 8, 2012) – Three large retailers—Kroger, Loblaw, and Safeway—have agreed to accept a new standard 4”x 2” label for Returnable Plastic Containers (RPCs) following an industry ... http://www.thegrower.org/readnews.php?id=8f4k7s4i6y2r  Mastronardi Produce Ltd. learned yesterday that Naturesweet, Ltd. filed suit against Mastronardi claiming violation of patent and design issues. “Mastronardi is surprised that the action was commenced because Naturesweet has never complained or made any contact whatsoever to Mastronardi regarding any issues relating to the design and packaging of Mastronardi’s ...