Cross-Canada events demonstrate offshore labour programs still have benefits. | 10
Invasive pest issues
Leek moth is a growing threat to Nova Scotia’s Allium crops. | 14
Improving cyber resilience
Cybersecurity should be an ag priority. | 16
January 2025
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Making your apples last
Controlled atmosphere storage can mean fresh, firm apples for longer.
Editorial 4
Industry News 6
B.C. business 7
B.C. co-op collapses during difficult growing season
Packaging solutions 13 Broccoli packaging film to reduce environmental footprint
10 14 16
Improving on a good thing
Invasive pest an increasing issue
Apples in cold storage. See page 8.
Jamaican Liaison Service events across Canada show continued benefits of offshore labour programs. BY
JEFF TRIBE
Since its discovery in the province, leek moth has become a growing threat to Nova Scotia’s Allium crops. BY MATT PEILL, PERENNIA
Improving agriculture’s cyber resilience Cybersecurity is a newer frontier for ag security, but producers don’t have to go it alone. BY
ALEX BARNARD
Photo by Getty Images/Smederevac
FROM THE EDITOR
Opening the echo chamber
Whose opinions matter to you?
The political landscape is looking rather unsteady. U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s proposed 25 per cent tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico have federal and provincial governments preparing strategies for managing such a thing, if it comes to pass. Former deputy prime minister and finance minister Chrystia Freeland resigned from the posts and the cabinet altogether.
This, along with the past season’s issues – such as the devastation of many fruit crops in B.C. – mean 2025 is starting on shaky ground. Every year has its ups and downs, and it’s important not to let one year’s struggles slide into the next.
I was reminded of a discussion one class had in high school, where a fellow student mentioned that a friend of theirs from a large nearby city thought John Deere was a clothing brand and was surprised to learn it was a tractor company. This seemed the height of ridiculousness to a bunch of rural 14-year-olds. Our teacher then pointed out that some things we didn’t know would be equally ridiculous and selfevident to kids raised in the city.
Cultivating an openness to other ways of being – realizing there is a multiplicity of ways to go through life, experiences to have, knowledges and experiences to gather – is a valuable skill to develop. Learning to decentre your opinion is not always easy or natural and can sometimes be scary. It means going outside your comfort zone, leaving a position of security and embracing the uncertainty of wearing someone else’s metaphorical shoes. It can challenge ideas you’ve considered unshakeable; it can also reaffirm your stance.
This is not a call to consider
“In such times of uncertainty, a little empathy can go a long way.”
But it’s undeniable that they’ll have an influence on future decision-making. We are the sum of our experiences, in many ways. And in this way, it can be easy to find ourselves siloed, gravitating towards and surrounded by others with similar opinions and experiences. This has its benefits – having peers you can turn to who’ve dealt with similar situations can give you common ground while also offering a different perspective.
But it can also create an echo chamber, reinforcing viewpoints to the exclusion of others.
While putting this issue together, I met up with a friend for coffee who asked the devil’s-advocate question of whether farmers have it as tough as they say they do. Asking inflammatory questions is his way of helping me refine my position on a variety of topics, so this isn’t all that out of the ordinary.
During the ensuing conversation,
every viewpoint with equal care and gravity, nor is it a demand to change what and how you think. But a little more awareness of the realities of others, a little more compassion and understanding for those from a different walk of life – in the grand scheme of things, it’s a small amount of effort. In exchange, it can mean you leave an interaction less frustrated with someone else whose opinion differs from yours, or it can broaden your worldview.
In such times of uncertainty and discord, a little empathy can go a long way.•
NEW VARIETIES 2025 Norseco
Full-season high quality variety with a high percentage of large size bulbs. Very uniform round shape. Good dark skin and a small neck. Storage until March-April. Suited for mineral and muck soil.
Variety that shows excellent vigour in difficult conditions, particularly due to its resistance to root rot. Excellent yield of straight, very uniform pods of 15 cm beans that have a medium sieve.
New beet with improved quality and shape. Rounder and smoother bulbs, with a smaller tap root than those of comparable varieties. Tops stay healthy for a long time. Suitable for fresh markets, processing and storage.
Fresh, high quality variety, with a great tip fill and a good tip cover. Superior taste with a good balance between sugar and corn taste. 78 days. Tolerant to rust.
Fresh market butternut squash, very uniform in size and shape. High yield potential due to a small seed cavity for an excellent flesh recovery. High quality flesh. Average weight: 1.5-2 kg. Very vigorous vine.
Large ear variety offering excellent yields. Easy to snap with a short shank. Good tip cover and well filled to the tip. And most important, very tender kernels and very good sweet taste. Cosmic has a high resistance to common rust.
Mid-season variety that stands out for its dark colour, good size potential and its tolerance to Stemphylium.
Stéphanie Gosselin. Agr. Central and Eastern Québec stephanie.gosselin@norseco.com 418 254-1469
Venecia F1 Scarlett
Carla F1
F1
Financial protection for produce farmers bill passes
Bill C-280, the Financial Protection for Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Farmers Act, has successfully passed its third reading in the Canadian Senate, marking a significant step toward enhancing financial protection for produce sellers in Canada.
In a recent statement, Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC), the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) and the Fruit and Vegetable Dispute Resolution Corporation (DRC) welcomed the bill’s passage as a long-awaited victory for the industry.
Bill C-280 introduces a deemed trust financial protection mechanism for fresh produce sellers. The trust aims to secure payments in the event of buyer bankruptcy, providing stability and support to the
industry and helping to safeguard Canadian food security.
Historically, Canadian produce sellers have lacked the financial protection mechanism for fresh produce sellers enjoyed by the United Sates under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA), leaving Canadian businesses at a competitive disadvantage.
Under the current system, Canadian sellers must pay double the bond required for PACA’s dispute resolution mechanism. The new bill in place will allow the U.S. Department of Agriculture to restore Canadian produce sellers’ preferential access to PACA protections.
MSU DEVELOPING NEW SWD BIOPESTICIDE
A Michigan State University researcher has received a $325,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to develop a yeast-based biopesticide that targets spotted wing drosophila (SWD), an invasive pest of berries and tree fruits. Julianna Wilson, an assistant professor in the department of entomology and tree fruit specialist with MSU Extension, leads the multi-state team. Partnering on the project is Molly Duman Scheel, a professor of medical and molecular genetics
BY THE NUMBERS
$248.2 million: 2021 fresh apple farm cash receipts there were 972 businesses selling fruits and vegetables across Canada
As of June 2022,
at Indiana University. Researchers are striving to create a yeastbased biopesticide that is built on a model proven effective in other fly and mosquito species. The product works by interfering with the pests’ ribonucleic acid (RNA) protein translation, which was first used in combating destructive nematodes. Wilson said this type of product is uniquely effective compared to conventional pesticides because it focuses on gene expression in target organisms, while leaving non-target organisms unharmed. acres of fresh apples cultivated in 2021 44,842 The 2021 Census of Agriculture
7,101 fruit and tree nut farms (including apple orchards)
347,125 tonnes of fresh apples (marketed production) in 2022
accounted for 20.5% of all fresh fruit cash receipts in 2021
8.54 KILOGRAMS of fresh apples per person in Canada in 2021
B.C. co-op collapses during difficult growing season
B.C. fruit growers had a rough 2024. An extreme cold snap in January devastated tender fruit and grape crops, reducing some by upwards of 90 per cent before the season began.
Then, in late July, B.C. Tree Fruit Co-operative, an 88-year-old member collective that provided cold storage and packing services for the province’s tree fruit farmers, announced it was dissolving and seeking court direction to liquidate its assets, advising growers to “immediately search for another alternative to market your fruit for the balance of the 2024 season.”
The closure left more than 300 members, predominantly apple growers, seeking alternative channels for their produce. The co-op also managed peaches, nectarines, plums and pears. In a written statement, the co-op said, “extremely low estimated fruit volumes, weather effects and difficult market and financial conditions” were the reasons for the closure, citing this year’s tender fruit catastrophe as “the final tipping point.”
The closure also comes amidst a power struggle and claims of mismanagement. Some growers had already switched to private fruit packers due to concerns their fruit was mishandled last year. However, many growers were left scrambling to find alternative packing and storage solutions after the sudden collapse of the co-op shortly before apple harvest was due to begin. In addition to these issues, growers were frustrated that the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and its then-minister, Pam Alexis, did not provide much guidance in the wake of the co-op’s dissolution.
The provincial government met with the B.C. Fruit Growers’ Association on Aug. 8, with the association calling the meeting “productive” and “a significant step.” In addition to an enhanced AgriStability program for the 2024 program year, Premier David Eby and Alexis also directed the Ministry of Agriculture and Food to begin developing, in consultation with industry, options for a one-time fund with an emphasis on smaller producers to support the longevity and sustainability of the sector.
In September, Canadian pharmaceutical business NOVEM purchased the co-op’s largest controlled atmosphere and cold chain storage facility, located in Kelowna, B.C. As part of the deal, Novem agreed to lease the facility on an emergency basis to allow the tree-fruit industry to avoid the
loss of millions of pounds of apples. By the end of September, the facility was 60 per cent full. All the same, former co-op members were disheartened that a private company had taken over their assets.
As of mid-December, former co-op members have yet to receive payment from the mentioned one-time fund. This may be in part due to the provincial election that took place in late October.
Following the election, Alexis is no longer the minister of agriculture and food; Lana Popham, who previously held the position, has returned to the post. But growers have said she has yet to meet with the sector since her reinstatement. Meanwhile, B.C.’s fruit growers are keeping a close eye on the weather and hoping the 2025 growing season has a more positive outcome. •
MAKING YOUR apples last
It’s time for your apple crop to come off the tree. You’ve managed preharvest issues; now it’s time for postharvest practices to shine. One option apple growers can use to store their crop is controlled atmosphere storage.
Controlled atmosphere storage can mean fresh, firm apples for longer.
BY ALEX BARNARD
Controlled atmosphere (CA) storage involves manipulating the carbon dioxide and oxygen concentrations in storage, in addition to moderating temperature and humidity, in order to maintain fruit quality and extend shelf life. Much like human respiration, apples undergo a constant process of taking in oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide. Apple respiration
accelerates the fruit’s ripening, so by controlling carbon dioxide and oxygen levels, CA storage works to slow respiration and delay ripening. It’s similar to putting the apples in a sleep or stasis state.
The optimal balance of carbon dioxide, oxygen and temperature depends on the apple cultivar being stored. Jennifer DeEll, horticulture fresh market quality specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Agribusiness (OMAFA), has done extensive research on apple storage and CA storage in particular.
For many years, an in-storage oxygen concentration of two to three per cent was standard
in the Ontario apple industry. One of DeEll’s research projects demonstrated that apples can safely be stored at lower oxygen levels –in addition to determining how low oxygen levels can go for specific varieties before the fruit’s quality begins to suffer. Resulting from her research, she has created a list of common CA storage regimes for several apple cultivars grown in Canada.
While most apple varieties have similar settings for the three factors, precision is key for getting the most out of CA storage. Following guidelines for each cultivar can extend their storage life. Adding a couple weeks or months to the amount of time an apple can stay in storage and still come out firm and crunchy can boost domestic supply of local apples.
“Growers want to be able to get that oxygen level as low as possible while still maintaining safe levels, because the lower the oxygen, the firmer the fruit and the better the quality,” DeEll said in a statement.
It’s a delicate balance: too little oxygen and the fruit begins to ferment; too much, and the apples will soften or rot more quickly. DeEll found that, after eight months in storage at 0.5 C, Ambrosia apples kept at 2.5 per cent oxygen had 24 per cent internal browning, while Ambrosias kept at 1.7 per cent oxygen only had 8 per cent internal browning.
Cooling rate can also play a role in post-harvest damage to the apples. According to DeEll, cooling the apples rapidly to 0.5 C leads to more internal browning and stemend browning after eight months in storage compared to more gradual cooling rates.
They also show that a stressed crop – such as one that hasn’t received much water during a critical period – can lead to weaker tissue, which is more easily damaged by the chilling process. It’s further evidence that all the storage tips in the world cannot help if the fruit going into storage is already damaged or infected. •
“Growers want to be able to get that oxygen level as low as possible while still maintaining safe levels, because the lower the oxygen, the firmer the fruit and the better the quality.”
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IMPROVING ON A good thing
Few things in life are perfect, concedes Colette Roberts-Risden, permanent secretary and chair of the Management Committee, Jamaican Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS).
But some are definitely worth working for.
married, guess why?
“You work at it to make sure it works.”
Events put on across Canada by the Jamaican Liaison Service demonstrate offshore labour programs still have benefits for all involved.
BY JEFF TRIBE
Roberts-Risden spoke at the Jamaican Liaison Service’s Leamingtonarea Appreciation Event for the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP) and other workers, employers and invitees on Oct. 6 in Kingsville, Ont.
“Even when you get married to the love of your life at 17 or 18,” she says with a smile, “Twenty years later you say, ‘Did I really marry this man, or did I really marry this woman?’ But guess what, 30 years later you’re still
ABOVE
Roberts-Risden was speaking metaphorically to the importance of ensuring the relationship of SAWP and other similar programs with Canada continues to ‘work.’ Her position is reinforced by a Jamaican diaspora contributing $3.1-billion USD annually to the nation’s economy, numerically second only to tourism. Seven-thousand Jamaican workers come to Canada annually through SAWP – 9,000 workers in all –representing a significant portion of that financial total.
Earlier in her remarks, RobertsRisden reflected on SAWP’s lengthy history. Nothing is ever perfect, she
Colette Roberts-Risden, permanent secretary and chair of the Management Committee, Jamaican Ministry of Labour and Social Security, acting chief
PHOTO COURTESY OF JEFF TRIBE.
allows, with SAWP at perhaps ’95 to 99 per cent’ – leading into the ongoing importance of working collaboratively to improve that one per cent.
“And this is what we’re doing, we’re working on this program, we’re working with our employers, we’re working with the workers, we’re working back home in Jamaica with all the people who want to come to make sure we’re getting good workers to come,” she says.
“We’re working with the Canadian government, we’re working with everyone, to make sure that this program that has been working, that has benefitted thousands of Jamaicans for the past 57 years, will continue for 57 more years to come, because it’s a winwin.
“It’s a win for Jamaica, win for Canada; it’s a win for the employers and a win for the workers.”
access for money transfer and other varied financial services in JLS offices in Leamington Ont., British Columbia and Nova Scotia. In exchange, JLS officers have access to JN’s new stand-alone office in Simcoe to conduct employee interviews.
Another important pillar of the plan to step back, look at what the ministry does, how it does it and how it interacts with workers is them getting to know liaison officers beyond someone they speak to on the phone, meeting only occasionally in person.
Beyond her own personal ‘waa gwaan,’ Roberts-Risden brought greetings from Pearnel Charles Jr., Jamaica’s minister of labour and social security, reiterating the minister’s commitment to improving services for Jamaican offshore workers.
New initiatives unveiled in 2024 include additional JLS offices in Simcoe and the Niagara Region, both in Ontario. Officers now live in the areas they are assigned to support. A space-sharing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the ministry and national Jamaican bank JN Money provides JN
“They need to know us, they need to see us, hence our liaison officers are here today,” said Roberts-Risden. “They are here for you - I am here for you.”
The Leamington gathering was one of two JLS celebrations on Oct. 6, with the other taking place in the Maritimes. Together, they were the tenth and eleventh such events across Canada during the 2024 season –initiatives furthering Charles Jr.’s central goal.
A similar template unfolded: members of SAWP and other programs, JLS officers, employers, local officials and others sharing social interaction around curried goat, jerk ABOVE
chicken and rice and peas and corn meal pudding, presentation of long-service awards, and in-person or remote greetings from JLS or ministry personnel.
Employers and, on occasion, local government officials also stepped up to the microphone with a consistent message of thanks and appreciation, underlining the absolutely crucial importance of Jamaican and other offshore workers to Canadian agriculture and the country’s economy.
“These events we hope will strengthen the relationship, build better communication between the liaison service our workers and our partners,” says JLS acting chief liaison officer Althea Riley in Kingsville.
These appreciation events were also designed to cement JLS’s commitment to providing employers, workers and partners with better representation and more efficient services, Riley continues, as well as enhancing camaraderie and fellowship between the liaison service and workers.
“By interacting with you in this fashion, you can see that we are also humans, we understand your issues and we are here to assist you in making your stay in Canada as seamless and as good as possible,” she says.
Riley also gave a shout-out to employers, her thanks greeted by a round of worker applause. She spoke to the contributions employers have made to both individual Jamaican workers and community development, noting the program was not possible without them.
“We applaud you and we thank you.”
In conclusion, Riley encouraged all to relax and enjoy themselves.
“But workers, please know, on behalf of the Jamaican government and liaison service: you’re valued, you’re appreciated.
We thank you for your dedication and for your service – not just to Jamaica, but you contribute to Canada and that is also important.”
Prizes donated by JN Money and the JLS formed a welcome part of celebrations, handed out via a combination of draws and differing contests. Mt. Albert near Newmarket, Ont., featured a hotly contested dominoes tournament, Thornbury a round of bingo, and Kingsville, a trivia contest capped by a crowd-pleasing dance-off where in the end, Andre Allen’s technique ‘swayed’ the judges.
“It’s like a Jamaican dance,” the dance-off winner explains. “Move your foot like this,” he adds helpfully, illustrating an intricate semi-circular motion.
Allen and O’Neill Scott strutted their stuff to accompaniment including Wacky Dip and Row Like A Boat courtesy of DJ Bruce International. Allen’s narrow victory, confirmed by applause, was attributable perhaps to practice at parties and precise execution of the ‘sway.’
“In the sense he was doing the correct dance,” credits JLS officer Allia McLeary.
However, both were awarded prizes, recognition for the courage to perform in front of a crowd, and the unique yet undeniable attraction of more structured and free-flowing interpretations.
“Dancing is dancing,” McLeary explains. “There’s no right or wrong way to dance.”
Like the dance-off, the appreciation event’s structured and freeflowing components both had value.
“It’s an opportunity for the workers to relax, come and chill out,” McLeary sums up.
Nadine Rose, a 15-year program participant, appreciated just that.
“This is like a bonding moment where we can relax, meet each other from different farms, meet different liaison officers,” she says. “It was really refreshing for me, really refreshing and entertaining.”
Rose credits Leamington-area liaison officer Leighton Davis for going ‘beyond’ to get almost everybody out. The curry goat was perfect, ‘not to mention very good chicken’ says Rose, who also enjoyed winning a prize.
“I would say on behalf of the farm workers, we really appreciate it. And we wish that we have many, many more years,” she says. “We wish it can become a yearly thing so we can look forward to it.”
JLS events represent a significant investment financially and in terms of organizational time. However, it’s an investment that is worthwhile in relationship-building, says Davis, able to relax following a successful event.
“We’re people,” he explains. “It’s not this air of liaison officers and government representatives.”
And in any relationship, from marriage through liaison service, workers and employers, it never hurts to say thanks, particularly in person to those whose contributions are crucial in both Canada and Jamaica.
Davis concludes, “I like to hear it and I’m sure others like to hear it too.” •
TOP: Employer Keith Wright shares a laugh with Hubert Blair during the long-service awards presentations at the Jamaican Liaison Service Leamington-area appreciation event, flanked by Colette Roberts-Risden (left) and Althea Riley (right).
BOTTOM: Acting chief liaison officer Althea Riley addresses a mixed group of offshore employers and employees during the event.
Packaging film reduces broccoli packaging eco-footprint
StePacPPC modified atmosphere/modified humidity (MA/MH) packaging is facilitating the transition away from ice-filled polystyrene and waxed carton boxes for packaging fresh broccoli and other vegetables for long-haul shipments in the U.S. and Japan.
Polystyrene foam boxes filled with ice have been widely used for the domestic transport of many vegetables in Japan. While such packaging has excellent insulation properties and helps maintain low temperatures, it is not an environmentally friendly packaging material. Polystyrene foam is becoming increasingly shunned by retailers concerned about the ease with which it fragments, its persistence in the environment and the fact that it is non-recyclable. Polystyrene also generates significant disposal challenges.
Many countries have already banned polystyrene entirely. Japan is placing growing regulatory emphasis on reducing the use of
non-recyclable materials, including certain types of polystyrene foam.
Likewise, in the U.S., waterproofed waxed carton boxes used for iced broccoli shipments are increasingly unwelcome. Their wax coating renders them unsuitable for paper recycling, relegating them to general waste. Landfilled waxed cardboard can produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Certain states, such as California, have placed local bans on non-recyclable containers.
From a food safety standpoint, the melting ice inside the box can lead to microbial decay. Studies have shown that, at any point in time, the amount of microbial colony-forming units on iced broccoli is higher than on leaches out as the ice melts. It also can be physically unsafe, as melting ice is messy and creates potential slipping hazards.
Xtend packaging films are built with modified atmosphere and moisture control properties. These work to slow respiration inside the packaging, inhibit ethylene (a plant hormone that promotes yellowing of broccoli), remove excess moisture, delay the aging processes and slow the growth of micro-organisms on broccoli. Its mode of action may also reduce the risk of foodborne illness associated with pathogens such as E. coli
Xtend bulk packaging also preserves other produce traditionally shipped on ice, such as bok choy and green onions. •
INVASIVE PEST an increasing issue
Since its discovery in Nova Scotia in 2017, Leek moth has become a growing threat to the province’s Allium crops.
BY MATT PEILL, MOLECULAR BIOLOGIST, PERENNIA BELOW
Larval feeding damage on onion leaf.
Leek moth ( Acrolepiopsis assectella is a serious invasive pest of Alliums (garlic, leeks, onions, etc.) in Canada. Originating from Europe, leek moth initially appeared in the Ottawa Valley region in 1993 and has since spread throughout Eastern Canada and the Northeastern United States. Leek moth was initially identified in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley in July of 2017; damage remained low and isolated for several years following its introduction. Now, leek moth is widespread in Nova Scotia and causing increasing levels of damage, especially to small-scale and organic farms.
Leek moth cause damage through the feeding of their larvae on host plants, while the adult moths cause no direct damage. On Alliums with flat leaves (garlic, leek), the larvae feeds on the tops and insides of the leaves and bores into the center of the plant, leaving noticeable frass. In Alliums with hollow leaves (onion, chives), the larvae will feed internally, producing translucent areas on the leaf known as “windowing.” Leaf damage by leek moth larvae will reduce yields in affected crops, but they can also directly damage marketable portions of the plant. In garlic, larvae will regularly bore into scapes and occasionally bulbs, as well as the stalk in leeks, rendering them unmarketable.
Although adult leek moths do not damage the crop, determining when they are flying
and laying eggs is critical for effective management of the pest. Based on sampling performed in Nova Scotia between 2018 and 2021, we’ve observed up to three flights, or two generations, of leek moth in Nova Scotia – similar to Ontario and other regions. Depending on the location in Nova Scotia the first flight occurs in late April to mid-May, when overwintering leek moth adults – the last generation from the previous year – emerge. These leek moths then lay eggs on the crop, producing the first generation of leek moth from that season. The first-generation leek moth adults then cause the second flight, beginning in late June and continuing through mid-July. The egg-laying cycle continues, and the third flight of second-generation adults begins in late-July to
trapping locally. Leek-moth monitoring should begin in early to mid-April using commercially available pheromone traps, which attract adult males. Pheromone traps consist of a white delta trap, sticky pad and pheromone lure. The delta trap can be reused for multiple years, but the sticky pads should be checked and replaced weekly, and the pheromone lure replaced monthly.
The adult leek moth is a small (five to seven millimetres (mm) in length) brown moth with a distinctive white triangle in the middle of its wings when they are folded at rest and can be identified with a hand lens. Weekly counts should be recorded to determine when leek moth first appear and peak flight so management strategies can be timed correctly. Allium crops can also be scouted for feeding damage from leek moth larvae, but when damage has already appeared, it may be too late to effectively implement some controls.
There are several conventional and biological products, some of which are organic, registered for use against leek moth on Allium crops. Application of these insecticides is generally recommended seven to 10 days following peak flight, determined through trapping, which targets larvae when they have newly hatched and are actively feeding.
Another effective way to control leek moth is by using row covers. Research done in Ontario has found that row covers were just as effective as pesticides in reducing leek moth damage. These covers physically block leek moth adult females from laying eggs on the crop preventing leek moth establishment on the crop.
These dates give some general guidance as to when flights occur, but the best way to determine leek moth flights is by
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Improving agriculture’s cyber resilience
Cybersecurity is one new frontier of agricultural security that producers should keep in mind – but they don’t have to go it alone.
BY ALEX BARNARD
How secure is your farm? For most, this question likely brings to mind trespassers, equipment theft, biological concerns like livestock or soil and introducing pathogens to them from off-farm. Janos Botschner is working to get farmers to add another dimension to their security considerations: cybersecurity.
With the wealth of digital agriculture tools being used and the amount of precision agriculture data being gathered, Botschner wants cybersecurity management to be on your radar, no matter the size of your operation.
Botschner is the lead investigator with the Cyber Security Capacity in Canadian Agriculture (CSCCA) initiative, a multi-year project funded by Public Safety Canada and operated through the Community Safety Knowledge Alliance (CSKA) that aims to understand cybersecurity in Canadian agriculture. The initiative works to develop resources for producers, as well as identify opportunities for the sector, and the agri-food ecosystem as a whole, to be better prepared, more cyber-secure and more cyber-resilient.
“This is a real thing. It’s a real and significant threat to Canadian agriculture and our food system as a whole,” he says. “It’s not going to go away anytime soon.”
Botschner cautions that currently, Canadian agriculture as a critical infrastructure is underprepared for cyber threats. But he also notes that this isn’t very different from other critical infrastructures in
terms of their journeys regarding cybersecurity.
“There are some practical opportunities to tackle cyber-related vulnerabilities as well as to de-risk, develop and sustain the benefits of digital agriculture,” he adds. “And, really importantly, producers shouldn’t have to go it alone. Help is available.”
ATTACK PATTERNS
Botschner likens cybercriminals to coyotes sniffing around a fence line. Identifying potential weaknesses they can exploit – whether holes in the fence, areas they can dig under the fence, or particularly capable coyotes that can simply jump over the fence – is a major part of keeping them outside and reducing the harm they can cause to a farm operation and the Canadian agriculture sector as a whole.
“Part of the work of all of us – because this is a shared risk and it’s also a shared opportunity – is to try and understand: where are those coyotes getting in?” he says. “What can we do to make it less likely that they’re going to get in? What can we do to make it more likely that, if they get in, they’re going to be found out?”
In terms of the landscape of cybercrime Canadian agriculture faces, there are a few different types of bad actors that are most common.
“Largely, they’re what we might call opportunistic cybercriminals,” Botschner says. “They’re criminal organizations that want to make a buck, and they’re very creative. It can be an
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individual or group that can buy something like ransomware as a service [on the dark web].”
Profit is a major motivator, with cybercriminals looking for new ways to squeeze money out of producers by attacking their operations.
“Some of these groups are really well resourced and big,” he says. “Some of them are hosted in foreign countries that look the other way. And then there are other times when these groups might have connections to foreign governments or foreign military, as well as criminal organizations. So, the boundaries get a little bit blurred.
“The big thing is that people are seeing are ransomware attacks, and they’re not going to go away.”
RANSOMWARE
Ransomware can be used to cause mischief for farms in a few ways. Using software exploits, or bugs, cybercriminals can go into a system and deny access to data – for example, historical farm data. Botschner says they could lock up a system, making that data inaccessible and demanding the farmer to pay to have access. If the farmer pays, they’ll be sent a decryption key.
Cybercriminals can also use this technology to lock up a system on the farm. “Maybe it’s an automated irrigation system, maybe it’s a significant piece of harvesting equipment at a critical time of year,” Botschner says. “Or maybe, even worse, it’s a control system that regulates the environment that temperature the ventilation inside a livestock barn.”
This increases the time sensitivity of the issue, especially in the case of livestock barns. At particularly cold or hot times
of year, there isn’t much of a margin for regaining control of the temperature in a barn before animal welfare and lives are at risk, Botschner explains, on top of the business risks and the impact on the farm family.
“The problem is they might come back,” he adds. “Even if you pay them, because now they have a sense of what your vulnerabilities are.”
The last possibility Botschner discusses, noting that it’s more about causing mischief than money, is data poisoning. “Somebody could get into a data flow potentially, and make it look like something’s happened when it hasn’t,” he says. This can make it appear that, for example, a commodity is contaminated, when it actually isn’t –harming the reputation of that commodity in the context of something like a trade negotiation.
Conversely, it can prevent awareness of problems. Bad actors could tamper with a bio-surveillance system, preventing it from recognizing a disease outbreak until it’s too late to be managed.
“It’s a little bit more extreme, but it’s in the realm of possible,” Botschner says. “We want to be aware of these things so we can say, what can we do to manage business risk at the level of individual farms, and then bigger risks at the level of a critical infrastructure.”
RISK MANAGEMENT
There are a variety of cybersecurity resources on the CSKA website (cskacanada.ca) geared towards increasing your cybersecurity knowledge and resilience. When it comes to cybersecurity for your farm, Botschner says it’s “just about starting somewhere.”
“Any little thing you do is going to make things that extra bit safer. To use a sports analogy: if you get a little bit better today, you get a little bit better tomorrow, you get a little bit better next week – by next year, you’re a lot better.
“So, start anywhere. Ask for help. If you feel that you need more help, and it’s not around, go to your federations and commodity associations and say, you know what, I think we could use some more help.”
Botschner also recommends doing a cyber fire drill. “Sit down at the kitchen table, pick a problem like a ransomware attack or a system lock-up, or even your IT service going down. What would you do next? Who would do what?” he says. “You don’t have to actually do anything – just sit there and talk through a scenario.”
It’s important to keep the benefits in mind if this new element of farm security and management seems a bit overwhelming.
“Digital technologies done well can create opportunities to better manage the bottom line and to have time to do other things that people want to do,” says Botschner. “It’s a personal choice. I’m neutral on whether or not somebody wants to adopt a particular piece of technology. But with everything, there are opportunities to make the most of and then there are risks to manage.”
As he notes, this is something producers do all the time when faced with a new challenge –adapting and developing best management practices to minimize risks is part and parcel of handling the uncertainties inherent to agriculture.
“But again, producers should never have to go it alone,” he says. “This is a shared risk and there’s a role for everybody to try and make things better.”•
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