Drip irrigation has come a long way; it’s time more B.C. producers gave it a try. | 14
B.C. grower tests section of cherry orchard under plastic covers. | 16
Bye Bye Birdy Laser helps scare birds in orchards. | 18
May 2017
You’re proud of your vegetable crops. Let’s face it. No one ever looks back and wishes they’d spent more time controlling cutworms, armyworms, diamondback moths and swede midge. We get that. DuPontTM Coragen® is powered by Rynaxypyr®, a unique active ingredient and a novel mode of action that delivers exible, long-lasting control of key insects, so you have time for more important things. Its environmental pro le makes Coragen® a great t for an Integrated Pest Management Program and it has minimal impact on bene cial insects and pollinators when applied at label rates1 For farmers who want more time and peace of mind, Coragen® is the answer. Questions? Ask your retailer, call 1-800 - 667-3925 or visit coragen.dupont.ca
Hand-held harvest helper
DA meter helping apple growers predict optimum harvest time for their fruit | 8 By Tom
Walker
7
Protected under cover 16 Okanagan cherry producer tests a small section of its 590 acres under plastic covers – By Tom Walker
Bye bye birdy 18 B.C. fruit grower tests Agrilaser to help scare birds from its 135-acre Lake Country orchard
Products 19
12 14 22
Minimizing handling losses
High-tech device and app continues to help producers reduce bruising and more
BY TREENA HEIN
Considering drip irrigation
Drip irrigation has come a long way in the past 50 years; it’s time more B.C. producers gave it a try
BY TOM WALKER
Marketing Matters
Toodlee-doo marketing á la Pete Luckett BY
CATHY BARTOLIC
A recent consumer news story had me both laughing and squirming with discomfort. The laughter was in response to the memory of a similar incident involving my children. The squirming was a basic, guttural human reaction.
The article involved a recall of bagged salad originally marketed in Walmart stores across the Southeastern region of the U.S. According to a news release from the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC), two people in Florida were enjoying a salad of spring mix lettuce [organic] when they happened to notice an extra garnish in the mix – a dead, decomposing bat.
I’m not sure how the two people reacted to this surprise discovery but I have a pretty good imagination. After all, my own response to reading the details involved gagging and I wasn’t even present for the meal.
As expected, official-types were soon involved and the bat remains were shipped off to the CDC rabies lab for “testing.” The results?
“The deteriorated condition of the bat did not allow for CDC to
to a smaller, livelier foreign object.
About a year ago, my family was gathered around the table for a typical Sunday evening meal when I happened to see something move out of the corner of my eye. I turned to get a better look, staring in disbelief as a large June bug – as big as a toonie –jumped off a piece of lettuce skewered on the tines of my daughter’s fork and trotted up the length of the utensil toward her hand. As you can imagine, bedlam ensued. Once the dust and leaf lettuce had settled and our unexpected dinner guest had been dispatched, we investigated, discovering that the giant bug had hitched a ride to our home in the bagged salad. Obviously, the rest of the leafy remains followed the surprise diner out the door. It took a while to calm my daughter, who spent an inordinate amount of time gargling water and spitting it out in the kitchen sink. Afraid the incident was going to put her off salad permanently, I played up how “lucky” she was to have happened upon the bug in her meal.
“That just doesn’t happen to
“How ‘lucky’ she was to have happened upon the bug.”
definitively rule out whether [it] had rabies,” the release stated.
Cue more squirming and gagging from me.
Now, the pair of Floridians is being “evaluated” by the CDC plus local and state health officials. Despite the low risk of rabies transmission, the two unsuspecting bat chewers have been advised to begin “post-exposure rabies treatment,” also known as a course of painful, really long needles [at least that’s what my parents always told me rabies shots were like].
Thankfully the incident involving my children did not include a bat –rabid or not. The starring role went
everyone,” I told her.
“Well, it’s never happening to me,” my son – the carnivore – responded. “I knew there was a reason I don’t eat salad.”
Fortunately, it only took a week for my daughter to return to enjoying salad. Who knows how long it will take the Floridians to choke back the memory and eat leafy greens again.
Both incidents provide plenty of business lessons. Always inspect your produce before taking it to market. Keep an eye out for hitchhikers in the packaging. Have traceability and recall plans in place – you never know when you might need them.
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Government officials were in Winnipeg recently to provide remarks at the Canadian Horticultural Council 95th Annual General Meeting, where he announced more than $274,000 in Growing Forward 2 funding to help expand markets for Canadian potatoes.
The project, funded under the AgriMarketing Program, provides the CHC with up to $274,714 to help grow foreign and domestic markets for Canadian potatoes, through trade shows, targeted advertising, incoming missions, market research
and development, and product promotion.
The investment is part of the federal government’s plan to help Canadian farmers expand markets at home and abroad.
“The funding has allowed Canadian growers to maintain a presence in international markets by participating in trade shows, international standard setting processes, and in phytosanitary market access activities,” said John Bareman, chair of the CHC’s Potato Committee.
Ontario’s newest vegetable crop specialist, Travis Cranmer, joins the ministry from the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, where he worked on applied and molecular research in plant biology. With OMAFRA, he will work with vegetable crops including bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cau-
liflower, celery, chives, garlic, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, leeks, onions, shallots and spinach.
In 2015, Cranmer graduated from the University of Guelph with a master of science in plant production systems.
During his studies, Cranmer co-ordinated complex research trials, conducted statistical analysis and interpreted data,
Canadian fruit growers use micro irrigation
Canadian vegetable growers use micro irrigation
Canadian fruit growers use sprinkler irrigation
providing team leadership to research assistants, technicians and students.
Cranmer grew up on a farm in Bright’s Grove propagating, growing and selling various vegetables including bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, chives, garlic, kale, leeks, onions, lettuce and spinach. He also spent time working at
Degroot’s Nurseries as a specialist at plant, pest and pathogen identification as well as disease diagnosis from samples provided by clients.
In his spare time, Cranmer runs a woodworking business and sells many of his products online.
He can be reached at travis.cranmer@ontario.ca or 519-826-4963.
52% of Canadian farmers use pressure reduction when irrigating
6% 7% 57 per cent of Canadian farmers irrigate at night
of Canadian vegetable growers use sprinkler irrigation
Canadian fruit growers use surface (flooding) irrigation
Canadian vegetable growers use surface (flooding) irrigation 56 % of Canadian farmers use water or energy saving nozzles
SOURCE: STATISTICS CANADA
Loblaws recently recognized the Pazazz apple from Honeybear Brands with its top honour –selection as a President’s Choice product.
A mark of distinction for more than 30 years, President’s Choice status is only bestowed on produce and other food items that demonstrate truly exceptional quality, taste and great value to customers.
Grown locally in Canada by Van Meekeren Farms, Pazazz is a winter apple variety and has been in development in conjunction with Honeybear Brands for more than nine years. A descendent of
the Honeycrisp, Pazazz has a blend of sweet and tart flavours and explosive crunch that has attracted a loyal following of customers in just a few short years on the market.
“Each year there are literally hundreds of candidates for President’s Choice status,” says Mark Boudreau, director of corporate affairs at Loblaws Atlantic. “We consider each very carefully for perfect taste, appearance, premium quality and a uniqueness they offer to our Loblaws customers. Pazazz scored highly across the board and was an easy selection for
us to make.”
Pazazz will be sold in 2 lb. special President’s Choice branded bags in select Loblaws stores while supplies last.
“This is a huge honour and we’re very excited,” says Michael Van Meekeren, co-owner of Van Meekeren Farms. “Pazazz is a young variety compared to many available today and because it’s a winter variety that peaks in flavour in the winter months, it gives apple lovers something that is very difficult to get at this time of year – a premium apple variety with that just-picked freshness.”
Ontario start-up
FreshSpoke is tackling the distribution challenges that, until now, have kept most farmers and micro-producers out of the wholesale market.
“Consumers are demanding more local and sustainable sourcing on the part of institutions, retailers and food service,” states Marcia Woods, CEO of FreshSpoke. “But the existing food system doesn’t make it easy or economical to buy or sell on a commercial scale.”
FreshSpoke is tackling this problem with an app that handles the order, payment and delivery for the producer and gives food service and retailer buyers a direct pipeline to fresh, local food, delivered to their door.
“We’re building a shared delivery system on a commercial scale starting with our own food producers so they can make extra cash delivering for producers who don’t,” Woods explains.
By the summer of 2017, FreshSpoke expects to have third-party commercial drivers on board to keep up with the pace of demand as it expands across the province.
FreshSpoke’s sellers range from breweries, wineries and artisanal food makers to farmers and growers like garlic farmer Bart Nagel, who operates Bulbs of Fire near Mildland, Ont.
“Small farmers like myself know there’s a wholesale market for our product but finding those buyers and figur-
ing out delivery on top of everything else we do in a day is impossible,” Nagel says. “FreshSpoke is the first solution I have seen that offers a way to reach the market directly and get my orders where they need to go for a fair price.”
FreshSpoke’s web and mobile applications give wholesale buyers in food service and retail businesses free access to a growing inventory of locally produced products from more than 100 producers across the greater Golden Horseshoe region. The fees for local food producers range from free to $900 per year.
To find out more about FreshSpoke or register for an information session, visit their website at freshspoke. com.
Keith Kuhl, outgoing president of the Canadian Horticultural Council (CHC), recently presented Gary Linkletter with the 2017 Doug Connery Award for leadership excellence during CHC’s annual general meeting in Winnipeg, Man. Linkletter is a seventh-generation potato farmer from Prince Edward Island who has been advocating for the potato industry at a national level for many years. He provided important grassroots feedback on the fresh pack industry as CHC worked with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency on harmonizing packaging and grade regulations with the U.S. He was also involved in the committee looking at harmonization of maximum residue limits (MRLs) for potato crop protectants between Canada and the U.S. Linkletter has participated in Canada-U.S. Potato Committee meetings for several years, and his calm and knowledgeable perspective is well respected by grower and industry representatives on both sides of the border.
PHOTO BY TOM WALKER
Hank Markgraf, grower services manager at the B.C. Tree Fruits Co-operative, tries out the DA meter during a special field day.
There is nothing like a just picked, tree-ripened apple. At a BC Tree Fruits (BCTF) field day last fall, I was offered a Honeycrisp the size of a grapefruit. It was the first one I had tried and it lived up to its reputation. But now, I wonder if I will I ever buy a Honeycrisp later in the winter and risk being disappointed that it won’t be as good as that tree-ripened beauty?
Dr. Peter Toivonen, a postharvest specialist with Agriculture and AgriFood Canada (AAFC) in Summerland, B.C., works on this problem a lot.
“That’s really our challenge,” he says. “To have apples come out of storage and be as good as that one you had back in the fall.
“If the consumer is happy with the apple that means the packing house has done a good job holding it in storage. And that leads to a better price for the grower.”
There’s a lot of science behind knowing the perfect time to harvest an apple that will be going into storage and AAFC researchers in B.C. and Nova Scotia have turned to a new piece of technology – the DA meter – to help them with the job.
The hand-held, Italian-made device shines LED light into the apple and a sensor measures how much light reflects back out – the Delta Absorbance or DA – which
tells the level of chlorophyll that is in the apple peel.
“Chlorophyll concentration is an indicator of how ripe the apple is inside,” Dr. Toivonen says. “It doesn’t matter what colour the apple is, the DA meter only measures the chlorophyll.”
The instrument is portable, easy to use, reliable, and, according to Dr. Toivonen’s data, an excellent predictor of how well an apple performs during long-term storage.
“That’s what the packing house wants to know,” he says. “Are these apples going to hold up? They don’t want to find out in February that the apples are starting to break down.”
Dr. Toivonen says the DA meter tells the physiological age of the fruit. Harvest the fruit too early and it will come out of storage green and hard as a bullet. Harvest it too late and it will be mushy.
Dr. Toivonen works mostly with Ambrosia, while his colleague Dr. John DeLong, based in Kentville, N.S, studies Honeycrisp. Optimum storage is essential for these high-value varieties.
“It is important to preserve those superlative qualities, that’s why people are buying those apples,” Dr. Toivonen says. “They are not commodity apples, they are premium apples.”
The current industry standard measure of maturity – the starch test
DA meter helping apple growers predict optimum harvest time for their fruit, an important factor when producing high-value varieties
BY TOM WALKER
– can be problematic. It takes time, the apples are destroyed in the process, and it can also be a subjective measure.
“After a while it can be like looking a Rorschach blots,” Dr. Toivonen says, referring to the ink smudge test. “Each person sees a different thing, while the DA meter gives you a number in real time”
And the starch test is not always accurate.
“In our studies in the last six years with Ambrosia specifically, we are finding that some years, particularly with warmer nights or cooler days in the fall, the starch value may not be a good indicator of storage quality,” Dr. Toivonen says.
The DA meter was originally developed in Italy to test the ripeness of peaches. Dr. Toivonen installed a shroud that blocks out surrounding light for a more accurate reading (now a standard practice for all users), developed in-field protocols for testing, and, over the last six years, has collected data to validate the instrument’s accuracy.
“I don’t want to tell growers to use this, until we know that it works every time.”
And it does work, says Dr. Toivonen. His six years of data show a 90 per cent correlation between DA meter readings and performance in storage (the resulting eating quality and firmness of the apple).
“Time and time again, it has told us the right thing,” he says.
After an initial calibration in the orchard, individual apples are scanned on their sides at a spot out of direct sunlight and without discoloration due to sunburn.
“You want an apple at mid canopy height,” Dr. Toivonen adds. “Not right outside of the canopy but not in too much shade either.”
Twenty-five apples are sampled and the DA meter computes an average. It’s so quick that a grower can sample different microclimates in his/her orchard. The farmer can take an average reading at the top of the hill and then go down to the bottom and take another sample.
Ambrosia has an average picking window of 10 days but some years that can be as short as five days.
“You have to be on your feet and the DA meter allows you to make decisions faster,” Dr. Toivonen says. “You can sample multiple trees across your orchard. Eventually we hope to be able to map the orchard and help the grower decide where he can start harvesting.”
Dr. John DeLong’s apple research mostly involves Honeycrisp, an apple that has a number of challenges in storage.
“Honeycrisp has not been an easy cultivar to grow or put into CA storage,” Dr. DeLong says.
He is looking at ways to overcome several significant physiological disorders, including bitter pit, soft scald, soggy breakdown and senescent breakdown.
‘We can counter the soft scald and soggy breakdown using delayed cooling techniques,” Dr. De Long explains.
But that practice may actually increase the risk of bitter pit.
Dr. DeLong says that bitter pit and soft scald can appear in stored Honeycrisp that was harvested too early and went
into cold storage when it was less than optimally mature. Senescent breakdown on the other hand, can appear on fruit that was too mature going into storage.
The DA meter acts as a proxy, Dr. DeLong points out.
“It tracks the decline in chlorophyll in the apple,” he says. “That’s fine and dandy but we had to line up the conventional maturity data to find out what a reading of 0.75 or 0.3 meant for long term storage.”
He now has three years of extensive data collection.
What we are finding with Honeycrisp is that there is a sweet zone, Dr. DeLong says. “A harvest window with two bookends that helps us know when to begin harvest and when to end harvest for long term storage.”
But Honeycrisp can show extensive variation in maturity across a block, or even a tree.
“It’s frustrating. You can look at 100 fruit and some will be early and some will be late,” cautions Dr. DeLong. “That means a grower will have at least two picks but more likely three or four and you will need to spend time educating the pickers on what to look for.”
“If this work can help us bring these apples out of storage and have them taste like they were just picked, we have a chance of growing the apple market,” Dr. Toivonen concludes.
A Canadian high-tech device and app continues to help producers at home and around the world reduce bruising and more
BY TREENA HEIN
After fruit and vegetable producers put so much careful attention and effort into planting and tending their crops and orchards, they naturally want to minimize losses due to bruising, nicks and scrapes, temperature issues and so on. A device that can travel through the harvester and through processing and packaging equipment right through to the retailer would be ideal – one that mimics the real fruit or vegetable in size, shape and weight and provides real-time feedback so that equipment can be adjusted on the spot.
A developer of such devices is Masitek Instruments of Moncton, N.B. Not only are impact and temperature measured with its systems, but velocity, exact location and more. The concept came many years ago from a young P.E.I. potato farmer who wanted a way to minimize bruising in the harvester. The company he formed was purchased in 2010 by Masitek. Since then, Masitek has sold the CracklessEgg (egg handling), SmartSpud (potato) and ProduceQC (various fruit and vegetable shapes) all
ABOVE
around the world. The ag division is called ‘aaggrrii’ and the industrial division, MMAAZZ, offers various beverage and packaging applications – bottle- and can-shaped units that assist food and drink companies in reducing cracks, dents and scuffing. Masitek customers include international players such as McCain Foods, Anheuser-Busch, E. & J. Gallo Winery and Carlsberg Group.
Like all Masiteck units, the ProduceQC has a removable sensor pod that can be inserted into any fruit or vegetable shape required. The acrylic casings or sleeves come in the typical shape, size and weight of apples, tomatoes, onions, peaches and other produce. Recently, the hot markets for ProduceQC and SmartSpud units have been the U.K. and South America, but marketing director Teri Maltais says steady inquiries are rolling in from North American equipment manufacturers as well, with particular interest from Mexico (avocados) and Chile (a wide variety of crops). Chile-based Hortifruit, for example, is using the technology to
In Canada, the biggest potential for ProduceQC is in the apple business. The company has recently been approached to work with two manufacturers that make apple-handling equipment who are interest in using ProduceQC for equipment calibration.
cut down on damage during grape handling.
While the exact amount of damage that the technology can prevent can be higher than 50 per cent, it obviously differs for each operation.
“In apple and pear production, impact bruising is extremely hard to spot with the naked eye as it happens,” Maltais notes, “with the bruises developing in shipping.” In Canada – based on feedback the company is receiving – the biggest potential for ProduceQC is in the apple business. The company has recently been approached to work with two manufacturers that make apple-handling equipment who are interested in using ProduceQC for equipment calibration.
At its Manitoba operations, J.R. Simplot Company employed the SmartSpud in the fall of 2015 to help a number of its potato growers pinpoint potential impact points apt to cause a bruise.
“We sent out one of our staff members to each contract grower,” explains Jason Coates, Simplot raw procurement manager. “We ran the SmartSpud through harvest equipment, including harvesters, windrowers and onto trucks, as well as into the grading line located in the storage sites, which can include the unload stingers, evenflow tubs, dirt elimination and foreign material removal equipment, conveyors, picking tables and bin-pilers – everything.”
Coates stresses that it’s important to gather as much data as possible.
“With potatoes, the more the device passes through the lines, the better,” he says. “The larger the sample size, the better the information. We had mixed results in 2015 due to the limitation of the data set. I think it’s a good tool to have in our tool chest and we used it in conjunction with sampling, but there is an
absolute need for lots of passes.”
He thinks growers could benefit from each purchasing their own SmartSpud.
“It would be very easy for each grower to have the device pay for itself if they’re able to improve their bruise number from one year to the next and improve their incentive returns,” Coates says. “It’s of most value to those who have a bruising problem but can’t identify the source.”
In addition to stressing the need to run the SmartSpud through multiple times, Coates says users should be prepared to have lots of eyes on the unit while it passes through the equipment. With a full flow of potatoes on the line, he notes it can be easy to lose sight of the device, so you want to be aware of when it should be completing its pass.
Cavendish Farms in Dieppe, N.B., purchased a SmartSpud unit four years ago and use it every fall at harvest to calibrate many of its growers’ harvesting equipment, and also to take a close look at three fall receiving lines.
“Something always has to be adjusted,” says Nathan McFadyen, director of operations. “With tablestock potatoes, the handling has to go as smoothly as possible.”
MacFadyen says cost-return on the technology was achieved basically the first time they ran it down a plant line.
“It still works fine after four years but the battery life could be longer,” he adds.
In late 2016, Masitek doubled the battery life of all its technology as part of a complete overhaul, the result of two years of client consultation. Maltais says, overall, the system is now significantly more software-centric and also has Bluetooth tracking.
Drip irrigation has come a long way from plugged emitters and unreliable tubing, common occurrences during the past 50 years. Maybe it’s time more B.C. fruit and vegetable producers gave it a try.
BY TOM WALKER
Drip irrigation systems have seen a lot of improvements since their invention in the mid 1960s. They are worth considering as a watering system, says Bruce Naka, an independent irrigation consultant who spoke to growers at the Pacific Agriculture Show in Abbotsford, B.C.
“In the beginning, people were scared by the problems,” Naka says. “The filter systems were difficult to clean, the spaghetti tubing was unreliable and the emitters often plugged.”
While the Okanagan tree fruit and grape industries have adopted drip irrigation, along with blueberry growers in the Fraser Valley, Naka would like to see more vegetable growers using drip systems.
“B.C. Ministry of Agriculture figures show that 94 per cent of blueberry crops and 64 per cent of raspberries are drip irrigated,” Naka says. “But 90 per cent of strawberries, 81 per cent of sweet corn, and more than half of the vegetable crops are watered using a travelling gun.”
Of the 2,150 hectares of vegetables grown in the Fraser Valley, 64 per cent use a traveling gun, 26 per cent use hand moved sprinklers, eight per cent have solid sprinklers and only 1.6 per cent use drip irrigation for watering.
There are costs savings with a drip irrigation system. Naka gave the example of a flat, 10-acre, irrigated field with the requirements to deliver 50 gallons of water per minute. He says a travelling gun system would need 208 feet head or just below 90 lbs. of pressure. On a sprinkler system it would be less, with 180 feet head and 75 lbs. pressure.
energy, put less wear on your equipment and in the end you will have a more efficient system and save water.
“With any sprinkler system, the water is moving like a piston and that characteristic actually pushes the water and nutrition away from the plant,” Naka points out. “Conversely, if you use drip irrigation, you are watering directly at the root zones of the plant.”
There have been major improvements to several of the key components of a drip irrigation system that make them more reliable, more efficient and reduced maintenance. After the pump is the filtration system.
“Dirt is the enemy in a drip irrigation system,” says Naka says. Pre-filtering with a sand filter does require an investment, but a good unit can last for 20 years.
Of the 2,150 hectares of vegetables grown in the Fraser Valley, only 1.6 per cent use drip irrigation for watering.
“But if we were looking at drip irrigation, we can operate that system with only 104 feet of head and 30 lbs. of pressure,” Naka says. “In the end, you would require four horsepower for the travelling gun, but only 1.88 horse power for the drip, so 50 per cent less horsepower would be required. This will use less
“The challenge is that you must filter the water down to the size of the smallest orifice on your emitters.”
As a result, the screening must be very fine down to 150 to 200 mesh.
“A lot of the early filter systems were not self flushing and you had to clean those screens,” Naka says. “Organic matter caught in there might be sticky and they were a nuisance to clean. I know it turned a lot of people off.”
Naka advises to look for a disc type filter, which is much easier to clean.
“You simply separate the screens and rinse them off,” he says.
The key for a manual filter system is that the more surface area you have, the fewer times you have to clean.
“If you have a two-inch pipe coming into your system, you might want a larger filter system say three-inch or even a manifold with two threeinch filters,” Naka says. “Again, it is an investment, but you will spend less time cleaning.”
Beyond that, Naka says to look for automatic flushing filters that separate the discs and back flush on their own.
Air is one of the primary issues that affect drip irrigation
systems, Naka points out. He says air release valves are very important.
“The water lines will take time to fill through to the small tubing as this is a low pressure system,” he says. “In order to get the water through faster, it is a very good idea to have air release valves.”
He recommends you install them every 100 feet on main lines as well as header lines.
A pile of used drip tape in the corner of a field is often a legacy of lower cost drip systems. If it’s only a temporary install for a year, then an inexpensive turbulent flow tape might do, but they are known to clog.
Modern versions of tape are available with a pressure-compensating feature, Naka says. They are available in larger diameters which allow your system to have more pressure, to reach farther and if need be, work up slope. Some are available with flush valves to aid in cleaning.
If you are using punch style emitters keep it consistent, says Naka, “Whatever you start with, keep it the same, even when it gets plugged. Don’t begin with a set of one-gallon an hour emitters and then grab a two-gallon when the supply store runs out. Don’t add in a line drip or a jet. Make sure it’s the same flows along that line.”
Naka says it’s also a good idea to put a meter on your system so you can monitor your water use regardless of your source. You will know how much water you are using for your own records.
Flush valves are an excellent idea, Naka says.
“Any time you have a break in a main line, you have a risk of dirt coming into that line.”
He likes to install a backup screen at each lateral.
But what if you want to rotate your crops? An approach Naka has seen in Mexico was a filtration system on wheels. A suction line went into a pump and the pump went into a pond. It was easy for the operator to move the filter system to a different area. A lay-flat hose was used as a main line and laterals were connected by puncturing into the hose. After harvesting, the hose can be rolled up to move.
Sub surface drip is a newer technology to consider.
“A lot of people might say I had trouble with drip, why would I consider sub surface drip?” Naka asks. “We are seeing it more and more. It delivers both water and nutrients directly to the roots
without even the small evaporation loss from regular drip.”
Sub surface drip lowers the risk of surface humidity, which may contribute to fungus. You are able to work the field while irrigating and the surface stays dry for crops that rest on the soil like melons. Test ports and monitors are available to check what’s going on under the ground and emitters are designed to avoid root intrusion.
The newest technology involves monitoring water needs, says Naka. Soil sensors and use of weather data continue
to be developed, but sensors that attach and monitor the individual plant and fruit needs are coming into more use.
“It will allow us to develop our systems that more precisely,” he says.
“Good irrigation technology requires an investment up front. But the new systems will last more than 20 years, and you are saving resources.”
You’ve worked hard and now it’s time to reward yourself! Every eligible purchase you make earns Hot Potatoes® reward points that you can redeem for the group trip to Panama, cash or maybe even both. Just don’t forget to pack a Spanish-to-English dictionary and a muy grande sense of adventure! And check the website later this year to discover the final itinerary. Learn more at Hot-Potatoes.ca or call 1 877-661-6665
Okanagan cherry producer tests a small section of its 590 acres under plastic covers as a way of protecting against splits and increasing Brix levels.
BY TOM WALKER
The 2016 Okanagan cherry harvest was plagued with multiple rain events. Across the valley, growers were scrambling to hire helicopters as a method of blow-drying their crop. For a large company like Jealous Fruits, that bill can run to hundreds of thousands of dollars in a wet year, according to Graeme Ritchie, operations and logistics manager.
“We are very aggressive in our drying program,” Ritchie says. “We use a combination of wind machines, helicopters and tractor towed blowers.”
Despite these efforts, crop losses from weather damage can range from 20 per cent to total failure. To compound things, certain cherry varieties are more sensitive and bruising can occur with the blow-drying methods.
“We are always looking for a better way of doing things,” Ritchie says.
This has led the company to install and test 10 acres of orchard covers.
Jealous Fruits has 590 acres in cherry production at various sites across the Okanagan Valley. The company is the largest vertically integrated cherry producer in Canada and the most northern
operation in North America. They are based in Lake Country, 30 kilometres north of Kelowna, on the shores of Okanagan Lake.
If a rain storm soaks a cherry orchard during the last couple of weeks before harvest, there is a risk the fruit will absorb some of the water through the skin. That extra moisture, particularly combined with warmer temperatures, may contribute to expanding the fruit size. A cherry does not grow more skin, or cuticle, it simply stretches and becomes thinner. Stretch too far and the cherry splits and cannot be sold in the fresh market.
Climate predictions developed by the B.C. Climate Action Initiative indicate that the Okanagan region will see less cold winters, warmer summers plus increased extreme weather events, such as heavy rainfall events in the spring.
In 2010, David Green, Jealous Fruits president, planted a new 14-acre block of Rainiers, Stardust, and pollinators on an old cattle ranch across Okanagan Lake. The site is in a pocket valley with a top elevation of 2,250 feet. The trees are on Mazzard rootstock and a central leader system at
Fruit grower receives funding to test automated laser technology as a quiet and humane way to help scare birds from its 135-acre Lake Country orchard
BY INVESTMENT AGRICULTURE FOUNDATION OF B.C.
For fruit growers across the globe, birds are a common bane, particularly for those seeking a quiet, humane and cost-effective mitigation strategy. Starlings are especially unsavory interlopers as they not only spread disease but often destroy an entire crop, forcing growers to walk away and leave everything on the tree.
Fortunately for B.C. growers, Coral Beach Farms decided that a new solution was needed – or at least new to B.C. With funding from the Canada-B.C. Agri-Innovation Program, delivered through Investment Agriculture Foundation’s (IAF) Agri-Food Environment Initiative, Coral Beach became the first grower in the province to test the Agrilaser Autonomic Program at its Lake Country orchard.
Recently launched in the Netherlands, the Agrilaser has been successfully used in European orchards and offers a host of benefits, according to Gayle Krahn, Coral Beach hort manager.
“The Agrilaser is clean, silent and safe for humans, birds and the environment,” explains Krahn, who ran the two-year trial that investigated bird activity and damage in both laser-treated and non-laser treated orchards.
While livestock such as cows, pigs and chickens will ignore the laser beam, birds view it as a physical danger and keep their distance.
to a dramatic shift in their bird population.
Over time, however, they discovered that while the lasers proved a consistent deterrent on certain species such as starlings and sparrows, crows and magpies eventually became resistant as they adapted to the laser’s pattern. A potential solution is to change the laser’s pattern every two weeks in hopes of continuously confusing the birds and keeping them repelled. Users also have the option to set the laser to change patterns partway through the day to cause even more confusion.
Starlings are unsavory interlopers for fruit producers as they not only spread disease but often destroy an entire fruit crop.
Configured through remote control and offering a maximum range of 2,000 metres, users can install and control settings from their laptops and are able to define up to ten different areas in which birds are repelled. Coral Beach programmed their laser to sweep just above the trees and only operate during specific times of the day. In less than a minute, the laser covered the 135-acre orchard and led
During the trial, Coral Beach also compared the laser to more conventional bird control methods like falconry and noisemakers.
“Noisemakers are exactly that –they make noise and as a result bother neighbors and the surrounding community,” laments Krahn, adding that birds also tend to get used to the noise and eventually ignore it.
While falconry may work for smaller farmers, the higher number of falconers needed for a larger operation is too costly for most.
For now Coral Beach continues to experiment with broader-based monitoring and programming, adding more Agrilaser units to its other orchards and sharing information with growers (many of whom are reluctant to invest in technology until it has been tested locally).
“We want to make sure we share a solution that will benefit all tree fruit, grape and berry growers,” Krahn says. “I have confidence in the lasers and I think by tweaking the program we can have even greater success.”
DJI Mavic drone can now be converted into a precision scouting tool that collects TrueNDVI crop health data. The Sentera NDVI Single Sensor has been integrated onto the Mavic drone, featuring a sophisticated flying camera. In a single flight, visual-band RGB, near-infrared, and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)
data is captured and interpreted in the field. The Mavic has a flight time of 27 minutes and features FlightAutonomy technology, which senses obstacles up to 49 feet away and helps reduce accidents. Existing Mavic drones can be sent directly to Sentera or a Senteraauthorized reseller for modification. sentera.com
Steiner recently introduced its newly redesigned Steiner 450 tractor. The tractor has an articulating frame, giving it a tight turning radius of 43.5 inches. The frame also oscillates, keeping the operator upright and in control on uneven terrains. The tractor’s Quick-Hitch System makes it easy to switch between more than 20 attachments. Customers can choose from three engines: a Kubota 25 hp liquid-cooled diesel; a Kubota 32 hp liquid-cooled gasoline; or a 37 hp Vanguard EFI air-cooled gasoline engine. Other features include integrated, fully-adjustable hydraulic weight transfer system; Peerless 2600 dual range transaxles; ground speeds up to 6 mph in low gear and 9.5 mph in high gear; large operator platform,
Walki, a producer of technical laminates and protective packaging materials, has developed an organic mulching solution based on natural biodegradable fibres instead of plastic. Walki Agripap is made from kraft paper that is coated with a biodegradable coating layer, which slows down the degradation of the paper. Without the coating, the paper would degrade in the soil within a few weeks. Field tests compared the performance of different biodegradable mulches for growing iceberg lettuce and seedling onions. The tests demonstrated that Walki’s Agripap was easy to lay on the fields and delivered excellent weed control. walki.com
For your orchard, only the best protection will do!
Bartlett Superior “70” Oil is formulated with Petro-Canada’s ultra-pure oil base fluids. This combination delivers 99% unsulphonated residue and less phytotoxicity – which means it’s better for your orchards. Bartlett Superior “70” Oil is also better to use because it has reduced toxicity and is environmentally biodegradable. Outstanding fruit protection from an alliance you can trust – N. M. Bartlett and Petro-Canada. Now that’s revolutionary!
CATHY BARTOLIC | cathy@ontariofarmfresh.com
ABOVE
Pete Luckett standing in his Gaspereau Valley vineyard in Nova Scotia. Contributed photo
Pete Luckett is a British-Canadian entrepreneur, media personality plus a dynamic speaker. A native of Nottingham, England, Luckett immigrated to Canada in 1979, settling eventually in Nova Scotia.
Luckett became widely known in the Maritimes for his Pete’s Frootique specialty grocery stores. His first store opened in 1981 and two additional stores were opened in different locations in Nova Scotia. He was also a frequent guest on TV where he became known for his catchphrase “Toodlee-doo.” In October 2015, Luckett announced that the national grocery chain Sobeys would be entering into an agreement to purchase his grocery retail and wholesale business. This could not have come at a more opportune time as Pete was looking to spend more of his time at the vineyards he started in 2010 in Gaspereau Valley, N.S.
To say that Pete is a character is somewhat of an understatement. He has incredible experience and knowledge about retail and loves to share it. One of his key messages is: “You have to be first, best or different. If you can’t make a claim to one of these, you may as well pack it in now.”
He shares several stories of how his daily mission was to create an extraordinary experience for his customers. The spaghetti-eating contest was
one such example. It was born because his store was overstocked with spaghetti sauce and they had to find a way to move some. Tables were quickly set up with red, white and green table clothes and pasta was boiled. Customers were invited to partake in the event. It was that simple and done just that quickly. The contest made a great impression and sold lots of sauce, which was the goal.
When he started with his winery, he didn’t have the funds to offer transportation for his customers so he connected with a few other wineries in the area and they created the Magic Winery Bus, a brightly painted double decker London style bus. It leaves from Wolfville three times a day. The bus is set up as a hop-on, hop-off experience. No worries about who will be driving after the tastings.
The best marketing example that Pete shares is the red British phone booth he has in the middle of his vineyard. The phone is fully operational and his customers can make a free call to anywhere in North America. What a concept, because as soon as a customer gets on the phone, they are going to say something like: “You’ll never guess where I am. In the middle of a vineyard at Luckett’s.” It is unique, authentic and nicely highlights his British heritage.
This is a powerful protection-packed twosome. Together they offer fungal and bacterial control of the most difficult to control foliar diseases. They work like a machine to help keep your crops clean of bacterial spot and speck, powdery and downy mildews, Botrytis gray mold and early and late blight. Cueva is a liquid copper fungicide concentrate that features as low as 1/5th to 1/10th the metallic copper of fixed copper fungicides. Cueva
has a 4 hr. REI and 1 day PHI. Double Nickel biofungicide boasts a highly potent CFU count with multiple modes of action for greater efficacy and control. It has a 4 hr. REI and 0 hr. PHI. Both products are biodegradable. They decompose to a form useful to plants and microbes.