How farmers adapted their operations to COVID-19. | 8
Juicy approaches in cover crops
Exploring the idea of cover crop juice as an on-farm source of nitrogen. | 14
Trust the data
How one Ontario market maximized profit, margins by minding the numbers. | 18
By Kaitlin Packer
Juicy
Nk’Mip Cellars’s vineyards span the South Okanagan Valley and it is the first Indigenous-owned and operated winery in North America. Photo courtesy of Justin Hall/Nk’Mip Cellars.
BY SEBASTIAN LECK
BY JULIENNE ISAACS
Trust the data
How one Ontario market maximized profit, margins by minding the numbers.
BY TREVOR BACQUE
Field of dreams
For many fruit and vegetable producers, the COVID-19 pandemic meant longer hours, significant shifts in demand (both increases and decreases), and uncertainty surrounding seasonal workers, among other concerns. Everyone working within the agriculture and agri-food supply chain deserve endless amounts of appreciation, and while there were pockets of compassion, I want to step back and look at the bigger picture.
For a lot of us, this pandemic has not freed our schedules to pursue passion projects, but thrown a wrench in plans. The quick adaptability of those along the agri-food supply chain reveals an intricate system that is capable of changing – if it needs to.
I spoke with Evan Fraser, director of Arrell Food Institute and associate professor at the University of Guelph with a focus on food security, on what COVID-19 means for Canada’s food system. It was not a regular interview with questions and answers. In fact, there were more questions than answers. Fraser started our call stating very clearly that he didn’t have any concrete answers, but rather was imagining some possibilities of what could happen.
We discussed how a supply chain
growers to supply the company with spuds to “sell to other markets if they can,” as the company dealt with a sharp drop in demand for its products, like french fries. On the flip side, EarthFresh Foods noticed an increase in demand for fresh potatoes. We don’t know how things will play out, and only time can provide some clarity.
A reorganization of supply chains might also provoke discussions of larger reorganizations within our food system. Fraser says when we start reflecting on the lessons of this period, we should reflect on the fact that we are vulnerable to short-term disruptions. He suggests rethinking to what degree Canadian communities have regional self-sufficiency, and if it’s time to discuss investing more in Canada’s food processing sector. Fraser also brought up the issue of seasonal labour, sharing historic situations where the shortage of labour led to major investments in automation. You can read my full conversation with Evan Fraser online at fruitandveggie.com.
Is Canada’s food system, and all its moving parts, the best version we can come up with? Did the pandemic do us a favour by throwing a wrench
From soil to store, where can we do better?
shift – from large vendors, such as restaurants and stadiums, to grocery stores – would have an impact on fruit and vegetable producers. Fraser contemplated, “Does the homebuyer produce different kinds of demands for different products than a restaurant purchaser, cafeteria buyer, airline buyer, or sport venue?”
Even in the first couple months of the pandemic, some answers were starting to reveal themselves. On April 3, the CBC reported Cavendish Farms in P.E.I. advised Island potato
into a system that was going to break eventually?
Is it so ridiculous to use these months of relative stillness to envision a food system that is more efficient, sustainable, and equitable than the current one? As producers with the most skin the game, what does a better agriculture and agri-food system look like to you? What does it look like within Canada, and if we take a larger step back and think globally? From soil to store, where can we do better? •
FRUIT & VEGETABLE
Associate Editor ALEX BARNARD abarnard@annexbusinessmedia.com 519-429-3966
COO SCOTT JAMIESON sjamieson@annexbusinessmedia.com
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$5 billion in additional lending available through FCC
On March 23, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Farm Credit Canada (FCC) will receive support from the Canadian government that will allow for an additional $5 billion in lending capacity to producers, agribusinesses, and food processors. Existing FCC customers, and non-FCC customers alike, are able to access different financial supports such as payment deferrals for existing loans or
access to an additional credit line up to $500,000 to help manage cash flow during these times. Other commercial banks have also been given more flexibility by the government to help Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, FCC collaborates with private banks so producers are encouraged to go to their usual bank first to discuss options.
FREE ONLINE RESOURCES FOR PRODUCERS
Several organizations are offering resources online for free to help producers with farm safety, human resources, and more, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) is offering their courses, CASA Tractor and Farm Machinery and Seasonal Agricultural Workers Health and Safety Orientation, free of charge until Sept. 30, 2020. Access this at casa.acsa.ca/en/training/ online-training.
The Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC) is offering
BY THE NUMBERS - TEMPORARY FOREIGN WORKERS
IN 2015, A MAJORITY OF WORKERS CAME FROM THREE COUNTRIES:
their AgriHR toolkit, a collection of tools and resources for managing employees in agriculture, free of charge for producers for one year. Access this at hrtoolkit.cahrc-ccrha.ca.
Nearly 50% of jobs on fruit and vegetable operations are filled by temporary foreign workers.
WORKERS ALSO CAME FROM:
IN 2018, 49,622 temporary foreign workers filled 54,734 jobs in agricultural operations.
IN 2015, 40,497 temporary foreign workers filled 45,005 jobs for agricultural operations.
COVID-19 response measures created uncertainty among temporary foreign workers
On March 18, the Canadian government restricted foreign nationals from all countries except the United States as a protective measure. The measures, while necessary to limit the spread of COVID-19, prompted questions from the Canadian agriculture community who did not see temporary foreign workers in the list of travel exemptions.
Temporary foreign workers and workers from the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP) are an integral part of the growing season, especially horticulture. According to the Canadian Horticultural Council, seasonal paid workers make up 53 per cent of Canada’s paid agricultural workforce.
After a significant lobby effort on behalf of the agricultural industry, the Canadian government formally included seasonal agricultural workers in its list of travel exemptions on March 20.
The dust did not settle once exemptions were in place. With significant global air travel restrictions, it was up to industry-led groups to charter flights
for workers. In some countries, such as Mexico, government offices shut down for a period of time delaying paperwork.
In addition, certain health protocols had to be put in place to protect incoming workers. On March 27, the Canadian government released their list of requirements for employers of temporary foreign workers. The list included paying workers during their 14-day self-isolation period and not allowing them to work.
As the agricultural industry, producers, seasonal workers and various levels of government and health authorities work together, delays are imminent.
Ontario saw its first few flights of workers arrive in early April, and B.C. anticipates workers coming closer to mid-April (at the time of publishing). The COVID-19 pandemic has left its mark before the growing season is in full swing, and there is no doubt that the ramifications of the pandemic will trickle into the summer months.
How is COVID-19 impacting our food system?
Evan Fraser, director of Arrell Food Institute and associate professor at the University of Guelph with a focus on global food security, shares his thoughts on what the COVID-19 pandemic means for Canada’s food system.
Fraser says Canadian producers can expect to see a shift in demand from large vendors to regular consumers shopping at grocery stores, but no dramatic demands or shortages overall. On a more philosophical level, the
discussion prompts larger questions about who produces and distributes food.
“Maybe when we start reflecting on the lessons of this period of time, we should reflect on the fact that we are vulnerable to short term disruptions, and they are kind of scary,” Fraser says.
Fraser suggests that a higher degree of regional selfsufficiency and a little bit more inventory (versus a just-in-time supply chain) can
help the Canadian food system buffer against short term disruptions. To clarify, Fraser notes a “higher degree of regional self-sufficiency” is not only buying local, all the time, but “having a level of productive capacity and key commodities at a regional scale.”
One area he noted that could see some regional investment was Canada’s processing sector. “One of the consequences of global trade has been the loss
STAY UPDATED ON COVID-19
Government of Canada’s official COVID-19 page: www.canada.ca/coronavirus
This page includes a case tracker, how to spot and prevent the virus, financial support, and access to other government programs.
Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA)’s resource page: www.cfa-fca.ca/resources/ resources-on-covid-19
CFA’s page includes general resources for employers, and agriculture-specific information.
of Ontario’s fruit and vegetable processing industry over the last 40 years,” Fraser starts. “Maybe this is a reason to think that we should be investing, as a society, back into our fruit and vegetable processing industry. Maybe we do need those canning factories, freezing factories, local smoothie maker, or whatever it is.”
Read the full interview at fruitandveggie.com/howis-covid-19-impactingour-food-system/
Fruit and Vegetable magazine online: fruitandveggie.com
Everything in this issue is up to date as of April 10, our time of publishing. Please visit our website for the most recent stories.
Can be recycled in a number of ways
When it comes to fresh items like fruit and vegetables, it’s particularly important to consumers that they can see the contents of the packaging. One alternative to plastic is the semitransparent packaging paper Pura Natura from Adercarta. The patented produce bag from Italy is especially sustainable and tear-resistant thanks to its innovative base design. The material is moisture-resistant and complies with European foodstuff directives. Pura Natura can be recycled in a number of ways: its paper printed with ecological water-based dye is biodegradable and can be composted, e.g. as a bag for organic waste. It can also be recycled with paper.
Watermelon
for the road
Multifaceted and healthy:
New purple broccoli variety
Dutch seed producer Bejo has developed Redi, a purple broccoli that meets many consumers’ demand for a healthy vegetable that is easy to prepare. The broccoli is packaged in recyclable cardboard. This broccoli with its tender stalk and small florets can be prepared in a wide variety of ways, from raw to roasted, steamed or boiled. The producer also provides recipe ideas. The broccoli is slightly more bitter than common varieties, and has a hint of sweetness. Thanks to its high glucosinolate and vitamin C content, Redi is an incredibly healthy vegetable. Its colour provides more antioxidants than green broccoli, which reinforces its effectiveness as a functional food.
High output in a compact size
Anyone who thinks normal watermelons are too large will like the watermelon KISY. With a weight of 650 to 950 grams, the fruit with a dark rind and red, flavourful flesh will fit in any shopping basket. It is easy to peel and is therefore very suitable as a healthy snack when out and about. This tasty, personal-sized watermelon can also easily be used as a refreshing drink and for making cocktails or smoothies. With the development of the Readyto-eat watermelon, BASF Vegetable Seeds is targeting a health and qualityconscious target group that values convenience.
Agricola Italiana’s HIGH PRECISION AI-640SN seed planter was specially developed to sow lettuce and spinach seeds. They can be configured to suit the customer’s wishes, which greatly reduces row spacing. In order to meet the needs of different types of soil, the seed planter can be equipped with rubber, stainless steel or furrow rollers. An optional liquid gas system prevents mud from solidifying on the roller. The rollers can also be supported hydraulically. The quantity of seeds to be deposited can be set via a single interface in the electrohydraulic transmission. This makes distribution easier and independent from the capstan.
How farmers adapted to the COVID-19 outbreak
In the beginning of March, farmers were hit both by high demand for produce and sudden restrictions on where they could sell it. Here’s how some growers adapted to the situation.
BY SEBASTIAN LECK
March 13 was the day stores ran out of potatoes. That’s when the Pfennings Organic Farm went into overdrive, and worked weekends and evenings to try to meet demand.
“The sort of panic buying of potatoes is something I never expected I would see in my lifetime,” says Jenn Pfenning, the director of human resources, operations and marketing at the farm in New Hamburg, Ont. Besides one Sunday off, the workers at the farm worked two straight weeks to send extra deliveries to retailers.
“It’s kind of like Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving all rolled into one except that there is no party at the end of it and a little bit of stress,” she says. “Well, a lot of stress, to be honest.”
It wasn’t just the spike in demand that posed challenges. Pfenning was also writing new safety protocols on the fly for around 50 staff, and remained unsure when (or if, at one point) the usual 35 migrant workers from Jamaica would be
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coming. On top of that, a staff member had gone into quarantine.
They were one of the hundreds of farmers and growers affected when the federal and provincial governments introduced new measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 this past March. As the outbreak changed almost every aspect of life in Canada, farmers too had to learn to adapt on short notice.
SHIFT FROM FOOD SERVICES TO RETAIL
As restaurants, food courts, cafes and other food services closed, Canadians began buying groceries - a lot of them.
“The food service sector is worth $90 billion in Canada. It basically went from $90 billion to probably $20 billion over night,” says Sylvain Charlebois, a professor who studies food distribution, security and safety at Dalhousie University. Although consumption went down
After the farmers’ market she usually sells to closed, Donna Pardy moved to two online platforms to sell produce instead.
PHOTO COURTESY OF DONNA PARDY.
Jenn Pfenning (pictured) never expected to see the sort of panic buying of potatoes that happened during the initial COVID-19 outbreak in her lifetime.
across the board, much of that spending moved to retail. “We have a retail industry that is conducting miracles every day now.”
It meant that the food industry suddenly had to readjust to more customers buying groceries and cooking more often than usual. Whether that becomes a habit that continues after the virus remains to be seen, Charlebois says.
A SPIKE IN ONLINE DELIVERIES
Social distancing measures also brought many farmers online. Donna Pardy, the owner of Uprooted Farm - an indoor hydroponic farm in Elora, Ont. - usually sells her produce at the Guelph Farmers’ Market. At the beginning of the outbreak, though, the market was closed (it is scheduled to remain closed until April 30). Other clients of Uprooted Farm cancelled as well.
“I had a contract with a hydroponic system installer to provide plants for an open house of a system that they had installed,” she explains. “But now of course, the open house is cancelled.”
Pardy moved to two online platforms to sell produce instead: Mrs. Grocery and the Open Food Network. The Open Food Network required delivery, which she began doing for her local area in Centre Wellington.
“If this were to continue for a long time, that might have to be something that I would consider doing permanently,” she says. She adds that online orders roughly doubled since the outbreak began.
Charlesbois says only nine per cent of Canadians have previously bought a food product online, but he sees that number growing during the pandemic. Although it’s too early to be sure, it could form shopping habits that last even after the pandemic ends.
“That changes the dynamics,” he says. “They may complement some of their purchasing online with a visit to the farmers’ markets or to the local store close by, and that’s all they’re going to buy. So their focus [would] be in the produce section and they’re going to be expert at it.”
He says the pandemic has made Canadians realize that grocery stores are essentially “open systems” where anyone can come in. He was surprised to see the results of a Dalhousie survey showing that 65 per cent of Canadians were concerned about the risks of shopping in a grocery store.
“I think it could have a huge impact on what type of products is being sold, how it’s served, how it’s prepared,” he says. “The expectations are going to change for grocers and that’s going to work through the food chain up to the farmer eventually.”
VIRTUAL FARM TOURS
At the Jungle Farm in Red Deer County, Alta., Leona and Blaine Staples usually run field trips in May and June for 5,000 students in schools all over their area. This March, schools across Alberta closed, so Leona decided to launch a YouTube series to provide virtual tours instead.
“I’ve only done one YouTube video so far, but my commitment is to do one every week,” Staples says. “I just love having the kids [get] that portion of the education. I’m missing out on it too, having that connection with the kids. It was my way of kind of addressing them.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF PFENNING’S ORGANIC VEGETABLES.
The videos will provide a field trip experience for those students who will miss going in person. The YouTube series might be a way to keep educating the public even after the COVID-19 crisis is over, she says. “It’s kind of fun! I get asked about stuff all the time - a lot of the farms that direct market doand people just don’t know.”
Like other farms, though, she took on more work with fewer workers. Normally, by March, she would have seasonal agricultural workers, but she had to rely on casual workers instead. And, as with all farmers during the peak of the COVID-19 crisis, she lived with a sense of uncertainty about what businesses would remain open and who would be available to buy produce.
“Food production in our greenhouse is still going. As I’m speaking to you, I’m planting flowers,” she says. “That means I might have a whole lot of beautiful flowers but no one to buy them. I don’t know, but I don’t know when to stop. Like, when do you stop?”
SAFETY MEASURES
Luckily, farmers were less affected by the stringent health requirements brought on by social distancing measures. “Farmers have been socially distancing for a hundred years,” says Mike von Massow, an associate professor in the University of Guelph’s department of food, agricultural and resource economics. “It’s a relatively solitary endeavor.”
“My expectation is also that they will come up with both social distancing practices and quarantining practices [for their work crews],” he says, “[That way] we manage the risk of exposure to a broader community and we also manage the risk of exposure to those individuals.”
Despite having 50 employees, the Pfennings Organic Farm managed to do just that. Jenn Pfennings says they stopped accepting returns and that they told delivery drivers not to enter the building when they come back from a run. Employees were also split up from each other based on their job and lunches were staggered so they never gathered in large groups.
Social isolation on top of working long hours isn’t a recipe for high morale. Pfennings says constantly reminding employees to take care of themselves and holding (carefully distanced) meetings to update them went a long way to keeping spirits up.
“I bought them hot chocolate the other day. They were having a bit of a panic day, so I just grabbed some hot chocolate,” she says. “Sometimes it doesn’t take a lot to let somebody know that they’re appreciated and they matter.” •
Editor’s note: The interviews for this feature were conducted in March.
RIGHT
Other smaller voles like the meadow vole and the pine vole are seen in eastern maritime areas and are equally damaging to blueberry fields as the Townsend’s vole is in the west. It is unknown yet if Hindmarch’s project will be effective against these other types of voles. She has been working with Elana Varner, a PhD student in rodent ecology with Simon Fraser University, to develop the most effective bait for Townsend’s voles. Together with a trap from Goodnature, an innovative rodent trap company in New Zealand, the pair are working to create a lasting attractant for the trap.
“Voles, like many other rodents, have an extremely evolved olfactory communication system; meaning they communicate with others of their species through scent,” Varner says. “All rodents are species-specific when it comes to their communication pathways. Therefore, one great potential way to attract voles is by tapping into their natural communication pathway, possibly by using soiled bedding that captive voles have been housed on, to use as a lure in our traps. We are also aiming to test more conventional food attractants to see if these are effective.”
This had led to looking at a combination of pheromone and food (apples, oats and peanut butter) baits for the mesh pouch voles can smell in the trap, but can’t access. It must be specially formulated so that it lasts a significant period of time without turning moldy. Hindmarch is currently setting up trials in blueberry fields with cameras to observe the effectiveness of the different types of bait.
“For this eco-friendly alternative [to rodenticide] to be competitive and make this pest-control method feasible, it needs
to be coupled with a multiple-kill trap,” Varner says. “A multiple kill trap will function similarly [to rodenticides] in that you ‘set it and forget it’ and it will take care of the pest from there, not needing to be reset like a conventional trap every time.”
With the right bait, the Goodnature trap will provide this ‘set it and forget it’ functionality. Bates sees the project as a positive because predators will still eat the dead voles but without the consequences of second-hand poisoning.
“You can clean them up in no time,” he says. “Either coyotes are going to eat them or something’s going to take them. There’s no poison, there’s nothing. If it works, it’s just probably a better way of doing it. It works in warehouses for rats and mice, so why wouldn’t it work in the field?”
Hindmarch sees the trap working well as part of a full-field solution that includes creating inviting habitat for raptors and owls as well. A nesting pair of barn owls and their chicks can eat more than 1,000 rodents a year including voles. Thus, installing owl boxes in tandem with the Goodnature trap is likely to reduce a vole population rather dramatically in a short period of time. Because the traps leave the vole carcasses behind, owls and other raptors, as well as other natural scavengers, will still have access to food and will continue to maintain their home and hunt live rodents as well. The trap can be installed against a tree or building with minimal space.
“Just how bad rodenticides are for the environment is really just becoming understood,” Varner says. “One survey of mammals in California showed that 70 per cent of mammals had poison in their systems.” Bates is all for eliminating rodenticides and is excited to put the traps in place on his fields. •
Getting to the root of winemaking: NK’MIP CELLARS
Backed by land and legacy, one winemaker hopes to leave both to the next generation.
BY KAITLIN PACKER
When Justin Hall first started working at Nk’Mip Cellars in his early twenties, he was just looking for a job. Within a few weeks, it became his passion. Now, approximately 16 years later, he holds the role of winemaker at the winery located on the Osoyoos Indian Reserve in British Columbia, the first Indigenous-owned and operated winery in North America.
“Food and wine, it bites a lot of people,” says Hall, a member of the Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB). “It’s got a little bit of a majestic thing to it.” Once he became interested in the industry, Hall took the vineyard assistant and winery assistant
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programs through Okanagan University College before travelling to New Zealand to study viticulture and enology at a university there.
He also spent some time helping with a grape harvest at a much bigger facility in Australia. Having grown up on the Osoyoos Indian Reserve as part of a tight-knit community of approximately 540 band members, Hall says the experience in Australia gave him perspective and deepened his passion for his smaller community and winery. “Here, I get to follow the wines right to the very end and then meet the consumers and talk them through [...] what I did all year.”
The vineyards span the South Okanagan Valley and alternate between sandy and sandy loam soil.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF JUSTIN HALL.
One of the things Hall says he enjoys the most about being a winemaker is the variety of work that each season brings, from start to end. “It’s almost like you’re raising a child. You’re starting it from the very root,” he says.
ELEMENTS OF NATURE
Being involved throughout the whole process is not the only thing Hall values about Nk’Mip Cellars. He says he has a special love for the land because he grew up on it. With approximately 34,000 acres of land, the OIB uses roughly 1,700 acres to produce grapes from a wide range of varieties, including Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc.
It’s unique land too, situated in what Hall describes as a “true desert” with pine, antelope brush and sagebrush. The vineyards span the South Okanagan Valley and alternate between sandy and sandy loam soil. “You can really get a tight grasp on how large you want your canopy to be and, in turn, your end crop production,” Hall notes, saying the soil type allows for tight control over the amount of water that gets to the vine.
The temperatures are also indicators of the unique desert climate. Hall estimates they are one of the warmest regions in Canada, saying that one summer they rarely dropped below 40 C. Being in a valley, the temperature and the amount of sun exposure and elevation all vary from vineyard to vineyard. Hall says they make their growing plan accordingly, with red grape varieties in hotter regions and white grape varieties where it’s cooler.
The good thing about warm temperatures is the grapes always get ripe, even when an early frost comes like it did in the beginning of October last year. The difficulty is that they must ensure the canopy is big enough to prevent the grapes from getting dehydrated - and they still get cooler years sometimes where they must strip the vine. “Every year is different,” Hall says, “and somehow Mother Nature, just when you think you’re figuring stuff out, throws you a curveball.”
Aside from managing elements of nature, Hall says their vineyards offer prime feasting for bears. “They can eat, from what I’ve heard and read about,” Hall says, “up to a ton of grapes per week.” At $3,000 per ton, Hall estimates that one bear could cost them around $12,000 in just four weeks. While they
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The production at Nk’Mip Cellars began at approximately 10,000 cases and has settled at 18,000 cases, their ideal for making a great product as efficiently as possible.
try to use bird scarers to keep them away, the bears quickly recognize that there’s no real threat.
HOW IT BEGAN
Adapting to challenges like these is nothing new for Hall or his community. Originally called Nk’Mip Vineyards, the OIB started their first 300- to 350-acre vineyard in the 1960s. At the time, band members were being forced to leave their families and their community to seek work outside the province. Hall says this affected his father who, as a 12-year-old, was responsible for his eight younger siblings for a time.
The chief and counsel saw the vineyard as an entrepreneurial solution. “For me, to see [the chief’s] vision or utilize that vision and actually live it like fifty years later, it’s like wow,” Hall says, “if my elder wasn’t there to do this for me then who knows where I would be.”
In the 1990s, the owner of JacksonTriggs, a popular Canadian winery, asked the chief if he would consider leasing some of the land and entering a partnership. The chief agreed on the condition that they would help the OIB establish a winery supplied by their own grapes.
“We’re producing some of the best grapes in the Okanagan,” Hall says, “and we want to use those grapes to produce our wines.” Nk’Mip Cellars was born in 2002 with the OIB owning 51 per cent of it. That was two years before Hall began his career there.
While they had been making wine in the Okanagan for a long time, the wine
industry really began there in the ‘90s when they started producing quality wine. “Nobody really had an idea of what we could produce,” Hall says.
The production at Nk’Mip Cellars began at approximately 10,000 cases and, eventually, up to 20,000 a year. Now they’ve settled at 18,000 cases, their ideal for making a great product as efficiently as possible. The winery has grown in other ways as supporting businesses have popped up around it, including a hotel, a cultural centre, a golf course and a restaurant. Hall estimates they can now see around 300 to 400 people come through the winery each day during peak season.
It’s not just about the numbers, however. Halls says he’s proud to be one of the first Indigenous winemakers in North America and to be part of the small community of winemakers in Canada - an industry that helps bring people together in unique ways. “You have a bottle of wine between a few people and you almost get away from the superficial conversations,” Hall says. “You start talking about life and what actually matters.”
For Nk’Mip Cellars, what actually matters is producing grapes and wine on their own land in a sustainable way and having a lineage to back it up. “If I can’t leave that land for the next generation then I would feel that I have failed,” Hall says. “We are supposed to be the protectors of the land. We’re the original protectors and I believe in my heart that, to this day, that I follow that.” •
Juicy new approaches in cover cropping
Exploring the idea of “cover crop juice” as an on-farm source of nitrogen to boost fertility in high-intensity vegetable production.
BY JULIENNE ISAACS
Cover cropping can have many benefits in highintensity vegetable production systems, from soil and water conservation to pest control via biofumigation and weed suppression. But the benefits do not make the practice a given.
“We’ve known for at least 30 years that cover cropping is a best management practice in high value vegetable systems, but that didn’t increase cover cropping much in the Salinas Valley,” says Eric Brennan, a research horticulturalist with the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service in California.
The vast majority of cropland that could be cover cropped in the winter is left fallow in the region, he says, primarily so farmers can get onto clean fields for early planting.
But opportunity for cover cropping is ripe, he says: the nutrients on those fields that otherwise
end up lost to the environment could be scavenged by cover crops in the winter to mitigate leaching and pad producers’ pocketbooks.
Say, for example, a farmer has grown two vegetables in the spring and summer and harvested the field, turning leftover organic matter back into the soil. “When we grow a cover crop there, we can hold onto that leftover nitrogen through the winter and when we turn the cover crop in that nitrogen is released and goes into the next vegetable. If you don’t have a cover crop there are estimates that we lose 70 per cent of what nitrogen the cover crop is able to hold,” Brennan says.
According to Laura Van Eerd, professor of sustainable soil management at the University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus, it can be hard to find good numbers on cover crop adoption among Ontario’s commercial vegetable producers, but the
ABOVE Laura Van Eerd led a study looking at the impacts of cover crop species and planting date on yield and nitrogen dynamics in vegetable crops: cucumber, fresh beans and sweet corn.
RIGHT Van Eerd’s cover crop study showed that yield benefits were variable year-to-year, but averaged over four years she saw a seven to 10 per cent yield increase for snap beans and sweet corn.
PHOTOS
COURTESY OF LAURA VAN EERD.
practice is becoming “more common than it was a decade ago,” she says. “My sense in talking with processing veg growers is that the majority, not the minority, are using cover crops,” she says.
Van Eerd led a study between 2008 and 2014 looking at the impacts of cover crop species (winter cereal rye, oats, radish, forage pea and hairy vetch) and planting date on yield and nitrogen dynamics in vegetable crops: cucumber, fresh beans and sweet corn. The study was set up in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Cover crops were seeded in August for the early seeding dates and September for late seeding dates. Samples of cover crop aboveground biomass were collected prior to termination, along with soil samples to quantify soil mineral N.
In the study, Van Eerd showed that yield benefits were variable year-to-year, but averaged over four years she saw a seven to 10 per cent yield increase for snap beans and sweet corn.
But Van Eerd says not enough is understood about the economic benefits of planting cover crops in vegetable systems.
Van Eerd is working with economist Richard Vyn and masters student Dani Mayer to compare the costs associated with cover crops, including seed, custom planting and herbicide application, with the revenue generated by selling the commodity. This team is working out how, if farmers could be paid for carbon sequestration, practices such as cover cropping could improve profit margins. “Our preliminary results are that in a vegetable system you have positive profit margin with cover cropping,” Van Eerd says. “You’re making more money with than without.”
Last winter, Brennan presented his findings on a unique cover cropping experiment at the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention. Brennan calls his idea “SHARPR cover cropping.” First, the farmer grows a cover crop such as mustard until it reaches about half its maximum biomass and has used most of the soil’s residual nitrogen. At that point, the shoots are removed from the field with a forage harvester, leaving the field ready for planting with minimal residue problems.
Then, the harvested residue is run through a screw press. The cover crop fibre and juice are both stored on the farm and can be reapplied as needed and when it’s convenient for the farmer.
The mustard cover crop in his experiment contained at harvest about 80 to 90 per cent moisture and a fairly low carbon to nitrogen ratio (12). After it was macerated, about 50 to 60 per cent of the weight of the crop was in the juice and the rest in the fibre, which now had a carbon to nitrogen ratio of about 27.
On-farm, the fibre could be stored in silage bags and used as compost, Brennan explained. The juice, which contains about 50 per cent of the mustard’s nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, could be used on adjacent fields as a fertilizer replacement. Compared with commercial inorganic liquid fertilizer, cover crop juice contains only about a third of the N, but it’s produced on-farm from ingredients which would otherwise have been wasted.
Brennan says the economic value of the juice outweighs the cost associated with growing and harvesting the mustard, although the cost of “juicing” the crop as well as storing the juice and fibre would also have to be factored in. Brennan says dairy farms already use forage harvesters and screw presses (to squeeze liquid from manure) and this equipment could be used on a custom basis.
Brennan is still in the greenhouse phase of his studies on the juicing system but hopes to move it up to field-scale soon. He says there are a lot of big questions to answer on the economics of the system, but there’s potential for it to be used in organic systems, which already pay a premium for organic inputs.
“The juice will have to compete with other liquid organic fertilizers, which tend to be very expensive,” he says. “The crop
this is being applied to has to be a high value crop and an organic crop because the farm is paying a lot more for organic fertilizers.”
Van Eerd says her research underscores the value of belowground biomass and even if above-ground cover crops are removed for grazing or juicing, a large portion of the value of the cover crops remains in the field. She agrees that the juicing system might have most value on organic operations in Ontario, where nitrogen available to the crop is often limiting. “For me, from a soils perspective, anytime you can get plants growing on your land that is a win,” she says.
Dave Van Segbrook, a producer in Kent County, Ont. has experimented with a range of cover crops - such as red clover, buckwheat, oilseed radish, oats and winter wheat - on his operation, where he grows sweet corn, peas, snap beans or green beans, peppers, Brussels sprouts and sugar beets.
Van Segbrook gravitates toward cover crops that are winterkilled for ease of use, he says, although his main considerations for cover crops are what he’s growing the next year and whether he can get the cover crop established this year. Van Segbrook uses cover crops for many reasons on his operation - to improve soil organic matter and soil structure, to boost yield in subsequent crops, to mitigate compaction and even to draw Canada geese away from his high-value processing vegetables.
His main resources for seeding rate and timing information are the Midwest Cover Crop Field Guide and Ontario’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA’s) cover crop research team led by Anne Verhallen. The Midwest Cover Crop Council’s Cover Crop Decision Tool has been adapted for Ontario and can be found at: decision-tool.incovercrops.ca. •
Get Fresh Visit a Farm
Practising better SPUD MANAGEMENT
Identifying diseases and engaging good management techniques will lead to better potatoes postharvest.
BY RONDA PAYNE
When the storage doors open and farmers look at their cured potatoes, they are hoping for high-quality spuds that will garner a fair price.
Unfortunately, potatoes can be sneaky. Some don’t reveal problems until harvest, or worse, when they are already in storage. Potato farmers should follow beneficial management practices and keep a keen eye on what’s happening from field preparation to packaging to minimize issues.
Marjo Dessureault with E.S. Cropconsult has been working with B.C. potato growers to assess conditions, diseases and best practices to help farmers get the most from their crops. Her first piece of advice is to know the diseases.
“If you can recognize the disease, you’ll be better prepared to take action,” she says.
Determining which disease is present allows for better management and application of appropriate controls. However, treatments in potatoes vary and there are no silver bullets. Growers across the country can find detailed information in B.C.’s potato production guide.
Dessureault works with Trevor Harris, a sixth-generation farmer and co-owner of Pacific Potato in Delta, B.C. She conducts field monitoring at the site which grows seed potatoes, and knows the site well.
“She’s got information I don’t have,” Harris says. “She knows our operations well. If new stuff comes out, you gotta have someone to call.”
PINK ROT
Hot, wet conditions give pink rot the boost it’s looking for. The disease is identified in potatoes by its tan to brown skin lesions and the tuber’s rubbery feel. If cut into, the flesh will turn pink, then progress to brown and black.
above ground roots (stolon). “Often the infection happens at the end of the season,” she notes.
SOFT ROT
Like pink rot, soft rot likes hot, wet conditions. This disease can be present in the soil, in volunteers or even in irrigation water. “This is a bacteria disease associated with wet and hot conditions at harvest and spreads at storage,” she says.
Soft rot is characterized by sunken lesions which will expand into one large lesion and ultimately a rotten potato. Currently, there are no seed piece treatments, in-furrow treatments or growingseason foliar treatments for soft rot.
“Soft rot will happen in the field when it’s wet,” she says. “You can see that disease when you harvest. If you see it after harvest, it is because of damage [during harvest].”
ABOVE
Planting in cold soils is unadvisable for potatoes and it’s also best to avoid warm and wet soils when Pythium is present as it will lead to seed piece decay.
“It’s a fungal disease that infects the plant and tubers,” Dessureault says. “It can spread in storage. Pink rot, you can see at harvest, but often it’s minor until they go into storage.” Pink rot thrives in poorly drained soils and wet environments that deny oxygen. These wet environments make it easier for pink rot to penetrate the roots and the tuber via the
FUSARIUM DRY ROT
One of the ugliest potato diseases is Fusarium dry rot with its dark, hard spots, dark interior and mycelium growth. It is associated most often with visible damage at harvest which will spread in storage.
“If you plant in cold soil, then Fusarium will likely be an issue and cause seed piece decay,” Dessureault notes. “Some of the seed will fail to emerge. Fusarium dry rot usually shows up about a month after harvest.”
PYTHIUM
Hot and wet conditions at harvest are associated with the spongy result of Pythium. These potatoes have grey to brown water-soaked lesions, a dark flesh ring, and when squeezed, the potato will release water, known as Pythium leak. For potatoes, planting in cold soils is unadvisable and it’s also best to avoid warm, wet soils when Pythium is present because it will lead to seed piece decay. Infection occurs during harvest and in storage and while potatoes may appear normal, the soft texture reveals the disease’s presence. “Pink rot, we don’t really get,” Harris says. “Pythium is one we have to be careful of.”
PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARJOLAINE DESSUREAULT.
MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
“Hopefully you’ve disinfected your truck, your equipment and [tools],” Dessureault says. “About seven to 14 days prior to planting, think about warming the seed to 10 to 13 C.”
She also recommends cutting seed with a sharp knife to promote better healing and reduce the chance of pathogens entering. Give the seed time to heal if it’s not being planted right away. Healing should be done at 10 to 15 C at 90 to 95 per cent relative humidity for a minimum of five days in piles of less than six feet.
Plant after the five days or cool to 5 to 8 C until close to planting then re-warm the seed, but not in the sun. Ensure there is a tarp over planting trucks. Plant seed when soil temperatures reach a minimum of 7 C. Fresh cut seed would ideally be planted at soil temperatures of 13 to 16 C.
“Pythium will really have a go at your seed if you leave it in the sun,” she says. Avoid planting in poorly drained soils. “In general, cold and wet soils are not good for planting potatoes.”
Another caution is to control regrowth. “In September there’s often lots of regrowth and more rain events,” Dessureault says. “It’s a good time for late blight.”
SHARING IN ALL THE WRONG WAYS
Unfortunately, these diseases work together to exacerbate each other, and pests help to increase disease risk. She notes that seed with Fusarium planted in cold soil will lead to soft rot, and insects can create disease access. Insects like wireworm and tuber flea beetle can lead to Pythium, Fusarium and soft rot.
“Limiting insect damage is important because they create entry points,” she says. “Pythium and Fusarium enter tubers through wounds. [These diseases] are in the soil, just waiting, waiting for a wound to enter.”
PRE-HARVEST MANAGEMENT
Growers should look at their tubers and fields two weeks before harvest. Take note of wet areas, swelling lenticels (the potato’s breathing pores) and decay. “It’s about thinking ahead to storage,” she notes. “When you’re doing inspections before harvest. Do you need more people? What to harvest first or last.”
HARVEST TECHNIQUES
When harvest comes, it’s best to do so in dry weather and to plan to harvest problematic areas (like low-lying areas) last to avoid the spread of any potential diseases. There should be no excessive irrigation prior to harvest and she says to not harvest water-logged areas.
“If you know ahead you’re going to have an issue, harvest at the lower temperature,” she says. Ensure soil and flesh temperatures are at about 10 C. Avoid hot temperatures for harvesting. Mature tubers should have well-set skin as immature potatoes are more susceptible to injuries
and therefore disease.
“We’re very careful of temperature at harvest,” Harris says. “If it’s above 60 F [15 C], we shut down. So quite often we’ll harvest in the morning and [by] early afternoon we’ll shut down.”
He advises that bruising issues must be managed at harvest as it will lead to dry rot in storage. “You control your speeds and drops, keep your chains full, elevators full,” he says. “We cool our potatoes down to 50 F [10 C] as fast as we can at harvest time. You have to know how to manage what you’re going to get.”
POST-HARVEST MANAGEMENT
No matter how good pre-harvest and harvest practices are, there are still opportunities for issues in post-harvest. According to one grower study, about 60 per cent of potato damage occurred in the washing and bagging process.
Dessureault recommends that throughout the process there must never be any drop of more than six feet and that storage involves good air movement. Equipment must be sanitized between lots and storage preparation should include: removing infected tubers, excess dirt and debris, no wet potatoes, keep problematic tubers separate and ensure space of two feet from the top of the pile to the ceiling.
Wet or potentially diseased potatoes should be cured at 10 C to help reduce disease and at 8 to 9 C for severe disease. This is done at 85 to 95 per cent relative humidity for three to four weeks with continuous dry air ventilation. “You want a lower relative humidity, but not too low,” she says. “That will cause other problems.”
Healthy potatoes can be cured at 10 to 15 C at 92 to 97 per cent relative humidity for 10 to 14 days with one to two hours of humidified ventilation a day. Monitor piles for wet spots and prevent condensation and CO2 accumulation.
Harris notes that his operation will use extra fans if there is a lot of moisture, as was the case in 2019. “If you see humidity or moistures anywhere, you put the fans in there,” he says. “At the same time, you want 90 per cent humidity. If they come in wet, at the start of the season you turn the humidifiers off, then you turn it back on.”
There are post-harvest treatments available for Fusarium dry rot, pink rot and soft rot. “There’s a lot of damage that can happen at your washing and packing time,” Dessureault says. “Pay attention to the temperature of your water and your tubers. They should be about the same.”
She also cautions to look for sharp surfaces that can lead to cuts and damage, minimize drops and handling and disinfect regularly during the washing and grading process.
When potato seed goes in the ground it holds the promise of the best possible crop, but diseases like pink rot, soft rot, Fusarium and Pythium can be hard to spot until it’s too late. By understanding the best practices farmers can reduce their risk. •
Cold and wet soils are not good for planting potatoes, and can lead to disease such as late blight.
One of the ugliest potato diseases is Fusarium dry rot with its dark, hard spots, dark interior and mycelium growth.
Pink rot is identified by its tan to brown skin lesions and the tuber’s rubbery feel. If cut into, the flesh will turn pink, then progress to brown and black.
Soft rot is characterized by sunken lesions which will expand into one large lesion and ultimately a rotten potato.
everything they need for the holiday, including the pièce de résistance: pie.
In 2019, Wheaton was preparing for YFM’s annual pie order and, being fairly new on the job, went back into her POS’ data and reviewed what was sold last year and prepared to place an order.
There was just one problem. The data said to order 800 pies. On a good weekend YFM would turn over 200 pies and now the POS was suggesting quadruple should cover off the holiday weekend.
Wheaton laughed to herself, obviously she punched in something incorrect. She re-did it. 800. Hmmm, that’s strange. She did it one more time on a day-over-day basis of last year’s sales and it once again displayed 800. Employees looked at her as if she was crazy when they heard the number.
“In my brain, if I would have just guessed, I would have felt like I was walking out on a plank if I had to order 400 pies,” she says. “I felt sick having to order that, but I said, ‘OK, I am going to trust the data.’”
Two trucks set off to Anna Mae’s Bakery and Restaurant to pick up what equated to nearly one tonne of pies.
The result?
ABOVE
Sales at Your Farm Market in Woodstock, Ont., utilizes an app, ShopKeep, as its point of sale system. Market manager Bernia Wheaton says the simple program has saved the company thousands in efficiencies.
“In the end, we ordered 800, I probably could have order 100 more,” she says with relief. “On Saturday, I had 90 pumpkin pies. I could have sold 180.”
It was a harrowing stretch of days for Wheaton, but she was glad she ultimately put her trust in the numbers.
“I know I should have trusted the data,” she says. “It was just such a huge number that it just felt like it couldn’t possibly be accurate, and it was 100 per cent accurate. In hindsight, I’m really glad I trusted the data.”
It’s not only the hard data that ends up coming in handy. Often, the visual response of a consumer, or even social media interactions, have proven to be an extension tool of a well-run POS.
Last September, McKay placed an order for raspberries while forgetting about an already-in-queue order. Wheaton had to think quick about how to manage double the pints of raspberries so they didn’t go to waste the next day, Friday the 13th. She quickly thought up a 3/$13 promo for the ominous calendar marker and pushed it out on social media. Thankfully, the promotion went over well on short notice. Based on the success, she tried it again on December 13th, this time with preserves and salad dressings. That day, the special deal was the number one seller and a 72 per cent sales increase from the previous Friday.
“Those followers saw it, reacted and made their purchase,” she says of the Facebook and Instagram marketing plan. “Sometimes marketing is a little bit of a gut instinct, but to have the data to validate it, it’s a really interesting phenomenon. The data in the POS very clearly showed that our marketing was directly linked to the data results.”
For Wheaton, a POS system is what you make it. If you want it to be simple, it will be simple. If you want it to tell a
greater story, it can do that, too.
“Even if you’re starting out, this is the time to start using your POS and integrating it into your business system,” she says. “If you can start it when you’re small, it will benefit you when you’re big. This set of numbers tells a story and sometimes I just have to look at it for a few minutes and see what it’s telling me. When you can do that, it becomes a very powerful tool.”
Based on last year’s sales, she planned for a six per cent growth rate. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has already changed 2020 plans even before the market begins. New protocols will be implemented to screen staff, sanitize more frequently and implement social distancing. Moreover, YFM will utilize ShopKeep’s online ordering mechanism, which has already been well-received through customers via social media.
“It means we have to adapt and adjust, but we are working hard to serve our customers in the ever-changing situation,” she says. •
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EDIBLE BLUE HONEYSUCKLE
Contact us for variety, availability, pricing and production guide.
Visit our website for information about our varieties, pricing, research, and production guide.
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Plants for sale at www.phytocultures.com admin@phytocultures.com | 902.629.1229
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CATHY BARTOLIC | cathy@ontariofarmfresh.com
Be prepared for the next one
We are all guilty of living for today and not planning for tomorrow. None of us expected to see the kind of pandemic that paralyzed the world earlier this year. But, now is the time to get yourself and your business ready for the next crisis. And there will be another crisis - it may not (hopefully not) be as devastating as COVID-19, but have no doubts there is another one coming.
Were you caught unprepared when this crisis hit? Were you ready to deal with the downturn of sales that occurred so quickly? Were you able to communicate your plans to your customers effectively and efficiently?
If you have answered ‘no’ to any of these questions, the time to rectify the situation is now. Okay, maybe not this exact minute, but definitely before 2020 has moved on and becomes hazy in the rear-view mirror.
After every global disruption, there are survivors and non-survivors. The survivors are the ones who are able to ride out the storm and hit the ground running, once things start to get back to normal. One of the easiest ways to do this is to have a financial reserve.
We were told even as children that we should always set aside money for a rainy day. This is often hard to do for both sides. If you’ve had great sales for the last few years, you might want to
option, but also exploring other digital platforms. There are other avenues to sell your products as well. Have a look at “Local Line”. This is a Shopifytype system for farmers, allowing your customers to pre-order from farmers’ markets and on-farm markets. It may not immediately increase your sales but it would help you be better prepared for customers that you know are coming to your market because of their online orders.
Other opportunities to look at might include: starting a YouTube channel, a blog, or a podcast around your expertise; or creating some online training workshops where you can share your talents.
Another consideration for review is your communication plan. When things are changing so quickly, how do you let your customers know what’s going on? A customer database is the foundation of effective communications. It is the easiest and most cost-effective way of keeping your customers in the loop as things change from day to day. But it is something that needs to be built over time, maintained and used in a way that offers real value. It is the result of consistent hard work.
“We were told to always set aside money for a rainy day.”
reinvest the money back into the business instead of storing it away. If sales have been down, then you don’t have the extra cash to put aside. Only the highly disciplined can follow this rule. But in times of crisis, it is critical for survival.
Given that we have survived self-isolation and distancing protocols that have made it almost impossible to physically sell your products: what can you do to overcome this challenge in the future? Is there some way you can do business online? I’m not only talking about selling your products through Amazon, which can be an
Yes, you can post messages on social media but very few of your followers will actually get them. E-mails are delivered to their inboxes and they can decide if they want to subscribe or not. In an ideal world, you already have been using these tools and can now quickly put them to work for you.
If you do not make it through this crisis in the best shape, make sure you set aside some time to review these options. Don’t let complacency set in. You know you need to be better prepared for the next time. A next time is as sure a bet as spring arriving every year. •
Editor’s note: This column was written in the midst of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, looking ahead to different times.
