Colourful & innovative
Mechanization helps expand family farm | 12
Ontario’s 60th king
Jamie Slingerland recognized by industry | 14
2016 Buyers Guide The official guide to Canada’s fruit & vegetable suppliers & services | 17
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Feeling Hoity Toity
Unique grape ciders stand apart in Ontario’s cider market
Colourful Crop
Carron Farms has been a pioneer in bringing new and ethnic vegetables to Ontario including East Indian red carrots and heirloom carrots.
4
See page 10. Contributed photo
BY TREENA HEIN
A golden crop 26 Cawston, B.C. grower wins 2014 Golden Apple Award By Tom
Walker
Colourful and innovative Innovative mechanization helps expand family farm
BY TREENA HEIN
Ontario’s 60th Grape King Jamie Slingerland recognized by the industry BY
JIM MEYERS
Sheep keep the vineyard tidy at Hoity Toity.
Buzzword buzz-kill
I love books. I love the way they smell, the way they feel in my hands, how the pages sound as they turn, even the inherent way books tend to stack in tall, teetering towers.
My home reflects my love of the published word. There are bookcases everywhere. And, where bookcase space is at a premium, there are piles – piles and piles of stacked books. Even the attic is full of books, boxes carefully filled with titles outgrown by the offspring or read and set aside to be donated later. Unfortunately, later hasn’t arrived yet.
My husband, who is also an avid reader but thankfully born without the hoarding gene, started off humouring my book obsession. But now, as the piles of first editions continue to push further and further into his personal space, he’s finding the situation frustrating.
“This is not sustainable,” is his favourite gripe, usually muttered while redistributing a stack of biographies or mysteries in a bid to gain access to an unoccupied electrical plug.
Sustainability – based on my book
its definition is ever expanding, encompassing everything from economic feasibility to workers’ rights.
During its 2015 annual conference, the Canadian Horticultural Council formed a working group tasked with developing a sustainability plan for Canada’s horticultural sector. Admitting the issue is “broad and complex,” Anne Fowlie, executive vice-president of the CHC, recently penned a message in the council’s Autumn 2015 Fresh Thinking publication. She described the working group as “our opportunity to create a plan that will bring positive results now and into the future.”
Because that really is the key element to the sustainability issue –the future. It’s widely believed that by 2020, about 9.5 billion people will populate the earth and food production will need to increase by 70 per cent to feed those people. According to the United Nations, sustainability is defined as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Sustainability has become the new agriculture buzzword
accumulation habit, it would appear I’ve always struggled to understand the meaning of the word. And I’m not alone in my confusion. During a recent sustainability conference I attended in London, Ont., one roundtable group gave up on reaching a consensus on the definition of the term. Instead, they agreed to disagree, believing it was more important to have a continued dialogue about the idea than get bogged down in the details.
Sustainability has become the new agriculture buzzword and, while it used to be attached to the idea of environmental sustainability,
Admittedly, some groups are further ahead in identifying and meeting those production needs. As highlighted by the CHC, Canada’s greenhouse growers are already well started on addressing their longterm sustainability goals. It will be interesting to see in the coming months and years what goals the CHC working group sets.
As for my own pressing sustainability issues, I’ve been forced to examine my book hoarding habits and search out different ways of meeting my reading goals. The answer – electronic books. I wonder how sustainable virtual hoarding is?
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B.C. farm safety association changes name
The Farm and Ranch Safety and Health Association (FARSHA) is rebranding as AgSafe to better reflect the work it does and the community it serves.
Launched in 1993, AgSafe is committed to creating safer work environments for all individuals working in the agriculture industry.
AgSafe’s mission is to reduce the number of agriculture-related workplace deaths and injuries.
The program does this by offering health and safety programs, training and evaluation, consultation and guidance.
AgSafe’s team of safety consultants with specialized agricultural knowledge are available throughout B.C. to conduct safety courses, provide safety materials and advice, and help owners, operators and workers implement specific health and safety programs.
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR GROWERS
This winter, Ontario is providing financial support to farmers to better ensure the survival of apples, tender fruit, berries, and specialty crops.
Ontario’s cold winter months can cause damage to crops and reduce yields. To help growers manage this risk and ensure a steady, competitive supply of Ontario grown food, the province will share up to 35 per cent of the cost of weather
mitigation equipment such as portable or fixed wind machines, heating and air movement devices, insulating devices, overhead irrigation systems, and crop covers. Growers can be eligible to receive up to a maximum of $31,500 per project.
Growers may apply for funding through the Ontario Crop and Soil Improvement Association, which administers the program, and will
accept applications at several times over the next couple of years.
The range of crops and equipment eligible for support was developed in consultation with the Ontario Tender Fruit Growers and the Ontario Apple Growers (OAG).
“The Ontario Apple Growers strongly welcome the support for cold weather mitigation measures,” said Charles Stevens, chair of the
OAG. “This support will help to reduce the impact of cold temperatures, ensuring farmers are able to provide consumers with a more stable supply of local Ontario apples for them to enjoy.”
“Weather mitigation equipment helps to protect the tree fruit industry from unfavourable growing conditions,” said Phil Tregunno, chair of the Ontario Tender Fruit Producers.
BY
THE NUMBERS
675
grape-based wineries and 1,700 grape growers/ vineyards covering 26,000 acres of land across Canada
Tops in Canadian vine production
Top grape producing provinces: B.C., Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and P.E.I.
Canadians drink more than one billion glasses or 220 million bottles of domestically produced wine every year Cheers for Canada
64.4 million litres of Canadian wine exported in 2014, valued at
$66.3 million
31,000 Canadian jobs are related to the grape and wine industry
Icewine represented 29 per cent or $14.5 million of Canada’s total wine export value in 2014
29%
New executive director at AMI
The Agri-food Management Institute (AMI) recently announced that Alison Robertson is the organization’s new executive director.
Robertson comes to AMI after working as program manager for the Ontario Fruit and
Vegetable Growers’ Association (OFVGA) for 11 years. There, she helped introduce and run an innovative program that put more fresh fruits and vegetable snacks into the hands and stomachs of school children in northern Ontario. The
CANADA SCORES HIGH IN FOOD SAFETY, LOW ON SUSTAINABILITY
Canada performs well in the areas of food safety, food security and healthy foods and diets but shows a weaker performance in the areas of industry prosperity and environmental sustainability, according to preliminary results from the Conference Board of Canada’s Canadian Food Observatory’s first annual report card on food.
The report assesses Canada’s food and beverage sector performance in five areas against 16 leading peer Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Identified as key elements in Canada’s food strategy, the five domains are: industry prosperity, healthy food and diets, food safety, household food security, and environmental sustainability.
Canada earns an “A” for food safety, a “B” for food security plus healthy foods and diets.
The country receives a “B-” for industry prosperity and a “C+” in environmental sustainability.
The annual report card measures 43 food performance metrics tied to the five areas of focus outlined in the Canadian Food Strategy.
program continues to be successful in helping improve the health of 38,000 kids in 191 schools.
“I will be a champion for AMI,” she said. “I want to get out there with our stakeholders, engage with them, listen to what they’re looking
for, and help meet their needs.”
Robertson sits on Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Horticulture Value Chain Roundtable and is chair of the Consumer Focus Working Group and past chair of the Horticulture for Health Working
Group. She is a member of the steering committee of the National Health Summit. She sits on the selection panel for the Premier’s Award for Agri-food Innovation Excellence and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Ontario Food Terminal.
Potatoes may become source of beta-carotene
The humble potato may become an important source of beta-carotene, thanks to research from the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI).
Assistant professor Joyce Van Eck has received a new patent on a method to bulk up beta-carotene – a precursor of vitamin A – in potatoes.
“The idea was to produce potatoes and use it as a model for other crops in developing countries, especially in areas where vitamin A deficiency is a problem,” said Van Eck.
Potatoes are not a good source of vitamin A because beta-carotene is either nonexistent or is present in almost undetectable quantities in potatoes. This is because an enzyme called beta-carotene hydroxylase converts it into another metabolite that is not a vitamin A precursor.
To increase beta-carotene levels in potatoes, Van Eck inserted a specially designed segment of DNA into the potato genome to silence the gene that codes for the beta-carotene-converting enzyme. She used a technique that ensures that the activity only occurs in the tuber, while the rest of the plant is unaffected.
When the beta-carotene hydroxylase gene was silenced, betacarotene built up to levels that would satisfy up to 18 per cent of a toddler’s daily nutritional requirement. Though they will need to use additional strategies to boost beta-carotene levels further, the research shows that biofortification is indeed possible.
Rutgers tomato reinvented with even more flavour
A new tomato combining the flavour of an heirloom with the durability of supermarket varieties is Rutgers’ answer to anyone who wonders what happened to the flavourful tomatoes of the past.
The Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) has tested hundreds of plants to try to create a new version of the tomato – that carried the Rutgers name – and was popular from the Depression through the 1960s.
The project to recreate the Rutgers tomato was made possible by the
More growers needed for pear variety
In collaboration with Vineland Research and Innovation Centre (VRIC), Vineland Growers’ Co-operative Ltd. recently launched the Cold Snap brand pear.
The pear, developed by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at the Harrow Research and Development Centre (varietal name Harovin Sundown), was licensed to VRIC in 2009. In 2011, the innovation centre entered into a commercial license agreement with Niagara-based Vineland Growers’ Co-operative Ltd. providing it with the exclusive Canadian rights to produce and sell the pear.
“We call Cold Snap pears ‘Winter’s Favourite Fruit’,” said Matthew Ecker, sales and business development manager for the Vineland Growers’ Co-operative Ltd.
“Cold Snap pears can be stored longer, which makes them available to Canadian consumers throughout the winter.”
discovery eight years ago that Campbell’s Soup Co. had retained derivatives of the original Rutgers parent seeds. The original tomato was released in 1934, a collaboration between the Camdenbased company and the university.
The new Rutgers tomato is being grown and tested around the state. The seeds are expected to be available for purchase starting in January. Researchers also working to develop a version of the new Rutgers tomato suitable for large-scale commercial farmers that should be ready in 2018.
About 75,000 pear trees have been planted across Ontario and Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley by co-operative members with plans to have growers producing it in British Columbia in the future. Farmers welcome the new pear as it is fire blightresistant and offers a longer storage life than other pears. Plantings have also begun in Europe and the United States to supply those markets.
“2015 is our first commercial harvest and we hope to double production every year for the next five years,” said Ecker.
More commercial growers are needed in order for this Canadian fruit to be available across the country.
VRIC’s Consumer Insights team conducted focus group studies to better understand pear consumer preferences, building the foundation for a robust marketing and branding strategy.
“We discovered the Cold Snap brand pear’s attributes – a uniquely round shape with red blush skin, a perfect balance between sweetness and acidity and a good texture that is not too mushy or crunchy – appeal to consumers,” said Dr. Amy Bowen, Vineland’s Consumer Insights Research Program Leader. “The Cold Snap brand pear refreshes the pear category at retail, introducing the first innovative pear in Canada in a number of years.”
Cold Snap pears were taste tested recently at The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, prominently displayed at the fair’s opening ceremony with fresh samples plus cheese and pear appetizers.
Photo courtesy of Wallace Huffman
Peaches more marketable to younger people
Young consumers are more likely to buy peaches than older people, and those 18- to 24-year-olds prefer crisp, firm peaches with good flavour, a new University of Florida study shows.
In fact, people aged 51 to 68 are the least interested in buying peaches. Those of that age who do buy peaches prefer sweet, melting-texture peaches.
“It was refreshing to see young consumers being interested in purchasing fruit and peaches in particular,” said Mercy Olmstead, assistant professor in horticultural sciences and lead author of the study.
In the study, titled: In Pursuit
of the Perfect Peach, Olmstead led an experiment in which 300 consumers took an online survey, then sampled peaches at two farmers’ markets.
The study showed the “ideal peach” depended on combinations of fruit qualities. Peaches labeled as “so sweet … no sugar was needed” were most likely to be purchased.
Even though peaches are known to contain antioxidants, consumers buy them more for their taste than their nutritive value, the study showed.
Although consumers wanted sweet, absolute sugar concentrations, there is something other than sweetness that leads to overall liking, the study showed. It could be acid content and aromas, Olmstead said.
What do consumers not want? Mealy, pasty, dry peaches.
Study reveals how production affects colour, taste of Pinot Noir
The taste and colour of wine depends on the methods used to produce it and the chemicals added during production, says research published in Analytical Chemistry Research. The researchers behind the study say wine bottles should carry information about what the manufacturers add during processing – including sugars and acids.
Dr. Heli Sirén and her colleagues from the University of Helsinki, Finland, analyzed the chemical profiles of eight Pinot Noir wines from different regions – the U.S., France, New Zealand and Chile. They found that each wine had a different profile, affected by the processes used to make it.
By looking at the acids in the wine, the researchers could determine which sugars had been added during processing. They could also find out whether sulphur dioxide was added to prevent the wine from oxidizing.
The processes used were different for each wine, and included natural fermentation, biodynamic fermentation (using organically-grown grapes), micro-oxygenation and cold fermentation. The results showed the wines with the lowest organic compound levels were made using the newer processes: biodynamic and micro-oxygenation fermentation.
The most surprising results came from a wine produced in New Zealand, which contained no plant acids. However, it had the highest amounts of acetic, malic, and lactic acids and acetaldehyde, making it the most acidic and most alcoholic of the eight studied.
FEELING Hoity Toity
Unique grape ciders, developed at Gary and Diane Fischer’s Mildmay, Ont., operation, are standing apart in the province’s booming cider marketplace.
BY TREENA HEIN
BELOW
Gary and Diane Fischer of Mildmay, Ont., grow 25 acres of grapes in the province’s most northern edge of successful grape cultivation.
Contributed photo
At Hoity Toity Cellars, innovation and experimentation are a way of life for Gary and Diane Fischer. This probably explains why they’ve won three regional Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence. Not surprisingly, all of the awards are connected, each leading to the next.
The story begins with the Fischers purchasing their 86-acre farm in 1983, creating a pick-yourown operation with strawberries and raspberries, plus farm gate and farmer’s market sales. But in 2007, the berries were removed. The Fischers were ready to realize their dream of entering the wine industry.
The couple planted 25 acres of grapes and have never looked back. They also have two acres of apple trees, and two of lavender, with the rest of their acreage supporting a rotation of field crops. Diane is the general manager and taster, while Gary is the grower, crafts the wine/cider and helps with sales.
“We do a ton of tours,” says Gary. “We really see ourselves as farmers first, who just happen to be making alcoholic products.”
The road to this success came with hard work. Producing grapes in Mildmay, Ont., within Bruce County isn’t easy. The location is at the northern edge of where grapes can be cultivated in Ontario.
“The vines usually survive the winters okay,” Gary explains. “It’s the summers that are actually the clincher. Sometimes there’s just not enough heat and sunshine to get the ripening we need.”
That’s why the Fischers grow more grapes than required for their wine volume target. For all the tweaking, research and hard work that went into making the cultivation of grape vines possible in their region, they received their first Premier’s Award.
LEFT
Gary and Diane Fischer sell almost all their product at the farm gate. They want to be unique, drive people to the farm and have the customer interaction.
Contributed photo
Making pear cider proved to be a challenge because it’s difficult to filter the fruit’s gritty protein particulate. Gary tried different techniques with filtering pads and temperatures. Eventually, he achieved success.
Their pure pear cider resulted in the Fischer’s second Premier’s Award.
The third award came from the reality of growing grapes at their northern limit. If there’s a cool summer, only some of the grapes fully ripen. That was the case in 2013, when 55 per cent of the Hoity Toity grapes met wine standards.
“We decided that when we don’t get all of the grapes to fully ripen, we’ll pick them and freeze them and make something else besides wine,” Gary explains. “These un-ripened grapes still taste great and have some sugars, and they are ideal for making into cider.”
By the end of 2013, Hoity Toity grape cider experimentation was underway, using frozen grape, apple and pear juice. Gary discovered the juice thawing process was critical.
Stick to your niche. We are very quality conscious. The blending and tasting and tweaking is very important, but to do that, you need good quality up front.
About three years ago, Gary began experimenting with making cider. Technically, he says, there is no difference between cider and wine, which are made with the same equipment, controlled temperatures and yeast.
“There is a big difference in how they are consumed,” he notes. “Cider is lower in alcohol, usually between four and seven per cent, and it’s a refreshing drink that’s served in a larger-volume glass, whereas wine is sipped and often paired with food. Cider is served ice cold and usually carbonated, and you can make it from any fruit juice in a few weeks.”
The Fischers had apples for cider, but wanted to see if they could make it using other local fruit.
“There’s a fair amount of pear production in Bruce and Grey counties, so pears were a natural choice,” Gary explains.
“The syrup comes out first and the ice remains, and it’s the concentrated syrup that we use,” he explains. “Freezing reduces the acidity, which naturally happens on the vine, bush or tree as a fruit ripens and the sugars rise, and acidity is important in whatever you’re making. We’ve found unique ways of controlling the acids and the sugars and getting interesting flavours.”
Almost all sales are at the farm gate, the way the Fischers want it.
“We want to be unique and drive people to the farm,” Gary says. “We want the customer interaction.”
He believes the biggest lesson they’ve learned in making and marketing cider is being true to their vision.
“Stick to your niche. We are very quality conscious. The blending and tasting and tweaking is very important, but to do that, you need good quality up front.”
COLOURFUL and Innovative
Innovative mechanization at Carron Farms of Bradford, Ont., cuts both labour and expands the family farm’s ability to take on larger orders
BY TREENA HEIN
A few years ago, multi-coloured carrots were a novelty in Canada, if you had heard of them at all. Now, they are becoming commonplace, and in Ontario, that’s partly due to Carron Farms.
Owner Jason Verkaik has been a pioneer in bringing new and ethnic vegetables to residents of the province and beyond. He started growing crisp and sweet East Indian red carrots a decade ago and, over the past few years, has started growing large amounts of heirloom carrots. They come in many colours, from white to purple, and consumers
ABOVE
love their look, taste and their healthy anthocyanins.
However, manually sorting and bagging the heirloom carrots so each package has a good colour assortment was quite labourintensive, and anyone in horticulture knows that labour must be minimized in order to keep farm businesses sustainable. Verkaik needed a mechanized solution, and for his innovative efforts and his firstin-Canada results, he won a Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence.
Verkaik’s family have deep roots
Jason Verkaik of Carron Farms has been a pioneer in bringing new and ethnic vegetables to Ontario, including East Indian red carrots and heirloom carrots that come in many colours, from white to purple. Contributed photo
in the Bradford area. The year was 1934 when his ancestors purchased a parcel of land on the west side of the Holland Marsh, an area that would come to be known as Springdale. Over the years, the Verkaiks cleared more land and expanded their farming operations, selling produce through farmer’s markets throughout Ontario. In 1967, the farm was divided into separate family farms to support the needs of the next generation. One of these farms belonged to Jacob (Jake) Verkaik and his family, and they named the farm by combining the letters of the farm’s two most prominent vegetables (you guessed it - carrots and onions). Jake passed away in the mid-1970s and two of his sons, Doug and Jack, took over the operation. Together, they developed a state of the art onion curing and storing facility as well as a carrot storing and packaging facility. Eventually, Doug’s son, Jason, took the reins.
In the beginning of his search for a machine that would package both the farm’s heirloom carrots and traditional orange ones, Verkaik approached three companies.
“Two of the companies thought they could work with me to adapt a packing machine to provide a balanced colour mix,” he remembers. “We realized it was going to require some physical changes as well as some computer programing changes to make it work. After going over ideas, both companies came in with quotes, and we went with one.”
The resulting machine is the first of its kind in Canada. It has 14 weigh scale buckets, and the software chooses randomly from all 14 scales to find the optimum weight according to the parameters set.
and adjustments had to be made to the programs to make it work more efficiently for the heirloom packs,” Verkaik remembers. “Also, we need do physical changes to the machine when we switch from heirloom packs to onecolour packs, which takes time. So, for small orders we just use the machine in regular mode and mix the colours on the line and use a couple of inspectors to ensure there’s a good colour mix in each bag. If there’s not, the bag is emptied and repacked by hand. It’s still faster this way than packing everything by hand. What took us four hours to do before, we now can do in one hour.”
Verkaik says the success of the system has given him the confidence to go after larger carrot accounts both at home and in export markets.
“Expansion of the yield is challenging,” he says. “As new accounts come, I know have the ability to meet the demand not only from a field production point of view but also a packing and delivery angle as well. It’s a good feeling.” Current challenges at Carron Farms include everything from weather to government policies, says Verkaik.
“Our growth as a family farm has to be continually monitored,” he notes. “We farm 30 per cent more land than we did three years ago and our produce sales have doubled over that time, but it’s important that the growth is done for the right reasons. As we look to the future, we’re still looking for business growth both from the fields and the packing facilities. I see the heirloom carrots being an important part of that growth. I’m confident in myself and my farm’s team ability to grow a good harvest and ship a quality crop. I love working in the fields.” Verkaik considers it an honour to win a Premier’s Award. He thinks the awards are important because they demonstrate that the government recognizes farmers and the innovation that’s always at the forefront of the agriculture industry.
“It’s humbling to see all the innovation across the sector and others who have won the awards, and to be included with them,” he says.
“I would also like to encourage the government to keep the industry at the table and heed their knowledge and advice when policies are made that relates to agriculture,” he adds.
“This works extremely well for a single colour,” Verkaik explains. “But the randomness posed a challenge for the colour mix packs. What we did was create three separate channels out of the fourteen scales, feeding the machine separately with the different colours.”
The machine then picks from a channel with red carrots, one with purple, and a third with carrots of three colours (orange, yellow, white). They all flow into a collecting bucket, which goes to the bagging machine and then to a packing table.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing from the start, however.
“Once the machine was set up, it didn’t start off very smoothly
More
ONTARIO’S 60th Grape King
Jamie Slingerland grows grapes and does it well – so much so that he was named the 2015/2016 Niagara Wine Festival’s 60th grape king.
A renaissance man in the vineyard, Niagara’s Jamie Slingerland is recognized by the province’s grape growers for knowing a lot about wine growing and marketing
BY JIM MEYERS
He’s also on the cutting edge of introducing new clones and growing techniques, a winery fieldman who advises other growers on best growing practices, and knows an awful lot about marketing wine, the finished product.
Taken altogether, Jamie’s wellrounded resume impressed a panel of judges – all industry academics –who selected him from a handful of growers who were nominated by some 500 fellow Grape Growers of Ontario (GGO) members.
ABOVE
At his coronation, Jamie made reference to the first few rows of grapes in the vineyard beside him. They are the first commercial vineyard of Corvina grapes grown in Canada, as well as a few Rondinella and Molinara varieties that are all native to Italy. Grafted on the right rootstock, Corvina has proven to be as winter hardly as Cabernet Sauvignon, which is a workhorse red variety grown in Niagara. Even though last winter was the second cold winter in a row, only 76 out of 40,000 vines in the entire vineyard of many different varieties had to be re-planted, he said proudly.
“I credit this to vine health, not over-cropping, planting the right
New Grape King Jamie Slingerland (left) makes a toast to Kevin Buis, the 2014 king.
varieties, a great (growing) location, wind machines and timing (their use) right,” he says.
He believes these things earned him points in three of nine judging categories – overall quality of the vineyard, outreach in the grower community, and the all-encompassing miscellaneous category, which has lately been the best use of wind machines. The other six categories are growing a variety of different grape cultures, controlling diseases, insects, and weeds; soil management, and grape canopy management.
His personal project over the past five years has been appassimento – drying grapes to intensify flavour before fermentation. It’s a premium product that demands a higher price, which is good for wineries. On that note, he invited those at his coronation to try newly released 2012 Pillitteri Cabernet Franc Appassimento.
Jamie is the man in the vineyard for Pillitteri Estates Winery in Niagara-onthe-Lake. As director of viticulture, he oversees 14 different grape cultivars grown on five farms totalling 120 acres. As well, he buys grapes from other growers for the winery, best-known for introducing Canadian icewine to China. Even after some 18 years, it’s now the winery’s main sales market.
If even five per cent of the people in China bought a bottle of icewine, it would take us 30 to 40 years to produce that much.
“We made China a market when no one else was there and now sell 60 per cent of Canadian bottled wine and 80 per cent of that is icewine, mostly red,” he says.
It’s a big and growing market to be tapped.
“If even five per cent of the people in China bought a bottle of icewine, it would take us 30 to 40 years to produce that much.”
The appeal of icewine has not gone unnoticed by Chinese investors who have bought a handful of Ontario’s more than 100 wineries as well as family farm vineyards in the last five years. It’s not unlike when the Americans and British bought into the Bordeaux region in France, he says philosophically. But, in this case, it’s a way for business people to get their money out of China that is now going through the growing pains of establishing a capitalist economy and what has lately been a fragile stock market.
Ontario’s 43 farmer’s markets are another sales arena the winery got into two years ago when the sale of wine was allowed as a pilot project by the provincial government. Now, legislation has been proposed to put beer and wine on grocery store shelves and that promises to be another lucrative sales market for Pillitteri wines that are seen less and less on LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) shelves.
“Last year, our LCBO sales were six per cent. This year, it will be three per cent, and next year close to zero per cent,” Jamie says. “It’s a big box entity not fit for a smaller winery like Pillitteri.”
Besides, he believes it makes sense to gravitate to the lowest tax bracket as the profit margin is a lot less selling through the LCBO, where tax is 65 per cent on a bottle of wine compared to just 17 per cent at the winery door, or through direct delivery.
Jamie’s agricultural and ancestral roots run deep in Niagara – almost 230 years – back to the American Revolution. The Slingerland family backed the losing British in the American Revolution and lost some 10,000 acres in New York State near Albany. His ancestors came to Niagara in 1783 and fought with the local Butler’s Rangers militia. In recognition for service to the Crown they were granted 120 acres in Niagara. Over the generations, they grew tender fruit, mostly peaches, and some grapes. His grandfather was the farm manager for Larking Farms, which once owned about 1,000 acres in Niagara, growing mainly peaches. At one time, Jamie also thought of becoming a farm manager. But he settled on a career with the Ontario ministry of agriculture, as did his brother, Ken, who for many years was a grape and tender fruit extension specialist with the province’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) at Vineland Station. Ken was also a long-time judge in the selection of the grape king.
Jamie served as a fruit and vegetable inspector in Leamington and then Sudbury. He was on a career path that would have taken him to a office job in Toronto. But along the way he met and married Connie Pillitteri, the daughter of winery owner Gary Pillitteri, who Jamie credits with teaching him how to grow grapes.
And, even though at first the young couple didn’t want to farm – Connie had a senior position at a bank branch – they decided to give it a go 30 years ago when Jamie was 27 and had been with OMAFRA for five years. They bought a 20-acre farm in Niagara in 1985. A year later, a severe hailstorm cut a 12-km path through Niagara and they lost not only the financial equity they had in the farm, but also an additional 15 per cent.
They were able to recover financially by severing a lot for housing before that door was closed through municipal legislation and they bought a second farm. There was another hail storm six years later but that time their losses were cut in half and they were able to keep financial afloat with Connie’s salary, Jamie recalls.
When they were offered an amount of money that was way over local real estate market value – “an offer that couldn’t be refused” – the couple moved to a five-acre grape farm.
Jamie credits his father-in-law for the practical knowledge he has gained over 22 years. Gary Pillitteri, now 79 and the 1981 grape king, was first elected Niagara Falls (Lib.) MP in 1993 and entrusted the growing of grapes to his son-in-law while he served 10 years in Ottawa. Jamie thanks him and his mother-in-law, Lena, for the opportunity to help grow a business that’s become the largest family-owned winery in Ontario, providing a livelihood for eight family members.
Connie Slingerland is Pillitteri’s chief financial officer (CFO). Her brother, Charlie Pillitteri, manages worldwide sales while sister, Lucy, handles marketing and building the brand. The Slingerland’s son, Richard, heads sales in Asia, and their son-inlaw, Jared, heads European and North American sales.
Stihl HTA 65 pruner
The Stihl HTA 65 fixed length pole pruner is the newest addition to the family of STIHL lithium-ion battery KombiSystem products. Powered by 36-volt lithiumion battery technology, this cordless pole pruner eliminates the need for gasoline and two-cycle oil. Users won’t have to worry about losing any power when cutting into limbs. Each battery runs at full power until it’s depleted. For the HTA
IT’S WHAT’S INSIDE THAT COUNTS
The Canadian corrugated and containerboard industry develops creative packaging solutions that are cost effective, versatile, environmentally sound and food safe. Our boxes are designed with high impact graphics that communicate your brand. We focus on what matters: what’s inside the box.
Mahindra USA recently introduced the upgraded 2500 series tractors featuring mCRD technology, a uniquely designed Tier IV solution operating at lower RPM with less noise and lower fuel consumption. The 2555 model (55 HP) is available in four configurations with either a cab or open station option along with a choice of 12 x 12 synchronized shuttle or three range, twin-pedal, hydrostatic transmission. The 2540 (40 HP) is available in an open station with shuttle transmission and the 2565 (65 HP) is available with a cab and shuttle transmission. mahindrausa.com
Macro Plastics Hybrid 44
The Hybrid 44 was developed as a more cost effective and customizable alternative to Macro Plastic’s traditional MacroBin. The Hybrid maximizes refrigerated container space when full of product and can be disassembled in 30 seconds or less resulting in a return ratio of about five to one. In addition to lowering initial shipping costs, efficiencies can be gained over the traditional nested transport to the field and storage at the packinghouse. The Hybrid is made of injection-molded plastic with quick-snap assembly and disassembly. The baskets can be nested and the bases stackable. Corners are rounded and surfaces smooth while the interlocking design was constructed with a bruise buffer zone. macroplastics.com
&VEGETABLE FRUIT
2016 BUYERS GUIDE & DIRECTORY
A&L CANADA LABORATORIES INC
2136 Jetstream Rd.
London, ON N5V 3P5
Tel: 519-457-2575 Fax: 519-457-2664
e-mail: alcanadalabs@alcanada.com www.alcanada.com
A.M.A. PLASTICS LTD.
2011 Spinks Dr.
Kingsville, ON N9Y 2E5
Tel: 519-322-1397 Fax: 519-322-1358
Toll-Free: 1-800-338-1136
e-mail: ama@amaplas.com www.amaplas.com
ADAMA AGRICULTURAL SOLUTIONS
CANADA LTD.
179 McDermot Ave.
Winnipeg, MB R3B 0S1
Tel: 855-264-6262 www.adama.com/canada
AEF GLOBAL
201 Mgr-Bourget
Levis, QC G6V 9V6
Tel: 418-838-4441 Fax: 418-835-2112
e-mail: info@aefglobal.com www.aefglobal.com
AG GLOBAL
201 MacDonald Rd. Collingwood, ON L9Y 4J1
Toll-Free: 1-888-617-7336 www.organichub.ca
AGRI-FLEX
2829 Route 225 Henryville, QC J0J 1E0
Tel: 450-294-9898 Fax: 450-294-9999
Toll-Free: 1-866-287-0777
e-mail: agri-flex@hotmail.com
AGROHAITAI LTD.
2764 Hwy. 99
Lynden, ON L0R 1T0
Tel: 519-647-2280 Fax: 519-647-3188
e-mail: seed@agrohaitai.com www.agrohaitai.com
ALECTRONIC SCALE SYSTEMS INC.
1310 Osprey Dr., Unit 3
Ancaster, ON L9G 4V5
Tel: 905-648-0990 Fax: 905-648-0741
Toll-Free: 1-800-268-8230
e-mail: jim@alectronic.com www.alectronic.com
ARYSTA LIFESCIENCE
138 Dovercliffe Rd. Guelph, ON N1G 3A6
Toll-Free: 1-866-761-9397
e-mail: mark.mclear@arysta.com www.arystalifescience.ca
ASB GREENWORLD
332911 Plank Line Rd. Mount Elgin, ON N0J 1N0 Tel: 519-688-3413 Fax: 519-842-8091 www.asbgreenworld.com
BARTLETT N.M. INC.
4509 Bartlett Rd. Beamsville, ON L0R 1B1
Tel: 905-563-8261 Fax: 905-563-7882
Toll-Free: 1-800-263-1287
e-mail: info@bartlett.ca www.bartlett.ca
BASF - THE CHEMICAL COMPANY
100 Milverton Dr. Mississauga, ON L5R 4H1
Toll-Free: 1-877-371-2273 www.AgSolutions.ca
BAYER CROPSCIENCE
679 Southgate Dr., 2nd Floor
Guelph, ON N1G 4S2
e-mail: info@bayercropscience.ca www.BayerCropScience.ca
BC FRUIT GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION
880 Vaughan Ave.
Kelowna, BC V1Y 7E4
Tel: 250-762-5226 Fax: 250-861-9089
Toll-Free: 1-800-619-9022
e-mail: info@bcfga.com www.bcfga.com
BEN BERG FARM & INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT LTD.
42134 Hwy. 3
Wainfleet, ON L0S 1V0
Tel: 905-899-3405 Fax: 905-899-3507
e-mail: info@benberg.com www.benberg.com
BIOWORKS, INC.
100 Rawson Rd., Ste. 205 Victor, NY 14564
Tel: 585-924-4362 Fax: 585-924-4412
Toll-Free: 1-800-877-9443
e-mail: cashbee@bioworksinc.com www.bioworksinc.com
BRANT FARM SUPPLY
130 Bishopsgate Rd. Scotland, ON N0E 1R0
Tel: 519-446-3925 Fax: 519-446-3758
e-mail: brantfarm@bellnet.ca www.brantfarmsupply.ca
CADMAN POWER EQUIPMENT LTD.
38 Main St. Box 100
Courtland, ON N0J 1E0
Tel: 519-688-2222 Fax: 519-688-2100
Toll-Free: 1-866-422-3626 www.cadmanpower.com
CANADIAN CORRUGATED AND CONTAINERBOARD ASSOCIATION
3 - 1995 Clark Blvd. Brampton, ON L6T 4W1
Tel: 905-458-1247 Fax: 905-458-2052
e-mail: info@cccabox.org www.cccabox.org
CANADIAN HORTICULTURAL COUNCIL
2200 Prince of Wales Dr., Suite 102 Ottawa, ON K2E 6Z9
Tel: 613-226-4880 Fax: 613-226-4497 www.hortcouncil.ca
CLIMATROL SOLUTIONS LTD.
307-17665 66A Ave.
Surrey, BC V3S 2A7
Tel: 604-576-7677 Fax: 604-576-7688
Toll-Free: 1-877-576-7677
e-mail: office@climatrolsolutions.com www.climatrolsolutions.com
DAVIS FUELS
22 King St. Burford, ON N0E 1A0
Tel: 519-449-2417 Fax: 519-449-5942
Toll-Free: 1-800-369-0480 www.davisfuels.ca
DON ARTHUR ORCHARD EQUIPMENT
496426 Grey Rd. 2, RR 2 Clarksburg, ON N0H 1J0
e-mail: donarthur3@gmail.com
DOW AGROSCIENCES CANADA INC.
2100 - 450 1st St. SW Calgary, AB T2P 5H1
Tel: 403-735-8800 Fax: 1-888-296-6188
Toll-Free: 1-800-667-3852
e-mail: solutions@dow.com www.dowagro.com/ca
DUPONT CANADA
Head Office: PO Box 2300 Streetsville Mississauga, ON L5M 2J4
Tel: Fax: 905-816-3064
Toll-Free: 1-800-667-3925
e-mail: ag.hotline@can.dupont.com www.cropprotection.dupont.ca
EASTERN FARM MACHINERY LTD.
10 Nicholas Beaver Rd., PO Box 3613 Guelph, ON N1H 6P1
Tel: 519-763-2400 Fax: 519-763-3930
e-mail: sales@easternfarmmachinery.com www.easternfarmmachinery.com
ECKERT MACHINES INC.
3841 Portage Rd. Niagara Falls, ON L2J 2L1
Tel: 905-356-8356 Fax: 905-356-1704
e-mail: info@eckertmachines.com www.eckertmachines.com
ECO+ INC.
2457 4 Rang Sud
Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu, QC J0H 2G0
e-mail: ctaylor@eco-plus.ca www.eco-plus.ca
ELNOVA LTÉE
160 Chemin de la Montagne
Rougemont, QC J0L 1M0
Tel: 450-469-1400 Fax: 450-469-1708
Toll-Free: 1-800-361-9579
e-mail: ecalderon@elnova.ca www.elnova.ca
ENGAGE AGRO CORPORATION
1030 Gordon St.
Guelph, ON N1G 4X5
Tel: 519 826 7878 Fax: 519-826-7675
Toll-Free: 1-866-613-3336
e-mail: info@engageagro.com www.engageagro.com
ERIE MECHANICAL INC.
Box 426
Port Rowan, ON N0E 1M0
Tel: 519-900-9094 Fax: 519-586-7344
e-mail: ian@eriemechanical.ca www.eriemechanical.ca
FARM CREDIT CANADA
100-120 Research Lane
Guelph, ON N1G 0B5
Tel: 1-800-387-3232
Fax: 519-826-2066
Toll-Free: 1-800-387-3232
www.fcc-fac.ca
FRESH VEGETABLE GROWERS OF ONTARIO
Ag Business Centre, 120 Main St. East Ridgetown, ON N0P 2C0
Tel: 519-674-1500 ext 63592 Fax: 519-674-1512
www.freshvegetablesontario.com
G.W. ALLEN NURSERY LTD.
7295 Hwy. 221, RR 2 Centreville, NS B0P 1J0
Tel: 902-678-7519 Fax: 902-678-5924
e-mail: sales@gwallennursery.com www.gwallennursery.com
GINTEC SHADE
TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
1887 East Quarter Line Windham Centre, ON N0E 2A0 Tel: 519-443-4743 Fax: 519-443-8120
Toll-Free: 1-877-443-4743
e-mail: gintec@gintec-shade.com www.gintec-shade
GRAPE GROWERS OF ONTARIO
P.O. Box 100
Vineland, ON L0R 2E0
Tel: 905-688-0990 Fax: 905-688-3211
e-mail: info@grapegrowersofontario.com www.grapegrowersofontario.com
GRIMO NUT NURSERY
979 Lakeshore Rd., RR 3
Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON L0S 1J0 Tel: 905-YEH-NUTS (934-6887) Fax: 905935-6887
e-mail: nut.trees@grimonut.com www.grimonut.com
GRINDSTONE CREEK NURSERY INC.
148 Concession 6 Rd. E.
Millgrove, ON L0R 1V0
Tel: 905-689-5466 Fax: 905-689-8584
e-mail: info@gcntrees.com www.gcntrees.com
H&W EQUIPMENT
827 Line 4 Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON L0S 1J0 e-mail: info@vineyardmachines.com www.vineyardmachines.com
HEARTNUT GROVE INC.
21831 Cooks Rd. Mount Brydges, ON N0L 1W0 Tel: 519-264-2708 Fax: 519-264-2945 www.heartnutgrove.com
HILLTOP FRUIT TREES LLC
60395 C.R. 681, PO Box 538 Hartford, MI 49057 Tel: 269-621-3135 Fax: 269-621-2062
Toll-Free: 1-800-253-2911 e-mail: adam@hilltopfruittrees.com www.hilltopfruittrees.com
HORTICOLOR
1025 - 8th St., E. Owen Sound, ON N4K 1M5 Tel: 519-376-8310 Fax: 519-376-8726
Toll-Free: 1-866-258-2992
e-mail: info@horticolor.net www.horticolor.net
HORTICULTURE NOVA SCOTIA
32 Main St., Blair House, Kentville Agricultural Centre Kentville, NS B4N 1J5
Tel: 902-678-9335 Fax: 902-678-1280
e-mail: info@horticulturens.ca www.horticulturens.ca
I2I AUTOMATION INC.
Surrey, BC V3S 9E1
e-mail: enquiries@i2iautomation.com www.i2iautomation.com
JOHNNY’S SELECTED SEEDS PO Box 299 Waterville, ME 04903 USA Toll-Free: 1-877-564-6697 Fax: 207-238-5375 www.johnnyseeds.com
KAM’S GROWERS SUPPLY
Unit 2 - 32 Airpark Place Guelph, ON N1L 1B2 Tel: 519-821-1684 Fax: 519-821-5714
Toll-Free: 1-877-821-1684
e-mail: orders@kams.ca www.kams.ca
KENNA
90 Burnhamthorpe Rd. W., 5th Flr. Mississauga, ON L5B 3C3 Tel: 905-277-2900 www.kenna.ca
KOOLJET REFRIGERATION INC.
1444 Bell Mill Side Rd.
Tillsonburg, ON N4G 4G9
Tel: 519-842-2268 Fax: 519-842-8020
Toll-Free: 1-866-748-7786
e-mail: info@kooljet.com www.kooljet.com
KOOLMEES IRRIGATION DIESEL PUMP UNITS, INDUSTRIAL/SALES/SERVICE
RR 1 Middle Townline 712651
Otterville, ON N0J 1R0
Tel: 519-879-6878 Fax: 519-879-6319
L & R SHELTERS
461 Hwy. 5
Dundas, ON L9H 5E2
Tel: 905-627-1101 Fax: 905-627-1109
Toll-Free: 1-866-216-4113
e-mail: info@LRShelters.ca www.lrshelters.ca
LAKEVIEW VINEYARD EQUIPMENT INC.
40 Lakeshore Rd., RR 5
Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON L0S 1J0
Tel: 905-646-8085 Fax: 905-646-3289
Toll-Free: 1-866-677-4717
e-mail: sales@lvequipment.ca www.lakeviewvineyardequipment.com
LAMBERT PEAT MOSS INC.
106 Lambert Rd.
Riviere-Ouelle, QC G0L 2C0
Tel: 1-800-463-1313 Fax: 418-852-3352
e-mail: info@lambertpeatmoss.com www.lambertpeatmoss.com
LOUTH & NIAGARA ORCHARDS
4000 Jordan Rd.
Jordan Station, ON L0R 1S0
Tel: 905-562-8825 Fax: 905-562-8287
e-mail: info@niagaraorchard.com www.niagaraorchard.com
LUCAS LIFTRUCKS
402 Allanburg Rd.
Thorold, ON L2V 1A4
Tel: 905-227-3291 Fax: 905-227-2072
e-mail: ecook@lucasliftruck.com www.lucasliftruck.com
MAXWELL PRUNING
PO Box 553
Thornbury, ON N0H 2P0
Tel: 519-599-6194
e-mail: am_natural@rogers.com
MGI LTD.
4 Iroquois Rd., Unit 6
Leamington, ON N8H 3V7
Tel: 519-326-8200 Fax: 888-567-1297
Toll-Free: 1-888-770-8454
e-mail: orders@madleyglobal.com www.madleyglobal.com
MOHAWK EQUIPMENT LTD.
PO Box 103
Brantford, ON N3T 5M3
Tel: 519-753-3164 Fax: 519-753-3166
e-mail: mohawkequipment@bellnet.ca www.mohawkequipment.ca
MORI ESSEX NURSERIES INC.
4150 Jordan Rd.
Jordan Station, ON L0R 1S0
Tel: 905-228-6917 Fax: 905-562-8346
e-mail: info@moriessex.com www.moriessex.com
MUCK VEGETABLE GROWERS CONFERENCE
125 Simcoe Rd. Bradford, ON L3Z 2A8
Tel: 905-775-3317
e-mail: msheppard@bellnet.ca
NATURAL INSECT CONTROL (NIC)
3737 Netherby Rd.
Stevensville, ON L0S 1S0
Tel: 905-382-2904 Fax: 905-382-4418
e-mail: insect@nicniagara.com www.naturalinsectcontrol.com
NIAGARA ORCHARD & VINEYARD CORP. PO Box 43, 1550 Niagara Stone Rd. Virgil, ON L0S 1T0
Tel: 905-468-3297 Fax: 905-468-2527
Toll-Free: 1-888-310-1158
e-mail: info@niagaraorchard.com www.niagaraorchard.com
NNZ INC.
135 Main St. W. Norwich, ON N0J 1P0 Tel: 519-863-5782 Fax: 519-863-5784
e-mail: info@nnz.ca www.nnz.ca
NORFOLK FRUIT GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION
99 Queensway E., PO Box 279 Simcoe, ON N3Y 4L1
Tel: 519-426-0640
e-mail: apple@nfga.ca www.nfga.ca
NORSECO
2914, Cure-Labelle Blvd. Laval, QC H7P 5R9
Tel: 514-332-2275 Fax: 450-682-4959
Toll-Free: 1-800-561-9693
e-mail: order@norseco.com www.norseco.com
OMNI ENVIRO WATER SYSTEMS 1394 Milton Ave. Mississauga, ON L5G 3C6
Tel: 647-490-0095 Fax: 888-390-2655
Toll-Free: 1-800-263-0048
e-mail: Garry@H2OEnergizer.com www.H2OEnergizer.com
ONTARIO BEEKEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION 8560 Tremaine Rd., Box 476
Milton, ON L9T 4Z1
Tel: 905-636-0661 Fax: 905-636-0662 www.ontariobee.com
ONTARIO BERRY GROWERS ASSOCIATION (OBGA) 30 Harmony Way Kemptville, ON K0G 1J0
Tel: 613-258-4587 Fax: 613-258-9129
e-mail: info@ontarioberries.com www.ontarioberries.com
ONTARIO FARM FRESH MARKETING ASSOCIATION
2002 Vandorf Sideroad Aurora, ON L4G 7B9 Tel: 905-841-9278 Fax: 905-726-3369
e-mail: info@ontariofarmfresh.com www.OntarioFarmFresh.com
ONTARIO FRUIT & VEGETABLE CONVENTION
104 - 155 Main St. E., Suite 135 Grimsby, ON L3M 1P2 Tel: 905-945-5363 Fax: 905-945-5386
e-mail: glenna@ofvc.ca www.ofvc.ca
ONTARIO FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION
105 - 355 Elmira Rd. N. Guelph, ON N1K 1S5 Tel: 519-763-6160 Fax: 519-763-6604
e-mail: info@ofvga.org www.ofvga.org
ONTARIO GREENHOUSE VEGETABLE GROWERS
32 Seneca Rd. Leamington, ON N8H 5H7
Tel: 519-326-2604 Fax: 519-326-7842
Toll-Free: 1-800-265-6926 www.ontariogreenhouse.com
PACIFIC INJECTION MOLDING LTD.
#1 - 33759 Morey Ave.
Abbotsford, BC V2S 2W5
Tel: 604-859-5503 Fax: 604-859-5541
e-mail: info@pacinj.com www.pacificinjectionmolding.com
PARKER-BEE APIARIES LTD.
3591 Mountain Rd.
Lincoln, ON L0R 1B2
Tel: 905-563-7285 Fax: 905-563-6171
Toll-Free: 1-800-536-6406
e-mail: charlie-beehoney@sympatico.ca www.ontariobee.com
PAUL BOERS LTD./PRINS GREENHOUSES
3500 South Service Rd.
Vineland Station, ON L0R 2E0
Tel: 905-562-4411 Fax: 905-562-5533
e-mail: suzanne@paulboers.com www.paulboers.com
PENN REFRIGERATION LTD.
18 Seapark Dr.
St. Catharines, ON L2M 6S6
Tel: 905-685-4255 Fax: 905-685-0333
Toll-Free: 1-877-680-4255
e-mail: info@pennrefrigeration.com www.pennrefrigeration.com
PHYTOCULTURES LTD.
43 MacNevin Dr. Clyde River, PE C0A 1H0
Tel: 902-629-1229 Fax: 902-629-4645
e-mail: admin@phytocultures.com www.phytocultures.com
POWER PRESSURE SYSTEMS
1 South St., PO Box 399
Norwich, ON N0J 1P0
Tel: 519-468-3886 Fax: 519-468-2078
Toll-Free: 1-877-813-8588
e-mail: ffarkas@powerpressure.ca www.powerpressure.ca
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND POTATO BOARD
90 Hillstrom Ave.
Charlottetown, PE C1E 2C6
Tel: 902-892-6551 Fax: 902-566-4914
Toll-Free: 1-800-565-0280
e-mail: potato@peipotato.org www.peipotato.org
PRODUCETECH
1008 Marcoux St., #213 Granby, QC J2J 2M8
Tel: 450-994-4567 Fax: 450-994-6789
e-mail: service@producetech.com www.producetech.com
RUPP SEEDS INC.
17919 County Rd. B Wauseon, OH 43567 USA
Tel: 419-337-1841 Fax: 419-337-5491
Toll-Free: 1-800-700-1199
e-mail: info@ruppseeds.com ruppseeds.com
SAKATA SEED AMERICA, INC.
18095 Serene Dr. Morgan Hill, CA 95037 USA
Tel: 408-778-7758 Fax: 408-778-7768
e-mail: info@sakata.com www.sakatavegetables.com
SASKATCHEWAN FRUIT GROWERS ASSOCIATION
Box 1107, Yorkton, SK S3N 2X3
Tel: 306-782-0256 Fax: 306-783-8645
Toll-Free: 1-877-97-FRUIT (37848)
e-mail: admin@saskfruit.com www.saskfruit.com
SEEDWAY LLC
99 Industrial Rd. Elizabethtown, PA 17022 USA
Tel: 1-800-952-7333
Fax: 800-645-2574
e-mail: vegseed@seedway.com www.seedway.com
SIEGERS SEED COMPANY
13031 Reflections Dr. Holland, MI 49424 USA
Tel: 844-473-3250 Fax: 888-765-8715
e-mail: jammie.underhill@siegers.com www.siegers.com
STARKE MATERIAL HANDLING GROUP
402 Allanburg Rd. Thorold, ON L2V 1A4
Tel: 905-227-7554 Fax: 905-227-2072
Toll-Free: 1-877-435-4352
e-mail: info@starkeforklift.com www.starkecanada.com
STOKES SEEDS LTD.
296 Collier Rd. S. Thorold, ON L2V 5B6
e-mail: orderdesk@stokeseeds.com www.stokeseeds.com
STRAWBERRY TYME FARMS INC.
1250 St. Johns Rd. W., RR 2 Simcoe, ON N3Y 4K1
Tel: 519-426-3099 Fax: 519-426-2573
e-mail: info@strawberrytyme.com www.strawberrytyme.com
SYFILCO LTD.
320 Thames Rd. E.
Exeter, ON N0M 1S3
Tel: 519-235-1244 Fax: 519-235-1280
Toll-Free: 1-877-235-1233 www.syfilco.on.ca
SYNGENTA CANADA, INC.
140 Research Lane, Research Park
Guelph, ON N1G 4Z3
Tel: 519-836-5665 Fax: 1-877-214-5405
Toll-Free: 1-877-964-3682
e-mail: crc@syngenta.com www.syngentafarm.ca
TERRALINK HORTICULTURE INC.
464 Riverside Rd. Abbotsford, BC V2S 7M1
Tel: 604-864-9044 Fax: 604-864-8418
Toll-Free: 1-800-661-4559
e-mail: info@tlhort.com www.tlhort.com
UAP CANADA INC.
789 Donnybrook Dr. Dorchester, ON N0L 1G5 Tel: 519-268-8001 Fax: 519-268-8013
Toll-Free: 1-800-265-5444
e-mail: customerservice@uap.ca www.uap.ca
UPI
3971 Chicory Court Mississauga, ON L5C 3S8
Tel: 905-275-2525 Fax: 289-232-4838
e-mail: sampath.shetty@uniphos.com www.upi-usa.com
V. KRAUS NURSERIES LTD.
1380 Centre Rd., Box 180 Carlisle, ON L0R 1H0 Tel: 905-689-4022 Fax: 905-689-8080 e-mail: linda@krausnurseries.com www.krausnurseries.com
VÉGÉTOLAB INC.
6502 Av du Pont N Alma, QC G8E 1X7 Tel: 418-347-1737 Fax: 418-347-3150 e-mail: marketing@vegetolab.com www.vegetolab.com
VINELAND GROWERS CO-OPERATIVE LTD.
4150 Jordan Rd. Jordan Station, ON L0R 1S0 Tel: 905-562-4133 Fax: 905-562-7997
Toll-Free: 1-800-481-9921 e-mail: info@vinelandgrowers.com www.vinelandgrowers.com
VINELAND RESEARCH & INNOVATION CENTRE
4890 Victoria Ave. N., Box 4000 Vineland Station, ON L0R 2E0
e-mail: info@vinelandresearch.com www.vinelandresearch.com
VINTAGE NURSERIES
27920 McCombs Ave. Wasco, CA 93280 USA
Tel: 1-800-499-9019 Fax: 661-758-4999
e-mail: nicholas.podsakoff@vintagenurseries.com www.vintagenurseries.com
EQUIPMENT, SUPPLIES & SERVICES
ASSOCIATIONS
BC Fruit Growers’ Association
Canadian Corrugated and Containerboard Association
Canadian Horticultural Council
Horticulture Nova Scotia
Norfolk Fruit Growers’ Association
Ontario Beekeepers’ Association
Ontario Berry Growers Association (OBGA)
Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association
Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association
Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers
Prince Edward Island Potato Board
Saskatchewan Fruit Growers Association
Vineland Growers Co-operative Ltd.
BALERS TWINE
Agri-Flex
Vineland Growers Co-operative Ltd.
BED SHAPERS
Eastern Farm Machinery Ltd.
BINS
Bin Carriers
Don Arthur Orchard Equipment
Bin Dumpers
Don Arthur Orchard Equipment
Eckert Machines Inc.
BIRD SCARING EQUIPMENT
Agri-Flex
Gintec Shade Technologies, Inc.
Grape Growers of Ontario
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
CIDER EQUIPMENT
Cider Making Equipment
Elnova Ltée
Cider Pasteurization Equipment
Elnova Ltée
CONSULTANTS
Crop Consultants
Bartlett N.M. Inc.
Terralink Horticulture Inc.
Vineland Research & Innovation Centre
Financial Consultants
Farm Credit Canada
Insurance Consultants
Grape Growers of Ontario
CONVEYOR BELTS
Ben Berg Farm & Industrial Equipment Ltd.
Eckert Machines Inc.
i2i Automation Inc.
CULTIVATION EQUIPMENT
Sub-Soilers
Mohawk Equipment Ltd.
Vineyard/Orchard Sod Aeration
Grape Growers of Ontario
H&W Equipment
Weeders
Brant Farm Supply
H&W Equipment
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Terralink Horticulture Inc.
ENGINES & ACCESSORIES
Alternators
Koolmees Irrigation Diesel Pump Units, Industrial/Sales/Service
Generators
Ben Berg Farm & Industrial Equipment Ltd.
Brant Farm Supply
EXCAVATION
Ben Berg Farm & Industrial Equipment Ltd.
FERTILIZATION
Anhydrous Ammonia
Terralink Horticulture Inc.
Dry
Bartlett N.M. Inc.
ECO+ Inc.
Niagara Orchard & Vineyard Corp.
Terralink Horticulture Inc.
Vineland Growers Co-operative Ltd.
Liquid
Bartlett N.M. Inc.
ECO+ Inc.
Terralink Horticulture Inc.
Vineland Growers Co-operative Ltd.
FERTILIZER APPLICATION
Liquid Application
Omni Enviro Water Systems
FOAM MARKERS
Eastern Farm Machinery Ltd.
FOOD SAFETY SANITIZERS
Bartlett N.M. Inc.
FORK LIFTS & LIFT TRUCKS
Koolmees Irrigation Diesel Pump Units, Industrial/Sales/Service
Lucas Liftrucks
Starke Material Handling Group
FRONT END LOADERS
Ben Berg Farm & Industrial Equipment Ltd.
Eastern Farm Machinery Ltd.
FROST PROTECTION
Bartlett N.M. Inc.
Gintec Shade Technologies, Inc.
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Lakeview Vineyard Equipment Inc.
ProduceTech
FUEL SUPPLIER
Davis Fuels
FUNGICIDES
ADAMA Agricultural Solutions Canada Ltd.
Bartlett N.M. Inc.
BASF - The Chemical Company
BioWorks, Inc.
Dow AgroSciences Canada Inc.
DuPont Canada
Engage Agro Corporation
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Kam’s Growers Supply
Niagara Orchard & Vineyard Corp.
Terralink Horticulture Inc.
UAP Canada Inc.
Vineland Growers Co-operative Ltd.
GREENHOUSE & HOOPHOUSE EQUIPMENT
A.M.A. Plastics Ltd.
Ben Berg Farm & Industrial Equipment Ltd.
Climatrol Solutions Ltd.
i2i Automation Inc.
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Omni Enviro Water Systems
ProduceTech
Terralink Horticulture Inc.
HARVEST EQUIPMENT
Grimo Nut Nursery
Heartnut Grove Inc.
i2i Automation Inc.
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Lakeview Vineyard Equipment Inc.
ProduceTech
HERBICIDES
ADAMA Agricultural Solutions Canada Ltd.
AG Global
Bartlett N.M. Inc.
BASF - The Chemical Company
Bayer CropScience
Dow AgroSciences Canada Inc.
DuPont Canada
Engage Agro Corporation
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Kam’s Growers Supply
Niagara Orchard & Vineyard Corp.
Syngenta Canada, Inc.
Terralink Horticulture Inc.
UAP Canada Inc.
Vineland Growers Co-operative Ltd.
HYDROPONIC SUPPLIES
A.M.A. Plastics Ltd.
Bartlett N.M. Inc.
Omni Enviro Water Systems
IRRIGATION EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES
A.M.A. Plastics Ltd.
Cadman Power Equipment Ltd.
Gintec Shade Technologies, Inc.
Grape Growers of Ontario
Heartnut Grove Inc.
Koolmees Irrigation Diesel Pump
Units, Industrial/Sales/Service
Omni Enviro Water Systems
Vineland Growers Co-operative Ltd.
LABORATORIES
A&L Canada Laboratories Inc.
Terralink Horticulture Inc.
LABOUR AND COMPLIANCE
i2i Automation Inc.
LAND MEASURING WHEELS
Eastern Farm Machinery Ltd.
MAINTENANCE & REPAIR
Ben Berg Farm & Industrial Equipment Ltd.
Lakeview Vineyard Equipment Inc.
Lucas Liftrucks
MGI Ltd.
MARKETING & ADVERTISING
Horticolor
Kenna
Ontario Greenhouse
Vegetable Growers
MARKETS
On Farm Markets
Fresh Vegetable Growers of Ontario
Grape Growers of Ontario
Grimo Nut Nursery
MOWERS
Mulchers
Ben Berg Farm & Industrial Equipment Ltd.
Don Arthur Orchard Equipment
H&W Equipment
Mohawk Equipment Ltd.
Sickle Bar
Ben Berg Farm & Industrial Equipment Ltd.
Brant Farm Supply
H&W Equipment
MULCH
Mulch Equipment & Supplies
Ben Berg Farm & Industrial Equipment Ltd.
Eastern Farm Machinery Ltd.
Gintec Shade Technologies, Inc.
Heartnut Grove Inc.
Lakeview Vineyard Equipment Inc.
Peat Moss
A.M.A. Plastics Ltd.
ASB Greenworld
Ben Berg Farm & Industrial Equipment Ltd.
Lambert Peat Moss Inc.
Terralink Horticulture Inc.
NURSERY & PLANT STOCK
G.W. Allen Nursery Ltd.
Grimo Nut Nursery
Grindstone Creek Nursery Inc.
Mori Essex Nurseries Inc.
Norseco
Phytocultures Ltd.
Strawberry Tyme Farms Inc.
V. Kraus Nurseries Ltd.
Végétolab Inc
Vintage Nurseries
PEST CONTROL
Integrated Pest Control
Bartlett N.M. Inc.
Bayer CropScience
Grape Growers of Ontario
Louth & Niagara Orchards
Natural Insect Control (NIC)
Terralink Horticulture Inc.
Pesticides
ADAMA Agricultural Solutions Canada Ltd.
Arysta LifeScience
Bartlett N.M. Inc.
BASF - The Chemical Company
Bayer CropScience
BioWorks, Inc.
Dow AgroSciences Canada Inc.
DuPont Canada
Kam’s Growers Supply
Louth & Niagara Orchards
Niagara Orchard & Vineyard Corp.
Syngenta Canada, Inc.
Terralink Horticulture Inc.
Vineland Growers Co-operative Ltd.
Pheromone Insect Traps
AEF Global
Bartlett N.M. Inc.
Grape Growers of Ontario
Louth & Niagara Orchards
Natural Insect Control (NIC)
Niagara Orchard & Vineyard Corp.
Terralink Horticulture Inc.
Vineland Growers Co-operative Ltd.
PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS / MONITORING
AG Global
Bartlett N.M. Inc.
BASF - The Chemical Company
Engage Agro Corporation
Kam’s Growers Supply
Louth & Niagara Orchards
Niagara Orchard & Vineyard Corp.
Terralink Horticulture Inc.
UAP Canada Inc.
POLLINATION
Ontario Beekeepers’ Association
Parker-Bee Apiaries Ltd.
ProduceTech
PONDS & STORAGE TANKS
Eastern Farm Machinery Ltd.
POST HARVEST CHEMICALS
Bartlett N.M. Inc.
ProduceTech
Syngenta Canada, Inc.
Terralink Horticulture Inc.
UAP Canada Inc.
POTATO EQUIPMENT
Brant Farm Supply
Eckert Machines Inc.
PRODUCE PROCESSING AND PACKAGING
Bags
A.M.A. Plastics Ltd.
NNZ Inc.
Terralink Horticulture Inc.
Baskets
A.M.A. Plastics Ltd.
Bartlett N.M. Inc.
Hilltop Fruit Trees LLC
Louth & Niagara Orchards
Niagara Orchard & Vineyard Corp.
NNZ Inc.
Terralink Horticulture Inc.
Vineland Growers Co-operative Ltd.
Clam Shell Fillers
Eckert Machines Inc.
i2i Automation Inc.
Counting Devices
Alectronic Scale Systems Inc.
i2i Automation Inc.
MGI Ltd.
Flats & Trays
A.M.A. Plastics Ltd.
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Louth & Niagara Orchards
Niagara Orchard & Vineyard Corp.
Pacific Injection Molding Ltd.
Terralink Horticulture Inc.
Graders & Sizers
Climatrol Solutions Ltd.
Eckert Machines Inc.
i2i Automation Inc.
Labelling Equipment
Alectronic Scale Systems Inc.
i2i Automation Inc.
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
MGI Ltd.
Picking Containers
A.M.A. Plastics Ltd.
Pacific Injection Molding Ltd.
Terralink Horticulture Inc.
Vineland Growers Co-operative Ltd.
Scales
Alectronic Scale Systems Inc.
i2i Automation Inc.
Terralink Horticulture Inc.
Sorting Tables & Accessories
Eckert Machines Inc.
i2i Automation Inc.
MGI Ltd.
Wax & Waxers
Bartlett N.M. Inc.
UAP Canada Inc.
PRUNING SERVICES, EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES
A.M.A. Plastics Ltd.
Agri-Flex
Bartlett N.M. Inc.
Brant Farm Supply
Cadman Power Equipment Ltd.
H&W Equipment
Lakeview Vineyard Equipment Inc.
Louth & Niagara Orchards
Maxwell Pruning
ProduceTech
Terralink Horticulture Inc.
Vineland Growers
Co-operative Ltd.
SEED AND SEEDING EQUIPMENT
Herb Seed
AgroHaitai Ltd.
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Stokes Seeds Ltd.
Potato Seed
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Phytocultures Ltd.
Seeding Equipment
A.M.A. Plastics Ltd.
H&W Equipment
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Omni Enviro Water Systems
Terralink Horticulture Inc.
Seedling Trays
A.M.A. Plastics Ltd.
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Stokes Seeds Ltd.
Terralink Horticulture Inc.
SHADE/NETTING EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES
Gintec Shade Technologies, Inc.
Paul Boers Ltd./Prins Greenhouses
Syfilco Ltd.
SOIL TESTING
Bartlett N.M. Inc.
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Terralink Horticulture Inc.
Vineland Growers
Co-operative Ltd.
SPRAY EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES
A.M.A. Plastics Ltd.
Bartlett N.M. Inc.
Cadman Power Equipment Ltd.
Don Arthur Orchard Equipment
Eastern Farm Machinery Ltd.
Grape Growers of Ontario
H&W Equipment
Lakeview Vineyard Equipment Inc.
Omni Enviro Water Systems
Power Pressure Systems
Terralink Horticulture Inc.
STORAGE AND ACCESSORIES
CO2 Systems
Climatrol Solutions Ltd.
KoolJet Refrigeration Inc.
ProduceTech
Cold Storage
Erie Mechanical Inc.
KoolJet Refrigeration Inc.
ProduceTech
Vineland Growers Co-operative Ltd.
Controlled Atmosphere
KoolJet Refrigeration Inc.
Penn Refrigeration Ltd.
ProduceTech
Humidifiers
KoolJet Refrigeration Inc.
ProduceTech
Refrigeration Equipment
Erie Mechanical Inc.
KoolJet Refrigeration Inc.
Penn Refrigeration Ltd.
ProduceTech
Thermometers
ProduceTech
TIRE SALES & SERVICE
Brant Farm Supply
TRACTORS & ACCESSORIES
Diggers & Supplies
Brant Farm Supply
Mohawk Equipment Ltd.
DRILLS
H&W Equipment
GPS/GIS
Strawberry Tyme Farms Inc.
Log Splitters
Ben Berg Farm & Industrial Equipment Ltd.
Brant Farm Supply
Eastern Farm Machinery Ltd.
Stone Pickers
Eastern Farm Machinery Ltd.
Tillers
Ben Berg Farm & Industrial Equipment Ltd.
Brant Farm Supply
Eastern Farm Machinery Ltd.
H&W Equipment
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Tractor Cabs
Ben Berg Farm & Industrial Equipment Ltd.
Brant Farm Supply
TRADE SHOWS
Horticolor
Horticulture Nova Scotia
MUCK Vegetable Growers
Conference Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Convention
TRAILERS
Ben Berg Farm & Industrial Equipment Ltd.
Don Arthur Orchard Equipment
ProduceTech
TRANSPORTATION
Trucks
Lucas Liftrucks
TRELLISING EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES
Agri-Flex
Louth & Niagara Orchards
Niagara Orchard & Vineyard Corp.
VEGETABLE TRANSPLANTERS
Eastern Farm Machinery Ltd.
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
WATER
Rain Gauges
Brant Farm Supply
Cadman Power Equipment Ltd.
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Water Pumps
Eastern Farm Machinery Ltd.
Koolmees Irrigation Diesel Pump Units, Industrial/Sales/Service
Power Pressure Systems
Water Treatment
Bartlett N.M. Inc.
Omni Enviro Water Systems
WINE
Refractometers
Elnova Ltée
Wine Making Equipment
Elnova Ltée
Grape Growers of Ontario
H&W Equipment
Syfilco Ltd.
Winery Supplies
Elnova Ltée
