Pest management
Food handling and processing operations
need to take proactive steps. | 10
Grapes come first
For the 2017 Grape King being a grape grower comes first. | 12
Legacy of agritainment success Whittamore’s shuts after 30 years. | 14
November/December 2017
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2017 B.C. Golden Apple award winner came to Canada in 1994 with US $500 in his pocket.
BY ALICIA SINIA, PH.D.
TREENA HEIN
According to my children – and myself at times – I’m ancient. I grew up in those heady days before TV remotes and hand-held video games, back when where you stood in a room played a role in whether the TV station would come in clear. I remember when personal computers became mainstream. My first PC was gigantic, composed of three heavy, bulky components that could each serve as a boat anchor. The PC was going to revolutionize work. Hello three-day workweek.
It didn’t happen. People just worked harder and longer hours. Sure, many tasks became quicker and easier to do but it always seemed that as one job became simplified, another was tacked on to your work description. And with most advances in labour-saving technology I’ve observed during the past 40-plus years, the same trend has occurred. Cell phones, digital still and movie cameras, computer tablets – amazing technology that has assisted me in my career but also added even more to my plate. I’ve become a jack-of-all-
minimum wage on top of challenges such as international competition and high electricity costs are enough to make some growers consider throwing in the trowel.
“There’s already a diminished horticulture industry,” said Ken Forth, chair of the Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association labour section, during a recent interview with the Flamborough Review. “If you drive around ... you’ll see fields that used to be horticulture crops that are now growing grain.”
According to a recent report commissioned by the OFVGA, the Ontario government’s decision to raise minimum wage in the province to $15 per hour by January 2019 is expected to cost the horticulture industry alone $225 million in added costs.
“Fruit and vegetable growers are price takers in this market and losses to their margins cannot be recuperated in sales,” association representatives stated in a release to members.
The OFVGA is encouraging
“It didn’t happen. People just worked harder and longer hours.”
technology but a master of none.
Perhaps that’s why I’m watching the current trend toward automated agriculture with a jaundiced eye. Computerized harvesting aids, unmanned flying cameras, automated tractors, robotic pickers – it all sounds wonderful and fascinating; the stuff of science fiction novels and movies. But it also seems industrial and cold. At a time when society is clamouring for some sort of connection to their food, do we really want the narrative to become I, Robot?
The push toward technology and automation is understandable. Dwindling labour pools and rising
growers to discuss the minimum wage issue with their local MPPs, including providing a letter template outlining the industry’s concerns. They hope to convince the government to allow farmers until 2023 to transition to “a sustainable price structure” and invest in new technology before imposing the minimum wage hike for ag.
While Premier Kathleen Wynne has hinted at help for small business and farmers, no details have been released on what that assistance might look like. With less than 100 days until the New Year, it may be time to brush up on Asimov’s Laws.
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A Quebec-based organic cranberry processor is now ready to expand production and boost exports, thanks to an investment from the Government of Canada.
The investment, announced Oct. 13, has helped Fruit d’Or commission a new plant just as Canadian food processors are taking advantage of new market opportunities under the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with the European Union, which took effect September 21.
Since then, Fruit d’Or has sold around 635,000 pounds of dry fruits in Europe.
The federal government helped build the new plant, and buy and commission new equipment and technologies, thanks to more than $9.3 million in funding under the AgriInnovation Program of the Growing Forward 2 Agreement.
“Fruit d’Or has invested more than $50 million in its new Plessisville plant over the past two years,” said Martin Le Moine, president and CEO of the company. “Because of this support, Fruit d’Or has an ultra-modern facility, equipped with innovations that enable it to provide its clients in more than 50 countries with innovative products.”
Grape harvest is in full swing in Ontario, and the Grape Growers of Ontario (GGO) welcomed the opportunity to meet with Premier Kathleen Wynne in the vineyards of grape grower Bill George in Beamsville, Ont.
The premier had a birds-eye view of the vineyards from the seat of a harvester.
The harvest is at the mid-point with white varieties,
such as Riesling and Chardonnay, typically harvested early in the season followed by the later maturing red varieties.
The Grape Growers of Ontario were pleased to have the opportunity to meet with the premier to discuss topics of importance to grape growers and hear firsthand about issues that are impacting farm families. The planned increase in minimum wage is one of the key
issues for growers.
“While we appreciate the intent behind the increase in minimum wage to improve the livelihood of minimum wage earners, we explained clearly the impact that it will have on farm families, and are pleased that the premier understands our issues,” said Matthias Oppenlaender, chair of the GGO.
“Normal labour costs for horticulture farms are about 65 per cent
$ 276 million
2,800
3 50
number of farm families in BC growing
9,500
6 years
of operating earnings, making it the highest on-farm expense,” added Bill George, vice chair of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association.
“The increase announced for next year can push labour costs to as much as 90 per cent of operating earnings.”
There is a very real need for financial assistance to transition to the higher minimum wage to protect family farms.
37.5 million
Organic agriculture practices eschew many synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, putting pressure on crops that conventional farming circumvents. That means an organic farmer who doesn’t use herbicides, for instance, would value crop varieties better suited to withstand weeds.
Enter Thomas Lubbserstedt, a professor of agronomy at Iowa State University. He and a team of ISU researchers recently received a four-year, $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to
advance organic corn varieties, including sweet corn. By the end of the project, the team aims to have identified elite varieties that will improve the performance of corn under organic growing conditions.
“Our main goal is to figure out whether new genetic mechanisms can benefit organic field and sweet corn varieties,” Lubberstedt said. “We want to develop traits that can do well under organic conditions.”
He added the research could lead to
Apple growers want to get the most out of their high-value cultivars, and a Purdue University study shows they might want to focus on the types of apples they plant nearby.
Since apple trees cannot self-pollinate, orchard owners often plant crab apple trees as they produce a lot of flowers and thus a lot of pollen for bees to spread around to the other trees. “Growers will alternate plantings of different cultivars every few rows to promote cross-pollination, and they’ll sometimes put a crab apple tree in the middle of a row as well,” said Peter Hirst, a Purdue professor of horticulture and landscape architecture. Hirst and Khalil Jahed, a Purdue doctoral student, wondered if it mattered which type of apple pollinated high-value cultivars. To find out, they manually applied pollen from Red Delicious and Golden Delicious, and two types of crab apple – Ralph Shay and Malus floribunda – to Honeycrisp, Fuji and Gala. They put a net over the trees to keep the bees out, so they could control the pollen that was applied.
Their findings, published recently in the journal HortScience, showed that Honeycrisp pollinated with the Red Delicious variety doubled fruit set compared to Honeycrisp pollinated with the crab apple varieties.
In Honeycrisp, pollen tubes created by Red Delicious pollen
organic corn with better resistance to disease, weeds pests and environmental stress.
Demand for organic products is growing as consumers become more concerned about how their food is produced and how it affects the environment, said Kathleen Delate, a professor of agronomy and member of the research team. She added the U.S. market for organic products reached $47 billion in 2016.
The ISU research team intends to address limitations imposed by organic practices by finding genetic mechanisms that lead to better-performing corn varieties that can still meet organic standards.
Lubberstedt will focus on varieties that carry a genetic mechanism for spontaneous haploid genome doubling. This allows a corn plant to carry only the genes of its mother.
Researchers can use these haploids to create totally inbred genetic lines in two generations, whereas traditional plant breeding takes five or six generations to produce inbred lines, Lubberstedt said. These inbred lines are more reliable for evaluation in an experimental setting because they carry no genetic variation that could influence results. That makes it easier to identify lines with superior traits, he said.
reached on average 85 per cent of the distance to the ovary, compared to 40 per cent for pollen tubes from crab apple pollen. And fruit set with Red Delicious pollen was four times higher in the first year of the study, and eight times higher in the second, compared to crab apples.
The crab apples did better with Fuji and Gala but still didn’t match the effectiveness of Red Delicious pollen.
Jahed collected flowers from pollinated trees each day for four days after pollination and measured pollen tube growth and fruit set. Overall, the Red Delicious was the best pollinizer, followed by Golden Delicious and then the crab apple varieties.
Tahir Raza came to Canada with US$500 in his pocket. A little over 20 years later, he and his brother, Sajid, won the 2017 Golden Apple Award for B.C. Their story is an example of where hard work, good horticulture practices, plus family and industry support can take you.
BY TOM WALKER
When Tahir Raza came to Canada from Pakistan in 1994, he did not expect to be an owner of an award-winning orchard.
“I came here to join my wife,” he explained from his orchard home in Vernon, B.C. “At that time, I did not have an idea that I would be farming. I had $500 [US] in my pocket. As a newcomer, you are starting from the beginning and you cannot even dream about having land. I was just looking to get a job of any kind.”
Tahir’s first job was in an orchard and that was the beginning of a journey that would see him and his brother, Sajid, win the B.C. Golden Apple Award for 2017.
The Golden Apple Award is sponsored by the B.C. Fruit Growers Association –in cooperation with the B.C. Tree Fruits Cooperative field service – to recognize superior orchard management.
The Raza brothers are an example of where hard work, good horticulture practices, plus family and industry support can take you.
After two years of working in that first orchard, Tahir landed a labour job in the local glass plant making bottles.
“On my days off, I would go and help Sajid, who was managing an orchard in Lake Country just south of Vernon,” Tahir explained.
The brothers have not looked back.
“We bought our first 25 acres in 2010.” Sajid said.
Located just north of Vernon, the land had a sloped northeast aspect and soil tests had come back positive.
“Then we bought a second 25 acres but we kept our lease and the management jobs.”
The brothers would work the orchard jobs during the day and develop their our own land in the evenings. When the lease properties sold, and a son came back to take over the management position, they were on their own full time.
“It’s an opportunity here in Canada,” Tahir said. “If you work hard enough, you can have your dream. Working at a labour job in Pakistan, I would never been able to buy even one acre.”
He would arrange his holidays for picking season and their wives would join them.
“We wanted to learn as much as we could and do the best job that we could for the orchard owner.
“My shifts were four days on and four off,” Tahir recalled. “That allowed me to be in the orchard working with Sajid.”
Ten years later, five acres came up for lease at the farm Sajid was managing and Tahir leased another 12 acres nearby. The timing was perfect as the glass plant was closing down.
“I had the 17 leased acres of my own and I continued to help Sajid as well,” Tahir said.
Sajid admitted that looking at just the economics of farming does not make it all that attractive an investment.
“We like the lifestyle of working hard outside,” he said. “We were thirdgeneration farmers in Pakistan. We learned the orchard business here and we like to grow what others can consume.”
While they were able to buy land, there wasn’t money for paying someone to put in an orchard, so the brothers used the skills they had to do it themselves.
“We bought B9 rootstock and did all of our own budding,” Sajid said. “Every tree you see here was grown on our farm. We planted 150,000 trees so that saved us around $200,000.”
The trees, posts, wires, and irrigation systems [drip and spinners] were all installed by the family. They even found an old wire bending vice and made their own clips – saving them more than $50,000.
They started with Gala and Ambrosia and have added Honeycrisp. This spring, they had 20 acres in full production and a first year crop on 10 acres. The apples are on both 22-inches by 10-foot and 20-inches by 9-foot spacings.
A 10-acre planting of cherries this spring added to the eight
The Raza brothers started with Gala and Ambrosia and have added Honeycrisp. Spring of 2017 they had 20 acres in full production and a first year crop on 10 acres. The apples are on both 22-inches by 10-foot and 20-inches by 9-foot spacings.
acres already in the ground. Lapins, Staccato, Sentennial and Sweetheart make up the majority plantings, all on Mazzard rootstock that were also budded on the farm.
“We are trying just a couple of rows of Rainier and Satin for the fruit stand we plan to have,” Tahir said.
The majority of apples and cherries will go to the B.C. Tree Fruits Cooperative packinghouse.
“We planted a small amount of the familiar names like Macintosh and Spartans for the fruit stand as well,” Tahir said.
The brothers are very happy with their yields.
“When we were starting and looking at other orchards, we were seeing growers averaging 40 bins an acre,” Tahir said. “We were aiming to get 50 to 60 bins of good quality and our business would be okay, the way we did the work and grew the trees.”
“Last year, our Galas were over 80 bins per acre average and Ambrosia [on immature trees] about 75,” Sajid said, smiling widely.
“We want to work on our trees to get 80 apples that are size 88 and that would give us 80 bins to the acre,” Tahir says. “But we need quality fruit as well, that is where the money is.”
The cool fall nights in the north Okanagan valley help colour up the Ambrosia.
“An apple with colour can bring up to 50 cents a pound,” Sajid explained. ”But the same size apple without the minimum one-third red area only gets 17 cents a pound.”
The brothers maintain they are not doing anything
different, just doing things the best that they can. That starts when the tree goes into the ground. “You need to fertilize according to your soil sample and have a new sample every second year,” Tahir said. “If you fertilize the wrong way, you are actually damaging the trees.”
Maximize the use of your land by filling in the gaps in your rows, Tahir advised.
“Your expenses will stay the same as you are spraying, fertilizing and watering an empty spot, but your production is only 90 per cent so we never have a missing tree.”
“Walk through your orchard every day, stop to look and know what the trees are telling you,” he added. “Then you can be on top of everything.”
Tahir believes it is very important to support your workers to do the best job that they can. The brothers hire both locally and through the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP).
“We work alongside our workers and we never ask them to do anything that we can’t, or wouldn’t, do ourselves,” he said. “We are always looking for a better way to do things and then we train our workers. We pick a tree from the top down, and we go to the next from the bottom up so that we are not spending time standing back up and bending over again.
“But it is not everything we are doing, we are getting help. We get help from the B.C. Tree Fruits field service and from other farmers. One of the things that I like about Canada is that people are so willing to help.”
A variety of consumer tastes in gardening breeding for desirable plant characteristics
BY ALICIA SINIA
Pests in food-handling environments threaten product safety and create an unpleasant sight for employees and visitors. In addition to physically damaging the product or its packaging, some pests can carry and transmit diseases like E. coli, Salmonella and hantavirus. When products become infested or contaminated, they not only impact a business’s bottom line but also its reputation. Flies, cockroaches, ants and rodents are the most common offenders, but facilities also need to keep an eye out for stored product pests. These pantry pests – such as weevils, Indian meal moths, flour and grain beetles – infest and damage both processed and unprocessed food products. These insects are highly adaptable and some can chew and burrow through packaging. They even thrive in small amounts of food such as spills, crumbs and build-ups in cracks, dead-end space in equipments, storage shelves and racking.
To maintain food safety, facilities should
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implement an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plan that emphasizes preventive strategies and environmentally safe control techniques while employing the help of a facility’s sanitation and maintenance staff.
Sanitation – Proper sanitation not only eliminates dirt and grime from a facility but also helps get rid of food and water sources that attract pests. To make a facility less attractive to pests, clean up spills immediately. Even small puddles of water should be mopped and dried as soon as possible. Trash should also be taken out at least daily, and dumpsters should be kept at least 12 metres from the building. Garbage receptacles also should be sealed with tight fitting lids and hosed down regularly.
When it comes to cleaning, use a biological cleaner in drains to ensure dirt and grime are broken down in the hard to reach places. Spacing out equipment in the facility also makes cleaning
A pest management professional can help identify any conditions conducive to pest activity and create a program customized to a building’s unique needs.
easier. Regularly clean hard-to-reach areas, such as dead space in equipments, equipment footing and joints where food and organic matter build up over time. Store all food items off the floor on racks, as this will allow for good housekeeping and monitoring of pest activities.
Maintenance – Maintaining a facility goes a long way in preventing pests. Maintenance issues can impact sanitation and allow pests entry into your building. To help keep everything in tip-top shape, make sure you are repairing basic features, like window and door screens. Tears in the screens make it easy for pests to get inside. Ensure door sweeps are properly installed and maintained, as pests will try to sneak inside if there are any cracks. Air curtains at entrances can help keep flying pests out as well, especially in areas with trash receptacles or compactors.
While it may seem like a vanity repair, seal holes, gaps and cracks around the facility as well, as these can act as open doors for pests. To help eliminate water sources, fix leaky pipes, faucets and HVAC units as soon as possible. Pests don’t need much water to survive.
Employee Involvement – One of the best ways for a facility to improve their pest management program is to involve staff. First and foremost, food processing facilities should work with their pest management provider to schedule a staff IPM training. During this training, a provider can review pest-related best practices – like the first-in, first-out approach and perimeter and aisle spacing – and educate staff to identify common pests at the facility and properly report sightings. If staff observes pests during his or her daily activities, they should report them immediately, including what they have seen, where and when. To help this process run smoothly, establish a pest-sighting protocol so that everyone will know what to do. By reporting pest sightings, employees help the facility detect pests before they become a big problem. Maintaining thorough documentation also helps identify pest hot spots and trends for future IPM decision-making.
Once staff is trained, incorporate pest management techniques into his or her daily responsibilities. Pest management is a team effort and is most effective when everyone has a role to play. With the pest management responsibilities spread out,
it is easier for the facility to adopt gold standard, preventive controls.
Food Safety is Critical – In facilities that produce food products, maintaining food safety is critical to the business’ success. A robust IPM program can go a long way in helping prevent product contamination. However, it is important to closely monitor pest activity and conducive conditions. When an infestation occurs or products are contaminated by pests, there are always factors that contributed to the pests’ presence.
Every facility is unique, and pest pressures can be affected by a variety of factors, including geography, climate and building design. A pest management professional can help identify any conditions conducive to pest activity and create a program customized to a building’s unique needs. By establishing an IPM program, you can take a proactive step toward keeping pests out, ensuring food safety and protecting your reputation.
Alice Sinia, Ph.D. is quality assurance manager for regulatory/lab services with Orkin Canada.
For the 2017 Grape King, Doug Whitty, being a grape grower comes first and a winery owner second
BY JIM MEYERS
It’s often been said that a grape grower’s heart and soul is in the vineyard. Even though Ontario’s new grape king, Doug Whitty, may be the latest of three kings to either own or have strong ties to one winery, he believes that future royalty will be stand-alone growers, as in the past.
Whitty is co-owner of 13th Street Winery, located just outside St. Catharines, Ont., and is the 61st titular head of the Niagara Wine Festival. In Ontario, many winery owners are growers first because they are compelled to have a minimum amount of vineyard acreage on the winery site.
While having a Grape King – or Queen – may seem like a quaint nod to the past, the title serves as reminder to folks sipping wine at festival events that what they’re enjoying started in the vineyard. Some 500 growers are members of the Grape Growers of Ontario, which has always been a major financial contributor to the festival, held in mid-September when the grape harvest begins.
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Each year, a hand-full of growers is nominated by their peers and their vineyards are judged by a trio of experts from grape-growing academia. The crowning ceremony is most often held in the new grape king’s vineyard and is attended by previous kings and queens and by those affiliated with grape growing.
“Many are my friends and neighbours from whom I have learned a great deal,” said Whitty, 54. “It is a humbling experience to find myself listed among them (grape kings) now.”
One of those is Whitty’s uncle, Rodger Whitty, crowned in 1983.
With the title goes the bling – a chain of office with the names of past recipients designed and created by former grape king Howard Staff. As well, there’s a tailored jacket to be worn at ceremonial events, such as the annual trip to Canada’s other large grape growing region in British Columbia.
At an evening festival awards banquet two days after Whitty’s crowning, the new grape king
From one winery owner and grower to another: Jamie Quai passing over the chain of office to 2017 Grape King Doug Whitty.
PHOTO
BY
JIM MEYERS
commented on how fast celebrity status can come in an age of social media. He had received some 21,000 comments on his Facebook page by that afternoon.
“I don’t feel a whole lot more powerful than I did when we were posting [putting in posts] for a new Pinot Gris vineyard [the day before the crowning],” he admitted.
13th Street Winery isn’t the home farm – neither is it at that address – but it’s become a home-away-from-home for Doug’s 92-year-old father, Joseph, who can be found most afternoons – in good weather – on the front porch “surveying his domain and talking to customers.”
“He still comes out every day to make sure we’re doing things right,” said Whitty. “Look at the size of his hands. He has done a lot of hard work in his life and more than anyone else made today possible for us.”
The “us” is Doug, his wife, Karen, and their three sons: Luke, 24, Ben, 22, and Thomas, 18. There is also some 30 employees at the winery and bakeshop plus on Whitty Farms, a roadside market garden and pick-your-own just down the road.
“It started out as a skid of peaches and a roadside cardboard sign and then a tent in season,” Whitty said about the market near the 110-year-old family farm. His ancestors left Ireland during the historic potato famine and came to Canada in the 1840s to farm near Kingston. His great grandfather – one of 13 children – came to Niagara in 1906 and worked on a fruit farm in Grimsby before buying his own farm in 1908.
Seven years ago, Doug and Karen partnered with another couple they knew who grew grapes. Together, they bought an existing winery (on 13th Street) founded in 1998 by four amateur winemakers. They kept the name at its current location where 55 acres of grapes are grown.
Whitty is the operational manager of the winery and bakeshop and, like any good businessperson, knows success means having good employees. He heaped praise on his long-time farm and vineyard manager, Randy Gillespie, for what judges didn’t find in his vineyards.
“They asked to see the Chardonnay specifically because it had been a wet summer and the white grape variety is prone to mildew,” he said. “I wasn’t worried about what they would see. I was confident, primarily because of [Randy’s] work. Anyone who knows our farm well knows that to a large extent, the wheels turn here because of his efforts over the last 20 years.”
A late spring combined with rainy and cold weather over the summer gave way to two weeks of unseasonably hot, dry
weather just as the harvest was about to begin. That gave grapes the bump needed to make the sugars needed to produce what may be a notable vintage year with a predicted harvest of some 45,000 tonnes.
For the Grape King competition, growers are judged on nine categories. Seven are what would be expected — cultivating harder-to-grow varieties; management of diseases and insects; weed control; soil management; canopy control; overall vineyard management, and a miscellaneous category based on
cold and frost risk. Potential Grape Kings can be in a close race up to that point, but behind on outreach – a grower’s activity and involvement in research projects in the industry – and innovation – the adopting of new technology and growing practices.
“Over the years, we’ve participated in a lot of pest and soil research projects,” Whitty said.
Since the winery is close to the city limits, one research project has examined the effectiveness of netting to control birds compared to the use of bird bangers.
Featuring…
• Production, marketing, communication, business management & labour sessions
• Excellent guest speakers including keynote speaker Sylvain Charlebois and the return of Eddie Lemoine!
• “Carbon tax and the agricultural impact” panel session
• Canadian Produce Marketing Association’s networking reception
• Sobeys Breakfast
• Outstanding industry trade show... and much, much more!
Whittamore’s Farm in Ontario shuts down the public side of its business after almost 30 years of providing Torontonians with “Your Farm in the City.”
“It is part of who I am but I do want more balance in my life,” Mike Whittamore said.
BY TREENA HEIN
For the last 32 years, a typical day running Whittamore’s Farm in Markham during the busy planting and tourism season has started at 5:30 a.m. – at the latest. At the agritainment powerhouse farm business, Mike Whittamore has owned and operated the farm’s Pick-Your-Own fruit and vegetable business, and his brother, Frank, and Frank’s wife Suzanne have owned and operated the onsite Farm Shop (freshly-picked produce, baked goods and preserves) as well as the Fun Farm Yard and Pumpkinland, both replete with farmthemed activities.
The 200-acre farm’s history began
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in 1804 when land adjacent to the Rouge River Valley in Markham was settled by Henry Lapp. Nearby, a little over a century later, a market gardener in Richmond Hill named Frank J. Whittamore began selling vegetables door-to-door in the Yonge and St. Clair area. In 1952, Frank’s son, Gilbert, bought a 50-acre farm in southeast Markham right next door to the Lapp Farm. Here, he grew strawberries and vegetables, which were wholesaled at the Toronto Food Terminal and local stores. Being neighbours, young Gilbert grew up knowing young Evelyn Lapp and the rest is history. They married and together in the
Whittamore’s Farm welcomed about 300,000 people annually to its pickyour-own fields, farm shop and paid admission play area. As of fall 2017, the operation is closing its gates to the public.
mid-1950s established a small pick-your-own strawberry and raspberry operation, a first of its kind in Ontario. Over the next 60 years, the couple expanded the variety of crops they grew, and their sons – Mike and Frank – went on to create one of the largest agritourism business in the country, one that welcomed close to 300,000 visitors every year. From spring school groups enjoying the two-storey tree fort and slide, chicken show, tractor track and spider web climb to customers picking fruits and vegetables all summer long to legions of visitors enjoying Harvest Festival Weekends in the fall – complete with corn maze, wagon rides through the spooky forest and pumpkin cannon show – it’s always a very busy year.
Mike, Frank and Suzanne agree there really is no typical day during the busy season, but that each day starts at daybreak at the latest and ends at sunset at the earliest.
“We grew 120 acres of fruits and vegetables including strawberries and raspberries and a number of vegetable crops,” says Mike. “We’ve planted 200,000 strawberry plants every year, with 18 seasonal agricultural workers from Mexico doing the bulk of the planting, weeding, irrigating and harvesting of the crops.”
Throughout the warm season, Mike’s tasks range from managing employees and crops, spending sleepless nights spraying water on the sensitive strawberry blossoms to protect them from frost and getting 1000 things done to prepare for and run the pick-
your-own operation, from fencing, buildings and cash-out to the hiring of 30 staff and four supervisors. On any given year, the sixweek pick-your-own business processes 75,000 to 100,000 people.
Starting in April every year, Frank and Suzanne also rise at daybreak to set up the Farm Shop and Fun Farm Yard before the season began, and to ensure a good time for visitors from May to October. Starting every year at the beginning of May, Frank was up at 1 a.m. travelling to the Ontario Food Terminal two to three days a week to pick up fresh goods for the Farm Shop.
“When I first started going back in the 1980s, I would arrive at the terminal around 5 a.m. but over the years, I realized that more buyers were getting there earlier,” he says.
“So, if you wanted what was on your list, you had to do the same. I also found that with going earlier, I could get back before rush hour. Mike and I also delivered berries to the terminal. We’ve had many great conversations in the truck.”
This year was the final year for the public to visit Whittamore’s Farm. All the agri-tainment aspects are being shut down.
“There’s no one reason for making this the final year,” says Frank. “Reflecting on the past and pondering our future has
Frank Whittamore and his son, Gilbert, would sell produce door-to-door in north Toronto during the 1920s.
brought us to this point. This has been a very successful business. We’ve worked hard and put our whole lives into it. When we’re in season, it is literally 24/7. And that’s okay. I was told once: ‘Know when to go hard and expand and know when it’s time to slow down.’ The time is right.”
Over the years, Mike says he has most enjoyed watching the experience of young visitors.
“Many kids have never been to a farm and it’s important that people know where their food comes from,” he says. “I’ve also done a lot of work with low-income people from Regent Park in Toronto, inviting them to come and glean fruits and vegetables for free once we have finished with a field. We also gave them passes to our Fun Farm Yard. This trip has been a real highlight for them and often the social workers teach them afterwards how to cook with our produce. The whole event is very gratifying for me.”
Frank echoes the sentiment. “I like watching families, young and old, enjoy themselves and being able to offer the public a chance to play in my backyard
has been a great gift,” he says. “We coined the phrase ‘Your Farm in the City’ a number of years ago because many of our customers felt that Whittamore’s Farm is their farm. It’s great to see the smiles on their faces. Generations of customers have visited us for over 60 years and it’s been one of my greatest pleasures that we were able create traditions and memories for so many people.”
Over the years, Whittamore’s has hired hundreds of local students [similar to customers, sometimes generations of them] and continues to have lots of former employees keep in touch and share memories.
“For many of them, working at Whittamore’s was their first job,” Frank notes. “One young man who had his first job with us many years ago as a produce boy is now the produce manager of a large independent grocery chain.”
For her part, Suzanne says she “had no idea” what she was getting into when she left a corporate job in Montreal to be with her new husband on his family farm in 1989. But it’s been an experience she will always treasure.
“It has been a labour of love,” she says, “and an honour and a privilege to help grow this business.”
Frank says Suzanne “is the most wonderful person I know. She became a farmer’s wife and a huge part of the success of what Whittamore’s Farm became. She is an inspiration to us all.”
Members of the next generation (Frank and Suzanne’s two boys, and Mike and Frank’s nieces and nephews) have all had the opportunity to work at the farm over the years, and Frank says it gave them both a sense of responsibility and a great work ethic. At this point in time, they are all in other careers and the farm is not in their plans for the near future.
“We encouraged them to pursue their own dreams, but we also said that at some point if they want to operate a business like this, we would find a way to make it work,” says Mike.
The trio have decided to move on to other things.
“I’ve run the business for 34 years plus for five years prior, I ran the business for our father,” Mike says. “My whole life has revolved around this business. I was directing cars to the parking lot when I was seven and riding the strawberry planter when I was 10. It is part of who I am, but I do want more balance in my life, a change and a rest. I enjoy cycling, gardening and other summer activities that I simply cannot pursue. I bought a motorcycle two years ago and I have only driven it 1100 km. I have a big bucket list and there is no time like the present to work on it.”
All three of them plan to work in some capacity with food banks and lowincome families or pursue other types of volunteering. Next year, they will grow grain and underseed some fields with green manure crops.
Frank notes that over the years when he’s been in the fields working the ground, “I try to imagine how my forefathers would have developed this same ground to make it possible to farm, clearing the land and growing the crops in between the stumps with only hand tools. It’s almost unimaginable. I’m lucky that our greatgreat-grandfather was Henry Lapp and he settled here in 1804. I’m also lucky that my grandfather Francis J. Whittamore left England in 1903 and came to Canada where he learned to market garden. The marriage of those two families by our parents in this great country has allowed us to have a wonderful life on this farm. For that, I am truly grateful.”
An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but the mould on it could destroy the fruit in storage.
Rhiannon Wallace, a PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan’s campus, has developed a way to stop, or at least control, blue mould. Wallace’s research has determined that bacteria isolated from cold Saskatchewan soils may be the answer to preventing mould growth and apple rot while the fruit is in storage or transport.
“The majority of postharvest fungal pathogens are opportunistic,” explains Wallace, who is working with Louise Nelson, a UBC biology professor.
The fungal pathogen Penicillium expansum, also known as blue mould, destroys millions of stored apples each year. Post-harvest rot can result in yield losses of up to 20 per cent in Canada.
The goal of Wallace’s research is to reduce the amount of produce lost due to post-harvest blue mould. Post-harvest rot is usually controlled with chemical fungicides, but Wallace says these
ABOVE
treatments have become less effective as the pathogen has developed resistance and there is consumer pushback to the chemicals.
Wallace suggests the solution may lie in Pseudomonas fluorescens. Due to its prairie roots, the bacterium can survive in cold storage.
During tests conducted at the B.C. Tree Fruits Cooperative’s Okanagan facility, Wallace determined that these bacteria can prevent blue mould from growing on McIntosh and Spartan apples while in storage. In addition, the bacteria provided control of blue mould comparable to a commercially available biological control agent and a chemical fungicide.
“What is novel about our research is that we show the bacterial isolates we tested have an array of mechanisms to inhibit or kill [blue mould] on apples while fungicides generally act only by a single mode,” Wallace says. “These findings suggest that the development of resistance by blue mold against our soil bacteria is unlikely.”
An example of blue mould growth on a Spartan apple.
Based on extensive customer feedback, John Deere has updated its 3E Series compact utility tractors. For operators who need to manoeuvre their tractors within small spaces, the updated 3E Series models provide a tighter turning radius than the competition. This enhancement ensures obstacles can be easily avoided without needing turning brakes or to stop and reverse. The wheelbase and weight have also increased to improve machine stability. Colour coded controls in the operator stations are ergonomic and intuitive, increasing overall comfort and convenience during operation. The independent Power Take Off (PTO) system eliminates the need to stop and clutch to engage or disengage the PTO. An easy-to-use, two-range hydrostatic transmission (HST) increases tractor performance while eliminating clutching for fast and easy direction changes. www.JohnDeere.com
Based on extensive customer feedback, John Deere has updated its 3E Series compact utility tractors. For operators who need to manoeuvre their tractors within small spaces, the updated 3E Series models provide a tighter turning radius than the competition. This enhancement ensures obstacles can be easily avoided without needing turning brakes or to stop and reverse. The wheelbase and weight have also increased to improve machine stability. Colour coded controls in the operator stations are ergonomic and intuitive, increasing overall comfort and convenience during operation. The independent Power Take Off (PTO) system eliminates the need to stop and clutch to engage or disengage the PTO. An easy-to-use, two-range hydrostatic transmission (HST) increases tractor performance while eliminating clutching for fast and easy direction changes. manitou-group.com
German-based ERO-Gerätebau GmbH has begun to distribute the leaf remover developed by the French implement manufacturer
Siegwald. The Siegwald deleafer removes leaves using bursts of compressed air. Not only are the outer leaves reached but also those within the foliage wall. The burst of air also removes the flower clusters from the caps. Good air circulation in the grape zone reduces the danger of botrytis bunch rot and other fungal diseases. If the system is used shortly after bloom begins, smaller berries are also removed, and depending on the setting more or less yield reduction is achieved. The remaining berries lie more loosely, develop a harder skin and can stay on the vine longer. Due to the thinned-out foliage wall, the sun and wind can more quickly dry the grapes after rainfall, which also has a positive effect on the quality of the grape harvested.
www.ero-weinbau.de
Valley Industries recently introduced the Everflo EFHP2000, a 12-volt high-pressure plunger pump. Developed with high performance in mind, the EFHP 2000 plunger pump features multiple quick-connect ports that provide the necessary flow for a spray gun, boom and other sprayer accessories. Reaching up to 2 gpm and 200 PSI, the EFHP2000 provides high performance to spray longer distances or atomized droplets for misting applications. The EFHP2000 pump features Viton valves and a Santoprene diaphragm for increased durability. It also features automatic shut off when no flow is required, conserving battery life, and extremely smooth ceramic coating for increased seal life longevity. everflopump.com
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: 1-855-264-6262 www.adama.com/canada
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 www.agri-flex.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
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 CANADA INC.
100 Milverton Dr. Mississauga, ON L5R 4H1
Toll-Free: 1-877-371-2273
e-mail: info@agsolutions.ca www.AgSolutions.ca/horticulture
BAYER CROPSCIENCE INC.
679 Southgate Dr., 2nd Floor Guelph, ON N1G 4S2
Toll-Free: 1-888-283-6847 www.cropscience.bayer.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 USA
Tel: 585-924-4362 Fax: 585-924-4412
Toll-Free: 1-800-877-9443
e-mail: cashbee@bioworksinc.com www.bioworksinc.com
BRAEMAR BUILDING SYSTEMS LTD.
3149 Haldimand Rd. #9
York, ON N0A 1R0
Tel: 905-772-3551 Fax: 905-772-3422
Toll-Free: 1-800-215-1996 www.braemarbuildings.com
CANADIAN CORRUGATED AND CONTAINERBOARD ASSOCIATION
3 - 1995 Clark Blvd. Brampton, ON L6T 4W1
Tel: 905-458-1247 Fax: 905-458-2052
e-mail: kmenard@cccabox.org www.cccabox.org
CANADIAN HORTICULTURAL COUNCIL
2200 Prince of Wales Dr., Suite 202 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
COOPER MILL LTD.
RR 3, Madoc, ON K0K 2K0
Tel: 613-473-4847 Fax: 613-473-5080
e-mail: ipm@coopermill.com www.coopermill.com
DOMINION & GRIMM INC.
18766 Communication Rd. Blenheim, ON N0P 1A0
Tel: 519-676-1914 Fax: 519-676-0968
Toll-Free: 1-877-676-1914
e-mail: heather@dominiongrimm.ca www.dominiongrimm.ca
DON ARTHUR ORCHARD EQUIPMENT
496426 Grey Rd. 2, RR 2 Clarksburg, ON N0H 1J0
Tel: 519-599-3058
e-mail: donarthur3@gmail.com
EASTERN FARM MACHINERY LTD.
10 Nicholas Beaver Rd. Puslinch, ON N0B 2J0
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
Tel: 519-803-4878
e-mail: mrichard@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: info@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
FARM CREDIT CANADA
100-120 Research Lane Guelph, ON N1G 0B5
Toll-Free: 1-800-387-3232 Fax: 519-826-2066 www.fcc-fac.ca
FARMERS’ MARKET ONTARIO
54 Bayshore Rd.
Brighton, ON K0K 1H0
Tel: 613-475-GROW (4769) Fax: 613-475-2913
Toll-Free: 1-800-387-FARM (3276)
e-mail: fmo@farmersmarketsontario.com www.farmersmarketsontario.com
FRONTLINE GROWING PRODUCTS INC. / SILAMOL
81 Adel Dr. St. Catharines, ON L2M 3W9 Tel: 289-668-6131
e-mail: dave@frontlinegrowingproducts.com www.frontlinegrowingproducts.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
GLOBAL HORTICULTURAL INC.
4222 Sann Rd.
Beamsville, ON L0R 1B1
Tel: 905-563-3211 Fax: 905-563-3191
Toll-Free: 1-800-668-9567
e-mail: herman@globalhort.com www.globalhort.com
GRIMO NUT NURSERY
979 Lakeshore Rd., RR 3
Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON L0S 1J0
Tel: 905-YEH-NUTS (934-6887) Fax: 905-935-6887
e-mail: nut.trees@grimonut.com www.grimonut.com
GRINDSTONE CREEK NURSERY INC.
148 Concession 6 Rd. E. Millgrove, ON L8B 1M4
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 Tel: 905-468-5015
e-mail: info@vineyardmachines.com www.vineyardmachines.com
HARCO AG EQUIPMENT
5808 Hwy 9, RR 4
Harriston, ON N0G 1Z0
Tel: 519-338-2923 Fax: 519-338-2756
Toll-Free: 1-800-461-0847
e-mail: sales@harcoag.ca www.harcoag.ca
I2I AUTOMATION INC.
Surrey, BC V3S 9E1
Tel: 778-574-1889
e-mail: enquiries@i2iautomation.com www.i2iautomation.com
JOHNNY’S SELECTED SEEDS
955 Benton Ave.
Winslow, ME 04901 USA
Toll-Free: 1-877-564-6697 Fax: 207-238-5375 www.johnnyseeds.com
KOOLJET REFRIGERATION
1444 Bell Mill Side Rd. Tillsonburg, ON N4G 4G9
Tel: 519-688-6803 Fax: 519-688-5962
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
KOPPERT CANADA LIMITED
3 - 40 Ironside Cr.
Scarborough, ON M1X 1G4
Tel: 416-291-0040 Fax: 416-291-0902
Toll-Free: 1-800-567-4195
e-mail: info@koppert.ca www.koppert.ca
KURT ZUHLKE & ASSOCIATES, INC.
PO Box 609
Bangor, PA 18013 USA
Tel: 610-588-7992 Fax: 610-588-6245
Toll-Free: 1-800-644-8729
e-mail: sales@ProducePackaging.com www.ProducePackaging.com
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
LUCAS LIFTRUCK SERVICES LIMITED
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: amaxwell25@rogers.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. 1695 Niagara Stone Rd. Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON L0S 1J0 Tel: 905-228-6917 Fax: 905-468-7271
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
NURSERY & PLANT STOCK
G.W. Allen Nursery Ltd.
Grimo Nut Nursery
Grindstone Creek Nursery Inc.
Mori Essex Nurseries Inc.
Norseco
Phytocultures Ltd.
Upper Canada Growers Ltd.
V. Kraus Nurseries Ltd.
Wonderful Nurseries
PEST CONTROL
Bird Scaring Equipment
Agri-Flex
Gintec Shade Technologies, Inc.
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Fungicides
ADAMA Agricultural Solutions Canada Ltd.
Bartlett N.M. Inc.
BASF Canada Inc.
BioWorks, Inc.
Engage Agro Corporation
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Syngenta Canada, Inc.
UAP Canada Inc.
Herbicides
ADAMA Agricultural Solutions Canada Ltd.
Bartlett N.M. Inc.
BASF Canada Inc.
Bayer CropScience Inc.
Engage Agro Corporation
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Syngenta Canada, Inc.
UAP Canada Inc.
Integrated Pest Control
Bartlett N.M. Inc.
Bayer CropScience Inc.
BioWorks, Inc.
Koppert Canada Limited
Natural Insect Control (NIC)
Spectrum Technologies, Inc.
Syngenta Canada, Inc.
Pesticides
ADAMA Agricultural Solutions Canada Ltd.
Bartlett N.M. Inc.
BASF Canada Inc.
Bayer CropScience Inc.
BioWorks, Inc.
Engage Agro Corporation
Syngenta Canada, Inc.
UAP Canada Inc.
Upper Canada Organic Products Inc.
Pheromone Insect Traps
Bartlett N.M. Inc.
Cooper Mill Ltd.
Natural Insect Control (NIC)
Upper Canada Organic Products Inc.
PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS/ MONITORING
Bartlett N.M. Inc.
BASF Canada Inc.
UAP Canada Inc.
POLLINATION
Koppert Canada Limited
Natural Insect Control (NIC)
Ontario Beekeepers’ Association
Parker-Bee Apiaries Ltd.
PONDS & STORAGE TANKS
Eastern Farm Machinery Ltd.
Harco Ag Equipment
Rittenhouse Since 1914
POST HARVEST CHEMICALS
Bartlett N.M. Inc.
Global Horticultural Inc.
Syngenta Canada, Inc.
POTATO EQUIPMENT
Eckert Machines Inc.
Bags
A.M.A. Plastics Ltd.
NNZ Inc.
Baskets
A.M.A. Plastics Ltd.
Kurt Zuhlke & Associates, Inc.
NNZ Inc.
Clam Shell Fillers
Eckert Machines Inc.
i2i Automation Inc.
Kurt Zuhlke & Associates, Inc.
Conveyors
Elnova Ltée
Counting Devices
Alectronic Scale Systems Inc. i2i Automation Inc.
Flats & Trays
A.M.A. Plastics Ltd.
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Kurt Zuhlke & Associates, Inc.
Graders & Sizers
Climatrol Solutions Ltd.
Eckert Machines Inc.
i2i Automation Inc.
Labelling Equipment
i2i Automation Inc.
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Kurt Zuhlke & Associates, Inc.
Picking Containers
A.M.A. Plastics Ltd.
Bartlett N.M. Inc.
Scales
Alectronic Scale Systems Inc.
Global Horticultural Inc.
i2i Automation Inc.
Sorting Tables & Accessories
Eckert Machines Inc.
Elnova Ltée
i2i Automation Inc.
Wax & Waxers
Bartlett N.M. Inc.
A.M.A. Plastics Ltd.
Agri-Flex
Bartlett N.M. Inc.
Global Horticultural Inc.
H&W Equipment
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Lakeview Vineyard Equipment Inc.
Maxwell Pruning
Rittenhouse Since 1914
Timm Enterprises Ltd.
SEED / 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.
Eastern Farm Machinery Ltd.
H&W Equipment
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Seedling Trays
A.M.A. Plastics Ltd.
Global Horticultural Inc.
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Vegetable Seed
AgroHaitai Ltd.
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Rupp Seeds Inc.
Siegers Seed Company
Stokes Seeds Ltd.
SHADE/NETTING EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES
Agri-Flex
Gintec Shade Technologies, Inc.
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Paul Boers Ltd./Prins Greenhouses
Syfilco Ltd.
SPRAY EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES
A.M.A. Plastics Ltd.
Bartlett N.M. Inc.
Don Arthur Orchard Equipment
Eastern Farm Machinery Ltd.
H&W Equipment
Lakeview Vineyard Equipment Inc.
Power Pressure Systems
Rittenhouse Since 1914
STORAGE AND ACCESSORIES
CO2 Systems
Climatrol Solutions Ltd.
KoolJet Refrigeration
Spectrum Technologies, Inc.
Cold Storage
KoolJet Refrigeration
Controlled Atmosphere
KoolJet Refrigeration
Penn Refrigeration Ltd.
Humidifiers
KoolJet Refrigeration
Refrigeration Equipment
KoolJet Refrigeration
Penn Refrigeration Ltd.
Thermometers
Global Horticultural Inc.
Spectrum Technologies, Inc.
TRADE SHOWS
MUCK Vegetable Growers Conference
Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Convention
TRAILERS
Ben Berg Farm & Industrial Equipment Ltd.
Don Arthur Orchard Equipment
TRANSPORTATION
Shippers
Harco Ag Equipment
Trucks
Lucas Liftruck Services Limited
TRELLISING EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES
Agri-Flex
Global Horticultural Inc.
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
WATER
Moisture Gauges
Harco Ag Equipment
Rain Gauges
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Spectrum Technologies, Inc.
Water Pumps
Eastern Farm Machinery Ltd.
Koolmees Irrigation Diesel Pump Units, Industrial/Sales/Service
Power Pressure Systems
WINE
Refractometers
Elnova Ltée
Spectrum Technologies, Inc.
Wine Making Equipment
Elnova Ltée
H&W Equipment
Winery Supplies
Elnova Ltée
