Exploring the challenges and opportunities of 2023 and looking ahead to 2024. See page 8
Back to school 16 Assiniboine Community College advances horticulture production through research, education. Crisis management
Cultivate resilience in your operation by planning ahead for bumps in the road.
Read more abour our winning cover shot and some of the top contenders.
Our photo contest winner! Colin Van Geest of Pump House Gardens in Beamsville, Ont., harvests a selection of cut flowers. To read about our winner and finalists, see page 34.
BY
DR. MOHYUDDIN MIRZA
Sowing seeds of unity Canada's first CEA industry association is a work in progress.
BY JOHN DIETZ
Green Industry Show and Conference
Highlights from this year’s stellar event in Red Deer, Alta.
BY AMY KOUNIAKIS
FROM THE EDITOR
New year brings new opportunities
With the new year comes new opportunity and I am excited to see how the next 12 months roll out.
As we get into the busier season for our readership, there’s a lot of optimism about what 2024 has in store for greenhouse growers across the country. There’s no escaping the fact, however, that there are still some significant challenges the sector is facing down. Inflation, interest rates, climate change, geopolitical conflict, and energy are just a small fraction of the issues growers are forced to confront in their operations. This month, as we mark the turning of another year, we explore some of those 2023 challenges and consider what 2024 might look like for the industry. To read more on the state of the Canadian greenhouse industry as we embark on a new year, check out page 8. Our columnist Gary Jones, also weighs in on the subject on page 38.
Show and Conference held in Red Deer, Alta., in November. The event featured a bus tour, and two days of presentations, educational sessions, and networking events, not to mention the busy trade show floor with more than 100 exhibitors. Photos and a recap of some of the highlights from GISC 2023 can be found on page 36.
Growers looking to optimize pepper production through the winter months will want to turn to page 20 for practical and actionable advice from Dr. Mohyuddin Mirza, while on page 18, we get the scoop on research coming out of Assiniboine College, a renowned institution supporting Manitoba’s agri-food industry.
On the cover this month, we feature the breathtaking winner of our photo contest, sent to us from Colin Van Geest of Pump House Gardens in Beamsville, Ont. This image was chosen from among 40 stunning entries from across Canada. We were so pleased with the number and calibre of entries sent to us that we will be
There's a lot of optimism about what 2024 has in store for growers.
Looking back and forward at 2023 and 2024 can’t be done without considering the implications and challenges of the pandemic. The crisis put tremendous pressure on every aspect of the industry and businesses are still struggling to come to terms with the fallout of those years. Moving ahead, it would behoove any business owner to reflect on their experience and perhaps think ahead to how they might weather the next crisis. In this issue, we explore what crisis management might look like for greenhouses and how to get started on page 24.
While we keep looking back in this issue, I also take a moment to highlight some of the special moments form the Green Industry
featuring as many as possible over the coming weeks and months online and in these pages. On page 34 we take a look at the top contenders for the January 2024 cover.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who took the time to submit a photo for this contest. It was a lovely and humbling experience to see the Canadian greenhouse industry from all your perspectives and to experience, once again, the engagement and support of this industry and its people.
Happy New Year, everyone!
to the publisher’s approval. Such approval does not imply any endorsement of the products or services advertised. Publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising that does not meet the standards of the publication.
Agri-Tech Innovation Initiative gets $25M boost
The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $25 million, through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP), to expand production capacity and boost energy efficiency in the agriculture and food sector.
Through the Agri-Tech Innovation Initiative, funding will be provided to eligible farm and food processing businesses to help them invest in innovative technology, equipment or processes that will expand production capacity or enhance efficiency.
This investment will support the objectives laid
out in the Grow Ontario Strategy of increasing the production and consumption of food grown and prepared in the province by 30 per cent by 2032 and boosting the economic impact of Ontario’s robust food and beverage manufacturing by 10 per cent.
Innovative technology and equipment projects, up to $100,000, will be eligible for up to a 50 per cent cost-share. Larger projects will be eligible for a 35 per cent cost-share, up to $100,000 in funding.
Applications for the Initiative will be accepted starting on February 15, 2024.
Source: OMAFRA
U.S. UNIVERSITY INTRODUCES NEW WINTER-HARDY ALSTROMERIA
A researcher out of Cornell University has developed a new variety of Alstroemeria called ‘Coral Chaos’. This new Inca Lily or Lily-of-the-Incas has peach-colored flowers and survives winter temperatures to USDA winter hardiness zone 5. It is a great, new garden perennial that flowers all summer and fall until killed by frost.
This new hybrid plant is a
Kurt Dramm inducted into Green Industry Hall of Fame
vigorous-growing Inca Lily with vibrant peach colours. The large flowers on this herbaceous plant have salmon pink petals on the outside and intense yellow highlights and little flecks of brown on the base of the inner petals. Strong, upright flower stems are produced from underground rhizomes and grow 28-36 inches tall. The flowers make excellent fresh cut flowers that can thrive for up
The Green Industry Hall of Fame honoured the late Kurt Dramm with A Lifetime Achievement Award at a ceremony in November 2023. His name will now be listed in the Green Industry Hall of Fame. The Green Industry Hall of Fame’s mission is to honor and preserve the contributions of those exceptional individuals who have served the Green Industry. Dramm and his brother John formed the Dramm Company in 1968 to produce garden and greenhouse watering products. Following his brother’s early death, Kurt grew the Dramm Corporation over the next 45 years into four segments: Commercial Greenhouse Equipment, Retail Gardening Products, Drammatic® Organic Fertilizer, and DRAMMwater for greenhouse water treatment systems. Kurt passed away on May 16, 2023..
Source: Dramm Coroporation
to two weeks in a vase.
This Inca Lily was hybridized by using species that are native to Chile. In climates with cool to mild summers they bloom continuously throughout the season from May until frost. The new variety was developed by Dr. Mark Bridgen, Cornell professor in the School of Integrative Plant Sciences.
Source: Cornell University
BY THE NUMBERS
Economic forecasting
The Government forecasts a $40 billion deficit in 2023-2024 and real gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 1.1% in 2023 and 0.4% in 2024.
Source: Canadian Economic News, November 2023 Edition, Statistics Canada
Innovation in the face of adversity
Opportunities and challenges for Canadian greenhouse growers in 2024
BY AMY KOUNIAKIS
For an industry that aims to have precise control over the products it produces, it is greatly susceptible to a number of social, economic, environmental and even geopolitical forces that are entirely uncontrollable.
The way in which growers produce is becoming increasingly sophisticated, streamlined and sustainable but the rising cost of inputs – energy, labour, packaging, trucking, etc – continues to climb as a result of these outside pressures.
It’s these continuously rising costs that many in the industry say is one of the biggest challenges for modern greenhouse operations in Canada.
ECONOMIC HURDLES
“The high cost of inflation – increasing the cost of everything and having an impact on consumers’ disposable income – that squeeze is being felt across
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the whole sector,” said Michel Benoit, CEO of B.C.’s United Flower Growers Co-operative Association (UFG). “Budgets, for things like flowers, are shrinking and consumers are definitely being more cautious.”
According to the Statistics Canada report, ‘Recent developments in the Canadian economy: Fall 2023’, inflation has eased in 2023, while prices continued to rise. “The cumulative pace of price growth over the first eight months of 2023 was similar to that observed during the first eight months of 2021, when inflationary pressures were beginning to build,” the report notes. “Overall consumer prices, measured month over month, rose steadily from January to August 2023, and were 3.7 per cent higher in August than at the end of 2022. In comparison, cumulative price growth over the first eight months of 2021 was 3.8 per cent.”
In Quebec, the ornamental sector has expe-
The tradeshow floor at the 2023 Canadian Greenhouse Conference held in Niagara Falls, Ont., in October 2023, where thousands in the industry gathered for two days of education and networking.
PHOTO: AMY KOUNIAKIS
rienced similar trends and consumer attitudes in the face of such economic upheaval.
“Consumers are entering a period of uncertainty with sharply rising interest rates, soaring inflation and global conflicts,” said Michel Senécal, Quebec-based agronomist and greenhouse consultant. He cites the ‘Barometer 2022 of responsible consumption’ report that found “Quebecers have restricted their purchases of goods and they choose fewer local products that they perceive as expensive. In addition, according to this publication, there is a stagnation in gardening and DIY.”
Despite the uncertainty, the floriculture sector has seen some positive export activity over the past several years, a trend some see as continuing into the foreseeable future.
“Nationally, exports have risen by 45 per cent between 2020 and 2022, and trends indicate that growth will continue at the conclusion of 2023," said Andrew Morse, Executive Director of Flowers Canada Growers Inc. “Growers who export have been finding opportunity to expand their business. At the conclusion of 2022, Canada reached over $800 million in exports, largely to the United States.”
The financial squeeze mentioned above is not only being felt in the floriculture industry, as fruit and vegetable growers are certainly feeling the pinch of rising costs but in a subtly different way.
Jan VanderHout, president of Fruit & Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC) claims that while much of the greenhouse vegetable and fruit crops grown are being sold, because consumer demand remains high and continues to climb, growers are in a precarious position when it comes to expanding to meet that demand.
“On a positive note, we haven’t seen a lack of demand and the products we’re growing are being sold,” he says. “It is becoming more evident that there’s not enough infrastructure – water, natural gas, electricity – to support greenhouse expansion in many parts of Canada.”
Even if the infrastructure was in place, the costs associated with building greenhouses have risen to a point where it has become prohibitive. “Growers need to know that they’ll have that return on investment,” VanderHout maintains.
Alberta greenhouse growers have had a slightly different year when it comes
to expansion. According to the Alberta Greenhouse Growers Association (AGGA), for the first time ever, the vegetable sector in that province, which grew by 38 per cent compared to 2021, outpaced the
renowned greenhouse consultant. “Most of the new greenhouses for vegetable production are state of the art for climate control and crop handling.”
He does note, however, that the rising
local Plant Products representative is always available to provide industry-leading technical support.
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Number of greenhouse vegetable operations
and growers are thinking of reducing use of supplemental lights.
“All input costs across the board have increased, but prices have not increased. Alberta growers are still price takers and not price makers,” he said, adding that he sees 2024 as a year where the industry will be in ‘stabilizing mode’ as prices, hopefully, do just that.
FINANCIAL HEALTH
A recent report on ‘Farm Financial Health’ from the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, notes:
"The net income for Canadian farmers fell 8.3 per cent in 2022, because the growth in expenses outpaced the rise in farm income; and total farm operating expenses (after rebates) increased by 21.2 per cent in 2022, the largest gain since 1974 (+22.0 per cent).
“The agricultural sector, being capital intensive, is particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates, which influence borrowing, spending, and investment decisions,” the report states. “In 2022, the
total farm debt in Canada rose to a record $138 billion, with Ontario, Alberta, and Quebec bearing the highest level of debt, with Ontario leading at $35.7 billion, followed by Alberta at $29.8 billion, and Quebec at $27.2 billion.”
As of writing, the key interest rate in Canada remains at five per cent. The Bank of Canada has warned, however, that rate hikes are still a possibility if inflation continues to rise.
Economists and members of the greenhouse industry are hopeful that, in light of the fact the inflation rate in Canada declined to 3.8 per cent in September 2023 from four per cent in the previous month, the Bank of Canada (BoC) will hold off on rate hikes for the time being. In its ‘Monetary Policy Report for October 2023,’ the BoC projects that inflation will remain in the 3.5 per cent range until mid-2024.
Going into 2024, much work is being done to address some of the financial concerns of agricultural producers. Most notably in the push to advance Bill C-280, the Financial Protection for Fresh Fruit and
Vegetable Farmers Act, which, if passed, would establish a deemed trust mechanism for fresh produce growers and sellers in Canada, ensuring payment in the case of buyer bankruptcy.
A lot of work has also gone into advocating for the approval of Bill C-234, which is slowly making its way through the Canadian senate. The legislation, if passed, would exempt natural gas and propane used on farms from the federal carbon tax. As of writing, passage of the contentious bill was delayed once more as the Senate debated and voted against a last-minute amendment that could have excluded greenhouses from the exemption.
LABOUR WOES
Even if the interest rate holds and inflation eases, aside from rising costs, one of the biggest challenges keeping growers up at night is the scarcity of labour.
“Growers are having to find ways to deal with labour shortages,” notes Benoit. “We’ve seen instances where some growers
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have product not getting potted and plug trays with viable product behind because there’s not enough people.
“This makes it incredibly difficult to plan for the next year because you don’t know how many employees you’ll find.”
Overall, an agri-food workforce shortfall is predicted to reach more than 123,000 jobs by 2029, states the ‘Innovation Report 2022-2023,’ from the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre.
“At the same time, labour-intensive horticultural crops increase the cost of labour, often representing 40 to 60 per cent of production costs for growers,” the report notes.
“Canada is the world’s fourth largest cucumber exporter at over $320 million annually. The potential for growth in the greenhouse vegetable industry is significant; however, the cost and restricted availability of workers are holding the sector back. Cucumbers are harvested by hand and growers spend approximately
greenhouse flowers and plants by province (square metres)
$27 million annually just on this labour-intensive task.”
Thus, the push is on to find ways to attract and retain skilled workers and to determine processes that allow growers to do more with less. It is a challenge that presents a unique opportunity for the Canadian greenhouse sector to find innovative solutions and perhaps become a global leader in developing a more sustainable means of production.
Automation will play an important role in addressing the labour gap. Operations are already finding ways to automate parts of their production process, but, according to Vineland’s ‘Automation Showcase’ report, published in March 2023, full-scale solutions are still several years off and the costs associated with adaptation remain too steep to demonstrate ROI.
ONWARD AND UPWARD
“Consumers are becoming more sensitive to the use of plastic packaging and containers. They want to buy products with as little plastic as possible,” said Senécal. “The production of flowers and vegetable and herb plants in biodegradable containers is starting to gain more and more importance in retail markets.”
This development is still in its early days and wide-scale adoption of non-plastic packaging is still a work in progress. VanderHout notes that while consumers and growers alike have wanted more environmentally friendly packaging for years, there have been ongoing discussions between producers and levels of government to find a solution that is environmentally and economically sustainable that maintains the quality of the products contained therein.
In fact, in November 2023, the FVGC, alongside the Canadian Produce Marketing Association, met with policymakers Total area for production of
Innovation and adaptation are at the heart of some important developments in the industry over the past 12 months.
Grow with the pros
Amanda Hehr
Sunterra Farms Greenhouse, Alberta, Canada
“We wanted to maximize production and extend our strawberry growing season. Because the weather in Alberta is unpredictable, we installed a full Phillips LED solution for stable, reliable production through the bench months. Without the Philips lights, our strawberry production would dip substantially in winter. The Philips LED lighting team built an ROI model to ensure our investment pays back within three years; they are a partner in our success.”
Ho rt iculture LED
and parliamentarians in Ottawa for Fall Harvest 2023, an annual advocacy event to push for “The adoption of sustainable packaging initiatives that ensure all Canadians have access to safe food, align with international standards for sustainability and competition, and mitigate any unintended environmental impacts from the food supply’s packaging needs,” an update on the FVGC website said.
“There’s an opportunity to be innovative here and there’s still a lot of work ahead of us, but it’s moving forward,” VanderHout said.
Another important trend over the past 12 months has been, according to Mirza, “knowledge capital gains,” facilitated by industry events that, with the pandemic isolation years behind us, are back in their entirety with full rosters of education sessions and bus tours designed to educate and connect members of the industry.
“A very innovative Greenhouse Chat program has been organized by the AGGA which is recorded and made available to anybody interested,” Mirza said. “It is held from February to June via Zoom where growers share their happenings, production issues, marketing strategies.
“Many ornamental growers hold regular workshops for public, yoga classes and other events which promotes the knowledge and education of greenhouses and keep staff employed.”
He also points to “vibrant educational programs” at institutions like Lethbridge College – which recently introduced its one-year greenhouse technician program, and Olds College, renowned for its agricultural programs.
ON THE HORIZON
For all of the significant challenges growers and greenhouse operations have faced this past year, there is some hope for what is to come in 2024. In fact, for many, these challenges become an opportunity.
“We know that challenges become opportunities,” says Mirza.
“On the energy front, the industry will be watching closely on alternate fuels. Developing technologies for fuels like hydrogen, compressed air heat extraction and others will provide opportunities.”
Mirza also points to Alberta’s recent uptick in vegetable production as a result of the increasing population as positive sign of things to come. “With the increase in population, especially the ethnic market, offers a great opportunity.”
The expanding export market and even the persistence of COVID trends will continue to have an impact on the industry.
“We saw exports growing through 2023 and there’s some feeling that we can maintain that,” noted UFG’s Benoit. “I feel we have a well-educated consumer base from COVID. They’ve learned the value of having flowers and a garden. Yes, they’re getting squeezed but I do believe that’s a short-term trend and they’ll want to come back. We’re hopeful for a great spring.”
“While financial pressure may encourage people to spend less, how they choose to do so may very much impact the performance of the sector,” adds Morse. “When consumers were unable to travel through COVID-19, many people chose to invest more heavily in their garden - this translated into one of the best financial years on record for many farms. No-one has a crystal ball, but I don’t think we can be sure how next year will end, yet.”
In Quebec, the provincial government has prioritized the expansion of greenhouse production and has seen some progress in that area.
“The Quebec Ministry of Agriculture's program, aimed at doubling the greenhouse production area is progressing well,” notes Senécal. “Several growers use this program to increase their production area and modernize facilities.”
Despite such a promising sign, he still urges growers to remain cautious when planning for the year ahead.
“Adjust your sales prices for 2024 to maintain your margins,” he advises. “Excess production without a contract must be avoided.”
LEFT Jon Kamstra (left) of Bold Robotics Solutions, and Rodney Bierhuizen of Sunrise Greenhouses, speak to attendees of the Canadian Greenhouse Conference bus tour about automation and innovation.
RIGHT Leafy greens at Gull Valley Greenhouses in Lacombe Couty, Alta. This was one of six stops on the Green Industry Show and Conference bus tour in November 2023.
PHOTOS:
A photo of a plug liner barely begins to summarize the hours of attention given to that plug’s success; the trials to decide on tray size, the careful evaluation of water, heat, and fertilizer requirements, and the diligent oversight of growers scouting for pests and daily needs. All of this so we can offer a consistent product rooted in customer success..
Advancing horticulture production THROUGH RESEARCH AND EDUCATION
Assiniboine Community College research supports Manitoba’s agri-food industry
BY JANE DE PAUW, DRS. POONAM SINGH AND SAJJAD RAO
Assiniboine Community College (ACC) was established in 1961 as the Brandon Vocational Training Centre, later becoming the Manitoba Vocational Training Centre and finally Assiniboine Community College in 1969. ACC is an accredited college within the Province of Manitoba offering more than 90 certificate, diploma, advanced diploma, and apprenticeship programs to over 3,200 full-time students in Brandon, Dauphin and Winnipeg, as well as at rural rotating sites throughout the province.
ACC has grown over the years, developing a new campus on the North
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Hill in Brandon where the College’s sustainable greenhouse complex opened in the spring of 2013. The greenhouse facility is home to applied research as well as the Horticultural Production and Sustainable Food Systems programs. Assiniboine’s expansion continues at the North Hill Campus with the development of the Prairie Innovation Centre for Sustainable Agriculture.
Assiniboine Community College has been conducting applied research supporting Manitoba’s agri-food industry since 2010, with activity growing rapidly from a small cluster
Assiniboine Community College’s sustainable greenhouse complex, which opened in the spring of 2013, is home to the Horticultural Production and Sustainable Food Systems programs.
PHOTO:
APPLIED RESEARCH
Our vision is to have growers, industry and other external partners turn to the expertise, facilities and talent available within the college to solve problems, develop products, innovate with new technologies, or improve services and business processes. In 2022-23, our accomplishments included:
16 externally funded research projects led by
6 FACULTY RESEARCHERS
39 STUDENTS in four programs participated in applied research inquiry
local, regional, provincial, national and international partners
11 STUDENT-LED industry partnered Capstone applied research projects
APPLIED RESEARCH
6 PEER REVIEWED industry communications published in research funding $2.6 MILLION featuring presentations from Assiniboine researchers EXTENSION EVENTS
We have amazing opportunities in learn more by visiting assiniboine.net/research
of highly committed researchers to encompass research programs, partnerships, and a reputation for solving problems, developing and improving technologies, services and processes. Since 2018, ACC has received nearly $7 million from government, private and not-for-profit partners, along with personnel time, facility access, equipment, and materials. ACC has worked with more than 70 partners in the last 10 years including businesses, industry associations, not-for-profit, Indigenous, industry-government consortia, academia and various local, provincial and federal government departments.
The College’s horticulture applied research is led by Drs. Poonam Singh and Sajjad Rao. Drawing from extensive experience in horticultural sciences. Singh’s primary research interests encompass the development of sustainable technologies for greenhouse-based production of horticultural crops. Her work involves the development/assessment of innovative soilless media and substrates, rootzone management of greenhouse crops, cultivation of hydroponic crop systems, exploration of vertical farming techniques, and the study of horticultural crop physiology. With a demonstrated ability to spearhead research and development projects for the industry, Singh excels in leading initiatives aimed at advancing sustainable practices and enhancing the production efficiency of horticultural farms. She has a substantial track record of publishing numerous research papers in well-regarded academic journal and presenting at national and international conferences. Dr. Singh is also recipient of numerous prestigious grants, including funding from The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (a federal-provincial initiative, Govt. of Canada), Ag Action Manitoba; Employment and Social Development Canada, Agriculture and Agri Food Canada, and the Shastri Indo Canadian Institute, Canada.
Singh’s current work is focused on:
1) Developing peat-reduced media blends using waste and by-products of the agricultural and timber industry such as wood fibres, plant fibres, composts, and biochar for horticultural crop production. Her work involves stan-
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dardizing protocols for determining bio-physiochemical characteristics, and to explore them as potential components of sustainable growing media that could serve as a viable option for potted plant cultivation and hydroponic vegetable production.
2) The evaluation of the suitability of new growing media blends for plant growth and development under protected growing systems. Studies focus on optimizing growing novel partner-supplied media blends for plant growth in the greenhouse and high tunnels to grow crops such as tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, cucumbers, cucurbits, pepper and eggplants.
3) Utilizing plant growth regulators that enhance the capacity of plants to combat biotic and abiotic stresses affecting horticultural crops within the controlled environments of greenhouses and high-tunnels. The objective is to optimize yield and quality, improve health and vigor, and enhance the adaptability of horticultural crops to challenging environmental conditions.
4) Examining the fundamental parameters necessary for the effective operation of an innovative modular freight container farm designed for growing leafy greens. This investigation includes a comparative analysis with traditional greenhouse-based growing systems,
aiming to evaluate and contrast their respective operational characteristics.
Dr. Sajjad Rao is an accredited agricultural professional with over two decades of experience in R&D innovations and academic program development and execution. Rao’s research focusses on climate changing agriculture, sustainable food production technologies, novel crop genetics development & technology commercial acceptance programs to address and overcome producers’ challenges and foster new business opportunities for food production and processing industries. Rao has made significant contributions in sustainable crop production technology innovations for controlled environmental horticulture and developed practices & protocols for climate positive field crop production. Rao developed a novel spring wheat variety suitable for the Canadian Prairies and is well published in the impact of greenhouse microclimates on plant growth and yields, effect of solar energy on greenhouse climates, and varietal studies in strawberry and sweet potato propagation in greenhouse and field environments.
Rao’s current work is focussed on: 1) The evaluation of climate-positive technologies for year-round crop production examining the effect of
Dr. Poonam Singh in the research greenhouse at Assiniboine Community College.
varied greenhouse design and operation methodologies on crop production parameters (days to flower, days to maturity, total yield; nutrient profile as determined in the research lab) which impact the bottom line of commercial horticulture production. Studies investigate low-cost sustainable technology for greenhouse environmental controls and plant growth performance, climate and plant data acquisition, monitoring and communication systems for maintaining optimum greenhouse climates leading to sustainable crop production systems and optimizing year-round plant performance. Analyses are applied to greenhouse crop yield models for different crop performance under different low, medium and high-tech inputs and protocols.
ACC has received nearly $7 million from government, private and not-for-profit partners
2) Studying the production needs of specific fruit and vegetable crops and identify best performing varieties for Western Canada growers. Research studies and identifies strawberry varieties best suited to early berry production in protected cultivation. Advanced greenhouse management equipment is being used to record and analyze real-time sensor data on temperature, humidity, light spectrum, light intensity, water use efficiency and other growing parameters to adjust light spectrum, intensity or angle, vents, curtains, and other greenhouse components.
3) Exploration of greenhouse operations and crop potential and nutrient levels for produce increasingly in demand by Chinese, South Asian, and Afro-Caribbean communities. To meet rising demand, okra, long beans, long and round eggplants, and bitter melon are being tested in the spring and summer when passive solar greenhouse creates warmer conditions suitable to grow these crops.
4) Production needs are being explored and nutrient and anthocyanin levels of purple carrot varieties (culturally important crop for Indigenous communities) tested in the research laboratory to identify the best variety to use in production. Anthocyanins have antioxidant, anticarcinogenic and anti-inflammatory properties that protect from the risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and cognitive function disorders.
ACC remains committed to a collaborative partner-driven planning process to identify opportunities and respond to industry challenges in various parts of the food system and is using the resulting data to shape and expand its applied research focus for the coming decade. For more information or to connect with Dr. Rao or Dr. Singh, please visit assiniboine.net/community/about-us/applied-research or email ACC-AppliedResearch@assiniboine.net.
Managing vegetable CROPS IN WINTER
Part 3: Sweet bell peppers
BY DR. MOHYUDDIN MIRZA
BELOW
1. Young seedlings, well spaced
2. Seedlings planted in the greenhouse
Peppers are considered to be a tougher crop to grow through winter compared to tomatoes and cucumbers because of managing the balance between vegetative and generative growth. Production schedules have changed over the years. Two cropping systems are followed. One is to bring in 30- to 40- days-old seedlings around the third week of December or early January and start harvest in the beginning of March. Harvest is continued until late November. It takes about 120 days from seeding to harvest and thus cash flow is delayed compared to tomatoes and cucumbers. The second cropping system is to plant seedlings in August, take advantage of good light and then take the crop through winter, using supplemental light and end in late July.
SEEDLING MANAGEMENT
Growing your own seedlings requires ensuring you have a proper area for germination, temperature control, supplemental light of 120 to 160 watts/m2 and easy access to water and nutrients. In order to target fruit set in January, the seeding dates of around October 5 to 10 is suggested. Avoid over crowding and that is why the seeds are germinated in smaller cubes of rockwool or other germination mixes, then moved to larger blocks and spaced out so that the plants are not touching each other.
Most growers get their seedlings from reputable propagators. They are generally around 15 to 20 inches in height with good internode length and well-expanded leaves. The focus is on keeping them vegetative.
Plant density – A plant density of 3.5/m2 is generally used and with two stems the number comes to 6.5 to 7.1 stems/m2. For hot and other small-fruited varieties growers allow many stems to develop.
PRODUCTION CYCLE
JANUARY TO FEBRUARY
Plant focus – Focus on building a strong vegetative plant prior to the fruit set at the end of January. Any flowers set in the early phases can be removed to facilitate the plant producing more leaves, roots and shoots. Image 3, on the next page, shows early branching and what flowers should be removed. Images 3 and 4 highlight the point that early flowers can be removed. Some growers do set one fruit at the second and third node and harvest early green fruit.
Target temperatures
• After planting, the 24-hour temperature is reduced to 21°C day and night for two days.
• After the plants have adjusted to the new climate, increase the day temperature to 23°C and night to 21°C.
• Target day temperature by sunrise increasing night to day temperature by 1°C per hour. This temperature ramping helps to avoid condensation.
• Target 24-hour average >20 to 20.5°C for January when light levels are good (>200 joules). For darker periods adjust 24-hour temperature to 19 to 19.5°C. As soon as fruit is set, adjust 24-hour average based on light levels.
• Maintain plant speed especially when natural plant growth slows at the end of January/beginning of February.
CO2 targets
• Target 600 to 800 ppm CO2 in January
• If boiler exhaust is used for CO2, then pay particular attention to the levels of nitrous oxide and ethylene.
Target Vapour Pressure Deficit (VPD)
• Target VPD 3 to 7 grams/m3. VPD
is also measured in millibars and Kilopascal. Know what units are being reported by your computer. The range suggested above will maximize cell strength and disease resistance in the developing plants.
• VPD depends on a combination of temperature and relative humidity. So VPD can be adjusted by manipulating temperature and relative humidity.
• In January and February because of limited air exchanges and ventilation
roof condensation can easily occur. Using vertical and horizontal fans for air movement is very important.
Light levels
• Allow maximum natural light to come into the greenhouse. Many growers have installed supplemental lights to provide about 200 micromoles of full spectrum lights.
• Condensation on the inside of the greenhouse roof may reduce the light
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3. Big flowers show vegetative nature of the plant. They can be removed at the early stage preferably before pollination.
4. An example of three pepper fruit allowed to stay on the plant.
5. An example of a pepper plant where set fruit started aborting when the light was below a Daily Light Integral of 12 moles/m2/day.
which can affect crop performance.
• Adjust temperature according to the light available. Image 5 is a good picture where set fruit started aborting when the light was below a Daily Light Integral of 12 moles/m 2 / day
Target irrigation/feed
• Very important to provide adequate amount of nutrient solution. Peppers need higher amounts of boron in feed. My recommendation is using boron levels of around 0.8 to 1.0 ppm.
• In soilless cultivation systems like rockwool or coir, target an EC of around 3.0 in the feed and about 3.5 in the leach. Since higher EC exerts a higher osmotic pressure in the root zone, so plants restrict the amount of water uptake resulting into a balanced plant. EC values are lowered when sunlight goes above 500 joules/cm2
• Avoid ammonium nitrogen use in January and February. Pay particular attention to pH management because when roots are actively growing, the pH will go on the high side and iron and manganese deficiency on young leaves may occur.
Target leaf and fruit numbers
• Target large plants with strong roots and maximum leaf area for optimum photosynthesis.
• Avoid compact plants with short internodes. An internodal distance of six to eight inches is desirable.
• Target first fruit set on the fourth leaf from the fork.
• When growing without supplemental lights, target setting of first fruit after January 20th, two fruits per stem for a total of four fruit/plant or seven to 10 fruits m2, about 1 kg/m2
• Avoid too big a fruit set, although I have seen some growers allow to do that because they want green fruit and prices are high at that time.
• Maximum fruit load for January and February is four fruits/ stem.
• Pollination with bumble bees is helpful with achieving good fruit size. Make sure hives are introduced before flower development.
Dr. Mohyuddin Mirza Ph.D., P.Ag. • drmirzaconsultants@gmail.com
CULTIVATING RESILIENCE
Crisis management planning for greenhouse operations is essential in preparing for and mitigating the inevitable
BY J LYNN FRASER
The next pandemic may not be a coronavirus. Businesses cannot rely on strategies created to meet the demands of COVID-19 and its variants to cope with a new pandemic. According to Salazare et al. (2022), influenza and antibiotic resistance are among the “dangerous pathogens” that may cause another pandemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that new pandemics will occur more often, will “spread more rapidly,” and will cause more deaths (2022). The 2021 Global Health Security Index (GHSI, 2021) evaluated the ability of 195 countries to “prepare for epidemics and pandemics.” Canada placed fourth. Overall, the GHSI found that “all countries remain ‘dangerously unprepared’ for the next major outbreak.”
ABOVE
This troubling statement is made more disturbing by a recent study published in the US’s well-respected Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, which concluded “we estimate that the yearly probability of occurrence of extreme epidemics can increase up to threefold in the coming decades” (PNAS, 2021), in fact some estimates place the likelihood of another pandemic similar to COVID-19 at 27 per cent in the next 10 years (Pringle, 2023).
Karen White, Vice-President, Crisis Issues and Management, at NATIONAL Public Relations, says crisis management “involves three phases: planning; response; recovery.”
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PLANNING FOR AND PREVENTING THE INEVITABLE
Companies should have a crisis management plan (CMP) in place to ensure that in a crisis they act quickly to minimize negative consequences and to facilitate a quick return to business (NSF, 2023). A company’s successful response to a crisis depends on many factors such as “preparedness, maturity, size, scale of operations, and financial viability” (NSF, 2023).
“It was not necessarily greenhouses that were affected, but
bunk houses as well as transportation to and from greenhouses,” said Jay Remsik, a Health and Safety Consultant with Workplace Safety and Prevention Services (WSPS) with 24 years of experience in the agricultural sector working with farms and greenhouses in the Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent areas of Ontario.
Government preparedness was important support for farmers. Following the “directives of Public Health Units (PHU), owners had to adapt the number of employees they were housing in bunk houses.”
Remsik notes that these directives sometimes lacked consistency. “I felt frustration as there was no consistency across the health units,” he commented.
A PHU in South Western Ontario told a grower with thirty workers that they could only have three people in the bunk house. During the pandemic, growers had to rent RVs, trailers, and hotel rooms for the workers.
Transportation to and from the bunk house to the greenhouse was also affected by social distancing as fewer workers were transported in more trips. “Larger greenhouses would use school buses. During the pandemic a large grower had to transport fewer workers and sanitize in between trips Most of the operators adapted on the fly.”
Distancing directives were also applied within greenhouses. “Pickers in greenhouses, like for cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers, were given four rows each,” Remsik said. “In pack lines there were challenges. Workers were separated by plexiglass sheets and wore PPE.
“Cross-training became very important,” says Remsik. A small business might have two forklifts. A larger business may have ten. If someone was ill another person, trained in anticipation of illness affecting the company, would be an alternate operator. Then the business could operate as normal.
Various levels of government health departments prepared and thus were available to give guidance. PHUs in South Western Ontario had “templates for screening procedures.” WSPS, for example, “partnered with the Ontario, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) to deliver the service for those
farmers accessing the $2,000 [in aid]” designated for each farmer’s assistance. “I did tail-gate talks with staff. Talks to increase awareness and reminders about the risks of COVID,” Remsik said. In addition, “WSPS met with growers virtually and helped them customize procedures to fit their businesses.”
CMPS ORGANIZE PEOPLE
There are general steps in a crisis management plan that fit most companies, and which can be customized to meet specific company needs.
Step 1: Form a crisis management team.
Step 2: Determine management’s responsibilities.
Step 3: Critically examine the company’s weaknesses to determine threats “unique to your organization, location or region, market, products and processes” (NSF, 2023). Establish what are the warning signs that indicate stresses for the company.
Step 4: Create specific internal communication strategies.
Step 5: Create specific external communication strategies.
Step 6: For each type of crisis there should be an action plan.
Step 7: Establish a recovery plan.
Step 8: Monitor for threat(s).
Step 9: Know when to enact CMP.
Step 10: Know when to enact recovery plan. CMPs are successful when every employee, at every level, is responsible for implementing the CMP.
CMPS ORGANIZE THINGS
It is not just people who are affected by epidemics and pandemics. Supply chains, usually invisible and taken for granted, are also affected. During the pandemic global and local supply chains were often the lead in the news. The WHO warns that supply chains need to become “more agile in the face of immediate and unpredictable changes.” Strategies to achieve this goal in a company CMP should include “digitalization” to reduce reliance on global supply chains, and developing “supplier networks in multiple areas.”
Before the crisis a CMP should ensure that a qualified industrial hygienist or HVAC engineer assess a company’s greenhouses and other buildings. The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists and American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ACGIH & ASHRAE, 2021) suggests that system designers should strive to “accommodate Tier 1 MERV filters (MERV 13 and 14) in their current and future designs.” It advises that maintenance of HVAC should be regular and thorough.
There are numerous “emerging technologies” for cleaning air (ACGIH & ASHRAE, 2021) including “ionization, plasma” and hydrogen peroxide as well as Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation that kills pathogens that are airborne (CDC, 2021a).
During the crisis, in companies that operate greenhouses it is not just the greenhouses that are affected. Buildings that house equipment, offices, break rooms, and staff work areas are exposed through direct contact. The ACGIH and ASHRAE (2021) recommends increasing the “outdoor air supply to 100%” or increase it to the “maximum allowed by the capabilities of the ventilation system.” Additionally, it suggests that there should be six to twelve air changes per hour. It also advises ensuring that the air
brought into a ventilation system not intake air near a parking lot, a site of vehicle traffic, or near smoking areas. It cautions against allowing personal fans to be used. Exfiltration should be encouraged through “roof fans, soffit vents, windows, doors, and other openings.” Sanitization should be done regularly by all employees on a scheduled and per interaction basis depending on the characteristics of the pathogen involved.
After the crisis, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, when the buildings that have been shut down for a long period of time (days to months), are reopened they should be checked for hazards such as Legionella (Legionnaires Disease), mould, sewer gases, lead and copper contamination (CDC, 2021b). ACGIH and ASHRAE (2021) suggest that if air intake is shut down for a period of time it should be put back to “full operating conditions” for a period of time prior to employees’ return.
STEP 11: DEALING WITH A REPUTATION CRISIS
When the reputation of a business is threatened due to slowdowns, lockdowns, and infections, there is resulting peril to stakeholders’ confidence in the company’s products and stability. At that critical time it is necessary to seek help.
A crisis involves an initial incident when the story becomes public and “questions and confusion” ensue. A company should then acknowledge the incident and state they are working on a plan. The company should then ask for understanding as they investigate the issue.
Next, blame will be assigned by the public and media. At this point, according to Karen White, Vice-President, Crisis Issues and Management, at NATIONAL Public Relations, “Canada’s leading PR firm,” those who have been seriously affected by the company’s actions or inactions should receive a personal visit or a phone call.
A statement about a commitment to learning from the incident should be made. As negative feedback from the public decreases the company should “demonstrate a commitment to action or change.”
“Crisis management involves three phases: planning; response; recovery,” says White who has provided “communications counsel and advice” for key actors in numerous wellknown crisis events such as during the Fort McMurray wildfire “response.”
It is important to do a “communications audit” to establish a vulnerability risk assessment for areas of concern. White comments that the results are used to develop a plan that has: protocols, a chain of command, roles, a determination of stakeholders, audiences, resources, and tools.
In the communications stage “key line departments and functional areas” are involved. Planning must involve diverse perspectives.
The next step is to “customize and scale-up responses due to the seriousness of the issue.”
At this stage counsel is sought, a communications plan is made, draft materials created, and traditional as well as social
Be part of the horticulture industry
media are monitored. In the recovery stage the lessons learned are reviewed; there is evaluation and reflection; and the process of rebuilding a reputation begins.
In the near future White foresees that in 2024 cyber threats, a different but important type of pandemic, will become a critical concern for companies.
“Cyber preparedness” should involve IT, legal, and communications, she advises. In internal communications employees, executives, and the company board should be informed about the plan. To a different degree stakeholders, suppliers, and the supply chain should also be informed.
The Toronto Public Library (TLP), at the time of writing this article, was affected by a cyberattack since October 28, 2023. It announced on November 23rd that the issue is not expected to be resolved until January 2024. The library serves 1.5-million patrons yearly who are currently unable to use the TLP’s full services.
Discussions about successful CMPs and businesses’ recovery after the pandemic refer to these main drivers of a successful recovery: responding quickly at each stage of the CMP; staff multi-tasking; keeping communications open at each stage of the crisis; and “open”, “agile” leadership (Permatusari & Mayuti, 2022).
“The coronavirus brought labour challenges to growers, but the industry saw a few silver linings in the adjustments it made during the pandemic. Greater efforts at communication paid off for some,” (Karst, 2021).
“Leadership is consequential,” was the conclusion of the UNDP (2022) and that “Effective leadership has been so important that it has been called the “ultimate vaccine” against coronavirus.”
Effective and adaptable CMPs along with strong communications and leadership will help the greenhouse industry manage the next pandemic(s).
SOURCES
ASHRAE & ASHRAE (2021). Position document on infectious aerosols. ACGIH® and ASHRAE® White Paper Ventilation for Industrial Settings during the COVID-19 Pandemic American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH®), Industrial Ventilation Committee American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE®), Technical Committee 9.2, Industrial Air Conditioning and Ventilation. Revised June 2021. https://www.ashrae. org/file%20library/technical%20resources/covid-19/ ashrae-acgih-covid-19-white-paper.pdf
CDC & Prevention (2021b). Reopening buildings after prolonged shutdown or reduced operation. https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/water/legionella/ building-water-system.html
Global Health Security Index. (2021). https://www. ghsindex.org/
Intensity and frequency of extreme novel epidemics
T. Karst (2021). COVID-19 adds stress but optimism still reigns for Ontario greenhouse producers. The Packer. https://www.thepacker. com/news/produce-crops/covid-19-adds-stressoptimism-still-reigns-ontario-greenhouse-producers
M. Marani et al. (2021). 118(35) e2105482118. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2105482118
NSF (2023). Creating a successful management plan. https://www.nsf.org/knowledge-library/ creating-successful-crisis-management-plan
M.G. Permatusari & L.P. Mayuti (2022). Crisis management practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of General Management. 47(3): 180–190. doi: 10.1177/03063070211063717
LEFT
'Agile' leadership and effective communication is key to navigating future crises.
E. Pringle (2023). Disease forecasters are convinced there’s a 27% chance of another COVIDlike pandemic within 10 years—but experts believe there’s a silver bullet. Fortune Well. https://fortune. com/well/2023/04/18/disease-forecasters-predictnew-covid-like-pandemic-within-10-years/
C.B. Salazar et al. (2022). Future pandemics might be caused by bacteria and not viruses: Recent advances in medical preventive practice. May–Jun, 16(3): 1–3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/ articles/PMC9092534/
United Nations Development Programme (2022). Preparing for the next pandemic. What we have learned entering year three of COVID-19. https://stories.undp.org/preparing-for-the-nextpandemic?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuqi6 7qrRggMV1B-tBh0yjwxdEAAYAyAAEgJZSPD_BwE World Health Organization (2022). Imaging the future of pandemics and epidemics: A 2022 perspective. https://www.who.int/publications/i/ item/9789240052093
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SOWING SEEDS OF UNITY
It takes a little organizing to grow something but, in Alberta, Canada’s first controlled environment agriculture industry association is getting a good foothold.
A STARTING PLACE
Canada’s first professional association for Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) is gaining momentum in Alberta
BY JOHN DIETZ
The fast-growing sector, known by several names, is quickly becoming a supplier of fresh, locally grown vegetables and fruit. The sector operates year-round, independently of weather, virtually anywhere.
Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) can refer to any type of enclosed crop production. The sector greenhouses, glasshouses, growth chambers, and a variety of indoor farms.
It includes farming methods compatible with closed-spaces or indoor agriculture, such as hydroponics, aeroponics, aquaponics, and vertical farms.
Richard Gibson, after more than 30 years in agriculture, is leading the Alberta-based effort to organize a first CEA industry association in Canada.
Gibson, with a penchant for indoor farming, is co-founder of a Calgary vertical farm startup, Planetary Harvest Vertical Farm Inc. He earned a University of Manitoba master’s degree in plant pathology and pursued a career in Alberta.
Working at InnoTech Alberta as a technology development officer for 20 years, he helped others start new companies.
In July 2021, he signed off from his public career to develop his own startup.
PHOTO: PHYNART
Gibson says, “I’ve always been interested in indoor farming. The real game changer over the last decade or so has been LED lighting.
"Technologies just keep getting better. Now, plants are starting to be developed specifically for indoor farming. Finally, the future really looks like what we were thinking back during the moon landings.”
Along with architectural technologist RC (Chuck) Smith, Gibson co-founded Planetary Harvest, with a mission is to develop vertical farms that combine simple technologies with clean industrial design for northern, arctic, and subarctic climates.
“We’re looking at how we can take some of the complexity out of vertical farming,” he says.
Planetary Harvest, at this point, is building a prototype for testing simplified vertical farm designs.
While going down the road to build their own CEA design company, Gibson and Smith needed information, supplies, and and other various kinds of help.
Gibson soon discovered that there were hidden pockets of CEA suppliers, academics, government offices, organizations, and a few established vertical or indoor farms.
This diverse group of CEA stakeholders shared similar beliefs in the potential for
significant local fresh food production, but they weren’t connected.
Gibson realized, a collective voice for the specific interests of the vertical farming sector was missing. And, wasn’t alone. By a chance meeting with Olds College, he found they had already been contemplating the need for a united CEA sector.
With that, the seed was planted for an Alberta CEA association.
selected. A website was launched, and approval from the Alberta Registry for the new association was pending.
About 30 individuals and companies lined up for memberships in advance of the official registration, he says. Most are from Calgary and nearby areas of southern Alberta. Most are growers; a few are suppliers to CEA growers. Government organizations and departments are expressing interest.
We’re looking at how we can take some of the complexity out of vertical farming
CEA ALBERTA ASSOCIATION
In early summer, 2023, with encouragement from Olds College and CEA stakeholders, Gibson took on the role of coordinating Alberta-based efforts to organize the first provincial CEA industry association in Canada.
They would call it: The Controlled Environment Agriculture Association of Alberta (CEA3).
By October, he says, a structure and set of five board members had been
The CEA sector in Alberta ranges in size from single shipping containers to a planned multimillion-dollar facility in Calgary with dozens of employees.
“We have quite a bit of interest and that's just based on word of mouth,” he says.
“I'm anticipating that we'll have quite a bit more interest once people are able to find out about the association. And, it will be easier to communicate once we have the CEA3.ca website running!”
The CEA3 will help advance the indoor farming sector as a complement to local greenhouse production.
“It’s a food production continuum,” Gibson explains.
“We're in that space where it's all indoor farming. With some exceptions, we don’t use the sun at all. Still, we have common goals with the greenhouse industry, like local food production and creation of local jobs.”
LEFT Richard Gibson is leading the Alberta-based effort to organize the first CEA industry association in Canada RIGHT Dr. Saied Mobini, Queen’s University horticulturist and Phytotron manager in Kingston, Ont.
Coming down the pipe, after registration, will be a focus on funding specific CEA research projects to help de-risk investments into the sector at a very early stage. Many funding agencies do not support vertical farming yet.
“The association will be a clearinghouse for information for people who want to learn about the industry, how to get started in it, and tap into the network,” he says.
“The main driver for me is creating opportunities for people to work. I love working in agriculture and this is really exciting. Indoor farming actually is the next step for agriculture in Alberta, and that's my main passion, getting people to have rewarding jobs and careers.”
PIVOTAL STAKEHOLDERS
Pivotal stakeholders in the association-to-be include Olds College in Olds, Alberta, and Dr. Saied Mobini, Queen’s University horticulturist and Phytotron manager in Kingston, Ont.
As a response to many requests for information about CEAtype farming over a few years, Olds College “initiated the concept of an association” around Spring 2022, says Todd Ormann, Vice-President, Development.
Before CEA came along, he explains, Olds College already had well-established and well-developed programs supporting farming and the greenhouse industry.
With the great advances in technology and rapidly growing interest in indoor farming without sunlight, the college developed plans to start an academic program specifically for the CEA industry. That new program is expected to launch in September 2024.
Ormann says, “It came to a point that we wanted to have an association, to be honest, so we could have a conversation with industry about how we could develop programming and research for CEA.
“Informally last year, I got four or five startups around the table and started mapping out what a controlled environmental ag association would look like and what the role could be. That's when we brought Richard into the conversation, to finalize and put it together,” Ormann says.
He adds, “It was pretty clear that the idea was well-liked, so Richard has been finalizing the pieces to get the CEA3 off the ground. My hope is that this coming year we can formalize the association.”
The association is being registered in Alberta, but the fresh produce industry and the companies that support it are scattered across Canada. Some are in Alberta, some are not, but the need for associations to represent the industry clearly is national.
“We’ll see where it goes, but we’re not really limiting the scope of it. It may become national, in time,” Ormann says. “Right now, the membership is very Alberta focused.”
Former Alberta horticultural scientist Dr Saied Mobini, now with Queen’s University, has been watching from the sidelines and is supporting the Alberta effort. Mobini, as a student, scientist, and grower, has been involved in greenhouse and CEA production since 1990 in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Quebec.
Mobini has worked internationally, as well, and is a member
of the international Association of Vertical Farming which began in Munich, Germany, in 2013.
“As far as I know, there is one other small group for Ontario that is working together” for a similar purpose, Mobini says. “Many people want to get involved. Myself, as a grower, I know the challenges and what they suffer. Communication and transferring knowledge is very, very important.”
An association, Mobini explains, can help growers find the best supplier with the best price, and sell their produce for the highest market value.
It can also fight and advocate for the industry as well as identify supporting regulations and funding available to greenhouse growers for the vertical growers.
“You cannot imagine how big the frustration was for me, a year ago, because Health Canada told me that none of the pesticides and fungicides approved for greenhouses can be applied for vertical farming,” he recalls.
Mobini was involved with several CEA projects in Alberta, as well as across Canada, and saw frustration on both sides of the table. County officials didn’t have experience with vertical farming applications; applicants didn’t have appropriate regulations fitted to their industry.
Mobini says, “I can see a big demand for a vertical farming association in Canada to help and support vertical farming production and operation. It’s not just for Albertans. All the people across Canada need to support this.”
Family
THROUGH THE OF THE GREEN INDUSTRY
THE LENS
A few months ago, Greenhouse Canada launched a photo contest and appealed to our readership to share a glimpse of the Canadian greenhouse industry from where they operate.
We received an astonishing 40 entries from across the country. Readers not only shared their photographic talents but also their insights on the business from their perspective.
Deciding on a winner was far more challenging than we at Greenhouse Canada anticipated. The skill with which many of these moments were captured is masterful. The image we settled on was sent to us by Colin Van Geest of Pump House Gardens in Beamsville, Ont. Pump House is a small flower farm and greenhouse, growing cut flowers primarily for direct-to-market sales on their farm and at local farm markets.Our judges were drawn to this dynamic image as it illustrates the beauty, hard work, physicality and humble tradition of greenhouse growing. Congratulations to Colin and the Pump House team for producing such a captivating image of the industry.
The following is a round-up of the top entries. Enjoy!
1. Our winner! Here's what Van Geest had to say about about Pump House Garden: "My family has a rich history in the cut flower industry in Canada dating back to when my father immigrated from the Netherlands and opened his own cut flower greenhouse
in 1959. All those years working alongside my family taught me the values of hard work and a quality product."
2. This photo was submitted by Sarah Pardy of Gold Leaf Technologies. It features Curcuma growing at Hendriks Greenhouses in Beamsville, Ont., under Heliospectra lights.
3. This aerial shot, submitted by Dimitri Karakostas of Saint George, N.B., is of the mother-daughter owners of Canada Green Nursery sorting through some of their perennial stock.
4. This fun photo was submitted to us from Heidi Van Doorn of Plant Products of Biobest Group. It shows “a helpful Biobest bee (Bombus impatiens) hard at work on strawberry blooms.”
5. This photo was submitted by Oliver Crane of Qualitree Nursery in Chilliwack B.C. He writes of the image: “The nursery I work at (Qualitree) is always looking for the next big thing in technology. We've been able to find more efficient ways of doing what we've been doing for years, thanks to a few new bits of tech. I believe in a very tech-forward future for the nursery world. Here is a photo of our drone above a crop of gaultheria plugs.”
6. Submitted to us by Daina Budde of Waterville, N.S., this photo is of Glad Gardens, a “retail greenhouse built out of Hemlock logs with living 'curtains' along the top on the sides.”
Collaboration and comaraderie take centre stage
Highlights from the 2023 Green Industry Show and Conference in Red Deer, Alta.
BY AMY KOUNIAKIS
Balmy Red Deer, Alberta, was the backdrop for the 2023 Green Industry Show and Conference (GISC) in mid-November, that saw hundreds of growers and industry professionals gather for several days of networking, education, and camaraderie.
A bus tour, guided by Dr. Mohyuddin Mirza, kicked off the three-day event. Attendees had the unique opportunity to tour the new, state-of-the-art greenhouse of S4 Greenhouses Ltd., located just outside of Lacombe County. From S4, the tour moved on to nearby Gull Valley Greenhouses, where attend-
ees got a glimpse of some of the greens, cucumbers and various tomato varieties grown there.
Aspen Greenhouses, which specializes in annuals, perennials, herbs and ornamental grasses, was the final stop of the morning.A delicious lunch was served in Aspen’s storefront.
The first post-lunch stop on the tour was Blue Grass Sod Nursery and Garden Centre in Red Deer (there are two other locations in Calgary and Edmonton). Christmas was in full swing here as the staff had recently decorated dozens of Christmas
MAIN Keynote speaker Katie Dubow, president of the U.S. based Garden Media Group, shared her insights on the 2024 Garden Trends report at the Green Industry Show and Conference. BOTTOM RIGHT As they were in between crops, the production spaces at Aspen Greenhouses, had been meticulously cleaned and prepped in preparation for new crops. Attendees on the bus tour were amazed at how clean and organized this operation is.
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Paul Prins (left) was the recipient of the Herb Knodel Award for the greenhouse industry development. AGGA treasurer Paul Doef (right), presented the award.
trees and the multi-coloured poinsettia crop was displayed in all its glory. At the final stop of the day, Parkland Nurseries and Garden Centre, guests were treated to live music, tasty snacks and local brews while soaking in the sights of this beautiful retail space.
The second day of the show got off to an inspiring start with a keynote address from Katie Dubow, president of U.S.-based Garden Media Group. Her 2024 Garden Trends Report provided food for thought with its insights on consumer trends and behaviours.
Educational sessions continued throughout the second morning of the show with a fascinating and thoughtful presentation by agronomist Rose Seguin, from Sollum Technologies, on optimizing strawberry production with dynamic lighting. Research scientist, Travis Banks, from Vineland Research & Innovation Centre, also spoke to a captivated audience about new variety development and his organization’s push to get the best varieties into the hands of Canadian growers.
The second day of GISC also saw the opening of the tradeshow floor. It featured more than 100 exhibitors from across the green industry. Some of the biggest names in horticultural products and services were on hand to discuss the latest in services, products and innovations.
When the first day wrapped up, the way was clear for a celebratory evening at the Alberta Greenhouse Grower Association’s (AGGA) annual Garden Party. A lovely dinner was followed by an awards presentation and some live music, courtesy the AGGA’s board members. First off, Amy Doef was announced as the recipient of the Dr. Mirza Scholarship Award, which provides $1,000 to a family of an AGGA member attending a post-secondary institution. Next, the Herb Knodel Award for outstanding service was awarded to Paul Prins, general manager of Pick N’ Pack Produce.
Cees VandenEnden, the retired owner and president of HortiSource Consulting Inc, was the recipient of the Meritorious Services Award. The evening ended after the coveted Grower of the Year was awarded to the much-deserving Caroline and Wayne Lohr of Lohr-A-Lee Greenhouses, located near Olds, Alta.
Renowned business coach, Jacki Hart, kicked off the final day of the conference with keynote address on workplace culture and the importance of communication. Another round of educational sessions rounded out the morning of the GISC’s final day. Dr. Ken Fry,
ABOVE
From left: Wayne Lohr, AGGA director Simon Loewen and Caroline Lohr. The Lohrs, of Lohr-A-Lee Greenhouses in Olds, Alta, were named Grower of the Year at the 2023 GISC.
an entomologist from Olds College, provided an in-depth review of the various Thrips species found in Canada, particularly throughout the prairie provinces. Egan Davis, the Parks Operations Manager for the City of Richmond, spoke passionately, on plant communities and how they interact and adapt to their environment.
As the final day of the GISC came to a close, attendees and exhibitors wandered the trade show floor, networking and socializing. It was a fitting end to an event that facilitates and celebrates the collegiality of the green industry. The 2024 GISC is scheduled for Nov. 13-14. The location is yet to be selected. Now you can buy directly from the manufacturer at lower price than before
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INSIDE VIEW
GARY JONES
Crossroads or roadblocks?
I was going to start by saying that looking at ‘the state of the industry’, it feels like we’re at a pivotal crossroads. But then I read a short piece from the UK that says that “Horticulture, the UK’s £5 billion industry focussing on fruit, vegetables, and ornamental plants, is being described as being at a crossroads.”1 Serendipitous? The horticultural highways are apparently congested.
“Things look bleak for the horticulture sector without urgent steps to safeguard its future, a new House of Lords report has warned.1Horticulture is: “under-prioritized and unappreciated, leaving holes in the UK’s food security and ability to meet net-zero goals”1 and is “struggling to attract new talent and is perceived as unattractive and inaccessible, leading to a reliance on seasonal migrant labor...”1This unnervingly mirrors conversations I’ve been part of over the last few weeks. Except the two discussions were completely unrelated and happen to be 7,500 km apart. [I wouldn’t say that ‘things look bleak’ here though, let’s be positive.]
In the same week, and also in the UK, one high-profile MP made the headlines for his disconnect with agriculture. Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg (Conservative backbench MP, previously Leader of the House of Commons, Minister of State for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency, and
Greenhouse vegetable growers are at an energy watershed. For most, natural gas has been the fuel of choice for a long time. And for (many) good reasons. It’s clean, convenient, efficient, and best of all, produces CO2 essential for maximising crop growth. But worldwide, governments want to reduce societal dependency on fossil fuels. Which is admirable, and needed. But alternatives have to be viable. While our federal government may say agriculture has energy alternatives, the reality is that greenhouse vegetable producers currently don’t have options that are viable – the CO2 the plants consume has to come from somewhere at an affordable cost. The carbon tax penalty desperately needs to go back into finding the alternatives our government claims we have.
We know times are tough financially for many. For the floriculture sector it may be that the current (almost) recession is a step too far, for what many see as luxury items. But I’m told that this time is unlike previous economic downturns when many people were unemployed. Now they’re working, but struggling to make ends meet. We will come out of that, but for now this may be difficult for the industry.
“The horticultural highways are apparently congested.”
Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy2) said “the UK ‘does not need fruit pickers’ and suggested ‘cheaper fruit’ should be imported from abroad.”3 Reports say he has “failed to recognize the ‘invaluable contribution’ of farmers and growers in domestic food production.”3 Responding, “NFU horticulture and potato board chair Martin Emmett said: “It is vital for the Government to recognize the importance of the seasonal workers needed to produce and process high-quality, affordable and sustainable food to maintain the UK’s food security.3 Perhaps the disconnect is not as large here, and there is much good collaboration between government and industry enabling temporary foreign workers to play a key role in our food production, but more can always be done to help local food security, and growers need more recognition for their stellar work. There still seems to be a disconnect between different government departments and their policies, leading to contradictions for growers to navigate.
The article referred to earlier from the UK, also mentioned that horticulture is “struggling to attract new talent and is perceived as unattractive and inaccessible.”1 This is not a revelation of course. This week I participated in two high school career fairs. About 4,000 grade 10-12 students passed through. While many were like human vacuums sucking up the ‘swag’ on exhibitors’ tables, I was pleasantly surprised how many young people engaged in a chat about greenhouse careers. There seemed to be genuine interest in career paths none seemed to have previously considered. (The demo hive of bumble bees certainly helped!) This was cause for optimism at least! Are they ready I wonder?
1 ‘The Scottish Farmer’, as reported in www.HortiDaily.com 13 November 2023
2 Wikipedia
3 ‘Farmers’ Guardian’, as reported in www.HortiDaily.com 28 Nov 2023
Gary Jones sits on several greenhouse industry committees in BC and welcomes comments at greenhousewolf@gmail.com.
