OFVC 2017 Show Guide

C A N A D A’ S P R E M I E R H O R T I C U LT U R A L E V E N T

F E B R U A R Y 22 – 23 , 2017

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SCOTIABANK CONVENTION CENTRE NIAGARA FALLS, ONTARIO

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www.fafard.ca/growers Come see us at booth #1004

CONTENTS

2017

OFVC Executive & Committee Members

PR E SID EN T Matt Peters HCO V I C E PR E SID EN T Tony Scambelluri NPF & PG A SEC R E TA R Y T R E A SUR ER

Glenna Cairnie D IR EC TO R S

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President’s Welcome

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Thanks to Our Sponsors

8

Exhibitor List

9

Trade Show Map

Cathy Bartolic ONTARIO FARM FRESH, HCO Robert Chorney FARMERS’ MARK E T S ONTARIO, HCO Kelly Ciceran ONTARIO APPLE GROWERS, HCO Kevin Schooley ONTARIO BERRY GROWERS, HCO Tony Sgambelluri NPF & VG A Nathan Stevens OMAFR A Tom Tancock NPF & VG A Torrie Warner NPF & VG A Tom Wiley NPF & VG A C H A IR

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Session Schedule

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Speaker Biographies

Tony Sgambelluri NPF & VG A CO N V EN T I O N CO O R D IN ATO R

Glenna Cairnie FAC IL I T IE S

Kevin Schooley ONTARIO BERRY GROWERS, HCO T R A D E SH OW Ross Parker NPF & VG A

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Farmers Most Vulnerable to Mental Health Problems

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Making Soil Preservation a Priority

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The Hall of Fame Career of a Horticulture Pioneer

36

OFVC Roundup

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2016 OFFMA Farm Marketer of the Year

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Real Revolution. Keeping Up with Change

P O S T ER SE SSI O N S Hannah Fraser OMAFR A Dennis Van Dyk OMAFR A

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NPF & VGA 2016 Industry Award of Merit

M A R K E T IN G /A DV ER T ISIN G / WEB SI T E Steve Watt HARV EST ONTARIO, HCO

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Going Nuts! Ontario’s Growing Sector

SPE A K ER PR O GR A M Melanie Filotas OMAFR A / Sean Westerveld OMAFR A SPE A K ER CO - O R D IN ATO R

Carol Pupo ACCO M M O DAT I O N S Robert Chorney FARMERS’ MARK E T S ONTARIO, HCO R EGIS T R AT I O N , T R A D E SH OW & SP O N S O R SHIP CO - O R D IN ATO R

Glenna Cairnie

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Fresh Learning: The 2017 Poster Display

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Convention Centre Retail Lunch Menu

46

Farmers & Friends Reception

CONVENTION PARTNERS Interested in advertising in the 2018 Show Guide?

Contact Steve Watt, steve@ofvc.ca. The OFVC Show Guide is published by Bright Light Communications, www.brightlightcommunications.com.

No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without permission from OFVC. Copyright © 2017 by OFVC Inc. Printed in Canada by Annex Publishing and Printing Inc.

FA R MER S A ND FR IEND S R EC EP T I O N Catherine Clark FARMERS’ MARK E T S ONTARIO

T R A N SP O R TAT I O N Cathy Bartolic ONTARIO FARM FRESH, HCO CO M MI T T EE ME MB ER S AT L A R GE Ken Slingerland NPF & VG A Nathan Stevens OMAFR A Tom Tancock NPF & VG A Torrie Warner NPF & VG A Tom Wiley NPF & VG A 20 17 SE SSI O N C H A IR S Ryan Brewster KCMS Kathryn Carter OMAFR A Michael Celetti OMAFR A Jason Deveau OMAFR A Evan Elford OMAFR A Amy Fang Shi OGG A Leslie Forsythe FORSY THE FA MILY FARMS Amanda Green OMAFR A Kristy Grigg-McGuffin OMAFR A Colleen Haskins OMAFR A Jay Howell FMO Christoph Kessel OMAFR A Janice LeBoeuf OMAFR A Todd Leuty OMAFR A Steve Martin MARTIN’S FA MILY FRUIT FARM Wendy McFadden-Smith OMAFR A Kevin Montgomery OMAFR A Deanna Nemeth OMAFR A Erica Pate OMAFR A Elaine Roddy OMAFR A Kevin Schooley OBG A Rebecca Shortt OMAFR A Dennis Van Dyk OMAFR A Anne Verhallen OMAFR A Robb Wagner OMAFR A Jim Willwerth CCOV I BROCK UNIV ERSIT Y

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PRESIDENT’S WELCOME Welcome to the 2017 edition of your Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention!

It’s hard to believe that another year has passed since we last got together. Since then, we have all learned many lessons: from facing extreme environmental conditions, navigating requirements in an evolving labour and environmental stewardship landscape, and marketing Canadian grown crops in a changing marketplace to name a few. In order to truly grow from these lessons, we must reflect and share. Our group of dedicated volunteers has worked hard to amass an impressive group of speakers that have traveled from near and far to do one thing—discuss and share with you their lessons learned. It’s important to consider that the vast web of fruit and vegetable industry members are also learning and growing with you.

They have dedicated their time and resources to come together in our sold-out trade show to present their ideas and work with you to create solutions.

In addition to connecting with friends, customers and suppliers at the trade show and Farmers & Friends reception, I am personally looking forward to attending the presentation of our feature speaker, the famous horticulturalist and marketer Pete Luckett! I’m also excited about the growth of the GOHCBC as well as the Meet The Buyer (MTB) event. Make sure to check these out, and remember the revamped MTB event now takes place Thursday over the lunch hour in ballroom C on the main level.

The 2017 show looks to be shaping up as, again, our best year ever! If you get a chance, make sure you thank our group of volunteers from Horticulture Crops Ontario, Niagara Peninsula Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, OMAFRA, industry personnel, and especially OFVC committee chair Tony Sgambelluri for making this event what it is today. We take great pride in reminding you that the OFVC is a not-for-profit organization that funnels all proceeds generated from the show back to supporting the Ontario fruit and vegetable industry in various research and marketing efforts to the tune of +1.1 million dollars over the past 14 years! Although the roles we all play as individuals may feel small, when we come together as a united industry great things happen.

Thank you for being here, and I sincerely hope that you enjoy the fruits of our volunteers labour and wish you all the best for the 2017 growing season.

Regards,

Matt Peters

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MATT PETERS PRESIDENT

Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention

SPONSOR LIST PLATINUM

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2017 CONVENTION EXHIBITORS 1114 2nd Sight BioScience 608 A & L Canada Laboratories 606 A Link Computer Solutions Inc. 913 A.M.A. Plastics Ltd. 905 Abell Pest Control 704 Adama Canada 302 Adams County Nursery Inc. 332 ADS Canada Inc. 430 Advantage Packaging 1013 AEF Global 724 Agricorp 128 Agriculture & Food Laboratory, University of Guelph 533 Agri-Flex Inc. 1104 Agri-Food Management Institute 900 AgriFresh of Canada 129 Agrofrost Canada 312 AgroHaitai Ltd. 729 AgroSpray Ltd. 113 Agrozone International Inc. 304 Allied Associates, LLP Chartered Professional Accountants 809 Alltech Crop Science 916 Andros Engineering 1014 Armtec Limited Partnership 433 Arysta Life Science 415 Atlantic Packaging Products 526 Axter AgroScience Inc. 222 BASF Canada Inc. 1118 Baxter Kitchens Inc 814 Bayer Crop Science 902 Ben Berg Farm & Industrial Equip.

Ltd. 428 Bertie and Clinton Mutual Insurance 1016 Besseling Group North America Inc. 804 BioWorks Inc. 524 Burgess Baskets 1116 Bylands Nurseries Ltd. 917 C. Frensch Ltd. 130 Cadman Power Equipment 528 Canada-China Agriculture & Food Development Exchange Centre 500 Carther Plants 728 CBA Canada 510 Central Fabricating & Welding 901 Circle M Rural Corp.

1008 Cog-Veyor Systems Inc. 812 DeCloet Greenhouse Mfs. Ltd. 927 Delaware Pump and Parts Ltd. 1121 DFK Equipment Sales 229 Dominion and Grimm Inc. 737 Don Arthur Orchard Equipment 624 Dow AgroSciences Canada Inc. 820 DuBois Agrinovation Inc. 515 DuPont Canada 315 Durward Jones Barkwell & Co. 1020 Eckert Machines 311 ECO+ 1111 Elnova Ltee 502 Engage Agro 607 Enza Zaden Canada Inc.

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705 Evans Manufacturing Company LLC 507 Evergreen Liquid Plant Food 1004 Fafard 611 Farm Credit Canada 115 Farm for Profit/Greencrop Agri Products Ltd. 325 Farm Power Equipment Inc. 1112 Filmorganic 506 First Genesis Inc./Sunflower Rubber & Plastics 136 Flexo Products 1000 FMC Canada 323 Frontlink Inc. 308 Fruit & Vegetable Magazine 1005 Fruit Tracker 1105 GAP App 236 G.B. Equipements Inc. 411 General Seed Company (2000) Ltd. 314 Georgia Pacific Corrugated 300 Gintec Shade Technologies Inc. 915 Global Horticulture Inc. 914 Grant Thornton LLP 826 Grape Growers of Ontario 1009 Grindstone Creek Nursery Inc. 125 Grospurt Canada 925 Growers Mineral Solutions 536 H & W Equipment 333 Harris Moran Seed Co. 911 Harvest Goodies 601 Harvestech (Recoltech) 807 Heartnut Grove Inc. 127 Hillside Cultivator 700 Hindle’s Clarksburg Hardware 701 Holland Marsh Growers Assoc.

1107 Hoskin Scientific Ltd. 631 Ideal Pipe 626 Industrial Bags Inc./Sacs Industriels Inc. 230 Jiffy 511 Johnny’s Selected Seeds 629 Kam’s Grower Supply 1017 Knights Grapevine Nursery 625 KOOLJET Refrigeration Inc. 310 Koppert Canada Ltd. 1106 Lakeside Grain & Feed 920 Lakeview Vineyard Equipment Inc. 1015 Lambert Peat Moss Inc. 437 Leading Edge Equipment Ltd. 903 Lift Line Machinery Ltd. 529 Martin Energy Group Services LLC 907 Martin’s Family Fruit Farm 426 Maximum H2O 923 Meester Insurance Centre 416 Meridian Credit Union 909 MNP LLP 224 Monte Packaging Company 232 Moore Packaging Corporation 432 Mori Essex Nurseries Inc. 707 Mori Vines Inc. 322 N. M. Bartlett Inc. 1024 National Leasing

527 Natural Insect Control 1001 Nature Lane Farms 407 Niagara College — Research & Innovation 810 Niagara North Federation of Agriculture 825 Niagara Orchard & Vineyard Corp.

831 NNZ Inc. 414 Norseco Inc. 410 Northern Equipment Solutions 403 Nourse Farms 628 NSF International 405 Nufarm 133 Nurture Growth Bio Fertilizer Inc. 123 NutriAg Ltd. 406 Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) 122 OMAFRA – Agriculture Development 124 OMAFRA – Agmaps 225 OMAFRA – Food Safety & Traceability Programs 227 OMAFRA – Phosphorus Mgt. ADB 126 OMAFRA – Phosphorus Mgt. EMB 223 OMAFRA – Foodland Ontario 402 O’Neils Farm Equipment 417 Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association 400 Ontario Food Terminal Board 710 Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Growers’ Association – The Grower 1102 Ontario Institute of Agrologists 609 Ontario Soil & Crop Improvement Association 921 OPMA 708 Penn Refrigeration Ltd. 316 Phytocultures Ltd. 910 Pic’s Motor Clinic 1109 Plant A Row 802 Plant Products Inc. 1003 Premier Containers (1983) Inc. 1026 Premier Equipment Ltd. 725 Princeton Wood Preservers Ltd. 630 ProduceTech 1113 R & W Equipment Ltd. 438 Redtrac International Ltd. 1002 Robert H. Laning & Sons Ltd. 508 Rupp Seeds 828 Ryder Material Handling 226 Scholten’s Machinery 732 Seedway 703 Seminova 1022 Shouldice Farms 811 Siegers Seed Company 306 Speare Seeds 906 Specialty Vegetable Equipment 829 St. Catharines New Holland Ltd. 633 Sterling Marking Products 800 Stevens Drainage 603 Stokes Seeds Ltd. 1110 Stoller Enterprises Ltd. 801 Storage Control Systems

313 Strawberry Tyme Farms Inc. 307 Structural Panels Inc. 413 Summerland Varieties Corp.

727 Sunpack Agro-Plastics Canada Ltd. 600 Sunshine Pickles 1006 Superior PetroFuels 706 Syfilco Ltd. 702 The Cider Keg 36 Tirecraft 627 Tri-County Insurance Group 808 Twistyer Products Inc. 602 UAP Canada Inc. 1012 UNIBEAUCE Inc. 408 Uniterra – WUSC & CECI Program 1108 UPI Energy LP 317 Upper Canada Growers 1011 Utility Advocates Inc. 409 V. Kraus Nurseries Ltd. 1124 Vailmont Vineyards Ltd. 422 VandenBussche Irrigation & Equipment 531 Vegetolab Inc. 709 Vineland Growers Co-operative Ltd. 509 Vineland Research and Innovation Centre 117 Vinetech Canada Inc. 806 VirtualOne/FreshQC Software 833 Warwick Orchards & Nursery Ltd. 730 Weather INnovations Consulting LP 513 Wellington Wood Products 803 Willsie Equipment Sales 305 Wilson’s Fresh Blueberries Inc. 309 Workplace Safety & Prevention Services

Shuttle Bus Schedule Complimentary shuttle bus service is provided between the Scotiabank Convention Centre and the Embassy Suites Fallsview Hotel.

WEDNESDAY 7:00 am – 7:30 pm

THURSDAY 7:00 am – 5:30 pm

SH UT T LE S E RVI C E C O M P LI M E N T S OF:

CON V E N T I O N C E N T RE PA RK I NG COMPL IMEN T S OF:

ONTARIO FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CONVENTION SC O TI ABAN K CON VE N T I O N C E N T RE

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SESSIONS DAY 1: MORNING (All sessions and speakers subject to change)

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2017 9:30 AM

TRADE SHOW

Exhibition Halls A, B & C

8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

ROOM 201 & 202

ROOM 203

ROOM 204

VEGETABLES

POTASSIUM (K), MAGNESIUM (MG), & CALCIUM (CA): REVISITING THE BASICS

CEU CREDITS REQUESTED

CEU CREDITS REQUESTED

CEU CREDITS REQUESTED

HOPS

Chair: Janice LeBoeuf, OMAFRA

Chair: Christoph Kessel, OMAFRA

Chair: Evan Elford, OMAFRA

9:30 No-Till and Cover Crops for Pumpkin and Squash Production Dr. Ajay Nair, Iowa State University, USA

9:30 K, Mg and Ca Simplified Dr. Les Evans, University of Guelph

9:30 An Overview of Hop Soil Fertility Management for Southern Ontario Dr. Mehdi Sharifi, AAFC

10:00 Urban Agriculture: An Ohio Perspective Jacqueline Kowalski, Ohio State University Extension, USA 10:30 Vegetable Pests to Watch for in 2017 Janice LeBoeuf, OMAFRA 11:00 Organic Weed Control in Vegetables Rachel Riddle and Peter White, University of Guelph

10:00 Getting pH and Liming Right Dr. John Lauzon, University of Guelph 10:30 Knowing What to Apply Dr. John Lauzon, University of Guelph 11:00 Panel Discussion: Soil Tests and Fertilizer Recommendations Christoph Kessel, OMAFRA (moderator); Dr. Les Evans, University of Guelph; Dr. John Lauzon, University of Guelph SESSION SPONSORED BY:

10:00 Irrigating Hops Efficiently Ted van der Gulik, Irrigation Industry Association of BC 10:30 Viruses in Ontario Hops 2016 Dr. Melanie Filotas, OMAFRA 11:00 Managing Viruses in the Hopyard Dr. Ken Eastwell, Washington State University, USA 11:30 Hop Virus Q & A Dr. Ken Eastwell, Washington State University, USA; Dr. Melanie Filotas, OMAFRA SESSION SPONSORED BY:

ROOM 205

ROOM 206

SWEET AND HARD APPLE CIDER

WINERY

ROOM 207 – 208 TENDER FRUIT CEU CREDITS REQUESTED

Chair: Amanda Green, OMAFRA

Chair: Kevin Montgomery, OMAFRA

Chair: Wendy McFadden-Smith, OMAFRA

9:30 Panel: Cider Presses— Which One is Right for Your Business?

Richard Bennett, Bennett’s Apples and Cider; Bruce Marcovich, Martin’s Family Fruit Farm

9:30 Managing High pH in Red Grapes and Wine: L. cv. Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc Dr. Belinda Kemp, CCOVI, Brock University

9:30 How Knot to Be Seen: Update on Black Knot Project 2013 – 2016 Dr. Wendy McFadden-Smith, OMAFRA

10:00 The Effects of Field Nitrogen Application on Vegetative Aroma and Wine Quality Dr. Kevin Usher, AAFC

10:00 Acting on Cue Against Plum Curculio Dr. Art Agnello, New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, USA

10:30 – 11:30 Advanced Fruit Winemaking: Overcoming Technical Challenges Dominic Rivard, WinePlanet Consulting

10:30 Integrated Disease Management in Peaches— How to get More for Your Fungicide Buck Dr. Phil Brannen, University of Georgia, USA

SESSION SPONSORED BY:

11:00 The Rush for New Varieties of Tender Fruit and Table Grapes Michael Kauzlaric, Vineland Research and Innovation Centre

10:00 Ontario Craft Cider Updates 2017: Taking it to the Next Level Thomas Wilson, Ontario Craft Cider Association 10:30 Crafting a Sustainable Cider Industry Dr. Amy Bowen, Vineland Research and Innovation Centre 11:00 Making Winning Speciality Craft Cider at Bonnieheath Estate Lavender and Winery Anita and Steve Buehner, Bonnieheath Estate Lavender and Winery

SESSION SPONSORED BY:

BALLROOM A

BALLROOM B

BALLROOM D

BERRIES

OFFMA SUMMIT

FMO NETWORKING SYMPOSIUM & AGM

CEU CREDITS REQUESTED

Chair: Kevin Schooley, OBGA

Chair: Steve Martin, Martin’s Family Fruit Farm

Chair: Jay Howell, FMO

9:30 Substrate and Environmental Factors on Greenhouse Strawberry Production Dr. Toktam Taghavi, University of Guelph

9:30 Real Revolution—Keeping up with Change!

Pete Luckett, formerly from Pete’s Fruitiques

9:30 – 10:30 Business Skills and Good Habits for Growing a Successful Business or Farmers’ Market Michelle Wolf, Whole Green Heart, Nova Scotia

10:00 Approaches to Soil Incorporated Amendments for Berry Crops Deanna Nemeth, OMAFRA 10:30 Sustainable Soil Management for Berry Growers Dr. Amanda McWhirt, University of Arkansas, USA 11:00 Post Harvest Strategies For Berry Crops Dr. Randy Beaudry, Michigan State University, USA

10:30 The Bull Pen—Agriculture’s Answer to the Dragon’s Den 11:30 OFFMA’s Annual General Meeting

10:30 – 12:00 People: Attracting and Retaining the Right People to Grow Your Market / Business • Vendors: How to Find Them, How to Keep Them • Volunteers: How to Find Them, How to Keep Them

Michelle Wolf, Whole Green Heart, Nova Scotia

POSTER DISPLAY

SESSIONS DAY 1: AFTERNOON (All sessions and speakers subject to change)

Outside Exhibit Halls

8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2017 2:00 PM ROOM 201 & 202

ROOM 203

ROOM 204

VEGETABLES – POTATOES

SOIL HEALTH

IRRIGATION

CEU CREDITS REQUESTED

CEU CREDITS REQUESTED

CEU CREDITS REQUESTED

Chair: Dennis Van Dyk, OMAFRA

Chair: Anne Verhallen, OMAFRA

Chair: Rebecca Shortt, OMAFRA

2:00 Innovative Technologies for Late Blight Control Dr. Eugenia Banks, Potato Consultant

2:00 Reduced Tillage in Vegetable Production Systems Dr. Ajay Nair, Iowa State University, USA

2:00 Crop Water Use in NY (& ON), New Methods for Scheduling and a New Apple Model Dr. Alan Lakso, Cornell University, USA

2:30 Potato Diseases: Late Blight and Dickeya Blackleg Dr. Vikram Bisht, Manitoba Agriculture

2:30 Building Organic Matter with Organic Amendments Christine Brown, OMAFRA

2:30 The Dos and Don’ts of Running a Drip Irrigation System Inge Bisconer, The Toro Company, USA

3:00 New and Emerging Varieties Vanessa Currie, University of Guelph

3:00 Cover Crops and Soil Health Dr. Laura Van Eerd, University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus

3:00 How to Monitor Irrigation: Am I Applying Too Much? Too Little? Or Just Enough?

Ted Van Der Gulik, Irrigation Industry Association of BC

3:30 Creating Vegetable Production Systems with Better Soil Health Dr. Drew Smith, Rodale Institute, USA

3:30 Panel Discussion: Irrigation Water Supplies with PTTW Consultants David Slaine and Sasha Novakovic, Permit to Take Water Consultants

3:30 Potato Variety Display Viewing Vanessa Currie, University of Guelph

SESSION SPONSORED BY:

ROOM 205

ROOM 206

ZERO WASTE

ROOM 207 – 208

GRAPE

TENDER FRUIT

CEU CREDITS REQUESTED

CEU CREDITS REQUESTED

Chair: Deanna Nemeth, OMAFRA

Chair: Jim Willwerth, CCOVI, Brock University

Chair: Kathryn Carter, OMAFRA

2:00 Horticulture Plastic Recycling Barry Friesen, CleanFARMS

2:00 Remote Sensing in Unmanned Vehicles Dr. Andy Reynolds, CCOVI, Brock University

2:30 Farm Processing Waste: Lessons Learned and $ Earned in California Steven Gill, Gills Onions, USA

2:30 Sour Rotted Grapes—Managing Your Preharvest Breakdown Dr. Wendy McFadden-Smith, OMAFRA

2:00 Postharvest Handling of Peaches Affects Storage Life and Mealiness Dr. Jennifer DeEll, OMAFRA

3:00 Grower Panel: Working Examples of Waste Re-Use on Farm Mike Buis, Buis Beef; Dave Hulley, Vineland Estates Winery; Ken Ferguson, Algoma Orchards

3:00 California Wine Grape Production Dr. Mark Matthews, University of California Davis, USA

3:30 Low Cost Sprayer Rinse Water Treatment

by Phytobac Filters Lee Huber, Bayer Crop Science

3:30 The Impact of Growing Cover Crops in Vineyards on Soil Health Dr. Mehdi Sharifi, AAFC SESSION SPONSORED BY:

2:30 The Effect of Cooling Strategy on Quality and Sensory Profiles of Peaches Dr. Bernard Goyette and Carly Fleming, Vineland Research and Innovation Centre 3:00 Low Temperature Injury in Peach Orchards Dr. Michele Warmund, University of Missouri, USA 3:30 The Effect of Dry Weather on Tree Fruit Kathryn Carter, OMAFRA SESSION SPONSORED BY:

BALLROOM A

BALLROOM B

BALLROOM C

BALLROOM D

BERRIES

OFFMA SUMMIT

CRAFT BEER COMPETITION

FMO NETWORKING SYMPOSIUM & AGM

CEU CREDITS REQUESTED

Chair: Kevin Schooley, OBGA 2:00 Chateau Herbicide for Berry Crops —Using it Safely Maria Dombrowsky, Nufarm 2:30 Management of Two-Spotted Spider and Cyclamen Mites in Strawberry Dr. Justin Renkema, University of Florida, USA 3:00 Validating an Anthracnose Fruit Rot Forecasting Tool for Strawberry Growers in Ontario: What We Learned in 2016 Michael Celetti, OMAFRA 3:30 Fitting Habitat for Pollinators and Beneficial Insects into your Farmscape Susan Chan, Farms at Work 4:00 Panel: New Berry Varieties Sandra Carther, Carther Plants; Adam Dale, University of Guelph, Nate Nourse, Nourse Farms; Frederic Laforge, Luc Lareault Nursery SESSION SPONSORED BY:

Chair: Steve Martin, Martin’s Family Fruit Farm

2:00 – 4:00 The Great OntarioHopped Craft Beer Competition

2:00 Expanding Your Market— What You Need to Know Paul Brooks, Brooks Farms; Shirley Simpson, Talbotville Farm Market and Jordan McKay-Willowtree Farms

Chairs: Jason Deveau and Evan Elford, OMAFRA

3:00 Utilizing Digital Tools to Boost Sales and Marketing Brian Bates, Bear Creek Organic Farm, USA 4:00 Round Table Talks—2017 Topics: • Succession Planning • How to WOW Your Customers • Team Communications • Batching Up—Moving to the Next Level

PRESENTED BY:

Chair: Jay Howell, FMO 2:00 – 3:00 Social Media: How to Leverage FMO’s Social Media Activity to Promote and Grow Your Business / Market FMO—Helping You Take It to the next Level New Website Introduction and Overview

PORT COLBORNE LOUNGE CIDER COMPETITION

2:00 – 4:00 Ontario’s Finest Sweet and Hard Cider Competition

Karen Daynard, KD Communications; Tracy Lamb, Mopani Communications 3:00 – 4:00 Farmers’ Markets Ontario Annual General Meeting

Chairs: Amanda Green and Kristy Grigg-McGuffin, OMAFRA

Coordinated by Brian Hugli, Hugli’s Blueberry Ranch

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TRADE SHOW

SESSIONS DAY 2: MORNING (All sessions and speakers subject to change)

Exhibition Halls A, B & C

8:00 AM – 4:00 PM

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2017 9:30 AM ROOM 201 & 202

ROOM 203

ROOM 204

VEGETABLES – SWEET CORN

SOIL PEST MANAGEMENT

CEU CREDITS REQUESTED

CEU CREDITS REQUESTED

BUSINESS I

Chair: Elaine Roddy, OMAFRA

Chair: Amy Fang Shi, OGGA

Chair: Robb Wagner, OMAFRA

9:30 Growing Sweet Corn in the Great Lakes Basin— How to Manage Phosphorus Deanna Nemeth, OMAFRA

9:30 Soil Fumigation—Benefits and Limitations Dr. Sean Westerveld, OMAFRA

9:30 Projects, Programs and Paperwork!

Margaret May, OSCIA

10:00 Can Pre-Plant Incorporation of Organic Amendments Suppress Plant-Parasitic Nematodes and Root Diseases?

Dr. Tom Forge, AAFC

10:00 Ag Labour: An OHSA Update for Safer Workplaces Dean Anderson, WSPS

10:00 Cover Crops, Healthy Soils and More Dr. Laura Van Eerd, University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus 10:30 Farm Gate Marketing Erica Pate, OMAFRA 11:00 Making Integrated Pest Management Work Deb Maes, Sylvite; Kirk Patterson, Scotland Agromart; Jason Van Maanen, Veritas SESSON SPONSORED BY:

ROOM 205

10:30 Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation for Integrated Soil-Borne Pest Management in Horticultural Crops Dr. Joji Muramoto, University of California, USA 11:00 Soil Fumigation and Sustainable Soil Management: What are the Impacts on Biological Soil Health?

Dr. Amanda McWhirt, University of Arkansas, USA

10:30 Management Matters: How to Make Dollars and Sense of Farm Business Planning Ashley Honsberger, AMI 11:00 Boost Profitability with LEANFarm Management Garth Baxter, Synthesis Agri-Food Network SESSION SPONSORED BY:

ROOM 206

ROOM 207 – 208

SPECIALTY BERRIES

TENDER FRUIT

GRAPE

CEU CREDITS REQUESTED

CEU CREDITS REQUESTED

CEU CREDITS REQUESTED

Chair: Evan Elford, OMAFRA

Chair: Ryan Brewster, KCMS

Chair: Kathryn Carter, OMAFRA

9:30 Haskap: Growing and Processing Tips Dr. Bob Bors, University of Saskatchewan

9:30 Peach Festival Consumer Insights of White Peaches Dr. Amy Bowen, Vineland Research and Innovation Centre

9:30 How Growing Seasons Can Impact Vine Hardiness. Did the Dry Season of 2016 Affect Cold Acclimation?

Dr. Jim Willwerth, CCOVI, Brock University

10:00 Making the Most of Rainfall in Orchards— A Water Infiltration Demonstration Anne Verhallen, OMAFRA

10:00 Impact of Drought on Wine Grapes Dr. Mark Matthews, University of California Davis, USA

10:00 Growing Seabuckthorn in Ontario Dr. Jim Todd, OMAFRA 10:30 Aronia—Finding Higher Value John Pilcher, Coldbrook Farm, USA 11:00 Haskap Types and Varieties Dr. Bob Bors, University of Saskatchewan

10:30 Micro Irrigation for Peach Growers Inge Bisconer, The Toro Company, USA 11:00 Chemical Thinning of ‘Bosc’ and ‘Harovin Sundown’ (Cold Snap™) Pears Dr. John Cline, University of Guelph

10:30 Under-Vine Cover Crops to Reduce Herbicide Use in Winegrape Vineyards Dr. Justine Vanden Heuvel, Cornell University, USA 11:00 Water Infiltration in Soil Deanna Nemeth and Anne Verhallen, OMAFRA SESSION SPONSORED BY:

SESSON SPONSORED BY:

BALLROOM A

BALLROOM B

BALLROOM D

APPLES

OFFMA SUMMIT

FMO NETWORKING SYMPOSIUM & AGM

CEU CREDITS REQUESTED

Chair: Amanda Green, OMAFRA

Chair: Leslie Forsythe, Forsythe Family Farms

Chair: Jay Howell, FMO

9:30 Drought 2016: What Next?

Dr. Michele Warmund, University of Missouri, USA

9:30 Staying Ahead of the Curve with New Ideas Will Heeman, Heeman’s Greenhouses and Market

9:30 – 12:00

10:00 The Usual Suspects: A Reprise by San Jose Scale and Woolly Apple Aphid Dr. Art Agnello, Cornell University, USA

10:00 How to Staff UP with Motivated Millenials Benjamin Guth, Mobilize

• Customer Loyalty Programs

10:30 Storage Options for Honeycrisp, Our Most Difficult Apple Dr. Randy Beaudry, Michigan State University, USA 11:00 Panel: How to Manage Thinning Programs with New Carbaryl Label Changes Sean Bartlett, N.M. Bartlett Inc.; Zac Farmer, Watson Farms Ltd.; Charles Stevens, Wilmot Orchards SESSION SPONSORED BY:

10:30 On-Farm Markets Quebec Style, Bus Tour Debrief Colin Campbell, Campbell’s Orchards 11:30 Making Informed Decisions on the Fly Brian Bates, Bear Creek Organic Farm, USA

Community: Engagement = Support • B uilding Successful, Sustainable Partnerships

and Sponsorships Customers: How to Attract Them Michelle Wolf, Whole Green Heart, Nova Scotia

SESSIONS DAY 2: AFTERNOON (All sessions and speakers subject to change)

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2017 2:00 PM

POSTER DISPLAY

Outside Exhibit Halls

8:00 AM – 4:00 PM

ROOM 201 & 202

ROOM 203

ROOM 204

4RS NUTRIENT STEWARDSHIP FOR VEGETABLES

NEMATODE MANAGEMENT

BUSINESS II

CEU CREDITS REQUESTED

CEU CREDITS REQUESTED

Chair: Christoph Kessel, OMAFRA

Chair: Michael Celetti, OMAFRA

Chair: Erica Pate, OMAFRA

2:00 Why all the Hype about 4Rs? Amanda Giamberardino, Fertilizer Canada

2:00 Symptoms and Management of Nematode Damage in Vegetables and Small Fruits Dr. Guy Bélair, AAFC

2:00 Accessing the SR&ED Tax Credit Program Martha Oner, Grant Thornton

2:30 Getting the 4Rs on the Ground Travis Clarke, Holmes Agro; Joseph Tomecek, Tomecek Agronomy Services 3:00 Making 4Rs Work at Lycoland Farms Ltd. Dave Epp, Lycoland Farms Ltd. 3:30 4Rs & Making it Happen on Your Farm: Panel Discussion Travis Clarke, Holmes Agro; Joseph Tomecek, Tomecek Agronomy Services; Dave Epp, Lycoland Farms Ltd.; Christoph Kessel, OMAFRA

2:30 The Potential for Managing Plant-Parasitic Nematodes with Cover Crops Dr. Tom Forge, AAFC 3:00 Velum Prime: A New Tool for Nematode Management Andrew Dornan, Bayer Crop Science 3:30 Where Plant-Parasitic Nematodes Inhabit the Soil Profile and How to Sample for Them Michael Celetti, OMAFRA

ROOM 205

ROOM 206

SPECIALTY TREE FRUIT AND NUTS

FOOD SAFETY

CEU CREDITS REQUESTED

2:30 Accounting and Income Tax Update Rick Wismer, MNP 3:00 ERP Business Management Tools—Innovation Best Practices Kevin Hollis, Shea Business Solutions 3:30 Changing Landscape of Agricultural Labour Ken Linington, Flowers Canada (Ontario) SESSION SPONSORED BY:

ROOM 207 – 208 GRAPE CEU CREDITS REQUESTED

Chair: Todd Leuty, OMAFRA

Chair: Colleen Haskins, OMAFRA

Chair: Wendy McFadden-Smith, OMAFRA

2:00 Pawpaw-sibilities: Production Basics for the Best Fruit You’ve Probably Never Tasted Evan Elford, OMAFRA

2:00 Listeria monocytogenes and Produce…

An Emerging Concern?

Paul Bailey, OMAFRA

2:00 Update on Northern Grape Program Dr. Tim Martinson, Cornell University, USA

2:30 Hazelnut Cultivars, Suitability, and Annual Yields 2:30 A Growers Guide to Understanding and Dr. Toktam Taghavi, University of Guelph Controlling Listeria monocytogenes Contamination Risks in the…

3:00 Selecting Appropriate Tree Nut Cultivars and Orchard Design for Optimum Cross-Pollination 2:30 Pre-harvest Environment and Yield 3:00 Post-harvest Environment Linda Grimo, Grimo Nut Nursery Dr. Laura Strawn, Virginia Tech, USA 3:30 Harvest, Post-Harvest Handling, Storage 3:30 Adding Value to Value Added: and Food Safety for Tree Nuts‎ A Proactive Approach to Food Safety Todd Leuty, OMAFRA Paul Moyer, Moyer’s Apple Products Ltd.

2:30 Are Mealybugs Bugging You? Dr. Wendy McFadden-Smith, OMAFRA 3:00 Best Management Practices for Red Blotch Dr. Mark Fuchs, Cornell University, USA 3:30 Effects of Leaf Removal on Sparkling and Still Wines for Pinot Noir Dr. Jim Willwerth and Dr. Belinda Kemp, CCOVI, Brock University SESSION SPONSORED BY:

BALLROOM A

BALLROOM B

BALLROOM D

APPLES

OFFMA SUMMIT

FMO NETWORKING SYMPOSIUM & AGM

CEU CREDITS REQUESTED

Chair: Kristy Grigg-McGuffin, OMAFRA

Chair: Leslie Forsythe, Forsythe Family Farms

Chair: Jay Howell, FMO

2:00 Options for Thinning Apples without Carbaryl Dr. John Cline, University of Guelph

2:00 Make Your Farm More Efficient Using Lean Principles Garth Baxter, Synthesis Agri-Food Network

2:00 Foodland Ontario Update Barb Smith, Foodland Ontario

2:30 Pushing Low Oxygen to its Limit with Dynamic CA Storage Dr. Randy Beaudry, Michigan State University, USA 3:00 Fire Blight Management in Ontario: Knowledge Based Decisions and Solutions Dr. Antonet Svircev, AAFC

2:30 – 3:30 Thinking Outside the Barn Jim Forsythe, Forsythe Family Farms; Brian Bates, Bear Creek Organic Farm; Jan Schooley, Apple Hill Lavender

2:30 – 4:00 Cross Province Market Tour: What’s Working Well in Markets throughout Ontario Ted Smith, Gore Bay Farmers’ Market; Alix Aitken, Cambridge Farmers’ Market

3:30 The Growth Debate: Using Apogee in Young and Old Orchards Dr. Julia Reekie, AAFC SESSION SPONSORED BY:

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Agriculture is our way of life too Meet Graham In 12 years at FCC, Graham’s helped hundreds of Canadian producers build their dreams. Like everyone on your FCC team, Graham knows your industry and he’ll get to know you.

1-800-387-3232

Graham Bolton FCC Senior Relationship Manager

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fcc.ca

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

O NTAR I O F R UI T A ND V E G E TA B LE C O NVE N T ION 2 017

ARTHUR AGNELLO

PAUL BAILEY

BRIAN BATES

Arthur is a Professor and Extension Fruit Entomologist at Cornell University’s NYS Agricultural Experiment Station.

His work involves providing recommendations for insect and mite control in tree fruits; survey, diagnosis, biology, and management of fruit arthropods; and development of practical pest management programs in tree fruits, focusing on implementation of sampling and monitoring techniques, pheromone mating disruption, biocontrol, and pesticide application technology. His research and extension programs are oriented around the primary goal of providing arthropod pest management recommendations to the tree fruit industry. His main activities involve interpreting the results of current research on fruit pests and formulating it into useful information that can be used by various clientele groups.

After graduating from the University of Guelph, Paul enjoyed a long and diverse agri-business career before joining the Food Inspection Branch at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs in 2003. Currently, Paul acts as Coordinator of the Risk Identification and Management (RIM) Unit in the Foods of Plant Origin (FPO) Program. The FPO Program utilizes a variety of progressive compliance tools to encourage compliance with Ontario Regulation 119/11 under the Food Safety and Quality Act, 2001. This approach to regulatory compliance includes delivery of food safety education and advice to fresh fruit and vegetable growers/packers, as well as to honey and maple syrup producers.

Brian owns and operates Bear Creek Organic Farm in Petoskey, Michigan with his wife Anne Morningstar. Brian is passionate about small farm finances, making a living doing what you love, and savvy marketing. Firm believers in transparency through the value chain, Anne and Brian have developed a philosophy called “Full-Transparency Farming” where the farm is an open book for customers, wholesalers, and fellow farmers. With no secrets, a lot of ideas, and some serious elbow grease, Bear Creek has gone from $0 to $180k on 1.5 acres in less than three years.

ALIX AITKEN Alix has been the Market Manager for the Cambridge Farmers’ Market since June of 2011. In February of 2013, Alix joined the FMO board as a representative from western Ontario. Prior to her work in Cambridge, Alix was a Community Development Worker in Guelph where food security was a central part of her job. Food cupboards, community gardens and other work all lead to making Alix passionate about food, farmers and markets. Alix enjoys being a part of a collective of individuals that are committed to bringing healthy, local food to its residents. She believes markets are the ‘hub’ in every community, and that they should be celebrated for their ability to bring people together.

DEAN ANDERSON Dean received his BSc (Agriculture) from the University of Guelph, Ontario. He has years of experience conducting research and project management in crop protection. He has worked with the major crops in the agricultural regions of eastern and western Canada and the United States. Mr. Anderson has been working in agriculture occupational health and safety for over 16 years and is currently the Strategic Advisor Agriculture Initiatives, at WSPS. He is currently Chair of the Rural Ontario Institute, Chair of the Ontario Institute of Agriculture and Vice-Chair for the FarmSafe Foundation. He serves on numerous committees nationally and provincially, including the CSA Ag Equipment Technical Committee and Ministry of Labour Farming Technical Advisory Committee.

EUGENIA BANKS After obtaining her PhD in Plant Pathology at the University of Guelph, Eugenia worked for 25 years as the OMAFRA Potato Specialist. She developed the Integrated Pest Management Program for potatoes, authored the Potato Field Guide and transferred technology to growers by conducting on-farm variety trials and by evaluating emerging sustainable production practices. Every year, she organized the Ontario Potato Conference and the Ontario Potato Field Day. Eugenia retired from OMAFRA in December 2015. After her retirement, she received the 2016 Award of Merit from the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association. Eugenia is now a Potato Research Consultant for the Ontario Potato Board.

SEAN BARTLETT Sean was formerly N.M. Bartlett Incorporated Sales representative for the apple growing region of Toronto to Ottawa. Sean occupied this position for 8 seasons, working with growers to help fine tune their spray programs with quality and consistency in mind. Over the last few years he and area growers have worked together to develop new strategies for thinning practices that have proven to be effective in other regions. He grew up working on his families’ farm in Vineland, Ontario where they grew apples, pears, and wine grapes. Sean received his Degree in Business from Brock University and is currently working as Business Unit Manager of Provide Agro Corporation, a subsidiary of N.M. Bartlett Inc.

GARTH BA XTER Garth is President of AgriBax Global Inc., an entrepreneurial agri-export company. He is a results-driven leader with 25 years of experience, including senior management positions with Canadian based international agri-food organizations.

Originally from Saskatchewan, Garth consults within the agri-food industry, lending his expertise in areas such as strategic planning, risk analysis and process improvement and re-engineering. He is top level Six Sigma leader and trainer. For several years he was Six Sigma Champion at Maple Leafs Food International, where he led the senior management team in the on-going integration of Six Sigma into business strategy development, execution and day-to-day operations; he spearheaded global projects to reduce process waste within the organization; and he recruited and developed additional Six Sigma expertise within the team. Garth holds a BComm from the University of Saskatchewan and a MBA from Cornell and Queen’s Universities.

RANDOLPH M. BEAUDRY Randolph is a researcher/extension postharvest specialist at Michigan State University. Research areas include physiology of plant responses to storage environments and technological innovations that improve handling and storage of horticultural produce.

Areas of specialization include: application of modified atmosphere packaging; physiology of responses to storage atmospheres; maturity assessment of horticultural commodities; development and evaluation of non-destructive quality assessment techniques; aroma biochemistry and its molecular regulation; application and responses to 1-MCP, and the development of low energy storage structures for smallholder farmers in developing countries. My graduate education from the University of Georgia under

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Dr. Stanley Kays, where I worked on ethylene release kinetics for ethylene-releasing compounds (MS) and primary metabolism associated with banana ripening (PhD).

He has published numerous articles and made numerous presentations around the world.

GUY BÉL AIR Guy holds a Master’s degree in nematology from MacDonald College of McGill University, on the pathogenicity of root-knot nematode in vegetable crops. He has over 35 years of research experience with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada on the biology, and the management of plant parasitic nematodes in horticultural crops, including crop rotation.

He is currently working in collaboration with Dr. Benjamin Mimee on various plant-parasitic nematodes such as the soybean cyst nematode, the potato cyst nematode and the stem and bulb nematode. Mr. Belair is one of the few remaining specialists in field nematology in Canada.

INGE BISCONER Inge is the Technical Marketing and Sales Manager at Toro’s MicroIrrigation headquarters for the Americas in El Cajon, CA. She has worked in production agriculture and held various technical, sales, marketing and management positions in the irrigation and water treatment industries for over 35 years. Her passion is helping farmers improve profitability and sustainability through improved water and resource use efficiency (WUE and RUE), and advocating for efficient irrigation at both the state and national level. She authored Toro’s Micro-Irrigation Owner’s Manual, manages Toro’s popular AquaFlow drip irrigation design software and Drip Irrigation Recycling Service, and co-hosts Toro’s “The Water Zone” radio program. She is a Director and Past-President of the California Irrigation Institute, is IA certified and is the recipient of the Irrigation Association’s 2016 Industry Achievement Award. She holds a BS in agriculture from UC Davis and an MBA in technology management from the University of Phoenix.

DR. VIKRAM BISHT Vikram is a Plant Pathologist, Potato and Horticulture Crops with Manitoba Agriculture, based in Carman, Manitoba. He joined the department in January 2010 as Field Crops pathologist. He is involved with late blight forecasting, potato disease and insect surveys in field and storages, and small plot and large scale field trials. Vikram has extensive experience in extension and research in potato seed production and disease management. Vikram managed seed potato production in field and greenhouses for the state of Maine for 6 years and also in China with a private company for 2 years. Vikram obtained his PhD in plant pathology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is an active member of the Canadian Phytopathological Society and serving as Membership Secretary of the CPS and was Chair of the Potato Association of America Extension Section committee.

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BOB BORS Dr. Bors has been a professor in the Plant Science Department at the University of Saskatchewan since 1999. He teaches classes on Fruit Science, Plant Propagation, Greenhouse Management, biotechnology and Introduction to Horticulture. His research involves breeding hardy fruits for northern areas with emphasis on crops that can be mechanically harvested and need little or no pesticides. Ornamental trees and coleus are also being bred in his program. His program has 40 acres of fruit and a 93 year history of developing varieties for northern Canada and is the coldest location in North America for a major fruit breeding program. In recent years his program has released 5 sour cherries, 4 apples, 8 haskap, and 12 coleus varieties. He runs a Prairie Fruit Genebank and regular writes articles for his website. This year he is on a sabbatical to write a Haskap grower manual.

AMY BOWEN Dr. Bowen joined the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre in 2009 and was appointed Research Program Leader, Consumer Insights in 2013. With a focus on understanding the consumer, Amy leads a team of researchers to create value-added results for horticulture. She oversees the operation of Vineland’s trained sensory and consumer research panels to understand the drivers that impact consumer preference and choice for horticultural products. Research results inform breeding programs, brand development, new variety introductions, and commercialization. Amy works as part of a multidisciplinary team to identify characteristics consumers seek when choosing fruits, vegetables and flowers. Recent examples of her work include how sensory and consumer research informed the inception of the Cold SnapTM brand, Canada’s first branded pear, and the upcoming release of Vineland’s Canadian Shield TM rose for Canada’s 150th birthday. Amy has a BSc H from the University of Guelph and a PhD from Brock University. She is a certified sommelier through the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers.

PHIL BRANNEN Phil is a professor in the Plant Pathology Department at the University of Georgia. He attended the University of Georgia for his undergraduate degree in Plant Protection and Pest Management, where he also received an MS in Plant Pathology, followed by a PhD in Plant Pathology from Auburn University. He has extensive experience with disease management programs in numerous cropping systems. He serves as the extension fruit pathologist for Georgia—conducting research and technology transfer for multiple fruit commodities. His efforts are directed towards developing IPM practices to solve disease issues and technology transfer of disease-management methods to commercial fruit producers. He also teaches the graduate level Field Pathology Course, the History of Plant Diseases and their

Impact on Human Societies Course, team-teaches the IPM Course, coordinates the Viticulture and Enology in the Mediterranean Region Course (Cortona, Italy), and guest lectures in numerous other courses throughout the year.

PAUL BROOKS Paul is the owner/operator of Brooks Farms located in Mount Albert, Ontario. He has been farming his entire life, growing fruits and vegetables along with his family. Brooks Farms specializes in pick your own, berries, agri-tourism and fun! For the last four years Paul and his family have been busy planning and building a new 10,000 square foot farm market on their farm. The goal is to open March 1, 2017, for their annual maple syrup festival. The new indoor market will allow the farm to operate year round and will include a bakery, butcher shop and cafe.

CHRISTINE BROWN Christine is the Field Crop Sustainability Specialist with OMAFRA, working out of the Woodstock OMAFRA office. She has a provincial focus on manure nutrient management and the role of organic amendments for improving soil organic matter and is a member of the OMAFRA Soil Team. Christine is also a certified crop advisor with a 4R Nutrient Management designation.

ANITA AND STEVE BUEHNER Anita and Steve, owners of Bonnieheath Estate Lavender & Winery in Norfolk County, have been growing apples since 1987.

In 2010, they began a farm diversification plan that included wine grape and lavender production. In 2013, they began experimenting with hard apple ciders to add to their retail offering. They market their ciders under the Bonnieheath brand of Folkin’ Hard Cider.

COLIN CAMPBELL Colin was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario in 1958. He moved to Prince Edward County with his family at the age of 4. His father worked for Ontario Hydro and had a dream of running a small farm in retirement.

Unfortunately his father never made it to retirement as he was killed in a plane crash at the age of 46 after purchasing a lovely farm on the Bay of Quinte near Belleville. Upon graduating in 1982 with an Honors degree in Agricultural Economics, Colin married a fellow Guelph graduate (Dianne Beilby) of Economics and Business and together they started running his father’s retirement project, The Campbell’s Orchards. They have been in business for 34 years now and the business has thrived and expanded. They grow and retail 45 acres of fruits and vegetables, specializing in apples, pears, strawberries, pumpkins and cider, etc. They now have a corn maze and their kids run a haunted wagon ride and are starting a hard cider business on the property.

KATHRYN CARTER

SUSAN CHAN

VANESSA CURRIE

Kathryn is the Tender fruit (stone fruit) and Grape Specialist for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA).

Kathryn’s current research focuses on screening peach/nectarine rootstocks, improving irrigation efficiency in orchards and evaluating the impact of cover crops on soil health.

Kathryn has worked with OMAFRA for the past 15 years.

Previously, she was the Pome fruit IPM Specialist. Kathryn has a MSc in Environmental Biology from University of Guelph, and a BSc from Brock University.

Susan is presently pursuing her PhD, studying the native squash bee in Ontario, with special emphasis on the effects of common agricultural practices on squash bee population health. She works extensively on farms to implement on-the-ground projects that support native pollinators. Susan has an academic background in agriculture, education, and pollination biology and is the author of A Landowner’s Guide to Conserving Native Pollinators in Ontario. Concurrently with her studies, Susan manages the Native Pollinator Program for Farms at Work, a not-for profit project in central Ontario. She lectures in both Trent University’s and Fleming College’s Sustainable Agriculture Programs, and is the proud owner of Ten for Joy, a property in Selwyn, Ontario dedicated to conservation agriculture.

Vanessa graduated from the University of Guelph with an Honors BSc in 1989. She started working on the potato breeding program at the University of Guelph Horticultural Science Department in 1990. For two years, she was lucky to train under retired potato breeder Gary Johnston, who developed the Yukon Gold potato. Vanessa learned a great deal from him, and has been working as a research technician on the program ever since. Dr. J. Alan Sullivan took over in 1998 and together they have been actively involved in a wide range of potato projects, including marketing, production, post-harvest, human nutrition, and new variety development for all end uses. She enjoys working with the potato industry and meeting with growers.

TRAVIS CL ARKE

Adam is a College emeritus professor at the University of Guelph. With over forty years of research, first in Scotland, then in Ontario, he has covered many aspects of berry crop and nut research. He has released twelve strawberry cultivars and taken an active interest in genetic resources and incorporated wild Fragaria virginiana germplasm into his program. He has researched a systems approach to mechanical harvesting in strawberry, and developed management systems for dayneutral strawberries.

Recently, Adam has developed systems for greenhouse production of raspberries. Also, he has researched dormancy, flower initiation and frost tolerance in berry crops and is an acknowledged expert on the genetics and management of yield in raspberries. More recently, Adam has been breeding American chestnuts that are resistant to chestnut blight, and has led a multi-disciplinary team to develop a hazelnut industry in Ontario.

SANDRA CARTHER Sandra graduated from the University of Guelph, OAC’98, with a combined focus in Horticultural Science and Business. She was a Board of Governor’s Scholar and recipient of numerous awards both during and upon completion of her undergraduate studies. After graduation, Carther Plants was established in Thamesville, Ontario as a young plant propagation facility producing vegetable and herb seedlings. In 2012, the venture expanded into strawberry plug plant production with the establishment of a greenhouse nursery system. Her focus to have the nursery based entirely in substrate culture to provide greater assurance of plant health, and the production of the new tray plant types of starter material for hydroponic berry production lead to the company’s recognition in 2014 as a recipient of the Premiers’ Award for Agrifood Innovation Excellence. Carther Plants Ltd. continues to supply national and international markets with quality conventional and organic vegetable and herb seedlings, strawberry plug and tray plants.

MICHAEL CELETTI Michael is the Plant Pathologist —Horticulture Crops with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Plant Science at the University of Guelph. After obtaining his graduate degrees in Plant Pathology from the University of Guelph, he researched disease management at the Agriculture University in The Netherlands. Upon returning to Canada, Mike worked for the Prince Edward Island Potato Marketing Board researching disease and nematode management in rotation crops with potatoes. His interests in chemical control lead him to a position with an international pesticide manufacturing company in western Canada.

Prior to joining OMAFRA in 1998, he was the Provincial Plant Pathologist for Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food.

In 2006, Mike received the “Award for Achievements in Plant Disease Management” from the Canadian Phytopathological Society.

Travis graduated from the University of Guelph in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, majoring in Crop Science. Upon graduation, he began working for Holmes Agro, a crop input supplier who in addition to typical row crops, specializes in vegetable production. Since entering the agriculture industry, Travis has obtained his CCA certification and has taken an active role in working directly with vegetable producers. Travis, along with Holmes Agro is committed to developing, implementing and demonstrating sustainable practices to help reduce environmental impacts in the community, and thus helping growers achieve the same goals. By using the newest technology and tools available to the industry, Travis is able to help growers make informed decisions regarding their crop production practices to help achieve high yielding, high quality products, while reducing or limiting environmental impact.

DR. JOHN CLINE Dr. Cline is an Associate Professor in the Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph where he teaches and conducts research in pomology. He also provides outreach to the industry, growers and stakeholders. The primary objectives of the pomology research program are to investigate factors that determine yield and fruit quality of tree fruit crops.

Projects include investigating the use of new, size-controlling apple, peach and cherry rootstocks, irrigation scheduling, studying advanced horticultural technologies including new orchard training systems, and investigating plant bioregulators to regulate flowering, plant growth, improve fruit quality and reduce pre-harvest fruit drop.

Our research is carried out at the University of Guelph, Horticultural Experiment Station, Simcoe and on commercial orchards across Ontario. John holds a BSc in soil science (University of Guelph), MSc in horticulture (Michigan State University), and a PhD in Horticulture (University of London, UK).

ADAM DALE

ROBERT D’AMICO Rob is a Senior Manager in Tax with Grant Thornton based out of the GTA, with over 20 years of experience in dealing with complex tax issues for corporations, specializing in Scientific Research & Experimental Development (SR&ED) Tax Incentives, Digital Media Tax Incentives as well as corporate tax compliance and planning. As one of Grant Thornton’s experienced incentive practitioners, Rob provides leadership in the full range of incentive tax services including opportunity assessments, claim preparation and review, system installation and training, and audit support expertise. Rob works with a wide range of companies, across many industries and has particular specialization in the automotive, aerospace, consumer business, information technology, pharmaceutical and general manufacturing sectors.

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KAREN DAYNARD

MARIA DOMBROWSKY

Karen started her own agricultural public relations, communications and event management company in 2001. Since then she has worked with dozens of Ontario and Canadian farm and rural associations and agri-businesses, ranging from 4-H Ontario, to the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, and DEKALB Canada. Karen received The Nuffield International Farming Scholarship for Canada in 2009. Over 2 years, she researched recruitment and communications models used by agricultural colleges and universities around the world. Her results helped Canadian institutions revise the way they gained new agricultural students. She currently sits on the boards of the Ontario Agricultural College Alumni Foundation and Nuffield Canada.

Maria is a graduate of the University of Guelph where she earned a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Environmental Biology.

Her previous experience as a Research Specialist kept her busy in the field where she conducted many trials with different herbicides, insecticides and fungicides on a wide range of fruit and vegetable crops. Now as the Canadian Horticulture Specialist for Nufarm she is responsible for selling Horticultural products to distribution across Canada as well as providing technical and usage advice for a variety of different products and crops.

DR. JENNIFER DEELL Dr. DeEll is the Fresh Market Quality Specialist—Hort Crops with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), located in Simcoe.

She is currently: 1) studying the effects of anti-ethylene technologies on apple fruit ripening and physiological disorders during storage; 2) developing optimum postharvest practices for new apple and pear cultivars, as well as to reduce mealiness and chilling injury in peaches, and; 3) investigating methods to improve handling and storage of fresh fruits and vegetables. She was one of the first to receive the Agri-Food Innovation Award from the Government of Ontario for previous work on fresh-cut apple slices. Dr. DeEll has published over 80 scientific papers, as well as review articles, book chapters and full books, on subjects pertaining to postharvest physiology and the quality of fresh fruits and vegetables. She is also on the editorial board for the international scientific journal Postharvest Biology and Technology.

ANDREW DORNAN Andrew grew up in Prince Edward Island where he graduated with his BSc. He then attended the University of Guelph and graduated with an MSc in Environmental Biology in 1993. He began his career with Bayer in 1995, spending six years as a technical sales representative in southwestern Ontario.

Since 2002, Andrew has been the agronomic development manager for all Bayer horticultural products in Canada.

He has been heavily involved with all aspects of the field development of Velum Prime from early screening right through to commercialization.

DR. KEN EASTWELL Dr. Eastwell received his doctorate in plant biochemistry at the University of Alberta followed by post-doctoral studies in molecular virology at the University of California, Davis. At Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Summerland, British Columbia, he identified the etiological agent of little cherry disease and managed the little cherry disease control program.

Eastwell joined the Department of Plant Pathology at Washington State University in 1997 to direct the program that distributes virus-tested fruit tree clones globally. The

program expanded to include hop plants and grapevines, and formally became the Clean Plant Center Northwest in 2011. He played an active role in creating the National Clean Plant Network that was formalized in 2008, and he subsequently served on specialty crop governance bodies. Eastwell’s research investigates virus-like agents of fruit trees and hop, and their management. He established a consulting practice in 2016 after obtaining emeritus status at WSU.

EVAN ELFORD Evan is the New Crop Development Specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) based in Simcoe, Ontario. He works on developing information related to specialty crop production and marketing for a range of crops including ethno-cultural vegetables, specialty berries, specialty grains, and other crops such as hops.

Evan grew up on a hog farm in Cannington, Ontario and prior to joining the ministry, he worked for the University of Guelph, industry associations and a horticultural farm operation.

DAVID EPP David and his wife Charlene are the parents of four daughters aged 27, 24, 22, and 20. David is a third generation farmer in Leamington. In partnership with his brother Peter, they own and operate Lycoland Farms Ltd., growing processing tomatoes, sweet corn, sweet peas, edible beans, snap bean, seed corn, corn, soybeans, and wheat. In addition, David has served on the executive of several agricultural organizations, including the Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers, and Agricorp.

He has been active locally in his municipality, as well as serving several terms as Chair of the UMEI Christian High School board of directors. He is an active member of Leamington United Mennonite Church and served in related church organizations. Since May 2015, David has been serving as Ontario Regional Co-ordinator of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.

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Visit us at booth # 311 to get your personalized fertility program based on your crop needs

DR. LES EVANS Dr. Evans is a Professor Emeritus in the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of Guelph and started his academic career at the University of Guelph in 1975 having obtained a BSc degree in Chemistry from Southampton University, England and a PhD in Soil Chemistry from the University of Wales. He has taught both graduate and undergraduate courses in Soil Chemistry, Water Chemistry and Clay and Humic Chemistry at Guelph and, more recently, at Nanjing University, China. He has been awarded a number of teaching awards for both undergraduate and graduate teaching including Outstanding Teaching Award, Ontario Agricultural College, University of Guelph, 1995, President’s Teaching Award, 2005 and the University of Guelph’s Medal of Merit in 2011. His current research involves the development of soil adsorption models for phosphorous in Ontario agricultural soils and the development of “Soil Sensitivity Maps for Phosphorous” in agricultural watersheds.

KEN FERGUSON Ken is the Operations Manager with Algoma Orchards Ltd. He began his career at Algoma Orchards in 2009 as an Industrial Electrician, and in 2016 was promoted to Operations Manager for the whole facility. He has helped increase productivity and efficiency in the production of juice and packaging of apples introducing waste water recycling, flat roof solar panels, and rain water collection. He is currently working with Guelph University on a study of Electro Coagulation, installing voltage harmonization, ozone disinfection and an organic digester.

DR. MEL ANIE FILOTAS Dr. Filotas is the Horticulture Crop Integrated Pest Management Specialist focusing on specialty crops with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs in Simcoe, Ontario. She works with growers, industry, researchers and ministry colleagues to identify pests and pest management solutions for new, transitional or low acreage crops such as hops, tree nuts and sweet potatoes. Melanie has a PhD in Entomology from Cornell University where she studied biological control of forest insects. Prior to joining OMAFRA, she worked as a researcher with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, looking at use of biopesticides, natural enemies and other reduced risk products to control insects in commercial greenhouses.

CARLY FLEMMING Carly is currently a MSc Food Science student at the University of Guelph, with research being conducted at Vineland Research and Innovation Centre. Her research pertains to the Ontario Stone Fruit Harvest and Cold Chain Best Management

Practices project conducted in partnership with the Ontario Tender Fruit Growers. The specific focus is on the sensory and quality profiles of peaches that have been treated with pre-cooling treatments aimed to increase shelf-life while maintaining quality and reducing the development of flesh mealiness. Her previous work and internship experience included evaluating sensory characteristics of horticulture products as well as meat products. Carly is a University of Alberta graduate, having obtained a BSc in Nutrition and Food Science with distinction.

TOM FORGE Tom is a research nematologist for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) at the Summerland Research and Development Centre in British Columbia. Tom’s educational background includes a BSc in Biology from Kansas State University and a PhD in Plant Pathology from the University of WisconsinMadison. He also worked as a post-doctoral research associate at the Macaulay Institute in Scotland; the Pacific Forestry Centre in Victoria, BC; and Oregon State University before assuming his position with AAFC in British Columbia. Tom’s research is primarily focused on: 1) identifying emerging nematode problems in horticultural crops in western Canada; 2) developing soil management strategies to suppress parasitic nematodes and improve replant success of tree-fruit and small-fruit crops, and; 3) understanding the influences of alternative soil, nutrient and water management practices on nematode population dynamics. Tom is also Test Site Manager for the Minor Use Pesticides Program at Summerland and contributes to evaluation of new nematicides.

JIM FORSY THE Jim is a first generation farmer growing and direct marketing fruits and vegetables in Markham for over 42 years and is now based in the Uxbridge area. A new endeavor for their farm this year is the Giving Garden, 1.5 acres of land committed to growing crops to be harvested by groups or individuals at no charge with the understanding that what they harvest is to be given away. A garden that enables people to think of others in need and give to them.

BARRY FRIESEN Barry is general manager of CleanFARMS Inc., a non-profit stewardship organization committed to environmental responsibility through the proper management of agricultural waste. Under his leadership, CleanFARMS programs have earned a reputation of excellence around the world. A professional engineer, Friesen’s influence in waste management spans over two decades. He led the development of a new composting system for the Niagara Region, introduced stewardship programs for Nova Scotia, and played a pivotal role in establishing Ontario’s municipal waste collection program.

Friesen is the founding board member of the Canadian Product Stewardship Council, a board member of the

Alberta Plastics Recycling Association, and is active in his local Rotary Club. Previously, he served on the board of the Recycling Council of Ontario, Composting Council of Canada, and the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment’s national task force on packaging.

MARC FUCHS Marc received his Master’s and PhD degrees from University Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg, France. He joined the Department of Plant Pathology at Cornell University in 2004 with research and extension responsibilities on viruses of vegetable and fruit crops.

He has worked on grapevine viruses for more than 30 years. Marc’s program is based on discovery-oriented research and on the transfer of discoveries into practical applications. He is currently leading multidisciplinary team efforts on fanleaf, leafroll and red blotch diseases, with the ultimate goal of the development of optimal management strategies.

AMANDA GIAMBERARDINO Amanda is Manager of 4R Nutrient Stewardship programs at Fertilizer Canada. She joined the organization in 2012 as the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Project Coordinator, supporting the program’s research, training and extension activities. Concurrently, she was awarded a grant from ECO Canada to pursue her Environmental Professional certification, specializing in research and development, and, communications and public awareness. Amanda’s background is in Chemistry (BSc and MSc) with a minor degree in Physics. Her research thesis was on developing DNA biosensors for norovirus detection in food, a project funded under the Ontario Ministry of Food and Rural Affairs and has been a contributing author to various academic publications.

She also served as a teaching assistant for the first year chemistry course at Carleton instructing hundreds of students in the laboratory and was recognized for her efforts with the Donald R. Wiles Prize for Laboratory Demonstrators.

STEVEN H. GILL Steve is a fifth generation California farmer and onion processor. Together with his brother David, he is the owner-partner of Gills Onions. The company was founded 1983, and at that time it had just one customer. Presently, Gills Onions is one of the largest fresh-cut onion operations in North America, processing up to a million pounds of onions daily, and delivering peeled, diced or sliced onions to industrial, retail and food service customers. Steve is actively involved in every aspect of the operation from planting, growing and harvesting to processing and packaging. He is also an entrepreneur who is leading the way toward a low-carbon future. In 2009, the company began using onion waste to generate electricity at its processing plant in Oxnard. The system uses onion juice to produce biogas to power the processing plant.

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DR. BERNARD GOYETTE

WILL HEEMAN

LEE HUBER

Bernard received his PhD in 2010 from the Department of Bioresource Engineering at McGill University, Montreal, where he conducted research investigating the application of physical treatments to enhance quality attributes of fresh horticultural produce. Dr. Goyette joined Vineland Research and Innovation Centre in 2011 as a Research Scientist in the area of Postharvest Science, bringing with him almost 20 years of experience in postharvest technology research.

He is an agricultural engineer by training, specializing in postharvest treatments and his area of research has included precooling, storage and handling, as well as physical postharvest treatments. Bernard is establishing the postharvest program at Vineland. He specialized in applying thermodynamics and heat and mass transfer principles to develop new storage methods or techniques that maintain optimum freshness and quality of horticultural produce.

Will is the Chief Daymaker at Heeman’s, a berry farm & garden centre east of London. He is a millennial who will show you there is hope for the new generation.

After graduating university with a background in marketing, Will accepted a sabbatical position at a garden centre in New Zealand. Upon returning to the farm, he worked alongside his parents, aunt and grandparents, to transform their business into an experienced based destination for thousands of new (young) customers while staying true to their honoured 50+ year history. Will has been the inspiration and creator of a number of exciting food-based events, a line of successful DIY workshop series, development of an online store and recently added coffee bar. Using social and digital marketing, Will has lifted consumer awareness and community support to a level that has increased sales and brand loyalty. Will is a past president of the Ontario Berry Growers Association and was named 2016’s Young Retailer of the Year for North America in the garden centre industry.

Lee currently works with Bayer Crop Science in Saskatoon, SK with their Regulatory and Environmental Affairs group as the Residue Lead for Western Canada.

He graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in April 2005 with a B Comm from the College of Commerce with a major in Marketing and is a Professional Agrologist. He has over 15 years of experience in the agriculture industry with the majority of his work involving MRL establishments and environmental stewardship. Lee’s current work has been focused on bee health with the collection of canola pollen and nectar, and proper disposal of crop protection products and chemical waste water management to prevent waste water run-off.

LINDA GRIMO Linda was born and raised in the Niagara region. She went to Graceland University, in Iowa, and received her BA in Education.

She moved to Arizona to teach and while there she earned her MA in Education. She quit teaching shortly thereafter to return to Niagara with her family to work alongside her father, Ernie Grimo, at Grimo Nut Nursery. She helps to manage the farm from the business side and in the fields as well.

Linda is actively involved in research with heartnuts to select the best cracking heart shaped nut from her bred trees. They dig and ship trees in the spring, and harvest the nuts from their test/research orchards in the fall selling the surplus crops to local residents. She is a director for both the Niagara North Federation of Agriculture and is the current chair for the Ontario Hazelnut Association.

BENJAMIN GUTH As the President and Program Manager for Mobilize, Benjamin is responsible for driving all aspects of the program’s strategy, operations, sales and marketing.

Benjamin has been with Diamond Global for over 7 years and has previously led the operations and recruitment teams. His past experience in internet marketing and retail operations gives him a strong skill set to now lead the Mobilize program at Diamond Global. Working closely with a wide breadth of Canadian businesses and within key industry sectors, Benjamin spends his days helping organizations develop their labour strategies and sourcing top tier talent throughout Canada.

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KEVIN HOLLIS Kevin is the Regional Sales Manager for Shea assisting clients define and implement ERP, CRM, BI strategies through consultative selling. He works with business owners and executive management to facilitate innovation and maximizing return on investment with minimal risk. Beyond a double major BA in Management/Economics (University of Guelph) and Executive Sales Management (York/Schulich), lifetime learning includes ongoing involvement with industry associations and professional development groups.

ASHLEY HONSBERGER Ashley is the Executive Director of the Agri-food Management Institute (AMI) and has been with AMI since 2011 in various capacities. She is a graduate from the University of Guelph with a Masters of Science in Capacity Development and Extension. Ashley has experience working with 4-H Ontario, the Agricultural Adaptation Council, Syngenta Crop Protection and the University of Guelph as a teaching assistant. She is an avid volunteer and is driven by her passion to enact positive social change through building a career that leverages the capacity building process in Ontario agri-food businesses. At the Agri-food Management Institute, her work is dedicated to promoting new ways of thinking about agri-food business management for producers and processors. By strategically aligning AMI with commodity, industry and support organisations, AMI is strengthening the capacity of the Ontario agri-food sector to achieve success.

DAVID HULLEY David serves as the Director of Customer Experience at Vineland Estates Winery and is the first Canadian graduate of the University of California, Davis in Fermentation Science. He has worked in the Ontario Wine Industry for almost 30 years as a winemaker, international lecturer, manager, writer, radio and TV personality and consultant. David graduated from the UC Davis as top foreign student in the state of California with the Knowles A. Ryerson Award in 1988.

Currently, David enjoys his creative, steering role at Vineland Estates Winery, his corporate speaking and his occasional instructor’s role in the wine programs at Brock University and Niagara College. In 2009 David received the much coveted, student-centered, Excellence in Teaching award from Niagara College. David is the author of two culinary books, It’s Just a Matter of Wine and Italian Sensibility and is currently working on his third book, Food and Wine Synergy.

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MICHAEL KAUZL ARIC Michael joined the Business Development team at Vineland Research and Innovation Centre in 2009 as Technology Scout and Grower Outreach. In this role, Michael scouts for new technologies, including various tree fruit varieties to fill gaps in the existing pipelines and to improve the overall profitability of the Canadian horticulture sector. He is also Vineland’s liaison to various grower networks across the country. Ultimately, Michael searches for new ways to reduce labour, increase yields and improve the profit picture for the horticulture industry. Michael is a graduate of the University of Guelph with a B Sc (Horticulture Major) and is actively involved with his family tender fruit and grape operation in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

DR. BELINDA KEMP Belinda gained her PhD at Lincoln University, New Zealand on the timing of leaf removal on Pinot noir tannin, flavour and sensory characteristics of wine. She is Senior Staff Scientist in Oenology at CCOVI, Brock University. As well as a scientist, Kemp gained previous practical still and sparkling winemaking experience in commercial wineries in New Zealand and

the UK. Her main research areas are wine flavour and aroma. Her research since joining CCOVI has included sparkling wine research projects investigating the effect of sugar and dosage solutions on Niagara sparkling wine flavour and influences of sparkling wine clones and soil type on flavour. She is currently investigating the timing and severity of leaf removal on red grape varieties for still and sparkling wines, and tannin management of Niagara red wine grape varieties. She currently organizes FIZZ Club for Ontario sparkling winemakers and serves on the VQA-O Standards Development Committee and the VQA-O sparkling wine rules committee.

CHRISTOPH KESSEL Christoph is the Soil Fertility Specialist (Horticulture) with OMAFRA. He works with industry associations, researchers and ministry colleagues to improve crop fertility management in horticultural crops through research projects, demonstrations and workshops. After graduating from the University of Guelph, he worked in the nursery industry before joining OMAFRA as the Nursery Crops Specialist. He is a Certified Crop Advisor and has the 4R Nutrient Management Specialist designation.

JACQUELINE KOWALSKI Jacqueline is currently the Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Educator for Summit County, OH (Akron). Previously she served as the ANR Educator for Cuyahoga County (Cleveland).

In this role, she provides Ohioans with research-based information to improve communities and lives. Her primary focus area is small and urban farm development and sustainability with additional responsibilities in agriculture and natural resources. Previous to her current position with Ohio State University Extension, Jacqueline served as the Director of Horticulture and Agronomy for the Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands. While these geographical locations and cropping systems are vastly different, the issues of food security and community development are very much the same with regard to farmer education, integrated pest management practices, and sustainability.

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FREDERICK L AFORGE Frederick has worked in berry fruit production since 1989. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in agronomy in 1986 and a Master in vegetal biology from Laval University in 1989. He is a member of the Ordre des Agronomes du Québec since 1987. Frederick specialized in tissue culture of raspberry and strawberry and is co-owner of Phytoclone Inc., a tissue culture operation dedicated to berry plant certification and ornamental propagation since 1992. He worked as a consultant in greenhouse production until 1998 and started working part-time for Lareault Nursery. With increasing research activities at Lareault nursery, he started working as R&D director in 2008.

AL AN L AKSO Alan is an Emeritus Professor at Cornell University with over 40 years of research emphasizing fruit physiology for integrating crop development with environmental factors and cultural practices as they fruit productivity and quality. His research has emphasized experimentation and simulation modeling approaches to understanding carbohydrate and water physiology, primarily in apples and grapes. His interests

also include understanding crop responses to climate change and adapting a variety of new technologies to help growers optimize their practices.

TRACY L AMB Tracey has been promoting local food, farmers and agriculture for over 25 years. She is passionate about the connection between food and health, the need to appreciate and understand where our food comes from and the vital role that farmers’ markets play in that connection. Tracy and her team develop and implement provincial and national programs to raise awareness, motivate shifts in attitudes and behaviours and increase production and consumption of locally-produced food. An expert in marketing communications in agri-food, Tracy has extensive knowledge of all parts of the value chain, from producer to retailer and from influencer to consumer. Her passion for promoting healthy eating has led to her involvement in countless local food and nutritional education programs across Canada, working collaboratively with all stakeholders to develop innovative yet practical solutions aligned with her clients’ business objectives.

DR. JOHN L AUZON John grew up in Elgin county between London and St. Thomas, spending most of his time on the dairy and cash crop farm across the road. He received all 3 degrees (MSc, MSc, and PhD) from the University of Guelph in the Ontario agricultural college.

He has been faculty there since 2000 teaching two introductory soil science classes, two 4th year classes in soil management and soil nutrient management, and a graduate level course in soil nitrogen management. His research focuses on nutrient cycling and management dealing with issues related to maximizing the agronomic efficiency of applied nutrients and minimizing losses to the environment.

JANICE LEBOEUF Since 2001, Janice has been a Vegetable Crop Specialist with OMAFRA in Ridgetown, Ontario, where she focuses on tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, sugarbeets, and table beets.

With 105 years in Canadian Horticulture, we are the most trusted name in the business.

Our team always has something new to share.

Stop by to see how we can help your business grow!

info@bartlett.ca ~ www.bartlett.ca | info@provideag.ca ~ www.provideag.ca 905-563-8261 | 1-800-263-1287 | Beamsville, Ontario

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TODD LEUT Y

DEB MAES

Todd is the Agroforestry Specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs since 1997, working in tree-based industries of horticulture and forestry. Areas of focus include: commercial tree nut horticulture, maple syrup production, sugar bush and maple orchard management, Christmas tree production, renewable wood energy, environmental projects promoting windbreaks and shelterbelts for crop and soil protection, riparian protection and prevention of spray drift. Todd began working with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs at Harrow as Horticultural Crops and Pest Management Specialist of commercial fruit orchards, small-fruit and wine grapes from 1987 to 1997. Todd obtained BSc and MSc degrees in 1984 and 1988 from the University of Guelph in orchard horticulture then integrated pest management in viticulture (wine grape and table grape production).

Deb is the lead for the scouting program for Sylvite Agri-Services based out of Norwich, Ontario.

Previously she scouted for twelve years in fruit and vegetables, as well as field crops in and around the Norfolk area. Deb is still in the field scouting, teaching, and checking fields with scouts daily in season and works closely with agronomists, sales reps, OMAFRA staff, and farmers themselves to provide the best and latest information on new diseases and pests.

KEN LININGTON Ken is a Policy Advisor for an Ontario agricultural employers group known as the Labour Issues Coordinating Committee (LICC).

LICC is a coalition of agricultural commodity and general farm organizations representing the interests of Ontario farm employers. It was formed in 1991 to develop consensus in the farm employer community on employment and labour related issues, and represent their collective position to government. Industry friendly regulations is its primary goal. Ken shares part of his time as Human Resources Director with Flowers Canada Growers and sits on the Board of the Canadian Agricultural Human Resources Council. Previously Ken spent 10 years as a Policy Advisor and 20 years as an extension worker with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs.

PETE LUCKETT At age 14, Pete saw opportunity in the sights, sounds and flavours of England’s busy outdoor food markets. Part theatrical sideshow, part business-savvy, he saw a perfect niche for his gregarious personality and produce know how. He learned how to stand out in a crowd by offering excellent quality, unique products and a fun, exciting shopping experience. He knew everyone by name, treated them like good friends, and they never left his stall without knowing something new, trying something new, a full basket and a smile on their face. Today, Pete operates a 150 acre farm in the Annapolis valley, Nova Scotia. He is a grower, retailer, farmer, marketer, and also now operates Luckett Vineyards where he grows grapes and produces award-winning wines. Whether customers are shopping at Pete’s Fine Foods or at Luckett Vineyards, customers don’t “shop” as much as they “congregate,” and every retailer and destination marketer knows the longer they stay, the more they buy! Ambiance, heaped up displays and a caring team to maintain it all are the basics of a powerful merchandising program.

BRUCE MARCOVICH Bruce has worked in the Beverage and Food/Produce industry for more than 30 years. He has held various senior operational and executive management positions with multi-national corporations, including The Minute Maid Company, Dominion Citrus and Tetra Pak. This broad-based experience enables Bruce to understand and visualize all aspects and complexities of a manufacturing operation, from conception to market. During the past 15 years he has concentrated on apple processing, with regards to apple cider and apple based products for the apple packing industry, working with customers such as Tropicana, and Loblaw’s, using centrifuge’s, belt presses and bag presses.

TIM MARTINSON Tim has been involved in grape extension and research with Cornell University since 1991, where he completed his MS (1988) and PhD (1990) degrees in Entomology. Since 2007, he was been Senior Extension Associate with the Statewide Viticulture Extension Program. He edits the Veraison to Harvest weekly newsletter distributed statewide September– October in New York, and Appellation Cornell, a quarterly publication highlighting research, extension, and teaching programs in Viticulture and Enology at Cornell. He is project director for the Northern Grapes Project (USDA’s Specialty Crops Research Initiative), which focuses on viticulture, enology, and marketing of wines made from cold-hardy grape cultivars in 12 mid-western and northeastern states. Martinson was the recipient of the Research Award from the New York Wine and Grape Foundation in 2007, and the Outstanding Accomplishments in Extension/Outreach Award from the Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in 2015.

he recently took the title of Professor Emeritus. His retirement coincided with the release of his book analyzing the conventional wisdom in winegrowing, Terroir and Other Myths of Winegrowing, on UC Press. He continues to write on matters grape and water.

MARGARET MAY Margaret has been involved with Program Delivery to growers for more than 25 year with OSCIA. Her passion is helping growers use practical experience and program details to help affect positive change within a farm business. She is currently Regional Program Lead with OSCIA and covers the area from Windsor to Niagara Falls.

DR. WENDY MCFADDEN-SMITH Dr. McFadden-Smith has been the Tender Fruit and Grape IPM Specialist with OMAFRA, Vineland since 2008. She is adjunct professor and sessional lecturer in the Department of Biological Sciences and a CCOVI Professional Affiliate at Brock University and a sessional lecturer in the Oenology and Viticulture Program at Niagara College. She has worked on projects including modeling grape berry moth populations, etiology and management of sour rot of grape, biology and management of black knot and bacterial spot of stone fruit, fungicide resistance in brown rot of cherry, integrated management of fire blight and grapevine leafroll and red blotch viruses and their vectors.

JORDAN MCKAY Jordan is the retail manager of Willowtree Farm located in Port Perry, Ontario. Willowtree Farm is a mixed farm consisting of fruits, vegetables, livestock, and grain crops. The McKay family farms over 500 acres with 150 acres in fruits and vegetables.

They also raise beef cattle and lamb. They have a farm market consisting of a commercial kitchen, bakery, and fresh butcher shop where they sell their own produce and meat, as well as many other Ontario products. Jordan, as retail manager, oversees 11 farmers’ markets and the multitude of retail income streams. Willowtree Farm also has a CSA program and a wholesale side of the business.

Jordan is a graduate of the Ontario Agricultural College at the University of Guelph where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Business. Though Jordan has been part of the business since he was a child, he came back to the farm working full-time for the past 10 years.

MARK MATTHEWS Mark grew up in the Arizona desert where he gained an appreciation for water in nature and agriculture.

His career has focused on understanding how water and nutrients affect grape growth and ripening on which he has published well over 100 papers, many of which have become highly cited papers. After 33 years as Professor of Viticulture at University of California-Davis,

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DR. AMANDA MCWHIRT

DR. AJAY NAIR

MARTHA ONER

Dr. McWhirt is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Horticulture at the University of Arkansas and serves as the state Fruit and Vegetable Production Extension Specialist with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.

She works with commercial fruit and vegetable producers to improve efficiency and productivity of these cropping systems in the state of Arkansas. She currently is conducting research on cover crops, high tunnel vegetable production, and strawberry production. She holds a BS in Horticulture from Tarleton State University, a MS in Soil Science from Louisiana State University and a PhD from North Carolina State University in Crop Science-Agroecology where she conducted research on sustainable soil management practices for strawberry production.

Dr. Nair is an Assistant Professor working in the area of Sustainable Vegetable Production in the Department of Horticulture at Iowa State University. The focus of his research, extension, and teaching program is on cover cropping, conservation tillage, nutrient management, soil amendments and health, and season extension strategies in vegetable production. He also has an interest in local food production and works on production aspects and techniques needed to meet the rising demand of locally grown produce. He has a doctoral degree from Michigan State University and Masters from University of Maine.

Martha is a Partner, and the National Leader of the R&D and Government Incentives at Grant Thornton LLP. She assists clients across all industries on SR&ED, OIDMTC and tax incentive advisory and compliance matters. With 17 years’ experience, Martha helps clients across all industries to file maximized and substantiated tax credit claims. Her clients include Food & Beverage, Medical Technologies, Manufacturing, Information Technology, Green Technology, Construction and Agriculture industries. A frequent speaker and author on research and development related funding, she has presented at the Canadian BioGas Conference, Canadian Chinese Professional Accountants Association, IndoCanadian Chamber of Commerce, the Federated Press 7th Tax Planning for R&D Conference and has been a contributor to Grand Valley Construction Association Journal, PLANT Magazine, and Food in Canada Magazine among others. She has also been a member of CPA Canada’s SRED Symposium Advisory Committee for the past 2 years.

PAUL MOYER Paul is from Vineland where he grew up on the family fruit farm. He attended the State University of New York where he has an Associates Degree in Microbiology and Agricultural Business. He also has his BSc from Auburn University in Agricultural Economics and Marketing. Paul is an inventor, an entrepreneur, and uses his networking skills to grow opportunities where often none exist. For the past 8 years, Paul has concentrated on the value added apple business that he successfully pitched on Dragon’s Den. In 2013, Moyer’s Apple Products designed and implemented a state of the art facility and cutting-edge process in Niagara where they were the first in the caramel apple industry to receive an SQF Level 2 Global Food Safety Certification.

JOJI MURAMOTO Dr. Muramoto is an associate researcher (soil science and agroecology) of the Department of Environmental Studies, the University of California, Santa Cruz. He received a BS, MS, and Dr., from the Tokyo University of Agriculture, Japan. He has extensive experiences in research on soil fertility and soil-borne disease management in vegetable production in Japan (1986 – 1996) and strawberry and vegetable production in California, US., (1996 – present). Focusing on evaluating and improving sustainability of organic and conventional strawberry and vegetable production on the coastal California, he is currently involved in research projects on optimizing anaerobic soil disinfestation, a biological alternative to soil fumigation, to California strawberries (2003–), a collaborative research and extension network for sustainable organic production systems in coastal California (2011–) and immobilizing mineralized nitrogen from cole crop residues using organic amendments (2016–).

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DEANNA NEMETH Deanna is the Horticulture Sustainability Specialist with OMAFRA in the Vineland office.

She focuses on nutrient management research and sustainability technology within Ontario’s horticulture sector. Deanna has a Masters in soil science from the University of Guelph.

NATE NOURSE Nate is the Sales Director for Nourse Farms in South Deerfield, Massachusetts. Nourse Farms is a premier grower of the finest small fruit plants and have been in the berry plant business for over 80 years.

SASHA NOVAKOVIC After obtaining his bachelor degree in geological engineering, with a specialization in water resources, Sasha has been working as a hydrogeologist for consulting firm Novaterra Environmental Ltd., in London, Ontario. Over the last four years his focus has shifted to the preparation of hydrogeological and hydrological studies to support permit to take water applications. He has been involved in over 40 such applications, which include takings from wells, ponds, watercourses, and areas adjacent to wetlands. At the start of his career, he was primarily involved in works related to groundwater, but recent experience has given him the opportunity to evaluate the impacts of surface water takings on both groundwater and surface water features. Through his interactions with the MOECC and Conservation Authorities, Sasha has gained a strong understanding of the requirements that regulatory agencies have with respect to permits to take water and environmental impact site assessments.

ERICA PATE Erica recently joined the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) as the acting direct farm marketing specialist. She works closely with the Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association and Farmers’ Markets Ontario to promote buying direct from farmers. Erica also works on developing and extending resources and training for the direct farm marketing sector. Erica recently completed a contract with OMAFRA as a pome fruit integrated pest management specialist. Prior to that, she graduated from the University of Guelph with a BSc in Agriculture.

KIRK PATTERSON Kirk is currently the Marketing and Agronomy Manager at Scotland Agromart Ltd., with more than 25 years of crop consulting experience in a wide range of horticultural and conventional crops in Brant and Norfolk County. He has developed custom precision programs for site specific crop management and established crop specific scouting services for a wide range of crops including ginseng, potatoes, strawberries and vegetables.

JOHN PILCHER John grew up on a corn and bean farm in Illinois and spent years in business before establishing Coldbrook Farm. An agribusiness entrepreneur, he’s developed products and marketed them in various market channels. He’s an avid learner and communicator about all things aronia, and he consults with other growers. John has been a featured speaker at the Midwest Aronia Association Conference, and the Illiana Fruit and Vegetable Growers Symposium, co-sponsored

by Purdue University Extension and the University of Illinois Extension. Although John is an advocate of aronia berries, he says they’re not the best crop for everyone.

Like haskap, aronia is in an emerging market. He’s going to tell us his story—how he found higher value in the market for an unknown fruit. You’ll hear about selling rather than educating, developing a cluster of markets, capitalizing on cultural relevance, and listening for opportunities.

JULIA REEKIE Julia is a tree fruit researcher working at the Kentville Research and Development Centre in Nova Scotia. Her post-graduate training in plant physiology focused on using a plant bioregulator, Apogee, to manipulate strawberry plant morphology aiming to advance and enhance fruit production. Her current research includes using pre-harvest treatments to enhance postharvest fruit quality, selecting appropriate cover crops to provide added nutrients in apple orchards and testing pesticides to control apple insect pests.

JUSTIN RENKEMA Justin is Assistant Professor of Small Fruit Entomology at the University of Florida’s Gulf Coast Research and Education Center.

His research program focuses on developing effective IPM strategies, particularly for thrips and spider mites in strawberries. Current projects include: 1) using non-crop flowering plants to benefit strawberry pollinators and natural enemies of thrips and; 2) improving spider mite management and monitoring for acaracide resistance in strawberry nursery and production fields. Justin received

a PhD in Biology from Dalhousie University and an MSc in Environmental Biology from University of Guelph. Prior to his current position at UF, Justin was a post-doctoral fellow at U Guelph, working on spotted wing drosophila monitoring and management in berry crops. Justin grew up in rural southwestern Ontario and credits summer employment at Ridgetown Campus of U Guelph for sparking his interest in agricultural entomology.

ANDREW REYNOLDS Andy has been conducting research in grapes and wines since MSc studies in 1978. Since 1997 he has been Professor of Viticulture, Brock Univ., St Catharines, ON. Before Brock, he was formerly Research Scientist, viticulture & enology, Agriculture Canada Research Station, Summerland, BC (1983–97); NSERC Research Chair in Viticulture, Cool Climate Oenology & Viticulture Institute (July 1997–2002). His sabbatical leaves include Washington State Univ. Pullman (1994–5), studying impact of yeast strain on flavor of Riesling, and implications of acetic acid for stuck fermentations; RH Philips Winery, Dunnigan Hills, CA (2004–5) studying new irrigation technology.

Responsibilities at Brock: initially, development of a viticulture & enology 4-yr degree curriculum; teaching; research; administration; consultation. Courses taught include: Grapevine Biology, Grapevine Cultural Practices, Plant Physiology, Introduction to Wines, Advanced Wine Flavor (graduate course). Andy’s major research interests: canopy management; site, soil & their impact upon flavor; irrigation and water relations; geomatics, and use of GPS/GIS and remote sensing for studying terroir.

DOMINIC RIVARD With over 20 years experience in the commercial wine industry, Dominic has been passionately interested in wine since the age of 17 when he started making wine from local fruits and grapes.

Over the last decade, Dominic has been busy running numerous wine production and exportation projects with wineries and wine importers/distributors in Canada, USA, Italy, Spain, UK, Tanzania, Chile, Taiwan, India, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan as well as China. Dominic has been engaged in R&D projects in the industry and has perfected numerous dessert wine production techniques

including ice fruit wine cryo-extraction. He specializes in cider, fruit wine, dessert wine and ice wine production and is known in wine industry circles as an authority in fruit wine making. Dominic teaches cider production at the college level and speaks at wine symposiums throughout the world.

JAN SCHOOLEY Jan spent 23 years with OMAFRA working in pest management, ginseng and medicinal herb production and food safety. Upon retirement, she introduced a lavender enterprise to her husband’s century farm, Schooley Orchards Limited. Apple Hill Lavender now produces 4.5 acres of lavender and from that production has come an extensive line of value added lavender products. Jan and her daughter Melissa collaboratively operate a farm boutique to market upscale pottery (Raging Bowl Pottery) and lavender products.

Recently an assortment of “lavender Gourmet” creations was added.

MEHDI SHARIFI Dr. Sharifi is a Research Scientist at Summerland Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Prior to this position, he held other academic and research positions in various institutions including: Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Agriculture at Trent University (2012–2016), Nutrient Management Research Chair at Dalhousie University (2010–2012), Postdoctoral Fellow at the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada (2008–2010), and NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow at Potato Research Centre (AAFC) (2005–2008). Dr. Sharifi is a recognized expert in nitrogen dynamics in agro-ecosystems. He conducted several studies on nutrients management in diverse cropping systems. His expertise is exceedingly diverse with 42 published peer-reviewed articles in well-known scientific journals, a book chapter and 100 national and international conference presentations.

He is an associate editor for Canadian Journal of Soil Science. His research interests include nutrient cycling in agro-ecosystems, soil and plant testing, cover crops and organic amendments management under broad theme of Sustainable Agriculture.

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REBECCA SHORTT Rebecca is the irrigation/water management engineer with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Her role with the Ministry involves helping Ontario producers improve their production by providing irrigation and water management expertise to the province. Rebecca is the co-author of many OMAFRA irrigation publications including the Irrigation Best Management Practices book. Most recently, Rebecca has developed demonstrations and presentations on water efficiency and soil moisture monitoring. Her specialty includes water permitting and drip irrigation. In addition to irrigation, Rebecca develops solutions for other agricultural water uses such as fruit and vegetable washing. Rebecca holds a MSc and BSc from McGill University in Agricultural Engineering and has been active in water and irrigation associations across Canada and the US.

DAVID SL AINE David, MSc, PGeo, is the President and Principal Hydrogeologist with Terra-Dynamics Consulting Inc., of St. Catharines, ON, which began operations in 2001. He is a native of Niagara and graduated with an Honours BSc in geomorphology from the College of

Biological Science at the University of Guelph in 1978 and a MSc in hydrogeology from the University of Waterloo in 1983. He has worked as an environmental consultant for 34 years and is a federal and provincially recognized expert in hydrogeology. He has worked on projects throughout North America, Germany, Switzerland and Guam and is a Professional Geoscientist in Ontario, Delaware, Florida, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. He has a diversified background and has specialized in the interaction of groundwater and surface water including both water quality and quantity. He has obtained numerous Permits to Take Water in Ontario for farms, wineries, nurseries, greenhouses, golf courses, industries and land developers.

Corp as well as managed a fruit and vegetable farm for 9–10 years.

BARBARA SMITH Barbara is the Retail Services Supervisor for the Foodland Ontario program. She works with Ontario’s retail groups, farmers’ markets and on-farm market groups to increase market opportunities and prominence of Ontario grown foods. Barbara has been with OMAFRA for over 17 years in various marketing and program roles.

TED SMITH

DR. ANDREW SMITH Dr. Smith oversees the Vegetable Systems Trial project at Rodale Institute in Kutztown, PA. The project looks at measuring soil quality, economic profit, insect damage and weed tolerance, and nutritional quality—quantity of nutrients and other components—in organic and conventional vegetables. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Agronomy and Crop Science from Cornell University, Master’s Degree in Entomology from University of Maryland, and recently, PhD in Molecular Ecology from Drexel University. Dr. Smith has also studied Integrated Pest Management in Guatemala with the Peace

Ted grew up helping his parents work large market gardens in southern Ontario, and later on Manitoulin Island. After several years and a number of different careers, Ted returned to Manitoulin Island and his love of gardening. His farm, Gypsy Family Farm, is a polycultural blend of plants and animals where organic principles come first. Currently, Ted is serving on the Board of Directors for Farmers’ Markets Ontario®. He also writes a weekly newspaper column where he strongly advocates for family farms and ethical farming practices.

Ted is also a MyPick® Verified Local Farmer ®.

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CHARLES STEVENS Born in Bowmanville on the family dairy farm, Charles is the last of the Stevens to have farmed this land for over 200 years. While attending the University of Guelph, Charles rented a 40-acre orchard.

After graduating in 1976 with a Bachelor of Science degree, Charles purchased an orchard in Newcastle that he has now been farming with his wife and partner Judi for 37 years. Judi is also a graduate of the University of Guelph with a Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics.

The farm is a state of the art 127 acre orchard planted mainly with Honey Crisp, Ambrosia, and Royal Gala, as well as, 25 acres of Highbush blueberries.

DR. L AURA STRAWN Dr. Strawn is an Assistant Professor and E x tension Specialist of Produce Safety in the Department of Food Science and Technology at Virginia Tech.

She holds three degrees in Food Science, as well as minors in Epidemiology and Molecular Microbiology: a PhD from Cornell University, a MS from the University of Florida, and a BS from the University of California, Davis. Her research program focuses on the microbial safety of fresh fruits and vegetables; specifically, the ecology, evolution, and transmission of Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes throughout the produce supply chain. Dr. Strawn is a lead instructor for both the FSMA Produce Safety and Preventive Controls for Human Food Rules associated FDA-recognized curriculums created by the Produce Safety and Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance. Dr. Strawn also serves as leader for the Delmarva Food Safety Task Force “Research” working group. Lastly, Dr. Strawn has received awards from ASM, IAFP and IFT.

DR. ANTONET SVIRCEV Dr. Svircev is a research scientist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Vineland, Ontario, specializing in fire blight management and the development of biological control agents for the control of pre- and post-harvest pathogens. Current research on fire blight involves: a Canada wide streptomycin resistance survey in apple and pear orchards, management of young orchards to prevent fire blight infections and the development of a novel biopesticide that uses bacteriophages and a carrier bacteria. Dr. Svircev’s ultimate goal is to keep on advertising (to any one that will listen) and promoting the importance of incorporating biologicals in fire blight control programs.

DR. TOKTAM TAGHAVI Dr. Taghavi is an Adjunct Faculty and a Research Associate with the Department of Plant Agriculture at the University of Guelph, Simcoe Research Station. Her research interests include the development of new cultivars of strawberry and hazelnuts for Ontario climate. She is a board member of the Ontario Hazelnut

Association and co-leads the research and development working group. She has previous professional experience as an Assistant Professor at the University of Tehran in Iran as well as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at the University of Florida. She has experience in transferring research knowledge from the lab to growers, including multiple horticultural crops, fertilizers and crop protection, and post-harvest technologies.

JIM TODD Jim joined the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), as the transition crop specialist in 2005. He began his career with a BSc from the University of Waterloo, followed by a PhD in plant physiology from the University of Guelph.

After graduation, his research focused on plant wax and lipid metabolism and using microarrays to study large scale gene expression in plants. As OMAFRA’s industrial crop specialist, Jim works on identifying crops with potential to serve as agricultural feedstocks for Ontario’s developing bioeconomy.

JOE TOMECEK Joe grew up on his family’s cash crop farm just outside of Chatham, Ontario. He graduated from the University of Guelph in 2006, with a Bachelor of Science in Agronomy. After graduation, he returned to the Chatham area to work with his father, Ed Tomecek, as a crop scout for their independent crop consulting business (specializing primarily in processing tomatoes and sugar beets). In 2008, Joe became a Certified Crop Advisor (CCA), and since then has helped to further expand and diversify the services that Tomecek Agronomy offers to include consulting services on a variety of other crops, soil-sampling, crop planning and data management. Joe has recently received his “4R Nutrient Management Specialist” designation, and prides himself on helping his clients achieve their production goals as an independent agronomist, through an environmentally friendly approach.

DR. KEVIN USHER Dr. Usher is a phytochemist working on wine grape chemistry with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at the Summerland Research and Development Centre in British Columbia. His research focus is on vineyard management practices and site conditions and how they affect flavor, mouthfeel and aroma in grapes and wine. Dr. Usher has investigated the effects of canopy management, nitrogen application rates and timing, irrigation regimes, terrior and virus infection on the development of aromas and flavours in grapes and wine. Other research includes wine micro-oxygenation with the use of tannin and oak products to advance aging and reduce herbaceous flavour and he has evaluated the sensory impact of leaf petioles in wine. Currently Dr. Usher is investigating leaf removal practices and their impact on fruit development and wine quality.

TED VAN DER GULIK Prior to his retirement in 2014, Ted worked for the Ministry of Agriculture for 35 years specializing in irrigation, water management and water resources planning. During his career, Ted built an international reputation for his leading edge work in agricultural water management. This was demonstrated as a recipient of the International Irrigation Association’s 2000 Crawford Reid Memorial Award. Ted was awarded the Premiers Legacy award in 2014 for the many initiatives and models that he spearheaded while with the province. He currently is president of the Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC, a not for profit society established to help implement a Water Sustainability plan for the province.

L AURA L. VAN EERD Laura grew up on a cash crop and finishing hog farm near Ridgetown, Ontario. She earned a triple crown (BSc, MSc and PhD) at the University of Guelph. She is still there but located at Ridgetown Campus as an Associate Professor in the School of Environmental Sciences. With a focus on nitrogen and carbon cycling in agroecosystem soils, her research program has three complementary pillars: 1) the role of cover crops and crop diversity; 2) impacts of management on soil health attributes and its link to primary productivity/ resiliency and; 3) methods to optimize nitrogen inputs.

Her systems-based approach provides farmers and other decision makers (eg. crop consultants, policy makers) with information to make management choices based not only on crop yield and costs but also on potential environmental impact.

JUSTINE VANDEN HEUVEL Justine is an Associate Professor in the School of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell University. Her research program focuses on how environmental and viticultural factors impact wine style and quality, soil health, vine growth, and fruit composition.

Her research has been published in the American Journal of Enology and Viticulture, the Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research, HortScience, and HortTechnology.

Justine is active in teaching and mentoring in the undergraduate Viticulture & Enology program at Cornell where she teaches three courses: Wines & Vines, Grapes to Wines, and Wine Culture. She enjoys collaborating with the grape and wine industry in the United States and around the world.

ANNE VERHALLEN Anne is a Soil Science graduate from the University of Guelph. She has worked for OMAFRA since 1988, starting as a Soil Conservation Advisor working in Essex and Kent.

Currently, Anne works in the area of horticultural soil management with projects in a wide variety of soil management areas such as erosion, compaction and

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water management. Promoting the use of cover crops and supporting better soil health are her passion.

MICHELE WARMUND Michele has had a diverse career in teaching, research, and extension at the University of Missouri. She has taught ten different courses, including Fruit Production, Grapes and Wines of the World, Applied Horticulture, Arboriculture, etc. In 1993, she assumed Extension responsibilities to fulfill the critical needs of mid-western fruit growers, especially during catastrophic events such as the historic floods of 1993, 1995, and the unprecedented Easter Freeze of 2007, which threatened the viability of the fruit industry. In 2001, Dr. Warmund received the Agricultural Extension Award for Outstanding Statewide Program Leadership at MU. In 2005, Michele began collaborating with the MU Center for Agroforestry where she leads the horticultural research effort on chestnut and black walnut. Her research program has focused on freezing characteristics of floral primordia of fruit crops, chilling models, and floral biology of nut trees.

She currently serves as the President of the American Pomological Society.

SEAN WESTERVELD Sean has served as Ginseng and Herbs Specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs since 2008. He received BSc (Agr.), MSc, and PhD degrees in Horticulture from the University of Guelph. Prior to working with OMAFRA, Sean worked as a post-doctoral fellow at the Muck Crops Research Station and as interim leader of the Vegetable and Non-traditional Crops Research Program at the Simcoe Research Station of the University of Guelph. His primary role in OMAFRA is to support the Ontario ginseng, lavender and herb industries through technology transfer and to provide input into provincial and federal policies that may affect the industry. Over the past few years he has been the lead on an initiative to find a solution to ginseng replant disease. Sean is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Plant Agriculture at the University of Guelph.

DR. JIM WILLWERTH Dr. Willwerth is a Senior Scientist in Viticulture at the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) at Brock University located in St. Catharines, Ontario.

His responsibilities are to perform research and outreach services in the field of viticulture with emphasis on grapevine winter hardiness and the priorities of the Canadian grape and wine industry. His expertise includes grapevine physiology and cold hardiness. His research and outreach projects are diverse including: optimizing cold hardiness in V. vinifera, winter protection methods, new bird deterrent strategies, cultivar evaluations, remote sensing and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

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THOMAS WILSON Thomas is the owner/operator with his wife Nicole Judge of Spirit Tree Estate Cidery in Caledon, Ontario.

A fourth generation farmer, Thomas returned to the family farm after graduating from the University of Windsor with a Bachelor of Arts in 1996. In 2005, Thomas and Nicole purchased a new farm property and in 2009, opened Spirit Tree Estate Cidery. Spirit Tree is an award winning apple farm, cidery/artisan bakery/farm shop/cider mill. To prepare for opening this business, Thomas took cider making courses in Somerset, England and Geneva, New York, USA. Most recently Spirit Tree has been awarded Best Cider (Apple Lager) OFVC 2015 and Silver, Specialty Cider (Dry Hopped Cider), Canadian Brewing Awards 2015.

Thomas is also one of the founding members of Ontario Craft Cider Association, currently holding the position of Chair. He is also a trained chef specializing in artisan bread making and wood fired oven baking.

RICK WISMER Rick graduated from the University of Guelph with a BSc Agr, majoring in Economics and Business. Upon graduation, he entered the field of public accounting and completed the requirements to qualify as a Chartered Accountant. He owns and operates a mixed farm including vineyards, tender fruit and cash crops and is also a member of the Ontario Institute of Agrologists

and Canadian Association of Farm Advisors. He regularly consults in accounting, income tax, operational and succession matters in the agricultural community.

MICHELLE WOLF Michelle is a certified coach, speaker, and Director of Training for Farmers’ Markets of Nova Scotia.

She has worked with over 200 farm owners, managers, and entrepreneurs to help them grow successful markets and businesses. Michelle owned and operated a profitable farm-based business for 20+ years and was an award-winning manager of a mid-size farmers’ market.

Michelle speaks at direct marketing, farmers’ market, organic agriculture and sustainable lifestyle conferences throughout North America, and facilitates the Market Management Certificate program for the British Columbia Association of Farmers’ Markets. She is a dynamic, engaging workshop facilitator and a sought-after motivational speaker on business and personal development topics. She holds a Master’s Degree from York University and now runs a training consulting company.

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FARMERS MOST VULNERABLE T O M E N T A L H E A LT H P R O B L E M S

BY C O UR TN EY DEN A RD

Dr. Andria Jones-Bitton, a veterinary professor in the Department of Population Medicine at University of Guelph, is working on a three-year project that looks at mental health specifically in Canadian farmers.

The project was developed when researchers noticed a major hole in the literature on farmer mental health, Jones-Bitton says.

and psychological stress—was lower among 66 per cent of the respondents when compared to a relative U.S. population.

Phase one of the research was an online survey that was completed in early 2016.

At the same time, those in the farming sector continue to feel a stigma around mental health.

The survey was originally intended for Ontario producers alone but the researchers received so much interest from farmers across the country they decided to take it nationwide.

There was good news coming out of the survey too.

By the time the survey closed, over 1,100 farmers (70 per cent male and 30 per cent female) had responded.

The data revealed that stress, anxiety, depression, emotional exhaustion and burnout are all higher among farmers than in other groups.

Respondents listed stressors like weather, market volatility, animal and crop disease, government regulations, and succession planning.

Scrutiny via social media and the public’s perception of farming also “came up quite a bit,” Jones-Bitton says.

Further data showed that 45 per cent of those surveyed had high stress. Another 58 per cent were classified with varying levels of anxiety, and 35 per cent with depression.

Resilience—a way of thinking that helps people deal with physical

30

More than 75 per cent of respondents said professional mental services can be helpful in times of struggle and almost as many said they would seek out help regardless of taboos.

Finding that support can be challenging especially in rural Canada where even obtaining a family physician is sometimes hard. The right kind of support has to be available as well.

“There is a need for professionally trained mental health workers who know the realities of farming,” says Jones-Bitton.

“As one respondent said, “my family doctor told me to take a vacation” and those who know farming know that that’s not always an option.”

Phase two of the university’s research is working to build a mental health program specifically for farmers.

Jones-Bitton is establishing a team of producers, industry representatives, veterinarians and mental health professionals

According to research from the University of Guelph, Canadian farmers are more likely to experience mental health problems than other sections of the population.

to create, deliver and evaluate a mental health literacytraining program.

“We’ve got a fantastic list of individuals who have expressed a passionate interest in mental health,” she says.

The program would train people to recognize and respond to mental distress, and reduce stigma around mental health issues in Ontario’s agriculture and horticulture sectors.

The first step will be to conduct interviews with producers to learn about their mental health and how it impacts their farm.

The committee will be looking at times of calm and also during an agricultural emergency.

The second piece will be to build the program itself and develop a delivery mechanism.

In the meantime, Jones-Bitton says it’s important for growers to know that if they’re experiencing high stress, anxiety, depression or burnout, they’re not alone.

“There are people who care and supports are available,” she says.

For anyone struggling, Jones-Bitton suggests reaching out to the Canadian Mental Health Association and/or the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention. n If you or anyone you know are having issues, please visit: The Canadian Mental Health Association www.cmha.ca The Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention www.suicideprevention.ca

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2017-01-20 8:43 AM

MAKING SOIL PRESERVATION

A PRIORITY

BY COUR TN EY D E N A R D

Fortunately, there are countless ways growers can improve and maintain soil health and many of them are already doing so.

The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention spoke with Kevin Howe of Howe Family Farms on the innovative ways his operation is making soil preservation a priority.

Howe Family Farms is located in Aylmer and has 300 acres in crops, including strawberries, pumpkins, watermelons, sweet corn and more.

Q

PR OV E: SO IL TO P AN D AB

ILY FA RM S. HO W E FA M AC TI ON AT IN ON TI ES ER VA

: Why and how do you make soil preservation a priority on your farm?

A N S W E R We’re located in Aylmer, which is unofficially known as Ontario’s tobacco belt, so we’re dealing with sandy soil and blowing sand. Soil preservation for us is throwing a cover crop on everything for erosion control. We plant a perennial rye grass as early as possible in the fall. It gets established in that same crop year and the roots help hold soil in place. We use rye as a cover crop because we need the straw for our strawberries. We’ll broadcast the rye as to minimize the work that goes into spreading it and incorporating it into the ground.

Q

: How have your crops benefited from improved soil preservation techniques?

A N S W E R Our pumpkins are grown using a no-till approach.

We grow a rye crop in the field first and once the pollen starts

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LEFT: HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN HARVEST; RIGHT: PUMPKIN CRIMPER AND PL ANTER UNIT ROLLING RYE

coming off, we’ll plant the pumpkins. This is usually around the last week of May and the rye is well above your chest by that time. We do roller crimping and then three rows with a no-till planter. You’re rolling out a thick bed of straw and the benefit of this is that by the fall there is a lot of rye residue left over so you’re putting several tonnes of organic matter back into the soil. That’s big for our soil structure. It helps with weed

critics. That being said, right now is a good time for growers to take advantage of programs like Growing Forward 2 and/or the Great Lakes Agricultural Stewardship Initiative through the Ontario Soil & Crop Improvement Association. These programs have funding available to get growers to do more no-till practices and buffer zones so I encourage people to check them out. n

Soil loss from erosion or reduced fertility caused by over usage can have a negative impact on the land, not to mention a grower’s bottom line. suppression and soil erosion control and at the end of the season we feel like we have a better quality pumpkin.

Because the pumpkins are growing in a bed of rye they don’t come into contact with dirt or soil. Before when the pumpkins were being grown in the dirt, we had to wash each one by hand. This meant wet pumpkins were going into bins, which was resulting in white mould. Hand washing pumpkins is also time consuming. We still have to wash the odd pumpkin but we’re probably only washing about 10 per cent of what we used to do. It’s a huge labour savings for the farm.

Q

: Do you think Ontario growers are doing enough in terms of soil preservation?

A N S W E R I think that soil preservation is important to the long-term profitability and sustainability of all farms. Most growers know that and they’re trying to implement sustainable practices. I also think that soil preservation means different things to different soil types, regions, and crops and that will impact how much profit it will bring.

Ontario growers are doing a good job of sustainable soil practices. It’s difficult to do and sometimes even more difficult to showcase what you’re doing and we’re always going to have More information on the programs Kevin references in the interview can be found on the Ontario Soil & Crop Improvement Association website at http://www.ontariosoilcrop.org/oscia-programs/

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THE

HALL OF FAME CAREER OF A

HORTICULTURE PIONEER The late James Bartlett was an agribusiness pioneer who made incredible gains for the Canadian horticulture industry.

Born in Grimsby, Ontario, in 1925, James was the second child to Norman and Lydia Bartlett. He attended primary and secondary school in Beamsville and dreamed of going to college or university one day.

Due to the global uncertainties around World War II, Jim was unable to fulfill that dream so instead he learned from his father who was a known inventor. Father and son worked together to design and build a hammer mill that could grind rock sulfur into a fine powder. The product went on to be used in agriculture, tire production, and explosives.

By the early 1960s, Jim and Norm could be found installing Bartlett Graders in packhouses across North America, England, South Africa, and Israel. The graders were state of the art technology that sorted, cleaned, and packaged harvested crops.

Jim took over the family business when his father suffered a stroke in the mid–1960s. “There were about 20 employees at the time but Jim was the heart and soul of the company,” Jim’s son Craig says. Jim was acting as company president by the 1970s when the Canadian government became more involved in food safety and regulating crop protection products, through the PCP (Pest Control Products) Act. Craig says the government of the day wanted a safe food supply

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but wasn’t overly interested in supporting Canadian crop protection companies that were required to abide by the new laws.

Unregulated products coming in from the United States were threatening the Canadian market so Jim, along with Glen Johnson of the United Cooperatives of Ontario, drafted a plan and approached CACA National. This partnership was how the first provincial chapter of the Canadian Agricultural Chemicals Association (CACA) was formed. Jim and Glen would act as cochairs and it was through their persuasion that Canadian Minister of Agriculture Eugene Whalen realized it was a mistake to allow for an open border. Eventually the border would be closed.

Jim’s concern now was focussed on the grower and making sure that they had access to all the tools available to their global counterparts, hence the beginnings of the Minor Use of Pesticides Registration initiative.

This initiative would allow Canadian grower access to global data to eliminate duplicate testing and data collection saving the industry money. “The initial program and its evolvement over the years has made registrations of new products and technologies ABOVE: L–R: JIM’S COMPANY N. M. BARTLETT INC. CELEBRATING 85 YEARS; JIM, GEORGE AND NORMAN BARTLETT EARLY 1960S; RECEIVING THE BUSINESS ACHIEVEMENT AWARD OCT 1997; JIM BARLETT, CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE 2016

The late James Bartlett was an agribusiness pioneer who made incredible gains for the Canadian horticulture industry.

JIM BARTLETT INSPECTING APPLE BLOSSOMS 1994

possible and feasible,” Craig says. It was through this leadership that Jim was asked to sit on the national CACA board in 1976. He was elected chairman in 1979 and completed his term the next year.

Jim suffered from a major heart attack in June of 1981 and as a result he dramatically reduced his involvement in the family business, now known as N.M. Bartlett Inc. His son Craig says he remained connected to the business until the time of his retirement in 1987.

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Among the many honours that Jim received over the course of his career was a Lifetime Honourary Membership to CACA, which is now known as CropLife Canada. He was also posthumously inducted into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame in 2016. Jim was instrumental in forming the Ontario Horticulture Conference in 1974, which was eventually renamed the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention.

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According to Craig, his father’s legacy is clear: “Dad’s vision was that given a level playing field and availability to all relevant technologies and innovations, the Canadian Horticultural Crop Grower should be able to succeed and be an integral part of society. Through his foresight, integrity, drive and determination, Dad became a major proponent of many success stories that shaped and continue to shape our future.” n

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2016-12-14 16:31

Roundup Berry Growers Vote Yes to Amalgamated Marketing Board

Jamie Quai Crowned 2016 Grape King

BY C O UR TN EY DEN A R D

B Y COURT N EY DEN ARD

Ontario’s strawberry, raspberry, and highbush blueberry growers have voted in favour of forming the Berry Growers of Ontario, an amalgamated provincial association.

Jamie Quai of Quai du Vin Estate Winery in St. Thomas has been selected as the 2016 Grape King, a designation handed out annually by Farm Credit Canada, the Grape Growers of Ontario, and the Niagara Grape and Wine Festival.

A total of 94 ballots were cast in last year’s vote and 74 per cent, representing 82 per cent of berry acreage, voted in favour.

If the provincial government approves the newly formed marketing board, the amalgamated group would not have pricing power but would be allowed to collect fees from berry growers across the province.

Kevin Schooley, Executive Director of the Ontario Berry Growers’ Association, says the money would be used for market development and promotion, research, and government relations.

Growers with less than two acres would not be subjected to fees and those “with 2–5 acres will probably pay the same fees they’re paying now, possibly even less,” Schooley explains.

Schooley is positive about a future that includes the Berry Growers of Ontario.

“The new organization will allow us to spread news to more growers in the industry because we’ll have a bigger reach,” he says.

Last year’s vote is part of an ongoing process of gathering public commentary and developing a regulatory package.

This means Berry Growers of Ontario’s structure will not be in place until the 2018 growing season at the earliest. n

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Quai, who is married to Kim and has two young sons, Gavin and Nicklaas, comes from a family of long-time grape growers.

His parents, Roberto and Lisa, first planted the vineyard in 1970 and have grown production to 22 acres. The winery was opened in 1990 making it Elgin County’s oldest estate winery.

As co-proprietor, vigneron, and winemaker, Quai says his goal is to craft wines that people enjoy drinking.

He says the judges on the Grape King selection committee stated that Quai du Vin Estate Winery is consistently pushing itself towards improvement.

“Nothing is set in stone. We’re always experimenting in the vineyards and asking if there is a way we could be doing something better,” he says.

When it comes to being crowned as Grape King, Jamie says, “winning is always fun!” But more seriously he adds that the honour is ratifying and humbling.

“The Grape King is an industry award based on merit. We’re a small winery in the middle of nowhere so to have our industry peers say we’re on par with the rest of Ontario is validating,” he says.

As Grape King, Jamie will act as Ontario’s grape and wine industry ambassador at events across the country such as the Niagara Wine festival. n

2016 Gary Ireland Memorial Scholarship

Farmers’ Markets Ontario Executive Director to Retire

BY COUR TN EY DE N A R D

B Y COURT N EY DEN ARD

Matthew Rundle is the recipient of the 2016 Gary Ireland Memorial Scholarship, an annual award handed out by the University of Guelph in conjunction with the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention.

Bob Chorney, executive director of Farmers’ Markets Ontario, will be retiring from his position after 25 years at the helm.

Originally from Stouffville, Rundle is just a few months away from graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, majoring in Crop, Horticulture and Turfgrass.

The award winner gained experience working in Ontario horticulture through his summer job as a crop scout at St. Lawrence Grains & Farm Supply.

There, Rundle learned about integrated pest management and just how different production systems can be across various crops.

As communications director for the Ontario Agricultural College Soil and Crop Club, Rundle helped plan a class trip to the Holland Marsh and the Muck Crops Research Station.

This was one of the activities he referenced when applying for the award.

Rundle has accepted a fulltime job as an agronomy associate with Cargill in Harriston and the position will begin following his graduation this summer.

Chorney, who resides in Brighton, has been FMO’s executive director since June 1, 1992 when the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs assigned him the role.

Throughout his time with FMO, Chorney made countless contributions to the success and growth of the organization and to farmers’ markets across the province.

FMO started with 60 member markets 26 years ago and today that number is 182.

Ontario accounts for 70 per cent of all farmers’ market activity in Canada and 92 per cent of Ontario markets are FMO members.

Meanwhile, Ontario VQA wineries are now regulars at many FMO markets and so are over 250 verified local farmers in the MyPick program.

Chorney was instrumental in developing MyPick, which assures consumers the food they’re buying was grown directly on-farm by a farmer.

“Amazing” is the word Rundle used to describe how it felt to be selected as this year’s scholarship recipient.

There’s no doubt that Chorney will be leaving big shoes to fill but after 25 years of hard work and commitment to the industry, a retirement is well deserved.

“I am very thankful for this award. It’s helped me a lot during my last year of school,” he said. n

The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention would like to officially congratulate Bob Chorney and wish him well in retirement. n

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2016 OFFMA

Farm Marketer of the Year

BY C O UR TN EY DEN A R D HEEM A

Y N FA M IL

IL L, : L– R : B

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Heeman’s, which is owned and operated by the Heeman family in Thorndale, is being honoured for its years of offering local products to Ontario consumers in a fun and educational way.

The Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association’s 2016 Farm Marketer of the Year is a third generation family business that specializes in strawberries, gardening, and more.

Bill and Susan Heeman established the farm in the early 1960s shortly after they were married. Today, the business is run by Rudy and Florence Heeman, their son Will, and a team of employees.

Speaking on behalf of the family, Will says the farm produces over 70 acres of berries and has 125,000 square feet of greenhouses that grow several thousand varieties of annuals and perennials.

Special events like ‘Sunday Brunch at Heeman’s’ or ‘Food Trucks on the Farm’ draw over 1,500 people. Meanwhile, the garden school offers over 60 do-it-yourself workshops throughout the Christmas season.

When it comes to being chosen as the 2016 OFFMA Marketer of the Year, Will says, “it’s a gratifying thing.”

“It’s very humbling to be selected by your peers and it reaffirms that what you’re doing is on the right course,” he says.

A few hundred acres of traditional cash crops like corn, soybeans, and wheat are grown on-farm as well.

The farm utilizes world-class techniques in all aspects of its production and listens to what customers want when coming up with new business ideas.

It was that mindset that led Heeman’s to create a sundae bar to show off how easy it is to make fresh fruit toppings for ice cream. There’s also a coffee bar on-site for those looking for their daily java fix.

Will says the farm has transitioned into a “destination” for people to bring their family and friends.

WB ER RIE AN WI TH ST RA D RU DY HE EM FLO RE NC E AN

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Heeman’s is also a two-time winner of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence and was the first agribusiness to receive a London Chamber of Commerce Business Achievement Award. n

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IN M AY

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Real Revolution KEEPING UP WITH CHANGE

Food entrepreneur and marketer extraordinaire Pete Luckett will be speaking at OFVC 2017 reflecting on his journey as one of Canada’s most prominent players in the fruit and vegetable sectors.

BY C O UR TN EY DENA R D

It was there he trained under Pat Briton who taught him everything there is to know about selling fruit and vegetables.

Luckett was born and raised in Nottingham, England and left school at the age of 15 to sell produce at the nearby Victoria Market.

Luckett opened Pete’s Frootique in England at the age of 21 only to sell it four years later so he could set off on a trip around the world.

Moving from one country to the next, Luckett eventually found himself on Canada’s east coast.

“I started my first Canadian business, a fruit-and-veg stall, in Saint John. It was April of 1982,” he says.

Luckett would go on to open Pete’s Fine Foods at two locations in Nova Scotia—one in Bedford and another in Halifax. By the time he sold to Sobeys in 2015, there were 500 employees working for the company.

Today, you will find Luckett in Nova Scotia’s Gaspereau Valley working on his latest venture, Luckett Vineyards, which opened in 2010.

One of the vineyard’s main attractions is a British style phone box set amongst the grapes. Guests are welcome to make a call to anywhere in North America free of charge.

Luckett says he can’t take credit for the phone box. Vineyard manager Marcel Kolb came up with the idea and guests absolutely love it. n You can catch Pete Luckett’s presentation entitled Real Revolution —Keeping up with Change! on Wednesday, February 22 at 9:30 am in Ballroom B.

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2016 NPF & VGA INDUSTRY

Award of Merit 6

BY COUR TN EY DE N A R D

A Beamsville area grower, who recently stepped down from the Grape Growers of Ontario after 20 years on the board, has been awarded the 2016 Industry Award of Merit.

Recipient Bill George of George II Vineyards grew up on his family’s vineyard working alongside his father.

Having a career in the grape sector was something Bill says he knew he wanted so when he graduated from the University of Guelph in 1988 he made his way back to the family business.

Bill joined the Grape Growers of Ontario board in 1995, the same year he and his wife, Lesliann, welcomed their first son, Will. A daughter, Katelyn, was born few years later.

Over the course of his 20 years with GGO, Bill advanced positions from director, to vice-chair to chair. He held the latter position for eight years before stepping down last April.

Bill says he remained passionate about keeping the board healthy and relevant throughout his involvement.

One of the biggest lessons he learned was to “not over react when there’s an industry issue.”

“If you get a call from a grower or a government representative you can’t press the panic button,” he says.

“You have to step back, look at the issue from all angles and try to understand everyone’s point of view.”

Making the decision to retire from GGO was the natural next step for Bill. He says, “The timing was right” and felt he had done all that he could do for the board.

Bill remains on the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association board of directors so his industry work will continue.

He says, “he will always have an interest” in this type of work and might even seek out other committees to join in the future. n

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Going Nuts!

Ontario’s Growing Sector

BY C O UR TN EY DEN A R D

Todd Leuty, agroforestry specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, says tree nut production in the province is on the rise.

In 2015 alone, about 100 new acres of hazelnut trees were planted in Ontario. There’s also 30–40 acres of sweet chestnuts in production, 10–12 acres of northern pecans, and a few farms showing interest in black walnuts.

Warner’s nut customers, who are mostly people with an Eastern European or Middle Eastern background, react with disbelief when he tells them the nuts were grown and harvested right here in Ontario.

At the same time, the University of Guelph is completing cultivar trials on hazelnut varieties from around the world and Leuty says they’re “coming up with good results.”

The fact that they’re local is a selling point, Warner says, but it’s more so the fact that the nuts are fresh and unadulterated. n

Torrie Warner, owner of Warner’s Farm in Beamsville, grows a selection of tree nuts on his tender fruit farm including almonds, hazelnuts, English walnuts, and sweet chestnuts.

His grandmother planted the first nut trees on the property in the 1930s. Warner upped production about 10 years ago based upon customer demand.

Warner says the Ontario nut market is a unique, niche market at the moment, one that requires maturity to ensure its future.

There are also government regulations to think about, and according to Warner, this is where things can get complicated.

“It’s hard for the government to make legislation for such a small industry,” he says. “It’s like the wine industry 40 years ago. It took one person to do it and now we have an entire industry.”

Warner predicts that as more Ontario growers get involved in nut production, the government will develop regulations around things like pest control and more.

For now, Warner is happy to continue growing nuts and selling retail at farmers’ markets in Ottawa and Toronto. He says he is usually the only vendor selling fresh nuts and demand is strong.

You can learn more about nuts at the Specialty Tree Fruit and Nuts session on Thursday, February 23 at 2:00 pm in Room 205.

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Ontario’s nut sector is small but growing as demand for local nuts increases across the province.

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FRESH LEARNING: THE 2017 POSTER DISPLAY STUDENT ENTRIES Halosulfuron Interactions with Other Tomato Herbicides JORDAN EYAMIE, UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH AUTHORS: Jordan Eyamie, Dr. Peter Sikkema, Dr. Rene Van Acker,

Dr. Nader

Fatal Attraction: The Volatile Influences that will Lead Whiteflies to Deadly Encounters and the dsRNA Responsible

VISIT THE RESEARCH POSTERS DISPLAY IN THE LOBBY DIRECTLY OUTSIDE THE MAIN TRADE SHOW ENTRANCE AND TAKE IN SOME OF THE EXCELLENT WORK THAT IS DONE IN SUPPORT OF THE MANY COMMODITIES GROWN IN THE PROVINCE.

KAITLYN LUDBA, UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO AUTHORS: K.K. Ludba, C. Donly, E. Kaplanoglu, G.J. Thompson,

I.M. Scott

The Effect of Environmental Stressors on Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Overwintering Physiology JOHN CIANCIO, UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO AUTHORS: John Ciancio, Dr. Brent Sinclair, and Dr. Tara Gariepy

The Mechanism of Pyridaben and Spirodiclofen Resistance in Two-spotted Spider Mite HOOMAN NAMIN, UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO AUTHORS: H. Namin, I. Scott, M. Grbic and V. Grbic

Enhancement of Post-harvest Shelf Life of Nectarines Using Hexanal Formulations SHANTHANU KRISHNA KUMAR, UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH AUTHORS: Shanthanu Krishna Kumar, Gopinadhan Paliyath,

J. Alan Sullivan, Jayasankar Subramanian

Better Berries: The Effect of Pre-harvest Application of Hexanal on the Shelf Life of Strawberry

Emergent Technologies in Precision Agriculture / Viticulture NEAL PILGER, UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH AUTHORS: N. Pilger, M. Duncan, E. Wrona, and J. Antinolfi

Resistance of Two-spotted Spider Mite to Indole Glucosinolates GOLNAZ SALEHIPOUR-SHIRAZI, UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO AUTHORS: Golnaz Salehipour-shirazi, Vojislava Grbic

Survey of Pollinators on Pumpkin and Squash (Cucurbita Pepo) Crops in Ontario with Special Emphasis on the Native Specialist Pollinator (Peponapis Pruinosa) SUSAN WILLIS CHAN, UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH AUTHOR: Susan Willis Chan

REGULAR SUBMISSIONS

ROBERT BRANDT, UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH

Changes in the Volatile Profile of Nectarines Treated with Hexanal

AUTHORS: Robert Brandt, Jay Subramanian, Al Sullivan

SHANTHANU KRISHNA KUMAR, GOPINADHAN PALIYATH,

Biochar from Non-conventional Biomass— A Potential Substitute for Coal

J. AL AN SULLIVAN

BHARAT REGMI, UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH

Agronomic Characteristics and Improving Shelf-life of Haskaps (L. caerulea) with a Hexanal Spray

AUTHORS: B. Regmi, B. Zhang and A. Dutta

University of Guelph

Investigation of Antioxidant Content for Different Genotypes of Yellow European Plums

J. MACKENZIE, E. ELFORD, K. STONE, J.A. SULLIVAN

ANDREA DINARDO, UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH

Show your True Colours: A Tool for Sweet Potato Breeding

AUTHORS: Andrea DiNardo, Jayasankar Subramanian,

AMY BOWEN, AMY BL AKE, JESSICA TURECEK

and Ashutosh Singh

Vineland Research and Innovation Centre

Effect of Drying on the Colour, Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Content of Yellow European Plums

Development of a Simple Assay to Screen Sweet Potato Varieties for European Chafer Grub Resistance

HARJEET SINGH BRAR, UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH

TARO SATO, VALERIO PRIMOMO, AND MICHAEL PAVONE

AUTHORS: Harjeet Singh Brar, Andrea DiNardo, Jayasankar

Vineland Research and Innovation Centre

Subramanian, and Ashutosh Singh

Economic Potential of Producing V12B.445 —An Ontario Adapted Sweet Potato Variety

Review of Data Collection Methods for Post-harvest Tillage Residue Assessment

University of Guelph, OMAFRA

VALERIO PRIMOMO, MICHAEL PAVONE, NICHOL AS BENDO, AND

NEAL PILGER, UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH

DENISE HOSTRAWSER

AUTHORS: N. Pilger, A. Berg, R. Pardo, and G. Mellan

Vineland Research and Innovation Centre

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RETAIL MENU SANDWICHES COLD $6.75 Chicken Caesar Wrap Roasted Vegetable Wrap Woolwich Goat Cheese Smoked Turkey Boston Bib, Leamington Tomato, Pesto Aoli SALADS $6.50 SCCN Garden Fennel Salad Warner’s Apple Dressing Greek Pasta Salad SOUPS $6.00 White Bean and Kale Smoked Chicken Noodle Corn and Bacon Chowder *All soups come with a roll and butter.

ENTRÉE SALAD $8.00 Grilled Chicken Caesar Brined chicken, smokey bacon, homemade croûtons Quinoa Salad Poached chicken, edamame, citrus soya vinaigrette SIDES $3.00 House-made creamy coleslaw Quinoa salad Edamame, citrus soya vinaigrette HOT ENTRÉES $9.00 Lakeview Farms Turkey Schnitzel Caramelized onions, Kozlik’s Mustard, Jordan Station Hot Italian Sausage on a Soft Roll Wellington County Beef Chili Steak and Vegetable Pie Gravy and Root Vegetables COMBOS Sausage on a bun, side salad, drink ................. $12 Meat Pie, side salad, drink .................................. $12 Schnitzel, side salad, drink .................................. $12 Cold Sandwich, side salad, drink....................... $11 Soup, side salad, drink .......................................... $11 Soup and drink ......................................................... $8 Entrée salad and drink .......................................... $10

All pricing excluding taxes

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s r e m Far s d n e & Fri join us at the

eption c e r evening

pm 2nd 5 – 7 2 y r a u r day, Feb how Wednes n Trade S io t n e v n at the Co T H A NK S T O O U R E VE N T SPON SORS

Reception Menu Enjoy an assortment of Ontario inspired hors-d’oeuvres served throughout the floor space.

Featured Ontario Wines Casa Dea Estates www.casadeaestates.com

Erie Shore Winery www.erieshore.ca

Inniskillin www.inniskillin.com

Jackson Triggs Winery

Featured Ontario Craft Beers

Featured Ontario Beverages

Block 3 Brewing Co.

Warner Farms (cider)

www.blockthreebrewing.com

www.warnersfarm.ca

The Blue Elephant Craft Brew House

Niagara College (MADD non-alcohol beer)

www.blueelephant.ca

www.niagaracollege.ca

New Limburg www.newlimburg.com

William Street www.williamstreetbeer.com

Featured Ontario Hard Ciders

www.jacksontriggswinery.com

Bonnieheath Estate

Sandbanks Estate Winery

www.bonnieheathestate.ca

www.sandbankswinery.com

Pommie www.pommies.com

Spirit Tree Estate Cidery www.spirittreecider.com

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Featured Ontario Snacks Martin’s Family Fruit Farm (apple chips) www.martinsapples.com

White Meadows Farms (maple kettle corn) www.whitemeadowsfarms.com

Roaming Entertainmment by Sandy Vine Entertainment www.sandyvine.com

To be selected,

they need to be protected.

Use DuPont™ Exirel™ insecticide, powered by Cyazypyr™, early in the season to give your pome fruit, stone fruit and blueberries the head-start they need during the most critical stages of development. Exirel™ has fast acting, translaminar and xylem systemic movement so you’ll be protecting new growth from difficult chewing and sucking pests, including aphids, plum curculio, apple maggots, codling moth, Oriental fruit moths, leafrollers, weevils and spotted wing drosophila.

Exirel™, powered by Cyazypyr™, an important part of an integrated pest management program.

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As with all crop protection products, read and follow label instructions carefully.

Member of CropLife Canada.

Unless indicated, trademarks with ®, ™ or SM are trademarks of DuPont or affiliates. © 2016 DuPont.

A & GRI EN CU VI LT RO UR NM E EN T

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Solutions for Industry

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F IN O O D NO & VA BE TIO V N ER A

GE

Research & Innovation

B SO USI LU NE TIO SS NS & C O

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With funding support from various regional, provincial and federal agencies, students and graduates are hired to work alongside faculty researchers to assist industry partners leap forward in the marketplace. We conduct many projects in collaboration with small- and medium-sized businesses.

CREATED 30 NEW RECIPES after 50 students brainstormed 300+ ideas for a baking company

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