JANUARY 2021
CELEBRATING 142 YEARS AS CANADA’S PREMIER HORTICULTURAL PUBLICATION
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STATE OF RESEARCH
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Events by invitation-only became the norm in 2020 as the pandemic curbed in-person contact. The impacts of COVID-19 on research, new product launches and extension efforts will be felt for years to come. Here, a clutch of industry specialists inspects a fungicide trial in a Beamsville, Ontario vineyard. L-R: Ryan Brewster, Brewster Consulting Services; Scott Hodgins, Cohort Wholesale; Scott Wright, Vineland Growers’ Co-operative; Wendy McFadden-Smith, tender fruit and grape IPM specialist for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Photos by Glenn Lowson. KAREN DAVIDSON “Do you see powdery mildew? I don’t see powdery mildew.” That’s typical in-the-field banter. But this conversation was special. It involved a select group of industry influencers, all of whom were delighted to be in a sunsplashed Niagara vineyard in late August 2020. In what has become a rare event these days, five invitees were eyeballing scientific trials by Cohort Wholesale of a new grape fungicide that’s in queue for registration. Adhering to strict COVID-19 protocols as directed at the time, Cohort Wholesale proceeded with fungicide trials on several sites across Canada, showcasing
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control of powdery mildew on grapes and cherries. As a new player in distributing crop protection products, it was critical to gather data and provide Canadian experience for a product that’s already been registered in the United States. The company worked only with grower cooperators where health and safety protocols could be respected by both parties throughout the season without disrupting the grower’s business. “Our pre-registration fungicide trials went ahead as planned but we couldn’t travel to our sites outside Ontario,” explained Scott Hodgins, manager, Cohort Wholesale. “In those cases, we were fortunate to have great research cooperators who went above and beyond sharing their observations in-season as well
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as more photos and videos than they may have otherwise.” This change, one of many during the COVID-19 reality, further complicates the long lead times of research. Generally, it takes a decade to identify and develop a molecule for market at an investment ranging from $250-$300 million. Such costs are likely to rise as two trends collide: mergers and acquisitions of crop protection companies over the last two years have slowed decision-making and COVID-19 fall-out continues to restrict the agility of local retailers. Unlike other sectors which have pivoted to e-commerce, growers have been hesitant to order crop protection inputs online because they value the agronomic advice of their retailers tailored to their individual
farms. The industry is now at a key crossroads of how new products and technology will be delivered to end users and who has the credibility to deliver them. “There are a lot of new fruit and vegetable products being introduced right now, including both conventional synthetic pesticides as well as biopesticides,” said Hodgins. “At Cohort Wholesale, our role, on behalf of our supplier partners, is to work with farmers to help them understand not only how these new products work but also how they work together with existing products and where each of them fit into the farmer’s management strategy.” Continued on page 3
Grapes, vineyards & berries
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