The Grower Calling

Two Ontario vegetable growers share different perspectives – one is contracting celery to an American food processor, another is worried about decreased plantings of field vegetables in his area.

Karen Davidson, editor of The Grower, goes 'Behind the Scenes' of the September cover story and speaks with Dr. Evan Fraser, director of the University of Guelph’s Arrell Food Institute. Fraser comments on the competitive pressures within today’s food system. And shares his perspective on what’s needed for the next generation of farmers.

Amanda Dooney and her husband Hayden have bought a total of 80 acres of high-density apple orchards near Simcoe, Ontario since 2019.

The arrival of the pandemic challenged strategic plans for Suncrest Orchards. Karen Davidson, editor of The Grower, goes 'Behind the Scenes' of the August cover story and speaks with Amanda about how stable accommodations and accommodating change have kept temporary foreign workers happy and safe.

Strawberry propagator Dusty Zamecnik has tripled the size of his greenhouse in order to supply the growing demand for starter plants in the greenhouse sector. What used to be just 50 acres is now 120 acres of Ontario greenhouse-grown strawberries for year-round consumption.

Karen Davidson, editor of The Grower, goes 'Behind the Scenes' of the July 2021 cover story titled 'Riding the berry revolution' and speaks with Dusty. They discuss the new technologies that are driving the expansion, including global genetics for best flavour.

Potato growers welcome new products and label extensions that offer options for chemistry rotations. Bayer is launching Vayego insecticide. And Luna Tranquility fungicide, a mainstay of Bayer’s portfolio, offers protection against several leaf diseases that are associated with early dying complex.

In this podcast Karen Davidson, editor of The Grower, speaks with Bill Moons, market development agronomist, Bayer CropScience, about their potato portfolio.

Trade protectionism is not going away. The U.S. government is reviewing the security and strength of its supply chains, spurred by the global pandemic, climate change and geopolitical shifts.

Karen Davidson, editor of The Grower, goes 'Behind the Scenes' of the May 2021 cover story and speaks with Al Mussell, research lead, Agri-Food Economic Systems.

Podcast sponsored by BASF

The chair of the Ontario Tender Fruit Growers overcame initial resistance by his seasonal agricultural workers to get vaccinated. With a couple days to ruminate over printed flyers and face-to-face meetings, all of his 71-member crew from Niagara-on-the-Lake consented and were inoculated on March 22, 2021.

Karen Davidson, editor of The Grower, goes 'Behind The Scenes' of the April 2021 cover story titled 'VEXED BY THE VAX: ROLLING OUT WORKER INOCULATIONS' and speaks with Phil Tregunno.

The safety protocols around COVID-19 are restricting capacity at the Pest Management Centre to conduct toxicological trials needed to register crop protection products. A permanent funding structure would help meet future goals.

Karen Davidson, editor of The Grower, goes 'Behind the Scenes' of the March cover story and speaks with Charles Stevens, chair, crop protection section, OFVGA.

The arena of business risk management is complex with interconnected government, crop insurance and private insurance programs. Federal proposed changes for AgriStability, for example, are currently under review by the provinces.

Karen Davidson, editor of The Grower, talks to Steve Funk, director of agriculture risk management resources for MNP, a leading national accounting agency, about how to approach this dynamic business environment.

Carbon taxes are going up. They are $50/tonne now but the federal government has announced incremental increases to reach $170/tonne by 2030. At the ground level, this policy will increase prices on fertilizer.

Karen Davidson, editor of The Grower, goes 'Behind the Scenes' of The Grower's February 2021 cover story, and talks to Brian Gilroy, president of the Canadian Horticultural Council on lobby efforts to exempt Canadian agriculture from carbon taxes on all energy use.

For 25-plus years, Bob Tosh has been giving farm management advice, including how to retire with enough cash flow for two generations. Planning for a healthy retirement involves a whole-family discussion.

Karen Davidson, editor of The Grower, talked to Bob Tosh, MNP, to find out how this accounting company offers more than tax planning and accounting.