The Plant City, Florida grower of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries has expanded operations to Oxnard, California. The Frontera strawberry variety will be grown there.

While no specific type, brand or supplier of leafy greens was identified as the source of infection, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has identified the E. coli strain in a manure sample about a mile from the production site. 

A dehydration plant owned by the Washington Potato Company was destroyed in a major fire on January 21. It’s located 90 miles southwest of Spokane.

In a new twist, some of America’s largest blueberry growers are insisting that there is no injury to the industry when most imports arrive outside the domestic growing season of late April to early September. The coalition went public a week before the U.S. International Trade Commission looks at the case on January 12.

The American Blueberry Growers Alliance has been established to seek relief from rising imports. While Peru and Mexico are said to be the main irritants, Canada is also caught up in the International Trade Commission investigation.  

This resource provides excellent pictures and describes key features to identify the six different species found in Ontario: waterhemp, redroot pigweed, green pigweed, tumble pigweed, smooth pigweed and prostrate pigweed.  

BASF Canada Agricultural Solutions has received registration for Merivon fungicide. It can be used to address key diseases such as black rot and bitter rot in apples, and Septoria leaf spot and botrytis gray mold in blueberries. 

Currently in Ontario the Pigweed family have confirmed resistance to 6 of the 8 Herbicide Groups where resistance occurs. Browse or download the latest version of the Pigweed Species Identification Guide.

The Ontario Pesticide Education Program courses focus on product information, health and environmental risk management, pesticide application and pesticide safety practices. Growers can work through the course at their own pace. 

UPL diversifies its portfolio with OHM, its first biostimulant in Canada.  

NutriAg is introducing newly registered SiliCalMax, a silicon and calcium foliar fertilizer for both fruit and vegetable crops.

More than $3.6 million of Ontario funding will be targeted to 12 projects through the Greenhouse Competitiveness and Innovation Initiative. One project is to test cost effectiveness of anti-viral coating to treat tools and surfaces with hopes of reducing spread of human and plant viruses. 

Telus Corporation, a Canadian telecom company, has announced its acquisitions of several data management and analytics companies to come under the umbrella of Telus Agriculture.   

Ecoation is partnering with Kinova, a Canadian-based global leader in professional robotics. It’s a step forward in identifying pests and diseases in greenhouses.

Two scientists – one in Germany, one in the United States – are winning global accolades for their development of a method of genome editing. They are Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna.  

Bill George Jr. is re-elected for a third one-year term as chair of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association at the 162^nd annual general meeting – held virtually for the first time.   

The Niagara Peninsula fruit and vegetable growers are honouring the Foreign Agricultural Resource Management Service and CanAg Travel Service for their 2020 pandemic efforts. The Award of Merit cites extraordinary efforts in managing travel logistics for about 20,000 seasonal agricultural workers arriving in Ontario and advocacy efforts to secure federal quarantine funding.  

Robert Van Der Geest becomes general manager for Nature Fresh Farms Mexico  leading operations of a 15-acre pepper greenhouse in the central region of the country. Another 15 acres are under construction. 

The president and co-founder of Cave Spring Cellars has been named to the Order of Canada, capping a lifetime of achievements in the wine and hospitality industry of the Niagara Peninsula.  

The annual general meeting of CanAgPlus, the not-for-profit corporation that owns and operates the CanadaGAP Program, has elected two new and two returning directors. This is the oversight board for food safety. 

This resource provides excellent pictures and describes key features to identify the six different species found in Ontario: waterhemp, redroot pigweed, green pigweed, tumble pigweed, smooth pigweed and prostrate pigweed.  

BASF Canada Agricultural Solutions has received registration for Merivon fungicide. It can be used to address key diseases such as black rot and bitter rot in apples, and Septoria leaf spot and botrytis gray mold in blueberries. 

Currently in Ontario the Pigweed family have confirmed resistance to 6 of the 8 Herbicide Groups where resistance occurs. Browse or download the latest version of the Pigweed Species Identification Guide.

The Ontario Pesticide Education Program courses focus on product information, health and environmental risk management, pesticide application and pesticide safety practices. Growers can work through the course at their own pace. 

UPL diversifies its portfolio with OHM, its first biostimulant in Canada.  

Bill George Jr. is re-elected for a third one-year term as chair of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association at the 162^nd annual general meeting – held virtually for the first time.   

The Niagara Peninsula fruit and vegetable growers are honouring the Foreign Agricultural Resource Management Service and CanAg Travel Service for their 2020 pandemic efforts. The Award of Merit cites extraordinary efforts in managing travel logistics for about 20,000 seasonal agricultural workers arriving in Ontario and advocacy efforts to secure federal quarantine funding.  

Erika DeBrouwer has joined the horticulture crops unit, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. She will be based in Simcoe.

The president and co-founder of Cave Spring Cellars has been named to the Order of Canada, capping a lifetime of achievements in the wine and hospitality industry of the Niagara Peninsula.  

The annual general meeting of CanAgPlus, the not-for-profit corporation that owns and operates the CanadaGAP Program, has elected two new and two returning directors. This is the oversight board for food safety. 

Charles Stevens, chair, crop protection section, OFVGA, discusses the restricted capacity at the Pest Management Centre to conduct toxicological trials needed to register crop protection products.

Steve Funk, director of agriculture risk management resources for MNP, discusses business risk management and interconnected government, crop insurance and private insurance programs.

Brian Gilroy, president of the Canadian Horticultural Council, talks with Karen Davidson, editor, on lobby efforts to exempt Canadian agriculture from carbon taxes on all energy use.

Scott Hodgins has been in the crop protection business for 20 years and shares his thoughts on the impacts of COVID-19 on research for horticulture.

The Grower, goes 'Behind the Scenes' of the December cover story titled Hardest Harvest and speaks with John Ketler, vice-president, Nature Fresh Farms.