Early season favourites such as asparagus, rhubarb and field strawberries join greenhouse vegetables to kick off the wealth of produce grown in Ontario.

The Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada and the Canadian Produce Marketing Association met with 34 parliamentarians in their annual Farm to Plate event in Ottawa. Sustainability is a key theme going forward.

Crop protection columnist Josh Mosiondz reports on the in-person meeting held in Gatineau to set priorities for minor use research. He is Ontario’s minor use coordinator.

Advancing automation in horticulture is expensive and time-consuming, says a report by Vineland Research & Innovation Centre. Columnist Owen Roberts shares the industry’s hurdles to making the lives of growers more efficient.

Retail Navigator columnist Peter Chapman shares his lens on the trends at the Canadian Produce Marketing Association trade show. And points out how to prepare for trade shows in the future.