The federal government has announced up to $1,099,624 to the Ontario Tender Fruit Growers through the AgriScience Program – Projects Component. The Ontario Apple Growers is a project partner.

Vance Badawey, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport and Member of Parliament for Niagara Centre, on behalf of the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced the funds on May 10, 2024 at the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre.

Key outcomes of the project include:

-  Developing baseline data on the carbon footprint and environmental impacts of Canadian apple and tender fruit farming operations 

-  Measuring and quantifying the impacts of climate-smart management practices on a farm’s environmental footprint  

-  Developing a carbon calculator to help growers understand, track, and reduce their carbon footprint and GHG emissions 

-  Developing innovative and superior varieties of tender fruit to increase the resiliency and economic growth of the sector

Building on the previous variety development research, this project will look at innovative tender fruit varieties with improved attributes—such as firmer flesh—to increase production, extend shelf-life, and reduce losses caused by shipping, storage, and climate change.

“This new generation of homegrown fruit varieties offers benefits to growers, consumers and the environment,” said Phil Tregunno, chair, Ontario Tender Fruit Growers. “We will reduce our reliance on imported product, increase consumption of healthy food, and cut down on emissions-producing food waste – and by expanding production here at home, we’re also supporting the economic sustainability of our agriculture sector. We appreciate the government’s ongoing commitment to innovation for our domestic tree fruit industry by investing in this much-needed research.”

Brian Rideout, chair, Ontario Apple Growers added, “As tree fruit growers, we’ve long been adopting sustainable farming practices that let us improve soil health and use water, fertilizer and crop science tools more efficiently as we produce healthy food for our consumers. The new tools being developed through this research will help us measure the impacts of our actions and identify additional areas for change so that we can continue to improve our environmental sustainability.” 

Source:  Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada  May 10, 2024 news release