Rebecca Compton, chair of Asparagus Farmers of Ontario, talks about her background and leadership approach to tackling industry issues.

For the last two years, Rebecca Compton has chaired the Asparagus Farmers of Ontario through a challenging marketing period. While managing 60 acres and an on-farm retail outlet, Big Red Barn near Delhi, Ontario, she encourages her young children – Sable and Anson – to be at home in the field.

Hot weather this spring has led to a snowpack of less than 50 per cent of normal for mid-May for the number one apple-producing state. That’s a development worth watching for all Canadian growers experiencing a spring of variable weather.

Parasol fungicide label is expanded for management of several diseases on cranberries, grapes and hops in Canada.

United Fresh 2019 offers a glimpse into the future with a TEC Zone featuring 24 top ag tech start-up companies. One of those is Montreal-based Motorleaf, which uses artificial intelligence to automate harvest yield estimates and disease scouting in tomato and pepper greenhouses.

A new Eco-Lok closure offers the same safety, quality and rigidity as former plastic closures with lower carbon footprint.

Fyffes Ireland is launching a banana band that can withstand the rigours of shipping through the cold chain while claiming a sustainable, fully recyclable paper. It’s an example of more alternatives to come in the produce industry.

Research findings into management of viticultural pests have been summarized for grape growers in a comprehensive field manual entitled Guide to the Key Arthropods of Vineyards of Eastern Canada.

The Canadian Centre for Food Integrity has hired John Jamieson as its new president and CEO. Most recently, Jamieson served as deputy minister of agriculture and fisheries, and deputy minister of rural and regional development in Prince Edward Island. He was also a past executive director of the Prince Edward Island Federation of Agriculture.

Many mainstream American commodity groups are worried about China’s May 13 retaliation on an array of goods. Chinese tariffs will rise anywhere from five to 25 per cent on June 1, including frozen vegetables.