Many apple growers are converting to high-density orchards with top-selling consumer favourites: Honeycrisp, Ambrosia and Gala. The search for new varieties is arduous as Cathy McKay, vice-chair of the Ontario Apple Growers, attests. She’s been one of the champions of a new Canadian Apple Breeding Consortium.

Apple grower Cathy McKay has converted her 27-acre orchard to new varieties and trellis systems to produce a great tasting experience for consumers.

The new chair of Agricorp's board of directors is fourth-generation carrot and onion farmer Jason Verkaik. He’s a past chair of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association.

Louise Fresco, president of Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands joined Syngenta’s board of directors, effective April 12, 2019. The university is highly regarded world-wide for its research in horticulture and other agricultural sciences.

AgScape, the voice of agriculture in the classroom for Ontario, has hired Glenna Banda as its new executive director. She has headed The Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington (CFGW) for the past nine years.

Phil Tregunno remains chair of the Ontario Tender Fruit Growers for 2019.

Health Canada will be cancelling some uses and restricting others of three neonicotinoid pesticides. Changes are ahead for crops ranging from tree fruits to berries to cucurbit vegetables. All uses for orchard trees, for example, have been cancelled.

The Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) has elected a new executive slate for the next year. Global traveller Oleen Smethurst of Costco Wholesale Canada is the new chair.

The Brant County Agricultural Awareness Committee has been named 2019 recipient of Farm & Food Care Ontario’s Champion Award for its Bite of Brant program. Educational programs like these bring the story of agriculture close to home for school-aged children.

The B.C. Tree Fruits Cooperative has appointed two new senior executives –Todd McMyn as chief executive officer (CEO) and Ross Dwhytie as chief financial officer (CFO). The Kelowna-based cooperative represents more than 400 local grower families.