Canada continues to rely heavily in imported fruits and vegetables, especially during its long winters but different types of controlled environment agriculture like greenhouses are expanding and changing the balance says Farm Credit Canada.
Tag Archives greenhouse
Expanding greenhouse sector means more home-grown veggies
Plenty of room to expand in controlled environment agriculture, but investment needed says FCC
Wendy’s secures Canadian greenhouse lettuce supply
Alberta grower to provide sandwich, salad lettuce nationwide
The Canadian wing of U.S. burger chain Wendy’s is going strictly indoors, in southern Alberta, to supply all the lettuce for its salad, burger and chicken sandwich offerings across the country. Whole Leaf, based outside Coaldale, about 20 km east of Lethbridge, was announced last week as the lettuce supplier for the chain’s 384 stores […] Read more
New pilot program for agri-food labour welcomed
Meat processors, greenhouse and mushroom growers, livestock producers get first crack at program
Ottawa — Federal officials hope a new pilot program will help stabilize ongoing labour issues in certain sectors of the agri-food value chain, while also providing citizenship to some foreign workers. Critics, however, contend more support is needed. “This pilot will help to ensure that farmers and processors have the much-needed skills, experience and labour […] Read more
Canada’s growers look to reopening garden centres to salvage dire year
Ottawa | Reuters — Hard-hit Canadian flower and nursery growers hope a surge in demand from budding gardeners in Ontario, the country’s biggest market, can help the industry avert disaster caused by the coronavirus with retailers reopening on Friday in the populous province. Most non-essential businesses in Canada were shut in mid-March as officials urged […] Read more
COVID-19 threatens federal field research
Prairie cereals' commissions urge AAFC to follow example of universities, private researchers
COVID-19 threatens to sideline Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) field, greenhouse and laboratory research this year, but not if the Prairie wheat and barley commissions that help to fund it with farmer money have a say. AAFC has been sending “mixed messages” about its plans, Pam de Rocquigny, general manager of the Manitoba Wheat and […] Read more
Floral industry hit hard by COVID-19
Flower growers say a glut of flowers to sell could set their sector back for a couple of years
Greg Schuurman and his family have gone back to their roots selling flowers at the roadside, as much of their Easter and Mother’s Day floral crop has failed to find its usual markets. Schuurman, president and partner in Schuurman Greenhouses, the leader in cut chrysanthemums in Ontario, has been feeling the pain of not being […] Read more
Local propagation a sweet potato opportunity
Reliance on North Carolina propagators could present challenges for Canadian growers
Ontario’s sweet potato sector might not be large, but researchers at the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre says market opportunities in domestic propagation could help drive lucrative growth in the commodity. Why it matters: Existing greenhouse infrastructure could be used to improve domestic sweet potato production. Valerio Primomo, a vegetable breeder with Vineland, is involved […] Read more
Plant growth boosted with water-based carbon dioxide
The Canadian system allows hoop-structure growers to use carbon dioxide as a growth enhancer
An Ontario company has patented technology to dissolve carbon dioxide into water and apply it to plants to make them grow faster while also reducing disease problems. Toronto-based CO2 GRO launched early in 2018 and has sold systems to growers of crops like lettuce, peppers, tomatoes, cannabis and microgreens. Although many greenhouse growers are already […] Read more
Smart sensors come to greenhouses
Autogrow has released a wireless smart sensor giving greenhouse operators high-density microclimate data which can help improve yield, quality and decision making. The Folium sensor gathers environmental data including temperature, humidity, CO2, PAR, RAD and barometric pressure, which growers can view on a heatmap — immediately seeing differences across their grow areas. “We’ve advocated for […] Read more
New solar panels grab light from above and below
Potential solution towards balance between crop growth and electricity generation capabilities
Electricity is a major expense for Canadian greenhouse growers. At the same time, large greenhouse facilities offer potential to produce renewable solar energy — but the challenge to date has been how to do that without impacting the growth and productivity of the crop inside. A potential solution from Ontario solar panel manufacturer Heliene is […] Read more
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