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Photo: Deimagine/Getty Images Plus
Crops, News

Expanding greenhouse sector means more home-grown veggies

Plenty of room to expand in controlled environment agriculture, but investment needed says FCC

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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.
Alberta greenhouse grower Whole Leaf is booked to provide lettuce for U.S. burger chain Wendy’s restaurants across Canada. (CNW Group/Wendy’s Restaurants of Canada)
Crops

Wendy’s secures Canadian greenhouse lettuce supply

Alberta grower to provide sandwich, salad lettuce nationwide

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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
File photo of a small greenhouse operation in Quebec. (ManonAllard/E+/Getty Images)

New pilot program for agri-food labour welcomed

Meat processors, greenhouse and mushroom growers, livestock producers get first crack at program

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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
AAFC’s research station at Morden in southern Manitoba. (Manitoba Co-operator file photo by Allan Dawson)
Crops

COVID-19 threatens federal field research

Prairie cereals' commissions urge AAFC to follow example of universities, private researchers

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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
Ray Schuurman, left, and Greg Schuurman are two of four partners operating Schuurman Greenhouses in Branchton, Ont.
News

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

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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
Vineland’s “Radiance” sweet potato variety was developed specifically for the Canadian growing season. About 60,000 kilograms of root seed stock are needed to produce approximately 2.4 million slips, which can be purchased by commercial sweet potato growers to plant about 200 acres.
Crops, News

Local propagation a sweet potato opportunity

Reliance on North Carolina propagators could present challenges for Canadian growers

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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
Growers who use hoop houses can use the CO2 GRO technology even though they don’t have an entirely closed environment.
Crops, News

Plant growth boosted with water-based carbon dioxide

The Canadian system allows hoop-structure growers to use carbon dioxide as a growth enhancer

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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
The sensor unit in a greenhouse.
News

Smart sensors come to greenhouses

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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
News

New solar panels grab light from above and below

Potential solution towards balance between crop growth and electricity generation capabilities

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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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