The Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Convention (OFVC) is back in-person for 2023. This year’s annual convention takes place on February 22-23 at the Niagara Falls Convention Centre in Niagara Falls, Ontario. There are many concurrent sessions running over the two day meeting of both general and crop specific content ranging in topics from agronomics, pest management, agri-business, food safety, labour, etc.
This year’s Hop specific content includes:
Hops Session: Wednesday AM in Room 205, (9:30-11:30 am)
9:30 Beer, Yeasts and Hops Biotransformation: A Match Made in Heaven
Dr. Eugene Fletcher, Escarpment Labs
10:30- 11:30 Management Strategies for Halo Blight of Hop
Dr. Tim Miles, Michigan State University, USA
ONHops BrewOff: Wednesday PM in Room 205, (2-4 pm)
Judging of all entries took place in advance of the convention to determine the winners. This session will feature a judging panel headed by the Lead judge, Michael Ligas, where the top three submissions will be re-evaluated. Judges will discuss aroma and flavour sensory profiles of the entries with the audience, and everyone can participate in the hop rub featuring all the hop submissions. Winners will be announced in the session and awards distributed to teams in attendance.
Farmer & Friends Reception Wednesday PM on the Trade Show Floor, (5-7 pm)
The reception takes place at the end of the opening day and is a great opportunity to catch up and network with exhibitors, speakers and fellow hort enthusiasts in a casual environment. This year’s craft beer samples for the Farmer & Friends Reception are provided by participating teams in the ONHops BrewOff.
This year’s Specialty Crops session will focus on Specialty Vegetables:
Specialty Vegetables Session: Thursday PM in Room 205, (2 – 4 pm)
2:00 Growing Sweet Potatoes in Ontario
Dr. Melanie Filotas, OMAFRA; Dr. Valerio Primomo, Vineland Research & Innovation Centre
2:30 Growing Peanuts in Ontario: Past, Present & Future
Peter White, University of Guelph (retired)
3:00 An Introduction to Jerusalem Artichoke and Tigernuts
Dr. Jim Todd, OMAFRA
3:30 Opportunities and Challenges with Non-traditional Root Crops in Ontario
Evan Elford, OMAFRA
For more information, full program details, and to register online, please visit the OFVC website.