This year’s Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention (OFVC) will feature several sessions of interest to specialty crop growers. The convention will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 19 and Thursday, Feb. 20 at the Niagara Falls Convention Centre in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
Specific specialty crops sessions will include Hops, Lavender, Hazelnut, and Perennial Vegetables (Rhubarb). Here are highlights for growers of those commodities:
Contents
Hops – Wednesday, Feb. 19, 9:30-11:30 am
9:30 Update on Spider Mite Biocontrol and Flea Beetle Distribution in Ontario Hops – Dr. Justin Renkema AAFC
10:00 Importance of Coverage/Improving Coverage in Tall Crops – Dr. David Manktelow, New Zealand
10:30 Impact of Drying Temperature on Aroma Hop Quality – Dr. Lindsey Rubottom, Univ. of Oregon
11:00 Impact of Temperature and Other On-Farm Parameters on Hop Quality – Dr. Lindsey Rubottom
Hazelnuts – Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2:00-4:00pm
2:00 Pricing and Promotion for Profit – Melissa Schooley, Apple Hill Lavender
2:30 Selling Local – Consumer Perceptions of Local Products and How to Increase Sales – Dr. Alicia Rihn, University of Tennessee
3:00 Marketing Local Hazelnuts – A Case Study from the Midwestern USA – Emma Dempsey, American Hazelnut Company
3:30 Grower Panel – Marketing Hazelnuts in Ontario: Present and Future – Amanda Pilot, The Nutty Neighbours; Rebecca Compton, Dalton White Farms; Elisabeth Burrow, Jewels Under the Kilt
Lavender 1 – Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2:00-4:30 pm
2:00 Hosting a Lavender Festival Off Site – Beth Hammerberg, Down by the River Lavender, WA USA
2:30 Panel on Festivals and Events – Beth Hammerberg, Down by the River Lavender; Arthur Lin, Lavender Polo Farm; Julie Thurgood-Burnett, Hereward Farm; Christine Arezzi, Bluewater Lavender
3:30 Ontario Lavender Association Annual General Meeting
Lavender 2 – Lavender Product Marketing – Thursday, Feb. 20, 9:30am – 12:00pm
9:30 Choosing Sales Channels and Bringing Products to Market – Beth Hammerberg
10:00 Lavender Product Marketing Experiences – Arthur Lin and Julie Thurgood-Burnett
10:30 Using Branding and Marketing Communications to Generate Value – Dr. Alicia Rihn
11:00 Getting More Lavender Products into the Shopping Cart – Peter Chapman SKU Food, Nova Scotia
11:30 General Q&A
Perennial Vegetables (Asparagus and Rhubarb) – Thursday, Feb. 20 9:30-11:30am
9:30 Advances in Rhubarb Field Management – Libby Indermaur, Cornell University
10:00 Adding Value to Rhubarb: Craft Beverages and Culinary Uses – Libby Indermaur
10:30 Asparagus: What You Need to Know Before You Grow – Elaine Roddy, OMAFA
11:00 Asparagus: In-Crop Management – Ben Werling, Michigan State University
Other Sessions and Talks of Interest for Specialty Crop Growers
- Seed Health and Treatment: Seed-borne diseases and seed treatment technologies. Ginseng growers and others dealing with seed should plan to attend.
- Agritourism Ontario – Wednesday and Thursday am and pm: Numerous talks on branding, merchandizing, leveraging AI, social media, farm setup, and secrets to a successful farm.
- Apples – Wednesday pm – focus on effective spraying
- Cost of Production – Wednesday pm: understanding costs of machinery and depreciation
- Labour – Wednesday am and Thursday am
- Robotics – Thursday am
- Outdoor Cut Flowers – Thursday pm
- Soil Health and Fertility – Thursday pm
- Sprayer Basics for Vegetables- Thursday pm
For the full program details and to register visit the OFVC website at www.ofvc.ca. Register by Feb. 12 at 5:00 pm for early-bird pricing. Hotels book up quickly. Use the link to the hotel on the website for discounted convention rates.
