The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention (OFVC) is February 21st & 22nd at the Niagara Falls Convention Centre. Come for the trade show and the educational sessions. Here is a list of sessions that may be of interest to vegetable growers:

Wednesday February 21

FARMING BASICS FOR NEW GROWERS

9:30 Getting Started: Introduction to Farming
Dr. Sean Westerveld, OMAFRA

9:45 Getting Started: Food Safety Basics
Colleen Haskins, OMAFRA

10:00 Financial and Business Planning Tripping Points
John Molenhuis, OMAFRA

10:30 Soil Matters
Danny Jefferies, OMAFRA

11:00 Nutrients in Horticultural Crops: The Basics
Dr. Tejendra Chapagain, OMAFRA

11:30 Pest and Weed Management 101
Dr. Melanie Filotas, OMAFRA

LONG-TERM SOIL PATHOGENS

2:00 Prevention and Proactive Management: Lessons Learned from Clubroot of Cole Crops
Dr. Mary Ruth McDonald, University of Guelph

2:30 What is Killing My Crop? Plant Disease Forensics
Amy Fang Shi, Ontario Ginseng Growers Ontario

3:00 Managing the Impacts of Plant-Parasitic Nematodes in Horticultural Crops
Dr. Tom Forge, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada

3:30 Using Fungicides for Soilborne Disease Management
Katie Goldenhar, OMAFRA

SWEET CORN & CUCURBITS

9:30 Cucurbit Casualties: Soil Borne Pathogens and How to Manage Them
Dr. Brenna Aegerter, University of California, USA

10:00 The Art of Growing a High Quality Sweet Corn Crop
Mike Holzworth, Holzworth Farms

10:30 Can You Build Organic Matter on Sandy Soils?
Dr. Zachary Hayden, Michigan State University, USA

11:00 Squash Production and Soil Management
Ben Vermeulen, Vermeulen Farms

VEGETABLES

2:00 Carrot Nitrogen Management and Remote Sensing
Dr. Zachary Hayden, Michigan State University, USA

2:30 Vegetable Cold Storage 101
Doug Trivers, Dayson Agricultural Ventilation

3:00 Stemphylium – The Unstoppable Force
Emily McFaul, University of Guelph

3:30 New Technologies for Crop Protection of Horticultural Crops
Dr. Mary Ruth McDonald, University of Guelph

WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH SUSTAINABILITY?

9:30 What’s Really Driving the Sustainability Push?
Steph Vickers, OMAFRA

10:00 OFVGA Sustainability Survey: The Practices Gaining Popularity with Growers
Dr. Alexandra Grygorczyk, Vineland Research and Innovation Centre

10:30-11:15 Grower Panel: Farming for Efficiency
Moderator: Gordon Stock, OFVGA
Dan Oliver, Nortera; Josh Aitken, Cave Spring Vineyard; Brian Rideout, Manitree Fruit Farm; Brian Collins, Collins Farm Produce

11:15 Accessing Program $$ for Hort Growers
Margaret May, Ontario Soil & Crop Improvement Association

Thursday February 22

COST OF PRODUCTION

2:00-3:00 Collecting Data to Calculate Costs of Production
David Cohlmeyer, Sustainable Good Foods

3:00 Maximizing COP for Farm Business Strategy and Growth
Dusty Zamecnik, Tommy DeVos, EZ Grow Farms

3:30 COP Toolbox
John Molenhuis, OMAFRA

DRONE SPRAYING IN CANADA

2:00 The Importance of Calibrating a RPAAS
Dr. Jason Deveau, OMAFRA

2:30 RPAS/Drone Regulations in Canada
Cindy Haughton, Transport Canada

3:00 How UASS Flight Characteristics Affect Spray Quality and Coverage
Dr. Michael Reinke, Michigan State University, USA

3:30 Spray Drones: Magic or Myth?
Adrian Rivard, Drone Spray Canada

FARMING BASICS FOR NEW GROWERS: PART II

9:30–10:30 Crop Overviews:
Speciality Crops – Evan Elford, OMAFRA
Fruit Crops – Kathryn Carter, OMAFRA
Vegetable Crops – Dennis Van Dyk, OMAFRA

10:30 Planning and Scheduling Vegetable Crops: Sweet Corn Case Study
Elaine Roddy, OMAFRA

11:00 Experiences in Starting a Farm in Ontario
Gail Winters, Goodlot Farm & Farmstead Brewing Company

FREQUENT FELONS OF FRUITING VEGETABLES

9:30 Adapting to Aggressive Anthracnose in Peppers
Katie Goldenhar, OMAFRA

10:00 Fusarium in Fruiting Vegetables
Dr. Brenna Aegerter, University of California, USA

10:40 An Interactive Exchange on Insect Issues
Ben Aigner, Virginia Tech, USA

GARLIC

2:00-4:00 Improving Production Practices, Major Pests of 2023 and How to Manage Them in 2024 as well as Incorporating Clean Seed into your Farm
Travis Cranmer, OMAFRA

GENERAL LABOUR

9:30-10:30 Navigating TFWP/SAWP Paperwork: LMIAs and Work Permits (PANEL)
Shawn McGowan, Schuyler Farms; Amanda Doughty, Sandy Shore Farms

10:30 WSIB 101: Forms, Recovery and Return to Work
Kendra Holliday-Bryant, WSIB

11:00 Labour Market Information Session
Phyllis MacCallum, Canadian Agricultural Human Resources Council

11:30 Update on SAWP/TFWP and LICC
Ken Forth, FARMS/LICC

2:00 Building New Housing for TFW Workforce – Grower Panel

2:30 Handling Expansions of a Farm’s TFW Workforce – Grower Panel

3:00 Recognized Employer Pilot (REP) for SAWP/TFWP

3:30 Perspectives and Lessons Learned from Service Canada Interactions with Growers in TFWP/SAWP (PANEL)

SOIL HEALTH

9:30 Mapping Orchard Variability and Soil Attributes to Improve Orchard Management
Bernardita Sallato Carmona, Washington State University, USA

10:00–11:30 On-Farm Soil Mapping and Technology to Improve Site-Specific Management (PANEL)
Liam Reeves, Stratus Vineyards; Ben Vermeulen, Vermeulen Farms; Friedhelm Hoffman, Lakeside Grain & Feed; Herman Visscher, MEN’s Farming Inc.

A full list of sessions/workshops can be found at https://www.ofvc.ca/sessions_day1.html. Session calendars taken from the OFVC highlights brochure are found below: