Good Year For Processing Vegetable Growers
Big Expansion For Cucumber Production
The growers stepped up to meet the new demand by an American firm for cucumbers. OPVG Secretary Manager John Mumford says cucumber production more than doubled following the investment made by Hartung Brothers Incorporated.
Growing Energy: Conference Explores Farm Sources of Biomass
Farmer Bryan Gilvesy speaking at Biomass Conference, Nov. 24
A conference at the Ridgetown Campus of the University of Guelph brought together a diverse group of farmers, energy producers and researchers to explore the potential of biomass.
Biomass is plant material from agricultural and forestry sources that can be used to produce energy.
The driving forces behind biomass include the overall interest in reducing greenhouse gases and Ontario’s move to replace coal in the generation of electricity. Ontario Power Generation is targeting 2012 as the year when it will begin using biomass as a replacement for coal in some of its electricity plants.
OPG Environmental Scientist Gerry McKenna says they’re evaluating several agricultural sources of biomass. These include many grass crops like miscanthus and switch grass. Crop residues like corn stover are also being considered.
The goal is to produce a sustainable supply for the coal-fired plants without having to use food crops for fuel.
OPG is targeting the Atikokan Generating Station to be the first station converted to biomass fuel. It will be followed by other stations in Thunder Bay, Lambton and Nanticoke.
Click play button below to hear McKenna explain OPG’s interest in biomass as well as the challenges of using biomass as an energy source.
Meanwhile, an agri-business expert is cautious about the potential of the emerging biomass market. On the plus side, Professor David Sparling from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario says biomass presents a new market opportunity for farmers.
Sparling says biomass is a shift in technology from fossil fuels that is not being driven by economics, but by a need to do things differently because of climate change. Sparling adds that biomass will have to make economic sense for farmers and processors to be a viable market. He says the economics of biomass could be best driven by carbon trading markets where people are paid for doing things that are more environmentally sustainable.
In the clip below, Sparling discusses the challenges of the emerging biomass market
An example of what Dr. Sparling is talking about – compensation for environmentally sustainable practices – is being demonstrated on a farm in southern Ontario.
Norfolk County farmer Bryan Gilvesy believes tallgrass prairie has enormous potential for producing biomass as well as improving the environment. He says the environmental benefits include sequestering carbon, protecting water resources and providing a habitat for key pollinators such as bees.
Gilvesy’s farm, which grows 46 acres of tallgrass prairie, is a demonstration site for the Norfolk Alternative Land Use Services project. The pilot program tests the idea of paying farmers for the environmental services they perform.
A perennial grass called miscanthus is also emerging as a potential crop for biomass. Leamington farmer Dean Tiessen grows miscanthus for use in his greenhouse business. In essence, he grows one crop outside to help produce greenhouse tomatoes – his valued-added crop that is grown indoors.
He says miscanthus is a perennial crop that is planted once and grows for many years with little or no inputs.
Tiessen, Sparling, Gilvesy and McKenna were just four of several speakers at the November 24th conference “Agricultural Solutions for Energy: Biomass”. It was part of the Research to Receptor Series 2009.
Meteorologist Forecasts Less Snow This Winter; Near Normal Conditions For Summer
A well-known weather forecaster in south-western Ontario is calling for less snow and milder temperatures this winter compared with last year.
Meteorologist Jay Campbell was a guest speaker at the Lambton Federation of Agriculture Annual meeting in Wyoming on Friday night (Nov.20).
Campbell says the El Nino effect will mean that we’re not likely to see as much snowfall this winter. He says there will be heavy snow at times, but it likely won’t stay around as long as it did last year. As for temperatures, Campbell is also expecting more variation and less extended periods of cold weather.
Meanwhile, Campbell expects that conditions for next year’s growing season should return to normal. This past season proved to be difficult with cooler temperatures and above normal rainfall.
Campbell recently retired from his full-time duties as meteorologist from A-Channel (previously CFPL-TV) in London but is still active as a consultant.
Do-it-yourself Biodiesel
Participants learn finer points of biodiesel at workshop
A portable demonstration plant is giving farmers and others interested in renewable fuels a chance to learn more about biodiesel production.
The demonstration plant is operated by the Canadian International Grains Institute (CIGI).
Rex Newkirk, director of biofuels and feed at the Institute, is conducting workshops with the mobile unit this week (November 17-19) at the Ridgetown Campus of the University of Guelph.
Biodiesel is a diesel fuel replacement made from renewable resources like animal or plant fats.
Newkirk says biodiesel has two key benefits for farmers. It gives producers of oilseeds crops – such as soybeans – another marketing opportunity beyond food consumption and animal feed.
Meanwhile, Newkirk says producing biodiesel on the farm could help livestock producers that use soy meal. He says they could crush or press the seeds to get the soy meal for the animals and then use oil to produce their own biodiesel.
Rex Newkirk at Ridgetown workshop
CIGI's portable biodiesel plant
Newkirk says the biggest challenge of producing biodiesel on-farm is the amount of time it takes to understand how the process works. He suggests that a group of farmers using a cooperative approach would be a more economical and time-effective process.
Safety is also a key consideration. Newkirk says biodiesel is non-toxic and non-flammable. But he says substances used to process it – like lye and methanol – are hazardous, and people need to know how to handle them safely.
During the workshops, participants made small batches of biodiesel as they learned about each stage of the production.
Ridgetown’s Farm-Scale Plant
Participants in the workshop had the chance to see a demonstration facility at Ridgetown that is designed to make it easier for farmers to produce fuel from their farms.
Matt McLean, Executive Director of SOBIN – the Southwestern Ontario Bioproducts Innovation Network – says a farm-scale plant has begun producing biodiesel from recycled vegetable oil. The next step is to add a crushing operation so that the fuel can be made from soybeans.
McLean says this Ridgetown plant will play a key role in demonstrating the new technologies as well as evaluating them for on-farm use. The plant can be used to test various feedstocks as well as the economics of producing the biofuel. The research could then be used by farmers or other groups to determine if producing biodiesel on the farm is worth the investment.
McLean says the biodiesel plant is part of SOBIN’s work with the University to research and develop commercial opportunities for bio-products.
News Roundup – November 16
Former Food Entrepreneur to Lead Ontario Green Party
The new leader of the Green Party of Ontario has strong ties to agriculture. Mike Schreiner, who helped establish Local Food Plus, has taken the helm of the party.
Local Food Plus is a non-profit organization that certifies farmers and processors who produce food in environmentally and socially responsible ways.
Red Cowboy Boots and Meat Sales
Although it’s a commentary rather than a news story, an editorial written by Steve Cornett, editor emeritus at Beef Today, reveals a remarkable lack of interest by American consumers in the U.S. Country of Origin Labelling (COOL) law.
Cornett also uses his purchase of high top red cowboy boots, made in China no less, to effectively demonstrate that certain product attributes can have more sway with consumers than country of origin.
Also of interest to Canadian producers, he believes a voluntary traceability system is a superior food safety tool when compared with a mandatory labelling regime.
Click here to view the full editorial
Animal Health Awareness Campaign Launched
Ottawa has launched a national awareness campaign for farmers to help keep animals healthy and safeguard the Canadian food supply.
As part of the Animal Health Awareness Campaign, producers across Canada will receive tips and information about biosecurity measures. Producers will be encouraged to revisit their biosecurity plans, continue to observe their animals for signs of illness and regularly consult with their veterinarians on the health of their animals.
News Roundup – November 12
Dr. Ron Pitblado
Remembering A Dedicated Agricultural Scientist and Leader
The following is from a statement released by the University of Guelph’s Ridgetown Campus:
It is with great sadness that the University of Guelph’s Ridgetown Campus announces the passing of Dr. Ron Pitblado (age 63), former Associate Director Academics, Research Scientist and global agricultural extensionist. He lost his battle with cancer on November 11, 2009.
Ron’s distinguished 34- year career is unparalleled. His unstoppable passion to investigate new possibilities for agriculture, particularly for Ontario’s fruit and vegetable industry defined his extensive teaching, research, and extension career,” stated Dr. Art Schaafsma, Campus Director at Ridgetown.
Ron’s research achievements include the development of TOM-CAST, a weather timed pesticide spray program used throughout the world in processing tomato production. The writing and delivery of countless scientific papers and publications was only seen as successful to him if it was useful for growers.
Ron helped to develop the Ontario Weather Network (OWN), a project to assist growers with the timely application of irrigation and pest management products in several crops.
Sharing his understanding of mushroom production, Ridgetown Campus boasted the only mushroom education facility in Canada and when he wasn’t teaching students at Ridgetown, Ron taught mushroom production to countless farmers around the globe.
Also gifted with management and administration talent, Ron welcomed several leadership positions including Horticulture Section Head, Associate Director Academics, and Acting Campus Director during his time at Ridgetown.
Ron retired from Ridgetown Campus in summer 2007.
He is a native of St. Catharines, Ontario, and is survived by his loving wife Diane and two grown sons, David and Doug, and their families.
Visitation information:
Sunday, November 15, 2009 from 1:00 – 4:00 PM and 7:00 – 9:00 PM at McKinlay Funeral Homes Ltd., 459 St. Clair St. Chatham.
The Pitblado family will be holding a private family service on Monday, November 16, 2009.
Survey Reveals Ontario Food Labelling Lacks Clarity
Another survey is showing that Ontario consumers care about their food and the people who produce it. They care enough to want more knowledge and information about the food they buy for their family, where it is from and whether it truly is from Ontario.
Brian Sterling, CEO of OnTrace
The study was done by Ontario’s traceability organization OnTrace, in collaboration with the Toronto-based research firm The Strategic Counsel.
OnTrace was looking for insight into how consumers perceive the brands for Ontario products and what assurances Ontarians are seeking about the food they eat.
“We have intuitively felt that having a reliable way to verify the source of food products is important to consumers,” said Brian Sterling, CEO, OnTrace.
“What we found was that a large majority of consumers feel that a simple and consistent “gold seal” that is backed up by a trusted standard would be of great value to them. The challenge for OnTrace is obviously how to help industry address this opportunity.”
The survey revealed several points about food marketing that add up to a confusing experience. OnTrace says that together, these results suggest that one of the barriers to purchasing Ontario produce and meat products is a lack of clearly identifiable labels to let people know which foods are from Ontario.
Ontario consumers expressed frustration they cannot easily identify food grown and produced in Ontario. Moreover, the study found that there is an absence of a powerful “Ontario brand” in the marketplace – one that people think of spontaneously when they think of Ontario-grown foods.
- Ontarians tend to be unaware of most of the Ontario food and wine logos, although when prompted they do recognize the Foodland Ontario and VQA logos.
- Ironically, the marketing logos and slogans used by food producer and processor organizations to promote themselves and Ontario food, seem to confuse and frustrate consumers.
- It was clear that there is a growing appetite for a gold seal or umbrella logo to replace or supplement the many Ontario food logos being used today. Consumers stated, this would make shopping easier and they would have greater confidence that the source of food was verified.
The research included eight two-hour discussion groups across Ontario in four cities: Toronto, Windsor, Sudbury and Kingston; and a survey of 1,000 Ontario grocery shoppers conducted in early October.
More details about the research are available at the OnTrace Web site.
Investing In Farm Safety
The federal government is investing more than $5 million to improve the safety of farmers and farm workers by funding the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association(CASA).
Formed in 1993,CASA helps producers recognize and manage risk in the agricultural workplace. This investment will create safety exhibits, web resources and training material to help farmers spot and remedy hazards.
Funding will also be used to support CASA’s award-winning Progressive Agricultural Safety Days – day-long events held throughout the country to make rural youth aware of the hazards on the farm and in a rural environment. CASA will be coordinating 75 such days in 2010.
The funding was announced November 12 at CASA’s annual meeting in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
News Roundup-November 11
Ford Teams Up With Ontario BioCar To Use Wheat Straw In Car Parts
Ford Motor Company, working with Ontario researchers and one of its suppliers, is the first automaker to develop and use environmentally friendly wheat straw-reinforced plastic in a vehicle. The first application of the natural fiber-based plastic that contains 20 percent wheat straw bio-filler is on the 2010 Ford Flex’s third-row interior storage bins.
“Ford continues to explore and open doors for greener materials that positively impact the environment and work well for customers,” said Patrick Berryman, a Ford engineering manager who develops interior trim.
Ford researchers were approached with the wheat straw-based plastics formulation by the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, as part of the Ontario BioCar Initiative – a multi-university effort between Waterloo, the University of Guelph, University of Toronto and University of Windsor.
Ford works closely with the Ontario government-funded project, which is seeking to advance the use of more plant-based materials in the auto and agricultural industries.
Encouraging More Young People To Farm
Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of National Revenue and Minister of State (Agriculture), has begun a cross-country tour to hear what young farmers have to say about their industry.
While several programs are available, Blackburn says the government is eager to determine if they are as effective as they could be in helping young people buy land and equipment, and especially to carry on family farms.
Local Fare At The Royal
More than 15 farmers are helping the restaurants at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto feature local food. As an article in the Toronto Star points out, the key ingredients are making contacts and lining up suppliers.
Regulations Take Bite Out of Food Industry
Farmers and food manufacturers are raising concerns over regulations to Ontario’s Toxic Reductions Act.
The uproar has caught the attention of Sun Media. according to the Sun’s commentary, food processors say the regulations will force them to classify food products such as barley, flour and chocolate as “toxic” substances.
There seems to be a “failure to communicate between the industry groups and John Gerretsen, Ontario’s Environment minister. Gerretsen says chocolate, wheat, barley and soybeans are not on the proposed list.
In response to a question in the legislature, he says the list is based on the federal National Pollutant Release Inventory, the NPRI, which includes substances that are known to be harmful to the environment or to human health, including a number of carcinogens.
The processors insist that is not the case, saying that if the regs go through as written, they will have to report particulate matter, which includes harmless substances such as flour.
Russia Expands Imports of Canadian Beef and Livestock
Russia will now accept Canadian boneless beef from animals over 30 months of age. Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced the agreement in Moscow Tuesday (October 13) after a meeting with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Victor Zubkov.
The move, one of several agriculture-related deals announced Tuesday, builds on an earlier agreement for Russia to import Canadian bone-in-beef from animals under 30 months of age. Canada and Russia also agreed to have technical officials work within this calendar year to move toward giving Russian importers access to Canadian beef offal.
The Canada Beef Export Federation (CBEF) estimates the value of under 30-month beef and over 30-month boneless beef will be worth up to $32 million. CBEF also estimates fully reopening the Russian market to Canadian offal will be worth up to $10 million.
Beef isn’t the only product that will see improved market access. Russia is also expanding its sheep and goat production and opening market access for high-quality Canadian small ruminant breeding stock. The Canadian Sheep Federation estimates the Russian market will be worth up to $8 million over three years.
Meanwhile, the Canadian industry participated in the Moscow Golden Autumn Agricultural Fair and finalized key agreements with Russian industry to provide high-quality beef breeding stock and technical training. Hawkeye Land & Livestock Ltd. of Canada signed a deal to ship up to 10,000 head of pure-bred beef breeding stock to the Russian-owned Northern Agro Industrial Company.
Another Canadian company, Alta Exports International, signed another agreement with Inter-Regional Beef Breeding Cattle Development Fund, to support the establishment of a beef-breeding training centre to make sure Russian buyers can maximize production from Canadian breeding stock.
Canada Turns Up Heat on COOL
The Canadian government is taking the next step in the fight against U.S. Mandatory Country of Origin Labelling. Ottawa has requested a World Trade Organization panel to help resolve the dispute over the controversial law that has become well known by its acronym, “COOL”.
“The U.S. COOL requirements are so onerous that they affect the ability of our cattle and hog exporters to compete fairly in the U.S. market,” said International Trade Minister Stockwell Day, in a news release.
“Canadian farmers and ranchers produce top-quality food, and they are facing unfair discrimination because of COOL legislation,” said Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz.
COOL is a mandatory labelling measure in the United States that requires firms to track and notify customers of the country of origin of meat and other agricultural products at each major stage of production, including at the retail level.
The federal government and Canada’s livestock producers claim the provisions impose unfair and unnecessary costs on integrated North American supply chains, reducing competitiveness in both Canada and the U.S.
The result, according to the release, is confusion and uncertainty for livestock industries on both sides of the border.
Canada’s request for a panel comes after two rounds of WTO consultations with the U.S. failed to resolve the issue. Panels are the next step in the WTO’s dispute settlement process.
Suncor Doubling Sarnia Ethanol Capacity; Move Could Fuel Other Biofuel Production
Suncor Energy has announced it is resuming the expansion of its St. Clair Ethanol Plant near Sarnia, Ontario.
The $120 million construction project, expected to be completed in late 2010 or early 2011, will double the plant’s current ethanol production capacity from 200 to 400 million litres per year.
According to the company’s news release, the project will benefit the Sarnia-Lambton area through the creation of 350 jobs during construction and 15 new jobs to operate the expanded plant, as well as supporting demand for feedstock — approximately 40 million bushels of corn annually — from local farmers.
How Soybean Production Might Benefit
The expansion may also lead to the production of other biofuels. With an eye toward developing a value-added market, the Ontario Soybean Growers (now part of the new Grain Farmers of Ontario organization), AGRIS Co-operative and Suncor Energy have been studying the potential for a facility that could process specialty soybeans.
Dale Petrie, general manager of the Soybean Growers, envisions a bio-refinery, capable of producing a variety of plant-based oils for industrial uses. The diverse list of potential applications includes making compostable plastic bags and parts for car interiors.
While the idea of such a plant may be several years away from reality (if at all), a value-chain for high oleic soybean oil is emerging.
I wrote about this potential new market (before the announced expansion in Sarnia) in the October issue of Top Crop Manager magazine.
It all starts with new soybean varieties that have been developed to produce oil that is high in oleic content.
This feature has attracted the attention of food companies because high levels of oleic acid increase the stability of the oil when used in frying and food processing applications while reducing or eliminating transfats in food products.
This high stability would also be of interest to industrial users, perhaps seeking ways of replacing petroleum-based oils with renewable alternatives.
The key to the market for farmers, according to Petrie, is being able to connect it with Canada’s highly respected Identity Preserved (IP) system.
“The big difference is that most IP markets that farmers are accustomed to are the food-grade types, which are non-genetically modified,” explains Petrie.
“Farmers can grow these new varieties under a glyphosate-resistant system. There’s a certain percentage of farmers who like the weed control of glyphosate-tolerant crops, but they also want to add some value to the crop.”
And Petrie says value could be derived from segregating the high oleic soybean oil.
“You don’t want to dilute your high oleic oil and hurt the process with oil from traditional soybeans. If a manufacturer is set up to use the new high oleic oil, the process has to be continuous.”
Producing high oleic soybean oil alone would be too expensive. That’s where the ethanol plant expansion comes into play. Petrie says the corn processing would help offset the cost of crushing the soybeans.
He adds the soybean facility would need to be flexible so it could produce other specialty oils in the future.
For more on the story, see the October Top Crop Manager
Other links: Suncor’s News Release
