Cranberries have a field day


Langley gathering yields learning opportunities for participants.


By Tamara Leigh T


he 2013 Cranberry FieldDaywas a festive and informative event, drawing approximately 200


people, including researchers, suppliers and growers fromthe Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island, and as far away as Pemberton. Held at Creekside Cranberries in


Langley, home of Jack and Joanne DeWit and family, the biannual event featured displays and presentations about cranberry production issues and provided an opportunity for growers to tour the fields and compare notes. “One of the biggest issueswe are


facing right nowis that federal government funding cuts for research,” saysMikeWallis, generalmanager of the B.C. CranberryGrowers Association. “It reallymeans that there is no hope for Agriculture Canada to establish an area to do research on cranberries.” The lack of federal research capacity


makes thework being done at the new CranberryResearch Centre inDelta that muchmore important for gathering local data on variety performance, pest management and other research to benefit growers. “It’s having a place to allow


researchers towork unencumbered by TAMARA LEIGH Growers compare notes during biannual cranberry field day in Langley.


issues that affect local farmers so they don’t have toworry about losing data by doing experiments on a commercial farm,” saysWallis. During the two years since the centre


was announced, they have developed the infrastructure and established the first plantings. Currently there is one bog plantedwith recently-released varieties, and 27 unreleased numbered varieties in small


plots to be evaluated. Entomologist TracyHueppelsheuser


was on hand fromthe provincial agricultureministry to talk to growers about cranberry fruitworm, a relatively newpest that has the potential to affect both cranberries and blueberries in B.C., adding to problems caused by the


TAMARA LEIGH


Walking the fields at Creekside Cranberries, above, and checking out new machinery on display on a sunny August day.


British Columbia Berry Grower • Winter 2013-14 9


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