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Hort course the backbone of show


ABBOTSFORD – While the


Pacific Agriculture Show is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the Horticulture Growers’ Short Course – the backbone of the show – has a much longer history. In fact, the Lower Mainland Horticultural


Preview by DAVID SCHMIDT


Improvement Association, which organizes the annual course, is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2018.


The annual course includes sessions on strawberries, raspberries and blueberries, hazelnuts, hops, potatoes, vegetables, floriculture, agro forestry, organic production, farm business management, agricultural water management, direct farm marketing and the use of drones. Register by January 9 and the cost is $90 for the first person from a farm and $80 for each additional person and includes access to all seminars as well as the trade show. After January 9, the registration fee jumps to $120 per person. Online registration forms are available at [www.agricultureshow.net].


Berries


Berries remain at the top of the agenda. Thursday’s sessions focus on strawberry and raspberry production. Blueberries take the spotlight on Saturday while Friday’s sessions should be of interest to all berry growers. Thursday’s raspberry


and strawberry sessions will bring growers up to date on new variety developments in BC, Washington and Oregon as well as grower


experiences with some of those new varieties. There will also be information on fumigation and the use of tunnels for strawberry and raspberry production, including grower experiences. The day will conclude with the annual raspberry market outlook. Saturday, blueberry


growers will get valuable insights into managing birds, the Spotted Wing Drosophila, voles and blossom blight. They will also learn how to improve yields and bud set. There will also be information on the blueberry breeding program, new blueberry varieties and market trends. As well, Jorge Retamales of Chile’s Universidad de Talca will describe blueberry production in his country, one of BC’s chief competitors. The Friday afternoon sessions for all berry growers


SHORTCOURSE 60th


HORTICULTUREGROWERS’ 2018 Anniversary THURSDAY Raspberries t Strawberries Vegeta- bles Greenhouse t Agro-Forestry t Floriculture Open-


ing Reception FRIDAY


Farm Business Management Keynote Address


t t t Hazelnuts t


All Berries Direct Farm Markets Hops Potatoes


Agricultural Water Management SATURDAY


Blueberries Organic UAV/Robotics t REGISTER ONLINE AT


WWW.AGRICULTURESHOW.NET Registration includes Trade Show entry and all Growers’ Short Course Sessions


Ph: 604-857-0318 growers@agricultureshow.net


This project is supported by Growing Forward, a federal-provincial initiative


Thursday Friday Saturday


In partnership with the Pacific Agriculture Show


January 25-27 Tradex, Abbotsford


Lower Mainland Horticultural Improvement Association


COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JANUARY 2018


BLACK KNIGHT PHOTO


will discuss farm water irrigation, mites, weevils and vegetative buffers. University of the Fraser Valley students will describe some exciting new apps to help growers while Thomas Elliot will provide information on the use of drones in BC blueberry fields. Growers and others who want more information on the use of drones in agriculture should attend the Saturday morning sessions in the Evergro Room. They will learn regulations on the use of drones and what the drones can do for them. The morning will conclude with a number of drone demonstration flights.


Business management


Nova Scotia agricultural consultant Gary Morton is this year’s keynote speaker. His hour-long address Friday morning will detail success strategies to produce winning customer relationships and improve farmers’ bottom lines.


Friday morning’s business management session also includes Breanna Leininger of Pacific Customs Brokers in Blaine, who will discuss exporting to the US and the potential impact of NAFTA’s renegotiation. Roberta Cook of Village Farms in California will describe how Mexico is becoming a dominant player in the American fruit and vegetable market. Water is key to agricultural


production, so Friday morning’s water


management session should be of considerable interest. The first half will discuss rainwater harvesting and include information on available systems and how rainwater can be used in poultry and other agricultural operations.


The second half will discuss the implications of drought in BC agriculture and how the province is responding. It will include a demonstration of the agriculture water use reporting tool developed by


Public trust workshops The BC Agriculture


Council recently launched a year-long campaign to maintain and enhance public trust in agriculture. As part of that initiative, the council is bringing Clinton Monchuk from Farm and Food Care Saskatchewan to the Pacific Agriculture Show to present two workshops on public trust issues. Each workshop lasts about 3.5 hours and will be held in the BMO Room on Saturday. The morning workshop begins at 9 am and is titled “How to Host a Farm Tour,” while the afternoon workshop begins


the Okanagan Basin Water Board and the BC Ministry of Agriculture.


Potatoes, field vegetables


Irrigation water quality will also be a topic in the field vegetable sessions on Thursday. Vegetable growers will learn about herbicide resistance, cutworm, armyworm and corn rootworm management as well as cole crop foliar diseases. Growers will also learn about diversifying their operations, particularly the opportunity to expand into production of a new sweet potato developed by the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre. Conventional potato


at 1 pm and is titled “Speak Up Farming.” “This workshop is aimed


at producers interested in learning how to talk about the tough issues in agriculture, things people aren’t comfortable talking about,” explains BCAC public trust manager Sharon Eistetter. There is no charge for the


workshops but each is limited to 40 participants so producers are encouraged to pre-register. Interested producers should contact Eistetter at 778-345-7750 or by email:


[seistetter@bcac.ca].


producers should attend the Friday afternoon sessions. They will learn proactive strategies to manage thrips in potatoes and other rotational crops, gain insights into managing weeds in potatoes and learn about new research into wireworm management. Finally, BC berry breeder Michael Dossett will discuss how gene-editing could be used to boost pest resistance in potatoes and other agricultural crops.


Greenhouse veggies


Maximizing the use of technology has always been key to greenhouse vegetable production. Saber Miresmailli will describe how robots and artificial intelligence can be used to pinpoint crop stressors earlier in the greenhouse vegetable session Thursday morning. Growers will also learn about innovative new climate screens and how to prevent bursting of their water storage tanks.


The second half of the session will focus on the greenhouse vegetable


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