JULY 2019 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC Tree fruit competitiveness funds start to flow
Research, marketing, infrastructure are key targets
by TOM WALKER KELOWNA—The first round
of projects supported by the $5 million tree fruit competitiveness fund announced by BC agriculture minister Lana Popham in March 2018 have been approved. The second set went before the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC (IAFBC) on June 18. “It’s a two-step process,” explains Glen Lucas, general manager of the BC Fruit Growers Association. “We have an industry advisory committee operated by the BCFGA that reviews and recommends project applications, that are then sent to the adjudication committee of the IAFBC” The four-year program will
support projects in the areas of research, marketing and infrastructure improvement for the tree fruit industry. The first three projects
cover off each category. Under research, $78,260 has been awarded to BCFGA to survey technology-readiness in the industry as well as map industry use of information technology. Okanagan College is managing the research, and has conducted a couple of workshops and is just completing the grower survey. “We are interested in
knowing who is using what technology out there so that we are able to document any change,” says Lucas, noting that the range of technology runs from the use of smartphone apps to spray technologies. “It will give us a benchmark and if we decide to take on say an education program on some technology, this will give us a way to measure any impact.” The map of IT use across the industry will help plan for upgrades. Right now, BCFGA and BC Tree Fruits Cooperative databases aren’t harmonized. When a grower’s phone number or acreage changes in one system, it isn’t automatically updated on the other. Knowing how information is managed across the industry will facilitate harmonization of record-keeping. One system that does harmonize well is the BC Tree Fruit Production Guide and the decision aid system (DAS). “If we make a change in the
production guide, say with a spray schedule or the use of a product, that automatically appears in the on-line version of the guide and also shows up in the product recommendations of the DAS
system that growers can refer to when researching a spray program,” Lucas says. There is also money to run a pilot of the Croptracker app from Dragonfly IT Inc. of Kingston, Ontario, which allows a grower to access recommendations from the production guide and record management practices such as spray applications and rate, irrigation schedules, pruning and harvesting for each orchard block. “Anything you do with a
clipboard you can do with Croptracker,” Lucas points out. Summerland Varieties Corp.
was awarded $58,000 towards an $81,000 program to improve the marketing of new apple varieties. “This is to focus primarily on the Salish variety,” says Lucas. “They are looking at ways to support Salish in the marketplace, with in-store displays and demos as well as some packaging strategies.” The third grant of $411,000 will support a $548,000 Modern Facilities Development study by BC Tree Fruits. “When you are looking at spending $40 million on capital renewal like the BCTFC, you need to plan for all the development and permitting hurdles you will encounter,” Lucas points out. “Everything from zoning to blueprints to building permits.”
The study could ultimately help other packinghouses
Growers discuss apple colour in an Ambrosia block utilizing Extenday ground covers during a field day in Lake Country. [TOM WALKER FILE PHOTO]
know how to manage their own development projects. The three projects IAFBC
considered in June included a $48,000 grant towards a $55,000 governance study for BCTF. “There are different ways to model and structure co-ops,” Lucas points out. “This is an opportunity to go out and look at the non-producer side of the business, new ideas such as next-generation co-ops and do a consultation with members.”
Substantial funds are being
gathered to support excellence in growing Ambrosia. “The Ambrosia apple is our future right now,” Lucas points
Tree Fruit Competitiveness Fund
The Province of BC has provided funding to enhance the competitiveness of the tree fruit sector.
The fund is open to tree fruit growers, producers, and processors to support three key areas of priority: ● Research: cultivar, disease and pest research. ● Marketing: export market opportunities and market development research.
● Infrastructure: sector-based infrastructure modernization such as new equipment.
The Tree Fruit Competitiveness Fund is jointly delivered by the BC Fruit Growers’ Association and Investment Agriculture Foundation BC.
For details about the Tree Fruit Competitiveness Fund, including eligibility and application forms, please visit
www.bcfga.com or
iafbc.ca/tree-fruit, or contact
funding@iafbc.ca.
Project intake is continous. Apply in advance of project initiation – 8 weeks minimum is recommended.
out. “We have to make it as successful as we can.” There is a lot of buzz about apple colour in the market, he notes, and it is recommended to provide $704,000 towards a $2.6 million program administered by the New Tree Fruit Varieties Development Council to trial, assess and demonstrate the value of reflective materials on orchard floors such as the reflective fabric Extenday to enhance the red colour of Ambrosia as it ripens in the field. Red apples are popular in
the Asian market, Lucas notes.
Reflective fabrics can help ripen apples across an orchard, reducing the need for multiple picks. And it helps return blossoms to the bottom part of the tree for the next year, which can improve yields.
Sustainable control
practices for apple pests are also up for $26,000 in funding. The cash could support a $29,000 project led by provincial entomologist Susan Acheampong assessing nationwide interventions for the apple leaf curling midge, a key pest of nursery stock.
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BC FRUIT GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION 1-800-619-9022 (ext 1) email:
replant@bcfga.com
www.bcfga.com
www.countrytractor.ca Kamloops 580 Chilcotin Road
250.851.3101 Toll Free 1.888.851.3101
Armstrong 4193 Noble Road 250.546.3141 Toll Free 1.800.661.3141
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