Federal funds to clean up those obsolete orchards

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Growers are using the federal Orchards and Vineyards Transition program to clean up obsolete orchards, says Len Troup, chair of the Ontario Tender Fruit Producers' Marketing Board.

During this first year of the program, which runs until March 31, 2011, 515 applications were received to spend about $9 million in razing a total of 5,593 acres. That's about half of the $22.3 million earmarked for four years. About $18 million is to cover the costs of removing fruit trees or vines to make way for new, more productive varieties or crops. The rest of the money is earmarked to develop strategic commodity plans.

"The initial uptake is pretty high," Troup notes. "But we have to remember that there were some abandoned orchards that are getting cleaned up."

Troup believes that applications will taper off in the later years of the program because "those abandoned orchards will have been taken care of at the front end. Then we'll just settle in to removals and change for upgrades."

The high level of applications is good, Troup says. "I think its accomplishing what they wanted, which is to get rid of old, obsolete and uneconomic orchards." He adds that the program does come close to paying the actual costs of removing trees. But growers still have to pay their replanting costs. 

Program participation is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Farmers are being advised to continue submitting applications this year for next year's allotment of money. If farmers are going to remove trees after harvest next fall, they might as well apply to do it now. "They'll be in the front of the queue for next year's allotment," says Adrian Huisman, of the tender fruit board. BF