Greenhouse sales up Thursday, May 5, 2011 by BETTER FARMING STAFFWith Statistics Canada reporting that sales of greenhouse products in Canada rose three per cent to nearly $2.5 billion in 2010, Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers (OGVG) are cautiously optimistic the upward trend will continue.George Gilvesy, OGVG general manager, said caution is due to concerns about the high Canadian dollar - more than 70 per cent of Ontario greenhouse produce is exported to the US. - and energy costs. “We’ve traditionally been used to having a sub-par dollar and now we’re at parity or above and that does have an impact,” he said. ”Things are looking good but there are some cost pressures. We’ve had some reprieve on natural gas the last couple of years but the big question is where is it going. Fundamental oil prices are extremely high so how long is natural gas going to stay as competitive for our members as it currently is?”Canada had 3,285 greenhouse operations in 2010, down from 3,335 in 2009. However, total greenhouse area increased from about 22.4 million square metres to nearly 22.9 million square metres. Most of this expansion was in greenhouse vegetable production.Greenhouse vegetable producers, who are less sensitive to weather conditions than field vegetable producers, continued their expansion. For a fourth consecutive year, the value of greenhouse vegetable sales exceeded sales of field vegetables (including potatoes).Growers in Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec accounted for 95.4 per cent of greenhouse vegetable and fruit sales in 2010. Ontario alone represented 60.9 per cent.Sales of tomatoes, the most valuable crop, rose 10.9 per cent to $509 million. Sales of peppers increased 14.9 per cent to $270 million, while sales of cucumbers were up 3.1 per cent to $254 million.OGVG represents more than 220 members who grow greenhouse tomato, cucumber and sweet pepper crops in Ontario. BF Province mum on settlement details Farm business planning increases growth
Calf Auction Raises Funds for Youth Monday, June 30, 2025 Wyatt Westman-Frijters from Milverton won a heifer calf named Ingrid through a World Milk Day promotion by Maplevue Farms and a local Perth, Ontario radio station. Instead of keeping the calf, 22-year-old Westman-Frijters chose to give back to the community. The calf was sent to the... Read this article online
Cattle Stress Tool May Boost Fertility Friday, June 27, 2025 Kansas State University researchers have developed a cool tool that may help reduce cattle stress and improve artificial insemination (AI) results. The idea came from animal science experts Nicholas Wege Dias and Sandy Johnson, who observed that cattle accustomed to their environment... Read this article online
Ontario pasture lands get $5M boost Friday, June 27, 2025 The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $5 million to strengthen shared community grazing pastures. This funding supports the province’s plan to protect Ontario’s agriculture sector and help cattle farmers improve pasture quality, ensuring long-term sustainability and... Read this article online
Health Canada sets rules for drone spraying Wednesday, June 25, 2025 Health Canada has approved the use of drones, also called Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), for pesticide application under the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA). Drones are considered aircraft by Transport Canada, but Health Canada treats them differently due to their unique... Read this article online
Twelve Ontario Agri-Businesses Receive Funding Support Wednesday, June 25, 2025 Bioenterprise Canada has announced the successful recipients of the second call for proposals under the Ontario Agri-Food Research Initiative (OAFRI) Commercialization Stream. Twelve organizations across Ontario will receive support to bring innovative agri-food solutions to the... Read this article online