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Snapshots of success: Recap of the 2024 Canadian Greenhouse Conference

Earlier this month, thousands of horticulture and greenhouse production professionals from across the globe gathered in Niagara Falls, Ont. for the 2024 Canadian Greenhouse Conference .

Once again, the sold-out trade show floor at the Niagara Falls Convention Centre transformed into a hive of networking and innovation, while the education sessions served as a platform for exploration and collaboration.

This year’s theme, Smart Growing, was exemplified and espoused at every turn. Starting with this year’s bus tour, which took attendees to operations across Southwestern Ontario, the agenda was clearly geared towards exposing attendees to a variety of highly efficient production facilities, giving them an opportunity to compare each operations’ priorities and approach to production.

Busy bus tour

First stop on the tour was Ridge Farms in Leamington where tomatoes are grown under glass year-round. This unlit growing facility, built in 2021, is outfitted with a number of programs to help monitor the crop environment and manage inputs, most notably their precision irrigation and fertigation system.

Our second stop on the bus tour was JEM Farms in Ruthven, Ont., where the main crops are English and mini cucumbers. Head grower, Blake Fischer, and owner, Jamie Mastronardi, were happy to answer the multitude of questions from visitors fascinated by this pristine operation. JEM is also home to the two-acre Horteca R & D greenhouse where they are currently conducting lighting trials. Researchers from the University of Windsor were on hand to discuss some of the studies taking place at Horteca and elsewhere, and to encourage growers to consider the possibility of partnering with the school on a number of projects.

The third stop of the day at Colasanti’s Tropical Gardens in Kingsville, Ont., came just in time for lunch. This fourth-generation garden centre/greenhouse/mini-putt/petting zoo/arcade is also home to a delicious eatery that specializes in broasted chicken, upon which attendees dined as they took in the sights, sounds and extensive history of this family business. Owner, Terry Colasanti, was gracious enough to guide participants through his family’s extensive facilities and share some of his insights from decades of being in the business.

Finally, the last stop of the day was one of the most anticipated amongst the groups on the bus: Ontario Plants’ new greenhouse in Glencoe, Ont. It was a party-like atmosphere that greeted attendees as they got off the bus and stepped into this brand new, yet-to-house-a-crop propagation facility. Guests were invited to indulge in a smorgasbord of treats before donning protective gear to tour the still-under-construction greenhouses. Pieter van Dijk, Ontario Plants’ COO was our group’s tour guide, and his enthusiasm for this project is truly infectious. He took much pride in showing our group how almost the entire production process there has been automated. It was a fitting exclamation point at the end of the bus tour and gave attendees a lot to talk about on the long ride back to the Falls where the trade show would kick off in earnest the following day.

Sold-out trade show

With the opening of the trade show floor, the industry came out in full force. The first day of the show saw crowds gathered in every corner of the convention centre as friends and colleagues connected and reunited. Coffee was flowing and the new green (and on-theme!) carpets of the trade show floor were rolled out in welcome.

The New Varieties Showcase, located outside the trade show floor and sponsored by Ball Seed and Dümmen Orange, was lovingly curated and organized by the University of Guelph’s Rodger Tschanz, and served as a striking example of the beautiful and delicious products this industry is capable producing.

The kick-off of the trade show coincided with the launch of the education sessions; this year organized according to theme. Wednesday morning’s sessions tackled energy innovations and explored lighting and managing light emissions; there was also an extensive session providing an update on the Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRV). The afternoon presentations explored themes related to growing media, autonomous growing and landfill diversion.

Thursday’s sessions were also aimed at providing growers with up-to-date insights and research into production issues. Vertical farming, berry production, bio control and root zone management were among the hot topics on day two. Despite it being the final session of the conference, Insect Insights: Better Bios and Peskier Pests was a lively session moderated by Dr. Sarah Jandricic, the greenhouse floriculture IPM specialist for OMAFA. During this session, registrants heard from four of the industry’s leading experts on pests and bio control. Each fielded a host of questions from the audience, who, even at the very end of the conference, were keen to hear how the latest on Thrips, Aphids and all the rest.

In addition to showcasing the latest in products and services, the 2024 CGC trade show floor also transformed into a networking hub during Wednesday’s Happy Hour (sponsored by Philips and Syngenta) where everyone in the industry gathered to raise a glass, listen to some live music and catch-up with familiar faces. It was the ideal staging event for the evening’s later activities.

Until next year…

In speaking with organizers of this year’s CGC and in conversations with colleagues on the trade show floor, 2024 will be remembered as a very productive and informative event.

“We had an amazing time,” wrote one anonymous commenter to event organizers. “It was truly one of the most productive shows I’ve attended.”

It’s a sentiment I’ve heard echoed elsewhere about this year’s conference. Between the sessions that were organized with addressing grower concerns and production issues top of mind; the thoughtfully and meticulously planned bus tour; the bustling, sold-out trade show floor and all the little details in between, this year’s event gave growers ample opportunity to branch out, explore and find the support and professional network one needs to succeed and grow in this always changing landscape.

Plans for the 2025 edition of the Canadian Greenhouse Conference are already in the works. Stay tuned for more information on that in the coming months. In the meantime, mark your calendars as next year’s CGC is slated for Oct. 8 & 9, 2025.

More Greenhouse Canada content on the Canadian Greenhouse Conference can be found here.