Oct. 8, 2014, Niagara Falls – This year’s Canadian Greenhouse Conference
is definitely on a roll, given its sold-out pre-conference bus tour and
trade show.
Oct. 8, 2014, Niagara Falls – This year’s Canadian Greenhouse Conference is definitely on a roll, given its sold-out pre-conference bus tour and trade show.
The show is held today (Oct. 8) and tomorrow at the Scotiabank Convention Centre.
The bus tour, sponsored by Damatex Control Systems and SGS Agrifood Laboratories, featured two busloads visiting five greenhouse operations in the greater Niagara region.
Tour guides were OMAF/MRA greenhouse vegetable specialist Shalin Khosla and greenhouse floriculture IPM specialist Graeme Murphy.
This may have been the most international CGC bus tour in recent memory, courtesy of 16 Australian growers on a study tour of North America.
Tour participants also included growers from across Canada – with just about every province represented – and the U.S. and Europe.
Keynote speaker Sonja Dummen was among several speakers on the tour. She will discuss “European Trends Worth Watching” at 11:30 today.
Registration begins at 8 a.m. today, with the trade show opening at 8:30.
Bus Tour stops included:
• Boekestyn Greenhouses of Jordan Station, a major potted plant producer. It has completely overhauled its water and irrigation systems resulting in virtually zero discharge.
• Bluewater Greenhouses, a cucumber grower in Beamsville. It features a unique wood waste fuel feed system for its biomass boiler. The system was developed in-house.
• Westbrook Greenhouses’ Plant 4 in Grimsby, one of three production facilities in the family-owned business. It specializes in potted orchid production at this location.
• Lunch at Vineland Research and Innovation Centre in Vineland Station, Ont. Dr. Michael Brownbridge, research director of Horticultural Production Systems, welcomed the group, explaining the unique mandate of the not-for-profit centre.
• Berkel Greenhouses Inc. of Simcoe, a vegetable operation specializing in tomatoes and peppers. The family business has deep roots in the greenhouse sector.
• Proplant Propagation Service of Jarvis, with diffused glass greenhouses and customers throughout North America.
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| Grower Jay Wieringa and production manager Ed Boekestyn of Boekestyn Greenhouses welcome the tour. |
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| Ready to ship at Boekestyn Greenhouses. |
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| Bill Martens of Bluewater Greenhouses and the firebox on their biomass boiler. |
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| Innovative waste wood fuel feed system at Bluewater Greenhouses. |
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| Sticky tape is part of IPM program at Bluewater Greenhouses. |
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| Cooling pads at Westbrook Greenhouses. |
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| Orchids at Westbrook Greenhouses. |
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| Ted Berkel, with microphone, of Berkel Greenhouses in the pepper greenhouse. |
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| Ready for market at Berkel Greenhouses. |
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