Very recently, I had the pleasure of travelling to Columbus, OH, to attend my very first greenhouse industry conference. Cultivate ’23 was certainly one for the books (at least in this rookie’s).
Honestly, I think I’m going to be processing the experience for months (maybe years?) to come as the sheer volume of information coming at me during those four days was massive. I did, however, have the opportunity to meet some incredible people and sit in on some fascinating learning sessions and even got to tour some incredible facilities in Ohio.
One key takeaway from my experience during the entire whirlwind that was Cultivate ’23, was, once again, the sense of community in the greenhouse industry.
American Hort does a tremendous job in uniting members of this industry for this special event, in order for them to share their experiences and support one another.
This community support is particularly important when it comes to pest and disease management, the theme of this month’s Greenhouse Canada.
When it comes to dealing with a pest or blight, going it alone is not the best course of action. Given the challenges of new and emerging pests and diseases, today’s grower almost needs an encyclopedic knowledge of these threats and the environments in which they thrive in order to accurately manage it.
This is where the community can help.
There is no shortage of researchers working tirelessly to understand these threats and how to manage them (many of whom presented at Cultivate). There is also a healthy dialogue amongst growers dealing with pest and disease problems alongside a growing number of businesses with an expertise in dealing with these threats. There is a plethora of available supports out there and growers are urged to lean on their community in these times of uncertainty.
Hopefully, this issue of Greenhouse Canada will help some of you zero in on where to go for some of those supports.
Looking ahead, the Canadian Greenhouse Conference (CGC), which is being held this year in Niagara Falls, Ont., on Oct. 4 and 5, will also be another opportunity for growers to connect with the community. Pest and disease management will also be top of mind at this conference, along with a number of other issues related to greenhouse production. A sneak peek of the CGC, including information about some of the speakers and a schedule of events, can be found starting on page 33. It would be a good idea to get an early start on planning how to get the most out of your CGC experience this year.
Also in this issue, Dr. Mohyuddin Mirza examines a case of boron deficiency in greenhouse cucumbers on page 22, while Dr. Rita Sterne, of the Greenhouse Technology Network, talks about the challenging human element in IPM strategies and what might the future hold on page 44.
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