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June 7, 2011  By Dave Harrison


June 7, 2011, Brantford, Ont. — Next week's Greenhouse Canada Grower Day
educational sessions have been finalized, and each of them has ideas to
help with your improved efficiency and cost-management goals.

June 7, 2011, Brantford, Ont. — Next week's Greenhouse Canada Grower Day educational sessions have been finalized, and each of them has ideas to help with your improved efficiency and cost-management goals.

Grower Day will be held Friday, June 17, at the Best Western Brant Park Inn Conference Centre in Brantford, Ont. Doors open at 8 a.m. and registration begins at 8:30, with the talks getting underway at 9:30. Online registration is encouraged, with tickets also available at the door.
 
Concurrent vegetable and flower talks will be held throughout the day. Moderators are Melhem Sawaya (Focus Greenhouse Management) and editor Dave Harrison. A mini trade show will also be onsite.

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VEGETABLE PROGRAM
Rachel Carson, product development manager at Plant Products
The topic: Essentials of Micronutrient Nutrition in Greenhouse Vegetables
The talk: This seminar will outline some of the many important functions micronutrients play in greenhouse vegetable products, symptoms of micronutrient deficiencies and options for correction.

Shalin Khosla, greenhouse vegetable specialist, OMAFRA
The topic: Water Quality and Irrigation
The talk: A discussion of water quality and its impact on dripper performance.

Gillian Ferguson, greenhouse vegetable IPM specialist with OMAFRA.
The topic: Pest Problem Update
The talk: This presentation will provide highlights of a few greenhouse pest problems, and experiences in managing such problems. Recent registrations for greenhouse vegetables will also be presented.

Dr. Barry Micallef, University of Guelph
The topic: Strategies for Extending the Greenhouse Vegetable Growing Season in Ontario
The talk: Dr. Micallef’s lab has obtained much evidence showing that the poor response of greenhouse vegetables to supplemental lighting is linked to altered patterns of nitrate uptake during specific periods of the day under long photoperiods. A new time-of-day fertigation strategy will be presented that shows promise for improving the response of greenhouse vegetables to supplemental lighting, and some related research on low light tolerance will be discussed.

David Arkell, president and CEO of 360 Energy Inc.
The topic: Common Energy Saving Tips and Techniques
The talk: This presentation will cover common processes and technical solutions that can be used by greenhouses to help reduce energy consumption and lower energy costs. While most businesses recognize that energy is an significant cost, it is typically seen as either a fixed cost that cannot be helped, or a fixed cost that requires a large capital investment for it to be reduced. In fact, there are many ways that greenhouses can save money and energy through little to no capital investment.

Kurt Parbst, of Ludvig Svensson Inc.
The topic: Energy Screens in Vegetable Crops
The talk: The case for using screens and multiple screens for energy savings and crop climate improvement (humidity control and solar radiation reduction) in vegetable production houses in the Ontario climate will be presented.

FLOWER PROGRAM
Jerry Gorchels,
PanAmerican Seed and Kieft Pro Seed
The topic: Fillers for mixed containers from seed
The talk: What are some of the premium seed lines, and how can they work for you? Jerry will talk about them and how they can help you increase your bottom line.

Graeme Murphy, greenhouse floriculture IPM specialist with OMAFRA
The topic: The Pitfalls of Biocontrol
The talk: Information will be presented on the most common problems that arise in biocontrol programs for ornamental crops and what can be done to minimize and overcome them.
 
Albert Grimm, Jeffery’s Greenhouses, St. Catharines, Ont.
The topic: Greenhouse Environment Manipulation
The talk: This presentation aims to help growers understand the causes of certain physiological crop problems related to greenhouse climate, along with practical tips on how to avoid them.

Jim Nau, of Ball Horticultural
The topic: Perennials for the Bedding Plant Grower.
The talk: Jim will present production regiments on how to produce perennials for spring sales. Areas to be covered include crop scheduling and when plants will flower based on the production method followed.

Kurt Parbst, Svensson
The topic: Retractable screens
The talk: The use of retractable screens for temperature control, light diffusion, short day creation, and energy savings will be discussed.  A sample investment payback calculation will be presented for single and double screens.

Panel discussion, participants to be announced
The topic:
Marketing in the 21st century
The discussion: Bring your questions or suggestions! It’s not about getting a bigger piece of the pie, but about working together to create a bigger pie. Any ideas?


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