Beyond the 3R’s – finding a path to sustainable packaging

Perennia is hosting a session on sustainable packaging that might interest you:

"Beyond the 3R’s – finding a path to sustainable packaging" with Dr. Loong-Tak Lim from the University of Guelph and Nina Goodrich from the Sustainable Packaging Coalition on Thursday, March 12 at 7:45 AM  (breakfast/in-person session or webinar option)

For more information or to register, please check out Perennia's Events page.

This is part of the “Take Your Product to Market” series, happening over the next several weeks which includes webinars on food safety, labeling, packaging for your brand, and preparing for customer meetings.

Workshop: Record Keeping for Financial and Food Safety Success

It doesn’t matter if you’re a start-up, or a seasoned business owner who grows crops of any kind. This session is for anyone who wants a gold star in field and crop record keeping and facilitate meeting Canada GAP certification and streamlining that process through good bookkeeping.

Please join us for the next Getting Into the Weeds session on Thursday, March 5th from 9:00 - 4:00 at the Hilton Garden Inn near the Halifax Airport.  Registration is required, the cost of the workshop is $50 and includes lunch.  Click here to register.

Excellent crop records are needed for:

1. 1. On farm food safety documentation
2. 2. Buyer requirements
3. 3. Traceability
4. 4. Evaluation of results - production and financial

This hands-on workshop will give you tools for recording and retrieving the information you need to satisfy the above requirements.

Participants will be using their own information to create a data file and enter records; not sample data. The instructor will be available to all participants to answer questions and provide guidance. Handouts will be provided. Please note there will be some pre-workshop prep by participants.

Upcoming Canada GAP workshops

Canada GAP Workshops

The updated versions of the CanadaGAP Food Safety Manuals have been released and will take effect on April 1, 2020. Become familiar with these new updates at one of Perennia’s CanadaGAP workshops happening in March with Kim Best from Prospect Agri-Services. You can find the full details in the poster. Don’t miss out on this opportunity! Registration is now open on our website.
 

Contact Us

Our Quality and Food Safety Team can help in a variety of ways. If you have training questions, contact Shelly MacDonald. If you need help with a regulatory issue, contact Rick Kane. If you have any other food safety concerns or questions contact Elaine Grant, and she will direct your query to the appropriate team member.

Winter Greens Production Workshop

GETTING INTO THE WEEDS SERIES: WINTER GREENS PRODUCTION

As part of Perennia’s ongoing Getting Into the Weeds series, please join Perennia Vegetable Specialist Rosalie Gillis-Madden and David Blanchard of Pleasant Hill Farm for an in-depth examination of winter greens production in Nova Scotia.

Winter greens production can offer a new marketing opportunity for Nova Scotia growers at a time of year when cash flow may be low and price points for fresh local produce are high. Some systems require only modest capital investment and have low operating costs because they avoid the use of supplemental heat and lighting. Because local winter greens can be harvested within a day or two of purchase by the consumer, locally-produced greens have a freshness and quality advantage over imported greens that are one to two weeks post-harvest by the time they reach the consumer. This workshop will examine infrastructure requirements, capital costs, operating costs, income potential, crop and variety selection, and horticultural considerations such as planting dates, fertility, and pest management.

This workshop will be offered in-person at three locations and as an online webinar on February 14th.  There is no cost to attend.  Seating is limited and registration is mandatory.  For further details and to save your seat, please click on the following links:

• January 31st - Lunenburg (NSDA Provincial Building)
• February 7th -  Truro area (New NSFA Building in East Mountain)
• February 14th - Berwick Firehall (in person and online)

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Getting Into the Weeds - November 19th, 2019

This winter, Perennia Horticulture Specialists Rosalie Gillis-Madden and Jennifer Haverstock, are planning a workshop series called "Getting Into the Weeds."  This series will offer an in-depth look into certain aspects of horticulture production.

In collaboration with NSDA Regional Offices, the inaugural session is taking place on Tuesday, November 19th, from 10:00 - 11:30 at locations across the province.  Topics for discussion include: High Tunnels – site selection and preparation, and long term nutrient management, as well as soil-less substrate and different potting technologies. Using remote technology, we are excited to welcome guest speakers from across North America.

• Elizabeth Buck, Extension Vegetable Specialist, Cornell Cooperative Extension Vegetable Program Avoiding a “Tunn”-el of Trouble: Site Selection and Prep
• Judson Reid, Extension Vegetable Specialist, Cornell Cooperative Extension Vegetable Program High tunnel soils: Long term nutrient management for crop health
• Shawn Mallen, Sales and Hydroponics Manager at A.M.A., Horticulture Inc. Substrate and Potting Choices in Tunnel Production

Admission is free, but space is limited, so we ask that you register in advance.  The deadline to register is Nov 18th at noon.  For details on how to register and to find the location nearest you, please click here!

Upcoming Perennia events

The Dirt on Dirt: Sustainable Soils on the South Shore  
Please join Amy Sangster, Perennia Soils Specialist, Rosalie Gillis-Madden, Perennia Vegetable Specialist, and Brian MacCulloch, NSDA Agriculture Resource Coordinator, for an afternoon focusing on soils, potting mixes, and transplant health.

Tuesday March 27, 2018 1:00 - 3:00 PM
Provincial Building Boardroom, 312 Green St. Lunenburg, NS

More details can be found on the Facebook event here.

Registration is required, please contact Gail Walsh 1-877-710-5210 (toll-free) or 902-678-7722 to register by March 23, 2018.

Pest Management in the Hopyard

There are many factors to consider when managing pests in a hopyard: life-cycle of the organism, good Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques, mode of action and efficacy of the products, and pesticide application efficiency. Pesticide Points will be available.

April 5th from 2-4 pm

This workshop is designed for growers with existing hopyards and will be informative for organic, conventional, and spray-free growers.

A session will be held in-person at the Perennia offices at the Kentville Research Station (32 Main Street, Kentville, NS) OR you can join remotely from

• The Truro Perennia offices (199 Dr Bernie MacDonald Drive, Bible Hill, NS)

• The Antigonish NSDA offices (190 Beechhill Road, Antigonish, NS)

More details can be found on the Facebook event here. Please contact Gail Walsh 1-877-710-5210 (toll-free) or gwalsh@perennia.ca to register by April 3, 2018, so we can be sure to accommodate numbers.

Vegetable Industry Consultation and Prioritisation Workshop

We are proud to be hosting a Vegetable Industry Consultation and Prioritisation Workshop on Wednesday December 6th at the Kentville Research Station from 9:30 to 3 pm (lunch included).

The morning will start off with some research updates, followed by discussions about the priorities of the vegetable industry as well as research needs.  An online survey has been recently sent out through Horticulture Nova Scotia to identify Vegetable Research Priorities, you can add your priorities by clicking here. Your participation is essential to identifying industry research needs and your time is greatly appreciated.  All private information will be kept confidential.

After lunch, we will do the annual Vegetable Minor Use Priority Setting.  Please email Gail Walsh to register, or call 902 678-7722 so that we can get a headcount for lunch.

Think Export!

Perennia Food and Agriculture has partnered with Nova Scotia Business Inc. (NSBI) to bring their popular ‘Think Export’ program to the Annapolis Valley on Thursday November 2nd from 1-4pm for the Agri-Food and Beverage sectors. 

Research has shown that companies that export are more profitable and stay in business longer than companies that do not export. This information session asks the questions companies need to answer in order to become more successful exporters or to tackle new markets.

During this information session we will:

• Explore export – discuss the benefits, hurdles and myths
• Chat about what it takes to become a successful exporter
• Discuss what assistance is out there; how NSBI can help
• Review upcoming Think Global Sessions and FITTskills Courses

The link to register (free registration) for the event through NSBI can be found at:  https://www.novascotiabusiness.com/events/think-export-information-session-kentville and the deadline for registering is October 31st. 

Looking forward to seeing everyone there!

Wireworms in Nova Scotia

Wireworms in transplants

For those of you who missed Dr. Christine Noronha's presentation on wireworms last week, you can find her presentation here. 

While many areas in Nova Scotia thankfully do not report wireworm problems, there are definitely high populations in some fields.  Last spring, we set traps in a few fields around the province.  Below is a graph from a vegetable field in Colchester County, showing high numbers of Agriotes sputator, one of the more voracious click beetle (adult wireworm) species.  Click beetle flight happens earlier in the warmer parts of the province such as the Valley.

Click beetle catch in Colchester County, 2016.

Perennia has set out some click beetle pheromone traps again this year, and we just collected our first sample.  Below is a photo of our first "haul" from Annapolis County.  On the left is A. obscurus, the middle is A. sputator, and on the right is A. lineatus.  Pheromone traps only attract males, so do not reduce the click beetle/wireworm population, but do give us a good idea of pest levels.  

May 23, 2017 click beetle catch from Annapolis County.

Building Agriculture Resiliency from the Ground Up! - March 16, 2017 - Yarmouth, NS

Join Perennia specialist Rosalie Madden for this free workshop on building agriculture resilience from the ground up! Topics discussed will be soil health, cover crops, soil management, maximizing fertility, and the importance of organic matter.

Building Agriculture Resiliency from the Ground Up!

Thursday March 16, 2017

Rudders

96 Water Street, Yarmouth, NS

11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Don’t be late, because we plan to cover a lot of ground!

Please contact Terry McKay at 902-638-2396 or Terry.McKay@novascotia. ca, or Gail Walsh 1-877-710-5210 (toll-free) to register by March 13, 2017.

Lunch is not included in the workshop but can be purchased on site.

Production Innovation Workshop

PRODUCTION INNOVATION 101 WORKSHOP

 
Do you have a great new agri-food or seafood product idea burning a hole in your pocket, but you don’t know what to do with it next?   Or maybe you’re still searching to find inspiration and want to learn more about what is possible in the world of value added food products? 

Join Perennia Innovation Centre’s Chief Science Officer Eric Albert and Food Scientist

Emmanuel Anom along with business consultant Gary Morton to learn where to start and what to consider in developing a value-added product.

 

June 27th in  Bridgewater

10:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre
135 North Park St, Bridgewater NS  B4V 9B3
lunch provided
 

Topics to be covered:

• The hottest topics trending in food around the world
• A look at the new product development process and the value chain; idea to market launch
• Mistakes new product developer’s make and how not to make them
• Case studies of farm businesses developing new products
• Brainstorming/discussion: what do you need to help move your products, ideas and innovations forward?  What are your biggest challenges and limitations holding you back?

If you would like to attend please RSVP Gail at Perennia at (902) 678-7722, EXT 221 or gwalsh@perennia.ca by June 23^rd.  There is no fee but we would like for you to register so we know we have a big enough room and enough food!

Saturday 1-acre garden workshop

June 18: Saturday garden workshop 2-5pm

 

You are invited to join David Greenberg and the four new growers at Bethany Garden in Antigonish for an afternoon gardening workshop.  There will be a hands-on instruction session with all of the human scaled tools used in the one acre garden. Topics covered include: The BCS walking tractor and its use, maintenance, and implements; using silage tarps and flame weeding to control weeds with minimum effort; hoop house tips and tricks; and a lot more.

Please meet at the garden by the barn and water tower, at 45 Bay St, Antigonish at 2pm on June 18th. 

To register, email Jen Greenberg. There is no charge for this workshop.