Archive for March 2018
Summary of 2018 Annual General Meeting
The 96th Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Horticultural Council took place in Ottawa from March 13-15, 2018. By all accounts, the event was a success. More than 150 delegates from all over Canada participated in over 30 standing committee and working group meetings for an update on activities and to discuss issues pertaining to…
Read MoreHarrison Van Meekeren: Injecting New Ideas into Apple Farming
By Mark Halsall Harrison Van Meekeren is a third-generation apple farmer in Lakeville, Nova Scotia, managing the crop on property his grandfather Frank bought back in 1964 to grow vegetables, apples, and other fruit that he sold door-to-door. Today, Van Meekeren Farms comprises a bustling apple packing facility, along with 100 acres of trees that…
Read MoreA Model Farm: Where Ecology and Short Distribution Channels Work Together
By Simon Lavoie, Les Producteurs en serre du Québec Located in the charming valley of the Diable River in Quebec’s Laurentian Region, Ferme aux petits oignons has an incredible story to tell. As part of the wave of agroecological horticultural field and greenhouse production, the Mont-Tremblant business continues to impress with its capacity to develop…
Read MoreDusty Zamecnik: Horticultural Entrepreneur
Dusty Zamecnik is a 27-year-old horticultural farmer in the lush farmland of Norfolk County, Ontario, which is situated close to Lake Erie’s north shore. Now production manager at his family’s EZ Grow Farms, Zamecnik returned to farming in 2014 after getting a business degree from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia and spending…
Read MoreBryce Loewen: Advocating Health Benefits of Potatoes
Bryce Loewen is a 28-year-old potato farmer in Winkler, Manitoba who believes more young people should be eating more spuds because of their significant nutritional value. That’s why he supports a new fresh potato marketing campaign from Manitoba’s grower-owned vegetable marketing board, Peak of the Market. The campaign, called Potahto Lovers of Manitoba, was launched…
Read MoreCory Gerrard: Potato Farming in the Shadow of Vancouver
By Mark Halsall Cory Gerrard is a 33-year-old potato producer at Rod Swenson Farms, a fourth-generation farm on Westham Island in Delta, British Columbia. Gerrard married into the Swenson family and runs the operation along with his wife, brother-in-law, and father-in-law, but he’s certainly no stranger to farm life. “I was born into it,” says…
Read MoreLegacy Program: Supporting the Success and Longevity of Canadian Horticulture
By Karen Davidson In 2022, the Canadian Horticultural Council (CHC) will be marking its 100th anniversary. That’s one hundred years of focused advocacy work on behalf of fruit and vegetable growers across the country. As a small not-for-profit, CHC prides itself on being able to make the most of its limited resources, yet its success…
Read MoreAwards presented at CHC 2018 AGM Banquet
A changing of the guard was a central theme at the recent Canadian Horticultural Council (CHC) annual general meeting. Held in Ottawa from March 13-15, the meeting attracted 150 delegates to review and debate policy – and to honour those for outstanding service to horticulture. Rebecca Lee, CHC Executive Eirector, gave an Honourary Life Membership…
Read MoreUpdate – NAFTA Round 7 – Mexico City
CHC was on the ground in Mexico City for the agricultural portion of Round 7, from February 24-27. NAFTA Highlights Negotiators closed the sanitary and phytosanitary chapter, good regulatory practices chapter, and publication and administration chapter, as well as the chemicals annex, and the proprietary food formulas annex. These are in addition to three others…
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