Courses and Workshops! There is
no shortage of opportunity!
There is no limit to the growth and development
opportunities available for growers.
First up is the Lunenburg County Christmas Tree Producers'
Association Spring Technical Session and Annual Meeting this
Saturday (March 17) at the Best Western Hotel, just off Exit 12 on
the 103 Highway, in Cookville (Bridgewater). The jam packed
day features presentations on Integrated Pest Management and updates
on our many research projects. Not to be missed is the
presentation from Drew Carleton and Dr. Peter Silk on the biology of
balsam needle gall midge and the potential use of pheromone
control(s) for the pest.
Jim Jotcham, a primary researcher for Christmas tree pest control
registration and an environmental plant ecologist will update us on
his work. Department of Natural Resources Forest Health
insect specialist Jeff Ogden will advise growers about imminent
problems, and Malcolm Pelley of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency
will speak to international Quality Management Plans for Christmas
tree movement to foreign markets.
There will be a full range of industry reports, a chance to see old
friends, an opportunity to address your Association reps to your
various committees and projects.
To get the Agenda, click here:
LCCTPA Spring Tech Agenda
To get a registration form, click here:
LCCTPA Spring Tech Registration Form
Next up is the
Integrated Pest Management Workshop offered by the Northeastern
Christmas Tree Association
This workshop will be at the Beech Hill Fire
Department Hall on Saturday, March 24. The Hall is on the
Beech Hill Road, on the more northern side of Antigonish. The
seminars will feature Quality Management Plan development for
international Christmas tree shipments, an update from Department of
Natural Resources insect specialist Jeff Ogden, and presentations
from Eric Georgeson, entomologist and lecturer at the Nova Scotia
Agricultural College. Eric will speak to management
considerations associated with climate change impacts on pests and
ecosystems, the Nova Scotia Christmas Tree Council Syrphid Fly
Project, and how to promote the presence of this family of
beneficial insects. Later, we bring Eric back to speak about
insect resistance development, and considerations growers must make
when choosing control options. There will also be a session on
calibration and new technology for pest management.
To get an Agenda, click here:
NeCTA IPM Workshop Agenda
Then, the Christmas Tree Council will
offer a Two Day Pesticide Applicators License training and exam
course in the Lunenburg County area of Nova Scotia. Dates will
be April 2 and 3 (Monday and Tuesday).
Course instructor will be Jim Jotcham. Growers
needing their licence are
asked to pre-register
so as to help us choose an appropriate hall for size and
parking.
Fee for the course is $150.00, HST included.
To get a Registration Form, click here:
Pesticide Applicators License Course
Next, the Christmas Tree Council of
Nova Scotia will present two full day workshops.
There will be an
Insect and Disease Management Workshop on Saturday,
June 9 in St. Andrews, Antigonish County. The lead instructor
for this workshop will be Eric Georgeson, M.Sc. Agr.
Eric will be assisted by Matthew Wright, Executive Director of the
Christmas Tree Council, and the Canadian Christmas Tree Growers
Association representative to the National Workshop for the Minor
Use of Pesticides Registration Prioritization process and the
delegate to the North American Plant Protection Organization
Christmas Tree Movement workshops. The Quality Management Plan
portion will be covered by a representative(s) from the Canadian
Food Inspection Agency.
Mr. Georgeson has extensive experience in insect identification,
insect population management and large scale equipment set up. His
primary training is as an entomologist. He has extensive experience
as a workshop leader and trainer, and his review ratings are
excellent when he has delivered Christmas tree grower seminars in
the past. He is also the lead researcher for Nova Scotia’s
Beneficial Insect Habitat Requirement project for Christmas trees.
Click here for an Agenda:
Insect and Disease Management Workshop Registration Form
Registration is limited to only 50 people; the field trip will
occur when pests and beneficial insects are active and present,
there will be a number of hand outs, etc as part of the $15.00
registration fee.
Then there will be a Vegetation
Management Workshop put on at the New Ross Fair Ground
Hall, New Ross,
Lunenburg County on Saturday, July 21 this year. The lead
instructor for this workshop will be Jim Jotcham of Marbicon Inc.
Jim will be assisted by Matthew Wright, Executive Director of the
Christmas Tree Council, and other association members in the
identification and establishment of demonstration sites to extend
the field visit experience associated with this seminar.
Mr. Jotcham has extensive experience in plant identification,
vegetation management and equipment calibration. His primary
training is as a plant ecologist. He is also an experienced workshop
leader and trainer, and his review ratings have always been very
positive when utilized as an instructor for Christmas tree growers.
Click here for an Agenda:
Vegetation Management Workshop Registration Form
Registration is limited to only 50 people; the field trip
will occur when plants are actively growing and are easy to observe
and identify. Participants will visit management plots pre-set
to demonstrate control capabilities of different herbicides, and
most importantly, the ability of herbicide or application
technologies to promote beneficial plants for a healthier
cultivation system.
First Annual Joint SMART
Christmas Tree
Research Cooperative and Christmas Tree Research Centre
Conference
The Honourable John MacDonell, Minister of
Agriculture, and Deputy Minister Paul LaFleche were on hand to open
the Conference. Wonderful to see both men "fly without a
script", so close are they to the needs of growers. The Deputy
Minister did recognize his writers by at least carrying his speech,
which acted as an admirable prop for his expressions.
Two members of the SMART Christmas Tree
Research Consortium also spoke to open the Conference. On the
left is Dr. Richard Donald, NSAC Vice-President of Research,
Extension and Outreach. Dr. Donald has been an immense
resource for the Christmas tree Research Centre and Atlantic
Canadian growers. Finally, while not a great shot of Dr. Lada,
pay close attention to the title of his presentation.
"Promises to Possibilities" is very appropriate, very timely.
We started this whole program because a grower lost his shirt due to
needle shed. Something about our plight and need caught the
imagination and touched the humanity of Raj Lada. In the six
years since Dr. Lada has led us from where we started with nothing
to where we have a vibrant set of researchers and laboratories
actively developing the knowledge, products and technologies that
are going to improve the Atlantic Canadian Christmas tree and
greenery business for all who choose to participate.
The Conference did
in fact illustrate that we are very definitely moving from
"promises" to "possibilities", really beyond possibilities to
probabilities. The Christmas Tree Council has been working
very aggressively with the SMART Tree Research Consortium, local
Universities, our provincial governments, the Federal government,
and many of their respective agencies to put in place the programs,
products and marketing initiatives that will lead to improved
business and marketing opportunities for Atlantic Canadian growers.
Recently Council put together their first "Business Strategy" to
bring together and tie all of these efforts into one integrated plan
for improvement. Spearheaded by CTCNS President Jim DeLong and
CRC Director Dr. Raj Lada, the Business Strategy is detailed and
comprehensive. Click on this link to view a complete copy:
CTCNS
Business Strategy.
CTCNS President Jim DeLong at the
Conference
No way around it, the Conference was a jam-packed update
of presentations (over 20 in all)
that gave growers a chance to see what is happening in needle
retention, breeding for insect resistance, strategies to manage
diseases, innovative work in insect management with pheromones, tree
improvement strategies, marketing considerations like branding,
advertising, new market development or even where we are with North
American real tree advertising to increase sales.
Attendees received needle retention research updates
that covered topics like nutrition, plant growth regulators, plant
physiology, cell wall or membrane integrity under stress; even
breeding strategies that will be employed to ultimately deliver
certified seedlings with improved keepability.
SMART Christmas Tree Research Cooperative
Limited
It is the last time that this Conference will probably
be open to all growers, as it is designed to be an update for SMART
Christmas Tree Research Cooperative Limited members. The
Cooperative was designed to be available to all growers in Atlantic
Canada so that everyone could benefit from the SMART Tree program.
At the same time it is designed to generate the necessary industry
money to meet the contribution requirements that agencies like ACOA
and NSERC insist be present. The research is producing items
that will be patented and commercialized. Marketing
initiatives are being developed to benefit Cooperative members.
While all Atlantic Canadian growers will benefit, Shareholders will
do much better, with first access, preferential opportunities, or
even income on the products that are sold to non-members.
Eventually, branded SMART Trees will offer real market acceptance
and pricing advantage to our growers. It is not too late to
purchase a Share - and we want all growers to participate - but
there will soon come a time when shares are no longer
available and some will miss out. The Cooperative Board has
sometimes been left scratching their heads. Membership is
extremely reasonable for a program that offers so much advantage.
The base membership share is only $10.00. It is required that
you also purchase a minimum of one preferred research share, that is
$500.00, but is available in instalments of $100.00 per year over
five years. We suspect many spend more on pizza and coffee!
What will it be worth to you when you can manage needle midge or
shoot boring sawfly with traps? What might it be worth to
you when you have trees that resist twig aphid attack naturally? But the
biggest question of all - and why SMART tree was started - is what will
it be worth it to you when you have trees with guaranteed
keepability, limited in number and supported with branding and
advertising?
Growers must decide if they are on board or not.
As mentioned, Council has devised this
for the benefit of all, but you can only derive benefit if you
decide to participate.
There cannot be a free ride. We are working very aggressively,
and now offer great promise. We do hope more growers soon
purchase shares, or we will relax the rules to allow fewer
individuals to purchase more shares.
Click on this offer to receive a Share Subscription offer:
SMART Cooperative Research Share Subscription Offer
Dr. Schofield, Breeding Platform
(note the slide on the screen behind Dr. Schofield - which tree do
you want to sell?)
Dr. Allison Hayward - needle retention
CTCNS Second VP and Marketing
Co-Chair
Duncan MacDonald
Retail Code of Practice Items for
Sale
3 x 8 Retail All Weather Banner
2 x 2 Retail Code Sign to advise Consumers of Your
Individual Commitment
2 x 2 Real Trees Produce Oxygen sign
The banner and both signs can be purchased by retailers who have
signed the Retail Code of Practice for Christmas trees in Nova Scotia,
and who certify they meet or exceed the terms and conditions of the
contract. The signs and banner are being distributed to the
various Association offices to make it easier for retailers to pick them
up. The cost to growers or retailers is $ 20.00 for the two foot
by two foot signs and $ 120.00 for the three foot by eight foot banner.
SMART Christmas Tree Research Centre
The SMART Tree
Research Centre is now officially open, with several of the laboratories
close to fully operational. On March12 the Centre was officially
opened. Here the staff gathered for a photo in one of the
laboratory hallways.
Above, MP Gerald Keddy, with sports jacket on,
talks with grower Shawn Lacey, right. It was a pleasure to have
Gerald at the Opening for the Centre as he has been instrumental in the
successful development of the SMART Tree project.
Adrian
Samson examining samples in a keepability trial.
Ross Pentz, Jim DeLong and Dr. Mason MacDonald can be seen in the
background.
The laboratories are climate controlled and a fantastic step forward for
our researchers.
You can link to the Research Centre by clicking here:
www.nsac.ca/crc
