Orchard Outlook Newsletter Vol. 26, No 4

Tuesday, May 5, 2026

Welcome back to this week’s Orchard Outlook Newsletter. It’s been an eventful stretch of weather, with heavy rain sweeping across the Valley. That moisture set the stage for the season’s first apple scab infection event in Kentville on Friday, and with fungicide residues now washed off, a fresh application will be needed before the next infection. The heavy rain might have reduced the efficacy of residual herbicides, depending on the product. On a brighter note, the water was a welcome resource, new root growth is underway, and the warm weather ahead is likely to boost growth. We discuss European red mite and borers. As always, a big thank‑you to the Orchard Outlook Committee members for their steady commitment and insight.


Table of Contents:


Weather
  • 2026 Degree Day Accumulations
  • Precipitation
  • Apple Buds
  • Pear and Stone Fruit Buds
  • Hazelnut Buds
  • Apple - Scab
  • Apple - Powdery Mildew
  • Fire Blight Sanitation
  • Stone Fruit - Black Knot
  • Stone Fruit - Gummosis
  • Delayed Dormant Oil - Cautions and Considerations
  • European Red Mite
  • Tree Borers
  • Spring Caterpillar Complex (looking ahead)

Weed Management

  • Efficacy of Herbicides
  • Crop Safety of Common Herbicides
  • Moisture Retention
  • Fertilizing
  • Planting Trees
  • Pruning
  • Blind Wood
  • Liming

Events and Notices

  • Atlantic Agronomy & Extension Conference
  • Perennia Now Offering Analytical Testing
  • Local Food Supplier Food Safety Support Pilot Program

Pest Management Guide



  

Weather


2026 Degree Day Accumulations

Over the last week the degree day accumulation held steady compared with last week. The cumulative degree days are slightly behind the 5- and 10-year averages (Figure 1). The heat accumulation and development stages are relatively similar to this same time in the year 2024. Development stage in the field is about one week behind what it was last year. Given the weather forecast, next week might climb to above-average and we expect a jump in growth.



Figure 1: Heating degree day accumulations for plant (above 5°C) and insect (above 10°C) development from March 1 to May 4 for the past 17 seasons. Provided by Harrison Wright (AAFC Plant Physiology).

For the following comparisons, please note that early in the season only a few warm events contribute significantly to the accumulated degree days. Trends can change quickly.
  • Approximately 11% less plant development heat units compared to the 5-year average, and 4% less compared to the 10-year average.
  • Approximately 23% less plant development heat units compared to 2025, and 1% more compared with 2024.
  • Approximately 16% less insect development heat units compared to the 5-year average, and 14% less compared to the 10-year average.

Precipitation

Two significant rain events occurred at the end of last week and the recorded rainfall varied dramatically throughout the different regions of the Valley (Figure 2). The rain on Friday brought high totals to the east side of the Valley and the rain on Sunday delivered to the west side of the Valley. The combined total from both events evened out to about 43 mm to 67 mm throughout regions.

In cases where the rain started slowly and wet the ground prior to heavy rain, better water infiltration into the soil profile and less erosion would have occurred. Standing water and water runoff occurred. The rain will help with some water recharge!


Figure 2: A visual map representing the rainfall accumulation throughout the Annapolis Valley during two recent rain events. Circular markers display the total amount of precipitation from weather stations on the chosen date, where the larger circle diameter indicates a higher volume of rain. Maps are created at capebretonweather.ca using the local on-farm network of Davis weather stations.


Harrison Wright summarizes the precipitation data in Table 1 from Kentville relative to the historic values and explains:
  • So far we have received more precipitation to date in May than we did in the preceding month of April. 
  • Both February and April were well below the historic norms. The 25-year mean for Jan to April is 361 mm. In 2026 it was 308 mm. 
  • The first 4 days of May have brought it back to average for the year to date.

Table 1: Monthly precipitation totals in 2026 at only 5 days into May. 
Provided by Harrison Wright (AAFC) using the Kentville weather station data.



Bud Development


Apple Buds

An early region on Middle Dyke Road in the Kentville area is monitored to guide this newsletter. Yesterday on May 4, the Idared buds were at 1/2 inch green (mouse ear), Honeycrisp was at 1/4 inch green and Ambrosia was at 1/4 inch green (Figure 3). Very little growth has occurred over the past week on Honeycrisp and Ambrosia but a decent amount of new tissue was exposed on Idared as the leaves started to unfold. Over the past cool week, buds grew about half a growth stage.

Figure 3: Bud development in an early region on Middle Dyke Road in Kentville on May 4. Shown from left to right: Idared, Honeycrisp, Ambrosia.

Pear and Stone Fruit Buds

Yesterday on May 4 at an early region in Greenwich, the pear buds were at bud burst. Peach was at late 1/4 inch green, and European plum was at green cluster (Figure 4). Orchard Outlook committee members also report that sweet cherry in Kentville is at tight cluster and Japanese plum in Pereau is at green cluster.

Figure 4: Bud development on May 4. Top photos: An early region in Greenwich with pear, peach/nectarine, and European plum (from left to right). Bottom left: Sweet cherry at the Kentville Research and Development Centre by Suzanne Blatt. Bottom right: Japanese plum in Pereau by Harrison Wright.


Hazelnut Buds

Ian Willick at AAFC has offered to share updates on hazelnut trees from his team's ongoing research project at the Kentville Research and Development Centre. 

The trees were planted last year in 2025 and they are hybrid hazelnuts with resistance to eastern filbert blight. The varieties are all commercially available and they are NY Hazel, Grimo, Dermis, Slate, Northern, and Gene. They were chosen based on pollination compatibility and cold hardiness assessments out of Ontario.

Ian shares that the early hazelnut varieties are near the end of flowering and ovary enlargement is occurring.




Diseases


Apple – Scab


Table 2: Apple scab infection events in Kentville from April 28 to May 5, based on the Modified Mills Table. 
*For a high inoculum orchard, a significant number of spores can be released during darkness, so begin calculating leaf wetting regardless of the time of day when the wetting event started. An orchard is considered to have a high inoculum load if last season it had 100 or more scabby leaves observed over 600 shoots.
**Assuming a green tip date of April 19. Please use this as a guide because microclimates will cause conditions to vary on individual farms.
Note: The environmental conditions for an infection are listed in the Modified Mills Table.


Recommendations:

  • The first infection event of the season in Kentville was recorded on Friday, May 1. There was sufficient product wash off and there will be plenty of new tissue growth to warrant recovering.
    • Reapply a protectant fungicide on a 5-7 day interval, using the shorter interval after wet weather (cumulative 1-2” rain) or rapid tissue growth.
  • According to the current forecast, an infection could occur this coming Thursday. 
    • Ascospore maturity is forecast to be at 18.7% (11.1% since the last rain).
    • At an average forecast temperature of 14.5°C, an infection would occur after 10 hours of leaf wetness.
    • Ascospores are maturing at a rate of 1-4% per day, where higher rates occur on warm days.
  • Folpan/Follow should NOT be applied between tight cluster and 30 days after petal fall to avoid fruit russeting.
  • If you plan to use oil for European Red Mite control, Captan should be avoided within 7-14 days of an oil application.
  • Good early-season fungicide options:
    • Mancozeb products (manzate, penncozeb, dithane) are compatible with oil. They may be applied at up to 24 kg/ha/year whether that is up to 4 full-rate applications or up to 8 half-rate applications. The re-treatment interval is 7 days and the re-entry for pruning is 12 hours.
    • Scala + half rate group M performs well in cool weather and needs tissue for uptake so used as a second spray is a good time. Use before powdery mildew risk period because it has activity on scab only. The re-entry for pruning is 12 hours.
    • Captan/Maestro and Folpan/Follow should be avoided within 7-14 days of an oil application. If you are not applying oil for European red mite, then these products can be used for early black rot management in high pressure situations. The re-entry for pruning after Folpan/Follow is 12 hours, and for Captan/Maestro is 4 days for low density and 6 days for high density.
    • Allegro/Vantana/Downforce can be used within 1-3 days of oil. The re-entry for pruning is 24 hours.
    • Buran is used post-infection only.


Apple – Powdery Mildew


At present, this is an early recommendation to have powdery mildew on your radar. Typically, conidia are released around the tight cluster stage. Powdery mildew infections can be expected when conditions are warm (10-25°C), humid and dry.


Recommendations:

  • During the warm weather early this week, varieties may progress to the tight cluster stage. However, you will not receive the full benefit of powdery mildew protection if it is applied immediately before heavy rain. Powdery mildew infections do not occur in wet weather because the spores do not germinate on a wet leaf surface. Rain also removes powdery mildew spores in the air and destroys spore-producing structures. Given the rain in the forecast, powdery mildew protection is best timed after the wet weather.
  • A program with two pre-bloom and one post-bloom fungicide for control of powdery mildew is needed in high-pressure situations. However, infection potential will depend on the weather conditions in a given year.
  • Fungicide options with reminders:
    • Group 3 products Nova and Fullback are very effective. However, do not use them more than two times consecutively to avoid resistance development. They are ineffective on scab due to resistance, so use in conjunction with a fungicide that manages apple scab.
    • Group 7 containing products are Luna Tranquility, Inspire Super, Sercadis, Excalia, Fontelis. For Luna Tranquility, activity for scab control is only provided at the high label rate. Fontelis contains a mineral oil in the formulation so do not use near captan or folpet products.
    • Aprovia Top is a combination group 3 + 7 product, therefore, be careful that you do not make more than two consecutive applications of group 3 or group 7 containing products.
    • Migiwa is a new chemical group 52 that may be incorporated into the program to strengthen resistance management. Migiwa also has control of apple scab and it should always be used at the high label rate.
    • Gatten is a new group U13. The product does not have activity on apple scab.
    • Property is a new group 50. The product does not have activity on apple scab.
    • There is industry resistance to group 11 products such as Flint so it should NOT be used for powdery mildew management.
    • Other products are listed in the pest management guide.
  • Remember to treat young plantings because severe infections can reduce shoot growth, which is most concerning for young, non-bearing orchards.
  • Pay particular attention to susceptible and high-value varieties such as Honeycrisp and Gala.


Fire Blight Sanitation


Recommendations:

  • A copper application is recommended when buds are at the green tip stage and no later than 1/4 inch green for fresh market varieties, after which phytotoxicity becomes a problem. Processing varieties where russet is tolerable can be treated later as well as nonbearing trees.
  • A fixed copper product such as Copper Spray Fungicide (50% copper oxychloride) is recommended because it is resistant to being washed off bark surfaces by rain.
  • Copper can be applied as a tank mix with 0.5% by volume (5 L in 1000 L) dormant oil to increase adherence. Apply for good coverage of plant surfaces. In other words, a concentrate volume applied to every other tree row would not provide enough coverage. Given time constraints, prioritize blocks with a history of fire blight.
  • Cankers are visible now before they become hidden by this year's foliage. Scout for cankers now.
  • If in doubt, take it out! No cankers are helpful and they harbour diseases. If you need a second opinion, I can take a look. Cankers are especially risky in young orchards because they harbour the bacteria for new blossom infections that give bacteria rapid access to the leader of the tree. Consider completely removing young trees that have cankers.


Stone Fruit – Black Knot

Recommendations:

    • Prune limbs 15 cm beyond the knot and destroy knots (burn or flail mow). 
    • Remove knots before bloom. New shoots are susceptible to infection risk during active shoot elongation. Most infections are believed to occur just before or during bloom, or after petal fall.
    • Removing the fruiting bodies will not eradicate the fungus in the orchard but it will help keep the pressure down.
    • Flag wild trees surrounding the orchard that might also carry knots and remove them when time allows.


    Stone Fruit - Gummosis

    Gummosis is an exuding of sap that is most evident early in the season. The most common cause is Cytospora canker that infects weak trees through pruning cuts, sun scald injury, or cold injury. 

    Recommendations:

    • To reduce the incidence of re-infection, do not prune peach/nectarine, plum, and cherry in wet weather.
    • Remove severely affected trees.



    Insects


    Delayed Dormant Oil - Cautions and Considerations

    • When green tissue is present, do not use dormant oil 48 hours before or after freezing temperature. 
    • For varieties with Delicious parentage (Ambrosia, Gala, Delicious), early applications of oil prior to tight cluster are less likely to result in bark blistering. 
    • Oil should NOT be applied to young trees.
    • Consider the greater water volumes needed for large canopy trees that have not been pruned yet versus trees that have been pruned. Apply thorough coverage of the bark that is appropriate to the orchard situation. 

    European Red Mite

    A delayed dormant oil is effective at managing European red mite if monitoring indicates a treatable overwintering egg population. 

    Recommendations:

    • The oil is most effective when applied immediately before egg hatch (typically around tight cluster and before pink) but if practical it may be applied earlier with slightly less effective results. 
    • Note that a jump in development may occur with the heat that is forecast this week. If we expect to accumulate enough degree days to reach average development this week then egg hatch may be expected within about 10 days.
    • Using oil is a helpful strategy to prevent ERM resistance development to available summer miticides.
    • Early season oil is fully compatible with the beneficial predator typhs and will not interfere with biological control of mites.
    • European red mite eggs overwinter in the cracks on buds and spurs so high water volume is needed to reach all of the crevices (Figure 5). 
    • The oil treatment is not effective for rust mite or two-spotted spider mite.
    Figure 5: European red mite eggs are round and red. The eggs can be found on at least 2-year-old wood of small diameter. The eggs are found singly or in groups in and around cracks and crevices of spur wood and buds. Thorough coverage of the bark is important because the oil acts by smothering mite eggs. Photo taken last year on May 5, 2025.

    Tree Borers

    Trees stressed by drought are at higher risk for borer infestation, and may already be showing early signs of damage. These insects are opportunistic—they target trees that are weakened and less able to defend themselves. When a tree is injured, it can release volatile chemicals that act as a signal, drawing borers in and increasing the likelihood of further decline.

    A tree infested by borers often shows a telltale sign: watery sap seeping from a small hole in the bark (Figure 6). Trace the source of the sap and make a thin vertical incision through the bark to inspect the area. If borers are responsible, you will uncover a small entry hole beneath the surface. Several cases have been reported this spring.

    Local studies in the 1980s evaluated insecticide treatments,  following significant cold injury that increased borer activity. However, the insects’ location beneath the bark and the difficulty in accurately timing adult emergence limited the success of chemical control. Past experience suggests borer pressures subside once the initial stress event passes and weakened trees die and are removed from the orchard.

    Figure 6: A tree being bored into by a boring insect. When an adult borer enters a tree, a clear to brown sap can leak from the entry hole. She lays her eggs within the tree so larvae and pupae develop under the bark, forming tunnels. Photos taken several years ago on May 26, 2022.



    Spring Caterpillar Complex (Looking Ahead)

    • Spring caterpillars become visible on flower buds at the tight cluster stage by opening the leaves and separating buds. Caterpillars are extremely small at the tight cluster stage (3 mm long).
    • Product must enter bud clusters so don't apply too early. The caterpillars are hidden among tightly held buds where they are protected from insecticide application until bud clusters open.
    • The action period is during the pink stage, according to heat and your monitoring reports.
    • Stay tuned.



    Weed Management

    Studies have shown maintaining weed free strips from bud break to 30-days after full bloom has the greatest impact on tree growth and yield. Timely herbicide application will ensure you make the most of the weed free window.

    There is generally a need for 3-4 herbicide treatments per season. To get out of the cycle of trying to manage large weeds with post-emergent herbicides, think about pre-emergent/residual herbicides as filling windows of time. Most residual products will give about 6 weeks of weed control. Use residual herbicides through periods of high weed germination like in spring. Post-emergent herbicides help with clean up when weeds are small. The risk of crop damage by using burndown products is minimized by practicing prevention and keeping weeds small.

    Efficacy of Herbicides:

    • Last week's rain turned heavy at short notice. If residuals were applied before the heavy rain then, depending on the herbicide, weed control could be reduced if the herbicide was leached beyond the weed seed zone or diluted through the soil profile. 
      • An excellent article from OMAFA describes the soil mobility and leaching potential of residual herbicides. 
      • A product like Chateau with low leaching potential will likely still have good efficacy. 
      • On the other hand, a product like Sinbar has a moderate to high leaching potential and efficacy may be reduced. 
      • The leaching potential also depends on soil type. 
      • Do not repeat applications of residuals as crop injury is a risk.
    • Most residual herbicides need about 1/2" of rainfall within 7 to 14 days of application to deliver product to the germination zone and to activate the chemical by putting it in solution. If residuals have not yet been applied, this week might offer another opportunity prior to rain.
    • When burndown products are needed, consider that Reglone works in cool and cloudy conditions whereas Ignite requires warm and sunny conditions. Also, applying Ignite when leaves are wet is ineffective.

    Crop Safety of Common Herbicides:

    • Wait for a settling rain before applying residual herbicides to new plantings.
    • Note that residual herbicides can damage single tree replacements of young trees if the product is not registered for use on young trees. Keep this in mind if you are considering planting single tree replacements after the drought. Damage may occur by planting into soil with herbicide residue or by mistakenly applying new residual herbicide. 
    • Speaking of the drought, the following residual herbicides can persist longer than usual in extreme circumstances like drought:
      • For Authority, instead of waiting the usual 2 years for reapplication, you should wait 3 years since your previous application. The label advises a 3-year replant interval under normal circumstances and extended an additional year to a 4-year replant interval after drought.
      • For Chateau, the rotational interval is 1 year. However, the label also says, “After periods of extended drought longer rotational intervals may be needed.”
      • For Alion, there is no specific mention of drought in terms of replanting, but waiting longer than 12 months might be advised. 
    • In the USA, there are concerns about Ignite causing bark cracking. The specific risks are yet to be defined but just be cautious that Ignite is not sprayed onto or drifts onto young tree bark.
    • Chateau should not be applied after budbreak unless application equipment is shielded to prevent crop injury.
    • If you are taking out orchard within the next 2-3 years for replanting, avoid applying residual herbicides. The Alion label says to allow at least 12 months from last application to replanting an orchard.
    • When mixing residual herbicides, agitation is important to keep the product in solution. If the herbicide settles in the tank then it can be delivered in a high concentration and possibly result in crop injury.


    Horticulture


    Moisture Retention

    • Applying mulch early in the season while the soil has moisture is more effective at retaining moisture than waiting until midsummer. Apply a herbicide first.
    • The historical recommendation for the tree row has been to apply sparse hay mulch at 0.5-1 kg/m2. Hay may be difficult to source after the drought and also presents a risk of introducing new weed seeds. 
    • Explore using straw mulch, in particular in areas of sandy knolls or on lighter soils where trees struggled last year. Apply to a depth of only a few centimetres to simply provide a physical barrier that reduces evaporation from the soil surface. It also shields the soil from sun to lower the temperature and slows the impact from rain droplets to improve infiltration.
    • Alternatively, practice season-long mow-and-blow to move the laneway grass clippings into the tree row. Creating a few centimetres of grass clippings has a big benefit. 
    • Ultimately, mulch can improve organic matter and long-term moisture retention.
    • As an additional benefit, mulch reduces migration of two-spotted spider mite from weedy hosts.

    Fertilizing


    Planting Trees

    • Joan reports observing that roots are actively growing and in her example the fine new feeder roots were already one inch long. This observation suggests that current soil temperatures are conducive to root growth.
    • Remove old roots and work to get a good soil tilth without sods and clods especially in the top 15 cm of soil.
    • The length of the rootstock that is above ground level will influence tree growth. Tree size diminishes as the rootstock portion above ground increases. Trees should be planted so that the graft unions are at a uniform height of 8 to 10 cm above the soil line after stomping into the ground.
    • Avoid letting trees dry out. About 40% of trees can die from drying out, and surviving trees grow slowly. Survivors of 15-minute dry winds recover by year 3. Survivors of 45-minute drying winds still don't grow well by year 3.
    • Bundles of trees sitting in water awaiting planting can asphyxiate, especially in stagnant water and/or warmish water.

    Pruning

    • Plan ahead and watch re-entry intervals for pruning activities.
    • Ensure that youngest blocks are pruned first so growth is directed into desirable leader and terminal extension. Prioritize high value trees and then return to low value areas. 
    • Consider prioritizing pruning in fire blight blocks to finish prior to tight cluster when cankers begin oozing. Cut out cankers, whether fire blight or other diseases.
    • Pruning may be delayed closer to bloom for vigorous Ambrosia to reduce its vigour.
    • Mature blocks can be pruned later and are best when pruned prior to bloom.

    Blind Wood

    • In general, scoring and notching is best done from green tip and up until bloom time. The ideal time is at the stage of half-inch green.
    • An excellent local on-farm trial done by Walsh Farms was shared during a previous Growing Good Growers tailgate meeting. They tried different treatments of notching, scoring, and growth regulators around May 5, 2024 on young Ambrosia trees. Their results and some of the discussion is referenced here:
      • Success ranged from 7% to 25% branch induction.
      • In this situation, scoring worked better than notching. Scoring resulted in more branch elongation. The growth regulators did not improve success. Growth regulators can be affected by the weather at application so results might depend on the conditions in any given year. Growth regulators are discussed in this article.
      • Most people concluded that the practice of notching and scoring was time consuming, especially during the narrow opportunity in spring. 
      • Treating blind wood is likely only worthwhile if the success rate is 20% or higher.

    Liming

    • Lime soils prior to planting an orchard with rates according to your soil report. Early spring is an option but fall can be a more practical time to apply lime to a new site and lengthen the time for acidity to become neutralized.
    • Orchard maintenance with surface applied lime twill take a number of years to adjust pH of the soil profile so it is best to apply annually or biannually where needed. If soil testing for pH, measure during the same time each year (August) as pH can change over the growing season. 
    • The provincial limestone trucking assistance program is open.



    Events and Notices


    Atlantic Agronomy & Extension Conference

    Join Perennia and our partners, the Prince Edward Island Federation of Agriculture (PEIFA), New Brunswick Soil and Crop Improvement Association (NBSCIA) and the Newfoundland Federation of Agriculture (NLFA) in the beautiful Annapolis Valley for the On-Farm Climate Action Fund (OFCAF) Atlantic Agronomy and Extension Conference—moving beyond the “what” of BMPs and focusing on the “how” of extension.

    This engaging two-day event is designed to spark ideas and drive impact. We’re bringing together leading voices from across Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom to showcase practical, real-world approaches to communicating, teaching and accelerating the adoption of OFCAF-supported beneficial management practices (BMPs). Whether you are a student, agronomist, agrologist, extension specialist or technical advisor, this conference is for you.

    Connect with peers, gain fresh insights and leave inspired with extension tools you can put into action right away. Register Today!


    Perennia Now Offering Analytical Testing

    Effective May 1, 2026, Perennia is fully operating the former Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture (NSDA) Analytical Lab at the Harlow Institute Building, 176 College Road in Truro.

    In addition to mineral and bacteria water testing, we are conducting the same tests as previously offered: 
    • Soil analysis for lawn, garden and field samples
    • Soil amendment analysis
    • Greenhouse soil, nutrients and water + field, milk house water, etc.
    • Feed analysis
    • Digest samples
    • Plant tissue analysis
    We are also continuing to offer the 50 per cent discount on the same tests as when the lab was operated by NSDA for farmers with a current farm registration number. Our service fees also haven’t been changed and the overview PDF is available at https://www.perennia.ca/analytical-lab

    For drinking water samples, Perennia is referring and transporting these daily Monday to Thursday to an accredited lab in the HRM. NSDA’s ISO accreditation for this testing was not transferrable to Perennia. Thus, we are doing all the extensive paperwork required for a new ISO accreditation for Perennia and anticipate taking drinking water samples after a successful audit this summer. We will keep everyone updated. For now, water samples for these tests can only be accepted at the Harlow Building in Truro.

    All other samples can continue to be dropped off at:
    • NSDA Digby, Antigonish and Kentville offices (Kentville will be phased out as a drop off location in the coming weeks)
    • Nova Scotia Department for Natural Resources and Renewables Strathlorne Nursery in Inverness
    • Harlow Building in Truro
    • Perennia office in Kentville (28 Aberdeen Street – drop off will be at the entrance at the back of the building facing the side of the Independent grocery store. Parking is available – feel free to park in the space directly in front of the door for quick drop off.)
    Soil collection supplies can also be obtained at these locations along with submission forms and resources.

    All drop-off dates and times, locations, submission forms, how-to resource forms and interpretation guides, payment methods and fee listing are all available at www.perennia.ca/labservices where you can also order tests from our Plant Health Lab.

    For more information or questions please contact labs@perennia.ca

    Local Supplier Food Safety Support Pilot Program

    The Province is investing in a new Local Supplier Food Safety Support Pilot Program to help food producers meet food safety requirements they need to get more of their products to local and global markets.

    The departments of Growth and Development and Agriculture have partnered with Perennia Food and Agriculture Corp. on the two-year pilot program for Nova Scotia food and beverage producers. The program will help with costs related to food safety standards such as training, assessment, program development, audit fees and facility upgrades.

    The support will help more local producers meet provincial and federal food safety standards that can be a barrier to growing their business.

    Deadline to apply is July 15, 2026. For program guidelines and application, visit our website.





    Pest Management Guide

    We offer printable PDFs of the guides from our website:

    Online pest guides are also available without login (https://www.perennia.ca/pest-guides/) and with login on your Perennia account (https://www.farmdatatools.perennia.ca/).  Using the online tool you can filter for organic and conventional options, search for key information, and sort based on information of interest. 


    This Orchard Outlook has been published with the input of the Orchard Outlook Committee including this week's participants: Keith Fuller, Ian Willick, Joan Hebb, Harrison Wright, Danny Davison, Mathew Vankoughnett, Suzanne Blatt, Shawkat Ali, Jill MacDonald, and Jeff Franklin.

    Edited by Michelle Cortens, Tree Fruit Specialist
    Perennia Food and Agriculture Corp.
    By Michelle Cortens at May 05, 2026
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