On-Farm Water Management Program - Now Open

Applications are now open for the On-Farm Water Management Program that was announced earlier this week.

You can find the program guidelines and application form at https://novascotia.ca/programs/on-farm-water-management/

All applications must be received by September 12th, 2025 and the claim deadline is November 30th, 2025. Please reach out to your local Agriculture Representative if you have any questions.

Feb 13 Tree Fruit News, Resources, and Upcoming Events

I'm sharing another update with a few reminders and new resources or opportunities.

News

Funding - Wild Blueberry and Apple Harvest Efficiency Program 2024-2025
Announced just last week at the Nova Scotia Fruit Growers' Association (NSFGA) Annual Convention, this new funding program supports the modernization of wild blueberry and apple harvesting equipment for growers to reduce labour requirements, increase productivity, and improve profitability. Applicants can apply to receive Program funding up to 30% of eligible expenses, to a maximum of $50,000 for harvest assist platforms. The application deadline is February 19, 2025. Successful applicants must purchase the equipment and submit a claim before March 28, 2025. For more information, visit the Nova Scotia Programs website.

Resources

SPANISH TRANSLATION NOW AVAILABLE - Fundamentals of Pruning Factsheet

The pruning guide for farm labourers that was published last year has been translated to Spanish and is now available to download and print.

Upcoming Local Events

Webinar Registration Now Available - Annual Pesticide Product Information Impacting Horticulture and Field Crops on February 26
Every year, crop production is impacted when pesticide products are cancelled or when labels are updated to include amendments to use patterns. Join us to learn updates from our team of Perennia specialists who are here to support you in the horticulture and field crops sectors. The focal crops during the session are apples, wild blueberries, wine grapes, cranberries, vegetables, berries, cannabis, and field crops. Each specialist will bring information on products that are relevant to their sector. 

This event is virtual and is happening on Wednesday, February 26 from 12 PM to 1 PM. Please register now on our website.

'Perennia’s Annual Pesticide Product Information Impacting Horticulture and Field Crops' course is NS Environment and Climate Change (ECC) course T2535 and is worth 1.0 point in Pest Management (agriculture).

Webinar Series - Getting into the Weeds Seminar Series in February

Join us for the next season of Getting into the Weeds! This year, our theme is Continuous Agricultural Learning and Pest Management Updates. We are hosting four sessions focused on discussing agricultural production in depth, including the plants’ responses to excessive water and nitrogen input during growing seasons, pest management updates on weeds and insects, and the latest updates on chemical applications by drones. Pesticide points and CCA CEU points will be available!

February 19, 2025 - 12:00PM - 1:00PM
Insect Management Updates – Blueberry Fruit Fly and European Corn Borer

February 21, 2025 - 12:00PM - 1:00PM
Developing Effective and Durable Weed Management Programs

February 27, 2025 - 12:00PM - 1:00PM
Drone Chemical Application Research and Policy Updates

Pesticide Exam Preparation Courses 
Marbicon Inc. / Jim Jotcham is offering another round of in-person exam-preparation courses (T 2523)
Points workshops are also being offered (T 2526).
5 recertification points are available at each course (you can only get credit for each T number once).

Exam preparation courses (with 5.0 points available for T2523):
Feb 24 Mon – Truro – Colchester Legion Stadium Lounge, 14 Lorne St.
Feb 27 Thurs – Berwick – Berwick Legion Hall, 232 Main St.
Mar 3 Monday – New Germany – Location TBA.
Mar 24 Mon – Millville, C.B. Millville Community Centre, 270 Millville Highway.
Mar 26 Weds – Heatherton – Heatherton Community Centre, Hwy 104 by Exit 36.

Points workshops (with 5.0 points available for T2526):
Feb 25 Tues – Truro – Colchester Legion Stadium Lounge, 14 Lorne St.
Feb 28 Fri – Berwick – Berwick Legion Hall, 232 Main St.
Mar 4 Tues – New Germany – Location TBA.
Mar 25 Tues – Millville, C.B. Millville Community Centre, 270 Millville Highway.

NOTE: This points workshop is not preparation for the provincial applicator exam.

More courses are being planned at more locations for April & May, stay tuned.

Email/call Jim (marbicon@eastlink.ca) or 902-538-7101 to pre-register.

Pre-exam courses are $130 including HST.
Instruction starts at 9:00. Expect to be done around 4:00-4:30.
People only sitting in for 5.0 recertification points pay $120 including HST.
Points people can expect to be done around 3:15.
Doors open at 8:30 am for registration & settling in.
Pay at the door or by corporate/government purchase order.
If paying by e-Transfer, please add for whom and for which date.
Sorry, no Visa, MC, or Debit.
HST is included in the above prices.
Food & drink is on your own.
A course manual is provided in the pre-exam courses. Bring a pen.

NOTE: Pesticide exams are normally written online, NOT at this course.
Contact NS Environment for further details on writing the exam.
A course is not required before challenging the pesticide exam, but it usually helps.

Cash or cheques (payable to Marbicon Inc.) or e-transfer (marbicon@eastlink.ca).
Contact Jim Jotcham at marbicon@eastlink.ca or at 902-538-7101 for more details and/or to pre-register.

Workshop SAVE THE DATE - NSFGA Spring Workshop March 19-20

The NSFGA is planning their spring workshop for the mornings of March 19 and 20. Hope to see you there!

Feb 3 Tree Fruit News, Resources, and Upcoming Events

Winter is a time for learning and planning so today I'm bringing this communication to you to summarize new information and opportunities for tree fruit growers.

News

Funding - Wild Blueberry and Apple Harvest Efficiency Program 2024-2025
Announced just last week at the Nova Scotia Fruit Growers' Association (NSFGA) Annual Convention, this new funding program supports the modernization of wild blueberry and apple harvesting equipment for growers to reduce labour requirements, increase productivity, and improve profitability. Applicants can apply to receive Program funding up to 30% of eligible expenses, to a maximum of $50,000 for harvest assist platforms. The application deadline is February 19, 2025. Successful applicants must purchase the equipment and submit a claim before March 28, 2025. For more information, visit the Nova Scotia Programs website.

Resources

Report - Strengthening Powdery Mildew Management for Improved Resilience in Nova Scotia Orchards

At the NSFGA Convention I presented the results of a project on powdery mildew. This integrated project sought to, 1) evaluate new biological and conventional products that have the potential to improve local management programs, 2) monitor infection risk according to the RIMpro decision-support system using on-farm weather stations to refine application timing, and 3) identify fungicide resistance of existing fungicide product mode-of-action groups. Hardcopy reports were available at convention and PDF reports are also available if interested. Please reach out to Michelle if you would like a copy.

Funding for this project was provided by the Nova Scotia Fruit Growers Association and through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (S-CAP) Program by the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC).


Presentations from NSFGA Convention

Copies of presentations might be available from presenters. Emily has shared the presentation from Farid Makki and may be sharing others. If there is a specific presentation that you would like to have, please let me know. I do have permission to share George Sundin's slides but they are large file sizes.

Sprayer Requirements - Closed Transfer Systems

Please note some recent requirements on pesticide labels. The liquid Captan label states that, "When applying using airblast, use a closed mixing/loading system or a closed-cab sprayer when handling more than 10.9 kg a.i./day (22 L of product).” Similarly, the product Sevin XLR requires a closed mixing system and a closed cab with physical and respiratory barriers for airblast application. For more information and options, check out the excellent detailed article by Jason Deveau's on Sprayers 101.

Update - Perennia Online Pest Guides

The Perennia team has been actively working on updating the annual pest guides since November. The guides will continue to be offered in an online format but this year we are committed to making them easy to print. Our current changes are being in the background until we publish the new guides and we are targeting a release date that is earlier than usual to support your winter planning. Our focus this year has been to make improvements, apply product updates and discontinuations with input from chemical suppliers, and refine the information with our own standards and consistency. We plan to offer a webinar to explain this year's changes so stay tuned.

Fundamentals of Pruning Factsheet - Undergoing Translation to Spanish

The pruning guide for farm labourers that was published last year is undergoing translation to Spanish and should be available soon.

Upcoming Local Events

Webinar - Protecting Pollinators Information Session on February 11

On February 11, The Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture (ATTTA) is offering a Protecting Pollinator session in partnership with the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture Extension Services and Nova Scotia Resilient Agricultural Landscapes Program. This session will educate growers and beekeepers on the importance of protecting pollinators from environmental stressors and providing suitable habitat to support pollinators. The session will include two guest speakers - Dr. Nancy Maclean and Dr. Nigel Raine. Registration for the session is open until February 7: https://forms.office.com/r/yTCrDKtevJ. This session is also supported by the best management practice guide developed by ATTTA, which can be accessed at: https://www.perennia.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/P2C_WildBlueberry_Guide_ENG-FINAL.pdf.

Webinar Series - Getting into the Weeds Seminar Series in February

Join us for the next season of Getting into the Weeds! This year, our theme is Continuous Agricultural Learning and Pest Management Updates. We are hosting four sessions focused on discussing agricultural production in depth, including the plants’ responses to excessive water and nitrogen input during growing seasons, pest management updates on weeds and insects, and the latest updates on chemical applications by drones. Pesticide points and CCA CEU points will be available!

REGISTER TODAY
February 11, 2025 - 12:00PM - 1:00PM
Plant Eco-Physiological Responses to Excessive Water and Extra Nitrogen Input

February 19, 2025 - 12:00PM - 1:00PM
Insect Management Updates – Blueberry Fruit Fly and European Corn Borer

February 21, 2025 - 12:00PM - 1:00PM
Developing Effective and Durable Weed Management Programs

February 27, 2025 - 12:00PM - 1:00PM
Drone Chemical Application Research and Policy Updates

Webinar SAVE THE DATE - Annual Pesticide Product Information Impacting Horticulture and Field Crops on February 26
Every year, crop production is impacted when pesticide products are cancelled or when labels are updated to include amendments to use patterns. Join us to learn updates from our team of Perennia specialists who are here to support you in the horticulture and field crops sectors. The focal crops during the session are apples, wild blueberries, wine grapes, cranberries, vegetables, berries, cannabis, and field crops. Each specialist will bring information on products that are relevant to their sector. This event is virtual and is happening on Wednesday, February 26 from 12 PM to 1 PM. Please save the date and stay tuned for registration details.

Perennia’s Annual Pesticide Product Information Impacting Horticulture and Field Crops course is NS Environment and Climate Change (ECC) course T2535 and is worth 1.0 point in Pest Management (agriculture).

Workshop SAVE THE DATE - NSFGA Spring Workshop March 19-20

The NSFGA is planning their spring workshop for the mornings of March 19 and 20. Hope to see you there!

Now Available: Fiona Agricultural Disaster Assistance Program

Farmers can apply for financial assistance to help cover extraordinary operational costs caused by Hurricane Fiona. The Fiona Agricultural Disaster Assistance Program provides a one-window financial response to help the agriculture industry recover from Hurricane Fiona.

Extraordinary damage and operational costs include: 

• equipment and infrastructure 
• crops and cropping
• livestock and feeds
• agricultural and debris clean-up
• fuel and alternative power expenses

The application deadline is 6 February 2023.

For more information including eligibility, program guidelines, and the intake form, visit the NSDA Programs website.

New Fiona Response Programs for Agriculture

Hello folks, in case you are not already aware there are two new programs that have been launched to provide financial assistance after hurricane Fiona.

Farm Emergency Response Grant Program

A one-time grant of $2,500 is being sent to registered farms in Central, Northern and Eastern Nova Scotia that experienced financial losses due to infrastructure or crop damage, livestock loss or extended power outages due to the hurricane. Funding from the $4-million Farm Emergency Response Grant Program is also available to registered farmers who experienced storm damage outside the most impacted regions. For more information, please contact the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture’s Programs Branch at 1-866-844-4276.

If you are a producer outside of the designated impacted regions of Hants, Halifax, Pictou, Cumberland, Colchester, Guysborough, Antigonish and Cape Breton, and suffered direct damage from Hurricane Fiona, please contact Robin Mahoney with Programs at 1-866-844-4276.

If you are an unregistered farm in the impacted areas, please contact Robin Mahoney at 1-866-844-4276.

On-Farm Electrical Interruption Program

This program is providing $500,000 in federal and provincial funding through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership to offset costs to farm owners who installed a backup generator immediately before hurricane Fiona or during the extended power outages the storm caused. The program can cover up to 100 per cent of the cost of purchasing and installing a generator for on-farm use. The Canadian Agricultural Partnership is a $3 billion, five-yar (2018-2023) investment by federal, provincial, and territorial governments to strengthen and grow Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sector. Guidelines and application form will be posted online. Application is due by November 21, 2022.

Provincial Fiona Agricultural Program

Additionally, there was the following announcement related to additional funding whose details have not yet been finalized. Government is providing $6 million through the Provincial Fiona Agricultural Program to cover extraordinary operational costs experienced because of the storm. A simplified application process will be announced soon to ensure funding is dispersed quickly. Additional funding will also be available in the weeks and months ahead to help farmers with rebuilding costs that are not covered by other programs. An email will be sent out regarding this program once guidelines have been finalized, if you are interested in learning more about this program, please contact your local regional office to indicate as such.

Project opportunity - Do you have any tree fruit engineering challenges?

If you have an idea for a project, Dalhousie University engineering students could assist tree fruit growers with engineering challenges. Students in their final year of the engineering program have to take a Capstone Course where they are given an industry based engineering challenge to solve a real world problem.

Typical projects are existing problems or initiatives which companies do not have time or resources to tackle alone. Ideally, these are problems that are important to solve, but not critical to the core business operations of the industry partner or time constrained to be solved sooner than in the next 12 months.

To become involved, submit a project idea and application form as a project sponsor. The sponsor will provide at least one contact person who will communicate regularly with the student team (1-2 hrs per week). Project costs are different for each discipline (may include software, licenses, materials, machinery & lab testing) but there is no charge for students' or faculty time, nor for the use of their facilities for project work.

For more information, visit their website for the Dalhousie Capstone Program.

Program – Nova Scotia Clean Technology for Agriculture Fund

In this quick post, I want share a new program in case it's of interest to tree fruit growers. The NSDA – Nova Scotia Clean Technology for Agriculture Fund will support the adoption of clean technologies that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve energy efficiency, promote sustainable and clean growth, and increase value-added agricultural production.


Applicant(s) are eligible for 60% funding assistance of the total eligible project costs unless otherwise stated. Eligible projects may include heating, cooling, and energy systems, high efficiency irrigation, cover crop planting, GPS guidance systems, precision planting equipment and more. Eligible project expenses will be recognized within the activity period of April 1, 2021 to January 31, 2023.

For more information, visit the website: https://nscleantech.ca

Agriculture Weather Station Assistance Program Launched for Nova Scotia

The Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture and Perennia have launched the Weather Station Assistance Program.   

The objective of the Farm Weather Station Program is two-fold:  to encourage producers to install weather stations and adopt new technology tools; and fully utilize the data to make proactive management decisions to mitigate the impacts of climate change and adverse weather conditions. 

Funding is open to eligible applicants at 30-70 per cent subsidy levels. 

DEADLINES:  This program is open until July 30, 2021 

PROGRAM GUIDELINES:  https://novascotia.ca/programs/Weather-Station-Assistance/

 

HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS: https://www.perennia.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Weather-Station-Assistance-Program-final.pdf

 

This program is administered by the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture and is funded under the federal-provincial Canadian Agricultural Partnership Program. 

 

Perennia will be working with applied applicants to implement the program, including providing the weather station and co-ordinating the installation.  As of the launch of the program, Perennia is completing the competitive bidding process to select the weather station supported under the Program.  As soon as the model is selected, information will be shared at https://www.perennia.ca/weatherstations/ and via other channels.