JULY 2014 dispatch Wild Blueberry Producers Association of Nova Scotia 168 Dakota Road, PO Box 119 Debert, NS B0M 1G0 Nova Scotia’s Provincial Berry Tel: (902) 662-3306 Fax: (902) 662-3284 Email: [email protected] Website: www.nswildblueberries.com
WBPANS 2014 FIELD DAY SATURDAY, July 19, 2014 Sargent’s Receiving Shed, 1410 Smith Hollow Road, Parrsboro, NS
Our Annual Field Day returns to the Parrsboro area this year, with an exci ng line up of regular and new exhibitors with specialized products, equipment and services for our industry. Our expert researchers and extension specialists will be in a endance to discuss your produc on, pest management and weed control ques ons. A number of the machinery exhibitors will be focussing on GPS applica ons for wild blueberry opera- ons and some new exhibits will be highligh ng other leading edge technologies, and proven ancient tradi ons with a new twist! Returning will be the famous barbeque chicken dinner that was so popular three years ago! There are plenty of unique a rac ons in the Parrsboro area, for those who may be interested in extending their visit to the area, including the Ship's Company Theatre, Fundy Geological Museum, the Parrsboro Rock & Mineral shop, Force Tidal Energy Observa on Facility, the O awa House by the Sea Museum, or the Age of Sail Heritage Centre. There are also a number of private galleries and ar san shops. For more details on shopping, accommoda ons and restaurants, please visit the Stay, Shop and Eat page on the town of Parrsboro home page at h p:// www.town.parrsboro.ns.ca/stay-shop-and-eat.html or visit h p://www.novasco a.com
9:00am-10:00 am REGISTRATION - $20 per person (includes lunch) Sargent’s Receiving Shed—1410 Smith Hollow Road, Parrsboro, NS
STATION 1 INSECT IDENTIFICATION & CONTROL CLINIC – Dr. Chris Cutler, Dalhousie Agricultural Campus & Dr. Sonia Gaul, AAFC STATION 2 SPOTTED WING DROSOPHILA - Dr. Debra Moreau, AAFC
STATION 3 WEED IDENTIFICATION CLINIC - Peter Burgess, Perennia
STATION 4 EQUIPMENT & MACHINERY DISPLAY Visit the most up to date technology in precision agriculture, harvesting equipment, mowers, variable rate sprayers, tractors, land clearing and development, wildlife management, pollination services, pest control and information on crop insurance, farm loan board, advance payments and other risk management programs.
STATION 5 DISEASES & NUTRITION - Dr. David Percival, Dalhousie Agricultural Campus
STATION 6 WBANA-CANADA – Neri Vautour
STATION 7 WILD BLUEBERRY HARVEST FESTIVAL—Alice Pugsley
STATION 8 PRECISION AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGY— Dr. Qamar Zaman, Dalhousie Agricultural Campus
STATION 9 FARM SAFETY —Carolyn Van Den Heuvel, Farm Safety Nova Scotia
11:30 am - 12:30 pm ENTERTAINMENT by Andy Crossan & Friends 12:00 – 1:30 pm LUNCH – Barbeque on site – BBQ chicken, salads, wild blueberry dessert, soft drinks ● Welcome: President, Jeff Orr ● Spotted Wing Drosophila Update - Dr. Debra Moreau, AAFC ● Market Update: Peter Rideout, WBPANS 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm FIELD TOURS In addition to visiting some of the larger fields in the Parrsboro area, the 2014 annual Field Day in Parrsboro will provide growers with an opportunity to visit some of the hills and hollows where small growers have been successfully farming wild blueberries in the Parrsboro area. The tour will explore some of the fields on the Parrsboro plain and then proceed to the more rugged but milder Lakelands-Halfway River glacial valley tucked behind the nearby hills. Some of the small growers who are farming the Kettle and Kame landscape and other unique features of this valley will be on hand to explain some of their approaches to making a living farming wild blueberries and the innovations that have sustained them.
REMINDER: Bring your insect, disease & weed samples to the Field Day for identification as well as your pesticide applicators license number to be eligible for pesticide re-certification points.
THANK YOU TO ALL OUR FIELD DAY SPONSORS AND PARTICIPANTS!!!
MAP TO FIELD DAY LOCATION: 1410 SMITH HOLLOW ROAD, PARRSBORO, NS (www.maps.google.ca)
Amherst
Glenholme
Direc ons to 1410 Smith Hollow Road, Parrsboro, NS From Truro: - Take Highway 104 west to Exit 12, Masstown - Turn right toward Glenholme - At Glenholme corner turn le and follow Highway 2 to Parrsboro - At Parrsboro centre turn right onto Upper Main Street - Turn le onto Parrsboro Shore Road (Hwy 209 toward Diligent River/Port Greville/Advocate) - Turn le onto Smith Hollow Road, Sargent’s Receiving Shed is on the right.
From Amherst: - Take Highway 104 to Exit 4 - Exit Highway 104 at exit 4 by the Cumberland Regional Health Care Centre - Follow Highway 2 to Upper Nappan - Turn right onto Highway 302 - Stay on Highway 302 to Southampton - Turn right onto Highway 2 - Follow Highway 2 toward Parrsboro - Turn right onto Parrsboro Shore Road (Highway 209 toward Diligent River/Port Greville/Advocate) - Turn le onto Smith Hollow Road, Sargent’s Receiving Shed is on the right. Here is a listing of accommodations and nearby attractions in Parrsboro and surrounding areas, please go to www.novascotia.com or www.townofparrsboro.ns.ca for more information
ACCOMMODATIONS PARRSBORO: The Maple Inn 2358 Western Avenue, Parrsboro Tel: 1-877-627-5346 Email: [email protected] www.mapleinn.ca Parrsboro Mansion Inn 3619 Eastern Avenue, Parrsboro www.parrsboromansion.com Email: [email protected] Gillespie House Inn 358 Main Street, Parrsboro Tel: 1-877-901-3196 www.gillespiehouseinn.com Sunshine Inn 4487 Hwy 2 (North), Parrsboro Tel: 902-254-3135 Toll free: 1-877-706-6835 Evangeline’s Tower B&B 322 Main Street Parrsboro, Tel: 902-254-3383 Toll Free: 1-866-338-6937 Email: [email protected] www.evangelinestower.ca Loco Yolkel B&B 2330 Western Avenue, Parrsboro Tel: 902-254-2773 Email: [email protected] Riverview Cottages 3575 Eastern Avenue, Parrsboro Tel: 902-254-2388 Email: info @riverviewcottages.ca Cape Split View Cottages 846 West Bay Road, Parrsboro Tel: 902-254-2585 Toll Free:1-866-354-2585 www.milliondollarviewcottages.com Glooscap Park & Campground PO Box 400, Parrsboro Tel: 902-254-2529 or 902-254-2036 Email: [email protected] www.town.parrsboro.ns.ca Mad Hatter Hostel 16 Prince Street, Parrsboro Tel: 1-902-254-3167 Email: [email protected] www.madhatterhostel.webs.com
FIVE ISLANDS: Gemstow B&B 463 Highway 2, Five Islands Tel: 902-254-2924 Email: [email protected] Five Islands Ocean Resort 482 Highway 2, Lower Five Islands Tel: 902-254-2824 Email: [email protected] www.fiveislands.ca Tidal River Ridge Retreat RR 1 Lower Five Islands Tel: 902-254-3333 Email: [email protected] www.tidalriver.com Lock Haven Cottage 510 Highway 2, Lower Five Islands Tel: 902-254-3004 Email: [email protected] Diamond Shores Campground 59 Seascape Lane, Five Islands Tel: 902-254-2903 Email: [email protected] Five Islands Provincial Park 618 Bentley Branch Road, Lower Five Islands Tel: 902-254-2980 Toll Free: 1-888-544-3434 www.novascotiaparks.ca
ECONOMY: Four Seasons Retreat 320 Cove Road, Upper Economy Tel: 902-647-2628 Toll free: 1-888-373-0339 www.fourseasonsretreat.ns.ca Silver House B&B 3289 Highway 2, Economy Tel: 902-647-2022 Email: [email protected] www3.ns.sympatico.ca/silver.house Hightide B&B 2240 Highway 2, Lower Economy Tel: 902-647-2788 Email: [email protected] www.hightidebb.com
PORT GREVILLE: Ebb Tide Vacation Home on Greville Bay 8610 Highway 209, Port Greville Tel: 902-348-2012 Email: [email protected] www.ebbtide.ca
SPENCER’S ISLAND: Spencer’s Island B&B 789 Spencer’s Beach Road, Spencer’s Island Tel: 902-392-2721 Email: [email protected] Old Shipyard Beach Campground Beach Road, Spencer’s Island Tel: 902-392-2487 Toll Free: 1-800-565-0000 Email: [email protected] www.oldshipyardbeachcampground.com
CAPE D’OR: Lightkeepers Kitchen & Guest House Tel: 902-670-0534 Email: [email protected] www.capedor.ca
ADVOCATE HARBOUR: Driftwood Park Retreat 49 Driftwood Lane, Advocate Harbour Tel: 902-392-2008 Toll Free: 1-866-0110 Email: [email protected] www.driftwoodparkretreat.com Bayview Cottage 65 Old Beach Road, Advocate Harbour Tel: 902-392-2444 Email: [email protected] Reid’s Tourist Home 1391 West Advocate Road, Advocate Harbour Tel: 902-392-2592 www.reidstouristhome.ca
PARRSBORO AREA ATTRACTIONS
Age of Sail Heritage Centre: 8334 Hwy 209 Port Greville, Tel: 902-348-2030 www.ageofsailmuseum.ca
FORCE Tidal Energy Observation Facility: 1156 West Bay Road, Parrsboro, Tel: 902-254-2510 www.fundyforce.ca
Fundy Geological Museum: 162 Two Islands Road, Parrsboro, Tel: 902-254-3814 www.fundygeological.novascotia.ca
Ottawa House Museum: 1155 Whitehill Road, Parrsboro, Tel: 902-254-2376 www.ottawahousemuseum.ca
Parrsboro Golf Club: Two Islands Road, Parrsboro, Tel: 902-254-2733 www.parrsborogolf.ca
Parrsboro Rock & Mineral Shop & Museum: Tel: 902-254-2981
Ship’s Company Theatre: 18 Lower Main Street, Parrsboro, Tel: 902-254-3000 www.shipscompanytheatre.com
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON LOCAL ATTRACTIONS PLEASE CONSULT WWW.NOVASCOTIA.CA OR WWW.TOWNOFPARRSBORO.NS.CA
Minister Visits Wild Blueberry Industry :
The Wild Blueberry Producers Association of Nova Scotia was very pleased to give Nova Scotia’s Minister of Agricul- ture, Honorable Keith Colwell, a personal tour of the wild blueberry industry in the Parrsboro area on June 5. The group included President Jeff Orr, Past President Peter Van Dyk, Director Art Sargent and Executive Director Peter Rideout in addition to Minister Colwell. It was a great opportunity to observe wild blueberry management practices and have informal discussions of indus- try opportunities and concerns.
Art Sargent, Peter Van Dyk, Hon. Keith Colwell and Jeff Orr discuss wild blueberry land levelling results in a Lakelands field.
Message from the president
Dear Fellow Growers
Happy summer! It looks like we have safely made our way through blight season in most, if not all parts of the province. Polli- na on is also all but finished as I write this and we have had a spring with good ming and volume of rain. We certainly hope this all bodes well for a strong pollina on set and good healthy fruit development.
Your Board has had an ac ve spring in pursuit of ac vi es that we hope will lead to further improvements for our industry. I was pleased to have been able to get to three of the twilight mee ngs held in Parrsboro, Debert and East Kemptville and would have been in East River St. Mary's if it wasn't for having to move bees. These mee ngs were well a ended and my fel- low Directors and I heard very posi ve feedback about the field walks led by Peter Burgess and the sta ons set up by Chris Cutler, Sonia Gaul, David Percival, and Qamar Zaman. It was also great to have some regional extension representa ves and other provincial agriculture people in a endance, including Bill MacLeod who gave a short talk on the Wildlife Compensa on Program.
We were also glad to be able to spend an a ernoon in June in the Parrsboro area with our Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Keith Colwell. We provided him with a hands-on look at how our industry works as part of our rural NS economy. He had a chance to see fields of both large and small growers in the area as we showed him the posi ve impact of land development and polli- na on on improving our produc on and how this in turn supports our rural economy. We le our mee ng with a posi ve focus related to working together to enhance our industry for the good of rural Nova Sco a through sound agriculture policies and procedures. Our crown land pilot, pollina on and young farmer policies, and agricultural incen ves are some of the ways which we will be discussing how to advance our industry with the Minister at a follow up mee ng in the fall.
At our most recent Board mee ng, your Board discussed and then moved forward a range of issues related to our industry. Barron Blois will be our WBPANS rep on the search commi ee for the new weed researcher at Dal Ag campus that is expected to be filled by the fall. Your Industry & Sustainability Commi ee has developed a safety checklist for harvester operators and expects to have its tractor and harvester safety course, which is being developed in collabora on with the Federa on of Agri- culture, ready for the 2015 season. We will also be seeking ways to encourage the development of strategies that go beyond compensa on to try to prevent wildlife damage. Your Research Commi ee has been busy iden fying some new direc ons to s mulate future research with a key theme of understanding and ac ng in response to our specific Nova Sco a soil and cli- mate issues. Your Board also discussed ways to improve communica on with you including advances to our web site as it is being opened up to be more accessible. For instance, watch for the new video footage taken of the Peter Burgess field walk in Debert. Also we are working with WBANA to provide our members with specific and regular updates on promo on ac vi es.
We will have more to report in the fall on such ma ers as our farm loan board mee ng. This mee ng, previously scheduled for May, has been postponed un l September.
In conclusion, we are looking forward to seeing you at our summer field day on Saturday, July 19th in Parrsboro at Art Sar- gent's blueberry shed. WBPANS Directors and staff have been planning this event and are pleased that we will have some new equipment and supplier displays and other new industry innova ons. We are also planning field bus tours to some interes ng projects underway in the area that illustrate sound, crea ve and doable prac ces of both large and small-scale local growers.
Un l then, let's hope weather condi ons con nue to be favourable as we make our way with op mism towards our August 2014 harvest.
Feel free to contact Janet or Peter at the office, or me or any other board member if you have any ques ons, sugges ons or concerns.
Jeff Orr, President Email: [email protected] Cell 1-902-870-1578
2014 MEETING DATES
• Bleuets New Brunswick Blueberries Field Day—Saturday, July 12, 2014, St, George, NB • PEI Wild Blueberry Growers Field Day—Thursday, July 10, 2014, Mt. Stewart, PEI • Maine Field Day—Wednesday, July 16, 2014, Jonesboro, Maine • WBPANS Field Day—Saturday, July 19, 2014 — Sargent’s Receiving Shed, Parrsboro • WBANA Annual Meeting & Symposium—October 21-23, 2014—Quebec City • WBPANS Annual Meeting—November 21 & 22, 2014—Best Western Glengarry, Truro
www.nswildblueberries.com
BUS TRIP TO WBANA Environmental Stewardship Award SYMPOSIUM Open for Applications
The Environmental Farm Plan team is now accepting nomi- Reserve the Dates and Make Plans to nations for the 2014 Environmental Farm Stewardship Attend! Award. Have you or a farmer in your area implemented The Bi-Annual Wild Blueberry Association of projects to protect water, soil quality or wildlife habi- tat? Maybe you use improved soil management practices, North America (WBANA) have installed energy efficient technologies, or demonstrate Wild Blueberry Symposium water conservation. Farmers are doing a lot of environmen- Quebec City tal sustainable activities every day; this award is an oppor- October 21-23, 2014 tunity to give them recognition for their work. Other pro- jects or areas that would support the application are innova- tive waste handling and storage, proper fuel storage, nutri- The program includes: ent management activities, and biodiversity. You can nomi- • Presentations by WBANA’s promotion nate your neighbour, a friend, CSA Farm, or submit an ap- agencies from around the world plication for your own farm.
• Meetings and presentations from Wild So what’s the prize? The award winner will receive a Blueberry Research & Extension Work- framed painting of their farm by a local artist as well as a ers cash prize of $2000. For more information and to get your • The WBANA Annual Meeting application, visit: http://nsfa-fane.ca/efp or call 902-893- 2293.
WBPANS is investigating the possibility of a Need some help with the application? Contact someone on charter bus from Nova Scotia for this event. the EFP team at 902-893-2293. You can submit pictures or Please let the WBPANS office know if you other supporting documents with your application. would be interested! The deadline to receive nominations is July 4, 2014. Tel: 902-662-3306 Email: [email protected]
The Wild Blueberry Producers Association of Nova Scotia PO Box 119 Debert, NS B0M 1G0 Tel: 902 -662 -3306 Email: [email protected]