VEGETABLE CROP UPDATE

TOMATO & PEPPER EDITION

Janice LeBoeuf, OMAFRA Vegetable Crop Specialist

• OPVG District 1 Tomato Day
• The Real Dirt on Cover Crops   
• Soil Fertility Workshops

   OPVG District 1 Tomato Day

OPVG District 1 Tomato Day 2009
February 17, 8:30 am – 2:30 pm

Roma Club, 19 Seacliff Drive East, Leamington, ON

8:30 am                           Registration ($25 includes educational program, trade show, hot lunch)
9:00 – 9:10 am               Opening Remarks – Doug Toews, District 1 Chair
9:10 – 9:45 am               Soil Fertility and Tomato Colour Disorders-Dr. David Francis, Ohio State Univ.
9:45 – 10:05 am             Tomato Weed Control Update – Dr. Darren Robinson, Ridgetown Campus, U of G
10:05 – 10:25 am           Water Taking Permits – George Shearer, Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Growers’ Association

BREAK

10:35 – 10:55 am           Fertilizer Value and More from Organic Amendments – Chris Brown, OMAFRA
10:55 – 11:20 am           New Insecticides for Vegetables – Dr. Jeff Tolman, Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada
11:20 – 11:35 am           Variegated Cutworm – Janice LeBoeuf, OMAFRA

LUNCH and TRADE SHOW
1:00 – 1:30 pm               Drip Irrigation, Nutrient Movement & Root Growth

 – Dr. Lincoln Zotarelli, University of Florida (by phone)
 – Dr. Ron Pitblado, Weather Innovations Incorporated

1:30 – 2:05 pm               Cover Crops & Healthy Soils – Dr. Mathieu Ngouajio, Michigan State University
2:05 – 2:20 pm               Labour Update - Ken Linington, P. Ag., Labour Issues Co-ordinating Committee

*** CCA Continuing Education Credits have been applied for***
Presented by District 1 OPVG and OMAFRA
Sponsors: Setterington’s – Coffee and Donuts; H.J. Heinz – Tomato Juice

   The Real Dirt on Cover Crops

The Real Dirt on Cover Crops 
Presented by the Midwest Cover Crops Council
Tuesday, February 10, 2009

8:30 am – 5:00 pm

Holiday Inn Select, 1855 Huron Church Rd, Windsor, ON

Registration Fee - $25 (lunch included) (details below)

8:30 a.m. Registration & Introduction

*** 6 CCA Continuing Education Credits have been applied for***

Please pre-register by February 6, 2009 (please note that space is limited)

Telephone:  Ridgetown OMAFRA Resource Centre 519-674-1690, or
Fax 519-674-1564

Registration Fee
$25 – Cash or Cheque (payable at door)
(Please make cheque payable to Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association)

Name: _____________________________________________________
Address: ___________________________________________________
Phone: ______________________________________________________
Email: _______________________________________________________

   Soil Fertility Workshops

More than kicking the dirt: Soil Fertility Workshop at 2009 Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Convention, St. Catharines, ON

Thursday February 19, 2008 (Morning session:  9:30-12:00; Afternoon session: 1:30-4:00)

Soil testing is the most cost effective way to plan and manage your soil and crop’s fertility program.   

• Too often soil testing is overlooked because: 
  the reports are too hard to understand,     
• it’s not relevant to my farm, or       
• it isn’t necessary, we already grow good crops. 

In this workshop, you will dig deeper to demystify soil reports. You will learn why soil testing can benefit all farming operations and how to use a soil report to make good crops even better. 

Whether you grow fruits or vegetables, have been growing for 3 or 30 years, develop your own fertilizer program or work with a crop advisor, this hands-on workshop takes you from the field to the soil report and fertilizer recommendations.

Each participant receives a workshop manual, OMAFRA Publication 611 Soil Fertility Handbook, Best Management Practices: Managing Crop Nutrients and a free soil analysis from A&L Canada Laboratories Inc.

How do you register for a workshop? 

Step 1: Register for the 2009 Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention (OVFC) on-line www.ofvc.ca or by calling 905-945-5363. 

Step 2: After registering for the OFVC, register for a workshop by calling the OMAFRA Vineland Resource Centre at 905-562-1631 by Friday February 13, 2009. There is no additional registration fee. Each workshop is limited to 20 people.

These workshops are sponsored by A&L Canada Laboratories Inc. 

Visit the OMAFRA Vegetable Web Pages: ontario.ca/crops - click Vegetables