Sneak Peek - Summer Tour Video

Here's a sneak peek at the Nova Scotia Fruit Growers' Association's most innovative tour yet. Grab a front row seat with your host Michelle Cortens, Tree Fruit Specialist at Perennia. This year the tour will be on the east side of the Valley. Stay tuned for a series of videos in early August 2020 to see the results of local research on rootstock trials, replant disease, fruit thinning and more.

2020 Summer Tour cancelled... but stay tuned

Unfortunately, because of the uncertainty surrounding whether or not we will be able meet in large groups for a while, it has been decided to cancel the Nova Scotia Fruit Growers 2020 orchard tour. We are looking into another opportunity but the details are still being ironed out.

Please don’t hesitate to call the office or myself with questions you may have. Regards,
Peter Eisses

Burning brush in orchards - Industrial permits

The Department of Lands and Forestry (L&F) recognizes burning brush is an important part of orchard sanitation needed to reduce disease pressures for a growing season.  Burning for this purpose has been vetted through the provincial Fire Operations Committee and Regional Services director team.  There is agreement that this type of burning would be considered industrial and therefore could be completed if the operator has an authorized Industrial Burning Permit.  Please note the following:

Please CALL the local L&F office to arrange for an Industrial Burning Permit if the burning is within 1000 ft (305 m) of the woods. Visit the DNR website for a list of phone numbers.

Beyond 1000 ft, D&F does not have jurisdiction,

Without the valid Industrial Burning Permit the burning would be considered illegal,

The burning must follow the protocols outlined in the permit,

Fees for Industrial Burning Permits will be deferred to June 30, 2020,

The above guidelines for issuing Industrial Permits and province-wide “no burn” restrictions will be applied daily until May 15, 2020 and will be reviewed to decide on further implementation.

Changes to Pesticide Certification during COVID-19

A message from Maylia Parker (Director, Air Quality and Resource Management)

Pesticide industry workers and business owners:

We know spring is coming and for many your busy season is nearly here. We’re working quickly to develop new ways to support your business online, so you can get certified or recertified without the need for in-person exams during the COVID-19 outbreak. 

Renewal of pesticide certificate of qualification: If your pesticide certificate expires between December 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020, we will allow you to operate under it for an additional year without renewing.  We know that many certified applicators choose to take education credits rather than write the pesticide exam, but there has been limited opportunity to do that since December, so we are offering this option instead.

Renewal of pesticide business operator certificates: If your business operator certificate expires between December 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020, we will allow the business to operate for an additional year without renewing.

First-time certificate applications: Our staff are working hard to quickly create an online test that will be offered to first-time certificate applicants. If you are applying for the first time, you will be able to take this test and receive a certificate good for one year. If you want to extend your certificate beyond this first year, you will need to write our standard in-person exam after the one-year term expires.  Once the online test is ready, we will update the exam schedule.

Our goal is to have this test available online by April 30.

Fees: The province has deferred all fees for business until June 30. Because we are extending/issuing pesticide certificates for one year only, you won’t have to pay until the next time you renew your certificate or apply for new one.

We are actively looking for ways to help support businesses facing economic hardship because of COVID-19. More measures were announced recently by both the provincial and federal governments.

For information about additional supports being offered through the provincial government, please see the “Support for Businesses” section. You may also call a Business Navigator, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1-844-628-7347 , 902-424-4475 or email. 

If you want information on federal supports for businesses, please visit the Economic Response Plan.

If you have any questions about how pesticide certification will work this year, please call your local Environment Office or email. We want to help, and we’ll do our best to answer your questions quickly.

Message from the President - COVID-19

To Nova Scotia Fruit Growers Association members, 
You are all probably tired of e-mails regarding Covid-19 and the circumstances surrounding it. So I will be brief.  I encourage you to read the information that is coming from CHC and FARMS thoroughly if you haven’t already done so. There is a lot of information in these emails and some of the answers to questions may be buried in the document. I know I have had to reread several emails a few times.

There is no denying that we are living in historical times. I heard a great quote this morning. “We either allow life to happen to us or we happen to life.” Change can be difficult to embrace at times. So if it’s possible, try something new, finish that project that’s been on hold. Check in on your family, friends, and neighbours. The world is on rest mode. So might as well join in where we can.

If there are struggles or questions you have, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We will get through this and be stronger because of it. The theme of our last annual convention was “ Resilience “!  As fruit growers--we definitely are Resilient!

All the Best Peter Eisses

For more information on COVID-19, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture has developed an excellent COVID-19 webpage citing several resources and updates for farmers.

2020 Spring Workshop Cancelled

The workshop set to occur on March 17th and 18th is cancelled.

Your health and wellness are our concern at Perennia and NSFGA. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak and after much discussion we have decided to exercise caution and cancel the spring workshop. This illness could have an enormous ripple effect and the impact would be serious to the health of individuals, families, teams, and businesses. Although COVID-19 has not been identified locally, we do not have control over others who have travelled through international airports or attended large events. Furthermore, Michigan State University has cancelled all international travel so Dr. George Sundin is not able to join us in person. Thank you for appreciating the need to be healthy for the coming growing season.

Convention Participant Registration Form

The Participant Registration Form for the upcoming NSFGA Annual Convention can be accessed here: NSFGA Participant Registration Form 2020

Convention Program and Schedule

The tentative program, including the schedule, for the 2020 NSFGA Annual Convention can be viewed and downloaded here: 2020 Convention Program

2020 NSFGA Annual Convention

The NSFGA 2020 Annual Convention is being held January 28/29 at the Old Orchard Inn, Greenwich, NS.  The theme of the convention is “Resilience”.  Terence Robinson will be the keynote speaker.  The program will be posted as soon as it is finalized.