New research investment will help vegetable producers become more productive and profitable.
Minister of Justice Rob Nicholson, MP (Niagara Falls), on behalf of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, announced on Feb. 22 spending of more than $230,000 for the Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers (OPVG) to discover optimal soil conditions for growing cover crops as part of crop rotation.
“This investment will help vegetable producers implement economically and environmentally sustainable weed-management practices, leading to increased production and a stronger bottom line,” said Nicholson.
Cover crops help replenish the soil by reducing erosion, sequestering nitrogen and improving pest management.
The two-year study will assess how cover crops such as annual rye, wheat, oats and oilseed radishes are affected by residual herbicides that have been applied for previous crops such as soybeans or corn.
The study will be conducted by the OPVG, which represents about 600 processing vegetable growers across Ontario.
The organization annually negotiates prices and terms and conditions of sale for growers of 13 crops – tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet corn, green peas, green and wax beans, carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, beets, peppers, pumpkin, squash and lima beans.
“As growers continue to make their farms environmentally sustainable, this project will help determine the compatibility of potential cover crops within vegetable production systems,” said Phil Richards, OPVG chairman, a processing tomato grower from Dresden, Ontario.
The government spending is delivered through the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP).
It is a five-year (2009-14), $163 million initiative that aims to help the Canadian agricultural sector adapt and remain competitive.
For more information on CAAP, visit www.agr.gc.ca/caap.
