On this episode of the Orchard Outlook podcast we’re taking shelter from the wind. I’ve witnessed some impressive windstorms since I moved to Nova Scotia. Whether it’s a nor’easter, post-tropical storm, or just your typical gusts and gales. Our guest Jenny Liu explains the value of windbreaks, species composition, design tips, and maintenance. She’s going to blow you away with helpful information. Jenny Liu is the Maple, Tree Nut, and Agroforestry Specialist at the Ontario Ministry of...

Description: For today’s Orchard Outlook episode you’re going to want to store this information. Literally, use it in the storage room. From the moment of picking fruit they’re destined to deteriorate… but not on the watch of storage room operators. Our guest Dr. Robert (Bob) Prange opens the door on storage conditions to explain the relationships between temperature, moisture, and gases and fruit quality. Guest: Dr. Robert Prange is an Adjunct Professor at Dalhousie University and was...

On today’s episode of the Orchard Outlook podcast you might wonder why we’re talking about millet, mustard, and canola on an orchard podcast. It’s not for a salad folks. No, we have far greater motives. Our guest Tianna DuPont explains how cover crops can address soil health constraints, what cover crops are promising, and how we get the most bang for our buck. This podcast was funded in part by the On-Farm Climate Action Fund. Guest: Tianna DuPont is a tree fruit extension specialist...

Description This episode is Part 2 of 2 on the apple scab disease. If you haven’t listened to Part 1 you should give it a go first. On Part 2 now, our guest will answer questions about management practices including fungicides, modeling, and orchard sanitation. So here he is again, and the passionate pathology continues, with our guest Dr. Srdjan Acimovic! Biography Dr. Srdjan Acimovic is an Assistant Professor of tree fruit and specialty crop pathology at Virginia Tech’s Alson H. Smith...

On today’s episode of the Orchard Outlook podcast we are finally putting the spotlight on the most economically significant apple fungal disease! You guessed it, apple scab. We need to know where this fungus is lurking and its relationship with weather conditions. Our guest Dr. Srdjan Acimovic joins us on Part 1 to uncover the organism responsible for scab (recorded on March 9, 2022). Biography: Dr. Srdjan Acimovic is an Assistant Professor of tree fruit and specialty crop pathology at...

On today’s episode of the Orchard Outlook podcast, we’re chillin’. Temperatures are dropping… and it might not be the most wonderful time of the year if you’re a recently pruned tree. How cold, how quickly, and when are all questions that are up in the air. Today’s guest Dr. Richard Marini is a horticulturist extraordinaire bringing us his wisdom on cold tolerance. Biography: Dr. Richard Marini is a Professor of Horticulture at PennState University. His areas of expertise are tree and small...

Welcome to the start of season 3 of the Orchard Outlook podcast! On today’s episode, we’re germinating a wealth of information about troublesome weeds. Perennial weeds in particular are like the unwanted gift that keeps on giving, as their underground root systems proliferate. Today’s guest, Dr. Lynn Sosnoskie, helps us creep into weed biology to understand how to manage these prolific plants. Biography: Dr. Lynn Sosnoskie is an assistant professor in the School of Integrative Plant Science...

Today’s episode of the Orchard Outlook podcast is all about the annoying and persistent disease powdery mildew, folks. It’s there flagging shoots and curling leaves leading to some ghostly-looking Honeycrisp and Cortland trees. Today’s guests Dr. Kerik Cox and graduate student David Strickland are like ghost busters researching management strategies for tree fruit diseases like powdery mildew to bust away those white and fuzzy symptoms. Guest: Dr. Kerik Cox is an associate professor in the...

In today’s episode, we find out juicy information about local food. We check in with our guest Patrick Kelly about the buy local program, how local food is defined, in-store signage, and some pandemic response. Nova Scotians want to buy local and our guest explains how buy local promotion is helping customers identify and purchase local food products in retail stores. Guest: Patrick Kelly is the Buy Local Development Officer for Perennia and the NS Department of Agriculture. His work on the...

As I was driving to a farm this month, I listened to our very first episode from 2019 about fire blight. Not only is it our most popular episode but it’s also timely. So I’ve decided to release this episode to revisit my conversation with Dr. George Sundin. This episode is oozing with information about bacterial growth on flowers and in trees, misconceptions, trauma blight, and why antibiotics need to be timely. Guest: Dr. Sundin is a Professor of Plant Pathology and runs the Tree Fruit...

In this episode, I forecast that you’ll learn a lot about weather stations. Their components. How to site them for reliable results. Installing and maintaining them. I sense a clear conversation about collecting weather information with our guest, Jonathan Buffet. Guest: Jonathan Buffett is the founder and manager of the Cape Breton Mesonet, a network of community-owned and operated weather stations in Cape Breton and the eastern mainland. Jonathan also works as a Meteorological Inspector...

This episode is Part 2 of 2 on effective and efficient spraying. If you haven’t listened to Part 1 you should give it a go first. In Part 2 now, the stories about spraying continue, with our guest Dr. Jason Deveau. He will answer confusing questions about spray concentration and then explain crop-adapted spraying. Guest: Dr. Jason Deveau is the application technology specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, or he is more commonly known as spray guy. Jason...

In episode Part 1 of 2, our guest Dr. Jason Deveau blasts through common questions about spraying. Don’t let your thoughts drift through the air as we cover goodies like pesticide labels, leaf area coverage, product concentration, and the practicality of making adjustments. We certainly won’t drench you with information. We’ve got our eye on the target, and that’s effective and efficient spraying. Guest: Dr. Jason Deveau is the application technology specialist with the Ontario Ministry of...

There is a real science to disrupting fertilization to keep early flowers and remove late flowers. Yes, the timing is uncomfortable, and the results can be inconsistent, so we’ll explore one way to improve our confidence with this process – the pollen tube growth model (PTGM). Guest: Michael Basedow is the Tree Fruit Specialist with the Cornell Cooperative Extension and part of a regional program called the Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture Program. Michael was recently featured in an...

Today’s guest is going to filter through the horticultural information to give us a taste of growing fruit for hard cider. In this episode we’ll focus on the production challenges and economics of growing specialized cider varieties. The information might be refreshing or sobering! Guest: Dr. Gregory Peck is an assistant professor of horticulture at Cornell University in the School of Integrative Plant Science. A common thread across his research is to facilitate economic sustainability in...

Bernard came recommended for his research on climate resilience in food systems. He has heard from our local growers in Eastern Canada and is interested in grower-led solutions. Prepare to value your local knowledge and learn what you have to offer in climate discussions. Guest: Bernard Soubry is a writer, a researcher, and a hiatused farming apprentice torn between Oxford, UK, and Eastern Canada. His current research focuses on how food systems can adapt to climate change. Website:...

Dr. Denise Neilsen understands root architecture and she uses that knowledge to help explain the precision management of water and nutrients. She explains the effect of drought stress and why the timing and frequency of irrigation matters. Guest: Dr. Denise Neilsen is a retired Research Scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Summerland, British Columbia. She was the co-recipient of the IFTA Research Award in 2014 and the distinguished Carlson Lecturer. Website:...

Dr. Agnello joins us at a time when orchards full of tender young leaves are susceptible to damage by potato leafhopper. He brings an entomology lens to the issue and isn’t fooled by hopperburn. Guest: Dr. Arthur Agnello is the Tree Fruit Extension Entomologist at Cornell AgriTech in Geneva, New York – and you might recognize him as the editor of the Scaffolds newsletter. His interest in insects led him to his longstanding role in research and extension. Website: www.perennia.ca Follow us...

Dr. Peter explores the fuzzy fungi that cause powdery mildew and a slew of summer rots including black rot and bitter rot. Then shifting our focus from fungal diseases to bacterial, she explains how to curb the spread of a tumour-like growth known as crown gall and infamous fire blight infections. Dr. Kari Peter is an Associate Research Professor of Tree Fruit Pathology who loves to help with a burning question about tree fruit diseases! She is located at the Penn State Fruit Research and...

Tom shares insights from his research program that is focused on replant management for perennial fruit crops and the ecology and management of plant-parasitic nematodes. Tom explains exactly who is taking microscopic munches out of your root systems and feeding on productivity. Dr. Tom Forge is a research soil ecologist and nematologist for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, at the Summerland Research and Development Centre. He’s captivated by the diversity of micro-animals in the soil –...

Keith describes why digging for facts is better than jumping to conclusions – because replant disease acts in concert with adverse soil properties. Learn how to modify the soil in a replant situation and have your questions answered about soil fumigation. Keith Fuller is a soil research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada based out of Nova Scotia. He is a familiar face in our local apple industry, fascinated with soil, and currently involved in a project on replant disease.

Jon gets techy – in an approachable way – by explaining what tools are available to tree fruit growers. Make your smartphones smart by downloading tools for pest modeling, predicting fruit set, and pocket pathology. Jon Clements is an Extension Educator for commercial tree fruit growers with the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Apart from the usual farm calls and meetings, he has an interest in computers that has helped him embrace decision-support tools.

Efficiency Nova Scotia folks share some powerful messages about energy efficiency including how you can save money and lower your operating costs. Kraig Porter has been the Onsite Energy Manager in Agriculture for Efficiency Nova Scotia since 2012. His passion for environmentalism led him to study in the NSCC Energy Sustainability Engineering Technology program. Janet Tobin has a background in marketing and communications, and was drawn to Efficiency Nova Scotia because of its culture and...

Dr. Amritpal Singh is a research Scientist in tree fruit germplasm development, with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and leads the apple and sweet cherry breeding program at the Summerland Research and Development Centre. He has a PhD from the University of Guelph, and was an assistant professor in the department of agricultural biotechnology at Anand Agricultural University in India for six years. At a time when there are many new apple varieties to choose from, Dr. Amritpal Singh...