Strawberry Growers Head To Canada

The North American Strawberry Growers Association is heading to Canada for its annual Summer Tour, which takes place Aug. 14-15, 2012.

The home base for the tour will be in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Following an opening reception the evening of Aug. 13, the tour will include the following highlights:

Day 1: Tuesday Aug. 14

• Burgess Baskets – Manufacturers of wooden boxes and baskets, tour of factory
• Webster Farms – Matted row strawberry production, biennial raspberry production, Raspberry variety trial, new Kentville selections, Raspberry trellising
• Vital Berry – Strawberry plasticulture, day-neutrals and June-bearers, compost and fertigation research trial, tomatoes, beans
• G.W. Allen Nursery- Nursery packing house and northern variety screenhouse
– “Southern” certified strawberry nursery field
– Raspberry certified nursery field
– “Northern” certified strawberry nursery field
• C.O. Keddy Nursery – Supper, Northern and Southern Nursery Production.

Day 2 – Wednesday Aug. 15

• Elmsdale Sobey’s – Unique strawberry marketing at Nova Scotia’s largest grocery chain
• Millen Farms – Strawberry plasticulture (day-neutrals, June-bearers, and 60-day crop). Millen Farms fruits and picks 130 acres of fresh strawberries, grows 25 acres of nursery plants, and fresh packs more than 200 acres of wild blueberries.
– Matted row strawberry production system
– Raspberries
– Fresh pack wild blueberries
– FreshQC traceability system
• Masstown Market – Sales of fresh local produce along with a made-from-scratch bakery. Other features include fresh prepared local seafood. Enjoy lunch at this local market.
• Rines Creek Vineyard – Tour of the vineyard featuring 20 acres of vines which include some Quebec varieties and French hybrids, Noble grapes, and some recently planted vinifera.

For more information on the tour, and to register, go to www.nasga.org.