Session Description

Introducing the latest addition to Perennia’s extension portfolio, TunnelTalk! This series aims to provide a recurring virtual space for producers of all shapes and sizes to come together and discuss all things protected agriculture. The main topic for discussion will vary month to month, with outside expertise on relevant topics, grower roundtables, shared experiences with techniques and technology, and group troubleshooting. This series of meetings is intended to be driven by grower feedback, and questions were organized and moderated by Perennia’s protected crop specialist, Talia Plaskett. Stay tuned for quarterly updates on upcoming dates and tunnel topics.

Event Details

Every month from January to December 2024!
CEU points are available for those who attend the session!

TunnelTalk – Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation

January 10, 2024
8:30 AM – 9:30 AM

Guest speaker: Anna Teston, USDA

Anna Testen is a Research Plant Pathologist with the United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Her research program focuses on developing disease management strategies for horticultural crops in controlled environment agriculture, including high tunnels. She has been studying ways to reduce the impacts of soilborne diseases in high tunnels, including the use of anaerobic soil disinfestation, grafting and soil steaming.

The main topic of discussion in January will be anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD). Join our in-house protected crop specialist and Anna Teston from the USDA for an opportunity to hear about Anna’s research in this space and her experience conducting ASD on farm. This session will start off with a presentation, followed by participant questions. As always, there will be space for a general round table to voice concerns/pain points/success stories amongst the group after the main presentation.

TunnelTalk – Nutrient Management Planning in Protected Spaces

February 7, 2024
8:30 AM – 9:30 AM

Guest Speaker: Caitlin McCavour, Perennia’s Soil Specialist
The main topic of discussion in February will be nutrient management planning in soil-based systems. Join our in-house protected crop specialist and soil specialist for a discussion on some of the unique challenges tunnel and greenhouse spaces present when it comes to nutrient management planning. This session will start off with a presentation from Caitlin McCavour, followed by grower questions. As always, there will be space for a general round table to voice concerns/pain points/success stories amongst the group.

TunnelTalk – Review of Work Evaluating Product Efficacy Against Botrytis

March 13, 2024
8:30 AM – 9:30 AM

Guest Speaker: Anissa Poleatewich
Anissa Poleatewich is a plant pathologist with 18+ years of experience in crop protection and crop enhancement R&D. She has a background in microbiology, plant biology, and horticulture and specializes in the use of bioproducts for sustainable crop production. Anissa received an MS and PhD in Plant Pathology from Penn State University where she studied biocontrol strategies for managing weeds and diseases of tree fruit. Prior to joining Mycorrhizal Applications in September 2023, Dr. Poleatewich worked as an Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology at the University of New Hampshire. At UNH she developed a research program to evaluate the effects of amending peat with wood fiber substrates on root disease severity and efficacy of biopesticides. She also led projects to evaluate select and screen novel biostimulants and tested the efficacy of chitosan for suppression of foliar diseases on horticultural crops. Dr. Poleatewich also worked as a Research Scientist at the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre where she developed a pre-commercial hydroponic test facility for pathology research and testing of biorational products. She also provided phenotyping support for the breeding and engineering teams.

TunnelTalk – Pollination

April 3, 2024
8:30 AM – 9:30 AM

Guest Speaker: Andrea Keddy
Andrea Keddy is a Technical Sales Manager with Koppert Canada Ltd. She specializes in IPM using biological controls for pests, and the use of bumblebees for pollination in a variety of crops. Andrea grew up in the Annapolis Valley and happily returned in 2023 after 14 years with Koppert in Western Canada. She is passionate about improving food production for growers and consumers using biological based solutions in a realistic way as first line of defense for pest management.

The main topic of discussion for the month of April will be pollination! Greenhouses allow us to extend our growing season and it’s important to consider the pollinator piece to early crop production. Andrea will focus on the use of commercially reared bumblebees for pollination in crops, the advantages of them, and provide advice on how best to use them and navigate some of the challenges growers may encounter. This session will start off with a presentation, followed up by participant questions. As always, there will be space for a general round table to voice concerns/pain points/success stories amongst the group after the main presentation.

TunnelTalk – Biological Spray Programs

May 1, 2024
7:30 AM – 8:30 AM

Guest Speaker: Sonny Murray, Perennia’s Berry Specialist
The main topic of discussion for the month of May will be preventative spray programs for strawberry and tomato production. The products we are focusing on are biological in nature, compared to more conventional chemistries. Join our in-house protected crop specialist and berry specialist for a review of Perennia’s new spray guide format, and a chat through what a potential spray program would look like to reduce pressures caused by root disease and botrytis grey mould. This session will start off with a presentation, followed up by participant questions. As always, there will be space for a general round table to voice concerns/pain points/success stories amongst the group after the main presentation.

TunnelTalk – Venting Greenhouse Environments

June 12, 2024
7:30 AM – 8:30 AM

Guest Speaker: Dr. Matthew Kleinhenz
Dr. Kleinhenz is a Professor and Extension Specialist in the Dept. of Horticulture and Crop Science at Ohio State University. Matt works from the OSU Wooster Campus and with farmers and collaborators to develop research-based information enhancing the productivity, efficiency, and sustainability of vegetable production systems – including systems with high tunnels as a main component, with which he has more than 20 years of experience. Matt has contributed to, or lead, numerous focused or integrated projects involving high tunnel production systems.

The main topic of discussion for June will be managing greenhouse growing environments, taking a more focused approach to ventilation. The hot, cloudless spring and summers conditions we have experienced at various timepoints in the last few years have proven to be difficult for crop health and performance. Air movement is one of our few tools to reduce indoor temperatures, and it’s important to dedicate some time to understanding the impact that different venting strategies can have. Dr. Matthew Kleinhenz is going to join us to talk about his work on managing high tunnel environments, relying solely on the use of doors, sidewalls and vents.

This session will start off with a presentation, followed up by participant questions. As always, there will be space for a general round table to voice concerns/pain points/success stories amongst the group after the main presentation.

TunnelTalk – Implementing Commercially Available Biological Control Agents

July 10, 2024
7:30 AM – 8:30 AM

This session will mostly review concepts surrounding implementation of biological control agents in protected spaces. What are some of my options and what can they be used for? How do I select products that are going to be compatible with the biological program I have been implementing thus far? How can I make sure that the predators I’m purchasing are given the best chance at survival and reducing populations of their targets? In addition to a review of resources and information on biocontrol agents, there will be plenty of space for grower feedback and experience sharing.

This session will start off with a presentation, followed up by participant questions and discussion.

TunnelTalk – Panel Discussion on Greenhouse Structures

August 14, 2024
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM (AST)

Guest Speakers:

• Brian Huntley of Maritime Greenhouse Connection
• Jackie Stewart from Harnois/Scott and Stewart
• Norm Eygenraam from Multishelter Solutions

This month we will be talking to some seasoned professionals about greenhouse structures! From anchoring to plastic installation, options for venting and storm preparation, this crew will be at your (virtual) disposal for the hour to answer any questions you may have about your current, or soon-to-be-yours, greenhouse structures. Norm Eygenraam from Multishelter Solutions, Brian Huntley of Maritime Greenhouse Connections, and Jackie Stewart from Harnois/Scott and Stewart will provide their perspectives and experience on the topics at hand, but we encourage participants to share their success stories as well.

This session will be set up as a discussion amongst the panelists and webinar participants. Folks are encouraged to submit their questions leading up to the session, as well as throughout the discussion as well.

TunnelTalk – Three Ways Around Winter Spinach Production

TunnelTalk – Nitrogen Management and Cover Cropping in Winter Spinach

Nutrients for Winter Greens

The potential to grow greens indoors during the winter has become an exciting option to extend harvest year-round. Farmer can create a winter revenue source, retain labor and expand markets with greens through the coldest part of the year. However, the role of soil nutrients in the colder, shorter days is still not fully understood. How much nitrogen do winter greens need?  Can they run on the leftover nutrients from the warm season crop? Judson will discuss research results on source and rate of nitrogen on winter grown spinach.

Cover Cropping and Winter Greens 

Genevieve will discuss cover cropping in high tunnel settings, specifically to benefit soil health for winter greens production. Research has shown that the incorporation of cover crops or green manures supports the growth of soil microbes, including beneficial microbes that can outcompete soil pathogens that cause damping off, a common disease in winter greens.

Guest Speaker: Genevieve Higgins, Judson Reid

Genevieve Higgins is an Extension Educator with the University of Massachusetts Vegetable Program, with a background in integrated pest management and plant pathology. She worked for many years on organic diversified vegetable farms in Massachusetts and has 8 years of experience providing technical support to vegetable growers and conducting applied research as part of her job at the UMass Extension. UMass Extension Vegetable Program research trials over the last several years have included many years of downy mildew-resistant cucumber variety trials, reduced-risk pesticide evaluations, and evaluation of heat tolerance in vegetable crops.

Judson Reid is a Senior Extension Associate with Cornell University Cooperative Extension.  He spent his youth on a Northern New York dairy farm and earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from Cornell University in agriculture. In this position he manages a series of research and education projects for greenhouse, high tunnel and field production of fresh market vegetables. Judson is involved in the evaluation of grafting on tomatoes, biological pest control, cover cropping techniques and soil nutrient management in protected agriculture. Judson has conducted educational sessions with farmers in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Caribbean, Africa, Eastern Europe and Central Asia on these topics.

Funding for this project has been provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through the Agricultural Climate Solutions – On-Farm Climate Action Fund.

TunnelTalk – Sharing On-Farm Experiences

There are many interesting things happening in protected spaces across the province when it comes to new-to-you practices, technology and production methods. This session is intended to provide a platform for producers to share short overviews of something new that was implemented in the tunnel/greenhouse this year, to facilitate the spread of the good, and prevent repetitions of the bad and the ugly.  A handful of growers have been selected to talk about something they tried on farm, however there will be space for general sharing here as well if anyone wants to add to the discussion.

Registration

Registration is required. The deadline for registration is NOON two days before the session. For those who register, you will receive the link/passcode to join the details from session host Talia Plaskett one day before the session begins.

Questions?

Talia Plaskett 
Phone: 902.305.3419 
Email: tplaskett@perennia.ca