Register now for the 2025 Ontario Pest Management Conference and save on early-bird pricing until Friday, September 12! Rates will increase after this date, closing October 10. Don’t miss the chance to save money and connect with leaders in the industry!

This year’s conference will be held on Friday, October 24 at the Royal Botanical Gardens (Rock Garden) in Hamilton, ON. The theme will be taking pest management to new heights, focusing on “Drones & Pests: Aerial Strategies for IPM”, followed by an afternoon symposium on biological control.

Attendees can expect a full day packed with informative presentations, engaging discussions, and networking opportunities.

Featured Speakers

Dr Michael Reinke

Viticulture Specialist, Michigan State University Extension

Application techniques for drone-applied pesticides including the challenges and successes of coverage and efficacy for both insect and disease management

Dr Rebecca Schmidt-Jeffris

Research Entomologist, US Dept of Agriculture

Drone-applied biological control agents in agricultural settings

We will also hear from Angela Fawcett, Registration Product Manager from Corteva Agriscience on the Canadian registration journey for label expansion of Garlon herbicide to include drone application and the future of drone-applied registrations.

Students will have the chance to showcase their research through competitions, making this a highlight of the conference. Graduate students can participate in the CropLife Canada – Ontario Region poster and paper competition, while undergraduate students are invited to engage in the Dr. C.R. Harris undergraduate student poster competition.

These competitions are not just platforms for showcasing research; they also create connections with industry professionals. This networking can be a game-changer for students as they prepare to enter the workforce.

Download the OPMC Announcement below:

For more information about speakers and registration, please visit the OPMC website at https://www.ontariopmc.ca/

The OPMC is pleased to be holding the 2025 conference in conjunction with the 162nd Annual General Meeting of Entomology Society of Ontario. Attendees can choose to register for OPMC events only, ESO events only, or all OPMC and ESO events. Registration for any part of the conference includes free access to Royal Botanical Garden’s beautiful trials!

As the date approaches, remember to register before September 12 to take advantage of early-bird pricing. Whether you are a seasoned expert or a student eager to learn, the OPMC has something valuable for you.

We look forward to seeing you there!

The Spring 2025 (Vol 29, Issue 2) ONcore Newsletter (formerly Orchard Network Newsletter) is now available online.

Visit the newsletter page here for recent and archived issues:

In This Issue…

Orchard Management

• The 2025 Thinning Story
• Spring’s Cold Shoulder

Crop Protection

• Cold, Wet & Misleading: Don’t Let the Calendar Drive Your IPM Program
• Extended Rain Events: Impacts on Apple Scab Ascospore Discharge
• Cool, Wet & Weedy: Adapting Weed Management to Weather Challenges
• Welcome! Cesar Cappa – OMAFA Weed Management Specialist (Horticulture)
• Rain Check Please: Getting the Most From Your Sprays in Wet Weather
• Could Southern Blight Become Northern? What Ontario Apple Growers Need to Know
• Attention! Pesticide Application By Drones
• Low Counts, High Stakes: Understanding Mullein Bug Risk When Tap Counts Come Up Short

Postharvest

No postharvest articles in this issue.

Announcements

• International Fruit Tree Association – Ontario Summer Tour
• Save the Date! Ontario Pest Management Conference
• AgRobotics Working Group Demo Days

The Winter 2025 (Vol 29, Issue 1) ONcore Newsletter (formerly Orchard Network Newsletter) is now available online.

Visit the newsletter page here for recent and archived issues:

In This Issue…

Orchard Management

• Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Convention: Apple Market & Trends Outlook Panel Summary
• Climate Change in Southern Ontario: Potential Impacts on Apple Growers
• Buzzing Into Action: What is the Status of Wild Bees on Your Farm?

Crop Protection

• Fighting Apple Scab: Making the Right Fungicide Moves
• Adjusting Orchard Airblast Outputs for Spring
• Updates to Your Digital Toolbox: Crop IPM and Ontario Crop Protection Hub
• The Apple & Its Fierce Foe: A Research Spotlight on the Genetics of Fire Blight
• Springtime Strategies: Determining Needs of Pre- & Post-Bloom Insect Management

Postharvest

• Understanding Storage Disorders in Apples

Announcements

• Ontario Craft Cider Competition Winners

To register, please follow the registration link or call the Agriculture Information Contact Centre at 1-877-424-1300. 

FRUIT CROPS

VEGETABLE CROPS

SPECIALTY CROPS

Registration is now open for many of the OMAFA IPM workshops. Workshop options of in-person, hybrid or virtual only will vary depending on the session and is noted below. 

To register, please follow the registration link or call the Agriculture Information Contact Centre at 1-877-424-1300. 

FRUIT CROPS

VEGETABLE CROPS

SPECIALTY CROPS

The Fall 2024 (Vol 28, Issue 4) ONcore Newsletter (formerly Orchard Network Newsletter) is now available online.

Visit the newsletter page here for recent and archived issues:

In This Issue…

Orchard Management

• Unlocking Insights: The Value of Data Analysis
• Nutrients in the Orchard: A Review on the Nutrients in Fruit Crops Symposium
• Shaping Success: The Power of Apple Tree Pruning
• The Drivers of Agricultural Sustainability in Ontario

Crop Protection

• Unpacking Scab Challenges: Factors Behind Last Season’s Apple Scab Management Struggles
• Field Efficacy of Selected Fungicides Against Bitter Rot in Ontario
• Establishing an Optimal Airblast Carrier Volume
• Tank Mixing Update: Implications for Users of Pest Control Products
• Ontario’s Ambrosia Beetle Survey: Species Insights and Their Impact on Apple Orchards
• Gnaw & Order: Strategies to Mitigate Rodent Damage in the Orchard

Postharvest

• Effects of Harvest Maturity and Storage Temperature on Internal Browning and Firmness Retention in ‘Ambrosia’ Apples

Announcements

• Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Convention, February 19-20, 2025
• Summer Student Employment Positions

The Summer 2024 (Vol 28, Issue 3) ONcore Newsletter (formerly Orchard Network Newsletter) is now posted online.

Visit the newsletter page here for recent and archived issues:

In This Issue…

Orchard Management

• Apple-ing the Science: Field Tests for Peak Ripeness

Crop Protection

• Apple IPM Check-Up: Your Orchard’s Annual Harvest Assessment
• Maggot Troubles: The Unwelcome Guest in Your End-of-Season Apple Crop
• From Orchard to Storage: Dealing with Preharvest and Storage Diseases in Apples
• Scab-Free Apples Start with a Clean Orchard: Reduce Apple Scab with Orchard Sanitation

Postharvest

• Harvest Maturity is Critical for Storage Life of Apples
• Common Controlled Atmosphere Storage Regimes for Apples

Announcements

• Ontario Pest Management Conference: November 7, 2024
• Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association: Cost-Share Opportunities

Please join us tonight (June 27) at 7pm EST for the final webinar of our North American Virtual Orchard Meetups:

WATER WISDOM: Navigating tree fruit production through drought and deluge

PART 4 – Water Wisdom Unplugged

SPEAKERS:

Dr Kenneth Shackel (UC Davis)

Previous speakers and panelists for open forum discussion

Pre-registration is not required to attend. Simply go to the Meet-Up Zoom Site. If you can’t access, copy and paste the URL in your browser: https://bit.ly/2024-virtual-meetup

Over the past decade, growers have experienced unpredictable rainfall, water availability challenges, droughts and deluge. We want to explore methods for adapting to these challenges and discuss alternatives for efficient irrigation practices, including advances in irrigation technologies that help growers produce high quality fruit.

In addition to the primary speakers, viewers are invited to share solutions, ask questions and interact with the specialists and grower panelists.  

Missed one of the previous webinars in this series? Check out the recordings in the playlist below:

Join by clicking here: Meet-Up Zoom Site or copy / paste the following URL in your browser: https://bit.ly/2024-virtual-meetup

Whether you are a fruit grower with ample experience, one that has modest experience, or one that is just getting started, the Virtual Orchard Meetups will be the right setting for you to ask questions and find alternative solutions.

Hosted by extension specialists across North America:

• Kristy Grigg-McGuffin (OMAFRA)
• Lindsay King (BC-AF)
• Katelyn Hengel (BC-AF)
• Emily Lavely (MSU)
• Bernardita Sallato (WSU)
• Mario Miranda Sazo (CCE LOF)
• Daniel E. Weber (PSU)

The Spring 2024 (Vol 28, Issue 2) ONcore Newsletter (formerly Orchard Network Newsletter) is now posted online.

Visit the newsletter page here for recent and archived issues:

In This Issue…

Orchard Management

• Growing Future Opportunities Initiative: Apple Replant Information
• Soil Health to Optimize New Orchard Growth
• Cover Crops in Apple Orchards: What You Should Know

Crop Protection

• Getting a Complex: Factors and Practices Involved in Apple Replant Disease Prevention
• The What, When and How of Sampling for Parasitic Nematodes
• Dealing with Pests in a New Apple Orchard
• Weed Management in New Orchard Plantings
• Closed Transfer Systems

Announcements

• Honey Bee Health Initiative
• Greenbelt Soil Health Assessment
• AgRobotics Demo Day

Please join us tonight (June 20) at 7pm EST for the third webinar of our North American Virtual Orchard Meetups:

WATER WISDOM: Navigating tree fruit production through drought and deluge

PART 3 – Smart Watering: Practices for Irrigation

SPEAKERS:

Dr Troy Peters (Washington State University)

Dr Victor Blanco (IRTA Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology)

Pre-registration is not required to attend. Simply go to the Meet-Up Zoom Site. If you can’t access, copy and paste the URL in your browser: https://bit.ly/2024-virtual-meetup

Over the past decade, growers have experienced unpredictable rainfall, water availability challenges, droughts and deluge. We want to explore methods for adapting to these challenges and discuss alternatives for efficient irrigation practices, including advances in irrigation technologies that help growers produce high quality fruit.

In addition to the primary speakers, viewers are invited to share solutions, ask questions and interact with the specialists and grower panelists.  

The schedule of topics is as follows:

• JUNE 6 – Trends in Water Availability – RECORDING AVAILABLE SOON!
• JUNE 13 – Role of Water in Tree Fruit Physiology & Quality – RECORDING AVAILABLE SOON!
• JUNE 20 – Smart Watering: Practices for Irrigation Management
• JUNE 27 – Water Wisdom Unplugged: Panelist Q&A

While each meeting builds off the one preceding it – and we hope you can attend all three – they also function as “stand-alone” meetings should you be unable to attend them all. You can download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.

Join by clicking here: Meet-Up Zoom Site or copy / paste the following URL in your browser: https://bit.ly/2024-virtual-meetup

Whether you are a fruit grower with ample experience, one that has modest experience, or one that is just getting started, the Virtual Orchard Meetups will be the right setting for you to ask questions and find alternative solutions.

Hosted by extension specialists across North America:

• Kristy Grigg-McGuffin (OMAFRA)
• Lindsay King (BC-AF)
• Katelyn Hengel (BC-AF)
• Emily Lavely (MSU)
• Bernardita Sallato (WSU)
• Mario Miranda Sazo (CCE LOF)
• Daniel E. Weber (PSU)