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The British Columbia, Canada Fruit Industry
By Jerome L. Frecon I had the opportunity to visit the province of British Columbia in Canada and their fruit industry in July. This was my fifth trip to the area - they have a diverse industry and some of the most innovative growers in the world. Like fruit industries throughout North America, they have faced tough economic times in recent years. I am consistently impressed by their horticultural skills in managing and manipulating fruit trees to get maximum yields. The International Dwarf Fruit Tree Association (IDFTA) held their annual summer tour from July 6-8. Time was spent before and after the tour visiting growers and research stations. The British Columbia industry is comprised of about 1,200 tree fruit growers, of which 400 to 500 are larger commercial growers who farm about 17,665 acres. The major tree fruit crops are apples with 12,600 acres, pears with 750 acres and peaches about 1,400 acres. Smaller acreages of plums, apricots and nectarines are produced. Most of this acreage has remained constant with some decline in apples and peaches. Recent figures in sweet cherry production are about 2,200 acres although most horticulturists estimate this has increase substantially in the past two years. Of course wine grape acreage has steadily increased over the past six years or the last time I visited British Columbia. There are currently about 4,800 acres of wine grapes. Fifty-eight wineries are in operation with new ones opening each year. I had a chance to visit some of the newer ones in the Upper Okanagan Valley. The Okanagan Valley is the largest and oldest tree fruit and grape producing area in British Columbia and the center of my visit and the IDFTA tour. This area stretches from the U.S. border and the town of Osoyoos in the south to the Salmon Arm in the North. Large lakes like Lake Okanagan buffer cold temperatures and warm the climate. The stone fruit industry tends to be further south or on Lake Okanagan. The valley tends to be dessert like with an average of six inches of rain annually in the southern end and up to 16 inches in the northern valley. Apples Spartan apple and many other tree fruits were developed at the Agriculture Canada's Pacific Agriculture Research Center (PARC). It was once a premier apple in British Columbia but is declining in importance, as is McIntosh. Growers are planting newer varieties because returns are better. While Spartan and Golden Delicious types averaged 9 to 10 cents (U.S. dollars) newer varieties like: Gala cultivars - 27 cents; Fuji cultivars - 18 cents; and Granny Smith - 17 cents. Gala is the most widely-planted cultivar with Royal Gala being the most important although like other growers throughout the world redder cultivars are the rage. Some of the most beautiful Royal Gala in the world are grown in B.C. One of the first and nicest apple orchards we visited was the orchard of Bruce Currie and Fred Bloomfield south west of Kelowna. This 50- acre high-density orchard was planted from 1.5 feet to 6 feet in the row and 9 to 14 feet between rows. These spacings on Bud 9 and M-9 would result in tree densities of 555 to 4,000 trees per acre. Training was on both trellis, super spindle and spindle training systems. In addition to the varieties previously mentioned, Currie and Bloomfield had Braeburn, Silken (an early- to mid-August apple with a whitish yellow skin developed at PARC) and Ambrosia. Ambrosia is a seedling found in British Columbia. It is a yellow apple with a red blush that ripens between Spartan and Red Delicious. In recent years Ambrosia has returned an average of 32 cents per pound. Apple growers visited were also mentioning a selection of Ag Canada called 8S 69 23. It is another Splendor x Gala cross with yellow skin color and excellent flavor and storage life. All of Currie and Bloomfield's plantings are trickle irrigated. An Atnometer developed/refined by PARC was demonstrated and is used to measure water loss and then only allows replenishment of the water lost through the irrigations system. Growers pay a water tax of approximately 60 dollars per acre so they want to use water efficiently in addition to marketing fruit with optimum sugar The first question most growers ask is how they can afford to plant at such high densities. Well in addition to planting new and high-value varieties with good early yields the Okanagan Valley Tree Fruit Authority (OVTFA) has an Orchard Renovation Program where they cost share the replanting of orchards. On their web page they give details on how they determine cost sharing. They will not cover costs of new orchards. For example on a new dwarf orchard of Ambrosia on M-9 planted 1.75 feet x 10 feet and trained to a super spindle the establishment costs may be $12,880 (U.S.) per acre. They will provide a grant of $5,460 so the actual cost to the growers is $7,420 (U.S). They also provide $1,755 the second year. According to their calculations a grower of Ambrosia (25 cents per pound) should have a positive cash flow during the fifth year if he harvests 40 bins per acre or maybe the fourth year if he gets his yields up quickly. A bin is about 800 pounds of fruit. In a 2,500 tree per acre planting this would be 12 pounds per tree. Since many growers are skilled horticulturists and do not market the fruit they grow, they grow their own apple trees. Tony DeMaria, an orchardist near Winfield, has his own nursery of various apples on M-26. Some growers will also save money by buying a "sleeping eye" tree from nurseries including those in the United States. This is simply a tree, which is a one-year-old rootstock with the dormant bud in the stock. After the first growing season the tree with the bud is carefully dug, stored and then shipped to the grower for spring planting. The nursery can offer this tree at a lower price, and the skillful grower can grow out the bud in his orchard rather than wait for this to occur in the fruit tree nursery. M-9 and various cultivars of M-9 are by far the most popular rootstocks for apples. Budagovsky 9 is increasing in popularity as we saw a number of younger plantings on more vigorous varieties. Ottawa 3 was observed in some planting. While it is hard for nurserymen to root, it produces a tree larger than M-9 with good yield efficiency. The Okanagan Plant Improvement Company (PICO) is owned by the British Columbia Fruit Growers Association and dedicated to the improvement of fruit varieties by collecting, maintaining, and distributing new fruit varieties in British Columbia. There is now Plant Breeders Rights (PBR) similar to our U.S Plant Patent system so varieties can be brought in from all over the world and they will be protecting. PICO will distribute the true to name wood and collect the royalties from growers. Cherries We also visited the PARC and saw first hand much of the research work they are doing on cherries and apples. Dr. Kappel was the host and has tested and evaluated many cherry rootstocks. The Gisela series has not caught on in British Columbia because even though the trees are very productive, fruit size has been disappointing. Dr. Kappel is working with the Weirock series form Germany that are also quite dwarfing. Fruit size was also disappointing based on some of the data presented by Dr. Kappel One of the most productive sweet cherry breeding programs is located at the PARC This programs was the first to introduce self fruitfulness with the cultivars Stella. Lapins are the standard cultivar named after the late Dr. Charles Lapins who received his Ph.D. at Rutgers when I was in graduate school. We had a chance to sample some of Dr. Kappel's best selections after lunch on the first day of our tour. All of the new cultivars are self-fruitful and fruit size is very important because of the demands of the export market. One cherry cultivar in his trial Sonata averaged fruit 12.7 grams but is a kidney shaped cherry prone to nose splits. Samba a moderately sweet cultivar had very large size averaging 11.4 grams per fruit. Christalina, Santina, and Sylvia are increasing in popularity while Stella and Summit are no longer planted. Christalina and Silvia need pollinators while the rest are self-fertile. The Clive Sutherland Orchard was visited near Summerland. Clive has planted vigorous cherry varieties like Lapins, Sweetheart, Staccato and Skeena on Mazzard seedling rootstocks. Trees were spaced 4 to 5 feet apart in the rows and 12 to 13.5 feet between rows. Many of the trees are now four to five years of age and as one would expect the trees are very tight with reduced sunlight. Early production has been good and the vigorous rootstock is used to help fruit size. Like too many orchards this may be a classic example of trying to plant closely for early yields but then find out as the orchard gets older that production will drop off because the trees are too close together with no way to reduce vigor without the help of a dwarfing stock. Peaches Most of the larger peach plantings are located near Osoyoos. Scattered planting could be observed in some orchards like Davidson Orchard north of Vernon. The Davidsons have a thriving retail market, bakery and restaurant as well as providing scenic orchard tours. Like many direct marketers they plant stone fruit like peaches to extend the season. Most orchards observed have trained to open center systems although consultants tell me spacings are closer at 8 to 12 feet in the row and 14 to 18 feet between rows. The OVFTA provides cost share grants for peach orchard renovation. Many of the new varieties are not available in British Columbia although some of the older Flamin' Fury selections are under test and PICO has the latest releases from Harrow and Vineland breeding programs in Eastern Canada. The industry is centered around the varieties Early Red Haven, Redhaven, Glohaven and Cresthaven, which is too late for the northern areas of the Okanogan. Redgold is the most popular nectarine. Growers' returns might benefit from newer and better varieties Average peach prices are 27 cents (U.S.) per pound, which is not high and one of the reason the industry has declined. OVFTA figures it costs about $6,112 per acre to establish an orchard less their grant of $2,102, which equals a first year's costs of $4,010 (U.S.) per acre. It will take six years to recoup inflows if trees average 43 pounds per tree or 16,727 pounds per acre. This is equivalent to 670 boxes per acre. I did not see any of these high-density high yielding orchards at an older age to see how growers could control vigor and sustain this yield efficiency. There is a town called Peachland southeast of Kelowna, but I was disappointed to find no peach orchards still operating. Marketing Seventy five percent of the apples sold on the wholesale market are sold by B.C. Tree Fruit Ltd. Much of the fruit is packed by four cooperative packinghouses. These are B.C Fruit Packers with 500 growers in Kelowna, Summerland and Penticton in the northern apple country near Vernon and Okanagan North Cooperative also packs fruit. In the southern end of the Okanagan both Su-Fresh Cooperative and Okanagan Similkameen Cooperative also pack and export fruit. Of course there are many private packers of various sizes. Sutherland Orchards had there own new packing line for cherries, which we saw being installed. There are also three major processor in the Okanagan area that produce both dried fruit and some other specialty fruit products. With the growing tourist industry in the Kelowna area and all the resorts around the lakes many grower have turned to direct marketing and agri tourism. Two farms visited were the Davidson farm north of Vernon and the Kelowna Land and Orchard Co. (KLO). The beautiful Davidson farm is a testimony on how to handle tractors and hayrides on a hilly but scenic orchard. I was holding my breath most of the trip. The 140-acre KLO operation is relatively flat but located on a bench overlooking Kelowna. Any wrong turns in this operation might result in a long drop down into Kelowna This growing and diversified operation has a bar and tea room for elegant dining as we experience during our first night on the tour. Pests No unusual pests were noted although they do not appear to have the pest pressure nor the pest control costs we have in many of our Eastern U.S. production areas. They do have a growing organic industry that is mostly smaller operations. There is more interest and better returns for organically grown fruit. I did not see any information on and Organic Certification program in British Columbia. The do have a cooperative project of local, provincial, federal government and growers for suppressing codling moth. This sterile insect release program is widely practiced in apple and pear orchards. As mention previously there is no advisor or agents supported by provincial government to assist in pest management and horticultural information. Private consultants, field personnel for packinghouses and cooperative or chemical sales distributors give most advice. They do have a Tree Fruit Industry Development Fund to support research run by the largest horticultural organization the British Columbia Tree Fruit growers that run their annual forum and educational program in Penticton each November. |
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