bogblog

Fertilization

2008-07-29T20:15:00.003-05:00

We have to apply fertilizers to feed the plants. We add fertilizer, in part, to replace the berries that we take off each year and also to give the perennial plant food for next years crop. We use a machine to spread the fertilizer on the field. We don't have to go into the field, the fertilizer is spread from the dike by means of a boom and propelled to nozzles by a large fan.

We can apply just what the plants need when they need them... that way the fertilizer is not wasted or leached into the ground water. We generally apply about 12 tonnes a season in 3 rounds based on the growth stages of the cranberry vine.

This is our granular product spreader used to spread fertilizer. The machine can accurately apply as little as 15 kg of product per acre. We generally apply a fertilizer in a ratio of 1:2:1. Also, we apply only about 12 kg of N per acre per year as the breakdown of the peat liberates N each year.

A Job Well Done

2008-07-29T20:02:00.003-05:00

The honey bees are headed home... they helped pollinate the cranberry crop along with native pollinators... they also made honey from both the cranberry flowers and from flowers from other flowers from around the farm. We will have our 'Bog Honey' in our store from the work of the bees.

These bees are heading back to the hive carrying a load of pollen... note some have yellow pollen.. and the bee to the left has orange pollen on its legs

2008-07-23T21:33:00.002-05:00

I have been rather busy... and have neglected to blog.... I will try to keep it up to date now...

We had a hard winter and cool wet spring... like any other crop.. cranberries are impacted by the weather... we had some winter kill.. and a slow start.. things got moving tho.. and we are are supposed to be... berries are starting to form.. an Im out wiping weeds...

We built a new weed wiper in the spring... it uses a wick saturated with Roundup which contacts the weeds higher than the cranberry vine... this is a ride on machine... which makes it easier to do weed control when we are short staffed or in hot weather...

We also held our second annual Relay for Life. While we had some threatening weather early.. it turned out to be a great night... We had fun... and raised some money for a good cause..

More later... Bye for now...

Spring?

2008-04-10T17:27:00.008-05:00

Lots doin down on the farm these days as we get ready for spring... lots in the office an on the road too...

I attended a minortiy supplier trade show at the Metro Toronto Convention Center first of the month... and the little yellow truck got to ride in an elevator for the first time...

The show had some promise... but it was largely aimed at people who want to mass market their product or service. Nothing wrong with that...but I find when you move to the mass market, you end up compromising your product as you try to meet the demands of your big customers... Its not something I feel comfortable doing. We brought out the Champagne fountain filled with cranberry juice... an I put on a suit... its all part of the deal...

Many of the birds and animals are back. We had a dozen or so robins, redwing black birds, and yesterday I heard the pheobie... an insect eater...a very good sign of spring. I saw this little guy out on the ice of one of the fields. The otters are in the irrigation ponds. It appears they are eating frogs... and there are some water fowl flying through.

Most of the ice is off the fields. Early next week we will hold the spring melt to flood all fields until temperatures are warm enough to protect the vine with the irrigation system.

Winter...

2008-02-25T08:02:00.005-05:00

Its not as if we don't do anything during the winter... its just not very visual...

The weather has been 'interesting'. We have had cold weather and warmer weather. We like to put on a winter flood to make a layer of ice to protect the cranberry vine. A mild spell made that easy for us...we were able to hold water to make the ice and then release the water allowing the ice to sit on the vine. The ice prevents the vine from descicating and also traps gasses (CO2) under the ice that displace damaging gasses such as eytnline.

I went to visit some clients, did some sampling at the freezer for

a client and also visited some stores that carry our product. It is interesting to see how our product is sold in the larger mass market stores as well as the smaller stores...

We also went to the Farm Equipment Show to see what is new in the industry. It is important to keep current. We also attended the Food and Beverage show. Again this gives us a chance to see what is up and coming and what others in the juice business. Its also a chance to network with others in the industry. There were a number of interesting displays at the show... including this one...

2007-12-16T09:49:00.001-05:00

During the first part of December I went to Guelph for a course... 4 days with a 4 hour exam on the Friday... hmmmmm... we'll see how I did in Feburary...

I attended a day export seminar at MaRS... A technology incubator in down town Toronto... We are participating in a case study about business development challenges in the food industry. They filmed a small segment as part of the case study and for inclusion in Town and Country Ontario...

We are watching the weather... waiting for a chance to apply a winter flood to the fields and keeping the dikes clear of snow... I have been in the office for a bit... but mainly... I am trying to stay away from work... mainly for my sake.. lol...

Canadian Aboriginal Festival

2007-11-29T21:15:00.000-05:00

We go to the Canadian Aboriginal Festival as part of out marketing program. The three day festival has a variety of programs, a Pow Wow, as well as vendors. The festival is held at the Rogers Center in Toronto... its sorta fun to drive into a large facility... then see it full of people...

There's that yellow truck again...

We don't only grow cranberries... we have to sell our value added product. My.... that's a large bottle of juice...

Finally...

2007-11-17T14:26:00.000-05:00

The 2007 harvest is finally over... not that long... it just feels like it as everyone is tired... had a BBQ for the boys (we only had male staff at the end of season for some reason). Burgers on freshly made fry bread... it was nice...

I went in today to finish some paperwork and check on water levels and such... on my way out I saw the three otters and the great blue heron... I think frogs bring them out...

It was nice to be at the farm...so quite... all the action is over for at least a little while... we have 15,000 lbs to pack on Monday...but for now we can relax...

Finishing Up Harvest

2007-11-14T11:21:00.000-05:00

We are harvesting our last fields... the color of the berries is great! The dark red of these berries makes great juice. We are harvesting in our upland development: cranberry fields that have been planted away from the wetland. Water has to be pumped up to the fields to flood them but they are harvested in the same way.

Finished at the Fair

2007-11-14T11:13:00.001-05:00

The 2007 'Royal' is over... the fair attracts many people from across Toronto and Ontario... We talked to lots of people and sold some cranberry products and, I hope we encouraged people to visit us at the farm... I went down Sunday to pack up... two skids down... one up... pretty good....

Night Work

2007-11-08T17:12:00.000-05:00

Night scene overlooking a flooded cranberry field. There is some ice and a skiff of snow and some flakes falling.

Working nights is part of cranberry growing... we run the irrigation system to protect from frost... and during harvest, we flood fields so they can be picked the next day. Sounds easy enough. Someone has to work at nights. Right now... that someone is me... I still have to keep an eye on things during the day too...

hmmmmm.... thats the nature of farming...

Nice to be Home...

2007-11-05T12:51:00.000-05:00

I am a country boy... did setup and a couple of days of chatting and selling drinks...

While I enjoy the city in small bits... I do like home... The city has light an noise while home is dark and quiet. I came back to the farm and saw our new building up. It is a much needed storage space as well as temporary home to our Dry Pick Receiving Plant.

As we have lost our night person to bigger and better things... I have had to do the night work... hmmmmm........ this involves running the irrigation system and lift pump to flood the fields... I am fortunate that I know some to the tricks of the trade. This won't help, however, with the lack of sleep, and the tired and sore body.

I did see two of what I believe to be 'inter-species' wolf-coyotes... this animal is not a Timber Wolf and not a Coyote. It is a mid-size Canis and looks like a cross between the two. Hmmm... need a bioligist...

More News from the Fair

2007-11-03T11:10:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a long day... I had to do the 9-9 shift... FedNor staff are a great help... The Northern Ontario Agricultural Pavilion showcases a number of Northern Ontario Agri-Food Businesses. This is our 7th year attending 'the Royal' and 'the Royal's' 85th year. We have made many friends and done business with many of those at the pavilion. So... long day but I sold some cranberry juice and talked cranberry growing with many...

Today started with a trip to CBC's Fresh Air... It's a great morning program on weekends... lots of regional reports, news and weather... I am usually up early and it is a great companion as I get going on the weekends...

I had a nice chat with Jeff Goodes about cranberries... and had a chance to meet Merial at the controls...

Off for a bit... back in at 1500 to work to 2100... then a sleep... an back to the farm...

I'm...... lovin' it?

2007-11-01T18:42:00.000-05:00

Sometimes you come across something rather incongruous... see the picture below...

'Schmagdonalds'* is a good corporate citizen... they support community activities, Ronald McDonalds House... It is the nature of their products that is the issue... They are trying to move toward more healthful choices for their customers... but sponsoring 'To Your Good Health' stage at an agricultural fair seems to me to be SPINNING... A recent study linked being fat to increased risk of cancer... Sometimes it is better to just do what you do best... evolve... address the concerns of your customers... trying to pull the cow hide over our eyes... is not a good idea..

Hmmmmmm..... I'm lovin it?

*you would have to have seen Red Dwarf to get the joke

At the Fair

2007-10-31T19:42:00.000-05:00

We are doing setup for the royal winter fair... I loaded the truck at 0700... and by the time I got to Toronto at 1630... he was still waiting for a dock to unload...

Finally we got our two pallets moved to our booth...

We have a great location... but there is the matter of our sign... see if you can see what the problem is...

Snow...

2007-10-31T19:38:00.000-05:00

We has snow Sunday... need I say more?

Turkey and Cranberries

2007-10-25T17:36:00.000-05:00

We are still harvesting... it is a bit of a long haul... but thats the nature of harvest... for all farmers... you need to take care of your body and mind... They day starts when its dark and often ends in the dark...

Sometimes it is the little things that brighten you day... the other day, our wild turkey was wandering around the cranberry field.

Uplands

2007-10-18T18:03:00.000-05:00

The uplands around the bog are home to birds and wildlife. We have a couple of wild turkeys around, eating seeds from weeds along the roads and trails that connect various parts of the bog. Some of these roads are logging roads that date back some 70 years. The uplands also show some signs of glaciation as well.... bare rocks with striations created by rocks scraping the roots of the Muskoka Mountains or erratics, large boulders sitting alone in the forest. I took a little drive thru the wet bush to reach the other side of the bog. Although it was a gray day, and the colors were muted, there were splashes of color. In the summer the bush can be so green. So many different shades of green, so much life... the forest never ceases to amaze me.

Harvest Time

2007-10-16T19:43:00.000-05:00

During harvest we see cooler temperatures... This morning we made ice while protecting from frost with the irrigation system... it is wonderful to see the sun rise and the ice and water playing off the vine. In reality someone has to watch the system all night and you are glad when the sun comes up as it means you can go home and sleep.

We have noticed that we have fewer and fewer cold nights. In general the nights are warmer as well. Many people don't notice some of the more subtle aspects of global warming... this is a small change with a great effect.

Harvest brings out the cameras and the media. Part of my job is to assist media in getting their story or pictures...

I give interviews and generally know where to get the best shots... It is important to us to tell our story and to get the message out about about our farm and about the tribe's successes. There is much more to farming these days...

All seems to be working well in our receiving plant (where we pack berries). I wanted a picture to show what our optical sorter does (below). We can use only a few of these white berries when we make our juice so the rest goes to be composted along with leaves and vine that reach the plant. After the optical sorter we do a visual inspection and all berries run thru the metal detector as part of our commitment to safe, quality food.

Visitors on the Bog...

2007-10-14T17:25:00.000-05:00

We welcome visitors to the bog year round... most of the year people trickle in to visit the store or to see the birds...

During harvest we do tours including horse drawn wagon rides to see the bog... its much nicer to travel thru the bog quietly... rarely today do you get to see horses and many people are curious.

We like the slower pace...in keeping, I think, with our philosophy: keeping things simple...

Next Steps... Pumping

2007-10-12T20:26:00.000-05:00

We pump the berries off the field into gravity wagons or hoppers... the machine sucks the berries out of the water... pumps them into a bath... the berries then receive a shower to remove leaves and vine and then spill into the hopper...

Cranberry Myths

2007-10-09T17:55:00.000-05:00

Because people only see cranberries at harvest, they often believe the plant grows in water... CRANBERRIES ARE A TERRESTRIAL PLANT not an aquatic plant. The plant will tolerate flooding and we do flood the fields to harvest. The berries float up in the water and we knock them off the vine with a machine. The berries float to the surface of the water and we corral them in.

Thanksgiving...

2007-10-07T18:38:00.000-05:00

We do quite a bit of business at harvest time and Thanksgiving in particular. We love cranberries...

...and we even see wild turkeys at the cranberry farm... I wonder if this guy likes cranberries?

Its Working!

2007-10-02T18:28:00.000-05:00

hmmm.... another visit by the tech... and its working... except for the under rated breaker that keeps tripping.... lol...

High Tech Farming?

2007-09-21T21:30:00.000-05:00

These days you will find computers everywhere... Sometimes they are just a chip, sometimes a complex system. The first day we had a new tractor the reverse gear stopped working. It turns out that it was a computer problem not a mechanical problem.

As we begin harvest, out optical sorter is not working. It appears to be a circuit board that is failing intermittently that is causing the problem. We had a technician from the Oregon manufacturer here for the week, but the parts were held at customs. Just after the technician left, the package cleared customs and I drove to Hamilton International Airport to pick up the parcel at the UPS terminal.

Now it is up to me to swap out parts and try to get it working. Some computer experience and good advise from the technician will help. So here I am, head in the sorter, pullin out a PCI card...

Hmmm... there is always something new down on the farm.

Weather

2007-09-12T17:13:00.000-05:00

I do enjoy a good sunrise. I have seen many over our reservoir. We had 1/2 inch of rain last night so there was no frost when the sky cleared early this morning. As a farmer, I am always watching the sky... and the Internet.

Watching the weather is the great pastime of many as witnessed by the popularity of "The Weather Network" and other weather channels. I also go to the Internet to find out about the weather, short and long term. Looking outside is an effective method as well... you need to do it often and assimilate that information and draw relationships between the conditions just past and current conditions. Then you can predict. LOL ya right...

Look for the farmer... looking down at the ground... and up at the sky....

Coloring up

2007-09-05T17:30:00.001-05:00

The cranberries are starting to color up... The shorter days and cooler temperatures signal the plant to go into dormancy. As the plant shuts down for the season, nutrient flow slows down and the vine begins to change to a maroon hue.

The fruit turns to first a bright red... then a darker red. This red color is anthrocyan, a pigment in the dermal layer of the fruit. This is the same healthful pigment contained in blueberries, and red grapes. There are other constituents in the fruit, phytochemicals, or plant chemicals, that that make cranberries and other fruit and vegetables good for YOU. Canada's Food Guide suggests 7 - 10 servings of fruit and vegetables per day. :-)

Supporting Land

2007-09-01T16:41:00.000-05:00

I often speak of the some 400 acres (160 Ha) of supporting land that the farm has... land that gathers water... where we spill water into... and just undeveloped land adjacent to the farm that supports a variety of plants and animals.

I went kayaking in the lower reservoir today. The impoundment holds some 80 acres (33 Ha) of water with an average depth of maybe 6-10 feet (2-3 meters)... The dam that holds back the water has a sluice gate that allows water to drain from the pond.

The reservoir was an old beaver pond so some areas have trees where the forest was flooded and some areas are open water. Floating mats of vegetation move around so that landscapes change with the wind. On these mats are a variety of plants including Pitcher Plants and Sun Dew, both carnivorous plants. They get their nutrients from insects as the bog soils are low in nutrients and very acid. Many of the plants have passed their peak and are slowly changing to mottled browns and grays. Here and their tho there are still some specks of summer color.

I did not see much wildlife save for the birds. There were a couple of the ubiquitous Canada geese and some ducks that flew off long before I even got close. There were signs of life in different places. Muskrat houses were numerous and there is a Heron Rookery in our reservoir as well.

Farm Update...

2007-08-31T18:06:00.000-05:00

It is dry... our upper reservoir is very low. We will have enough water for frost control but not enough to flood for harvest. That means we will have to pump all the water for harvest. We have a lift pump that will pump 45,000 liters per minute but it still takes a long time to flood.

We sure could use more rain. The berries are starting to size up and color up. We are irrigating but its not the same as a good rain. Some of the fruit may be smaller because of this but we will be ok. With a larger crop in some beds I worry about color. (but that's what I do I guess...worry)

Our new interchange at Iroquois Cranberry Growers Drive *grin* is almost complete (Aug '08 *goan*).

We will be on the new road for harvest so as not to confuse truckers and customers.

hmmm.... progress... :-/

Here it comes...

2007-08-29T16:20:00.000-05:00

You can see it...here and there in amongst the green... little patches of color... not the yellow of brown of out drought but the oranges and reds of autumn. The days are noticeably shorter. We have seen some cool mornings... the fog on the lake sucking out that summer warmth signals August to me. I think fall is my favorite season... and I like the variety of the seasons we have here. I dislike the darker days that late fall and early winter bring. I do, however, look forward to cooler weather. Cold sterilizes our soils and helps keep some pests out of control. I do hope we get more precipitation over the next few months... Lake effect snow like we used to receive. I think we are in store for a fairly harsh winter... starting in November or December NOT January 15th as we had last year.

Shift Change

2007-08-25T18:40:00.000-05:00

You may remember that buggs bunny cartoon when the sheep dog and the coyote punch the time clock goin into work and leaving...

Its funny... at the farm.. after 1700h (5PM, we use metric time - long story) when we have left work all the animals come out. I am sometimes at the farm after 1700 of before 0700... it is amazing what you can see. I saw an otter crossing the dike in front of the truck. Late July while working on the RFL, a bear came by to see what was going on. I never seem to have the camera handy at these times... so no pix...

I often wonder what really goes on when we go home and when the shift changes...

Young Moose

2007-08-15T08:16:00.001-05:00

On my way to the office from the farm I came across a young moose. It is not uncommon to see wildlife on the farm but we usually only see moose tracks.

It is uplifting to see animals around the farm. To know that the land that supports my livelihood also can support so many animals in a sort of harmony. This is the way it is supposed to be but sadly...much of the world does not work in this way...

Troubles

2007-08-14T19:03:00.000-05:00

Well.. we did have some problems getting the juice to our farm... They are building an interchange at Iroquois Cranberry Growers Drive and detour thru the farm... Our juice had a bit of a ride... but all bottles made it safely to the farm... after the help of a crane to lift the truck out...

Juice!!

2007-08-14T18:32:00.000-05:00

We made juice.... with our own cranberries... we just freeze them.. then squeeze them... well then we bottle... I follow the process from tempering the berries... to bottling... it is important that we maintain quality. We use no press aids or enzymes. We believe less processing is better.

We have the berries pressed then tanker it down to the bottling plant then back to the farm. Hey! there is that yellow truck again...

Sounds simple... but like any endeavor it is a BIT more complicated...

Lots of things went well... there were a few problems but we got out juice... and it is safe, quality, simple food...

Thats what we do with all the products we produce. Why complicate (i.e. additives, over processing etc) our food?

I guess sometimes it makes it cheaper. It gives it longer shelf life if it has to be transported across the ocean.

In the ideal world, your food should come from your back yard.... hmmm how do you treat YOUR back yard??

Relay For Life

2007-07-30T16:34:00.001-05:00

We had a fund raiser at the farm last Friday. The overnight event was a Relay For Life for the Canadian Cancer Society. This non-competitive relay starts with a lap to honor survivors of cancer and then continues for 12 hours. At dusk we light luminary candles around the course (the picture above). These luminaries honor survivors and commemorate those who have lost the fight with cancer. The event was fun. We did have some excitement with a rattle snake on the course. I removed it to the safety of the bog... we watched the moon rise...walked all night... then the sun rise over the bog.

A big thank you to all those who helped with the event as well as our sponsors. We raised about $10,000.00.

On another note it is always nice to show off the bog. What an incredible place it is to work! There is the constant change of the natural world. Wildlife abounds at the farm. I am so fortunate.

Snake on board!

2007-07-25T20:05:00.000-05:00

We had a Eastern Massasauga Rattle Snake at the store today. Around the farm if we see a snake we try to work around it but sometimes we have to relocate the snake. With visitors and their pets around the store we had to move this snake.

While this snake was small, it took many years to get to this point. Massasaugas are short snakes, thick around the middle.

We often see snakes in the fields or along the dikes and canals and try to avoid them. When we do have to move them for worker or public safety we only move them about 750 metres so as not to disrupt the snake too much. We are part of the system that is the farm and we must get along with all the animals that inhabit the area.

We put the snake in a deep plastic container and move it away from activity. When you see the little yellow truck... watch out! Snake on board!

Now we wait...

2007-07-24T15:29:00.000-05:00

The bees have done their work and have gone home. There is still some fertilizing to do... and soil and tissue testing but much of what we do now is wait for the berries to size up. Well.. we don't really wait there is lots to do to get ready for harvest. Lots of equipment must be serviced. Most equipment has to have 100% reliability during harvest. In some cases we have backups but it is important that everything works properly.

I am slowing down a little. I have to if I am to be ready for harvest. I have been kayaking a bit and I will probably do a road trip or two before the end of summer.

I love the lake at home. Although it is a small lake there are many places to explore. I took some 'beaver' canals deep into the marsh at the south end of the lake. Many plants were blooming and I could smell the fragrance drifting in the light breeze.

I want to explore our lower reservoir with the kayak too...there are many things to see in our wetlands if you take the time. Beyond the plants there are many turtles close to shore and water birds and lots of beaver sign. The colors are amazing.

Here they come!

2007-07-12T19:47:00.000-05:00

This time of year is sometimes tough as you wait for the berries to size up. You have done all you can to maximize the growing conditions. The results will soon be there for all to see.

Some years better than others. Farmers must remain optimists. You have to understand that it is hopeless (basic thermodynamics) and decide you are going to make the most of it!

As soon as the berries start to size and you can see then in the field, worry about bud developments then starts. This little bud has next years growth in it so it is critical.

Soon enough we will have to worry about cool temperatures and frost... but for now... I can sleep...

Working at Night

2007-07-05T18:52:00.001-05:00

Powered by Sirius?

I have had to apply foliar nutrients to the cranberry vine in the last few weeks. We have to do this at night when the winds are calm. There is not much to see at night...just keeping the tractor and sprayer on the dike. The lights of the tractor attract moths and bugs. Off in the field you can see the fireflies lighting up. Some nights the fog envelopes the tractor and you have to stop the sprayer and wait as you cannot see the dike. Other nights you can see the stars and moon with some clouds drifting across the sky.

I have satellite radio in the tractor to help pass the time. Sometimes its NPR... great talk radio... OutQ or Area 33... while you do have to concentrate, you get into a groove the same actions, dike after dike.

This work needs to be done to maximize the crop potential.

Working at night can be dangerous. Fatigue is an issue that can lead to mistakes and accidents. Your circadian rhythm is "screwed up" (there is no better word for it). This disrupts your sleep, your appetite, everything. Hmmm.....

THE NEXT TIME THE FARMER IS GRUMPY... Understand it takes more than you think to get that food to your table...

Bees

2007-06-30T19:44:00.000-05:00

This year we had an early bloom. We were fortunate to have bees in for pollination early as
well. We hire bees each year to help the 'native' pollinators such as bumble bees. Other native
pollinators are small solitary bees and leaf cutter bees. There are some 3000 species of bees native to North America. Honey bees are, in fact, inefficient cranberry pollinators.

The honey bee is an import that came from Europe relativity recently. They are poorly adapted to the small cranberry flower with its tiny amount of nectar. Because there are so many flowers, the honey bees will go to the cranberry flower as a matter of course even though it is not preferred by the bee. It is important to maintain healthy population of native pollinators. Literature suggests that there is a correlation between healthy populations and good fruit set. We think of the bog as a system. We are fortunate to have 400 acres of surrounding land that allow habitat for pollinators.

That Time of Year

2007-06-30T19:11:00.000-05:00

For those that think that the farm life is serene... May and June have been busy... We have to maintain a frost watch... Mid-June brought one cool night of about 0.5 C (33 F) so we started up the irrigation system just in case.

We make fertilizer applications in the spring to give the plants a boost. Many small applications as the plants require the food mean the fertilizer is used by the plants NOT washed into the soil. We base the fertilizer application based on the growth stage of the plants, soil and tissue testing. We also apply foliar fertilizer to feed the plants special nutrients including Boron. We apply the liquids we use a mist blower that blows the fertilizer over the field. This work needs to be done when the winds are calm, usually at night. We apply the granular fertilizer (which is mainly made from naturally occuring rocks) with a 'boom' that spreads the product over the field. The boom is come 80 feet wide. It reaches 65 feet over the field. The fertilizer is metered out and the blown through pipes to nozzles to the field.

A busy time of year... just like at harvest... and... lol... yes.. THAT TIME OF YEAR

Frost Irrigation

2007-05-21T18:40:00.000-05:00

When temperatures fall to freezing we need to protect the small buds that have this seasons growth. We do this by irrigating. When the water changes from liquid to a solid (freezes) it gives off some heat. This heat, though small, is enough to keep the plant from freezing. In the fall, we do the same thing.

In the morning the ice will still be on the vine and we need to keep irrigating until it melts. Later in the summer the heat of the water will be enough to warm up the whole farm and there will be no ice. Because it is open and low lying, we have had frosts as late as July 4, and as early as August 14. This means lots of work. We monitor the weather closely and have an annunciator system that can tell us the temperature or provide an alarm if it gets too cool.

We have 68 acres of cranberry and 400 acres of supporting land. This is land that gathers water for frost irrigation and flooding, land where we can spill water, and upland that provides habitat for all sorts of animals. In the morning there are often deer tracks. When the day warms the herptiles (frogs, snakes and turtles) come out.

Flooding

2007-05-01T19:06:00.000-05:00

Flooding is an important part of cranberry management. In the spring we flood to protect the vine from cold weather. Once it warms up the flood is withdrawn and the vine can begin growing. We install an irrigation system at this point. When we get cold weather later in the spring, we run the irrigation system to protect the plant from frost.

The vine is hardy to about 20F when it is dormant, but as soon as it starts to grow the tolerance is about 29 1/2F. The irrigation system spreads water on the vine. The water has some latent heat which warms up the vine. Once it has given up most of its heat and freezes it gives up more heat (the change of state liquid to solid) to the vine. As long as you keep irrigating, the vine will now be damaged. Needless to say... cranberry farmers always watch the weather and get poor sleep in springtime.

Goin to Town

2007-03-25T17:41:00.000-05:00

Like many farms, we have to look for other revenue streams. We produce value added products from our cranberries and retail them at the farm and wholesale them throughout Ontario. We try to keep it simple, maintain quality, and create unique tastes. About two weeks ago we went to town to showcase our products as part of Savour Muskoka.

This initiative is designed to have Muskoka Resorts, Restaurants use local products in the dishes they produce and to "brand" Muskoka produced food products in stores and gift shops.

Often this sort of creative marketing is required to get local products in front of consumers. For those that try to buy locally... this farmer salutes you!

Spring is on the way!

2007-03-11T20:08:00.000-05:00

We do many things in the off season. One of the cultural practices in cranberry farming is sanding. We flood the fields in early winter to make a layer of ice. This allows us to do work like ditching and sanding. We place a layer of sand on the ice in the late winter and as the ice melts it filters to the bog floor. The sand covers up weed seeds and insect eggs and perhaps most importantly allows the longer runners to set a root, thus invigorating the plant.

Above is a picture of one of the ways we sand. When the ice it thin, we tow the small sander behind the tractor and lay down the sand. We can sand about 2 acres per day with this method. With thick ice, we use tandem trucks and and a bigger tow behind sander. With this method, we can sand up to 8 acres.

Farmers DO Feed Cities

2007-02-27T18:33:00.000-05:00

Farmers do feed cities... Many people have lost that connection with their food, how it is produced and what it really means. Food is much more that sustenance for the body. It feeds the soul.

Food is very intimate. Yet today many allow the "walmartization" (the movement toward lowest common denominator) of the food that they eat and the food they feed their families. Food today is often overly processed, removing the nutrients, the intimate experience and sometimes the taste. People want cheaper foods but often these foods come at a greater cost. Often these processed foods have higher fat or sugar levels. While there is nothing wrong with fat or sugar, when they are substitutes for the taste and feel we get real food, it does us no good. If you don't already... try reading the label before you buy... informative and maybe a bit scary.

Farmers Feed Cities! is about people reconnecting with rural life, farms and farm families... reconnecting with food... REAL FOOD... food that is safe, reliable, and tastes great.

If city folk don't reconnect with Rural Ontario... continue to allow the destruction of some of the greatest farmland in the world... Seek out the lowest common denominator... do not support Ontario farmers and we produce... city folk may have problems getting food...

Globalization of food, food production hurts Ontario farmers. We do not pay the real cost of food. Why does an apple from New Zealand cost less than an Ontario apple? It must cross an ocean to get here with all the energy use that entails. The Ontario apple could come from just 100 km away. Much less energy is used. Much less carbon is put into the atmosphere.

Something to think about. Try buying locally. Foodland Ontario has all sorts of information on ways to buy and eat Ontario food.

New Interchange

2007-02-03T20:59:00.000-05:00

Sometime in late summer we should have a new interchange at Hwy 400 and Iroquois Cranberry Growers Drive. This will make access to the bog easier and safer for our visitors and for the transports that come in to pick up cranberries during harvest. The new exit will be 182. This section will have service roads along the west side of 400 between our exit and Twelve Mile Bay Road.

What do we do in the winter?

2007-02-01T19:35:00.000-05:00

There is always lots to do in the winter... this year we are widening the road into the bog... it is amazing how fast the trees grow back in... nature is resilient... To get tractor-trailers into the farm during harvest it needs to be wide and dry...

We also must keep the snow off the fields and the dikes. We have not had much snow this year. If the field has more than 30 cm of snow we must blow it off onto the dikes. The ring dikes must be clear of snow so we can get around the bog. We flood the fields too. When the temperature falls and the ground starts to freeze, we flood the fields. The water freezes and forms a layer of ice on the fields. We deflood after a week as longer would damage the plants. The ice settles on the vine protecting it from the cold and desiccation.

We also welcome visitors at the bog... of course we see customers at the store.... but we see wildlife too. Lots of birds are in the uplands around the bog. Sometimes we have bigger visitors... over the weekend we had Moose on the bog. They walked all over... even between buildings... from the tracks there were four moose. We often see their tracks but rarely see them... during the 2006 harvest, staff doing flooding at night saw two under a light at a pumphouse.

Colors of the bog...

2007-01-30T19:33:00.000-05:00

The bog has many colors thru the seasons... in the fall when we harvest the trees are changing color... when we harvest the cranberries and they float on the water... we have a red sea...

Now, in winter, there are just whites and grays... but still lots to do on the bog... In winter we flood and make a layer of ice. The water in drained off and the ice settles on the vine keeping it frozen and safe all winter. We do have to keep the snow off the ice.