Of Canada’s twelve provinces, eight are home to special regions that are conducive to growing fresh produce: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec, and Prince Edward Island. In some areas, the proximity to a large body of water affords a better opportunity to grow produce. In others, it is the shelving terrain of a deep valley, or an escarpment ideal for tree fruit. Canadian growers work their magic in these fertile pockets, bringing forth an impressive array of fruits and vegetables. So much so, according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, vegetable exports to the United States have continued to rise over the last few years, especially in potatoes. Of note were the 800 tons of spuds exported in 2012, the most since records have been kept, beginning in 1988.
A Look at Growing Regions: West to East
Alberta
Established in 1905, Alberta is the namesake of Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, a descendant of Queen Victoria. Like Prince Edward Island and Manitoba, Alberta is a potato-growing province. Production for the last few years has fluctuated; 2012 yields were better than 2011 but 2013 crops were threatened by hail and late blight.
Potatoes aside, most of Alberta’s fruit and other vegetables come from small growers. Since 1991, farms have consistently averaged 25 acres for annual vegetables. Similarly, berry patch size vacillates little, averaging five acres per farm for the last 22 years.
Despite the diminutive size relative to potato terrain, these growers offer much diversity, with the Saskatoon berry as a gleaming example. It is a native tree-like plant unique to the Canadian prairielands. Commercial cultivation and processing is relatively new, and in 2012, Alberta harvested 268 tons of the little-known fruit. By tonnage, the Saskatoon crop is Alberta’s largest fruit commodity, followed by strawberries at 148 tons in 2012.
Vegetable-wise, Alberta’s top crops are typically sweet corn, cabbage, carrots, peas, and pumpkins. On a smaller scale, beets, parsnips, and summer squash are routinely cultivated according to Statistics Canada.
British Columbia
The geography of Canada’s westernmost province, British Columbia (BC), is like a buffet—there’s a little bit of everything. There are mountains, coastland, plains, and fjords.
Prime growing regions are in the southwest corner, around the regions of Fraser and Kelowna. Terraces framing the finger-like Lake Okanagan, known as the Okanagan Valley, are especially favorable for fruit production.
Even though BC does not have a lot of tillable land, nearly all root and bulb vegetables are farmed here, as well as leafy greens, asparagus, parsley, and peas. Pumpkins are a heavy hitter in the region, as are Brussels sprouts, lettuce, sweet corn, cabbage, beans, tomatoes, and carrots.
Of Canada’s twelve provinces, eight are home to special regions that are conducive to growing fresh produce: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec, and Prince Edward Island. In some areas, the proximity to a large body of water affords a better opportunity to grow produce. In others, it is the shelving terrain of a deep valley, or an escarpment ideal for tree fruit. Canadian growers work their magic in these fertile pockets, bringing forth an impressive array of fruits and vegetables. So much so, according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, vegetable exports to the United States have continued to rise over the last few years, especially in potatoes. Of note were the 800 tons of spuds exported in 2012, the most since records have been kept, beginning in 1988.
A Look at Growing Regions: West to East
Alberta
Established in 1905, Alberta is the namesake of Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, a descendant of Queen Victoria. Like Prince Edward Island and Manitoba, Alberta is a potato-growing province. Production for the last few years has fluctuated; 2012 yields were better than 2011 but 2013 crops were threatened by hail and late blight.
Potatoes aside, most of Alberta’s fruit and other vegetables come from small growers. Since 1991, farms have consistently averaged 25 acres for annual vegetables. Similarly, berry patch size vacillates little, averaging five acres per farm for the last 22 years.
Despite the diminutive size relative to potato terrain, these growers offer much diversity, with the Saskatoon berry as a gleaming example. It is a native tree-like plant unique to the Canadian prairielands. Commercial cultivation and processing is relatively new, and in 2012, Alberta harvested 268 tons of the little-known fruit. By tonnage, the Saskatoon crop is Alberta’s largest fruit commodity, followed by strawberries at 148 tons in 2012.
Vegetable-wise, Alberta’s top crops are typically sweet corn, cabbage, carrots, peas, and pumpkins. On a smaller scale, beets, parsnips, and summer squash are routinely cultivated according to Statistics Canada.
British Columbia
The geography of Canada’s westernmost province, British Columbia (BC), is like a buffet—there’s a little bit of everything. There are mountains, coastland, plains, and fjords.
Prime growing regions are in the southwest corner, around the regions of Fraser and Kelowna. Terraces framing the finger-like Lake Okanagan, known as the Okanagan Valley, are especially favorable for fruit production.
Even though BC does not have a lot of tillable land, nearly all root and bulb vegetables are farmed here, as well as leafy greens, asparagus, parsley, and peas. Pumpkins are a heavy hitter in the region, as are Brussels sprouts, lettuce, sweet corn, cabbage, beans, tomatoes, and carrots.
For fruit, BC is a major source for apples, blueberries, and cranberries. The 2012 apple harvest was the biggest since 2008, despite a significant plunge nationwide. Blueberry production has amped up every year since 2007 and the province’s bounty represents 43 percent of Canada’s blueberry supply. Cranberries weighed in slightly more than 41,000 tons, and contributed nearly one-third to the country’s entire crop. Also available from this Pacific coast region are stone fruits like cherries, apricots, and plums.
Dry weather and hail in 2013 were the province’s biggest climatic concerns, according to the Agri-Food Trade Service of Canada. It was so dry at times landowners were on high alert for wildfires, while a violent hailstorm east of Kelowna in August 2013 destroyed crops, with damages rising to $6 million—not including possible damage to 2014 perennials.
Manitoba
Manitoba is a potato-producing middle- weight, dedicating 72,000 acres to 24 varieties in 2013. While this midwestern province is a major player in the potato industry, on average just 7 percent is destined for the fresh market, reports Manitoba Agriculture and Food.
Of this, “reds” are abundantly grown, with a sprinkling of russets and yellow-flesh varieties.
Carberry, Portage, Winkler, and Treherne are the primary growing regions. A bumper crop in 2008 set an export record, with potatoes valued at $30 million shipped to the United States. Manitoba potatoes are harvested in September, when ambient temperatures hold between 45 and 60 degrees.
Ample clean water, enough summer warmth, and ideal soil conditions allow this region to grow an impressive range of over 110 other vegetables. Among the more popular are broccoli, carrots, onions, sweet corn, cabbage, and cauliflower, though carrots, onions, corn, and cabbage are at the top in terms of production value (after potatoes).
Ontario
While Canada is a country of differing landscapes, Ontario is its most productive growing region with over 50,000 farms. It is particularly well suited to vegetable production, with a variety of seasonal commodities including sweet corn, potatoes, peas, beans, tomatoes, onions, carrots, and mushrooms topping the list. Top annual earners by farm gate value include tomatoes ($67.5 million), carrots ($42.3 million), dry onions ($31.1 million), and corn ($30.5 million).
Southern Ontario is naturally moderate by the Great Lakes of Huron, Erie, and Ontario. This, coupled with productive soil, imparts a full spectrum of produce. Tender stone fruits and wine grapes flourish in the temperate Niagara Escarpment, while the south shore of Georgian Bay is apple country. If ranked by acreage, Ontario’s top fruits are grapes, apples, peaches, strawberries, and sour cherries.
The province’s thriving greenhouse industry in Leamington, Essex County, is a stone’s throw (just over 30 miles) from Detroit, Michigan, and is known worldwide for bumper crops of tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. This bounty is shipped throughout Canada for interprovincial consumption and also exported to the United States.
Simone Weber, director of marketing and communication from the Ontario Produce Marketing Association, indicates Ontario is maximizing its agricultural agility, whether in open fields or under glass. “There are ongoing field research trials and test plots to explore which of the currently imported products can be grown in Canada in the future,” she states.
Quebec
Although Nunavut is Canada’s largest territory—at just under 2.1 million square kilometers or 21 percent of the country’s land mass—Quebec is the largest province measuring 1.3 million square kilometers (527,079 square miles) of land and 189.9 square kilometers (68,312 square miles) of freshwater areas.
Hilly regions in Quebec have different soil than their low-lying counterparts, as long-gone volcanoes made the hills an excellent growing venue for apple orchards. Apples are Canada’s top fruit crop, and Quebec’s acreage accounts for a third of the country’s total apple orchards.
The province’s flatlands, which have loamy rather than volcanic soil, are well suited to vegetable production. According to Quebec’s Ministry of Agriculture, the total value of vegetables grown in 2012 was $409 million, with $132 million of this total for potatoes alone. Another top crop was carrots; 2012’s harvest weighed in at about 440,000 tons, yet was smaller than both 2011 and 2010.
According to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Quebec leads in cabbage production for the nation, and a good portion of its vegetable offerings are shipped to the United States, valued at more than $150 million annually.
Sophie Perreault of the Quebec Produce Marketing Association has identified three major trends in the province: local, organic, and packaged fruits and vegetables. The local seasonal market tends to be rather robust: “Commodities such as strawberries, apples, root vegetables, cabbages, squash, as well as peaches and plums from the Ontario region, all do very well.”
The Maritimes
New Brunswick
New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island—collectively known as the ‘Maritime’ provinces—jut out into the Atlantic Ocean in easternmost Canada. The largest of the three, New Brunswick, is home to the St. John River Valley, which is the province’s primary growing region.
In the valley, winter temperatures often plummet to -20⁰ F or more, precluding the cultivation of most tree fruit. An exception is the hearty apple, of which several varieties manage to thrive. Cranberries are also cultivated in New Brunswick, but, as with many other regions in Canada, blueberries are the commanding fruit crop.
The more valuable vegetable crops for this 28,000-square-foot territory were cabbage, corn, and beans. Rutabagas, cucumbers, and summer squash are also cultivated, though on a limited basis. New Brunswick sends a number of its fruit and vegetable shipments to its southerly neighbor, exporting vegetables valued in the $7 to $10 million range each year.
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island (PEI) is the True North’s potato heavyweight, contributing 33 percent of total supply. What makes this region ideal for potatoes is the “unique mineral composition of its soil,” according to Gary Linkletter, president of Linkletter Farms, Ltd. in Summerside. Linkletter says this particular combination produces “great quality and flavor to our spuds.”
Potato season starts early on this tiny but mighty isle. “New” potatoes are dug beginning in late July, with the main crops (round red, white, and yellow) unearthed in September. The season usually finishes with culinary-versatile russets.
The isle planted 89,000 acres in 2013. The top table variety is “Goldrush” a russet known for its excellent flavor. The downside is the variety’s fussiness, requiring near-perfect growing conditions—which were lacking in 2012 and 2013’s drought conditions. Luckily, other varieties like Chieftain, Sangre, and dark red Norlands took up the slack. Linkletter has also been experimenting with other varieties including Classic Russet, Satina, Tebina and Melody—all of which tolerate dry weather—and better yet, he says, they taste good.
Kensington and O’Leary are the main growing regions. Half of the table potato crop is consumed domestically, with 20 percent going to the United States, and 30 percent exported to as many as 20 other countries, according to the PEI Agriculture and Forestry Department.
Most PEI potatoes are grown conventionally. While there are a few organic growers, Linkletter commented, “We will not likely move into organic. Challenges with controlling blight will keep us from moving into this still niche market.”
In spite of the dry 2013 season, Linkletter remains optimistic. “The crop has been harvested in terrific weather conditions, and went into storage with great quality. Yield is somewhat reduced by the drought, but the size profile is good.”
The bumper supply of 2012, especially from Idaho, dampened prices for most PEI potatoes. “The retail market was also somewhat tepid,” Linkletter says, and “even though the Island ran low on potatoes before the end of our normal marketing season, and many packing sheds had to shut down early for lack of raw product, our pricing was dictated by the bigger North American picture.”
While PEI leads Canada in potato production, its fruit industry has also surged with blueberries as a top crop, and both strawberries and apples in abundance as well.
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia, literally meaning, “New Scotland,” churns out apples and blueberries as its major fruit crops. It is second only to Ontario in apple production. Carrots and onions are the largest vegetable crops; in 2012 the carrot crop was valued at $7.1 million and accounted for about 7 percent of the country’s entire crop.
Most agricultural activity takes place in the Annapolis Valley region, located in Digby, Annapolis, and Kings counties. This region spans the Bay of Fundy along the western and southwestern coast of the isle and is both protected and moderated by the climatic interplay of the Bay and an escarpment on the opposing side.
The countryside is populated with orchards and vineyards, though much of the grape production is for wine.
The province’s weather is usually characterized as moderate, with few extremes, though a blizzard in mid-January took its toll on residents by dumping more than a foot of snow, snarling traffic, and closing schools and businesses.
The Future
Glimpses of Canada’s future produce industry can be seen through the trends affecting the country’s primary crop, potatoes. Linkletter predicts that ‘use marketing’—widely used in the potato industry to sell varieties based on their baking, boiling, canning, or mashing qualities—will become a dominant strategy.
Though ‘use marketing’ is not applicable to all fruits and vegetables, the convenience of processed and value-added products has continued to gain market share in Canada and throughout North America. Further, it stands to reason that specialty varieties will become more prevalent, especially with rising immigration. Weber believes there will be “an increase in the number of hybrids and exotic products hitting the shelves” while Linkletter forecasts more creative packaging to highlight these unique qualities.
For Donald Souther of New Jersey’s Vision Import Group, LLC, the True North is a vast and untapped source of new sales. “In the United States, the markets get saturated over time. We see Canada as an up-and-coming market,” he says. “We look at Canada as a new frontier, and a good place to get in on the ground floor.”
In addition, the increasing desire to eat healthfully, paired with convenience will continue to benefit and shape the industry. “In the next year,” Weber predicts, “we will continue to see an increase in prepared meals and packaged fruits and veggies that are washed, peeled, chopped, or diced, and ready for use.” Further, she notes, “we’re seeing more education in-store and online about how to prepare raw produce,” which, in turn, leads to consumers “creating quick and healthy meals and snacks.”
Despite beautifully diverse and prolific produce, rising costs of production persist throughout the True North. Seed, fertilizer, and labor costs have continued to spiral upward like smoke. And though fuel costs have waned somewhat, it is anyone’s guess how long the reprieve will last.
Considering the total picture, Linkletter remains bullish about the future. What keeps him engaged is how the “industry is always morphing, and change is the biggest constant.” One thing that will never change, however, is the pristine nature of Canada’s fruit and vegetable landscape.
Image: Thinkstock.
