2023 Pesticide Courses from Marbicon Inc.

 Marbicon Inc / Jim Jotcham will be offering in-person full-day exam preparation courses (T2237) AND points workshops (T2236) this spring. The following locations are confirmed, with additional courses and locations being planned.

 

The full course, preparing for the exam, is $125. Doors open at 8:30, finishing by 5:00 at the latest. Five recertification points (T2237) are available. $110 for points only, and out by 3:15.

Feb 24 – Oxford, Cumberland Co.

Feb 27 – Heatherton, Antigonish Co.

Mar 2 – Millville, Victoria Co.

Mar 6 – Little Brook, Digby Co.

Mar 7 – Berwick, Kings Co.

Mar 10 – Truro, Colchester Co.

Mar 15 – New Germany, Lunenburg Co.

 

Pesticide exams are normally only written online.

Contact NS Environment for details and the 2023 exam schedule.

A course is not required before challenging the pesticide exam, but it usually helps.

 

Recertification workshop (5.0 points T2236), $110 taxes in. This workshop is for people holding valid NS pesticide applicator certificates needing points to renew.

Doors open at 8:30, finishing around 3:15.

Feb 16 – Berwick, Kings Co.

Feb 23 – Bible Hill, Colchester Co.

Mar 3 – Millville, Victoria Co.

Mar 17 – New Germany, Lunenburg Co.

 

HST is included in the price. Cash or cheques (payable to Marbicon Inc) or e-transfer. Pay at the door or by corporate/government purchase order.

Contact Jim Jotcham at marbicon@eastlink.ca or at 902-538-7101 for more details and to pre-register. 

Are you ready for a new field season? 2021 Wild Blueberry Pest Management Guide is now available!

Hello everyone, 

We are starting to see bud swelling in fields near the Truro area. In early fields and fields down in southwest Nova Scotia, we might be able to see further plant development. However, I am still waiting for reports from growers in different regions to give you a clear update. Through the blight season, I will give at least one update each week on this blog and Twitter (@NSWildBlue). Please check back here for updates.

Growers should begin checking their crop fields for bud development and potential winter damage due to little snow coverage this past winter. If you would like to share the plant development stages and field conditions with me from your fields and regions, please contact me at 902-890-0472 or email: hlyu@perennia.ca. I appreciate your information and contribution!

Lastly, we updated the wild blueberry pest management guide (2021) and it is available on Perennia’s website: https://www.perennia.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Wild-Blueberry-WEED-INSECT-DISEASE-GUIDE-2021-WEB.pdf. While you are using this guide for your pest management, please don’t forget to check with your processor or buyer to confirm what products are allowable for their markets.

New Factsheet

I pulled together a factsheet on some of the info I was going to cover in the Pesticide Application for Wild Blueberry Growers session that was supposed to happen last week.

Take a peek at some of the things to consider as we move in to the growing season. It's also under the pest management section of perennia's wild blueberry page

https://www.perennia.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Pest-Control-Wild-Blueberry_2.pdf

Also, here are some other resources to go to when thinking about applying pesticides

https://sprayers101.com/ (a great resource for all things application related)

https://pr-rp.hc-sc.gc.ca/ls-re/index-eng.php (PMRA label search, search any product label registered in Canada)

Updated Pest Management Guide for 2020

The Wild Blueberry Pest Guide for 2020 has been update on our website.  Click the link below to take a peek.  As a reminder, this guide lists products registered for use in Canada, Always check with your buyer to see which products are allowable for their markets!!

https://www.perennia.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Wild-Blueberry-Pest-Guide-2020.pdf

The wild blueberry industry has a wide selection of pest control products.  But most farms only use of small fraction of the products that are registered.  Now is a good time to read up and get to know the products you plan on using.

You can get more detailed information by looking at the product label. Go hear to read the individual labels. PMRA product label search https://pr-rp.hc-sc.gc.ca/ls-re/index-eng.php

1) Look at the application rates and specific timings required
2) Look at application instructions for each product (spray volumes, buffer zones, mixing instructions etc.)
3) Look for safety instructions (REIs, Personal Protective Equipment required)

Getting rid of unwanted pesticides

Farmers can safely dispose of unwanted agricultural pesticides and livestock/equine medications at a designated collection site from November 5 – 16, 2018.

Click on the link below to see locations and to review eligibility and acceptability of your product

http://cleanfarms.ca/programs/obsolete-pesticide-livestock-medication/when-where/nova-scotia/

6th Monilinia Update for Nova Scotia

We definitely had an infection period through much of the province last night, through this morning. Warmish temperatures and a long wet period certainly made for a high infection risk.

Most areas in main land Nova Scotia are now well above the 40-50% F2/V2 stage of development and would be susceptible to infection.  At many sites we are still seeing mature monilinia cups.

The current forecast is calling for a long dry period until the middle of next week. Which should further push plant development but will also help to dry up the cups and start to decrease infection risk.

Typically late developing fields (ie. Advocate area, Cape Breton and very eastern Nova Scotia) should be looking closely at their fields to determine if they have reached the 40-50% threshold.

I fully expect sprout fields in early developing areas (ie. Debert) to start having plants push through the ground by the first of next week.  Keep this in mind when considering herbicide applications.

The next update will be late in the afternoon on Tuesday, May 17th.

2018 Wild Blueberry Pest Management Guide and Pesticide Charts

As we approach the growing season, I have updated Perennia's Pest Management Guide and three Pesticide Charts.  Click here to find the documents Pesticide Guide and Charts

As always check with your processor or buyer to see what is allowable for their markets. We sell our berries in a global market and allowable products in other countries can change from season to season.

Stay tuned next week for the first Monilinia update!

Obsolete Pesticide Disposal - This week and next

Just a reminder, now is the time to get rid of old and obsolete pesticides from your storage.

http://www.cleanfarms.ca/sites/default/files/6237-CleanFARMS%20Obsolete%20Pesticides%20Poster_NS-WEB2.pdf

Also...

The WBPANS AGM is coming up at the Glengarry in Truro on November 20th and 21st.  Hope to see everyone there.

http://nswildblueberries.com/index.php?option=com_simplecalendar&view=events&id[0]=9&Itemid=112

New Herbicide Registration

Ignite has been registered for use in Wild Blueberries.  I've attached a link to the product label (refer to page 9)  Ignite label

Ignite is a burn-down product and needs to be applied when blueberry plants are dormant, after harvest and after mowing.  It does not trans-locate into the root systems of plants but it will burn off green tissue that is present at the time of application. There are many plants that are green after mowing a blueberry field.  Sheep sorrel, Fescue and hawkweed could all be present in a field.  Burning these plants in the fall should help other products work better in the spring.

A lot of work is on-going in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to see the best use pattern for this product, but it is anticipated that it will work best when used in combination with herbicides used in the system, depending on the target weed you are going after.

It will not control perennial weeds by itself. This will be a valuable tool for the industry, but I want to caution growers that it will not control hard to kill weeds like sheep sorrel and fescue by itself.

Obsolete Pesticide disposal

I've linked to this before, but I just wanted to remind everyone about the obsolete pesticide disposal coming up in November (2-13).  Click on the link below to see locations.

http://www.cleanfarms.ca/sites/default/files/6237-CleanFARMS%20Obsolete%20Pesticides%20Poster_NS-WEB2.pdf

This is a great opportunity to get rid of old product in a safe and secure way.

Blueberry Maggot fly and Obsolete Pesticide Collection - locations

For those who didn't make the field day on the weekend, similar to the last two years, we are seeing high capture numbers on traps for blueberry maggot fly.  You should be checking your sticky traps regularly and getting ready to apply controls if needed.

Also, you can drop off old and obsolete pesticides at various locations across Nova Scotia from November 2-13, 2015.

See the website for details:
http://www.cleanfarms.ca/programs_obsolete_pesticide_collection_nova_scotia

Upcoming workshop in Parrsboro

Cavendish Agri-Services is organising an event in Parrsboro again this year, See below for details.

Blueberry Producers Meeting

April 14, 2015 @ the Trinity United Church Hall

(Basement)

171 Queen Street, Parrsboro NS

9:15 am – 4:00 pm

Lunch to be provided *

9:15 am – Registration

*No charge for attendance however, pre-registration is required for meal booking purposes! Please call Emily or Margaret at 902-893- 6950 or Terry Prescott at
902-890-0132 by April 13, 2015 to pre-register!

 

 

Guest Speakers

9:30 am Bob Gestring – Nova Source

Topic : Sinbar – Product features & timing, importance of proper mixing

Convert – adjvant mixing aid.

10:00 a.m. Blair Fraser – BASF AgSolutions

Topic:  The Power of Pristine! Product features & timing.   Reviewing the label to best understand where and how to use this product to get the greatest advantage.

10:30 am Lorraine MacKinnon - Syngenta

Topic : New Products for Disease Management in Wild Blueberries. Importance of product safety, timing and following label rates for maximum performance.

 

11:00 am Dr. John Sutton – Plant Health Specialist, Ariss Ontario and Todd Mason – President of Endo Plant Health
Topic : Sclerotinia Berry Drop and Endoleaf . Overview on the active compound of Endoleaf and its practical importance to growers reviewing field data when applied as a spray to blueberry crops

11:45 am Dave Essery – UAP

Topic: UAP Canada Products for Wild Blueberry Production.  Highlighting product line up, importance of following label recommendations, product safety, timing and key features of each of the products

 12:15 pm LUNCH

1:00 pm Graham C. Kempton – Bayer Crop Science

Topic: Current and future products from Bayer Crop Science. Review of proper chemical jug cleaning, acceptable recycling and disposal methods of empty packages and containers.

 

1:30 pm Dr. Peter Kevan – University of Guelph is a pioneer in the research, development and innovation of the system and equipment for the deployment of biological control agents delivered by managed pollinators for the protection of crop plants from plant diseases and insect pests

Topic: Bee Vectoring. Could we be using pollinators to do much more for us than just pollinate

2:30 pm Sylvain Legault - Dupont

Topic : Dupont Product Update. Highlighting product line up for 2015, in particular weeds controlled by Velpar vs suppression only. Importance of timing and proper mixing for most effective control of problem weeds.

3:00 pm Michelle Hickey – NutriAg

Topic : Foliar Nutrition to Maximize Blueberry Yields. Focusing on the importance of foliar nutrient applications and key timing for blueberry plants so that their yield can be maximized

 3:30 pm Katherine Benedict – Cavendish Agri Services

Topic : Crop Life Canada – organizational role as it pertains to the growers voice of sound scientific representation in the industry. Grower safety programs, information sessions, dealer relations and recycling programs. Highlighting what clean farm is, the 4R nutrient stewardship program and the obsolete program for chemicals for fall 2015.

Collaborative research trials on farms with cooperating growers to test/showcase products and/or improve on production practices for enhancing profitable yields

Bring your pesticide licence for registering for pesticide points! **

Pesticide safety workshops

Farm Safety Nova Scotia and Perennia are partnering to offer a Safe and Efficient Use of Pesticides Workshop.  Presenters will be Peter Burgess and Carolyn Van Den Heuvel.  This workshop will focus on understanding the risks associated with pesticide use, ensuring necessary safety precautions are taken and highlighting efficiencies for pesticide application.  There will be an opportunity for trouble shooting discussions as well.  There will be pesticide recertification points available!  Workshops will run from 10am – 2pm. Dates and RSVP deadlines are as follows:

RSVP by February 18 for:

·        Feb 23 – North Sydney Exhibitions grounds.

·        Feb 24 – Antigonish Public Library

RSVP by March 5 for:

·        Mar 10 – Best Western Glengarry

·        Mar 11 – Berwick Fire Hall

·        Mar 12 – Oxford Lion’s Den

For more information or to RSVP contact info@farmsafetyns.ca or (902)893-2293.

Facebook page for this event

Emergency Registrations for Spotted Wing Drosophila Approved

The PMRA has approved 5 products for emergency use on Spotted Wing Drosophila.

These registrations are on several crops for the 2013 season (including Wild Blueberry)

Ripcord
Malathion
Delegate
Entrust (organic allowable product)
Pyganic (organic allowable product)

These products are approved for use on Bushberry crops (including wild blueberry and highbush blueberry), caneberry (including raspberry), stone fruits, grapes and strawberry.

Click on the link below, it highlights the product rates, re-entry intervals (REIs), use patterns and pre-harvest intervals (PHIs) for each product in each crop.

Emergency Registrations for SWD

For Wild Blueberry it is important to talk with your processor to see which products work for their markets.

Click below for the SWD monitoring factsheet.

SWD Monitoring Factsheet

I will be doing some monitoring in wild blueberry fields starting in July and will be posting any captures on this blog.

Pesticide Applicator Recertification On-line Exam

Just a heads up for those who are interested, we have just posted another on-line exam where you can earn 0.5 points by answering the 10 questions (getting 8 right) and submitting it to Perennia.

The new exam can be found at www.perennia.ca

Go to the right side of the home page, under quick links you will see PRCP exams, click on this and it will take you to the exam and all of the instructions.

This exam focuses on pesticide application calculations.

Peter B

Obsolete Pestcide Collection, Nov 5-16

It's been a while since I've passed along some info. NS has had a pretty good harvest season overall, with some water challenges over the last couple of weeks as we prepar for mowing and fall weed control.

The Department of Environment has passed on some information regarding obsolete pesticide disposal.  This is a great opportunity for growers to get rid of old and deregistered pesticides in their chemical sheds. Read the info Below:

Nova Scotia – Nov 5 thru 16, 2012

What is the purpose of the campaign?
The Nova Scotia Obsolete Pesticide Collection Campaign provides free, safe disposal of de-registered, outdated, unwanted or otherwise obsolete agricultural and commercial pesticides. The collected pesticides will be safety packaged before being transported to an Environment Canada approved facility for disposal via high temperature incineration.

When is the program operating?
The program is an industry-led initiative to sustainably deliver obsolete pesticide collection options to agricultural producers throughout the province in a predictable manner with a commitment to provide users of pesticides with a free disposal mechanism every 3 years. In fall of 2012 the program is operating at 12 ag retail facilities that voluntarily participate in the collection program as part of their commitment to being stewardship leaders within the industry.
What will be accepted during the campaign?
Collection locations will only accept solid and liquid de-registered, outdated, unusable or unwanted agricultural and commercial pesticides (including herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and rodenticides).

The following products will
NOT be accepted for disposal: empty pesticide containers (other CleanFARMS collection program), spray tank rinsate, treated seed, home/garden domestic pesticides, paints, thinners, waste oils or any other household hazardous waste. Please take household hazardous waste to your local hazardous waste depot. Contact your local government or municipal office for more information.

Who pays for the disposal?
The campaign is funded by CleanFARMS the industry stewardship organization with a focus on managing the agricultural industry’s waste and recyclable products whose members manufacture, market and distribute agricultural pesticides and seed technologies nationally.

Where can I lean more about the Obsolete Pesticide Collection Campaign?
For more information and further details please contact:
 Russel Hurst at 416-622-9771 x2223 or hurstr@cleanfarms.ca or

 CleanFARMS at 877-622-4460 or visit www.cleanfarms.ca

 

2012 Nova Scotia Obsolete Collection

November 05-16, 2012

Collection Locations	Collection Location	Phone Number
Amherst	Amherst Co-op (17 Lawrence St)	902-667-1278
Antigonish	Antigonish Farm & Garden Co-op (91 Saint Andrews St)	902-863-1436
Bridgewater	Bridgewater Farmers Co-op (123 Elm St)	902-543-2471
Coldbrook	Scotian Gold Co-op (7027 Hwy 1)	902-679-6662
Collingwood	Bragg Lumber Co. (99 Bragg Rd)	902-686-3254
Halifax	Halifax Seed Co. Ltd. (5860 Kane St)	902-454-7456
Kentville	Cavendish Agri Services Ltd. (1205 Hwy 359)	902-678-6191
Milford Station	Corridor Co-op (2289 Hwy 2)	902-758-2046
Scotsburn	Scotsburn Co-op Services Ltd. (4148 Scotsburn Rd)	902-485-8023
Sydney	United Farmers Co-op (502 Keltic Drive)	902-564-8134
Truro	Cavendish Agri Services Ltd. (38 Wade Rd)	902-893-6950
Truro	Truro Agromart Ltd. (547 Onslow Rd)	902-895-2857
Wilmont	Cavendish Agri Services Ltd. (14062 Hwy 1)	902-825

Management reminders

We are approaching mid bloom in many places in mainland Nova Scotia. We are seeing some good bloom around the province.

I was checking some fields yesterday and went to an area that was not treated for monilinia this year. The picture below shows the symptoms of monilinia that should be start to appear in fields if adequate control was not achieved.

This picture shows vegetative bud infections. Although it will cause leaf defoliation, the leaves will grow back and yield impacts will be less than if the fruit buds were infected.

Remember to look for insect feeding in your sprout fields. If the plants haven't popped through the ground yet and you are not in a traditionally late area, you may want to take a closer look as flea beetle or spanworm could be feeding on the new shoots.

Controlling grasses like poverty oat grass and tickle grass can start anytime now with Venture or Poast Ultra. Just remember if these products will only control grasses if they have emerged and are growing.

Note:
Callisto has a 85 day pre-harvest interval. If you are planning on applying it in the crop year, you have a very small window to use it unless you have a field that you pick in very late August or early September.

If anybody has questions, please feel free to contact me on my cell 890-0472.

Look at your blueberry fields!!

It is May 15th and the season is continuing to be ahead of "normal". Yesterday's warm weather really pushed along flower development in crop fields. I've been in several fields since last Thursday and have seen open flower since then. Yesterday a lot of flowers opened up, particularly on south facing slopes. If the warm weather continues, many fields in central NS will need pollinators soon.

If you are planning on using Pristine, the time is now.

Plants in sprout fields are starting to push through the ground. Soil applied herbicides like Velpar and Sinbar should be used with great caution at this time. If these products are allowed to dry onto emerged plants (open leaves) crop damage can occur.

It is also that time of year to take a close look for spring leaf feeding insects (Flea beetle and Spanworm). They typically begin to emerge in sprout fields at the same time as early bloom in crop fields.

New Herbicide Chateau is Registered

For some growers moss has been a challenge for some time. It can reduce yields and it can add to increased disease pressure by keeping moisture in the canopy.

Chateau has been registered to control moss when applied when the blueberry plant is dormant. Here is a link to our weed management guide that explains when to apply this product Weed Management Guide

It is best to use this product after the cropping year and after you have mowed. This makes it easier to see where the moss is and you can reduce some costs by only applying the herbicide where the moss is actually growing.

Talk to you soon

Blueberry plants are emerging - check your fields

With all the moisture of the last few weeks and the heat of the last couple of days, many growers are reporting that blueberry plants are popping through the ground in many sprout fields. This has implications with Velpar applications. As more plants emerge, the risk of crop damage from Velpar application begins to increase very rapidly.