Alberta Farm Fresh Producers Association: Members Corner

News

Fruit and Vegetable Field Day

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

See established u-pick fruit production operations and one of the few cottage fruit wineries in AB. See equipment related to strawberry and learn about strawberry production. Hear the results of the 1st year of AFFPA June-bearing strawberry variety trials. See various u-pick fruit production (raspberry, strawberry, chokecherry and saskatoon berry) as well as the in's and out's of the cottage winery. Learn from other producers and share your own experiences.

Start 12 noon - Lunch and Tour of Serviceberry Farms
(Grace Fedak) - Strathmore, AB

Serviceberry Farms is located east of Calgary, from the intersection of highways #1 and #24, 1.6 km east and 5.6 km north on RR 261. GPS: 51.0900 N -113.5160 W

2:30 pm - Tour of Bumbleberry Orchards / Fieldstone Fruit Winery
(Marvin & Elaine Gill) - Strathmore, AB

Wrap up by 4:30pm-ish

Participants are responsible for their own travel between the tour locations.

Please call 1-800-661-2642 if you are planning to attend (numbers are helpful for ordering lunch)! Due to the high volume of calls during the growing season, please leave a message if we don't answer.

Registration deadline: Friday, August 6

August 31 Field Day

Sunshine Organic Farm, Warburg,AB - Ed & Sherry Horvath

From Highway 622 and Highway 770 intersection, go west on Highway 622 two miles, turn south onto Rge. Rd. 34, go 3/4 mile. Farm on the east side of the road.

You'll see an organic operation with CFIA grading station and on farm butcher shop. Sunshine Organic Farm produces pasture raised beef, chicken, turkey and pork and eggs.

Meet at the farm at 11:30 am. Lunch will be provided. No charge for the day.

Reservation deadline: Friday, Aug. 27

Please call 1-800-661-2642 if you are planning to attend (numbers are helpful for ordering lunch)! Due to the high volume of calls during the growing season, please leave a message if we don't answer.

FOR SALE:

DNA Gardens & Greenhouses, nursery and fruit equipment for sale.

See www.dnagardens.com for complete list.

Machinery

Littau pull type combine, like new, always been shedded. $24,500.00

Blower cleaner & food safe inspection conveyor table $8500.00

Destemmer, like new $14,500.00 Will sell individually or 20% off for the package.

Commercial cherry pitter $9,500.00

3 hand held harvesting guns, baskets and parts $500.00

Totes - 12 x 24 x 18 inches, nest or stack. The best tote for fruit handling

Old, old seed cleaner we used for cleaning saskatoons once upon a time.

2 commercial ovens $1000.00 each

Ice maker $400.00

2 door cooler, like new $800.00

Chest freezers, 8, large, new

30 x 144 foot gutter connect greenhouse and equipment, mulch layer, transplanter, pot signage, reefer truck, trickle irrigation, 2 nursery wagons,(2 levels), 1 pot washer made by Spencer Lemaire, 1 pot soil filler, Aisle Andro travelling boom sprayer, mason jars, Chokecherry syrup

Trees

Cherry bushes - 7000 tissue culture, 4 to 5 year old fruiting named varieties, excellent quality. You dig or we dig. Excellent for nursery sales or commercial fruit farming. $15.00 in the field. Valentine, Cupid, Crimson Passion, Romeo, Juliette, Carmine Jewel

Black Currants - 4000, 3 years old fruiting material. Instant orchard! Top quality, named commercial varieties. $10.00 in the field.

Saskatoons - Tissue Culture Lee 3, Lee 8, Smoky and Northline, 1000 plants, 8 years old, bushy and good croppers. $15.00 in the field.

Haskaps - Leading varieties. 4 to 5 year old, large bushy plants. $15.00 in the field.

Chokecherries - Leading varieties. $15.00 in the field

Swedish Aspen - 1400, bushy 3 feet tall $5.00

Lilies - Martagons - $5.00, named varieties

Will sell pallets of bare rooted material or we can pot in the field into 10 gallon pots. Call to discuss. 403 773-2489. Minimum 100 trees. Inquiries welcome.

Strawberry Production

If you are looking for information about strawberry production, here's the reference book for you!

Commercial Strawberry Production on the Prairies

Specialists from each of the Prairie provinces contributed their expertise to Commercial Strawberry Production on the Prairies. This book provides recommendations, considerations and information about how to start and maintain a commercial June-bearing and Day-neutral strawberry planting.

It includes an overview of commonly available cultivars, equipment needs, irrigation considerations, plus what food safety guidelines may be implemented. There is an extensive section outlining common diseases and pests that could affect your commercial strawberry crop, complete with colour photos. There is also an extensive resource section to point you to a wealth of information about strawberry production.

Available from Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development Publications 1-800-292-5697 | Agdex 232/20-1 | Cost per copy: $20.00

Web Page Corrections

Attention members: If you have a few minutes, please look over the content on your AFFPA web pages and let us know if any changes are necessary. The web pages provide consumers with necessary information. Help us help them!

If there is anything you would like to see added to the web site, please call us at 1-800-661-2642.

Direct Currents

2010 Schedule:

October 7 - Deadline September 30

November 1 - Membership Renewal/Strawberry Order edition

Interested in becoming a farmers' market vendor?

Click here to view the "Information Sheet: How to be a Farmers’ Market Vendor"