~ Greenhouse-Grown is not GMO ~
One of the toughest challenges in the greenhouse industry has little to do with production or distribution, however; many growers have encountered pushback from retailers and consumers who are mixing up technical jargon, confusing greenhouses with high tunnels or other structures, or even equating greenhouse-grown produce with genetic modification.
Paivarinta agrees there is ‘lingering confusion’ about what is and isn’t a greenhouse even among receivers and retailers, as well as consumers. “The latest tomato suspension agreement went a long way towards defining, ‘controlled versus adapted’ environments, but the industry must do a better job communicating the different technologies and infrastructure employed in true greenhouse production.”
Wowryk believes better marketing will turn this hindrance into an advantage. “Some of the more common misconceptions about greenhouse growing are centered around the scientific aspect of hydroponic produce—some people think of [workers] in white hazmat suits and that it’s ‘Frankenfood’—which is incredibly far from the truth.” Other misconceptions include the belief that greenhouse vegetables are “artificial” and lack the flavor of a field-grown tomato or one grown in the backyard.
“The product is consistent in production, size, shape, and for the most part, taste,” Wowryk explains. And because greenhouses can grow year round, unlike their field counterparts, there is steady, reliable production. “The produce is grown in a climatically-controlled environment, providing heat when needed. When the plants need water and nutrients, they are automatically fed. Just because this is all done in a scientific and efficient way doesn’t change that this is all-natural produce; we just need to change the public perception of greenhouse fruits and vegetables,” he emphasizes.
~ Final Thoughts ~
Greenhouse growing is here to stay, and most of its challenges are good problems to have—adapting to new technologies, finding new ways to use them, and conditioning a traditional market to an expansion of the growing season and a new way of doing business for shippers and distributors.
And although misconceptions do exist, growers can educate consumers through better marketing—including print, online, and mobile, as well as in stores with displays and informative packaging. Helping consumers differentiate between various types of protected agriculture—including greenhouses and growing techniques such as hydroponics as well as other types of enclosed and semi-enclosed structures—will ultimately benefit all. Lastly, dispelling myths about IPM, bio-agents, and genetic modification are key to expanding greenhouse-grown produce sales.
But, as more and more regions follow Ontario’s lead—Quebec and British Columbia are already significantly ramping up their greenhouse production—and more and more companies expand their reach into the United States, Mexico, and Central America, it will all come down to the quality of the product, and those in the industry have no qualms about that.
“Some of the most flavorful tomato varieties in the market are greenhouse grown,” boasts Wowryk.
Faced with year-round demand for fresh produce, greenhouse growers in Ontario, have been responding to the call by producing tons (literally) of tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers for North American wholesalers and retailers. Home to over 2,000 acres of highly-productive greenhouses, Ontario’s growers are also expanding to locations outside Canada, as well as investing in proprietary growing methods and new seed varieties to meet both domestic and cross-border demand.
~ Greenhouses: Defined ~
To some, the concept is quite clear: greenhouse growing is simply that—growing commodities inside a permanent, enclosed glass or plastic structure. Yet because Mexico calls its industry “protected agriculture”—which includes greenhouses, shade houses, and hoop houses or high tunnels—confusion abounds. This is further delineated, for the purposes of tomato exports from Mexico, as either ‘controlled’ or ‘adapted’ environments, and greenhouses fall firmly into the former category.
One thing no one disputes about greenhouses is the ability to produce consistent, quality fruits and vegetables. This is especially true in Ontario, where greenhouses have contributed $3.3 billion to Canada’s total produce sales, an increase of 5.3 percent from 2010. The province’s greenhouse industry also has the support of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, whose government allocated $2.7 million in development funds to the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers two years ago.
Ontario’s greenhouse industry, centered around Leamington, is a hydroponic wonderland producing crops with the use of water and nutrients but not soil (though many greenhouses use both nutrient solutions for hydroponics as well as sterilized, organic soil or soil-substitute mixtures for their crops).
According to Shalin Khosla, a greenhouse vegetable specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture’s Department of Food and Rural Affairs Greenhouse and Processing Crops Research Centre, greenhouses confer a number of advantages over field growing, including “a controlled environment that produces quality fruit with a longer shelf life, the ability to grow crops during winter months, and precision production.”
~ A Prominent Force ~
Ontario has long been a literal hotbed of greenhouse growing. These highly efficient environments can produce yields as high as 10 times per acre more than conventional field growing operations; and greenhouses are rarely at the mercy of Mother Nature’s whims, though Ontario growers have had damage from storms and unusual cold snaps.
Greenhouse growers, due to the scientific nature of their processes, have ample opportunities for innovation and research into energy efficiency, sustainability, food safety (undergoing annual third-party audits to ensure strict compliance with food safety standards), and integrated pest management.
According to Khosla, “Greenhouses present the ability to use IPM to its fullest potential. For example, they allow for successful introductions of beneficial insects to control pest populations, thereby reducing the amount of pesticides used in greenhouse production.”
In addition to new developments in IPM bio-agents, Kholsa also cites a number of other trends in larger operations, such as building taller structures (for better internal climate management), the use of glass rather than plastic or polycarbonate (the former allows more light, does not fade over time, and is resistant to pollutants and radiation), more efficient recycling (of nutrient solutions to reduce waste and save expenses), and further developments in hydroponic “bag culture” production, which conserves space and allows for greater flexibility.
“Some of the latest trends in greenhouse growing include more automation, from picking to sorting to packing and pallet building,” notes Ray Wowryk, director of business development for Nature Fresh Farms in Leamington. This is borne out by the statistics, as the number of permanent greenhouse production workers fell by 2.2 percent in recent years. Total operating expenses, largely due to labor costs and technology upgrades, have risen by just 0.3 percent, significantly lower than sales increases.
“Automation has dramatically improved over the past year,” agrees Harold Paivarinta, director of sales and business development at Red Sun Farms (part of Jem-D International based in Leamington). “One of our farms employs robotics in its packing house and we have installed state-of-the-art packing equipment at all of our locations to drive efficiency.”
Wowryk also notes new technologies have furthered the boundaries of year-round growing, such as ‘interplanting’ or planting multiple crops with varying maturity dates. With staggered growth patterns and harvests, growers can control and extend the season.
The use of interplanting, Wowryk says, “is a much more common practice than it has been in years past.”
Paivarinta notes, “High-wire cucumber growing seems to be catching on more and more. And on the product side, snacking and bite-sized tomatoes continue to be the fastest growing subcategory in our industry.” Indeed, though much of the overall tomato market has been flat or declining, tiny or cocktail tomatoes, often available in red, orange, and yellow varieties, have continued to climb in demand.
~ Distribution ~
There’s no disputing the success of the greenhouse sector in Ontario, which now accounts for 63.3 percent of Canada’s national greenhouse sales. But the trend doesn’t stop there, as many growers are expanding production to other locations outside Ontario and Canada. Much of this has to do with the ability to save on costs and increase freshness by getting greenhouse-grown fruits and vegetables to key markets more quickly.
Wowryk has been busy with the company’s new greenhouse in Delta, Ohio. “Establishing greenhouse facilities in different geographical locations is helping growers and marketers reduce overall food miles to the customer,” he observes. “In some instances, product can be picked, packed, and shipped in the same day, to arrive at a retailer the following day.”
Another Ontario grower, Mastronardi Produce, has also expanded greenhouse operations into the United States, branching out the Sunset brand from its original location in Kingsville to Florida, Colorado, Michigan, and California. Marketing coordinator Nancy Pickersgill cites access to new markets and year-round availability as the primary reasons for this growth. “Because greenhouse growing can take place year round, we’re able to meet increasing consumer demand for products that were previously out of season,” she says. “And by placing our growers close to major markets, we make sure we can get product to them with minimal delay.”
Fluctuating fuel costs are another challenge for grower-shippers. While gasoline prices dropped significantly in the United States over the last year and are inching upward again, pricing has remained extremely high in Canada. “By building new greenhouse facilities in the United States,” Pickersgill explains, “we are able to ensure the same quality of product while lowering our expenditures on fuel significantly.”
Paivarinta agrees with Pickersgill on the cost advantages: “Freight is our industry’s largest postharvest expense; almost all of our strategic locations serve as both farms and customer service centers.”
Red Sun Farms’ newest greenhouse is located in southwestern Virginia, in Dublin, and opened last year. “The locally grown and organic movements are two of the fastest growing trends in the fresh produce industry,” Paivarinta adds, “and our Virginia site addresses our retail partners’ need for both.”
In addition to the proximity of markets, Khosla mentions a few other advantages to establishing greenhouses in disparate regions. “There are several critical factors to consider when choosing a location for greenhouse operations that will ensure maximum productivity and benefits,” she notes. “The most important are access to energy, access to water, and existing infrastructure.” When all these factors are present, she says, it can guarantee the grower will be able to keep production prices stable while meeting seasonal or fluctuating demand.
Energy efficiency, especially more natural light, was a major lure to move southward and explore locations outside Canada. “Sunshine alleviates the need for artificial light,” Khosla says, which can reduce building, maintenance, and energy costs. These very same factors have led to an explosion of greenhouse production in Mexico, as well as Central America, which began shipping to the U.S. market in 2006. Both areas have seen a sharp increase in greenhouse construction and production, where acreage and labor costs are significantly less expensive than in Canada.
~ Greenhouse-Grown is not GMO ~
One of the toughest challenges in the greenhouse industry has little to do with production or distribution, however; many growers have encountered pushback from retailers and consumers who are mixing up technical jargon, confusing greenhouses with high tunnels or other structures, or even equating greenhouse-grown produce with genetic modification.
Paivarinta agrees there is ‘lingering confusion’ about what is and isn’t a greenhouse even among receivers and retailers, as well as consumers. “The latest tomato suspension agreement went a long way towards defining, ‘controlled versus adapted’ environments, but the industry must do a better job communicating the different technologies and infrastructure employed in true greenhouse production.”
Wowryk believes better marketing will turn this hindrance into an advantage. “Some of the more common misconceptions about greenhouse growing are centered around the scientific aspect of hydroponic produce—some people think of [workers] in white hazmat suits and that it’s ‘Frankenfood’—which is incredibly far from the truth.” Other misconceptions include the belief that greenhouse vegetables are “artificial” and lack the flavor of a field-grown tomato or one grown in the backyard.
“The product is consistent in production, size, shape, and for the most part, taste,” Wowryk explains. And because greenhouses can grow year round, unlike their field counterparts, there is steady, reliable production. “The produce is grown in a climatically-controlled environment, providing heat when needed. When the plants need water and nutrients, they are automatically fed. Just because this is all done in a scientific and efficient way doesn’t change that this is all-natural produce; we just need to change the public perception of greenhouse fruits and vegetables,” he emphasizes.
~ Final Thoughts ~
Greenhouse growing is here to stay, and most of its challenges are good problems to have—adapting to new technologies, finding new ways to use them, and conditioning a traditional market to an expansion of the growing season and a new way of doing business for shippers and distributors.
And although misconceptions do exist, growers can educate consumers through better marketing—including print, online, and mobile, as well as in stores with displays and informative packaging. Helping consumers differentiate between various types of protected agriculture—including greenhouses and growing techniques such as hydroponics as well as other types of enclosed and semi-enclosed structures—will ultimately benefit all. Lastly, dispelling myths about IPM, bio-agents, and genetic modification are key to expanding greenhouse-grown produce sales.
But, as more and more regions follow Ontario’s lead—Quebec and British Columbia are already significantly ramping up their greenhouse production—and more and more companies expand their reach into the United States, Mexico, and Central America, it will all come down to the quality of the product, and those in the industry have no qualms about that.
“Some of the most flavorful tomato varieties in the market are greenhouse grown,” boasts Wowryk.
Leonard Pierce is a freelance writer with more than twenty years experience in the food industry.
