IFTA Growers Conference- Halifax, Nova Scotia

The International Fruit Tree Association (IFTA) held its 58th annual conference in Halifax Nova Scotia February 21st-25th. Jack and I had the pleasure of attending the full conference. The conference began with an intensive Honeycrisp apple workshop. Nova Scotia is growing amazing Honeycrisp apples (right behind Michigan). The Annapolis Valley is at the 45th parallel like us so they have cool fall nights which set the sugars and help produce a higher quality apple. They had multiple growers and researchers discussing different topics of Honeycrisp apples including economics, nutrient management, rootstocks and many more. The conference went all day and was filled with interesting speakers from all over.

The next day was an optional cultural tour. We went on the tour to “Peggy’s Cove” which is one of the most photographed lighthouses in the world. We hopped on a tour bus and had a local tour guide who first took us through the streets of Halifax and told us some fascinating, yet tragic history of the city. The city actually endured the largest explosion prior to the atomic bomb in 1917. It was an accidental explosion that occurred in their harbor. We then made our way out to the lighthouse that took us on winding roads next to multiple bays and salt marshes. Unfortunately, when we got to the little town on St. Margarets Bay where Peggy’s Cove was located, it was extremely foggy. We were able to see the waves rolling into the rock covered beaches, but just slightly. We had a great lunch though at the Cove and were even entertained by our tour guide making a lobster sleep.

The third day of the conference was a full day of educational sessions. There were talks about everything from soil management to mechanization in orchards. Mechanization has become a topic of interest based on labor shortages in the U.S. We do everything by hand and have no intention of moving to mechanization in the near future, but it was extremely interesting to hear what people are doing. This conference mainly focuses on dwarfing trees which many fruits are moving to. Apples started this trend but we talked to orchardists doing everything from dwarfing tart cherries to dwarfing pears. Everything about this conference was extremely interesting but talking to orchardists from all around the world was probably the most fascinating. There were people there from Washington growing 3000 acres of apples mainly for export to people on the East Coast growing 10 acres all for u-pick. They had orchardists from Spain, Chile, Mexico all providing valuable information.

The final two days of the conference mainly consisted of orchard and packing house tours. We happened to be in Nova Scotia during a year where they had gotten more snow than they have had in over 10 years. I give huge props to the owners of the orchards that we visited. They had been trying their best for the past two weeks to keep up with the snowstorms and keep a few rows plowed for the 300 attendants to walk through and look at trees. (Yes, orchardists tend to take winter orchard tours rather than spring or summer because that is when everyone has a little extra free time.) The tours tend to focus on trimming and planting styles. You will hear 10 people debating over which branch should or should not be trimmed and why.

We ended our trip with a traditional lobster dinner at a town hall in the Valley. They had a live band and everyone was able to mingle one final night to mingle. They gave us each a lobster with a place mat that gave each of us novices directions on how to crack open the lobsters.

This was a great educational experience for both of us. Halifax was an amazing place and has a very similar climate to Northern Michigan. I was astounded with the quality of their Honeycrisp apples and they definitely opened my eyes to Canadian apples. Having casual conversations with growers from all over the world was a remarkable experience. I took back small pieces of information from each and every one of them!