Season Extension Enhancement Program Brought to you by Horticulture Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture

Friday, June 20, 2025


 Season Extension Enhancement Program Brought to you by Horticulture Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture


PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

The objective of the Season Extension Enhancement Program is to help support fruit, vegetable and ornamental producers who invest in innovative technologies to extend their growing season, adapt to a changing climate and open up new market opportunities.

The program encourages and supports Nova Scotia’s fruit, vegetable and ornamental producers by providing financial assistance with the following on-farm infrastructure:

– adopting season extension technologies;

– enhancing storage capacity;

– adopting and developing irrigation capacity for field operations.

Eligibility

– Applicants are producers of fruit, vegetables or ornamentals grown and sold in Nova Scotia

– Farming activities must be carried out within the Province of Nova Scotia.

– Applicants must be Registered Farmers in Nova Scotia with annual fruit, vegetable or ornamental income shown in Statements of Farming Activities in most recent 2 years of submitted Tax Returns (2022, 2023 or 2024).

Please find the 2025-2026 guidelines here. 

Applications are now open and can be accessed here. 

Claims can be submitted via email to programs@horticulturens.ca, fax at 902-678-1280 or mail to:

Horticulture Nova Scotia
32 Main St.
Kentville Agricultural Centre
Kentville, NS  B4N 1J5

For more information, please email programs@horticulturens.ca or call 902-678-9335. This project is a partnership of Horticulture Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture.


In the Berry Field: June 18th, 2025

Thursday, June 19, 2025


In this week's edition of In the Berry Field; Sonny Murray gives a crop update for the major berry crops.  

To view the video ClickHere      



Registered Products for SWD control please: Click Here

For a very interesting article on diagnosing root diseases of strawberries please: Chick Here


In the Berry Field: May 27th, 2025

Wednesday, May 28, 2025

In this week's edition of In the Berry Field; Sonny Murray gives a crop update for the major berry crops.  

To view the video Click Here               Sorry, it is a long one!



You can print the above table by following this link: Click Here

For a video on scouting for Tarnished Plant Bug from OMAFRA check out this video: Click Here 



Funding Opportunities:

Technology Adoption Program

The objective of the Technology Adoption program is to support the purchase of equipment and technology that will advance operations through automation, enhanced efficiency, increased production capacity, and quality improvements. This program is designed to assist with increasing the competitiveness, productivity, and profitability of Nova Scotia's agriculture sector. Closes this Saturday May 31st, 2025

To learn more Click here

On-Farm Climate Change Action Fund (OFCAF)

On-Farm Climate Action Fund (OFCAF) is an initiative to help farmers improve soil health, protect soil from erosion, and tackle climate change by adopting beneficial management practices that store carbon and reduce greenhouse gases. The program offers funding to help farmers implement nitrogen management, cover cropping, and rotational grazing practices. In addition, the OFCAF program supports professional training for farmers, agronomists, and certified crop advisers

To learn more Click here








In the Berry Field: May 14th, 2025

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

 In this week's edition of In the Berry Field; Sonny Murray gives a crop update for the major berry crops.  To view the video Click Here








You can print the above table by following this link: Click Here

For a video on scouting for Tarnished Plant Bug from OMAFRA check out this video: Click Here 

2025 Degree Day Accumulations

 

Table 1.0. Degree day accumulations as of May 12, 2025. All data are taken from the Environment and Climate Change Canada weather station located at the Kentville Research and Development Centre. Calculations are based on a start date of March 1, and calculated using the single-sine method.

 

Category

2022

2023

2024

2025

5-year average

10-year average

Plant development (Base 5ºC)

155.0

138.7

140.2

190.2

141.1

142.2

Insect development (Base 10º)

43.1

42.8

33.2

62.5

38.6

43.3


In the Berry Field: May 8th, 2025

Thursday, May 8, 2025

 

In this week's edition of In the Berry Field; Sonny Murray gives a crop update for the major berry crops.  To view the video Click Here






Resources for Frost Protection in Strawberries:

OMAFRA: Factsheet- Irrigation for Frost Protection of Strawberries


Erica Pate, OMAFRA's Small Fruit Crop Specialist, hosted a webinar this week on Frost Protection in Strawberries and has allowed me to share the video.   Kathy Demchak, from PennState, reviews the options and the decision making process for frost protecting strawberries.  A sincere thanks to both Erica and Kathy for putting this webinar together.   

To watch the video ahead of this years frost season: Click Here



Miticides Registered on Berry Crops:


NT= Non toxic
HT= Highly toxic


Growing Degree Days tracker from AAFC Kentville Up Until May 5th:


A special thanks to Jeff Franklin from AAFC: Kentville for tracking and organizing the weather data found above.   

In the Berry Field: April 25th, 2025

Friday, April 25, 2025




In this week's edition of In the Berry Field; Sonny Murray gives a crop update for the major berry crops.  To view the video Click Here








 





Growing Degree Days tracked from AAFC Kentville up until April 21rd:







Frost Protection Lunch and Learn video is now available

Friday, April 11, 2025

Erica Pate, OMAFRA's Small Fruit Crop Specialist, hosted a webinar this week on Frost Protection in Strawberries and has allowed me to share the video.   Kathy Demchak, from PennState, reviews the options and the decision making process for frost protecting strawberries.  A sincere thanks to both Erica and Kathy for putting this webinar together.   

To watch the video ahead of this years frost season: Click Here