Agriculture Committee on Feb. 5th, 2018

[Louis Gauthier]

We use production infrastructures such as large tunnels that allow us to outsmart nature in a way in the spring and get an early start on the season.

A large tunnel gives us an extra 45 days of production per year. That means we can start much earlier. Preparing the plants is another important factor: we prepare the strawberry plants the previous year and grow them without soil. In our region, we grow strawberries, raspberries and blackberries without soil 80% of the time. For strawberries, we recover all the run-off and irrigation water. That means that all excess nutrient solutions are recovered and constantly fed back into the system. This saves water for crops. Our control of irrigated water and fertilizers is even better. We control nearly all the elements.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

When it comes to global warming, we often hear about the positive side from producers such as yourself. I have heard others say that a longer season is a positive thing. However, insects become a factor.

Is that the case on Île d'Orléans? Since the season is longer, do you need to use more pesticides?

[Louis Gauthier]

Certain insects are adapting to the climate in eastern Canada. I will give you the very specific example of the spotted wing drosophila, the famous fruit fly. In our region, we see outbreaks of two to three weeks. Massive trapping allows us to control this insect very well without applying pesticides. However, certain Quebec regions are much more affected, and certain crops more so, because they are even more attractive to them. Blueberries, for instance, are very attractive to this insect. There is less pressure on strawberry crops, but there is a bit more on raspberries. As for blackberries, we manage to have very good control.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

I would like to talk about the need for governments to invest in infrastructure to manage surpluses or shortfalls.

Could you tell us more about those needs? Could the industry adapt? Why should the government contribute to modernizing infrastructure?

[Louis Gauthier]

Some very extensive work is needed in the black earth area south of Montreal. I do not think that the industry can pay for all that right now. However, over the past two years, we have noticed that when there is abundant rain, the water on the surface of the crops does not dissipate quickly. This could save certain crops like onions and all of the root vegetables, which literally rotted in the ground.

It's harder with some crops, like lettuce, because these rain events are too long, and destroy them. However, for other crops the fact that surface waters dissipate quickly could have saved a large part of the production.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

My next comments are for Mr. Laflèche.

The work you did with Ms. Craiovan aimed to control precisely that. At a certain point you had to invest to remove the water, and now you are working to try to conserve it.

Do you think the need for massive investments in your region and all of Canada is due to these climate changes?

[Marc Laflèche]

I did not have to invest in my project. South Nation Conservation was looking for participants in my area and asked us to take part in a pilot project. We had some doubts about the project in the beginning.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

What was the scope of the project? How much did they invest in your project?

[Emilia Craiovan]

I don't know the exact amount. However, I can tell you that the amount required to drain a 10-acre field is approximately $1,000.

[The Chair, Liberal, Pat Finnigan]

Thank you, Mr. Berthold.

Mr. Drouin, you have six minutes.

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I thank the witnesses for being here. I wish to thank Mr. Laflèche, particularly for having showcased our beautiful region.

I think your work is important. I know that in our riding, you have partnerships with South Nation Conservation and that several projects have been carried out in our region.

Mr. Laflèche and Ms. Craiovan, you said earlier that you had had trouble finding participants. Could you tell me why?

In fact, Mr. Laflèche said that he had some reservations about the project.

[Marc Laflèche]

We already had enough work to do on the farm, and they arrived with their machinery, cut our pipes and installed a big box. We had doubts about the effectiveness of this project. Our impression was that it meant a lot of work. We had just installed some drains and we wondered if they were going to cut them and if we were going to have to repair them if things did not work out. We had some doubts.

So they started in one of my fields, and later we asked them to do all of the land.

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Someone said that productivity in the short term increased by 10% to 30%, and by 38% in the long term. Did I understand that correctly?

[Emilia Craiovan]

Yes, exactly.

The structures are not the only thing that matter, it also depends on precipitation. If it does not rain, there won't be any water to retain. It works well some years, and not so well other years. That is why we said that the yield improvement ranged from 3% to 8%.

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Could you tell the committee exactly how this device works?

[Emilia Craiovan]

There are several sizes. The box can drain a larger field, or a larger area.

To understand better, I invite you to look at the second slide.

We install a structure at the end of the drain pipe and we put in traps. We can drop it in as far as the roots, that is to say to 30 or 60 cm into the ground. This allows the water to stay in the pipes rather than flow freely and disperse into the ground.

[Marc Laflèche]

So this controls subsurface water, or the water table.

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Fine.

I'd like to talk about the obstacles that prevent many farmers from adopting this technology. Mr. Laflèche spoke of these obstacles and wondered whether the simple fact of putting in a box could work. There is an education process, of course.

The federal government focuses a great deal on the environment in the Agricultural Policy Framework. Should such a practice be adopted or made accessible through these programs?

[Emilia Craiovan]

If you are asking for my advice, I would say yes, especially since climate change leads to a variation in water levels. We have had good results. Unless I am mistaken, producers like Mr. Laflèche are very happy with the results.

[Marc Laflèche]

That's right. You can't argue with the results.

There are six or seven traps in one of my fields, a 70-acre field. To obtain the best possible results, they close and open the traps. In the fall when we use the combine, a GPS can calculate the harvest all over the field. Thanks to the GPS, they can see the results in the fields; the results where the traps were open, and where they were closed.

I can't say how many tons I took out of my field, but they can see the results in one location where the trap was closed, and can tell whether the control was beneficial or not.

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Ms. Craiovan, I wonder if you are aware of a South Nation Conservation project that deals with precisely this sort of thing. That organization wants to connect with satellites to predict the weather or the climate, and thus know whether fields need to be watered.

Are you aware of that?

[Emilia Craiovan]

Not really. Someone who works on that project spoke to me about it a bit two days ago, but I can't give you any details.

[Marc Laflèche]

The system's only disadvantage is that the traps have to be removed manually, but they may invent machines or boxes one day that will control that automatically.

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Mr. Laflèche, through your organization, do you think it's possible to promote and spread the use of those new techniques?

[Marc Laflèche]

For the 12 years the project has been in place in our region, a number of articles have appeared in journals and magazines throughout Ontario.

How many projects are there in Canada?