Agriculture committee  We have plenty.

Agriculture committee  As far as new production methods go, our focus has mainly been on high tunnels that are tailored to the eastern Canadian climate, which we developed in co-operation with a Quebec company. Companies in Ontario and western Canada also make these kinds of tunnels. The eastern Canadi

Agriculture committee  They are big greenhouses, but the roof has to come off every winter, because the structure isn't made to bear the weight of snow. It's merely a temporary shelter, not just to protect the plants from precipitation, but also to retain the infrared radiation in the soil so that it s

Agriculture committee  Let's take the month of September. For the past five years, the weather conditions in September have been very favourable and frost-free, whereas, previously, by September 20 or so, we might have had to deal with one or two radiation frosts in order keep production going into Oct

Agriculture committee  Yes, the future holds opportunity. In fact, we estimate an increase of about 20% in our strawberry production, which is quite significant. The use of row covers in the field and high tunnels has allowed us to extend the strawberry growing season, and grow raspberries into Octobe

Agriculture committee  What we call radiation frost is a loss of heat during the night. It's also known as ground freezing. When that happens, sprinkler irrigation can be used to water crops. Since the water is warmer than the air, when it freezes, it releases heat. Therefore, if we water the crops as

Agriculture committee  In our region, in particular, capturing water is especially difficult because we are on an island. Our infrastructure consists of water reservoirs supplied mainly by runoff. We collect the water. A lot of the irrigation infrastructure in our region is moving towards automation,

Agriculture committee  Do you mean Ms. Sylvie Boucher?

Agriculture committee  That is quite true.

Agriculture committee  Île d'Orléans has a microclimate. Since we are surrounded by water, the weather is always temperate, which is good for a plant like strawberries, which prefer a cool climate.

Agriculture committee  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 an

Agriculture committee  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 withou

Agriculture committee  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 dissip

Agriculture committee  Yes, I will begin.

Agriculture committee  With regard to climate change, we are seeing some positive signs in our region. The changes can be quite positive at certain times of the year and negative at other times. That is not the case in other regions of the province, in Montreal in particular. Eastern Quebec is known fo