SIR GROWER/INDUSTRY ADVISORY COMMITTEE

MINUTES of the Grower/Industry Committee meeting of the OKANAGAN-KOOTENAY STERILE INSECT RELEASE (SIR) PROGRAM held at the Pacific Agriculture Research Centre in Summerland, BC on November 2nd, 2000.

 

Committee Members:

            Gavin Young    - Chair             Westbank Packers Ltd.

Norm Filipenko                        Sun Fresh Coop                                              

Denis Larose                            Grower

Joseph Lucich                           Grower

            Hugh Philip                               BCMAF Regional Entomologist

Stan Swales                              Okanagan North Growers Coop                      

Peter Waterman                       Grower / Consultant                                     

Tim Watson                              South Valley Sales                                           

                                               

Committee Members Absent:

Pedro Barata                            BC Fruit Growers’ Association (Oliver)                     (absent)  

Jack Barkwill                            BC Fru it Packers                                                      (absent)

Hank Markgraf             BC Fruit Packers                                                       (absent)  

Brian Mennel                            Grower                                                                     (absent)

Jack Morley                             Okanagan Similkameen Coop                                    (absent)

Tom Ouchi                               Grower                                                                     (absent)

Gerry Shaw                              BC Tree Fruits                                                          (absent)

Brian Witzke                            Grower                                                                     (absent)

 

Guests:

            Gary Judd                                Technical Committee Chair                                          

            Bob Fisher-Fleming                  Technical Committee Co-Chair            

           

SIR Staff:

            Bob Fugger                              General Manager

            Howard Thistlewood                Technical Advisor                                                        

            Rob Gauthier                            Zone 1 & 2 Field Manager

            Adrian McCluskey                   Public Relations

            Karen Nelson                           Recording Secretary    

 

Gavin Young called the meeting to order at 9:00 AM.

 

AGENDA TOPIC #1:

 

Opening Remarks

 

Gavin noted the substantial changes in the SIR Program in the last little while.

 

Howard Thistlewood stated that he has dropped out of the Administration side of the Program, to focus more into the Technical area. He is now SIR’s Technical Advisor until his contract is up in the spring of 2001.

 

Bob Fugger had then been promoted to be SIR’s General Manager.

 

Gavin Young then carried on noting that four members from the Technical Committee had attended the meeting as guests, to get a technical consideration, as requested by the Grower & Industry Committee.

These members include: Gary Judd, Bob Fisher-Fleming, Hugh Philip, and Howard Thistlewood. 

 

Approval of Minutes

 

Gavin then questioned the Grower & Industry Committee Members for their approval of the minutes from the last meeting. After their review, the following motion was then put forward: 

 

Moved by Joseph Lucich         Seconded by Tim Watson

 

“Accepted minutes for meeting dated August 23rd, 2000.”

CARRIED.

 

AGENDA TOPIC #2:

 

Gavin Young then stated that Bob Fugger & Rob Gauthier were to give an update based on the          “Year 2000 Harvest Sample Data”.

 

Bob Fugger  then discussed the following handouts over the overhead:

·        Time Line Revised                          (see attached)

·        Z2 Summary of CM Damage by folio          (see attached)

·        Z2 Summary of CM Damage by acre          (see attached)

·        Z2 Comparisons of CM Damage                (see attached)

·        Z3 Summary of CM Damage by folio          (see attached)

·        Z3 Summary of CM Damage by acre          (see attached)

·        2000 Filed Results                          (see attached)

 

Gavin then questioned Bob Fugger that, with numbers over 5% damage, was that because of hot spots or grower problem areas.

Bob Fugger stated that it had had been grower problem areas. 

Bob Fisher-Fleming then noted that they expected to see damage where orchardists were not doing their jobs with cover sprays.

 

Hugh Philip questioned Bob Fugger if a comparison could be done with some orchards that had no spray at all versus orchards which had sprays – based in the same area.

Hugh felt that this information would show growers that Mating Disruption is not a stand-alone technology.

Bob Fugger agreed that this data could be gathered, and will be brought forward at the next Grower & Industry Committee meeting.

 

Bob Fugger then stated that he had spoken to Brian from Growers Supply, and noted that their Guthion sales were 1/3 down from last year.

Howard Thistlewood also noted other sales of sprays at Growers Supply had gone down as well.

Bob Fugger stated that he attempted to get data from Van Waters in Kelowna as well, but no information had been issued.

 

Rob Gauthier then discussed the following handouts over the overhead:

·        Z1 Summary of CM Damage by acre                      (see attached)

·        Z1 Summary of CM Damage by folio                      (see attached)

·        Mean CM per week Z1 98 vs 99 vs 00                  (see attached)

·        2000 Total Summary of Banding–Larvae only         (see attached)

·        Mean Wild CM per Trap per Week 2000              (see attached)

 

Rob Gauthier stated that SIR is focusing more on sampling, monitoring, and detecting in Zone 1. Fighting against lower amounts of problem orchards and Codling Moth.

 

Gavin questioned if full rate mating disruption will be put in place in incidences such as problem orchards.

Rob Gauthier noted that it may not make much of a difference. Keep in mind that after you put the MD is up, interventions are in place, Sterile moths are in the orchard, chemical interventions are in place, and over the process you are getting into the month of July, the cost and time factor takes place. Also, that you would just be dealing with a few blocks.        

 

Rob then stated that urban areas that were banded in Creston, were showing up to 30-60 larva per site, in some cases. Orchard banding data has not been reviewed yet.

 

Summary

 

Bob Fugger then explained that the Harvest Sample Data had been based on:

·        Zone 1 – 75-80% sampled

·        Zone 2 – 100% sampled

·        Zone 3 – 50% sampled

 

He also made the following remarks:

·        Cleanup in Zone 3 has been slow due to a lot of wild trees.

·        SIR’s Cutting Crew is made up of four full time employees, and one part time employee.

·        600 trees removed from the First Nation Lands.

·        3400 trees removed in Zone 2 – cutting is now dropping off.

·        Urban incentives will be changed for 2001.

 

Conversation then carried forward throughout the Committee.

 

 

 

 

 

AGENDA TOPIC #3:

 

A.

 

Bob and Rob then carried on with the “Field Operation Budget for 2001 in Zones 1, 2 & 3”.

 

Rob made the following remarks:

·        2001 – Operational –  trapping at 1 per hector.

·        Target specifically in Zone 1.

·        Overlay random trapping to generate graphs off of.

·        400-500 traps being set up in the rest of Zone 1.

·        Similkameen : trap at 1 per hector, band at 30 per acre, sample orchards - visual damage, suggest if low populations, tweak down on your trapping densities. Standardization treatment could possibly be enforced.

·        1500 traps would be the balance in Zone 1.

·        Reduce in labour and low amount of traps would allow remaining costs go into Zones 2 & 3.

·        Increase in SIT.

·        Timing and function – focusing in releases.

·        Border treatment with the States needs to be reviewed.

·        Targeting trapping on problem sites and sites around risks of re-infestation.

·        Trial logs of SIT in Zone 2.

·        Mating disruption will be targeted as the control method in Zones 1, 2 & 3.

 

Trapping for Zones 2 & 3 was then discussed throughout the Committee.

After conversation, the following motion was then put forward:

 

Moved by Stan Swales            Seconded by Hugh Philip

 

“Within the first two years of Mating Disruption and pre-release of Sterile Moths, we, as the SIR Grower & Industry Committee, recommend reduced trapping densities, to a point at the discretion of the SIR Technical Committee.”

CARRIED.

 

B.

 

Gavin Young then questioned what role does SIR play dealing with Mating Disruption and SIT.  

 

·        Bob Fugger noted that after 2001, Zone 2 is finished with Mating Disruption, any MD will be area specific.

·        Bob Fisher-Fleming stated that the Technical Committee was to review SIT after a two year period, to recommend whether it stays or goes – that should be reviewed this fall.

·        Howard Thistlewood stated that the Grower & Industry Committee recommended that SIR proceed with SIT until 2005.

 

 

·        Howard Thistlewood then stated that after meeting with Growers in Vienna, and discussing SIT with them, they noted that it clearly works, but the issue is the number of generations it takes for it to work. As a result of that, Howard and Gary have been considering to push SIT into Zone 3, prior to 2005, to work on generations sooner than expected. The funds have to be reviewed before going forward. 

·        Bob Fugger stated that there is two years of Mating Disruption, then, in 2002, it would be solely SIT, but Mating Disruption would be issued in hot spots.  

·        Howard Thistlewood then explained that, in the long run, if we do not get any subsidies, we would have to get the SIT component down.

 

Gavin then questioned SIR Staff if the Moth production is a limiting factor in any of the plans.

 

·        The facility will work two shifts in 2001. SIT will be issued to Zone 1 in 2001. 

5,000 acres of moths will be needed in Zone 2 in 2002.

 

 AGENDA TOPIC #4:

 

Adrian McCluskey then handed out copies of the Funding Proposal that had been issued to Agriculture Canada.

 

He then made the following remarks:

·        3.8 million dollars is being asked from Agriculture Canada to fund SIR

·        2.5 million dollars will be used (approx. 1/2 million dollars per year), to go directly to growers to reduce the parcel tax. The idea is to lower the parcel tax through to the end of 2005 at a substantially lower rate for growers.

·        The Funding Proposal has been presented to Minister Lyle Van Kleef (Federal). BCFGA has presented an equivalent proposal to Minister Corky Evans (Provincial). Corky Evans was the Minister at the time of the proposal. The idea is to hopefully get equal funds from both the Provincial and the Federal Government, equalling 3.8 million dollars from each government.

·        Minister Van Kleef has made it clear that he will not review the Proposal until after the Federal Election, which occurs November 27th, 2000.

·        No time for changes, the proposal has already been put forward.

·        If everything goes according to plan, the Funding will be used starting 2001.

·        This could reduce growers taxes to $50.00/acre.

·        Under the Escrow Agreement, SIR has to charge the grower $94.00/per acre for 2001, but then issue a cheque back to make up the difference.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gavin Young then noted that the Committee move on to #7 Agenda Item, New Business, and get a report from Denis Laros regarding a Creston update.

 

AGENDA TOPIC #7:

 

Denis Laros made the following points:

·        The Creston Committee that he has been involved in, has had a number of meetings (approximately 11), in the last little while. These meetings covered information from the start of the SIR Program.

·        The Committee looked at a lot of the costs of the Program in order for deliverance of the Program.

·        Report was to be issued by October 10th, 2000.

·        The report was issued shortly after, and Denis commented how poor of a document it was. It basically indicated points given by the “NO” side of the Committee.

·        Denis set up a meeting with the Press to release his side of the story. The newspaper basically discredited what the report indicated from the Creston Committee’s meeting.

·        Denis believes the negative publicity will not have an impact on the Program.

·        Corky Evans will issue their recommendation soon. Regional District will also discuss the matter on November 25th, 2000.

 

CLOSING

 

Gavin Young then noted that the next meeting will be set for December 14th, 2000.

 

The meeting was then adjourned at 1:00 PM.

 

 

_______________________                                          ________________________

            Chairman                                                                                  Secretary