Horticulture Nova Scotia

In the mid 1990's Vegetables Nova Scotia and Berries Nova Scotia were two small associations with part time staff. Both were struggling.  It was decided by the two Boards of Directors to merge the organizations. A merger committee, which also included the Potato and Processing Pea & Bean Grower’s Marketing Boards, worked to achieve the necessary protocol. At the annual meetings of each of the annual meetings in January 1998, the membership voted positively to merge.  In March1998 the new association, Horticulture Nova Scotia, was registered under the Societies Act. It also became a designated commodity group under the NS Agriculture and Marketing Act continuing the levy on the sale of strawberry plants previously administered under Berries N.S.

Horticulture Nova Scotia provides a voice for industry. It is a membership driven, non-profit organization representing the interests the vegetable, strawberry, raspberry and nursery stock growers in Nova Scotia. Membership is voluntary.

The Association works under a Board of Directors consisting of 9 growers and industry representatives. A full time Administrative Coordinator is directly responsible to the Board.

Marketing Boards
The NS Potato Marketing Board,  being a legislated body under the Natural Products Act of Nova Scotia, retains its independent status, including Directors and finances, and reports to the Natural Products Council

This Board holds the status of an Affiliated Group to Hort NS and is administered for an annual fee.

The NS Processing Pea & Bean Growers Marketing Board was disbanded in 2006

Benefits to members
The By-laws of the Association list the following objectives in the Memorandum of Association :
1.    Information dissemination
2.    Marketing and special promotions
3.    Liaison with government and other organizations
4.    Research
5.    Education and awareness
6.    Annual conference
These and other benefits are described below.

 Liaison
✓Speaking for multiple commodities, Hort NS is able to provide a strong and united voice for the industry.
✓Active member with representation on Canadian Horticultural Council, a national organization to address horticultural issues
✓ Three representatives on the NS Federation of Agriculture’s Council of Leaders
✓Hort NS develops unity between horticultural commodity groups, preventing duplication of services.
✓Works in cooperation with AAFC, NSDAF,  NSAC,  and AgriPoint.

 Information dissemination
✓Committee driven
✓A newsletter is sent by mail or e-mail four times per year
✓The website www.hortns.com provides information to consumers on products, as well as information to our members.
✓E-mail is used to quickly inform members of important or interesting information as it happens.
✓Upcoming events are posted to the website.
            
    
Marketing and special promotions
✓A marketing committee comprised of growers and shippers identifies issues and recommends strategies and actions to the Board.
✓works with NSDAF marketing branch
✓market trade & opportunity intelligence included in Research Priority meetings.
✓ promotional displays
✓consumer website has recipes and nutritional information, handy tips and contact information for u-picks, growers and distributors.            

Research
✓Hort NS holds meetings with growers every two years to determine the research needs most important to the industry. These are distributed to the research community to guide them in conducting projects pertinent to industry needs.
✓Hort NS sponsored the creation of an Edible Horticulture Chair at NSAC to address needs of the industry.
✓Conducts management and cultivar trials for the vegetable and berry industry..
✓Founding Member of the NSFA  Agricultural Water Group to  assure an industry voice in defining water issues.
✓Minor Use Label Registration Working Committee
✓Provides access to research funding not otherwise available to the industry

On Farm Food Safety
✓Members of the Hort NS OFFS committee are involved in establishing the Berry and Vegetable Manuals which will be cleared by the CFIA at the national level.
✓Once the manuals are complete, Hort. NS will assure the information is circulated to the industry and proper training established.

Human Resource Committee
✓Hort NS addresses issues of labour shortages and training through meetings with government agencies such as Service Canada.
✓Has a representative on the Canadian Hort Council Human Resource Committee and was instrumental in forming the Can. Federation of Agriculture Human Resource Sector Council.

Offshore Labour Committee
✓Liaison with Service Canada on offshore labour
✓Provides Atlantic representative on Offshore labour to CHC. And F.A.R.M.S.
✓Meets with growers to discuss offshore labour problems.    
CAIS Committee
✓Tracks CAIS problems and advises government of industry concerns.
✓ Member of the NSFA CAIS committee

Education and Awareness
✓Workshops for growers on such things as On-Farm Food Safety
✓Seminars on specific topics
✓Field Tours for both berries and vegetables
✓Cooperation with provincial Awareness Committee
✓Provide information to teachers, consumers and other public awareness groups.
✓Website provides information to consumers on the products we grow and who we are.

Annual Conference
✓ Hort NS convenes Scotia Horticultural Congress, gathering of growers, speakers, specialists, government and horticultural suppliers together giving participants the opportunity to learn, to network and to browse the Trade show.
✓Members of Hort NS get a special low registration rate.
✓The Annual Meetings of Hort NS and the Potato Marketing Board are held during Congress

Loan Programs
Hort NS administers two government guaranteed loan programs to qualifying vegetable and potato growers - the Spring Credit Advance Program(SCAP) and the Advance Payment Program (AMPA). No new applicants are being taken under these programs. A new program under AAFC, the New Advanced Payment Program, makes loans available to all horticultural crops, whether or not they have storage potential. Interest free loans to $100,000 are available and low interest loans up to $400,000. Both Production Insurance and CAIS may be used for security before harvest. The crop itself is used after harvest.

Insurance
Horticulture Nova Scotia members are eligible to apply for the medical benefit plan HortProtect. This plan is available to us through our CHC membership and provides low premium rates due the large group size.


Membership
Membership is open not only to growers, but to agribusinesses, groups and individuals interested in the horticultural industry.
Growers fees are based on a formula comprised of a flat rate plus acreage plus gross income. Berry plant levies are pre-payments toward membership dues.
Agribusinesses and group associates pay a flat $100/year + HST. Individual associates (retired,  students, growers from other commodities, etc) pay a flat $50/year + HST.

Last Updated March 2007