The production of greenhouse cucumbers in Alberta, Canada is higher this fall. Big Marble Farms based in Medicine Hat grows long English cucumbers as well as mini cucumbers and this September, experimented with lighting during growing. "We typically hadn't done that because the cost is so high but this made production stronger going into October which means there's more volume overall than in past Octobers," says Devin Jaspers, chief operating officer with Big Marble Farms, noting that while last year it experimented with hybrid LED lighting on five acres, this fall it added in 22.5 acres. In total, 27.5 acres of its 79 acres will be under hybrid LED lighting.
© Big Marble FarmsJaspers says Canadians are still very interested in buying local produce.
This increase in production comes at a time when Canadians continue to be interested in buying Canadian produce. "There's still a push from Canadians and that's a huge step for our industry, whichever province you're in," says Jaspers, adding that this winter will illustrate that movement's lasting power. "If our production still stays up five to 10 percent and our price stays the same, that's a win. That's my hope for what we see this winter."
Provincial pressures
While the company distributes product within Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Jaspers adds that there continues to be pressure from other provinces–largely Ontario but also British Columbia to some extent. However, demand also increases going into the holiday season on numerous commodities, including cucumbers.
© Big Marble FarmsHoliday demand for greenhouse cucumbers is expected to pick up.
With that added production in mind, it is a reminder of a difficulty that remains for greenhouse growers in the province. "Expansion is really difficult right now compared to what we have done in the past 10 to 15 years. Costs in the past five years have gone up about 2.5 times to build again," he says. "However the commodity price has not gone up–it's up only a bit I believe. This summer, there was a time when Long English cucumbers were selling below the five-year average. So while pricing looks similar to this time last year, we hope it strengthens. We think it's going to be a relatively normal year."
For more information:
Devin Jaspers
Big Marble Farms
Tel: +1 (403) 525-1475
[email protected]
https://bigmarble.ca/
