Maximum biological protection at Windset Farms

According to the owners Steven and John Newell, integrated crop protection has certainly played a role in the success of Windset Farms.

Windset Farms’ operations are in Delta and Abbotsford in British Columbia and, across the border, in Santa Maria, California, and in Las Vegas, Nevada. The company employs almost 900 people and supplies to demanding retail chains including Costco, Loblaw, and Walmart. The range of products naturally includes tomatoes as well as bell peppers, cucumbers, and aubergines; products that the company grows itself. In addition, the company arranges for selected partners to grow endive, lettuce, and bok choy.

Windset Farms makes great efforts in what the company calls ‘Growing Green’. The greenhouses are equipped with state-of-the-art energy efficient technology, and the company is constantly looking for ways of reducing the economic and ecological footprint per unit of the product. For instance, Windset Farms is installing a 1MW solar park on top of their packing facility, uses energy screens to save on energy consumption, and recirculation systems for irrigation. Windset Farms calls this ‘Smart agriculture,’ growing healthy, safe, and tasty products with the smallest possible inputs.

Tom Noels is the Director of Growing Operations at the Windset Farms branch in California. ‘This is a region with a huge amount of agriculture and horticulture. Agricultural production is taking place all around us. The risk level of infestation coming in from outside is therefore very high,’ he explains. ‘In such conditions, it is no longer possible to turn to chemical pesticides. Most such products are no longer effective; insects have become resistant. Windset Farms has opted instead for the maximum biological approach. It is therefore primarily up to the natural enemies to protect our crop.’

Tammy Ingersoll is responsible for the Integrated Pest Management. ‘Whitefly and spider mite are the main pests,’ she says, ‘but we can encounter pretty much anything. Name a pest and we have probably had |to deal with it. It is therefore an exceptional challenge to protect the crop using natural products and natural enemies.’

Working together with Koppert, the level of infestation can be kept under control, according to Tammy Ingersoll. ‘Our permanent consultant at Koppert visits us regularly. We walk through the crop, we look at the current status, we discuss the strategies, and we make decisions on measures to be taken where required. That works very well. Ultimately, we can keep residues to the lowest possible level and sell a carefully cultivated and very responsible product, free of pesticides. That is what our buyers and our end consumers demand.’

Source: Koppert BioJournal

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