Friday, Oct. 4

Breakfast

6 - 7:45 - Commons Room (last night's Hospitality Suite - staying over not recommended)

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Tour 1 - The Annapolis Valley

7 :45 a.m. - Be on the bus

​​Stop 1: Avon Valley Floral, Falmouth

A female-led company with over 120 employees and greenhouse locations in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.  Founded in 1937, Avon Valley Floral is now one of Atlantic Canada’s largest cut flower wholesalers.

 

Stop 2: Benjamin Bridge Winery, Wolfville

Founded in 1999, Benjamin Bridge produces a range of wines, but it is its focus on sparkling wines that has really gotten attention in Canadian, American and British markets. Keltie McNeil, Director of Sustainability and Community Engagement, will give us the tour. In addition to the winery, she will talk about their collaboration with Glooscap First Nation, a Mi’kmaq aboriginal community in Nova Scotia, to produce a rosé that reflects the community’s environmental values. 

 

Stop 3: Lunch: Kingstech Campus, Nova Scotia Community College, Kentville

Established in 1996, Kingstech’s programming has a strong food component, including a viticulture program, horticulture and landscape programs and a culinary skills program.

 

Stop 4: Scotian Gold Cooperative, Coldbrook

The largest apple packing plant in Eastern Canada, Scotian Gold Cooperative gets its apples from more than 50 orchards across the province. The cooperative sells to retailers across Canada and has been increasing its sales of the Honeycrisp variety in the US. It has recently targeted Southeast Asian markets, with growing demand particularly in Vietnam and Singapore.

Return to Halifax Waterfront

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Tour 2 - Truro

7:30 a.m. - Be on the bus

Stop 1: Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Bible Hill

The Faculty of Agriculture is home to a working farm and almost 1,000 acres of research fields, gardens and greenhouses. The faculty offers the only university level programs in agriculture in Atlantic Canada.

 

Stop 2: Central Onslow dykeland and wetland restoration

Since the early 1600s, European settlers have used dykes, ditches and aboiteux to leach the salt out of tidal salt marshes in Nova Scotia, leaving behind soil that was highly fertile because of silt and marine minerals from the Fundy tidewaters. But with the impact of climate change and rising sea waters, some of the original wetlands are being restored. It’s a new look for an old idea.

 

Stop 3: Lunch: Masstown Market, Masstown

When Nova Scotia farmer Eric Jennings couldn’t get the big grocery store chains in his town to buy his produce, he set up his own tailgate market out of the back of his pick-up. 55 years later, Masstown Market is an award-winning example of expansion and diversification and now employs 200+ people.

 

Stop 4: Treeland Christmas Tree Farm, Old Barns

Adrian Samson, has been growing Christmas trees, and teaching others how to grow them, for 45 years.  He’ll talk about the changing trends in the business and his involvement in “smart” Christmas tree research.

Return to Halifax Waterfront

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Dinner

sponsored by Bayer

5:30 p.m. - We expect you’ll have time to go free range on the Halifax Waterfront before the barbecue dinner begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Tap Room (upstairs from the Lower Deck). Cash bar on-site. After dinner: We’re cabbing it back to the Atlantica Hotel. You’ll get instructions on-site for how this will roll out. Walking is also an option – just let us know so we don’t send out the search team!

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Hospitality Suite

9 p.m. - Commons Room, Atlantica Hotel

Stop in for a drink and a visit, not necessarily in that order. We’ll also have a couple of guitars with us – sing us a song? Drinks and light snacks are on the house.