As head grower in charge of the year-round production of both tomatoes and strawberries, Gabriel Forero has his fair share of challenges. “These are two very different crops – they’re like Mars and Venus,” he says. On top of that, issues including extreme weather events and the labour shortage are testing his skills and experience to the limit. Nevertheless, thanks to a combination of innovative greenhouse technology, data analysis, the right people and his own focus on continuous improvement, he has high hopes for the coming crop cycle and beyond.
Sunterra Farms Greenhouses Ltd is part of Sunterra Farms, which was established by the Price family in 1970, primarily as a top-quality pork producer. Over time, the pork operation was expanded to include other cooked and cured meats, and became a market-leading business. “We’re constantly seeking ways to strategically expand our operation while continuing to meet our exceptional standards for product quality and taste. Thanks to this entrepreneurial mindset, we identified a need in the market for tomatoes and strawberries and decided to set up a high-tech greenhouse facility for both crops,” explains Gabriel Forero, head grower at Sunterra Farms Greenhouses. “With dry air, cool nights and 333 days of sunshine per year, the conditions here in Alberta are ideal for both strawberries and tomatoes, providing we can manage the indoor climate well.”
8 ha under-glass production
“The project is being realized by two world leaders in the greenhouse industry – Prins Greenhouses for the greenhouse structure and materials, and Meteor Systems for the gutter systems. The first phase was finished in the autumn of 2021, and we currently have 8 ha of under-glass production, spread across two greenhouses: 1 ha of strawberries and 7 ha of tomatoes. We also have a 6,000 sqm packing line in between the two greenhouses and a temperature-controlled warehouse for storing our products,” comments Forero.
“We planted our first crops in October 2021. Since then, we’ve completed two full seasons, which typically run until July, and we planted our third crop cycle in August this year,” he continues. “If we’re blessed with good weather, the first tomatoes should be ready for harvesting in mid-October, followed by the first strawberries in the last week of October.”
Yield-boosting hoist system
The average annual production is currently 74 kg/sqm for tomatoes and 13 kg/sqm for strawberries. The strawberry yield is boosted by an innovative automated hoist system, developed by Meteor Systems. The upper level is suspended around 3 metres above the ground, and it takes just 30 minutes for the system to raise and lower the gutters, which is done during staff break times. Forero: “Growing on two levels enables us to effectively double the amount of strawberry plants in our greenhouse, resulting in roughly 33% more yield. And equally importantly, it gives us more flexibility in terms of organizing the crop maintenance and harvesting tasks in the greenhouse.”
Some of what is grown is sold through the group’s own retail chain, called Sunterra Markets, throughout Alberta. Besides that, products are distributed through Mastronardi, as well as being sold directly to leading grocery chains such as Sobeys and Calgary Co-op.
“All our strawberries are sold under the ‘Dutchess’ brand. The name is a play on words, because the variety comes from the Netherlands. The name also reflects the ‘regalness’ of the berries’ quality; they are attractive and very flavoursome with a great shelf life,” states Forero.
Quest for rugose resistance
In addition to strawberries, the company currently produces a single variety of tomatoes on the vine. “However, we’re now trialling a total of 12 other varieties from five different seed companies. Specifically, we’re looking for resistance against the tomato brown rugose fruit virus or ToBRFV. That’s very widespread here in Canada and is causing some terrible problems.”
The other biggest threats to plant health are mites in strawberries, whitefly in tomatoes, and thrips in both. “We have an extensive IPM programme based on biologicals from Koppert and Biobest. If extra spraying is necessary, we only use organic materials such as peroxide rather than synthetic chemicals.”
Although he is an experienced agronomist, Forero had never worked with both tomatoes and strawberries before. So how does he find this combination? “They are two very different crops… you could say they’re like Mars and Venus!” he says. “Strawberries are pretty temperamental, making it harder to maintain the vegetative versus generative balance, and it’s more difficult to apply a uniform pruning strategy; you need to look at each plant to decide how many leaves to remove. They also require delicate handling. In fact, we work with an all-female crop team for strawberries, so they benefit from a woman’s touch! In contrast, tomatoes are fairly predictable, so if you stick to the ‘rules’ you should be able to steer the crop just as you want it. Whereas you can generally manage tomatoes week by week, for strawberries you need to take things day by day.”
Sunlight and cool nights
The greenhouses for both crops have diffuse glass, sourced from Prins, to ensure that the abundance of natural light is distributed evenly to the plants. “But I don’t need a cooling system. Even in the summer, the nights are always cool here in Calgary – the temperature can drop from 30°C in the day to 12°C at night – and there is usually plenty of wind,” says Forero.
“I definitely need extra heating and lighting in the winter, though, when radiation can drop to just 400 Joules a day,” he adds. In terms of heating, there are four different systems in each greenhouse. “We have rail pipes, a grow pipe for each gutter, 12 pipes running horizontally across each interior wall of the greenhouses, and four pipes at the top of each bay to prevent snow and ice formation on the roof. We also use energy screens from Svensson, which we close around lunchtime in winter, depending on the weather forecast. Without them, we would spend around 80% more on gas.”
LED lighting
“Tomatoes and strawberries both require a minimum of 16 to 18 hours of photoperiod per day. In the late spring and early summer months, the Albertan sun provides more than enough natural light. But in the autumn and winter months, we use an artificial lighting solution to keep the crops in good shape and maintain strong and productive plants,” he adds.
“We chose to work with Signify based on the strong business case plus their experience and support. They are experts on the science behind light and how to provide both types of crops with the right energy to keep the plants consistently active. We now have a 100% LED system comprising Philips LED toplighting compact and Philips flowering lamps providing 220 µmol for the strawberries, and a hybrid lighting system – 50% HPS and 50% toplighting compact – for the tomatoes, providing 230 µmol. This ensures that we achieve the minimum daily light integral or ‘DLI’ of 18 for our tomatoes and 12 for our strawberries, all year round,” continues Forero.
Sensors and data
“The HPS lamps are a kind of extra insurance to give us extra heat if the winter is very cold. However, with the electricity price being so high and the gas price so low – I pay less than three dollars for a gigajoule of gas – it’s actually much cheaper to use the pipes for extra heat rather than the HPS lamps.”
Could it make more sense to switch to full LEDs for the tomato crop, in that case? “Perhaps. But I’d need to do more research first, especially with regard to the temperature in the plants themselves,” the head grower responds.
To help him monitor and control all the different environmental parameters, nutrient levels, IPM programmes and harvesting schedules, Forero relies on sensors and data. “I personally love statistics. If you’re not data-driven nowadays, you can’t grow,” he says. “We measure the stem thickness manually, and we have numerous sensors from Priva, Paskal and Apogee to automatically monitor things like the light, humidity, temperature and vigour. But you still need to be able to combine that data with your own observations, knowledge and skills to make the right choices.”
Tested by extreme weather
Recently, however, a couple of extreme weather events have tested Forero’s skills. “In December last year, the temperature dropped to minus 44°C. When the pipes melted the snow on the greenhouse roof, it simply turned to ice and stayed there for ten days. It was a very stressful period because I couldn’t ventilate the crop for that whole time. In fact, I was afraid that the whole roof would come crashing down due to the extra weight, but luckily there were no incidents,” he recalls. “I’ve marked it in my data overview as the ‘Ice Age’ for when I look back to make comparisons in the future!”
At the other extreme, the farm has been affected by the wildfires this summer. “Although the closest was around 500 km away, the smoke from the biggest fires raging in the north drifted down to us,” he recalls. “This not only blocked out the sunlight, with radiation dropping to 400 Joules instead of the usual 2,500 Joules in the summer, but also created a dome effect, trapping in the heat even at nighttime. My hands were tied – neither ventilating nor lighting were an option – so the plants suffered for nearly three weeks, until the wind finally changed direction and the smoke cleared a little.”
“These two weather-related events cost us around 8% of our harvest this season. I’ve got extensive experience of working with all kinds of crops in all kinds of climates, from Ecuador and my native Colombia to the USA and here in Canada, but I’ve never faced weather as challenging as this,” he states.
Overcoming labour challenges
Just as elsewhere in the horticultural industry, labour is another challenge at the company, which has around 70 full-time employees plus seasonal staff. “Strawberries are a much more labour-intensive crop. We need 14 people for just 1 ha, compared with 28 people for 7 ha of tomatoes,” he explains. “Growing is not about one person, it’s about having a great team for success. But it’s hard to find the right people with the right experience. Many locals are used to working with field crops and struggle in the humid greenhouse environment. Plus this high-performance manual work calls for both skill and speed.”
The Canadian government’s temporary foreign worker programme is part of the solution. “In addition to our local employees, we’re allowed to hire around 50 workers from Mexico on two-year contracts and around a dozen foreign workers from Jamaica. And luckily around 98% agree to come back when their contract expires,” he comments.
Reducing the footprint
Sunterra Farms Greenhouses is keen to help build a sustainable food system in Alberta. “In the summer months every drop of water counts. Therefore, we collect all the rainwater and meltwater on the outside and even the condensation from the inside of our greenhouses and store it in a reservoir for use in our irrigation system, which was supplied by PB Tec Projects, one of the authorized Priva dealers here in Canada. We also UV-treat and recycle all the drain water,” says the head grower. “The CO2 from our gas boilers is pumped back into the greenhouse for use in photosynthesis. And of course, the LEDs in our lighting solution help us to reduce our energy footprint.”
Freeze drying
Besides its fresh produce, the company has recently started selling freeze-dried Dutchess Strawberries. “Strawberries are more susceptible than tomatoes to quality issues due to size or appearance. In fact, approximately 20% of the strawberry harvest doesn’t meet retailers’ size specifications, yet the flavour is still good. So we identified freeze drying as a great way to upcycle our ‘waste’ into a delicious and nutritional product with an indefinite shelf life, while also supporting our sustainability goals. The processing is currently done on our own two freeze dryers at the Alberta Food Processing Development Center in Leduc, but we intend to transition the operation to our own facility later this year.”
Ambitious plans
The longer-term plan is to expand the facility to 28 ha, including a much bigger warehouse as well as space for the freeze dryers. Construction work is due to start on the second phase before the end of this year. Although a bigger facility will mean extra work for him, Forero is looking forward to it. “I’m keen to keep conducting research and continuing to improve on what we have achieved so far by optimally using all the systems and data to maximize production. My target is 82 kg/sqm for tomatoes and 15 kg/sqm for strawberries. Now that everyone is properly trained and knows what they need to do, I have high hopes for the next crop cycle and beyond,” he concludes.
Text: Lynn Radford, images: Sunterra
