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Ronda Payne
Tom Baumann
Tom Baumann is coordinator and director of the Pacific Berry Resource Centre in Chilliwack.
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Vertical Growing
Berries grow condo style at UFV labs.
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Ronda Payne
Fish Poop Fertilizer
Fish poop becomes fertilizer at UFV's hydroponics lab in the UFV biodome.
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Fruiting Machine
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Ronda Payne
UFV Bio dome
The bio dome will be for trying out different ways of growing herbs and berries.
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Ronda Payne
Inside the Bio dome
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Ronda Payne
Pollination
Sustainability is key for everything in the greenhouse and polydome spaces. There is no spraying of chemicals, and the building makes use of systems from around the world to ensure the best structure is in place for the most advanced research.
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Ronda Payne
Clean Stock
This is where we’ll keep certified, virus-free stock for nurseries to come and take cuttings and buds.
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Ronda Payne
UFV Demonstration Barn
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Ronda Payne
Beneficial Insects
A small four-plex system houses native beneficial insects living on mullen and feeding on eggs of one of their favourite pests.
Plants aren't the only thing growing at the University of the Fraser Valley's agriculture department in Chilliwack. First, there was the official opening of the Agriculture Centre of Excellence by Premier Christy Clark. Since then, the campus has added a 'bio-dome' that will allow the department to experiment with a variety of agricultural innovations.
Tom Baumann, UFV’s Agriculture Department coordinator and director of the Pacific Berry Resource Centre, is guiding the growth at the department with all the pride of a hen watching over her chicks.
Domes for clean stock
“The bio dome will be for trying out different ways of growing herbs and berries,” Baumann said. “It should be finished by August.”
With one dome already in place, the new dome is a second three-layer bio-dome poly house. On the inside is a wide mesh layer to prevent accidental damage to the middle layer – the bug screen, The outer layer is electronically adjustable poly for temperature control.
“This is where we’ll keep certified, virus-free stock for nurseries to come and take cuttings and buds,” Baumann said. “We’re working with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency on it.”
All of his teams’ work is in response to industry need. Hazelnut, elderberry, pear, cherry, apple and more make up the mother plants in the facility.
“To bring root stock from outside the country is so difficult with the virus screening that we want to have our own stock here,” noted Baumann.
Expansive spaces for new exploration
Next to the biodome is a nearly 12-meter high, three-hoop green house. The poly carbonite used for the greenhouse allows for diffused light rather than just overhead light.
“It lets 80 per cent of the light through,” Baumann explained. “Glass let’s 90 per cent of light through, and this offers 95 per cent light diffusion.”
At 30 meters wide and 20 meters long it’s surprising that another two hoops will be added, but this is where aquaponics will be added.
Fish for fertilizer
Aquaponics is a fancy phrase, but in layman's terms, Bauman says, “The fish poop will become the fertilizer for the plants.”
A trial model of the aquaponic system is already growing lettuce. Roots dangle down through drain holes into fertilized water. When the system is up and running, the fish will live in the water below the plant and root layer.
“All we need is fish and we have aquaponics,” Baumann said.
In a similar vein, multi-layer strawberry towers will be arriving at the greenhouse shortly which will also be connected to a fish rearing facility. With 13 layers, Baumann was skeptical about the ability for light to reach all plants but the light diffusion eliminates this concern.
“If this tower proves economical, we will get more,” he said.
Beneficials on tap
A small four-plex system houses native beneficial insects living on mullen and feeding on eggs of one of their favourite pests. According to Baumann, the Dicyphus hesperus colony came from Dr. Dave Gillespie of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada a few years back. When Gillespie finished his work with the insects, he didn’t want the colony to go to waste so passed it along. Baumann’s team now rears the beneficial bugs and provides them to various greenhouses.
Grow rooms for breeding
In the summer, two specialized grow rooms will be built to support the berry breeding program. The main testing will be of different light sources and light durations.
“They will be almost the size of classrooms,” Baumann said.
Advanced construction for advanced agriculture
Sustainability is key for everything in the greenhouse and polydome spaces. There is no spraying of chemicals, and the building makes use of systems from around the world to ensure the best structure is in place for the most advanced research.
“There will be three zones in the greenhouse,” Baumann said. “The majority of it will be for the berry industry.”
For those who think agricultural work done at universities is simply academic, a look at UFV’s Chilliwack campus will show that practical applications to benefit and advance the industry are top of mind.
The next big fruit or berry breakthrough may well come from a strawberry tower, poly dome or aquaponic project.
