About 10 greenhouse operators from across the province were in Olds on September 5 and 6 at the annual general meeting of the Alberta Greenhouse Growers Association. Another eight members of the association's board joined them for the meeting.
The association met in Olds to discuss issues such as the foreign worker program and how constant changes to that program impact the industry, the latest agronomic research, promotion of the industry and an upcoming meeting in October with Verlyn Olson, the province's minister of agriculture and rural development.
“They are a very vital part of our industry, so we are constantly keeping a finger at the pulse of what's happening,” said Michiel Verheul, president of the association, about foreign workers in the greenhouse industry.
There are about 600 foreign workers in Alberta.
“The major pressing issue (with regard to government) for the greenhouse growers association currently is not all departments within (government) recognize us as agriculture,” Verheul said. “Some recognize us as commercial, but really, we are intensive agriculture the same as a dairy farm or a hog farm. We constantly have to remind government that we are part of agriculture.”
