Ontario Bean Growers are having a day and you are invited

Jun 13, 2025
By Andrew Joseph
Assistant Editor, North American Content, Farms.com

The Research Day event on August 20 takes place at Huron Research Station.

The Ontario Bean Growers have announced it will be holding its annual Research Day on August 20, 2025.

The day begins with research presentations at 1 pm. Details of the research presentations will be published as they become available.

At 4 pm, Chris Gillard will lead attendees on a tour of the plots at the Huron Research Station. He is a retired Associate Professor and current Adjunct Professor in the Department of Plant Agriculture at the University of Guelph, based at the Ridgetown Campus. He has played a significant role in Ontario's dry bean industry, contributing over 31 years of service focused on improving agronomic practices and pest management strategies for dry beans.

Gillard’s work includes:

Research on soybean cyst nematode (SCN) and its impact on dry bean market classes.
Development of integrated pest management strategies for diseases like anthracnose, white mold, and bacterial blights.
Studies on insect control, including Western Bean Cutworm and Potato Leafhoppers.
Advocacy for genetic resistance, clean seed practices, and effective fungicide use.

He has been a key figure in fostering collaboration between researchers, growers, and industry stakeholders to enhance dry bean production in Ontario.

Lastly, Research Day concludes with a delicious steak BBQ dinner.

Pre-registration is required online by August 6, 2025, by clicking HERE.

Attendance is free.

The Ontario Bean Growers organization represents the interests of farmers in Ontario who grow dry edible beans. Founded in July 2013, it is an amalgamation of the Ontario Bean Producers’ Marketing Board and the Ontario Coloured Bean Growers Association.

Approximately 1,000 farmers are growing an average of 120,000 acres of dry edible beans annually, from the deep southwest in the Harrow/Windsor area to the opposite end of the province in the Ottawa Valley. www.ontariobeans.on.ca.

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