From The Road: IFTA Conference Day 2

By Christina Herrick|February 23, 2015

[blackoutgallery id=”70393″]

1 of 9

1 of 9

The Halifax harbor is one of the only ice-free ports in North America. (Photo credit: Christina Herrick)
2 of 9

Peggy's Cove is a popular destination for toursits in the summer. Although the picturesque lighthouse is still a sight to see even on cold and rainy days. (Photo credit: Christina Herrick)
3 of 9

The lighthouse at Peggy's Cove has a stern warning about the dangers of visiting the cliffs nearby. (Photo credit: Christina Herrick)
4 of 9

Managing Editor Christina Herrick got to handle some of the local fare, while on a lunch stop at Sou'Wester Gift & Restaurant.
5 of 9

The IFTA Annual Conference welcome reception was held at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, where growers walked among maritime artifacts, such as this lighthouse Fresnel lens. (Photo credit: Christina Herrick)
6 of 9

IFTA conference-goers got a chance to get a close look at many artifacts from local ships at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic on Sunday. (Photo credit: Christina Herrick)
7 of 9

A maritme musem can't be complete without a kraken statue. (Photo credit: Christina Herrick)
8 of 9

Nathan Milburn takes a close look at a small cannon found on a ship at the maritime muesum. (Photo credit: Christina Herrick)
9 of 9

At the IFTA reception, people sampled some of Nova Scotia's famous seafood. (Photo credit: Christina Herrick)

It was cold, rainy, and foggy today during our tour of Peggy’s Cove in Nova Scotia as part of Day 2 of the 58th Annual IFTA Conference. But for those of you stuck in perpetual refrigeration or being buried under another snow storm or experiencing 60 degree weather in the West, the 40°F temperatures would be something worth envying, even with all the rain.

In lieu of a study tour, this year IFTA offered conference-goers the chance to either take a tour of downtown Halifax or a jaunt to Peggy’s Point Lighthouse.

Peggy’s Cove is located on the eastern shore of St. Margaret’s Bay. It is definitely a place where tourists flock in the summer. In February, it was still interesting, although not quite so picturesque.

Here’s a few things I learned about Nova Scotia and Peggy’s Cove from our tour guide, I hope you find these as interesting as I did:

Top Articles

Know the Signs of Herbicide Resistance in Vegetable Crops

Ways Crowdfunding Efforts Can Help Farmers Needing Hurricane Relief

How Dixondale Farms Is Aiming To Protect Its Legacy

Researchers on Path To Make Apple Blossom Thinning Easier

The major industries in Nova Scotia are fishing (no surprise), coal, lumber, gypsum, fruit, seaweed, and gravel.
Fruit produced in Nova Scotia is primarily in the Annapolis Valley, the western part of the peninsula.
Fishermen get anywhere from $4-$6 a pound for fresh lobster.
The Orland Castle in the first gated community in Halifax is a thing to behold, as are most of the homes in that neighborhood. But, what’s most interesting is the wife of John James Dunn Oland began brewing beer out of the castle. The recipe went on to be the founding beer of the Oland Breweries Limited.
The Halifax harbor is nearly 60 feet deep at low tide and is one of the world’s deepest harbors. It is also one of the only ice-free ports in North America, which makes it very attractive to oversees shipping. It is also a closet harbor for ships operating the North Atlantic. Halifax has more commercial shipping than Boston.
To commemorate the aid the city of Boston offered the Nova Scotian community following the Halifax Explosion in 1917, the city of Halifax sends a Christmas tree to the city of Boston every year. This tree is Boston’s official Christmas tree and has been a tradition since 1918.
When Swissair Flight 111 crashed into St. Margaret’s Bay in 1998, the community ― because of a lack proper housing for a large group of people involved with the recovery mission ― opened up their homes and spare bedrooms for those directly involved in the recovery as well as family members of people who died in the crash. Some remain in contact with the Peggy’s Cove community to this day.
I found this fact close to my heart: There is horseback riding in downtown Halifax, encouraging youth to ride ― the Junior Bengal Lancers, and in conjunction a therapeutic horseback riding program established in the 1960s.

More Updates

For more from IFTA, be sure to check out Christina Herrick’s Twitter feed @HerrickAFG, where she will be sending updates from all the sessions and catch the April issue of American Fruit Grower magazine for a recap of the conference.