Save the date in your calendars. The annual NSFGA Orchard Tour is scheduled for August 5th, 2026!
2026 NSFGA Summer Orchard Tour
The tour is free to attend and registration is not required!
7:30am Noggins Corner Farm (Corn Maze Entrance)
Join attendees for coffee, tea and refreshments to kick off the day. Feel free to grab a seat on the Valley Wildcats air-conditioned bus and leave your vehicle at Noggins for the day. If you choose to take your own vehicle we encourage car-pooling to reduce parking and congestion at each stop.
* Farm Credit Canada has agreed to supply drinks throughout the day- please watch for their marked vehicle and allow them to park close to the bus/orchard stop.
8:30am Bus Departs
9:00am: CAP Farms
Stop address: 5785 Brooklyn St, Waterville, NS B0P 1V0
At CAP Farms the tour will look at comparing and contrasting different irrigation systems (overhead, drip, wheeled), and examine the various additional benefits of different irrigation set ups. This stop will also touch on cover cropping and laneway management.
10:30am: Van Meekeren/Bragg Farms
Stop address: 959 Steadman Road, Billtown
Topics of conversation will include full drip irrigation and a new well for 100 acres of newly planted orchard. We will continue a conversation here that began at 2024 Orchard Tour, which addressed cover cropping prior to planting and soil health/denitrification. We will also have a conversation about thinning and Brevis.
12:00pm: Lunch at Northville Farm Heritage Centre
Address: 1158 Steadman Rd, Centreville, NS B0P 1J0
Selection of individual boxed sandwiches, side and dessert with a selection of drinks. Indoor and outdoor seating supplied.
1:30pm: Stirling’s Mountainside Farms 2017 Ltd.
Stop address: 261 Bains Road, Centreville
This stop will address improving labor and equipment efficiencies (simultaneously mowing/spraying, GPS integration, and platforms), trellis management, cultivating premium Ambrosia and Gala through limb manipulation and strategies for excellence. There will be a facilitated discussion about moving beyond Honeycrisp toward a diverse varietal portfolio. This stop will also cover moisture retention and weed suppression through mulching and looking at interplanting techniques through observations in current blocks.
3:00pm: Wittenberg Farm
Stop Address: 1049 Middle Dyke Road, Upper Canard (orchard is across the road)
We are re-visiting a crowd favourite stop from the 2024 NSFGA Orchard Tour. Checking in with the Wittenbergs on their new plantings, including discussions about rootstocks, spacing, 7 wire systems, irrigation systems, and pruning/tie down techniques used on this farm.
4:30: Return to Noggins Corner Farm for Equipment Display and BBQ
We have lots of equipment scheduled to show up this year and will be parked over by the playground and picnic tables. Bring your family and come enjoy a sausage from 902 Smoking BBQ and some cold ice cream treats to wrap up the day.