Atlantic Food and Horticulture Research Centre, Agricultural research facility in Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada.
The Atlantic Food and Horticulture Research Centre occupies 464 acres (188 ha) in Kentville, in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley. Its grounds hold laboratories, trial plots and storage buildings, plus the 1912 Main Barn and Building 18, the former superintendent's residence, both designated Federal Heritage Buildings in 1994. The Kentville Ravine Trail, about 4.3 km, follows a brook through old-growth hemlock on the site.
The facility was established in 1911 when apple growers in Nova Scotia requested support for their industry. Initial work focused on improving apple production to meet demand from British markets.
The centre's name honours Kentville, the Annapolis Valley town where it stands, and its gardens hold Atlantic Canada's largest collection of flowering shrubs, azaleas and rhododendrons. Each June the annual Rhododendron Sunday opens the grounds to visitors, and the Blair House Museum, open since 29 May 1981, displays the story of Nova Scotia's apple industry.
The centre sits on 464 acres in Kentville, in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley, not the "Apple Valley". The Kentville Ravine Trail, about 4.3 km along a brook through old-growth hemlock, starts at a trailhead with drinking water, a picnic area and flush toilets. Rhododendron Sunday opens the grounds each June.
The center built one of North America's first controlled storage systems in 1939, regulating temperature and air moisture. This innovation permanently changed how produce is handled and kept after harvest.
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