Learning Opportunities and Meetings for Berry Growers in the New Year

The winter round of meetings is in full swing for growers, with a brief break for the holiday season. I am going to tell you about some important events for berry growers in the New Year.

The North American Strawberry Growers Association (NASGA) will hold its annual conference January 29-31, 2008 in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Hershey is about an 8 hour drive from southern Ontario, but close to the Harrisburg International Airport and just a quick flight from Buffalo or Detroit. This conference is a cooperative event with the North American Bramble Growers Association, and will be held in conjunction with the regional Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention. There will be many concurrent, technical sessions on production and marketing of strawberries, raspberries, other small fruits and vegetables.

Of special interest to new growers on the first day of the conference, are one-day workshops on the fundamentals of either strawberry or raspberry production. The opportunity to learn about berry production in this type of setting doesn't occur very often.

For more information regarding the conference or an updated agenda contact Kevin Schooley at 613-258-4587, info@nasga.org or visit the NASGA website at www.nasga.org. the full program can be found at the Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Conference website, www.mafvc.org

Closer to home, the Ontario Berry Growers Association Annual meeting is Tuesday Feb 19, 2008, followed by the berry day at the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Conference, Feb 20, 2008, both in St. Catharines, Ontario.

The Ontario Berry Growers Association is a strong supporter of research in Ontario and several presentations feature the results of such work. By attending this meeting you will be the first to hear results from projects on marketing, irrigation water quality, soil moisture monitoring and on farm variety trials. Grower-led panel discussions and round table topics are an important part of the 2-day program. Guest speakers from Florida, Ohio and Quebec will share their expertise on berry production systems from high tunnels to plasticulture and organic. Pest management also features strongly in the program, with updates on weed management, Japanese beetle and on-farm projects.

The berry program was developed by the Ontario Berry Growers Association education committee and OMAFRA, for strawberry, raspberry and other small fruit growers. Plan to attend the entire program, February 19-20, 2008. The OFVC conference and trade show continue on Feb 21. Stay another day to take in more sessions, including Local Foods, and Traceability.

For more information contact Kevin Schooley, 613-258-4587, or kconsult@allstream.net.

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