The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service’s annual Texas Fruit Conference is set for Oct. 18-20 in Fredericksburg with registration now accepted.
The conference targets fruit producers and is one of the most comprehensive annual educational events, according to organizers.
Themed “Thinking Outside the Fruit Box,” the conference features lectures, commercial fruit orchard tours, a “Taste of Texas” fruit tasting reception featuring Texas-grown fruit and products, plus a post-conference training on orchard and vineyard irrigation.
The conference will be held at the AgriLife Extension office in Gillespie County, 38 Business Court. Cost is $200 per person and online registration is available at https://tx.ag/2023FruitConference. The reception is included in the price of the conference or $15 per person for those not registered.
Three hours of Texas Department of Agriculture general pesticide continuing education units will be available for attendees.
Conference goal and activities
Monte Nesbitt, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension program specialist in the Texas A&M Department of Horticultural Sciences, Bryan-College Station, said the conference’s goal is to help growers learn about the latest research and management strategies through classroom instruction, hands-on learning and peer-to-peer networking.
“The main goal of the Texas Fruit Conference is to bring new and experienced fruit growers together with the scientific community to share strategies that will foster long-term economic success,” Nesbitt said. “New or prospective growers can expect to learn the enjoyable and difficult realities of managing fruit trees and berries. Experienced growers can expect to gain new or different perspectives on crops, varieties or technologies that may open new doors of opportunity.”
Program agenda and topics
The program is scheduled to begin Oct. 18 at 8 a.m. with the Introduction to Fruit Workshop.
This year’s schedule and program topics and guest speakers, all with the Texas A&M Department of Horticultural Sciences, are as follows:
Oct. 18, 8a.m.-noon, Introduction to Fruit Growing Workshop:
- Site and resource evaluation for new fruit orchards — Jim Kamas, AgriLife Extension horticulturist, Fredericksburg.
- Fruit orchard establishment — Larry Stein, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension horticulturist, Uvalde.
- Budgeting time resources: What it takes to start and manage an orchard — Jacy Lewis, laboratory manager, Viticulture and Fruit Lab, Fredericksburg.
- Disease and insect threats to successful fruit production — Brianna Hoge, AgriLife Extension viticulture specialist, Fredericksburg.
- Developing an orchard integrated pest management philosophy — Nesbitt
- Deciding what to grow: Major production and marketing considerations — Tim Hartmann, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension specialist, Bryan-College Station.
Oct. 18, 12:30-4 p.m., Commercial Orchard Tour
Oct. 19, main conference program, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., followed by optional social/reception from 5:30-7 p.m:
- Figs — Kamas.
- Peaches — Hartmann.
- Olives — Stephen Janak, AgriLife Extension program specialist, Hallettsville.
- Pears — Amit Dhingra, Ph.D., department head, Texas A&M Department of Horticultural Sciences, Bryan-College Station.
- Table Grapes — Stein.
- Raspberries — Lewis.
- Strawberries — Russell Wallace, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension specialist, Lubbock.
- Blueberries — Nesbitt.
- Apples — Dhingra.
- Blackberries — Janak.
- Apricots, Plums, other stone fruit — Hartmann.
- Persimmons — Kamas.
Oct. 20, 9-11:30 a.m., post-Conference training, Viticulture and Fruit Lab, 259 Business Court, Fredericksburg:
- General Session 1: Water needs of fruit crops – quality, quantity.
- General Session 2: Soil moisture monitoring technology.
- General Session 3: Remote operation and system monitoring technology.
- General Session 4: Questions, answers and summary points.
There will be four breakout sessions during the training that will cover topics such as fertigation/chemigation and backflow prevention, water filtration and system maintenance, irrigation scheduling and water delivery options.
All sessions will be team-taught between Kamas, Janak, Stein and Hartmann.
For more information, contact Nesbitt at 979-862-1218 or monte.nesbitt@ag.tamu.edu, or the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Viticulture and Fruit Lab at 830-990-4046.
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