Virtual Texas Fruit Conference set for Jan. 10
Program will introduce growers to fruit production business basics
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will host the 2025 Texas Fruit Conference on Jan. 10.
The one-day virtual event will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. via Zoom. The cost is $50, and online registration is available at https://tx.ag/FruitConference.
Three Texas Department of Agriculture pesticide license continuing education units are available.
The Texas Fruit Conference is an annual AgriLife Extension program devoted to increasing the sustainability of perennial fruit crops for new and established fruit growers, hobbyists and enthusiasts through research, education and social networking.
Topics and speakers
Session 1 — Blackberries and raspberries
- Blackberry production in Arkansas with rotating control arms — Amanda McWhirt, Ph.D., associate professor and extension specialist, University of Arkansas.
- Current status of blackberry production in Texas — Stephen Janak, AgriLife Extension program specialist, Texas A&M Department of Horticultural Sciences, Hallettsville.
- Raspberry cultivars and strategies for successful production in Texas — Jacy Lewis, manager of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Viticulture and Fruit Lab in Fredericksburg, a part of the Department of Horticultural Sciences.
Session 2 — Experiences in pick-your-own marketing
- Video out-takes from Harvest Horizons program — Janak and Monte Nesbitt, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension horticulture specialist and associate professor, Department of Horticultural Sciences, Bryan-College Station.
- Agritourism and pick-your-own marketing — Janak and Nesbitt.
Session 3 — Biotic-abiotic stress in perennial fruit
- Cultural practices that extend peach tree life — Larry Stein, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension horticulture specialist and professor, Department of Horticultural Sciences, Uvalde.
- Flat-headed borer recognition, prevention and control — Kyle Slusher, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension entomologist-pecan, viticulture and fruit and an assistant professor, Texas A&M Department of Entomology, Stephenville.
- Flutriafol – one component in cotton root rot management — Nesbitt.
Session 4 — Tree fruit research updates
- Texas apricot project — Tim Hartmann, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension horticulture specialist and assistant professor, Department of Horticultural Sciences, Bryan-College Station.
- Expanding pear production through genomic research — June Labbancz, doctoral student and research assistant, Department of Horticultural Sciences, Bryan-College Station and Amit Dhingra, department head and professor, Department of Horticultural Sciences, Bryan-College Station.
- Texas A&M peach cultivar update — David Byrne, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research breeder, geneticist and professor, Department of Horticultural Sciences, Bryan-College Station.
Session 5 — Blueberries, strawberries and plums
- Container blueberry production strategies — Dave Creech, Ph.D., professor emeritus and director Stephen F. Austin Gardens, Stephen F. Austin State University.
- Spotted wing drosophila impact and mitigation — Slusher.
- Can I grow strawberries profitably in Texas: Yes or no? — Russell Wallace, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension specialist emeritus and professor, Department of Horticultural Sciences, Lubbock.
- Plums for Texas — Hartmann.
For more information, contact Nesbitt at [email protected].
