Innovation can be profitable, but challenging. Hear how you can grow your operation by considering new methods and continuing emphasis on customer satisfaction. Join commercial berry growers from across the state on Thursday, January 16, 2020, for a full day of commercial berry education session at the Empire State Producers EXPO held at the OnCenter in Syracuse.
Berry Session I: 9:00 to 10:15 a.m.
In the morning session, Marc Poirier, of the Quebec Ministry of Agriculture will talk about Raspberry Crop Management and the Alternatives to Traditional Production Systems. Mr. Poirier will discuss the benefits and barriers to using protected culture, including different tunnel structural considerations, venting, pruning protocol, cultivar choices etc. Following this presentation, Ms. Rebecca Foltasz of NRCS will introduce and explain the EQUIP High Tunnel cost share program including the application process and reporting requirements.
Berry Session II: 10:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
During the mid-day session, Dr. Miguel Gomez starts the session off talking about his research on Customer Satisfaction with NY U-pick berry farms. The results and insights from the 2019 survey of NYS customers should be eye opening.
After that, the NYS Berry Growers Association will have their brief annual business meeting. This industry group has been very active in lobbying state government and has a lot of successes to report.
Last on the midday agenda is a talk about June bearing strawberry production in New Jersey, moving from matted row to plasticulture, by Peter Nitzsche from Rutgers. He’ll explain how and why New Jersey growers are moving towards plasticulture of their June-bearing strawberries
Berry Session III: 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
A discussion of organic pest management at Wegmans berry farm will kick of the final berry session of the day. Esther Kibbe, CCE Harvest NY and Mark Bowker of Wegmans in Canandaigua will discuss the steps they took to help Wegmans adopt a certified organic production system. More information about a low-spray approach to pest management will be presented with an nod to protected culture—a major aid to organic berry pest management.
Growers will finish out the day with a farmer-to-farmer opportunity to discuss the approaches they have found to be successful when embarking on organic production of berry crops. This is a difficult endeavor, but many growers are innovators and this opportunity will allow them to share their experiences while still remembering that the label is the law. We’ll also hear commentary on the efficacy of some of the newer biological products on the market.
Read the full agenda and sign up here.