| |
Mark Your Calendar!
2010
Illinois Specialty Crops and Agritourism Conference - Jan. 6-8, 2010.
Crowne Plaza Hotel and Convention Center
Springfield, Illinois
For the 2010
conference, ISGA members and all past attendees will be mailed a brochure
in early December 2009.
For
more information or for a 2010 conference brochure, Contact:
Illinois Specialty Growers Association
1701 N. Towanda Ave.
Bloomington, IL 61701
Phone 309/557-2107 FAX 309/557-3729
handley@ilfb.org
For a review of 2009 conference events:
2009 Illinois Specialty Crops and Agritourism Pre-Conference Workshops -
Jan 7 (printer friendly)
2009
Illinois Specialty Crops and Agritourism Conference Agenda - Jan 7-9
(printer friendly)
2009 Buy
Local Eat Healthy Program Recap
2009 Illinois Specialty
Crops & Agritourism List of Exhibitors
2009 Cider
Contest Results
2009
Conference Highlights
The 2009 Illinois Specialty Crops and Agritourism
Conference, held January 7-10 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Springfield,
included programming for both the Illinois Specialty Growers Association and
the Agricultural Tourism Partners of Illinois (ATPI). The overall effort
featured three pre-conference workshops, the traditional breakout sessions,
and for the second year a Saturday program called “Buy Local, Eat Healthy.”
The three pre-conference workshops held on Wednesday, January 7 were: (1)
the ever-popular Pumpkin Workshop; (2) Biological Control in High Tunnels
and Greenhouses; and (3) Federal Grantwriting Basics. All were well attended
and well reviewed, with about 150 people in the audience for the three
programs combined. On the evening of January 7, programs on labor and legal
issues and the new AGR-lite crop insurance program were led by Rich Schell
and Griffin Schnitzler. Both provided excellent information and guidance on
two very complicated topics.
On Thursday, January 18, a presentation and cooking demonstration by chefs
Michael and Brigitta McGreal kicked off the conference. Michael heads the
culinary arts program at Joliet Junior College, and Brigitta is a department
chair and culinary arts instructor at Bolingbrook High School. Their
presentation on “Foods that Heal: Cooking Quick, Nutritious, and Delicious
Gourmet Meals” was a great hit (in part because of all the great samples
they handed out) that featured produce that Illinois growers bring to
markets for several months each year.
The remainder of the January 8-9 program featured four concurrent program
tracks on fruits, vegetables, herbs, and agritourism/marketing.
Invited speakers for the fruit sessions included Wesley Autio from the
University of Massachusetts on pruning in apples and peaches and controlling
top growth in apples, as well as Patty McManus from the University of
Wisconsin on brown rot in peaches and early-season disease control in
apples. The fruit sessions also included talks on top 10 do’s and don’ts for
orchard establishment from Chris Doll and a grower panel; orchard monitoring
for disease control from Mohammad Babadoost and a grower panel; modes of
action and effectiveness of tree fruit insecticides by Rick Weinzierl;
characteristics of disease-resistant apple cultivars by Mosbah Kushad; and
weed management in orchards after heavy rains by Elizabeth Wahle.
For vegetable growers, Galen Dively, University of Maryland, talked on the
efficacy of OMRI-approved (organic) insecticides and on the efficacy of Bt
sweet corn hybrids. Jerald (Snook) Pataky, a sweet corn disease resistance
specialist from the University of Illinois, gave a great summary of disease
resistance and disease management in sweet corn, and Rick Weinzierl, Jeff
Kindhart, and Elizabeth Wahle rounded out the sweet corn session with
information on insect management and cultivar evaluations. Alan Walters of
Southern Illinois University provided talks on sustainable production
techniques and mini watermelons, and University of Illinois faculty and
staff members Mohammad Babadoost, Bill Shoemaker, and Jeff Kindhart covered
bacterial diseases of tomatoes, irrigation management, and chile pepper
production.
Agritourism sessions featured talks on state tourism programs, safety
considerations for agritourism operations, marketing options which
capitalize on evolving consumer trends, and ideas to increase on-farm sales.
The banquet speaker, Matt Lohr, also talked in the breakout about his
agritourism business in Virginia. Two panels featured Illinois agritourism
and media relations.
In the Herb breakout sessions, Greg Stack (U of I) started off the day with
his talk “Old Roses for the Herb Garden” followed by Jananne Fink and
Jennifer Fishburn (U of I Extension) on helping your customers down the
information highway. Phil Nixon, also from U of I, rounded out the day with
“What’s Bugging Your Herb Garden?”
On Friday, Susanna Reppert of The Rosemary House, Mechanicsburg, PA, talked
about using interns and apprentices as well as addressing the future of the
herb industry.
IHA board members Liz Fiorenza and Kay Carnes spoke on diversification and
flexibility in the herb industry and making herbs work for you,
respectively. Dianne Noland (U of I) finished the day talking about
designing with herbs.
Pumpkin Workshop Recap
|
[ Home ] [ Conference Agenda ] [ ISGA Directors ] [ IL Vegetable Growers Assn ] [ IL State Horticultural Society ] [ IL Herb Assn ] [ IL Irrigation Assn ] [ Join ISGA ] [ Calendar of Events ] [ Accomplishments ] [ News Releases ] [ Sponsors ] [ Member Websites ] [ Membership List ] [ ISGA Links ]
|