The Illinois State Horticultural Society was formed in 1857 for the purpose of representing fruit tree producers, sharing research findings and promoting the industry to consumers. The Society is one of the oldest continuous operating membership organizations in the State of Illinois.
Membership
Membership is open to producer growers or anyone with an interest in the supporting industry. It is estimated that there are more than 200 commercial operations statewide. Presently, there are approximately 120 grower members from Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and Missouri.
Download ISHS Membership List Editor's note: Membership lists are not all-inclusive.
Governance
The Society is governed by a group of producers and university researchers. Our board members include 11 elected directors, a past president, the Executive Secretary, and appointments from academia.
Activities
Hort Day - June 13, 2013: A summer field day is held in June of each year at a member growers' orchard or at the campuses of a state university where fruit and vegetable research is conducted. For complete information, Download Summer Field Day Agenda and Registration Form Download Summer Field Day Brochure.
Download Hort Day pictures - June 2012
* Each January, the Society participates with the Illinois Specialty Growers Association and the University of Illinois Extension Service in the Illinois Specialty Crops, Agritourism, and Organic Conference and Trade Show in Springfield, IL.
* The Society has taken the lead with the cider safety issue and provided a Hazard Critical Control Points Plan (HACCP) for cider maker members.
* Cider Contests - The Illinois State Horticulture Society sponsored its 24th annual Illinois and National Sweet Cider Contests and the 11th annual National Hard Cider Contest, held in conjunction with the Illinois Specialty Crops, Agritourism and Organic Conference on January 10th in Springfield, Illinois. See Conference and Trade Show page for 2014 Cider Contest Entry Form and Cider Contest Press Release.
Download Keeping-Apples-Disease-Free-During-Storage-and-Shipping
Crop Insurance Reminders for Fruit Producers - An early warm up that brought on budding and pollination in many fruit crops was followed by freezing temperatures that damaged much of this year’s crop. Brian Frieden, USDA’s Risk Management Agency Director for the Springfield Region, offers a few basic reminders for producers with crop insurance. If you have a crop loss, notify your crop insurance agent. Your crop insurance company will discuss your options and send a loss adjuster to work the claim. For producers contemplating whether to maintain the crop for harvest, keep in mind that to adjust the production for quality the crop must reach maturity. The company can establish representative areas or strips to determine production if you decide not to maintain the entire crop. These areas must be maintained as you would under normal conditions until harvest. If you are considering removal of trees or vines, contact your insurance company before doing so to insure it doesn’t impact your claim. Acreage not capable of producing a crop this year should be maintained with next year’s crop in mind. Frieden encourages all fruit producers to discuss their claim with the agent and insurance company to understand the options available in this tough year.
Honey, The Americans Shrank The Apple Trees - When Zarrina Mulloboeva got invited to go apple picking the other day, she thought it would be a taste of home. She is an exchange student from Tajikistan, in central Asia — a country close to the ancestral homeland of apples. Her uncle has a small orchard. Click to read the full story
Executive Committee:
Executive Secretary: Don Naylor, 15962 Old Orchard Rd, Bloomington, IL 61704. Phone: 309.828.8929 E-mail: ilsthortsoc@yahoo.com
President: Chris Eckert, Eckert's Orchard, 946 S Greenmount Rd, Belleville, IL 62220. Phone: 618.234.1955 E-mail: Chris@eckerts.com
1st Vice President: Denise Boggio, Boggio's Little Mtn. Orchard, 10746 N 950th Ave, Granville, IL 61326. Phone: 815.339.2245 E-mail: boggiosorchard@hotmail.com
2nd Vice President: Jeff Broom, Broom Orchard, Inc., 12803 Broom Rd, Carlinville, IL 62626. Phone: 217.854.3514 E-mail: jbroom@frontier.net
Directors:
Kurt Range, Southwestern IL College, 2500 Carlyle Ave, Belleville, IL 62221. Phone: 618.235-2700 E-mail: kurt.range@swic.edu
Raoul Bergensen, Valley Orchard, 703 Jarvis Rd, Winnebago, IL 61088-8332. Phone: 815.335.7158 E-mail: valleyorchards@verizon.net
Dennis Norton, Royal Oak Farm, 15908 Hebron Rd, Harvard, IL 60033. Phone: 815.648.4141 E-mail: dmnorton@royaloakfarmorchard.com
Tom Schwartz, P.O. Box 885, Centralia, IL 62920. Phone: 618.322.7027 E-mail: applejam1@charter.net
Patrick Curran, Curran's Apple Orchard, 641 Paris Ave, Rockford, IL 61107. Phone: 815.398.7504 E-mail: pcurran@tds.net
Dennis Ringhausen, 24748 Reddish Rd., Fieldon, IL 62031. Phone: 618.498.6951 E-mail: applehouse@gtec.com
Advisors:
Dr. Mohammed Babadoost, U of I Dept. of Crop Sciences, N-533A Turner Hall, 1102 S Goodwin, Urbana, IL 61801. Phone: 217.333.1523 E-mail: babadoos@staff.uiuc.edu
Past President:
Craig Tanner, Tanner's Orchard, 740 St Rte 40, Speer, IL 61479. Phone: 309.493.5442 E-mail: craig@tannersorchard.com
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