The second day of the annual meeting splits sessions into three separate rooms with talking points covering pollination and cherries in room C; organics and it’s global growth (Read the our session preview “Gaining organic intelligence“), and technology use in the field in room D; and several Spanish language sessions covering orchard practices, diseases, and field tools in room E. All educational sessions will be held at the Yakima Convention Center with a banquet held in room 400 starting at 6 p.m. Read below for times and session details.
WAEF Alumni Breakfast 7 a.m.
Sponsor: Washington Apple Education Foundation
Host: Jennifer Witherbee, Washington Apple Education Foundation
Location: Yakima Convention Center “Room 400”
Poster Session 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Session Sponsor: Papé Material Handling
Session Manager: R. Karina Gallardo,
Associate Professor / Extension Specialist, WSU
Location: Yakima Convention Center “B”
Concurrent Session
Pollination & Fruit Set 8 a.m. – noon
Session Sponsor: Northwest Wholesale
Session Manager: Dan Griffith, Tree Fruit Consultant, G.S. Long Co., Inc.
& Tory Schmidt, Project Manager, Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission (WTFRC)
Location: Yakima Convention Center “C”
8:00 Welcome & Introduction
— Dan Griffith, Tree Fruit Consultant, G.S. Long Co.
8:10 Fruiting Biology 101
— Dr. Matthew Whiting, Department of Horticulture, WSU-IAREC
Problems with Pollinizers
8:30 Quarantine Issues, Disease Biology, and Current Research with Pathogens of Manchurian Crabs
— Dr. Parama Sikdar, Postdoctoral Research Associate, WSU
8:50 Orchard Sanitation and Management of Manchurian Crabs
— Dr. Richard Kim, Postharvest Pathologist, Pace International
9:05 New Potential Pollinizers for Apple Orchards
— Dr. Stefano Musacchi, Endowed Chair for Tree Fruit Physiology and Management, WSU Tree Fruit Research & Extension Center
9:20 Pollen Tube Growth Model Update
— Tory Schmidt, Project Manager, WTFRC
9:30 Artificial Pollination to Improve Yield Security
— Dr. Matthew Whiting, Department of Horticulture, WSU-IAREC
9:50 Honey Bee Foraging Behavior
— Dr. Gloria Hoffman, Research Leader, USDA-ARS
10:20 Honey Bee Ecology
— Dr. Tim Lawrence, County Director, Island County, WSU Extension
10:40 Alternative Pollinator Species
— Dr. Steve Sheppard, Professor, Entomology Department Chair, WSU
11:00 Best Management Practices for Optimizing Fruit Set
— Eric Olson, Owner, Olson’s Honey; Hermann Thoennissen, Owner, HTG International
11:30 Roundtable Q & A
— All Session Speakers
Concurrent Session
Organic Tree Fruit – Gone Global 8 a.m. – noon
Session Sponsor: Northwest Farm Credit
Session Manager: David Granatstein, Sustainable Ag Specialist,
WSU Tree Fruit Research & Extension Center
Location: Yakima Convention Center “D”
The Organic Tree Fruit Sector
8:00 Welcome and Introduction
— David Granatstein, Sustainable Ag Specialist, WSU Tree Fruit Research & Extension Center
8:05 Sector Trends – Global to Local
— David Granatstein, Sustainable Ag Specialist, WSU Tree Fruit Research & Extension Center
8:20 View From the Retailer
— Frank Padilla, V.P. GMM Produce & Meat, Costco Wholesale
8:40 View from the Fresh Fruit Shipper
— Howard Nager, V.P. of Marketing, Domex Superfresh Growers
9:00 View from the Processor
— Cris Hales, V.P. Fruit Procurement & Grower Services, Tree Top Inc.
9:20 The Role of Fresh Sliced Organic
— Tony Freytag, Senior V.P., Crunch Pak
9:35 Q & A — All Speakers
Organic Tree Fruit Production Tips
9:50 Progress in Fire Blight Control
— Dr. Ken Johnson, Professor of Plant Pathology, OSU
10:10 Little Cherry Disease Insect Vectors
— Dr. Andrea Bixby-Brosi, Post-Doctoral Scientist, WSU Tree Fruit Research & Extension Center
10:25 Cost of Production Studies
— Suzette Galinato, Research Associate, School of Economic Sciences, WSU
Organic Policy
10:40 National Organic Standards Board
— Harold Austin, Director of Orchard Administration, Zirkle Fruit; and NOSB
11:00 Proposed Organic Check-Off Program
— Nate Lewis, Senior Crops and Livestock Specialist, Organic Trade Association
Transitioning to Organic
11:15 Transitioning to Organic (Grower PANEL)
— Moderator: David Granatstein, Sustainable Ag Specialist, WSU; Panelists: Alan Groff, Manager, Foreman Land and Fruit Co.; Jeff Pheasant, Owner, Pheasant Orchards; Mike Brownfield, Owner, Brownfield Orchards
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Concurrent Session
Spanish Language Session 1 8 a.m. – noon
Session Sponsor: Broetje Orchards
Session Manager: Dr. Melba R. Salazar-Gutiérrez, Assistant Research Professor, AgWeatherNet-BSE, WSU, Morning Session Moderator: Alfredo Reyes, Washington Fruit & Produce
Location: Yakima Convention Center “E”
8:00 Welcome / Bienvenida
— Dr. Melba R. Salazar-Gutiérrez, AgWeatherNet-BSE, WSU & Jose Ramirez, WSTFA Chairman of the Board
8:15 Pruning for Cropload and Fruit Quality / Poda para control de la carga del árbol y calidad de la fruta
— Jacqui Gordon, Department of Horticulture, WSU
8:45 Tree Fruit Thinning: Why, When and How / Raleo de frutos: Cómo, cuándo y porqué
— Dr. Melba R. Salazar-Gutiérrez, AgWeatherNet-BSE, WSU
9:15 Using the Pollen Tube Model to Guide Chemical Thinning Program / Uso del modelo del tubo polínico como guía para programar el raleo químico
— Héctor Camargo, Department of Biological Systems Engineering, WSU
9:30 Break / Descanso
9:45 WPS Violations Found in 2015 / Violaciones a WPS en el 2015
— Jaime Ramon, Pesticide Management Division, Washington State Department of Agriculture
10:45 Available Resources to Enhance Safety in the Tree Fruit Industry / Recursos disponibles para incrementar la seguridad en la industria frutícola
— Flor Servin, Safety & Health Consultant, Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
11:30 Lunch Break
Concurrent Session
Spanish Language Session 2 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Session Sponsor: Stemilt Ag Services
Session Manager: Dr. Melba R. Salazar-Gutiérrez, Assistant Research Professor, AgWeatherNet-BSE, WSU, Afternoon Session Moderator: Jesus Lamas, Manager C & M Orchards
Location: Yakima Convention Center “E“
1:00 Strategies to Manage Tree Stress / Estrategias para manejar el estrés en arboles frutales
— Dr. Lee Kalcsits, Tree Fruit Physiology, WSU Tree Fruit Research & Extension Center
1:30 AgWeatherNet Tools for Making the Right Decisions in the Orchard / Cómo emplear las herramientas de AgWeatherNet para tomar buenas decisiones en la huerta
— Andrés Peña, Department of Biological Systems Engineering, WSU
2:00 Orchard Irrigation Practices and Strategies / Prácticas y estrategias de irrigación en huertas frutales
— Antonella Valverdi, Department of Horticulture, WSU
2:30 Cherry Powdery Mildew: Putting the Focus Back on the Cherry / Oidio de la Cereza: Poniendo la atención otra vez a la fruta
— Dr. Claudia Probst, Plant Pathology & Microbiology, WSU-IAREC
3:00 WSDA Updates & WPS Rule Changes / Información Actualizada de WSDA Y Cambios a la Regla de WPS
— Ofelio Borges, Technical Services and Education Program Manager, Washington State Department of Agriculture
4:00 How to be a Good Supervisor in the Orchard / Cómo ser un buen supervisor en la huerta
— Alfredo Reyes, Orchard Manager, Washington Fruit & Produce
4:30 Adjourn / Cierre
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Concurrent Session
Northwest Fruit Crops: Cherries 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Session Sponsor: Domex Superfresh Growers
Session Manager: Brent Huck, Stemilt Field Staff, Department / Regional Manager Ag Services Yakima, Grower, Co-Session Managers: Tom Auvil, Research Horticulturist, WTFRC & Mark Hanrahan, Grower
Location: Yakima Convention Center “C”
1:00 Welcome & Introduction
— Brent Huck, Stemilt Field Staff, Department/Regional Manager Ag Services Yakima, Grower
1:05 A Glance at the 2015 NW Cherry Season
— BJ Thurlby, President, Washington State Fruit Commission, NW Cherry Growers
1:20 Little Cherry Virus, Detect it Early or Risk Losing Your Entire Orchard. Is LCV Epidemic History Being Repeated?
— Timothy J. Smith, Professor, Emeritus, WSU Extension
1:40 Developing a Management Strategy for Little Cherry Disease
— Andrea Bixby-Brosi, Post-Doctoral Scientist, WSU Tree Fruit Research & Extension Center
2:10 Orchard Performance of Advanced WSU Sweet Cherry Scion Selections in 2015
— Dr. Ines Hanrahan, Project Manager, Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission
2:40 Diagnosing and Dealing with Stress
— Dr. Matthew Whiting, Department of Horticulture, WSU-IAREC
3:10 Break
3:25 Cherry Powdery Mildew: Putting the Focus Back on the Cherry
— Dr. Claudia Probst, Plant Pathology & Microbiology, WSU-IAREC
3:55 Ensuring Ocean Shipping Export Arrival Quality of PNW Sweet Cherries — Yan Wang, Department of Horticulture, OSU
4:40 Using Kestrels for Bird Control in Sweet Cherries: The Benefits of Encouraging Natural Predators — Deanna Leigh, M.Sc. Candidate, Huxley College of the Environment, WWU
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Concurrent Session
Leverage Technology to Increase Your Bottom-line 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Session Sponsor: Aweta Americas, Inc., Co- Session Managers: Jordan Matson, Manager, Matson Fruit Company
& Kyle Tynan, Research Assistant, WTFRC
Location: Yakima Convention Center “D”
1:00 Welcome & Introduction
— Jordan Matson, Manager, Matson Fruit
1:10 Data Security: How to Protect Your Information
— Michael Liddicoat, Customer Advocate, Alliant Communications
1:40 Take Technology to Your Orchard
— Nick Loyd, Associate in Research, AgWeatherNet
2:40 Data Management: Adding Value to Data
— Jon DeVaney, President, WSTFA; Josh Sundquist, Senior Category Analyst, Domex Superfresh Growers; Dennis Howell, Director of Planning, Stemilt Growers
3:40 Computer System Development & Deployment (PANEL)
— Moderator: Jordan Matson, Manager, Matson Fruit Company; Panelists: Mike Lewis, Systems Analyst, Monson Fruit Company; Autumn Bernier, Chief Information Officer & Systems Manager, Allan Bros; Lucas Hanson, IT Executive, Matson Fruit Company; Eric Skiles, IT Administrator, Domex Superfresh Growers
WSTFA Banquet 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Location: Yakima Convention Center “Room 400”
Master of Ceremonies: George Allan, Allan Brothers
Banquet Sponsor: Good Fruit Grower
Hors d’Oeuvres Sponsor: Wilbur Ellis
Dessert Buffet Sponsor: AgroFresh
Commemorative Art Sponsor: Western Fruit Grower
6:00 Reception and WAEF Silent Auction, Connecting with Poster Presenters
7:00 Dinner & Awards
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