COLLEGE STATION — The fourth annual Texas Fruit Conference will bring together commercial and recreational growers to hear the latest on production challenges and successes, according to Monte Nesbitt, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service horticulturist in College Station.
The event will be Oct. 5-6 at the College Station Hilton and Conference Center and will coincide with the annual meeting of the North American Fruit Explorer’s Southern Fruit Fellowship meeting.
The annual Texas High Tunnel Conference will follow on Oct. 7 at the same location.
The fruit growers’ program will be from 1-5 p.m. on Oct. 5 and 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. on Oct. 6. Registration, at https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu/Horticulture, is $80 prior to Sept. 25 and $90 thereafter. Registration for the high tunnel conference is $55. Attendees may register for both events for $125.
The conference hotel is offering a $149 rate for attendees who reserve a room by Sept. 13.
“The conference offers interesting topics on a variety of interests, from common fruit production such as peaches, strawberries and citrus, to less common ones such as kiwifruit and jujube,” Nesbitt said. “This program offers valuable information for seasoned fruit growers while also providing persons with no experience a place to learn how to get started.”
Talks will include peach tree pruning, fruit tree grafting, home orchard insecticides, weed management, organic fruit production, walnut production, beekeeping, fruit diseases and fruit business tips.
The Texas High Tunnel Conference is devoted to growing specialty crops — fruits, vegetables and ornamentals — in low-cost, plastic-covered greenhouses, according to Dr. Russ Wallace, AgriLife Extension horticulturist in Lubbock.
“High tunnels differ from greenhouses in their lack of supplemental heating or cooling and are increasingly being used throughout the world to extend the growing season or accelerate production and marketing of specialty crops,” he said.
Among the topics at this event will be a grower’s story about bringing fruits and vegetables from farm to table, irrigation, pest management, consumer expectations and pollination.
For more information about the fruit conference, contact Nesbitt at 979-862-1218 or MLNesbitt@tamu.edu. For information on the high tunnel meeting, contact Wallace at 806-723-8433 or rwwallace@ag.tamu.edu.
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