Becker Forum - Farm Labor: Times of Change - January 13
full-day session, includes lunch and refreshments.
Monday, January 13, Downtown Marriott Syracuse

2020 Empire State Producers Expo - January 14-16 
This annual show combines the major fruit, flower and vegetable associations of New York State in order to provide a comprehensive trade show and educational conference for New York producers, as well as neighboring states and Eastern Canada. In years past over 100 presentations were given by Cornell Cooperative Extension personnel and highly regarded speakers from across the country. Panel discussions feature some of the top industry experts and growers in New York. Between educational sessions, attendees can visit the trade show featuring over 150 commercial vendors and non-profit exhibitors. A Great Opportunity at the Expo January 14 in Syracuse - A Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training Course at a Reduced Price!  Thursday January 16 includes 3 sessions covering Berries.

Innovation is the Focus of the 2019 Empire Producers EXPO Berry Sessions  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 16th, 2020 for a full day of commercial berry education session at the Empire State Producers EXPO held at the OnCenter in Syracuse, NY. 

Berry Session I - 9 to 10:15 AM 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 - 12:00 PM 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 lobbying state government and has a lot of successes to report.  Last on the mid-day agenda is a talk about June bearing strawberry production in NJ - moving from matted row to plasticulture by Peter Nitzsche, from Rutgers.   Mr. Nitzsche will explain how and why NJ growers are moving towards plasticulture of their June bearing strawberries 

Berry Session III - 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM  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, Wegmans, 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 a nod to protected culture - a major aid to organic berry pest management.  Growers will finish out the day with a farmer to farmer opportunity - discussing 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 and including commentary on efficacy of some of the newer biological products on the market. 

Register for all events outlined above at once & for hotel booking visit http://nysvga.org/expo/information/
Official Becker Forum & Empire State Producers Expo Hotel Information:

Marriott Syracuse Downtown
100 East Onondaga Street, Syracuse, NY 13202
315.474.2424

Last Day to Book: Monday, December 16, 2019
Special group rate: $119 USD per night
Call and mention the "Empire State Producers Expo" Code, or book online: see link above

EXPO Schedule & Details - Fruit Only (PDF; 339KB)