2023 Conference - Tampa, Florida

Sunday, January 22nd, 2023

Exhibitors, Speakers & Attendees Arrive

11:00am – 5:00pm | Registration & Exhibitor Set-Up – Conference Foyer

Conference Room “B”

1:00pm – 5:00pm | Fundamentals of Caneberry Production – A workshop for novice growers, potential growers, and anyone who needs a refresher on the basics of raspberry and blackberry production. Topics will include variety selection, economics of production, basic crop management, and basic pest management. (NOTE: Additional course fee of $75, not included in conference registration)

• 1:00pm – 1:45pm | Amanda McWhirt, University of Arkansas – Basics of Caneberry Production and Getting Started: Site Selection and Site Preparation
• 1:45pm – 2:30pm | Zilfina Ames, University of Georgia and Amanda McWhirt, University of Arkansas – Priority Topics of Pruning & Trellising
• Refreshment Break | 2:30pm-2:45pm
• 2:45pm – 3:30pm | Aaron Cato, University of Arkansas and Sara Villani, North Carolina State University – Disease and Insect Management in Caneberries
• 3:30pm – 4:15pm | Laura McDermott, Cornell University – Getting Started with Raspberries: Production & Issues
• 4:15pm – 5:00pm | Grower Panel – Advice for New Growers from Established NARBA Members

5:00pm – 6:30pm | Opening Reception – Johnny Hoblick, Agri-Starts – Welcome to Florida!

Monday, January 23rd, 2023

8:30am – 9:00am | Exhibitor Session – Conference Foyer

Conference Room “A”

9:00am – 9:55am | Opening Remarks – David Magaña, Rabobank Research – Caneberry Market Update: Trends Impacting the Industry

Transition to breakout sessions.

Conference Room “A”

10:05am – 10:20am | Production Management | Ryan Dickson, University of Arkansas – Costing and Profitability: Case Study in Determining the ROI for Long-Cane Production

10:20am – 10:35am | Production Management | Mohd Rezaul Islam, University of California, Davis – Extending Raspberry Condition and Sensory Quality with CO₂ Atmospheres

10:35am – 10:50am | Production Management | Angelos Deltsidis, University of Georgia, and Zilfina Rubio Ames, University of Georgia – Controlled Atmosphere and Ozone Treatment of 3 Georgia-Grown Blackberry Cultivars

10:50am – 11:05am | Production Management | Scott Orr, USDA-ARS – New Crop Coefficients for Scheduling Irrigation in Trailing Blackberry

11:05am – 11:15am | Production Management Q&A

Conference Room “B”

10:05am – 10:45am | Berry Special Topics | Janis McIntosh, Naturipe Farms; CarrieAnn Arias, Naturipe Farms; Jorden Eade-Romo, Primus Auditing Operations – Sustainability Standards: People, Planet, Profit, Pressure

10:45am – 11:05am | Berry Special Topics | Gina Fernandez, North Carolina State University; Tom O’Brien, O’Brien Family Farms – Multi-State Side-by-Side Cultivar Trial

Conference Room “A”

11:20am – 11:45am | Sean Brotherson, North Dakota State University – Twelve Tools for Your Wellness Toolbox in Agriculture

12:00pm – 1:00pm | Lunch Break

1:00pm – 1:25pm | Exhibitor Session – Conference Foyer

Transition to breakout sessions.

Conference Room “A”

1:25pm – 1:40pm | Breeding | Agnieszka Orzel, Niwa Breeding – Latest Progress in Polish Raspberry and Blackberry Breeding

1:40pm – 1:55pm | Breeding | Felicidad Fernández-Fernández, NIAB EMR – The East Malling Rubus Breeding Consortium: An Update

1:55pm – 2:10pm | Breeding | Ellen Thompson, Hortifrut – Global Breeding Strategies for Sustainability

2:10pm – 2:25pm | Breeding | Gavin Sills, Driscoll’s – Blackberry Breeding at Driscoll’s

2:25pm – 2:35pm | Breeding Q&A

Conference Room “B”

1:25pm – 1:45pm | Berry Special Topics | Renee Threlfall, University of Arkansas – Harvest Date Impact on Fresh-Market Blackberry Quality

1:45pm – 2:05pm | Production Management | Jayesh Samtani, Virginia Tech – Impact of Foliar Calcium, Salicylic Acid, and Shade on Fruit Quality and Flavor of Blackberries

2:05pm – 2:25pm | Berry Special Topics | Gina Fernandez, North Carolina State University – Pairwise Project Updates: What’s Been Done, What is Still to be Done?

2:35pm – 2:55pm | Exhibitor Session & Refreshment Break – Conference Foyer

Conference Room “A”

2:55pm – 3:10pm | Breeding | Carmen Johns, University of Arkansas – University of Arkansas Blackberry Breeding Program Update

3:10pm – 3:25pm | Breeding | Courtney Weber, Cornell University – Cornell Rubus Breeding Update

3:25pm – 3:35pm | Breeding Q&A

3:35pm – 3:50pm | Breeding | Michael Hardigan, USDA-ARS – Oregon Blackberry and Raspberry Breeding: Research Updates and New Varieties

3:50pm – 4:05pm | Breeding | Wendy Hoashi-Erhardt, Washington State University – Raspberry Breeding for Processing in Washington State

4:05pm – 4:20pm | Breeding | Michael Dossett, British Columbia Blueberry Cultivar Development – British Columbia Breeding Update

4:20pm – 4:30pm | Breeding Q&A

4:30pm – 5:00pm | Breeding | Michael Dossett, British Columbia Blueberry Cultivar Development – Review of Recent Caneberry Variety Releases for North America

Conference Room “B”

2:55pm – 3:10pm | University of Florida Berry Research | Muhammad Adnan Shahid, University of Florida – Blackberry: A Newly Emerging Alternative Fruit Crop in Florida

3:10pm – 3:25pm | University of Florida Berry Research | Zhanao Deng, University of Florida – Performance of Commercial Blackberry Varieties in Central Florida

3:25pm – 3:40pm | University of Florida Berry Research | Shinsuke Agehara, University of Florida – Chemical Induction of Budbreak in Blackberry Under Insufficient Winter Chilling

3:40pm – 3:50pm | University of Florida Berry Research Q&A

Tuesday, January 24th, 2023

8:30am – 9:00am | Exhibitor Session – Conference Foyer

Conference Room “A”

9:00am – 9:40am | Keynote Address | Fumiomi Takeda, USDA-ARS, retired – My Journey of Walking Rows of Berries and Vines for Sixty Years

9:45am – 10:05am | Grower Spotlight | M & M Berry Farm, featuring Mike Pack Jr.

10:05am – 10:30am | NARBA Annual Meeting

10:30am – 10:50am | Exhibitor Session & Refreshment Break – Conference Foyer

Transition to breakout sessions

Conference Room “A”

10:50am – 11:05am | Pests and Disease | Marylee Ross, University of Maryland; and Janine Spies, University of Florida – How the IR-4 Project Helps Caneberry Growers with Their Pest Control Needs

11:05am – 11:20am | Pests and Disease | Inga Zasada, USDA-ARS – New and Old Ideas on How to Manage Plant-Parasitic Nematodes in Raspberry

11:20am – 11:35am | Pests and Disease | Hannah Levenson, North Carolina State University – Improvements in SWD Monitoring and Management: Moving Towards IPPM

11:35am – 11:50am | Pests and Disease | Jana Lee, USDA-ARS – Spotted-wing Drosophila (SWD) Control with Wasps, Sterile Males, and Sweets

11:50am – 12:00pm | Pests and Disease Q&A

12:00pm – 12:15pm | New Technology | Serhan Mermer, Oregon State University – Optimized Management Strategies to Control Spotted-wing Drosophila in Small Fruits

Conference Room “B”

10:50am – 11:05am | Plant Management | Joshua Mays, TriEst Ag Group – From Soil to Substrate: Key Infrastructure and Fertigation Ideas

11:05am – 11:20am | Plant Management | Lisa Rayburn, North Carolina State University – Evaluating Pine Bark as an Alternative to Coco Coir for Substrate Production of Long-Cane Raspberry in the Southeast

11:20am – 11:35am | Plant Management | Ryan Dickson, University of Arkansas – Programmable Fruit: Tools and Possibilities for Scheduling Harvests with Long-Cane Production

11:35am – 11:50am | Plant Management | Jeff Glass, Independent Contractor – Sap Analysis: Using Real-Time Nutrient Levels to Make Informed Decisions

11:50am – 12:00pm | Plant Management Q&A

12:00pm – 12:15pm | New Technology | Scott Orr, USDA-ARS – Using Drones to Help Manage Irrigation in Blackberries and Raspberries

1:00pm – 7:00pm | Florida Farm Tour – Field and nursery visits of the emerging blackberry industry in Florida. The tour will also visit the University of Florida Gulf Coast Research Center to learn about advances in blackberry research. (NOTE: Limited space available, additional fee of $100, not included in conference registration. Transportation and reception included.)