2025 North american berry Conference Schedule
Monday, February 3rd
1:00pm – 4:00pm | Registration / Check-In Open – Kaleiopapa Convention Center Outdoor Foyer, OUTRIGGER Kona Resort & Spa
5:00pm | Opening Reception – Pa’aki Point Lawn, OUTRIGGER Kona Resort & Spa
Tuesday, February 4th
8:00am – 8:25am | Registration & Exhibitor Sessions – Kaleiopapa Convention Center Outdoor Foyer
Keauhou II – Joint General Session
8:25am – 9:00am | Conference Welcome
8:30am – 9:00am | Opening Remarks – Agriculture in Hawai’i
9:00am – 9:20am | Penelope Perkins Veazie, North Carolina State University – Career Retrospective – Strawberry Fruit Quality: Meeting Consumer Demands for Flavor and Health
9:20am – 9:40am | Hannah Levenson, North Carolina State University – Improved Management Recommendations for the Control of Spotted-Wing Drosophila in Berry Crops
9:40am – 10:00am | Dhurgham Al-karawi, Russel IPM Group – AI to monitor Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD)
10:00am – 10:30am | Aaron Cato, University of Arkansas – Using Drones in Berry Production
Break & Exhibitor Session – 10:30am – 11:00am | Kaleiopapa Convention Center Outdoor Foyer
11:00am – 11:30am | Ioannis Tzanetakis, University of Arkansas – Clean Plants 2.0: Overcoming the Challenges of Detecting Berry Viruses
11:30am – 12:00pm | Protected Culture Panel – Moderated by Austin Wrenn, Wrenn’s Farm, LLC
- Corenthin (Felix) Chassouant, Harnois
- Richard Mills, Haygrove
- Cal Lewis, Lewis Nursery and Farms, Inc.
- Israel Holby, Plantlogic
Lunch & Exhibitor Session – 12:oopm – 1:25pm | Kaleiopapa Convention Center Outdoor Foyer & Back Lawn
Keauhou II – Joint General Session, Continued
1:25pm | After Lunch Welcome
1:30pm – 2:00pm | Joshua Mays, TriEst Ag Group – What Happens to Soil Microbes When You Fumigate? How to Integrate Soil Fumigation into a Soil Health System
2:00pm – 2:30pm | Jérémie Pitre, Entreprise Pitre, Quebec – Grower Profile: Transitioning from Open-Field to High-Tunnel Production, Innovative Strategies for Small Fruit Growers
2:30pm – 3:00pm | Betsy Bihn, Cornell University – Revised FSMA Produce Safety Rule Pre-harvest Agricultural Water Requirements
3:00pm – 3:45pm | Substrate Panel – Moderated by Kevin Schooley, North American Strawberry Growers Association
- Shawn Mallen, AMA Horticulture
- Austin Smith, Grodan
- Kyle Freedman, Jiffy Group
- Lisa Rayburn, North Carolina State University
3:45pm | Exhibitor Session & Networking | Kaleiopapa Convention Center Foyer
WedNEsday, February 5th
8:00am – 8:55am | Registration & Exhibitor Sessions – Kaleiopapa Convention Center Outdoor Foyer
Keauhou I – Caneberry Session
8:55am – 9:00am | Day 2 Welcome
9:00am – 9:30am | Tom Spaulding, Pairwise – Gene-Edited Blackberries that Benefit Growers and Consumers: Roadmap to High-Yielding, Seedless and Thornless Blackberries from Pairwise
9:30am – 10:00am | David Bryla, USDA- ARS Corvallis – Impacts of Post-harvest Water Deficits and Alternate-Year Production on the Seasonal Water Requirements of ‘Columbia Star’ Trailing Blackberry
10:00am – 10:30am | Joshua Mays, TriEst Ag Group – Annual Raspberry Systems in the Southeast USA – How to Develop the Fourth Berry Crop
Keauhou II – Strawberry Session
8:55am – 9:00am | Day 2 Welcome
9:00am – 9:30am | Jayesh Samtani, Virginia Tech – Effect of Additional Fall Season Growing Degree Day Accumulation on Strawberry Fruit Yield
9:30am – 10:00am | Natalia Peres, University of Florida – Neopestalotiopsis Update
10:00am – 10:30am | Amanda McWhirt, University of Arkansas – Managing Nitrogen in Short and Long Day Strawberries
Break & Exhibitor Session – 10:30am – 11:00am | Kaleiopapa Convention Center Outdoor Foyer
Keauhou I – Caneberry Session, Continued
11:00am – 11:30am | Amanda McWhirt, University of Arkansas – Recommendations for Leaf Tissue Nutrient Sampling in Blackberry
11:30am – 12:00pm | Caneberry Cultivar Panel
- Jackie Lee, University of Arkansas
- Michael Hardigan, USA-ARS Corvallis
- Joe Fiola, University of Maryland
Keauhou II – Strawberry Session, Continued
11:00am – 11:20am | NASGA Annual Meeting
11:20am – 12:00pm | Strawberry Cultivar Panel, Moderated by Kim Lewers, USDA-ARS
- Charlie Gunderson, Planasa
- Courtney Weber, Cornell University
- Hillary Thomas, Naturipe Berry Growers, Inc.
Lunch & Exhibitor Session – 12:oopm – 1:30pm | Kaleiopapa Convention Center Outdoor Foyer & Back Lawn
Keauhou I – Caneberry Session, Continued
1:30pm – 2:00pm | NARBA Annual Meeting
2:00pm – 2:30pm | Lorena Lopez, North Carolina State University – Spider Mite Management in Protected Culture
2:30pm – 3:00pm | Aaron Cato, University of Arkansas – Survey of Mites in Blackberries and Their Management in the SE
3:00pm – 3:45pm | Caneberry Grower Panel – Moderated by Jayesh Samtani, Virginia Tech
- Bo Slack, Cal Giant
- Blaine Staples, The Jungle Farm
- Kerry Charron, ROC Farm
- Barron Shaw, Shaw Orchards
Keauhou II – Strawberry Session, Continued
1:30pm – 2:00pm | Kim Lewers, USDA-ARS – “The Times They are a ‘Changin’: Neopestalotiopsis and CEA
2:00pm – 2:30pm | Hillary Thomas, Naturipe Berry Growers, Inc. – Trends in the CA Strawberry Industry
2:30pm – 3:00pm | Nate Westrick, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station – Managing Anthracnose Crown Rot: An Emerging Issue in the Northeast
3:00pm – 3:30pm | Kashif Riaz, Production Lareault – Challenges Vertical / Indoor Strawberry Production
3:30pm | Exhibitor Session & Networking | Kaleiopapa Convention Center Foyer
Thursday, February 6th
8:45am | Buses Depart for Island of Hawai’i Agricultural Tour – OUTRIGGER Main Lobby
NOTE: Tour buses will all leave the hotel at the same time and return around 4pm. We will be split into groups on tour buses of around 50 people and the order of the tour stops will differ per group but the departure and return time will remain the same. The tour includes lunch. You indicated on your registration that whether you plan to join us for this tour. If your plans change, please contact info@raspberryblackberry.com before January 17th.
Tour Stops: