Volume 8 Issue 11
The 2019 Washington Small Fruit Conference will take place on December 4-6th in Lynden, WA. This year we have several special additions and as always will house meetings by the Washington Blueberry and Red Raspberry Commissions. The conference shares the latest research and developments in small fruit production and the event also houses the Lynden Ag Show; the largest agricultural trade show in western Washington with over 45 vendors present.
Live streaming to Prosser, WA and Vancouver, WA.
Pesticide credits have been applied for, but at this point we do not know how many. Once we receive that information it will be posted on the event website.
Ticket Prices
Until 10/22 $90
10/23-12/2 $110
$130 at the door
More information on the conference: https://www.wasmallfruit.com/
Here is a breakdown of the conference:
Keynote Presentations
John Shelford: Blueberry and Red Raspberry Markets
Scot Hulbert: The Future of WSU Small Fruit Pathology Research
Doreen Main: Enabling big data driven discovery and cultivar improvement through database resources
Craig J. Regelbrugge: Agriculture Labor Issues
Short-Style Presentations
- Moth Management in PNW Small Fruit
- The Use of Plastic Mulches in Red Raspberry Production
- Machine Harvesting of Blueberries for Fresh Markets
- Spotted Winged Drosophila Management
- Organic Nitrogen Management
- Using Drones to Asses Irrigation Needs
- Alternative Alleyway Tillage in Red Raspberry
- Soil and Fruit Disease Management
Two Day-Long Sessions
Food Safety Concerns
PLEASE NOTE ALL ATTENDEES WILL BE RECEIVING A CERTIFICATE OF ATTENDANCE, BUT HAVE TO BE PRESENT DURING THE ENTIRE SESSION
Produce Safety Rule Implementation in Washington
WSDA Produce Safety Team staff will give an overview of their program and update participants on the first year of the Produce Safety Rule enforcement.
Food Safety Lessons from the Past.
Dr. Faith Critzer will recap the recent history of food safety risks linked back to berries with a focus on systems which can be put in place to manage these risks.
Viruses, parasites and berries, oh my!
Dr. Lee-Ann Jaykus will provide some insights to the association of foodborne viruses and parasites which have been associated with berries.
Sanitation in action.
This session will be interactive with hands-on learning to improve your sanitation program. Exercises will include monitoring ATP to assess cleanliness, determining the concentration of sanitizers with test strips and titration kits, and swabbing surfaces for microbial testing.
Fresh Market Strawberry Production
- Soilborne diseases and management in Washington
- Mulches in Strawberry Production
- Perpetual-flowering Strawberry Plug Plants
- Breeding discussion
- Grower and Buyer Panel Discussion
- New Strawberry Management guide
- Post-harvest handling
- Plug vs Bareroot plants
- Comparing new varieties to the standards in the field–Fresh Market Grower Trial Results
- Next Steps in Fresh Market Strawberries
Friday Special Session – NOTE THIS SESSION IS RELEVANT TO ALL FARMERS, NOT JUST SMALL FRUIT PRODUCERS
The Worker Protection Standard: Long Anticipated, Not well Understood. A Primer
Synopsis:
The Worker Protection Standard (WPS) has three fundamental principles for which the agricultural employer is responsible.
- To inform employees about pesticide exposures.
- To protect employees from exposures to pesticides.
- To mitigate the effect of a pesticide exposure if experience by employees.
The workshop will review these provisions, providing examples and explanations to clarify
- Employer responsibilities
- Pesticide safety training content
- Trainer and training material requirements
- Review of reference materials and training publications available from the Pesticide Educational Resources Collaborative and WSDA
- Posting of pesticide application and hazard information
- Pesticide application notification
- Application Exclusion Zones
- Respiratory protection and PPE selection, use, and care
- Decontamination supplies
- Information for medical personnel
- Emergency assistance
- Employee reporting of safety violations or pesticide misuse
- What to expect during a WPS inspection will also be discussed.