This meeting will be held at The Puritan Backroom Restaurant, 245 Hooksett Rd, Manchester, NH, and is designed for commercial fruit growers.
To register online, please visit the following link: 2025 NH Fruit Growers Association Annual Meeting. For more information, or to become a NHFGA member, please visit the following link: NH Fruit Growers Association.
Contact Samantha Pitarys at Samanthabf08@gmail.com or 603-552-8062 with registration questions.
PAT credits pending
Agenda
- 8:30 – 9:15 | Sign-in and breakfast
- 9:15 – 9:30 | Welcome and commercial member introductions
Jeremy DeLisle, Field Specialist, UNH Extension & Madison Hardy, NHFGA President; Kathleen Leahy, Polaris Orchard IPM - 9:30 – 10:00 | Bitter rot, Marssonina, and Botryosphaeria, Oh my! IPM options for each.
Dr. Liza DeGenring, Field Specialist, UNH Extension - 10:00 – 10:45 | Orchard weed control strategies rooted in IPM
Dr. Maria Gannett – Production Agriculture Extension Educator, Weed Management - 10:45 – 11:00 | Break
- 11:00 – 11:15 | NEWA impact survey results for NH fruit growers
Jeremy DeLisle, Field Specialist, UNH Extension - 11:15 – 11:45 | NEWA model interpretation for insect pests and resulting actions
Dr. Amber Vinchesi-Vahl, UNH Extension, Entomologist and IPM State Specialist - 11:45 – 12:00 | Updates and Introductions
University of New Hampshire Extension Updates; Sean Jasper, Commissioner, NH Department of Agriculture - 12:00 – 12:45 | Lunch - Provided
- 12:45 – 1:15 | NHFGA Business Meeting
Madison Hardy, NHFGA President; Brett McKenzie, Vice President; Samantha Fay, Secretary; Paul Franklin, Treasurer - 2023 Annual Meeting Minutes – 2023 Treasurer’s Report – 2023 Treasurer’s Budget - Research Fund Report – U.S. Apple Council Report – Labor Rules Report – Nominating Committee Report – Other Business - 1:15 – 1:45 | Silica usage in fruit production
Dr. Renuka Mathur, UNH Extension, Soil Health State Specialist - 1:45 – 2:45 | Fireblight – New insights on disease biology, antibiotic alternative testing, and IPM
Dr. Quan Zeng, Plant Pathologist, Department of Plant Pathology & Ecology The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station - 2:45 – 3:15 | Craziest pivots and marketing ideas recently implemented - Panel Discussion
Giff Burnap – Butternut Farm, Ryan Wilson – DeMeritt Hill Farm, Joe Rolfe – Stone Mountain Farm,
Danny Hicks – Sunnycrest Farm -
3:15 – 3:30 | Orchard Viability Study Proposal
Jeremy DeLisle and Mike Sciabarrasi, Extension State Specialist, Ag Business, Emeritus - 3:30 – 3:45 | Wrap up: Evaluations and Distribution of PAT Recertification Credits
If you need an accommodation to participate in our programming, please contact Samantha Fay (603) 552-8062 or email: Samanthafb08@gmail prior to the event. Given ample time, we will make any reasonable effort to meet your needs, including language access services if requested, which will be provided free of charge.
