Gould Hill Farm
656 Gould Hill Road
Contoocook, NH 03229
United States
PAT credits pending
Pre-registration is required. Lunch will be provided.
Guest speakers include: Win Cowgill (Win Enterprises); Bill Pitts (Bill Pitts Consulting); Trevor Hardy (Brookdale Farm Supply); Jon Clements (UMass Extension Fruit Specialist); and Jeremy DeLisle (UNH Extension Field Specialist)
AGENDA
- 9:30am | Check-in, coffee, and donuts – Bill Pitts: Sampling of new MAIA apple selections
- 9:55am | Welcome – Jeremy DeLisle, UNH Extension; Tim Basset, Owner, Gould Hill Farm
- 10am – Noon | Pruning demonstrations in the field – including pruning and training 3 – 6-year-old tall spindle apple trees (Cowgill, Clements, Pitts, Hardy and DeLisle)
- A portion of our time will be spent on best practices for pruning peach trees as well.
- By noon we will head indoors to grab a bite to eat and have four short presentations from our featured speakers. Topics covered from noon to 1 p.m. will include:
- PGR treatments for flower induction and reduction- Breaking biennial bearing - Win Cowgill
- New apple plant growth regulator chemical thinner 'Brevis' - Jon Clements
- Pruning tools and orchard monitoring with the latest technology - Trevor Hardy
- Midwest Apple Improvement Association variety updates/discussion - Bill Pitts
REGISTRATION & FEE
- Suggested donation: $10 per person or $20 per farm (up to 4 people).
- Cash or checks made payable to NHFGA are accepted.
- Bring your pruning crew!
- Dress warmly – the meeting will be held rain, snow, or shine. Lunch will be indoors in a heated space.
- Pre-registration required by Tuesday, March 24, 2026:
- Email preferred: jeremy.delisle@unh.edu
- Phone: 828-385-0525
- Lunch: Pizza and drinks will be provided after the demonstration for pre-registered attendees only. Please register in advance.
This educational event is a collaborative effort supported in partnership by the following in addition to our host farm:
New England Vegetable and Berry Growers Association
New Hampshire Fruit Growers Association
Midwest Apple Improvement Association
If you need an accommodation to participate in our programming, please contact Jeremy DeLisle, Jeremy.Delisle@unh.edu and (603) 255-3592 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.
