Fruit & Nut Resources

http://Registration: https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu/hort-ev-022

http://Registration: https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu/hort-ev-022

Save the date for the 12th annual Texas Fruit Conference, a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension educational conference developed and delivered by the TAMU Department of Horticultural Sciences in an effort to bring fruit growers, Extension specialists and researchers together to increase the opportunities and sustainability of growing fresh fruit in Texas.
DATES-October 18-20, 2023, Fredericksburg, Texas

Schedule of Events

• Intro to Fruit Growing Workshop, Wednesday morning, Oct. 18th, Gillespie County AgriLife Extension Office, 38 Business Ct., Fredericksburg, TX.
• Tour of commercial fruit producers-Fredericksburg area, Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 18th.
• Educational Seminars-“Rethinking Texas’ Fruit Opportunities & Challenges“, Thursday, Oct. 19th, 8am-4:30 pm, Gillespie County AgriLife Extension Office.
• Taste of Texas Fruit Reception-Thursday Evening, Oct. 19th, Tatsch House, Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park, Fredericksburg.
• Hands-On Intensive Training–Orchard/Vineyard Irrigation, Friday Morning, Oct. 20th,Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Viticulture & Fruit Lab, 259 Business Ct., Fredericksburg.

Lodging Options: Fredericksburg is a busy city in October. We recommend making lodging arrangements well in advance!
Two Fruit Conference hotels with competitive rates have been established: 

• Inn on Baron’s Creek, Fredericksburg-
  Inn on Barons Creek | Hotels in Downtown Fredericksburg – Fredericksburg TX Inn
• Best Western Sunday House Inn, Kerrville-Best Western Sunday House Inn | Hotel Rooms

Dr. Monte Nesbitt, Coordinator, (979) 862-1218, monte.nesbitt@ag.tamu.edu
Leslie Pressler, Viticulture & Fruit Lab, (830) 990-4046, leslie.pressler@ag.tamu.edu

The Texas Fruit Conference brings together the diverse interests in growing fruit in Texas for education & networking.

Registration Information: http://agriliferegister.tamu.edu/fruit/

Monday Morning October 11^th, Intro to Fruit Growing Workshop

8:30-9:00   Site Selection: Is this a good place for an orchard? Jim Kamas, Extension Specialist,  Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

9:00 -9:30 Crop and Variety Selection: What crop is right for me? Justin Scheiner, Extension Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

9:30-10:00 Water, Fertilizer & Weeds: Surviving your first year. Larry Stein, Extension Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

10:15-10:45 Developing a Pesticide Philosophy and IPM Program Monte Nesbitt, Extension Program Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

10:45-11:15 Economic Considerations for a Commercial Fruit Business, Steven Klose, Extension Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

11:15-11:45 Time Considerations in Fruit Production, Jacy Lewis, Extension Program Manager, Viticulture & Sustainable Fruit Research Program, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

11:45-12:00 Q&A

Monday Lunch—all registered participants: 12:00-1:15pm

Main Conference General Session 1-Marketing & Regulations

1:15-1:45   Worker Protection Safety Standards & Pesticide Use Regulations, Melissa Barton; TDA Pesticide Inspector

1:45-2:15   Selling Texas Fruit in Farmers Markets, David Rodriguez, County Extension Agent-Horticulture, Bexar County

2:15-2:45   Food Safety and Cottage Food Laws for Fruit Growers, Juan Anciso, Extension Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

Main Conference General Session 2-Alternative Fruit Crops

3:15-3:45—Climate Constraints on Fruit in Texas & Impact of Winter Storm Uri—Tim Hartmann, Extension Program Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

3:45-4:15—The New Fruit Frontier: Alternatives and Possibilities for Texas Growers—David Creech, Professor, Stephen F. Austin University

4:15-4:45 Audience Survey/Panel Discussion/Q&A (minor crop interest?)

Taste of Texas Fruit Reception: 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm-Open to All Participants, Includes heavy hors d’oeuvres

 October 12, 2021: Tuesday Morning

Main Conference General Session 3-Fruit Research & Extension in Texas

8:30-9:15 Where We’ve Been: Reflections on Fruit Research & Extension Activites, Larry Stein & Jim Kamas

9:15-9:45 Impacts & Outcomes of the Texas A&M Peach Breeding Program, Dave Byrne, Professor, Texas A&M University

10:15-10:45 Figs: Past, Present, Future, David Creech, Professor, Stephen F. Austin University

10:45-11:30 Land Grant & Fruit Industry Collaboration, Amit Dhingra, Head, Department of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University

11:30-12:00: Texas Fruit Grower Needs Panel Discussion

Tuesday Lunch 12:00-1:00: Main Conference Participants

Main Conference General Session 4—Overview of Fruit Growing Approaches

1:00-1:30 Sustainable Fruit Growing-Jacy Lewis, Program Manager, Viticulture & Sustainable Fruit Research Program, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

1:30-2:00 Growing Fruit Organically-Bob Whitney, Extension Program Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

2:00-2:30 IPM in Fruit Growing-Stephen Janak, Extension Program Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

2:30-2:45 What is your IQ on EIQ? Jacy Lewis, Extension Program Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

2:45-3:15 Break

Main Conference General Session 5—Fruit Crop Management

3:15-3:45 Nitrogen Management Options for Fruit Orchards, Monte Nesbitt, Extension Program Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

3:45-4:15 Orchard Management for Cold Hardiness, Jim Kamas, Extension Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

4:15-4:30 Q&A

4:30 pm: Evaluation & Adjourn

The Texas Pecan Short Course is a comprehensive class aimed at preparing individuals to enter the pecan business. All aspects of commercial pecan production are covered from basic botany to tree planting, integrated pest management,marketing, etc.

The class setting is the Department of Horticultural Science’s HortTREC facility, a field laboratory located in the Brazos River Bottom and near the Texas A&M University teaching and research pecan orchards. Class instructors will engage participants in the most current information for Texas pecan orchard development and management, including hands-on instruction of orchard establishment, sunlight management, tree training and grafting.

Participants should wear warm clothing, because of the winter season during which this class is taught. Outdoor field trips to the pecan orchards will be taken, so appropriate footwear should be part of participant attire as well.

The registration fee includes lunch each day. Register here.

Monday, January 27, 2020 – HortTREC

• 7:45 Sign In
• 8:30 Welcome – Dan Lineberger
• 8:40 Pecan History – George Ray McEachern
• 9:30 Pecan Tree Anatomy – Dave Reed
• 10:30 Break
• 10:45 Pecan Tree Physiology & Photosynthesis – Leo Lombardini
• 12:15 Lunch – provided onsite
• 1:00 Site Selection and Soil evaluation – Monte Nesbitt
• 1:45 Water, Salinity and Irrigation Scheduling – Larry Stein
• 2:30 Break
• 2:45 Orchard Design & Spacing George – Ray McEachern
• 3:30 TAMU Orchard Visit – Soil evaluation & tree spacing
• 5:00 Adjourn

Tuesday, January 28, 2020 – HortTREC

• 8:00 Planting & Establishing Pecan Orchards – George Ray McEachern
• 9:00 Pecan Insect Management – Bill Ree
• 9:45 Pest Control Options – Pesticides – Bill Ree
• 10:45 Break
• 11:00 Pecan Diseases & Prediction Systems – Monte Nesbitt
• 12:00 Lunch-provided onsite
• 12:40 Orchard Sprayer Demonstration/Discussion
• 1:00 Orchard Floor Mgt & Weed Control
• 1:45 Orchard Fertilization, Zinc Sprays, & Leaf Tissue Analysis – Larry Stein
• 2:30 Break
• 2:45 Earth-Kind, Organic & Sustainable Production – Monte Nesbitt
• 3:30 TAMU Orchard Visit Tree Planting & Pruning
• 5:00 Adjourn

Wednesday, January 29, 2020 – HORTREC

• 8:00 Native Pecan Management – Larry Stein
• 8:45 Pecan Crop Insurance Program – Nicole Gueck
• 9:15 The Pecan Market & Price History – Blair Krebs
• 10:00 Break
• 10:15 Pecans As A Health Food – Rosemary Walzem
• 11:00 Grading & Selling Pecans – George Ray McEachern
• 12:00 Lunch provided-onsite
• 12:40 Pecan Varieties – Monte Nesbitt
• 1:30 Specific Variety Management Techniques – Larry Stein
• 2:20 Break
• 2:30 Pecan Variety Board – Workshop Staff
• 4:45 Introduction to the Texas Pecan Growers Association
• 5:00 Ask the Experts Session

Thursday, January 30, 2020 – HORTREC

• 8:00 TAMU Orchard Visit Nut Harvesting/Cleaning
• 10:00 Break–return to classroom
• 10:30 Crop Load Management – Larry Stein
• 11:15 Crowding, Tree Thinning, & Hedging – George Ray McEachern
• 12:00 Steak Lunch onsite
• 1:00 Overview of Pecan Propagation – George Ray McEachern
• 1:15 Graftwood Collection & Storage – George Ray McEachern
• 1:35 Four Flap Grafting – Larry Stein
• 1:55 Inlay Bark Grafting – Monte Nesbitt
• 2:15 Patch Budding – Monte Nesbitt
• 2:30 Question/Answer Session
• 2:40 Break
• 3:00 Pecan Income Projection Exercise – Monte Nesbitt
• 4:00 Pecan Calendar
• 4:30 Graduation & Evaluation
• 5:00 Program Concludes

Monday, October 28th, New Braunfels Civic Convention Center, 375 S. Castell Ave., New Braunfels, Texas 78130
8:00 AM Registration
9:00 AM Fruit Production & Consumption Dynamics in Texas, Monte Nesbitt, Texas A&M AgriLife College Station
9:25 AM Blackberry Disease Review
9:50 AM Break
10:15 AM Blackberry Insect Review, Erfan Vafaie, Texas A&M AgriLife Overton
10:40 AM Advances in Blackberry Breeding & Global Production, Dr. John Clark, University of Arkansas
11:40 AM Q&A with blackberry experts

12:00 PM Lunch Onsite
1:15 PM Factors Influencing Fruit Breeding & New Releases, Dr. John Clark, University of Arkansas
1:45 PM Small Peach Orchard Success, Dr. George Ray McEachern, Texas A&M University, College Station
2:15 PM Break
2:45 PM Effective Bioinsecticides and Biological Control in IPM, Erfan Vafaie, Texas A&M AgriLife Overton
3:15 PM Rio Grande Valley Citrus in the Greening Era, Dr. Juan Anciso, Texas A&M AgriLife Weslaco
3:45 PM Adjourn Day 1 Educational Program
5:00 PM Taste of Texas Fruits Reception in the Civic Center
7:00 PM Adjourn Day 1

Tuesday, October 29th Conference Day 2
9:00 AM Water or Else! Dr. Larry Stein, Texas A&M AgriLife Uvalde
9:25 AM Opportunities and Challenges for Strawberries in Texas, Dr. Russ Wallace, Texas A&M AgriLife Lubbock
9:50 AM Break
10:15 AM The Best Non-Wine Grapes for Texas, Dr. Justin Scheiner, Texas A&M AgriLife College Station
10:40 AM The Peach in its Homeland, Dr. Dave Byrne, Texas A&M University, College Station
11:10 AM An Instant Mature Peach Orchard in North Texas, Laura Miller, Tarrant County AgriLife Extension
11:35 AM Go Texan Program–Marketing Assistance for Texas Fruit Growers, Scott Sroufe, Texas Dept. of Agriculture, Austin

12:00 PM Lunch Onsite
1:10 PM What Texas Fruit Growers Should Know About Climate Change Jim Kamas, Texas A&M AgriLife Fredericksburg
1:40 PM High Tunnel Fruit Crop Management, Dr. Russ Wallace, Texas A&M AgriLife Lubbock
2:10 PM Color and Shade Manipulation of Perennial Fruits, Jacy Lewis, Texas A&M AgriLife Fredericksburg
2:35 PM Cover Crops for Texas Fruit Orchards, Stephen Janak, Texas A&M AgriLife Hallettsville
3:00 PM Conference Adjourn

Wednesday, October 30th Post Conference Tour
9:00 AM Post-Conference Tour Sign-In and Registration Studebaker Farms, 9405 East US-290, Fredericksburg, TX 78624
11:00 AM Depart Studebaker Farms
11:30 AM Lunch
12:45 PM Arrive at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Viticulture & Fruit Lab, 259 Business Ct., Fredericksburg, Texas
2:00 PM Tour Concludes

The Texas Fruit Conference is set for October 28th and 29th at the New Braunfels Civic Convention Center, 375 S Castell Ave, New Braunfels, TX 78130. Full conference program is shown below.

We are excited to announce that the 8th annual offering of this event will feature 15 different speakers and 18 presentations covering a range of subjects and crops, including peaches, strawberries, citrus, grapes and blackberries.

Conference Highlights:
• We are excited to host Dr. John Clark, Distinguished Professor of Horticulture with University of Arkansas, who will highlight a Monday morning session on blackberry production. Dr. Clark’s direction of the University of Arkansas Fruit Breeding Program has led to the introduction of more than 50 varieties of fruits, including important contemporary floricane and primocane-fruiting varieties of blackberries like Kiowa, Natchez, Ouachita, PrimeArk-45, and Prime Ark Freedom. Dr. Clark will give two presentations, “Advances in blackberry breeding and global production” and “Factors influencing fruit breeding and new releases”
• A post-conference tour on Wednesday, October 30th, is offered this year that will focus on protected culture and temperature modification of fruit crops in Fredericksburg, Texas. The tour will visit Studebaker Farms, Blumenthal, Texas (near Stonewall) and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Viticulture and Fruit Lab. As an introduction to the tour, our conference program on Tuesday afternoon, presentations will highlight climate change, high tunnel management and use of shade and color fabrics to manipulate fruit yield and quality.
• Peaches are one of the most important deciduous fruit crops in Texas. Our program this year features three unique discussions of peach culture, from advances in culture and breeding in China, to transplanting of mature peach trees, and keys to success and profitability for small orchards.
• The environmental and biotic challenges of growing fruit in Texas are unique. Participants will hear discussions of organic pest management, water management and use of cover crops in orchard floors. We expect to offer between 4 and 6 CEU’s for Texas Pesticide License holders.

Conference Format:
We start early this year—Monday morning, October 28th, with registration at 8:00 am and presentations at 9:00 am on both days. With our post-conference tour happening in Fredericksburg on Wednesday morning, we will conclude the conference education earlier than usual on Tuesday, at approximately 3:00 pm.

Registration Now Open:
Online Registration Link: http://agriliferegister.tamu.edu/
Fees this year: Conference regular: $100 per person online ($85 if registered online by 9/15); Post-Conference tour: $35 per person; Conference and tour combo package is $110 per person when registered online. In person registration fee (day of event) is $110 per person (conference) and $40 (tour). Lunch is included this year all three days.
Accommodations:
In New Braunfels: Faust Hotel & Brewing Co. (https://www.fausthotel.com/). This is historic hotel is one block away from the New Braunfels Civic Convention Center, and offers rooms ranging from $69/night (Single w/double bed); $89/night (Std. Queen); $109 (Deluxe Queen) to Standard King for $129/night. Ask for Texas Fruit Conference Rates by October 10th. Availability is first come-first serve.

In Fredericksburg: Our program in Fredericksburg will start 9:00 am on Wednesday, Oct. 30th. Participants may drive from New Braunfels (about 1.5 hours drive) or stay in Fredericksburg. A wide variety of accommodations are available.

Location-City of New Braunfels Civic Convention Center, 375 S. Castell Avenue, New Braunfels, TX 78130

Conference Registration Link: https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu/organizationListings/158

Lodging Links: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.marriott.com_meeting-2Devent-2Dhotels_group-2Dcorporate-2Dtravel_groupCorp.mi-3FresLinkData-3DTexas-2520A-2526M-2520University-2520Fruit-2520Conference-255ESATNB-2560TAMTAMA-257CTAMTAMB-256099.00-2560USD-2560false-25604-2560-3BSATBF-2560TAMTAMA-257CTAMTAMB-256079.00-2560USD-2560false-25604-256010_14_18-256010_17_18-25609_28_18-26app-3Dresvlink-26stop-5Fmobi-3Dyes&d=DwMFAw&c=ODFT-G5SujMiGrKuoJJjVg&r=qIIxxmoHuXIgaj2pN-g9jPcUZ8tb0c9dPzYdP5nni9E&m=XvmqsgrKKNcOv04_v_SmL4X7cRJxWVdpMi3fIZt6n0k&s=F-_CvOpLmA0SFF1d5dvi1NONrBIRp6V0FVfc1UkeH8E&e=

Contact for more information: Monte Nesbitt, 979-862-1218, MLNesbitt@tamu.edu

2018 CONFERENCE PROGRAM—(Relative order and times can change)
Monday Afternoon October 15th,
11:00 am-1:00 pm On-Site Registration
1:00-1:35 Plums in Texas—History, Challenges and Potential,  Dr. George Ray McEachern, Texas A&M University
1:35-2:10 Figs—the Renaissance fruit crop in Texas,  Jim Kamas, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Fredericksburg
2:10-2:45 New produce rules under FSMA—What Texas growers should know, Richard De Los Santos, TDA Director Texas Office Produce Safety
3:10-3:45 Efforts to Improve Appearance, Condition and Quality of Pomegranates, Dr. Larry Stein, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Uvalde
3:45-4:15  Pomegranate Varieties and Survey Feedback, Elizabeth McMahon, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Gillespie County
4:15-5:00  Pomegranate variety performance and production in the El Paso Valley,  Dr. Genhua Niu, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, El Paso
**5:30-7:00 pm Taste of Texas Fruits Reception**

Tuesday, October 16th, Session 2
8:00-8:35 am Failure to Thrive—Horticultural Reasons for Fruit Tree Unproductivity, Monte Nesbitt, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, College Station
8:35-9:10 Failure to Thrive—Pathological Reasons for Fruit Tree Unproductivity, Sheila McBride, Texas Plant Disease Clinic, College Station
9:10-9:45 Research and Progress with Golden Kiwifruit in Texas, Tim Hartmann, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, College Station
10:15-10:50 Feasibility and Profitability of Container Blueberry Production, Dr. David Creech, Stephen F. Austin University
10:50-11:25 Hops—A fruit crop for Texas? Dr. Justin Scheiner, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, College Station
11:25-12:00 Medium & High Chill Peach Performance Across Different Chilling Seasons in Texas, Dr. Dave Byrne, Texas A&M University
**12-1:00pm Lunch Provided On-site**
1:15-1:40 pm Pineapple Guava (Feijoa)—a South American Fruit with Potential for South Texas, Tim Hartmann, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension,
1:40-2:15 pm Monitoring and awareness of the potential impact of invasive insects on fruit crops in Texas, Bill Ree, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, College Station
2:15-2:45 pm Break, Visit with Exhibitors
2:45-3:20 pm Basics & Complexities of Fertigation for Fruit Orchards, Jim Kamas, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Fredericksburg
3:20-4:00 pm Basics & Complexities of Frost & Freeze Protection, Monte Nesbitt, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, College Station
4:00-pm Pomegranate Tasting Results,  Elizabeth McMahon, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Gillespie County
**4:15 pm Conference Adjourns**

Monday Afternoon October 2nd, 2017,  City of New Braunfels Civic Convention Center
11:30-1:00 pm On-Site Registration

Session 1: Basic Training for New Growers
1:00-1:50 Evaluating and preparing soil for a new orchard, Jim Kamas
2:00-2:50 Irrigation system installation, management and modification,  Larry Stein
3:00-3:15 Break
3:15-4:00 Reducing tree and vine failure with good planting technique and establishment practices, Monte Nesbitt
4:00-5:00 Fruit Variety Selection by Region for Texas Kamas, Stein, Nesbitt
5:00 pm Texas Fruit Tasting on-site, Elizabeth McMahon, Coordinator

Tuesday Morning, October 3rd, 2017, City of New Braunfels Civic Convention Center

Session 2: Pesticide Recertification Continuing Education

8:00-9:00 Laws and Regulations for pesticide use, Speaker TBD
9:00-10:00 Fruit crop herbicides & sprayer calibration for ground application, Jim Kamas
10-10:15 Break
10:15-1:15 Fruit crop fungicides & sprayer calibration for tree sprayers, Monte Nesbitt
11:15-12:15 Fruit crop insecticides & control of challenging insects (grasshoppers, borers, scales, stinkbugs), Bill Ree
12:15-1:00 Lunch (provided on-site)

Session 3: The Future of Texas Fruit Growing

1:00-2:00 Future of Stone Fruits in Texas, Dr. David Byrne
2:00-2:45 Future of Pome Fruits in Texas, Dr. Larry Stein
2:45-3:00 Break
3:00-3:45 Future of Citrus in Texas, Monte Nesbitt
3:45-4:30 Future of Blackberries & Blueberries in Texas, Jim Kamas
4:30-5:15 Future of Minor Fruits–Figs, Pomegranates, Jujube, Kiwi, Persimmons, Kamas, Stein, Nesbitt
5:15 Adjourn