| 2023 Texas Fruit Conference
Main Conference Educational Program “Thinking Outside the Texas Fruit Box” Thursday, October 19th, Gillespie County AgriLife Extension Office |
| Texas leads the nation in population growth. Assuming no declines in the present per capita consumption of 113 pounds of fruit per person per year, total consumption of fruit by Texans will double from 3.1 Billion pounds to 6.2 Billion pounds by the Year 2050! |
| Opportunities abound for marketing locally-grown fruit in the foreseeable future, but Texas is no easy place for fruit growing! Spring frost, insufficient chilling, drought, high heat, alkaline soils, saline irrigation water, insects, and diseases collectively create “boxes”–confinements on what, where, and how fruit can be grown in Texas.
For our 12th annual educational program, we’ve challenged ourselves to re-envision 12 important fruit crops for Texas. Each presenter will review a crop’s history, status, limitations, traditional practices, and new horticultural approaches and technologies that could expand acreage and increase sustainability, profitability, and availability of fruit in the Lone Star State. This program offers something for anyone—novice or experienced fruit growers alike who want to think critically about the future of fruit growing in Texas. Cost: $75/Person or bundled with conference package (includes lunch).
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| Pesticide Continuing Education Units (CEU’s): 3 hours-general |
| Registration: https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu/hort-ev-022 |
| 8:00 am | Registration-Sign In | Department of Horticultural Sciences Presenter |
| 8:30 am | Figs | Mr. Jim Kamas, Associate Professor & Extension Specialist, Fredericksburg |
| 9:00 am | Peaches | Dr. Tim Hartmann, Assistant Professor & Extension Specialist, College Station |
| 9:30 am | Olives | Mr. Stephen Janak, Extension Program Specialist-Hallettsville |
| 10:00 am | Break | |
| 10:30 am | Pears | Dr. Amit Dhingra, Professor & Department Head, College Station |
| 11:00 am | Table Grapes | Dr. Larry Stein, Regents Fellow, Associate Department Head, Professor & Extension Specialist, Uvalde |
| 11:30 am | Raspberries | Ms. Jacy Lewis, Program Manager, Fredericksburg |
| 12:00 pm | Lunch onsite-included in registration | |
| 1:00 pm | Strawberries | Dr. Russ Wallace, Professor & Extension Specialist, Lubbock |
| 1:30 pm | Blueberries | Dr. Monte Nesbitt, Assistant Professor & Extension Specialist, College Station |
| 2:00 pm | Break | |
| 2:30 pm | Apples | Dhingra |
| 3:00 pm | Blackberries | Janak |
| 3:30 pm | Apricots, Plums, other Stone Fruit | Hartmann |
| 4:00 pm | Persimmons | Kamas |
| 4:30 pm | Adjourn |
