HOLLIS – The New Hampshire Fruit Growers Association’s annual meeting is happening soon. This yearly event brings together producers, researchers, and fruit industry professionals of all kinds to connect, learn and grow together.

The meeting is scheduled for March 13 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Puritan Backroom Restaurant, 245 Hooksett Rd. in Manchester. Apart from being an excellent opportunity to network with other fruit growers, this year’s event boasts a wide range of educational sessions led by researchers and growers on topics that are relevant and timely to fruit producers.

Dr. Renuka Mathur, UNH Extension soil health state specialist, will be leading a session titled Influence of Plant Nutrition on Plant Susceptibility and Resistance to Diseases and Pests. Mathur will be diving into plant nutrition and how it impacts pest resistance. The presentation will also cover soil health and how it can play a role in disease and pest resistance.

Shyloh Favreau, UNH diagnostic services program manager and UNH graduate student, will present Live Free and Pollinate: An Investigation of Native Bees in Apple Orchards Across NH. Favreau conducted pollinator surveys in orchards throughout New Hampshire in 2023 and he will report on the findings of the surveys in his presentation. He will also touch on the topics of diversity of bee species in the state, bee conservation, habitat management as well as pesticide selection and timing in regards to pollinators.

NRCS Programs and Opportunities You Should Know About will explore Natural Resources Conservation Services’ Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Conservation Stewardship Program and the opportunities that exist for fruit growers by participating in them. The session will be led by Jessica Rock, regional conservation partnership program coordinator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Following lunch and the NHFGA business meeting, Mary Stampone, state climatologist and unh associate professor of geology will present Climate Predictions for the Northeast. Stampone will describe what growers can expect for weather and climate conditions going into the growing season and beyond. Following this session there will be a grower-led group discussion on climate observations and solutions. Growers will have the chance to share their experiences, challenges they have faced, and changes made on their farms because of climate-related events.

Olivia Saunders and Jeremy DeLisle, field specialists in food and agriculture at UNH Extension, will facilitate a grower panel on Communication and Marketing Best Practices. The 2023 fruit growing season brought increased media attention to New Hampshire producers due to the hardships brought on by unusual weather events affecting the state’s fruit crops. The panel will focus on how producers can best communicate with the media and market one’s farm operations or products.

The day will end with a grower panel discussing chemical thinning in apple orchards. Chemical thinning is an important, but often difficult practice to implement in an apple orchard. In this session, attendees will have the chance to ask a panel of growers questions about their experiences with the process and learn the best practices to employ when chemical thinning in their orchards.

“We are looking forward to our annual meeting on March 13 with a great program on a variety of fruit production and growing in New Hampshire topics,” said NHFGA President Madison Hardy. “Attending grower meetings is an important part of the winter season for farmers in New Hampshire. It’s an opportunity for education, connections and gathering tools and resources to make our growing season more successful. Although this meeting is geared towards commercial fruit farmers, it is also open to the general public looking to learn more about fruit production. We look forward to seeing you all there.”

Pesticide Recertification credits will be available at the event. Additional information is available on the NHFGA website at www.nhfruitgrowers.org.

Newsletter