Join Us for the BioSolutions Conference and Expo’s 10th Anniversary
January 8, 2025 When we first held our BioSolutions Conference & Expo in 2015, the biologicals industry was still new. That’s an ironic concept, considering some biologicals have been used in farming for as long as humankind figured out growing food is better than foraging.
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Back in 2015, many growers cast a wary eye on these products and practices. Due to how differently biologicals work compared to traditional chemistries, as well as a handful of questionable products on the market, the term “snake oil” came up all too often.
That first year of BioSolutions Conference & Expo (under the original name of BioControls Conference & Tradeshow), we put together a program designed to train growers and agronomist on how biologicals worked. Those gathering in Fresno that first year heard talks like “Driving Crop Quality and Productivity Using Biocontrols” and “Using Biocontrols in Sustainability Initiatives.”
Those first few years typically had at least one session focused on how biologicals differ from traditional chemistries. How most of them are preventative treatments, not a heavy weapon to deploy after an outbreak.
Over the years, we’ve learned a lot about working with soil microbes, how important not killing the organisms during storage is, and training staff.
In contrast to our first event, this year’s conference has sessions on “Practical Considerations for Vegetable and Strawberry Arthropod Pests,” “New Tech for Reducing Pathogen Pressure and Enhancing Wine Quality,” and “Grower Panel: Real-World Insights for Implementing Biological Controls in Your IPM Program.”
The topics reflect how growers and agronomists have grown more comfortable with using biologicals.
The Conference held immediate appeal that first year. For such an important production category, until we introduced BioSolutions, North American specialty crop growers had no focused program on the topic, even though half of all operations were already using biological products.
“It was a packed house for the sessions all the way through,” says Richard Jones, former Corporate Content Director at Meister Media and was the Conference Chair from 2015 to 2022. “It was clear there was a lot of interest in biologicals (mostly biocontrol at that point) and it was obvious that the growers really wanted to learn what biologicals were and how to use them.”
What is the BioSolutions Conference & Expo?
Let’s pause a moment and answer a basic question. Our BioSolutions Conference is a gathering of fruit, greenhouse, and vegetable growers as well as agronomists from across North America. The content focuses on highly practical tips and insights on getting the most from conservation techniques and soft chemistries.
The BioSolutions Conference also delves into compatible growing methods, from organic to regenerative.
A number of high-profile growers, researchers, and political figures have shared their expertise over the years, including producers from Wonderful Orchards to Taylor Farms to Costa Farms, from EPA’s Director of Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention Division to the Director of California’s Department of Pesticide Regulation to Arizona’s Head of the Department of Ag.
Tours and Workshops
That first BioSolutions Conference & Expo was a big hit, but it lacked some of the most popular features attendees demand today: a tour and the workshops.
We added both in 2016. The post-conference workshop was helmed by The Buglady, Suzanne Wainwright Evans, who has presented at most of our North American conferences. Evans specializes in biological controls in greenhouse settings.
That same year we debuted the tour. It was just an afternoon of visiting growers throughout Monterey County that first year. That tour was so popular, the next year we made it a full day, held the day before the Conference began.
The BioSolutions Conference & Expo is a travelling conference, never held in the same location more than two years in a row. That allows us to visit growers of all types.
That first tour was held in the midst of the country’s largest cool vegetable crops region, although several world class greenhouses and wineries are also there.
This year, when we finally return to Fresno, where that first Conference took place, we’ll be in the heart of nut, citrus, and grape production, which will be reflected during our tour.
The tours are a mix of growers, research fields, and the ever-popular wine or hops fields followed by tastings. If you think you may want to join us on the tour, make sure you register early. We’re already close to selling out!
What to Expect This Year
Ten years in, we’ve fine-tuned the BioSolutions Conference & Expo to help attendees get even more from the event. Our thanks to our Title Sponsor, Certis Biologicals, who has show strong support for the Conference from the beginning.
We’re introducing Roundtables this year. Any grower or agronomist will quickly tell you how valuable comparing notes with their peers is to them. We’ll have grower, researcher, and expert moderators guiding discussions on orchard floor management, using your sustainable methods for marketing purposes, addressing ongoing hurdles in using biologicals, and which cover crops are working for you.
We have two post-conference workshops you’ll have trouble choosing between.
One tackles the issue of growers and agronomists having fewer and fewer public field tests to review. The obvious answer is to conduct your own research. But how do you get results that allow you to make sound decisions? A strong team of train researchers and growers who have strong systems in place will guide you how to design and conduct trials.
The second workshop digs into regenerative practices. As consumers and major retailers up their demands for regenerative agriculture, it’s a good idea to prepare your farm to live up to those ideals. A team of researchers and growers walk you through actionable strategies to build healthy soils and improve biodiversity.
And finally, make sure you stop by our Solutions Stage, where suppliers explain how their new introductions perform. These rapid-paced presentations have consistently ranked in the top three features attendees loved most.
Interested in attending the BioSolutions 2025 Conference and Expo? Click here.
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