The International Fruit Tree Association (IFTA)’s 57th annual conference will take place north of the border in 2014. The event is scheduled for Feb. 22-March 1 in Kelowna, British Columbia. With the theme of “Precision Orchard Management,” the conference includes workshops, educational sessions, and local orchard tours.
The event kicks off with a pre-conference focus on cherries. Feb. 22 will feature an all-day cherry workshop, with presentations on precision cherry orchard management, harvest technology, bacterial canker, cherry PGR choices, central leader training, multiple cherry leader systems trial, and systems trial SSA.
On Sunday, Feb. 23, attendees will be able to tour cherry production in the region. Both the pre-conference workshop and tour require separate registration.
The conference itself begins with a welcome reception Sunday evening, followed by a full day of discussions on Monday, Feb. 24.
Morning sessions on Feb. 24 will focus on the early production years of an orchard, while the afternoon will be devoted to precision management techniques designed to help growers achieve optimum fruit yield, quality, and profit as early as possible. Sessions will include presentations on how to start an orchard, pear precision management, precision water management, precision cropload management, precision spraying management, and a grower panel on orchard training systems.
The annual IFTA awards banquet will be held the evening of Monday, Feb. 24.
Following a full day of orchard, packinghouse, and nursery tours on Tuesday, Feb. 25, there will be another day of presentations on Wednesday, Feb. 26, with a focus on precision harvesting and variety selection. Presentations will focus on nutrient analysis for storage, composting, apple variety commercialization, and apple, cherry, and pear rootstocks.
While the main conference ends Wednesday, there are two more days of post-conference tours scheduled on Thursday, Feb. 27 and Friday, Feb. 28. These tours will take place in both Canada and in Washington.
The tour stops are still being determined. However, with it being an IFTA event, there’s no doubt the lineup of content will be focused on innovative and progressive fruit growing practices.
For more information on the event, including the full agenda, information about Kelowna, and how to register for the conference and the pre- and post-event activities, go to www.ifruittree.org.
Scholarships Available!
The IFTA Young Grower Scholarship effort was put forth as a test program in 2013 to encourage participation in IFTA events by the next generation of tree fruit orchardists. Twelve young growers received an education scholarship to the Study Tour in Pennsylvania this past summer to help defray registration cost. It was a great success and the IFTA Board has committed to continue this program at future IFTA events. Young Grower scholarship applications for the IFTA Annual Conference in Kelowna, BC in February are now available.
IFTA is offering young growers an opportunity to learn more about the tree fruit industry and network with other professionals from around the world. Scholarships for young growers will be available for the 2014 Annual Conference in Kelowna, British Columbia February 22-March 1. The young grower scholarship application is available by emailing dungey@ifruittree.org or by downloading at www.ifruittree.org .
What is a “young” grower? It’s not a hard-line, set in stone number, it’s generally 18 to 35 years of age, but mainly the scholarship review committee is looking for growers in the next generation of orchard management. In other words, if you are training to become an orchard owner/manager, that’s who they are looking for and wanting to get involved in IFTA events.