Want to Tour Vegetable Field Trials in California? Here’s What You Need to Know

Posted by Carol Miller|August 9, 2017

Sakata Field Trials in 2016

If you want to pack in a lot of vegetable trials in a short time, head to California. With the state’s diverse cool and hot environments, many breeders and distributors host trials here. And this year, many are holding their trials the same week: August 14 to 18.

If you would like to attend any of these trials, be sure to contact the breeder or distributor directly. These are open to growers, but most require an appointment.

Follow Editor Carol Miller’s accounts of the August California trials in the coming weeks and in our November 2017 cover story.

Bayer

  • Dates: August 14 to 18
  • Location: Esparto, CA
  • Crops: Watermelon and melons
  • Highlights: Bayer will showcase a large education portion on grafting.
  • Contact: Emily Stirlen, emily.stirlen@bayer.com

 

Golden Valley Seed

  • Dates: Begins August 14, 2017
  • Location: Modesto, CA
  • Crops: Cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber all types, eggplant all types & colors, melon all types &colors, onion (intermediate and storage Spanish type), peppers (bell type all colors, sweet and hot), summer squash, tomato (derterminate & indeterminate, globe, saladdette, and grapes), and watermelon (seeded & seedless, all sizes, mini to large). (Note: last year Golden Valley tested a little more than a 1,000 varieties)
  • Highlights: Golden Valley provides basic information about each variety and leaves it up to the customers to perform their own evaluations.
  • Contact: Michel Toubia, mtoubia@goldenvalleyseed.com

 

HM Clause

  • Dates: August 15 to 18
  • Location: Davis, CA
  • Crops: Tomato, hot pepper, sweet pepper, cucumber, squash, watermelon, and processing tomato
  • Highlights: Breeders and production managers will be able to answer questions.
  • Contact: Sierra Scott, sierra.scott@hmclause.com; or visit the registration site

 

Rijk Zwaan

Rijk Zwaan will be holding two trials in August

 

  • Dates: Week 35 / Last week of August
  • Location: Salinas, CA
  • Crops: Spinach and some brassicas
  • Contact: Kathleen Giacalone, k.giacalone@rijkzwaan.com

 

Sakata Seed America

Sakata will be hold both cool season and warm season trials.

  • Dates: August 14 to 16
  • Location: Salinas, CA
  • Crops: Cool season crops
  • Highlights: Sakata Seed America is celebrating its 40th Anniversary in the U.S.
  • Contact: Jiana Escobar, jescobar@sakata.com

 

  • Dates: August 14 to 16
  • Location: Woodland, CA
  • Crops: Warm season crops
  • Highlights: Sakata Seed America is celebrating its 40th Anniversary in the U.S.
  • Contact: Jiana Escobar, jescobar@sakata.com

 

Seeds by Design and Terra Organics

  • Dates: July through October
  • Location: Maxwell, CA
  • Crops: Specialty vegetable, flower, and herb varieties
  • Highlights: On August 18, Seeds by Design will provide a seated luncheon buffet. This will be appointment only.
  • Contact: Patty Buskirk, patty@seedsbydesign.com

 

Seminis Vegetable Seeds / Monsanto

  • Dates: August 17 to 18
  • Location: Woodland, CA
  • Crops: Both commercial and All America Selection crops
  • Contact: Nick Pucci, nicholas.a.pucci@monsanto.com

 

Syngenta

Syngenta will also be holding two trials, one for cool season crops and one for warm season crops. These trials will be on different dates.

 

  • Dates: Sometime in early September, depending on harvest dates
  • Location: Gilroy, CA
  • Crops: Warm season crops
  • Contact: Jeannine Bogard, jeannine.bogard@syngenta.com

 

Voloagri

  • Dates: August 1st to September 30th
  • Location: Woodland, CA
  • Crops: Open field and protected varieties will be featured across all of the core breeding crops: cucumber, pepper, tomato, squash, watermelon, melon and eggplant.
  • Highlights: A catered Customer Celebration Field Day will be held on August 16th 2017. Also, customers will be able to see varieties Voloagri’s newly acquired Spanish breeding company, Zayintec Seeds, throughout the trials. Its technical sales team, breeding staff, and product managers will be on hand
  • Contact: (805) 547-9391 or your sales representative

 

 

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