NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665

January 7, 1998

Fruit, Vegetable Growers Conference Set for Feb. 4-6

The 1999 Upper Midwest regional fruit and vegetable growers conference and trade show will be held Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 4 through 6, at the St. Cloud (Minn.) Civic Center. The educational sessions included in this event will cover a wide variety of topics related to the production and marketing of berries, apples and vegetables.

"The NDSU Extension Service encourages all North Dakota fruit and vegetable growers to take an active role in the conference," says David Kraenzel, associate director for the Institute for Natural Resources and Economic Development (INRED) at North Dakota State University. "There will be hands-on marketing and production information, and this will be an ideal time to meet and make market contacts and exchange information with other growers. We also encourage growers to purchase booth space to display samples of their products and demonstrate North Dakota's commitment to this regional conference."

Kraenzel, whose specialty is product marketing, is one of several NDSU representatives making presentations at the conference. Others include Edna Holm, an NDSU associate professor of food and nutrition. Holm will discuss sensory evaluation and its function as a marketing tool. Ron Smith, NDSU extension horticulturist, will lead three sessions dealing with tomato and pepper variety recommendations, disease management, and using mulch and row-cover systems in tomato and pepper production. In addition, Nels Peterson, NDSU extension agent in Nelson County, will discuss the challenges of tomato and pepper production and marketing in northeast North Dakota.

Besides tomato and pepper production, vegetable sessions will cover alternative crops including lettuce and other greens, oriental vegetables and specialty mushrooms, as well as pumpkins, squash, gourds, sweet corn, garlic and shallots

Thursday and Friday's berry production sessions will include presentations on business management, organic berry production, extending the season with row covers, alternate-year cropping in raspberries, variety updates and two grower profiles. Besides raspberries, presenters will offer information on the production of strawberries and blueberries.

The apple and tree fruit sessions will feature information on cultural practices and orchard establishment. In addition, a grower panel will discuss aspects of thinning. Also, Joe Kovach, senior extension associate with Cornell University, will discuss Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies for both apple and strawberry production.

The event's sponsor is the Minnesota Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (MFVGA), in cooperation with the NDSU Extension Service, the University of Minnesota Extension Service and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. For more information about the conference, contact the MFVGA at (612) 434-0400.

North Dakota producers and processors interested in booth space at the trade show should contact Rudy Radke, high value/irrigated crops coordinator for the NDSU Extension Service, at (701)845-8528, or call Paulann Kautzman with the NDSU agricultural economics department at (701) 231-7393.

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Source: David Kraenzel (701) 231-7374

Editor: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136