MARK YOUR CALENDARS, AND MAKE YOUR HOTEL ROOM RESERVATIONS SOON

The New England Vegetable & Berry Conference and the New England Fruit Meeting have officially merged into the New England Vegetable and Fruit Conference, which will be held every two years.  The conference will be held this December 13, 14, 15 at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester, NH and will include 24 educational sessions over 3 days, covering major vegetable, berry and tree fruit crops as well as various special topics.

A Farmer to Farmer meeting after each morning and afternoon session will bring speakers and farmers together for informal, in-depth discussion on certain issues.

This conference is put together with close collaboration between growers and Extension from across the region. The steering committee gathers the best speakers from within our region and across the country to let you know about the latest innovations and advances in the fruit and vegetable industry.

Twenty-five educational sessions over three days will mix the best theory and practice regarding major fruit, berry and vegetable crops.  Virtually every session – from “Strawberry I” on Tuesday morning to “Sweet Corn School” on Thursday afternoon will include the perspective of both farmers and Extension staff and researchers.
 
There will also be an extensive Trade Show with over 100 exhibitors that sell books, equipment, fencing, fertilizers, greenhouses, instruments, insurance, packaging, pesticides, seeds, and more!

The event is sponsored by the New England Vegetable &  Berry Growers Association and the Massachusetts Fruit Grower’s Association in conjunction with the Universities of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and Maine, as well Cornell University and the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station – in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
 
The 3-day educational program offers 4 concurrent sessions each morning and afternoon.  On Tuesday, December 13 the sessions are on: strawberries, tomatoes, biorational and biological pest control, potatoes, leafy greens, root crops, and tree fruit. On Wednesday, December 14 sessions are on: tree fruit, pumpkins, blueberries, soil health, greenhouse tomatoes, and organic. The sessions on Thursday, December 15 are on: viticulture, sweet corn, cucurbits, brambles, winter growing, sweet corn, peppers and eggplant, and cut flowers.
 
The Annual Banquet of the New England Vegetable and Berry Growers Association will be held during the conference, on Wednesday evening.  The speaker will be Roger Swain from ‘People, Places, and Plants’.  Roger also hosted ‘Victory Garden’ for many years.

The pre-registration fee to attend any part or all of the conference or trade show is $60 for the first member of a farm business and $30 for each additional member (family or employee) when pre-registered with first member. The pre-registration fee for students (high school or college) is $20 each when pre-registered by the instructor. There is an additional fee of $10 per person, in each category, for late registration or walk-ins. Pre-registration must be received by November 30, 2005.  (There has been some confusion about registration fees but the fees list above are accurate.)

You must make your own room reservations with the Radisson Hotel Manchester!  I suggest you call early, as they are likely to sell out before the deadline of November 30.  Room rates are $93 per night, single or double occupancy. call (603) 625-1000 and mention the conference by name to get the above rate, or book on-line at: www.radisson.com/manchesternh with promotional code VEGBER.

Additional information on the New England Vegetable and Berry Conference and the New England Fruit Meeting, including the complete program with speakers and topics, as well as downloadable registration material, may be found at http://www.newenglandvfc.org/

All Vermont farmers and agency personnel on my vegetable and berry list will be getting a hard copy of the conference brochure mailed to them in the next few weeks. Others, please contact me with requests and I will mail them out.