The 2018 Specialty Crops, Agritourism, and Organic Conference RICK WEINZIERL WEINZIERL FRUIT AND CONSULTING, LLC [email protected], 217-621-4957 Weinzierl Fruit and Consulting, LLC  ISGA  2017 grant from the IDoA (pass-through from the USDA Specialty Crops Block Grant program) supported my teaching at tree fruit schools in Mt. Vernon and Hardin, the Gateway Small Fruit & Veg conference in O’Fallon, and the IL-WI Fruit & Veg conference in February, 2017, and coordinating this ISCAOC program for 2018.  2018 grant from the IDoA will support my teaching at the same conferences again in February, 2018, and a much-reduced role assisting Elizabeth Wahle in developing the ISCAOC program for 2019.  University of Illinois … fruit insect research at the University of Illinois Fruit Research Farm 2016 & 2017.  The … leased from Eric and Alice Kinkelaar, Seymour, IL  100 peach trees and 87 trees in 2016  22 more peach trees, 20 Japanese plum trees, and ~260 more apple trees in 2017  60 more apple trees to come in 2018 Weinzierl Fruit & Consulting, LLC … Orchard, Seymour, IL (3 acres)

Peaches (all 2016s on Seedling from VanWell): Row Spacing 20’, Tree Spacing 15’ • 10 Reliance (-2) • 20 Redhaven Also in 2017, from ACN, all on • 10 Blazing Star (+4) CertMyro 142 peach and • 10 Coral Star (+9) • 5 Shiro Japanese plum Japanese plum • 10 Glohaven (+15) • 5 Methley Japanese plum trees • 20 Contender (+18) • 5 Satsuma Japanese plum • 20 Gloria (+25) • 5 Au Rosa Japanese plum • 10 Messina (ACN, 2017) (+30) • 3 White Lady, 2 Blushing Star, 3 Saturn, 2 TangOs, 2 Buenos II (ACN, 2017) : Row Spacing 15’, tree Spacing 4’ or 5’ Also in 2017 from Cummins • 7 Redfree on G.16 (Cummins) (early August) • 20 Sundance/G.41 • 10 Zestar on G.935 (Cummins) (mid-August) • 10 St. Edmunds Russet/G.935 • 10 Crimson on G.41 (Cummins) (mid-September) • 10 /G.11 • 10 Galarina on G.41 (Cummins) (mid-September) • 10 Ashmead Kernel/G.11 • 10 MAIA MDD 5-41 on Bud9 (Wafler) (not all true) • 33 Winecrisp on G.41 (Cummins) (late September) (13 in 2017) • 20 Winecrisp on M9 (Stark) (late September) 413 apple trees • 40 Zestar on G.41 (ACN, 2017) (mid-August) • 60 Pixie Crunch on G.41 (Wafler, 2017) (early September) In 2018 • 23 Pixie Crunch on G.935 and 20 Pixie Crunch on G.41(Cummins) • 60 Crimson Crisp • 60 EverCrisp on G.41 (Wafler) (2017) (mid-October) on G.41, ACN April 15-16, 2016. September 14, 2016. September 14, 2016.

Winecrisp on Winecrisp on M-9 (Starks) G.16 (Cummins) Winecrisp on G.16 (L) and on M-9 (R). October 2, 2017; trees planted in April, 2016. Pixie Crunch

Zestar

Crimson Crisp (2018)

Late September, 2017 Peaches (planted spring, 2016) photographed in late September, 2017. Left: Contender. Right: Glohaven. Significant growth in 2017, but probably limited by lack of rainfall. The Illinois Specialty Crops Industry and Its Partners

… and many more This Year’s ISCAOC Program

 Yesterday …  Workshops  High Tunnel Production  Social Media and Marketing  Growing and Marketing Pumpkins  Legal and Labor Issues / Farm Labor and Personnel  Food Safety Training (to comply with FSMA)  And also this morning … the annual Contest coordinated by Ken Johnson Today and tomorrow …  Today’s keynote speaker and banquet speakers  Simon Huntley, Small Farm Central: “Cultivating Customers, Are They Your Focus?”  Marty and Will Travis, Spence Farm: “What Works on Our Farm”  Program tracks  Agritourism and Marketing  Fruits Move freely among sessions, but breaks  Vegetables between individual  Herbs presentations will not  Organic Production be on the same schedule.  Emerging Issues and Opportunities  Agritourism and Marketing  CSA Marketing Models that Add Value and Convenience, CSA Customer Satisfaction and Retention, CSA Panel on Customer Loyalty and Marketing Strategies, Hosting On-Farm Events – Farm Dinners, Farm Stays, and Farm Crawls, Farm Stands and Farm Stores  Fruits  Peach and Nectarine Varieties (Cold Tolerance and Bacterial Spot Resistance), Development of the Geneva Rootstocks, Peach and Nectarine Production, Apple Varieties and Fruit Tree Nurseries, 2018 Summer Horticulture Day (Flamm’s), Grape Production, Matted Row and Plasticulture Strawberry Updates, Pecans and Walnuts as Alternative Crops, Apple and Peach Diseases, Apple and Peach Insects  Vegetables  Conservation Tillage in Pepper Production, Succession Planting of Brassicas, Melon Variety Selection, Selection and Spacing for Sweet Potatoes, Disease Management in Cole Crops, Vegetable Production at Klein Farms, Getting Started in Garlic, Vegetable Insects and Mites, Maximizing Quality in Brassica Crops, Diversified Vegetable Production at JMR Farms, Grafting Basics / Grafting Workshop  Herbs  U-Pick Lavender, History and Origins of Hops, Hops from a Brewer’s Viewpoint, Challenges and Economics of Growing Hops, Customer Preferences and Uses of Herbs and Spices, Demographic Information on Your Local Market, Connecting Producers to Consumers through MarketMaker  Organic Production  Farmer 2 Farmer Discussions, Specialty Grains, Mechanical Weed Control in Vegetables, Introduction to Integrated Pest Management, “Modern Heirloom” Vegetable Varieties, Matching Production Systems, Values, and Markets, Urban Vegetable Production Systems  Emerging Issues and Opportunities  Specialty Crops and the New Farm Bill, Weather Data for Specialty Crop Production, New Technologies for Connecting with Customers, Impact and Benefits of Metrics at Farmers Markets, Using SNAP Incentives, Farmers Market Legislation and Policy Updates Friday afternoon session on value- added products …

 Expansion of cottage food opportunities  Using “ugly” organic fruits and vegetables  Not just a farm … an experience

This session is a combination of the afternoon sessions for the organic track, the herbs track, and emerging issues. Trade Show  Open …  Wednesday, 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.  Thursday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.  Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.  Lunch in the trade show, …  11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Thursday  11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Friday

Member Association Meetings … Today (Thursday) 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.

ISGA Annual Meeting … 11:45 a.m. Friday

The Usual Reminders

 Time schedule … sessions must stay on schedule to allow movement among program tracks  Phones … switch to vibrate or other quiet mode; do not carry on phone conversations in meeting rooms during sessions  Networking … yes !!!! But NOT in meeting rooms during sessions  Please fill out the conference evaluation form on line and make suggestions for future programs.  Common goals … everyone here is committed to growing and marketing foods that nourish communities – physically, economically, and socially. Please share your common goals and respect your differences.