Registration for annual March chestnut meeting is open
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EmailAll chestnut growers are welcomed to join MSU Extension and the Midwest Chestnut Producers Council for this annual educational and networking meeting, March 8-9.
The Midwest Chestnut Producers Council (MCPC) annual meeting is held in collaboration with Michigan State University Extension (MSU Extension). The meeting will include 1.5 days of grower-curated programming and will be held March 8-9, 2024, at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, 3700 E. Gull Lake Dr., Hickory Corners, MI 49060. The educational sessions include grower presentations, pest management topics, orchard management presentations and open forums for discussion on topics of interest.
This event is open to the public and offers a great opportunity for novice and veteran growers to learn from each other and MSU faculty. This meeting serves as the premier networking and educational event for the Michigan chestnut industry. If you are thinking about planting chestnuts, you will want to attend this meeting!
View the draft meeting agenda below for more details.
Registration
Preregistration is required and payment will be collected at the door. Check or cash is preferred. Registration closes March 1, so sign up today! Registration for the meeting is $175 for MCPC members and $250 for nonmembers. Additional family/farm members (up to four) may attend for $125 each, but each person must be registered separately. Registration includes meals and materials. Lodging is not included.
Register for the 2024 Midwest Chestnut Producers Annual Meeting
MCPC Membership
Attendees may sign up to join the MCPC at the event. The cost to join is $50. Membership forms and payment (cash, check) will also be accepted at the door.
The MCPC board will hold a business meeting as part of the annual meeting and asks that attendees consider serving on the board. The continued success of the MCPC depends on new and existing members communicating and getting involved. For more information, please contact current MCPC President Abby Johnson at oxheights@gmail.com.
Lodging
Lodging arrangements must be made individually by contacting the Kellogg Biological Station at conference@kbs.msu.edu or 269-671-2160.
Contact
For more information about the program or registration, please contact Erin Lizotte at taylo548@msu.edu. For questions about the MCPC, please contact current MCPC President Abby Johnson at oxheights@gmail.com.
Accommodations
Accommodations for persons with disabilities may be requested by contacting Erin Lizotte at 231-944-6504 or taylo548@msu.edu. There is also an opportunity to request accommodations during the registration process.
Draft agenda
Friday, March 8
8:00 a.m. – Registration and coffee with continental breakfast at auditorium
9:00 a.m. – Welcome, Abby Johnson, MCPC president and Ox Heights Farms
9:10 a.m. – Asian chestnut gall wasp update, Max Ferguson, MDARD, and Deb McCullough, MSU
9:50 a.m. – Chestnut brown rot research update, Giorgia Bastianelli, MSU
10:30 a.m. – Grower presentation: Deer exclusion fence, Jon Nash, Nash Nurseries
11:00 a.m. – Grower open forum
- How growers manage pests on farm, how strategies change from year 1-15+
- Pesticide application equipment
- Open Q&A (questions collected through day or before meeting)
12:00 p.m. – Lunch at McCrary Dining Hall – May check into rooms at this time.
1:00 p.m. – Introduction and implications of oak wilt on chestnut tree health, Timothy Miles, MSU, and Pete Conrad, Conrad Farms LLC
2:00 p.m. – Travelogue: VII International Chestnut Symposium and tour of Spain, Jon and Bill Nash, Nash Nurseries, and Roger Blackwell, New Era Chestnuts
3:00 p.m. – Grower open forum
- Grower presenter: Lee Peck, Ceresco, Michigan
- Year 10 retrospective assessment of orchard choices
- Harvesting: Current tech and how commercial growers manage harvest
- Choosing cultivars and orchard design
4:00 p.m. – Check in to rooms and visit the Caretakers Cottage for a social mixer (bring your own beverage)
6:00 p.m. – Dinner at McCrary Dining Hall
7:00 p.m. – Night cap at Caretakers Cottage
Saturday, March 9
7:00 a.m. – Breakfast at McCrary Dining Hall
8:00 a.m. – MCPC Business Meeting
8:30 a.m. – Brief discussion: Site selection for growing chestnuts
9:00 a.m. – Tree physiology 101, Derek Plotkowski, MSU Extension
10:00 a.m. – Getting started with labor on the farm, Zach Rutledge, MSU
11:00 a.m. – Meeting wrap-up
11:30 a.m. – Adjourn
