2025 North american berry Conference Schedule
Monday, February 3rd
1:00pm – 4:00pm | Registration / Check-In Open – Kaleiopapa Convention Center Outdoor Foyer, OUTRIGGER Kona Resort & Spa
5:00pm | Opening Reception – Bayview Grounds, OUTRIGGER Kona Resort & Spa
Tuesday, February 4th
7:30am – 8:25am | Registration & Exhibitor Sessions – Kaleiopapa Convention Center Outdoor Foyer
Keauhou I & II – Joint General Session
8:25am – 8:30am | Conference Welcome
8:30am – 9:00am | Opening Remarks – Agriculture in Hawai’i, Hawai’i Department of Agriculture
9:00am – 9:20am | Penelope Perkins Veazie, North Carolina State University – Career Retrospective – Strawberry Fruit Quality: Meeting Consumer Demands for Flavor and Health
9:20am – 9:40am | Hannah Levenson, North Carolina State University – Improved Management Recommendations for the Control of Spotted-Wing Drosophila in Berry Crops
9:40am – 10:00am | Dhurgham Al-karawi, Russel IPM Group – AI to monitor Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD)
10:00am – 10:30am | Aaron Cato, University of Arkansas – Using Drones in Berry Production
Break & Exhibitor Session – 10:30am – 11:00am | Kaleiopapa Convention Center Outdoor Foyer
11:00am – 11:30am | Dan Villamor, University of Arkansas – Clean Plants 2.0: Overcoming the Challenges of Detecting Berry Viruses
11:30am – 12:00pm | Protected Culture Panel – Moderated by Austin Wrenn, Wrenn’s Farm, LLC
- Corenthin (Felix) Chassouant, Harnois
- Richard Mills, Haygrove
- Cal Lewis, Lewis Nursery and Farms, Inc.
- Israel Holby, Plantlogic
Lunch & Exhibitor Session – 12:oopm – 1:25pm | Kaleiopapa Convention Center Outdoor Foyer & Back Lawn
Keauhou I & II – Joint General Session, Continued
1:25pm | After Lunch Welcome
1:30pm – 2:00pm | Joshua Mays, TriEst Ag Group – What Happens to Soil Microbes When You Fumigate? How to Integrate Soil Fumigation into a Soil Health System
2:00pm – 2:30pm | Jérémie Pitre, Entreprise Pitre, Quebec – Grower Profile: Transitioning from Open-Field to High-Tunnel Production, Innovative Strategies for Small Fruit Growers
2:30pm – 3:00pm | Betsy Bihn, Cornell University – Revised FSMA Produce Safety Rule Pre-harvest Agricultural Water Requirements
3:00pm – 3:45pm | Substrate Panel – Moderated by Kevin Schooley, North American Strawberry Growers Association
- Shawn Mallen, AMA Horticulture
- Shanna Riser, Grodan
- Kyle Freedman, Jiffy Group
- Lisa Rayburn, North Carolina State University
3:45pm | Exhibitor Session & Networking | Kaleiopapa Convention Center Foyer
7:30pm | Berry Bull Session – Lessons Learned | Keauhou II
This an opportunity to talk with other growers and agribusiness experts about success and challenges that growers have had over the years. Its an open forum to ask questions from others and share your experiences.
WedNEsday, February 5th
8:00am – 8:55am | Registration & Exhibitor Sessions – Kaleiopapa Convention Center Outdoor Foyer
Keauhou I – Caneberry Session
8:55am – 9:00am | Day 2 Welcome
9:00am – 9:30am | Tom Spaulding, Pairwise – Gene-Edited Blackberries that Benefit Growers and Consumers: Roadmap to High-Yielding, Seedless and Thornless Blackberries from Pairwise
9:30am – 10:00am | David Bryla, USDA- ARS Corvallis – Impacts of Post-harvest Water Deficits and Alternate-Year Production on the Seasonal Water Requirements of ‘Columbia Star’ Trailing Blackberry
10:00am – 10:30am | Joshua Mays, TriEst Ag Group – Annual Raspberry Systems in the Southeast USA – How to Develop the Fourth Berry Crop
Keauhou II – Strawberry Session
8:55am – 9:00am | Day 2 Welcome
9:00am – 9:30am | Jayesh Samtani, Virginia Tech – Effect of Additional Fall Season Growing Degree Day Accumulation on Strawberry Fruit Yield
9:30am – 10:00am | Natalia Peres, University of Florida – Neopestalotiopsis Update
10:00am – 10:30am | Amanda McWhirt, University of Arkansas – Managing Nitrogen in Short and Long Day Strawberries
Break & Exhibitor Session – 10:30am – 11:00am | Kaleiopapa Convention Center Outdoor Foyer
Keauhou I – Caneberry Session, Continued
11:00am – 11:30am | Amanda McWhirt, University of Arkansas – Recommendations for Leaf Tissue Nutrient Sampling in Blackberry
11:30am – 12:00pm | Caneberry Cultivar Panel – Moderated by John R. Clark, Fruit Breeding Consultant and Retired Distinguished Professor of Horticulture at the University of Arkansas
- Jackie Lee, University of Arkansas
- Michael Hardigan, USDA-ARS Corvallis
- Joe Fiola, University of Maryland
- Ellen Thompson, Hortifrut North America, Inc
Keauhou II – Strawberry Session, Continued
11:00am – 11:20am | NASGA Annual Meeting
11:20am – 12:00pm | Strawberry Cultivar Panel – Moderated by Kim Lewers, USDA-ARS
- Amanda Emond, Nourse Farms
- Charlie Gunderson, Planasa
- Courtney Weber, Cornell University
- Hillary Thomas, Naturipe Berry Growers, Inc.
Lunch & Exhibitor Session – 12:oopm – 1:30pm | Kaleiopapa Convention Center Outdoor Foyer & Back Lawn
Keauhou I – Caneberry Session, Continued
1:30pm – 2:00pm | NARBA Annual Meeting
2:00pm – 2:30pm | Lorena Lopez, North Carolina State University – Spider Mite Management in Protected Culture
2:30pm – 3:00pm | Aaron Cato, University of Arkansas – Survey of Mites in Blackberries and Their Management in the SE
3:00pm – 3:45pm | Caneberry Grower Panel – Moderated by Jayesh Samtani, Virginia Tech
- Bo Slack, Cal Giant
- Blaine Staples, The Jungle Farm
- Kerry Charron, ROC Farm
- Barron Shaw, Shaw Orchards
Keauhou II – Strawberry Session, Continued
1:30pm – 2:00pm | Kim Lewers, USDA-ARS – “The Times They are a ‘Changin’: Neopestalotiopsis and CEA
2:00pm – 2:30pm | Hillary Thomas, Naturipe Berry Growers, Inc. – Trends in the CA Strawberry Industry
2:30pm – 3:00pm | Nate Westrick, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station – Managing Anthracnose Crown Rot: An Emerging Issue in the Northeast
3:00pm – 3:30pm | Kashif Riaz, Production Lareault – Challenges Vertical / Indoor Strawberry Production
3:30pm | Exhibitor Session & Networking | Kaleiopapa Convention Center Foyer
Thursday, February 6th
8:45am | Depart for Island of Hawai’i Agricultural Tour – OUTRIGGER Main Lobby
This self-driving tour will be split into 3 groups with as much carpooling as possible and will do our best to offer rides to attendees who are not renting a car. At registration check-in on Monday, February 3rd and Tuesday, February 4th, you will be able to sign-up for 1 of 3 routes and coordinate carpool. We will still provide lunch during tour stops. See below for details on each stop – drivers will be provided a detailed group itinerary.
NOTE: All groups will leave the hotel promptly at 8:45am and return around 4pm. Please plan to be in the lobby by 8:30am. Drivers will meet their group at the hotel roundabout in front of the main lobby. The tour includes lunch. You must sign-up for a tour group during registration check-in and carpooling is encouraged.
Kona Salt Farm – 73-907 Makako Bay Dr, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 (30-40 minute drive from OUTRIGGER)
Tour Time Slots:
Group A – 9:30am-11:00am
Group B – 11:30am-1:30pm (includes lunch break at 1:00pm)
Group C – 1:30pm-3:00pm
Greenwell Farms – 81-6581 Mamalahoa Highway, Kealakekua, Hawaii 96750 (15 minute drive from OUTRIGGER)
Tour Time Slots:
Group C – 9:00am-10:30am
Group A – 11:45pm-1:45pm (includes lunch break at 11:45am)
Group B – 2:15pm-3:45pm
Big Island Bees – 82-1140 Meli Road, Suite 102, Captain Cook, HI 96704 (15-20 minute drive from OUTRIGGER)
Tour Time Slots:
Group B – 9:00am-10:30am
Group C – 10:45am-12:45pm (includes lunch break at 12:15pm)
Group A – 2:00pm-3:30pm
Please bring your supplemental handout for the self-driving tour. Plan to wear layers of clothing appropriate to tour fields and for extended time outside in the Hawai’i sun. Wear sunscreen, a hat and closed toed shoes.