2026 Conference Schedule
**Subject to change**
Tuesday, February 10th
2:00pm – 5:00pm | Registration / Check-In Open – Lobby Foyer, Embassy Suites San Luis Obispo
Wednesday, February 11th
8:00am – 9:00am | Registration & Industry Showcase – Lobby Foyer, San Luis Obispo North and Foyer
General Session – San Luis Obispo Ballroom
9:00am – 9:10am | Conference Welcome – Amanda McWhirt, University of Arkansas
9:10am – 9:35am | Introduction to the California Caneberry Industry – Eric Reiter, Reiter Affiliated Companies
Breeding Breakout Session – San Luis Obispo Ballroom
Session Chair and Moderator: Ellen Thompson, Hortifrut Genetics, LLC
9:40am – 10:05am | Yunwen Wang, Driscoll’s, Inc. – Delight: Driscoll’s Blackberry Breeding Pursuit of Flavor
10:05am – 10:30am | Michael Hardigan, USDA – Breeding Program Update
10:30am – 10:55am | Courtney Weber, Cornell University – What’s New in the Cornell Berry Breeding Program?
10:55am – 11:20am | Carmen Johns, University of Arkansas – University of Arkansas Blackberry Breeding Program Update
Production Management Breakout Session – Edna East & West
Session Chair and Moderator: Lisa DeVetter, Washington State University
9:40am – 10:05am | Amanda McWhirt, University of Arkansas – Updated Nutrient Management Recommendations for Blackberry in the Southeast
10:05am – 10:30am | Shinsuke Agehara, University of Florida – Overcoming Insufficient Winter Chilling in Blackberry through Chemical Budbreak Induction
10:30am – 10:55am | Lisa DeVetter, Washington State University – Heat Stress Mitigation of Raspberry Using Biostimulants, Evaporative Cooling, and Shade Cloth
10:55am – 11:20am | Ian Newman, Primus Auditing Ops – Transitioning to PrimusGFS V.4.0: Updates, Expectations & Best Practices
General Session – San Luis Obispo Ballroom
11:30am – 12:00pm | Featured Speaker – Mario Flores, Naturipe Farms LLC – The Evolution of the Blackberry Consumer. A Commentary on the Premium Blackberry Category
Industry Showcase Session / Lunch
12:00pm – 1:15pm | San Luis Obispo North and Foyer / Atrium
Breeding Breakout Session – San Luis Obispo Ballroom
Session Chair and Moderator: Ellen Thompson, Hortifrut Genetics, LLC
1:15pm – 1:40pm | Michael Dossett, BC Berry Cultivar Development Inc (BCBCDI) – What’s New in the BC Breeding Program?
1:40pm – 2:05pm | Christopher Winterbottom, GoodFarms – The GoodFarms Raspberry Breeding Program – A New ‘Open Source’ For Raspberry Cultivars
2:05pm – 2:30pm | Breeding Panel / Final Questions – Moderated by: Ellen Thompson, Hortifrut Genetics, LLC
Production Management Breakout Session – Edna East & West
Session Chair and Moderator: Lisa DeVetter, Washington State University
1:15pm – 1:40pm | Lisa Rayburn, North Carolina State University – Annual Raspberry Production in the Southeast – Update from Experiences in the Field – Presented in partnership with Joshua Mays, TriEst Ag Group
1:40pm – 2:05pm | Jesse Carroll, Missouri State University – Evaluating New Oregon Blackberry Cultivars for Production in the Midwest
2:05pm – 2:30pm | Production Management Panel / Final Questions – Moderated by: Lisa DeVetter, Washington State University
2:30pm – 2:45pm | BREAK – Foyer
New Technology Breakout Session – San Luis Obispo Ballroom
Session Chair and Moderator: Renee Threlfall, University of Arkansas
2:45pm – 3:10pm | Anthony Gunderman, University of Arkansas – Developing Robotic Technologies for Harvesting Fresh-Market Caneberries
3:10pm – 3:35pm | Gordon Robertson, Fresh Inset – Enhance Your Packaging to Extend Freshness: A New Twist on a Proven Technology
3:35pm – 4:00pm | Adam Stager, TRIC Robotics – Robotic Platforms for Pest and Disease Control
4:00pm – 4:25pm | Davide Sosso, Heritable Agriculture – The Rubus Renaissance: How AI is Unlocking the Full Potential of Raspberry and Blackberry Breeding
4:25pm – 4:50pm | Matthew Clark, University of Minnesota / Vitis Gen3 – Resistance Breeding and Beyond with Robotics and Image Analysis
4:50pm – 5:15pm | New Technology Panel / Final Questions – Moderated by: Renee Threlfall, University of Arkansas
Pest and Disease Breakout Session – Edna East & West
Session Chair and Moderator: Sara Villani, North Carolina State University
2:45pm – 3:10pm | Aaron Cato, University of Arkansas – Managing Arthropod Pests in Blackberry: Evaluating Drone Sprayers, Surveying Eriophyid Mites, and Evaluating New Pesticides to Solve Old Problems
3:10pm – 3:35pm | Lindsey Theissen, Clemson University – Beyond the Spray: Integrated Strategies to Beat Fungicide Resistance
3:35pm – 4:00pm | Maher Al Rwahnih, UC Davis – The Future is Now: Advances in Virus Diagnostics at Clean Plant Centers
4:00pm – 4:25pm | Sara Villani, North Carolina State University – Don’t Wilt Away: 2026 Updates on Fusarium in Blackberries
4:25pm – 4:50pm | Jenny Broome, UC Santa Cruz – New IPM Programming in Caneberry for the Western Region
4:50pm – 5:15pm | Pest and Disease Panel / Final Questions – Moderated by: Sara Villani, North Carolina State University
Industry Showcase Session / Poster Session
5:15pm – 6:00pm | San Luis Obispo North and Foyer / Los Osos
Thursday, February 12th
8:00am – 8:30am | Industry Showcase – San Luis Obispo North and Foyer
General Session – San Luis Obispo Ballroom
8:30am – 8:35am | Day 2 Welcome
8:35am – 8:55am | Dr. John R. Clark, Fruit Breeding Consultant and Retired Distinguished Professor of Horticulture at the University of Arkansas – Global Trends in Berry Breeding
8:55am – 9:20am | Tom Spaulding, Pairwise – Gene Editing Yields Better Berries: Progress on Compact and Seedless Blackberry
9:20am – 9:35am | NARBA Annual Meeting
Industry Showcase Session / Break
9:35am – 10:05am | San Luis Obispo North and Foyer
Plant Management Breakout Session – San Luis Obispo Ballroom
Session Chairs and Moderators: Whitney Phillips Howell, PhyllaTech LLC and Pete Rizzo, Nourse Farms
10:05am – 10:30am | Hannah Lepsch, North Carolina State University – Evaluating Abscisic Acid for Freeze Injury Mitigation in Blackberry Systems
10:30am – 10:55am | Scott Lukas, Oregon State University – Impact of Primocane Management and Plant Spacing on Planting Performance and Net Returns of ‘Columbia Star’ Blackberry
10:55am – 11:20am | Jose Ramirez, Impello Biosciences – Leveraging the Synergy Between Plant Nutrients and Biostimulants to Increase Yield and Quality of Caneberries
11:20am – 11:45am | Lisa Rayburn, North Carolina State University – Evaluating Cane Density and Lateral Thinning to Optimize Production and Labor Efficiency in Long Cane Production of Kwanzaa Raspberry
Packaging Breakout Session – Edna East & West
Session Chair and Moderator: Renee Threlfall, University of Arkansas
10:05am – 10:30am | Janis McIntosh, Naturipe Farms LLC – Navigating Packaging Compliance
10:30am – 10:55am | Vonnie Estes, International Fresh Produce Association – From Innovation to Export: How Packaging Solutions Move from Idea to Global Market
10:55am – 11:20am | Javier de la Fuente, California Polytechnic State University – Current Trends and Innovations in Fresh Produce Packaging
11:20am – 11:45am | Packaging Panel / Final Questions – Moderated by: Renee Threlfall, University of Arkansas
Santa Maria Berry Growing Region Tour
12:00pm | Depart for Santa Maria Berry Growing Region Tour – Included in your registration fees. Pick up boxed lunch in foyer / atrium. Dress comfortably with closed toe shoes. Motor coach transportation provided, if driving on own, see registration table for destination timing and addresses handout. Return to hotel is estimated as 6:00pm.
- Stop 1: Rancho Alegre Farms – Traditional in-soil blackberry and raspberry farm
- Stop 2: Driscoll’s Cooler and TRiC Robotics to showcase UV-based pest and disease control technology
- Stop 3: Betteravia Farms – Substrate growing methods with innovative ag tech