611th Meeting of the New England Vegetable & Berry Growers' Association

Event date/time: 
Saturday, February 22, 2025 - 9:00am to 3:15pm
Event Type: 
In-person
Event location: 
The Bull Run Restaurant
215 Great Rd., Shirley, MA, 01464
Price: 
Registration free for NEVBGA members, $20 for non-members. Lunch buffet is an additional $25.

The New England Vegetable & Berry Growers Association (NEVBGA) is the oldest vegetable growers association in America. We support and promote the vegetable and berry industry in New England. The meetings are co-hosted by the NEVBGA and UMass Extension, and open to the public—we look forward to you joining us!

Agenda

  • 9:00 - Registration
  • 9:30 - Personal Protective Equipment Selection - Al Sorenson, UMass School of Public Health & Health Sciences
  • 10:15 - Drone Imaging and Nutrient Management in Small Fruit Operations - Evan Lentz, Assistant Extension Educator, Fruit Production and IPM, UConn. Evan will present the ongoing research project that will help small fruit growers to monitor and diagnose nutrient deficiencies and aid in decision making to correct those issues for greater productivity of small fruit and berry plantings.
  • 11:00 - Pest Trends and Patterns from the UNH Trapping Network - Amber Vinchesi-Vahl, Ph.D.Associate State Specialist, Entomology and IPM, University of New Hampshire. Dr. Vinchesi-Vahl will present findings on sweet corn pests, squash vine borer, brown marmorated stink bug and spotted wing drosophila from the UNH Trapping Network and how weather patterns are affecting populations and movement.
  • 12:00 - Lunch & Commercial member introductions, Extension updates, and NEVBGA updates
  • 1:00 - Grant Writing for Success: How to Prepare for Your Next Grant Opportunity - Abby Hevey Co-Founder of Coastal Food Shed and Manager of Grants & Development
  • 1:45 - Using Soil Tests to Optimize Crop Production - John Howell, UMass Extension Emeritus
  • 2:30 - Berry Production and The Future of The UMass Small Fruit Program - Jianyu Li, Ph.D. Extension Assistant Professor, Sustainable Fruit and Vegetable Production, Stockbridge School of Agriculture. Dr. Li is the newest addition to the UMass Extension Faculty dedicated to Fruit & Vegetable Production, and will present his research and industry experience in small fruit and discuss plans for future research and grower engagement.
  • 3:15 - Adjourn

**Pesticide recertification credits pending for this event.

Related Website: 
https://nevbga.com/
How to Participate: 

Please RSVP to 978-423-6694 or secretary@nevbga.org by February 10.

Registration Deadline: 
Monday, February 10, 2025 - 11:59pm
Contact's name: 
Chris Grant
Contact's email: 
secretary@nevbga.org
This event will be recorded: 
No
215 Great Rd. Shirley MA

The Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment and UMass Extension are equal opportunity providers and employers, United States Department of Agriculture cooperating. Contact your local Extension office for information on disability accommodations. Contact the State Center Director’s Office if you have concerns related to discrimination, 413-545-4800 or see ag.umass.edu/civil-rights-information.