WENATCHEE, Wash. – Washington State University, in collaboration with the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission, is offering the 2008 Pest Management Fruit School, Dec. 11-12.
WSU Fruit Schools are a series of intensive workshops designed to empower fruit growers, orchard managers, crop consultants and field staff with up-to-the-minute information on relevant issues to the industry. This year focuses on integrated pest management.
Jay Brunner, director of the WSU Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center in Wenatchee, will present the key note address.
“Tree fruit pest control is changing,” Brunner said, “due to a range of factors, regulations, new pesticides, export barriers, and consumer expectations.” Brunner’s address will explain these changes, present a holistic view of pest management, and introduce fundamental concepts of planning, sampling and monitoring, which will form the basis for sessions in the rest of the Fruit School.
Other sessions include:
- “Achieving and Improving Control,” a session designed to provide growers and managers with skills necessary for taking an active role in making pest management decisions.
- “Marketing and Regulations,” which will help guide growers, and packers and marketers in working together so that pest management decisions made in the orchard do not become expensive marketing problems.
- “Building Capacity for a Better Pest Management Program,” which will include discussions by industry leaders about the resources needed and how the quality of an investment in staff and technology can be improved.
Sessions are offered from 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. on Dec 11 and from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Dec. 12. The 2008 WSU Fruit School is offered both live and at three video-conferencing locations. The live meeting location is at the Confluence Technology Center in Wenatchee. Registration for the live sessions is $100.
The video-conferencing locations are:
- Yakima Valley Community College, room 262/264; $75 registration;
- UI Extension Caldwell Complex, located at 1904 E. Chicago; $65 registration;
- Agri-plex Annex, 175 Rodeo Trail Rd., Okanogan County Fairgrounds; $65 registration.
Participants at both the live and remote locations will enjoy complimentary snacks, a catered hot lunch and electronic proceeding of the 2008 WSU Fruit School on Pest Management.
Registration deadline is Dec. 5. For more information or to register call 509-663-8181 or visit http://pmtp.wsu.edu/fruitschool.
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