Oct 26, 2020

Full program unveiled for 2020 Great Lakes EXPO virtual educational sessions

For the first time ever, the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable & Farm Market EXPO will be transitioning to a virtual EXPO for 2020, including virtual booths, educational sessions and more.

Although there won’t be any in-person events, the virtual 2020 Great Lakes EXPO, which will still take place on the originally scheduled dates of Dec. 8-10, will allow attendees and exhibitors alike the unique opportunity of interacting and engaging with speakers, attending multiple educational sessions daily and more — all from the comfort and safety of their own home or office.

Full Program

• Jump to Farm Market Sessions
• Jump to General Interest Sessions
• Jump to Organic Sessions
• Jump to Vegetable Sessions

Register for the 2020 virtual Great Lakes EXPO today!

Farm Market

Tuesday

• Farm Marketing 1 – 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
  • 11:00 AM 3 Steps to a Profitable Farm – Charlotte Smith, 3 Cow Marketing
• Farm Marketing 2 – 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
  • 1:00 PM: Michian Agritourism Association Update – Janice Benson, MATA, Natalie Klackle, MATA
  • 1:15 PM: What we do at Flinchbaugh Orchard and Farm Market – Julie Keene, Flinchbaugh Orchard and Farm Market
• COVID 19 Farm Market Roundtable – 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM
  • • Topics covered in this roundtable include school tours, CSA’s, Farm and Farmer’s Markets.

Wednesday

• Farm Marketing 3 – 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
  • 9:00 AM: Hosting Successful Farm Dinners – Abra Berens, Granor Farm
  • 10:00 AM: Farm to Print: The Ins and Outs of Book Publishing – Abra Berens, Granor Farm
• Farm Marketing 4 – 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
  • 1:00 PM: Farm Stay Best Practices – Scottie Jones, Farm Stay USA and Leaping Lamb Farm
  • 2:00 PM: Creating Polished Farm Promotion and Recruitment Videos – Randy Strobl, Wrinkle Creative
• Farm Marketing 5 – 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM
  • 3:30 PM:  Pick-Your-Own Flower Field – Adrienne Gammie, Marilla Field and Flora
  • 4:30 PM: How to Get Guest Into Your Market and Keep Them Coming Back – Julie Keene, Flinchbaugh Orchard and Farm Market

Thursday

• Farm Marketing Workshop 1 – Argitourism 101 – 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
  • 9:00 AM: Customer Service Tips for Including Guests With Disabilities – Miranda Grunwell, Disability Network Southwest Michigan
  • 9:40 AM: Conducting Last Minute Events – Jenny Ferels, Lewis Adventure Farm & Zoo
  • 10:20 AM: Partnering With Other Businesses for Successful Events – Wendy Winkel, Grandpa Tiny’s Farm
• Farm Marketing Workshop 2 – Creating Beautiful Market Bouquets – 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
• Farm Marketing Workshop 3 – How to Create a Farm Website that Sells – 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM
  • During this workshop, you’ll learn the key steps to having a website that works to make you money in today’s online world.
  • You’ll also learn the key element of a website’s foundation that most farmers are under-utilizing and how exactly to attract potential customers to your site.

General Interest

Tuesday

• Mechanical Cultivation 1 – 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
  • 9:00 AM: Stacking tools for better weed management – Eric Gallandt, University of Maine
  • 9:20 AM: Balancing Weed Control with Soil Health:  A farmer’s perspective – Jean Paul Courtens, Philia Farm
  • 9:40 AM: Q&A
• Mechanical Cultivation 2 – 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
  • 10:00 AM: Nuts and Bolts: Selecting and calibraing tools for your farm – Sam Tilton, Lakeshore Technical College
  • 10:20 AM: Mecanical cultivation at PrairiEarth Farm – Hans Bishop, PrairiEarth Farm
  • 10:40 AM: Q&A
• Managing Arthritis and Joint Pain – 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
  • 11:00 AM: Occupational Therapy Methods to Reduce Joint Pain – Stephanie Tamminga, Davenport University Occupational Therapy Program
  • 11:30 AM: Farm Equipment Modifications to Reduce Joint Pain – Ned Stoller, Michigan AgrAbility
• Labor 1 – 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
  • 11:00 AM: View from Capitol Hill: Federal Legislative Update – Michael Marsh, National Council of Agricultural Employers
  • 11:35 AM: NASS Farm Labor Survey and the AEWR – Michael Marsh, National Council of Agricultural Employers
  • 12:05 AM: Immigration Reform – Craig Regelbrugge, AmericanHort
• Food Safety 1 – 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
  • 1:00 PM   Sanitizer choices for treating irrigation water and their effectiveness – Chris Gunter, North Carolina State University
  • 1:25 PM   Biofilms: What are they and why should I care? – Laura Strawn, Virginia Tech
• Food Safety 2 – 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
  • 2:00 PM   Strategies for maintaining hygienic cold rooms – Craig Kahlke, Cornell University
  • 2:25 PM    2020 Produce inspections: Season in review – Brent Krieger, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD)
• Beginning Farmer 1 – 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
  • 7:00 PM: Beginning farmer meet and greet and Q&A
  • 8:00 PM: Farmer panel of “getting started to farm-my story”

Wednesday

• Large Scale Organic 2 – 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
  • 10:00 AM  Mechanical cultivation at PrairiEarth Farm – Hans Bishop, PrairiEarth Farm
• Hemp Production for Beginners – 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
  • 12:00 PM: Hemp Production in Michigan: The Basics – Eric Anderson, Michigan State University Extension
  • 12:45 PM: Hemp Licensing and Regulations for 2021 – Gina Alessandri, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
  • 1:30 PM: Hemp Irrigation Considerations – Lyndon Kelley, Michigan State University
  • 2:15 PM: Hemp Grower and Processor Panel Discussion – Nate Wittkamp, Mike Klumpp, Ag Marvels, LLC, Lori Whitmyer, Edgewood Farms, Eric Kietzer, Kietzer Farms
• Protected Culture – 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
  • 1:00 PM    Biologicals to Manage Greenhouse Pests – Steve Bogash, Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc
  • 1:25 PM    Rotation strategies for protected culture – Judson Reid, Cornell University
  • 2:00 PM    Grafting for protected culture production – Matt Kleinhenz, The Ohio State University
  • 2:25 PM    High Tunnel Leafy Green Production – Matt Kleinhenz, The Ohio State University
• Pesticide Resistance Management – 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
  • 3:30 PM: Fungicide resistance in tree fruit pathogens: how, why, and what next? – George Sundin, Michigan State Unviersity
  • 4:00 PM: Preserving insect susceptibility to synthetic and biological compounds using resistance management practices for sustainable  production – David Mota-Sanchez, Michigan State Unviersity
  • 4:30 PM: Herbicide Resistance: Status, Mechanism, and Management Strategies in Perennial Crops – Sushila Chaudhari, Michigan State Unviersity
• Soil Health  – 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM
  • 3:30 PM     Is my soil healthy? Observing and assessing soil health indicators on your farm – Julie Grossman, University of Minnesota
  • 3:55 PM      Fertility in the context of Soil Health – Allen Philo, BioStar Organics
  • 4:30 PM      Mustard over crops for biofumigation – Jim Jasinski, The Ohio State University
  • 4:55 PM      Experiences in integrating cover crops on a diverse vegetable farm – Jean-Paul Stewart-Courtens, Philia Farm
• Here Comes da Boom: Sprayer Technology – 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
  • 4:30 PM       Shielded sprayers and weed escapes: Is there new technology that can help me stay sane, kill weeds and not my crop?  – Jason Deveau, Ontario Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Rural Affairs
  • 4:50 PM       The $164,000 question: Watch an expert get grilled on design pros and cons of different air assist sprayers – Jason Deveau, Ontario Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Rural Affairs
  • 5:10 PM       Q&A
• Beginning Farmer 2 – 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
  • 7:00 PM    The virtues of cover crops to support soil and crop health – Julie Grossman, Minnesota State Univeristy
  • 7:25 PM     Choosing robust varieties to meet your farming and market needs – Ron Goldy, Michigan State University Extension
  • 8:00 PM      EQIP for beginning farmers – USDA NRCS Michigan Representative
  • 8:30 PM      Q&A

Thursday

• Irrigation 1 – 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
  • 9:00 AM     Improving irrigation water use efficiency using sensor technology – Younsuk  Dong, Michigan State University
  • 9:25 AM      Managing overhead irrigation to reduce leaf wetting frequency and improve water use efficiency -Lyndon Kelley, Michigan State University
• Irrigation 2 – 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
  • 10:00 AM     Updated water council and water policy – Laura Campbell, Michigan Farm Bureau, Jason Walter, Andy Le Baron, EGLE
  • 10:25 AM      Midwest Water Stewards – Todd    Feenstra, Tritium, Inc.
• Labor 2 – 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
  • 11:00 AM: MSU’s CHAMPs Program – Melissa Millerick-May, Michigan State University
  • 11:30 AM: MIOSHA and Farm Worker Safety
• Consumer Insights – 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
  • 1:00 PM: Moving the conversation from “Can we grow it?” to “SHOULD we grow it?” – Trey Malone, Michigan State University
• La Cosecha (The Harvest) – 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
  • La Cosecha (the Harvest), a program to train Latinx beginning farmers: Pesticide education and business. Talks in Spanish by Antonio Castro-Escobar MDARD, Florencia Colella, MSU Extension, Juan Pedro Solorio, and David Mota-Sanchez MSU Entomology

Organic

Tuesday

• Intro to Organics – Farmer Round Tables – 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM
  • 3:30 PM – Farming practices with or without certifcation and why
  • 4:30 PM – Farming practices with or without certifcation and why

Wednesday

• Large Scale Organic 1 – 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
  • 9:00 AM  Soil Fertility Management in Organic Systems – Allen Philo, BioStar Organics
  • 9:25 AM  Electric discharge systems for weed control in sugarbeet – Tom Peters, North Dakota State University

Thursday

• Organic Opportunities 1 – 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
  • 1:00 PM: Socially-Distant Direct Marketing: REKO Markets – Heather Anderson, Green Wagon Farm
  • 1:20 PM: Socially-Distant Direct Marketing: Customizable CSA – Rebecca Henderson, Green Wagon Farm
  • 1:40 PM: Q&A
• Organic Fruit Production 1 – 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
  • 1:00 PM: Know your enemy: update on SWD ecology – Matt Greishop, Michigan State University
  • 1:30 PM: Codling moth phenology 101: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Degree Day Models – Matt Greishop, Michigan State University
• Organic Fruit Production 2 – 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
  • 2:00 PM: Codling Moth Sterile Insect Release Overview – Chris Adams, Oregon State University
• Organic Opportunities 2 – 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
  • 2:00 PM: Cooperative Farm Marketing: Grown in Detroit – Imani Foster, Keep Growing Detroit
  • 2:00 PM: Q&A
• Organic Vegetable Production 1 – 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
  • 3:30 PM: Food Safety Certification for Organic Production – Phil Tocco, Michigan State University
  • 3:50 PM: Organic field and high tunnel tomato production – Steve Bogash, Marrone BioInnovations
  • 4:10 PM: Q&A
  • 4:30 PM: Vegetable disease Management for organic sysems – Judson Reid, Cornell Univesity
  • 4:50 PM: Nematodes managed while improving soil health for organic production – Marisol Quintanillia, Michigan State University
  • 5:10 PM: Q&A
• Organic Vegetable Production 2 – 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
  • 4:30 PM: Vegetable disease Management for organic sysems – Judson Reid, Cornell Univesity
  • 4:50 PM: Nematodes managed while improving soil health for organic production – Marisol Quintanillia, Michigan State University
  • 5:10 PM: Q&A

Vegetable

Tuesday

• Asparagus 1 – 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
  • 9:00 AM: Drift Reduction Technology and a Homegrown Solution for a Delayed Postharvest Burndown in Asparagus – Jason Deveau, Ontario Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Rural Affairs
  • 9:20 AM: Why are Hotspots so Hot? Investigating the Unknowns in Asparagus Beetle Overwintering Biology – Jennifer  Zavalnitskaya, Michigan State University
• Pickling Cucumber 1 – 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
  • 9:00 AM: Downy Mildew Management in Pickling Cucumbers – Mary Hausbeck, Michigan State University
  • 9:25 AM: Managing Fields and Grading Sheds Under COVID-restricted Conditions – Philip Tocco, Michigan State University Extension
• Asparagus 2 – 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
  • 10:00 AM: Nitrogen Management in Asparagus – Zachary Hayden, Michigan State University
  • 10:20AM: Asparagus Emergence Studies – Dan Brainard, Michigan State University
    • Q&A
• Pickling Cucumber 2 – 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
  • 10:00 AM Pickling Cucumber Research in Delaware – Gordon Johnson, University of Delaware
• Potato 1 – 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
  • 1:00 PM: Colorado Potato Beetle Insecticide Resistance Management During Warmer than Normal Temperatures – Zsofia Szendrei, Michigan State University
  • 1:25 PM: Foliar and Postharvest Potato Disease Management Recommendations – Jaime Willbur, Michigan State University
• Tomato/Pepper/Eggplant 1 – 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
  • 1:00 PM: ToBRFV and Other Virus Diseases – Mary Hausbeck, Michigan State University
  • 1:25 PM: Thrips Control – Zsofia Szendrei, Michigan State University & Xavier Martini, University of Florida
• Potato 2 – 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
  • 2:00 PM: Integrated Management of Potato Early Die: Disease Complex Dynamic and Treatment Effectiveness –  Emilie Cole, Michigan State University & Luisa Parrado Guevara.Michigan State University
  • 2:25 PM: Weed Control Challenges and Management Strategies for Potatoes in 2021 – Erin Burns, Michigan State University
• Tomato/Pepper/Eggplant 2 – 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
  • 2:00 PM: Biostimulants:  Should I use them? – Matt Kleinhenz, The Ohio State University
  • 2:25 PM: Getting the Most Out of Your Tomato Fertility – Chris Gunter, North Carolina State University
• Processing Vegetables 1 – 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
  • 3:30 PM: How do you get too much of a Good Thing? Nitrogen in Processing Veggies – Zachary Hayden, Michigan State University
  • 3:50 PM: Heat Effects in Snap Beans – Gordon Johnson, University of Delaware
• Processing Vegetables 2 – 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
  • 4:30 PM: Managing Phytophthora Capsici in Processing Squash – Mary Hausbeck, Michigan State University
  • 5:10 PM: Integrating Cover Crops and Nematicides for Nematode Control in Veggie Rotations – Marisol Quintanilla, Michigan State University

Wednesday

• Vine Crops 1 – 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
  • 9:00 AM: Plant Pumpkin Decisions Affecting Pollinators – Jim Jasinski, The Ohio State University
  • 9:20 AM: The Grounder, the Line Drive, and the Pop Fly: Fielding Three Very Different Vine Crop Diseases – Mary Hausbeck, Michigan State University
• Vine Crops 2 – 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
  • 10:00 AM: Using Grafted Plants in Cucumber and Melon Production – Wenjing Guan, Purdue University
  • 10:40 AM: Parthenocarpy and Fruit Set in Vine Crops – Gordon Johnson, University of Delaware
• Onion 1 – 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
  • 11:00 AM: Controlling Stemphylium in onions – Mary Hausbeck, Michigan State University
  • 11:20 AM: Management of problem weeds in onions – Sushila Chaudhari, Michigan State University
• Onion 2 – 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
  • 12:00 PM: Perpsectives on onion marketing from our NOA president – Doug Bulgrin, Gumz Farms
  • 12:30 PM: Q&A
• Celery – 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
  • 3:30 PM: Screening cover crops for their ability to host plant parasitic nematodes – Marisol Quintanilla, Michigan State University
  • 3:50 PM: Celery weed control update – Sushila Chaudhari, Michigan State University
  • 4:10 PM: Q&A
• Sweet Corn 1: Worm Issues – 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
  • 3:30 PM: Current Efficacy and Management of bt Sweet Corn – Galen Dively, University of Maryland
  • 3:50 PM: Year-to-year variability in corn earworm and its control with pyrethroids – Celeste      Welty, The Ohio State University
• Sweet Corn 2: Birds and Weeds – 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
  • 4:30 PM: Laser Scarecrows: A 21st Century Approach to Birds in Corn – Rebecca Brown, University of Rhode Island
  • 4:50 PM: Weed Control: considerations before you fill your sprayer – Mark VanGessel, University of Delaware
  • 5:10 PM: Q&A

* – all times listed are EDT

For more information on the virtual 2020 Great Lakes EXPO, registration, educational session details and more, visit www.glexpo.com.