It’s time to preregister for the 2022 Southeastern Apple Growers Conference. This year’s meeting will be held January 17-20, 2022 at the Asheville-Biltmore DoubleTree Inn. In addition to the usual NC State Specialists this year we are welcoming several highly regarded experts to our speaker lineup including:

Dr. Lailiang Cheng, Cornell University. Dr. Cheng specializes in nutrition physiology and nutrient management of apple. During his session, he will cover nutrient management in high density plantings and discuss the latest strategies for reducing bitter bit in Honeycrisp plantings.

Bill Dodd, President of the Midwest Apple Improvement Association. Come listen to former Apple Grower of the Year and Chairperson of the US Apple Association and current President of the MAIA discuss a brief history of the Midwest Apple Improvement Association, the varieties that have been released, the MAIA business model, and what is next. Bill will also serve on a grower panel later in the day to answer any questions you may have regarding establishing and managing MAIA cultivars in NC.

Jess Laggis, Farmland Protection Director, Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy. Attend Jess’ session to learn more about efforts on conserving farmland in the region and orchard succession planning!

Bill Moretz, Moretz Mountain Orchard. Join Bill as he closes out our Tuesday education session with a discussion on the history of heirloom apple production in the southeast and his experiences with growing and marketing heirloom apple in North Carolina.

In addition to our speaker lineup, there will be several grower panel discussions this year covering the following topics:

• H2A Labor: Experiences, Compliance, and Updates
• Planting MAIA cultivars: Opportunities and Strategies for Overcoming Challenges of the S.E. Climate
• Exploring the diversity of roadside markets and opportunities for agritourism in the the S.E.

Also new for the 2022 Conference:

• January 18: Industry update session
• January 18: Social hour prior to the evening banquet
• January 19: Pesticide Safety Credits: “V” Training (NC only)
• January 19: Graduate student updates
• January 20: Tour of orchards and markets in Henderson County

To register, visit the NC Apple Growers Association Website

Questions? Contact Dr. Sara Villani: sara_villani@ncsu.edu or Eli Snyder: elina_snyder@ncsu.edu