Please join us for our third season of Virtual Orchard Meetups, running bi-weekly from Thursday, June 15 to Thursday, July 13, 2023.

Since 2021, the Summer Virtual Meetup Program has brought together growers, researchers, and government and Extension agents to have an international conversation about important tree fruit topics, connecting industry leaders across North America. In our first meetup series, the conversation focused on all aspects surrounding ‘Honeycrisp’ production and storage. In our second series, we addressed labor issues and technology advancements to improve orchard operational efficiency. Over 20 experts are involved in these online forums, interacting with more than 1,000 participants.

Our third webinar series will focus on the topic of “Managing the Uncontrollable.” Over the past decade, growers have been forced to confront wildly vacillating winter temperatures, uneven and often excessively heavy precipitation events, and extreme temperatures coupled with extended droughts. We will showcase growers and other specialists who are leading the development of solutions to these challenges facing the industry.

Preregistration is not required to attend. Simply go to the Meet-Up Zoom Site to join a few minutes prior to the start of each meeting.

The meetups will be conducted live on Thursdays at 4:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (EDT) on June 15, 29, and July 13. Each webinar will last 90 minutes. The format will include brief presentations by specialists engaged in discovering and engineering solutions to these problems, followed by a grower panel of industry leaders who are confronting these issues head-on.  The meetup will conclude with an open discussion in a very inclusive virtual format. Viewers are invited to share solutions, ask questions, and interact with the specialists and panelists. This program is free of charge, and the schedule of topics is as follows:

• Thursday, June 15: Cold
• Thursday, June 29: Water
• Thursday, July 13: Heat

While each meeting builds off the one preceding it—and we hope you can attend all three—they also function as “standalone” meetings if you are not able to attend them all.

Meet-Up Zoom Site

This effort is being conducted across North America in close collaboration with the International Fruit Tree Association (IFTA), the AI Institute for Transforming Workforce & Decision Support (AgAID), and the Cornell Institute for Digital Agriculture (CIDA).

Whether you are a fruit grower with ample experience, one that has modest experience, or one that is just getting started, Virtual Orchard Meetups will be the right setting for you to ask questions and find alternative solutions.