Pear Day – North Central Washington Tree Fruit Days – 2026
January 22, 2026 @ 8:45 am - 3:30 pm
Join WSU Extension for the latest research-based information. 3-4 WSDA pesticide update credits (with approval). Hybrid In-person and Virtual event. Co-Sponsor Pear Bureau Northwest.
North Central Washington Tree Fruit Days
Join us for WSU Tree Fruit Extension Programs in North Central Washington. Co-sponsored by Northwest Cherries, Pear Bureau Northwest, NCW Fieldmen’s Association, Chelan Future Farmers of America and the Okanogan Horticultural Association. These events provide the latest research-based information on horticulture, pest and disease management. We hope you will join us to network and learn this winter. Apple, Pear and Cherry Day will be held in Wenatchee, WA January 20-22, 2026 with a virtual webinar option. Okanogan Horticultural Day Feb 11, 2026.
Format
Events in 2026 will be held in person with a virtual option through zoom webinars for Apple, Pear and Stone Fruit Days.
Pear Day Topics
Session 1: Pest Management
- Meeting IPM challenges from 2025
- Managing mites
- Who is eating your pear pests?
- And more…
Session 3: Production Quality and Profits
- New pear varieties
- Efficiency ideas from around the world
- And more …..
Credits
3-4 pesticide update credits will be available per day with WSDA approval.
Registration
Registration is required for virtual webinar attendance. Walk-ins okay for in person participation. In person event is free (sponsored, a $150 value). Thank you sponsors: Washington State University, Northwest Cherries, Pear Bureau Northwest, NCW Fieldmen’s Association. Virtual attendee registration fee ($30 for 3 day event) covers additional cost of audio visual technician/live streaming for event. Virtual registration. Registered attendees should receive a confirmation from zoom the next business day.
Lunch
Join us for the sponsored networking lunch. Provides an opportunity to learn and network with your peers and visiting speakers. Sponsored lunch limited to the first 100 attendees per day. Register here.
Agenda (Draft)
Pesticide choices: what to use for control and what to avoid to prevent outbreaks.
Who’s eating our pear pests? New information from gut content analysis.
Vendors
To join the tradeshow please contact the NCW Fieldmen’s association at ncwfieldman@nwi.net
Speaker Bios
Rebecca Schmidt-Jeffris is a USDA-ARS Research Entomologist. Her research program focuses on the biological control of tree fruit pests by their natural enemies, including augmentative releases, pesticide non-target effects, and natural enemy biology.
Bernardita Sallato is a Tree Fruit Extension Specialist and Assistant professor for Washington State University. Her program provides leadership in applied research, extension, and outreach for the PNW tree fruit industry. Her goal is improving orchard efficiency and fruit production through horticultural management practices and technology. Sallato’s main areas of interest are 1) soils and plant nutrition; 2) tree fruit stress management; and 3) general horticultural practices for tree fruit production.
Betsy Beers, Professor and Entomologist, WSU Department of Entomology, Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center. Beers has worked for 30+ years on integrated pest management of apple and cherry pests.
Stefano Musacchi is an Endowed Chair of Tree Fruit Physiology and Management for Washington State University. His work focuses on orchard management, training systems, rootstocks and cultivar evaluation, light interception, fruit quality, graft-incompatibility, and saline stress.
Tianna DuPont is a Tree Fruit Extension Specialist. Her work focuses on helping growers understand and apply research based solutions for tree fruit pests and pathogens.
Eric Schank is an entomology Graduate Research Assistant at WSU-TFREC, where he began working on integrated pest management of pear orchards as an Agricultural Research Technologist in 2023 and transitioned to a master’s program in 2025.
Credits Q&A
To receive credits for online attendance, participants must:
- Register each participant including pesticide license information. Make sure registrant name matches name on license.
- Attend the full morning session. The webinar software tracks the number of minutes each attendee has participation. 3 credit sessions require 150 minutes of pesticide related content.
- Respond to poll questions and check-ins during the workshop.
Common Zoom Problems and Trouble Shooting
- Cannot enter the webinar.
- Early? If you are early you will receive a message that the meeting has not started yet. Just wait and we will have webinar open soon.
- Enter the passcode: you can attend the meeting without a zoom account, but you have to enter the passcode to get in. Passcode: 1111.
- All online participants will be required to have a zoom account to sign in due to WSU security policies. Go to https://zoom.us/ to sign up (free) and don’t forget to check your email to confirm. Please make sure to sign in early and check that zoom is working for you and that recent updates have been downloaded.
- No sound
- Check your audio settings in zoom. Click on the up arrow close to the microphone icon at the bottom of your screen. Choose audio settings and check that you have the correct speaker and microphone checked.
- Check your audio in your computer settings.
- Still having trouble. Call (509) 293-8792. Note these phone numbers will be forwarded to volunteers during the hour before and after the webinar starts as Tianna will be running the meeting.
Common questions:
- Can I have multiple people watching on one computer? The webinar host can only verify attendance for each logged in participant. If it is not possible for each participant to login separately, please contact Tianna (509) 713-5346 in advance to designate a host for your site who can verify attendance.
