Friday, March 5
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1:00 PM
| Registration Opens
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1:30 PM
| Welcome / Overview - Mike Gwinn |
1:45 PM
| Concolor Seed Sources and Their Affect on Tree Quality - Rick Bates, Penn State University Concolor fir is a desirable Christmas tree and widely grown in plantations in the eastern U.S. However, there is great genetic variation within the species and it seems to be related to provenance. Dr. Bates will discuss the influence of Concolor seed sources on post harvest needle retention, tree quality and appearance.
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1:45 PM
| Auxiliary Session: Getting Your Farm Noticed: Working with the Media - Rick Dungey, NCTA Some farms just seem to get all the attention! Have you ever thought this? Learn basic techniques used in public relations to get your farm noticed by the media. Discover how some planning, persistence, and practice can put your farm in the limelight. |
2:15 PM
| New Procedures at MDA - Mike Bryan, Nursery Program Manager, MDA Mike will update growers on the changes at the Michigan Department of Agriculture. He will review the flow of information for the 2010 Christmas tree program, including routing of field inspection applications, compliance agreements and certificates plus new MDA contact information. |
3:10 PM
| Make the Most of Your Pesticide Application - Mike Longstroth, SW Michigan District Fruit Educator, MSU Extension Many things affect what happens to pesticides before or after you apply them to your trees. Pesticides can be affected by microbes, water pH, rainfall and sunlight. Mark will review the effects of various environmental conditions and the chemical characteristics of the pesticide you are using to help you make better decisions to maintain crop production. |
3:10 PM
| New GAAMPs for Farm Markets - Brad Neuman, Land Use Educator, MSU Extension The Michigan legislature passed into law the Michigan Right to Farm ACt (Act 93 of 1981, as amended) which requires the establishment of Generally Accepted Agricultural and Management Practices (GAAMPs). These practices are written to provide uniform, statewide standards and acceptable management practices based on sound science. Brad will review the recently developed GAAMPs for Farm markets and discuss what constitutes an on-farm market and farm market activities. |
4-6 PM
| Exhibitor Reception |
6:00 PM
| Banquet and Awards Banquet menu includes a choice of sauteed chicken breast with a champagne and white wine sauce or baked tilapia with lemon basil sauce. |
7:30 PM
| Wholesale Grower and Choose & Cut Grower Meetings
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Saturday, March 6
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7:30 PM
| Exhibits open Coffee and morning refreshments
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9:00 AM
| What's the Buzz? Jill O'Donnell, Senior Educator, MSU Extension Take part in a fun, interactive survey to help us look at new trends in the Michigan Christmas tree industry. This program will use similar technology used on programs like America's Funniest Home Videos to allow you to vote on different topics related to Christmas tree production in Michigan. |
9:30 AM
| 2009: Year in Review - Rick Dungey, NCTA What did consumers think about real trees? How many trees were sold in 2009? What are the trends telling us? Rick will review the results of the 2009 tracking poll.
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10:15 AM
| Refreshment Break in Exhibit Hall
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10:45 AM
| Best Management Practices (BMPs) for Christmas Tree Farms: What They Are and Why We Need to Implement Them - Rick Bates, PSU Are Christmas tree farms environmentally friendly? Not if the farm is degrading local water quality, mismanaging nutrients, or losing soil due to erosion. This presentation will discuss tree farm BMPs and straightforward approaches to reducing the "environmental footprint" of your Christmas tree farm.
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10:45 AM
| Auxiliary Program: Should You Use Social Media? Facebook, Twitter and More! Melissa Devine, Advertising 180 You're interested in social media, or you know you should be. Maybe you've even signed up for facebook or started a blog. This program will touch on the fast-growing, powerful world of the social web and how you - personally and professionally can and should join the online conversation.
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11:30 AM
| MCTA Annual Meeting and NCTA Update
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12:15 PM
| Lunch in Exhibit Hall
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1:45 PM
| Our Next Direction - Mel Koelling, Emeritus Professor, MSU Dr. Koelling will help us look into the "crystal ball" as he summarizes the results from the National trends and Michigan survey to help us as we plan for the future and the new economy. |
2:30 PM
| Wrap Up, Conference Concludes
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