Presentations from the 2011 Illinois Specialty Crops, Agritourism, and Organics Conference

Many of the speakers from the 2011 Illinois Specialty Crops, Agritourism, and Organics Conference have made their presentations from this year's conference available to us to post online.  Most are in the form of PowerPoint presentations converted to pdf format.  Keep in mind that these presentations do not contain audio or extra notes, but in many cases the slides contain adequate text and tables to convey key points.  And, as the adage goes, "a picture is worth 1,000 words."

Here are links to the presentations that are available. 

Pumpkin Workshop

Dennis Norton, Pumpkin Production at Royal Oak Farm Orchard
Rick Foster, Insect Management in Pumpkins and Other Vine Crops
Liz Maynard, Performance of Pumpkin Varieties in Northern Indiana
Mohammad Babadoost, Pumpkin Diseases: Observations from 2010 and Recommendations for 2011
Elizabeth Wahle, Weed Control in Illinois Pumpkins
Alan Walters, Performance of Pumpkin Varieties in Southern Illinois
John Pike, Production and Marketing Strategies that Match Consumer Demand

High Tunnel Workshop

Jeff Kindhart, High Tunnels at the Dixon Springs Agricultural Center:  Insights and Results
Zachary Grant, Producing Salad Greens for Dining Services at the University of Illinois Student Sustainable Farm
Aaron Trover, Experiences with Conventional, Hydroponic, and Organic Production of Tomatoes in High Tunnels
Rick Foster, Insect Management in Purdue University’s High Tunnel Systems
Ivan Dozier, USDA NRCS Seasonal High Tunnel Projects
Rick Weinzierl, Survey of High-Tunnel Production and Pest Management Practices
Jeff Kindhart, Irrigation Pointers for Raised Beds in High Tunnels

Farmers Market Workshop

Stacy Miller, Expanding Farmers Market Opportunities
Pat Stieren, Developing a Local Food System in the Springfield Area

GAP Workshop

John Pike, Preparing for GAP Audits and Certification
John Atsaves, How to Write a Farm Safety Plan
John Atsaves, What Happens in an Audit

Conference Opening Session

Julie Fox, Are You MarketReady?

Fruit Program

Mike Parker, Apple Production in North Carolina and the Use of SmartFresh on Apples for Retail Operations
Mike Parker, Peach Production in North Carolina:  Striving for Profitability
Rick Weinzierl, New Issues in Insect Management in Apples and Peaches
Mohammad Babadoost, Managing Apple & Peach Diseases, with Notes on the Strengths and Weaknesses of Sulfur
Elizabeth Wahle, Basics of Fertility Management for Apples and Peaches
Jeff Kindhart, Opportunities and Resources for Small Fruit and Strawberry Production

Vegetable Program

Rick Weinzierl, Understanding Insecticides and Selecting the Best Options
Jason Williamson, Sweet Corn Varieties from Siegers Seed Company
Tim Coolong, Transplanting Sweet Corn on Plastic
Rick Foster, Corn Earworm Management in Sweet Corn
Bill Shoemaker, Fundamentals of Pepper Production
Jason Williamson, Tomato and Pepper Varieties from Siegers Seed Company
Jeff Kindhart, Observations on Tomato and Pepper Variety Performance
Mohammad Babadoost, Disease Management in Tomatoes and Peppers
Bill Shoemaker, Basics of Cole Crop Stand Establishment
Mohammad Babadoost, Disease Management in Cole Crops and Crucifer Greens
Rick Weinzierl, Insect Management in Cole Crops and Crucifer Greens

Herbs Program

Mohammad Babadoost, Effective Treatments for Basil Downy Mildew

Agritourism/Marketing Program

Julie Fox, Social Media Marketing
Stephanie Rhodes, Fit More P's in Your Pod: Working with Partners for Effective Promotion
Cindi Fleischli, Illinois Office of Tourism Programs & Signage Information
Stephanie Rhodes, The Dazzle is in the Details: Merchandising and Sales Promotions
John Pike, Agritourism Safety and Liability Considerations

Organics

Lisa Kivirist, Cultivating Diversity: A Recipe for Organic Opportunity (slides)
Lisa Kivirist, Cultivating Diversity: A Recipe for Organic Opportunity (handout)
Mohammad Babadoost, Phytophthora in Peppers and Cucurbits
John Hendrickson, Creating a Livelihood on a Fresh-Market Vegetable Farm
Adam Davis, Strategies for Managing the Weed Seedbank and Encouraging Weed Seed Predation
Eric Gallandt, Cultivation and Seedbank Management for Improved Weed Control
Rick Weinzierl, Organic Approaches to Insect Pest Management in Fruit Crops
Deidre Birmingham, Key Considerations in Planning and Managing an Apple Orchard Organically
Wes Jarrell, How to Use Your Weather-kissed and Pest-kissed Fruit

Enterprise Management and Marketing

Jeff Kindhart, Post-Harvest Handling & Transportation to Allow Small-Scale Growers to Deliver Top-Quality Produce
Jim Slama, Wholesale Success

Irrigation

Tim Coolong, Drip Irrigation Management for Vegetables: Tomatoes and Peppers

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