Early registration for the IFTA winter conference in Yakima, Washington, has been extended to Jan. 29.

Registration — $725
Includes two full days of speakers/presentations, full day of orchard tours, Sunday welcome reception hosted by the Young Professionals, Tuesday social event and lunch each day.

Optional add-ons (with a separate registration fee)
Sunday, Feb. 11: Precision Orchard Technology Workshop — $200
Wednesday, Feb. 15: High-Efficiency Cherry Production Tour — $250

Follow this link to the event page: ifruittree.org/event/ifta-2024-annual-conference-yakima-wa/

Climate, precision and technology are all on the agenda as the International Fruit Tree Association, a global group of growers and researchers dedicated to advancing the industry, gears up for its 67th annual winter conference and tours Feb. 11–14 in Yakima, Washington.

The annual event, centered at the Yakima Convention Center, will feature three days of presentations and orchard tours, as well as add-on activities before and after.

The conference features seven education sessions:

—Climate and Labor: Paths Forward

—Climate Adaptation and Mitigation

—Soil and Nutrient Management

—Precision Crop Load Management: Best Practices and Outlook

—Designing a Labor-Efficient Orchard

—Growing a Labor-Efficient Orchard

—Orchard Technologies Roundup

The annual Carlson Lecture will be given by Luigi Manfrini from the University of Bologna on “Smart, Specialized, Sustainable Orchards,” and the Heuser Lecture will be given by Stavros Vougioukas from the University of California, Davis, on “Labor in 2024 and the Turn Toward Automation.” 

On Feb. 13, conference attendees will tour six orchards in the Yakima Valley.

An add-on pre-conference workshop on Feb. 11 will focus on precision orchard technology with experts and vendors discussing imaging and crop load management, automated equipment — including harvest, precision chemical application and smart sprayers — and precision irrigation management.

On Feb. 15, there will be a post-conference cherry production tour.

Separate registrations are required for the pre-conference technology workshop and the post-conference cherry tour.

Registration is open now. 

For more information, including registration forms and hotel reservation links, visit: ifruittree.org.

—by Ross Courtney