The Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick, WA, will once again provide the venue for the annual Pacific Northwest Vegetable Association Conference and Trade Show, with the event set for Nov. 16 and 17. Registration can be done at
The Onion Session will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 16, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., when the trade show social begins. The session kicks off with a report by Dr. Gina Greenway of Greenway Consulting, who will speak on “Economics of Thrips IPM.” She will be followed by Dr. Stuart Reitz of the Malheur Experiment Station and OSU, who will provide an “SCRI Thrips Project Update.” Richard Smith from the University of California Cooperative Extension at Salinas will give a presentation on automated weeders.
The session will continue with Dr. James Woodhall, University of Idaho and member of the Parma Extension research team, who will speak on “The Impact of a Cool Wet Spring on Diseases of Onions,” and Dr. Lindsey du Toit, WSU Mount Vernon NWREC, will follow with “Stop the Rot: Update on Research Results.”
After the luncheon, Sam Burroughs, Jason Racine and Sasha Nerney, OSU-Corvallis, will look at a “Food Safety Update in Onions,” and Rob Wilson, University of California Extension at Tulelake, will speak on “White Rot Biology and Management in Onions.”
The day will continue after a break for the trade show with a presentation on “Ag Labor – H-2A,” featuring Jen Uranga of Mountain West Ag/Gem Ag Professionals in Wilder, ID. Rob Wilson will also give a presentation on “Seed Corn Maggot Control,” and the Onion Session will conclude with a report from Dr. Alan Schreiber, Agriculture Development Group, on “Nematode Control in Onions, Results from CBORC Funded Research.”
Concomitant with the Onion Session on Wednesday will be the General Vegetable Session, with topics including “On-Farm Sweet Corn Yield”; various pathogens; WSU potato alerts and how they might affect vegetable and seed growers; pesticide data from the USDA; emerging pest updates; Pythium impacts; organic v. conventional systems and how they influence soil health; trends in Pacific Northwest vegetable production, nitrogen applications in irrigated fields, and monitoring and controlling armyworm. Thursday, Nov. 17, simultaneous sessions are Organics and Pest Management.
