24th Annual Hawai'i Tropical Fruit Growers Conference: Sept 12 -- 14
The 24th Annual Hawaii International Tropical Fruit Conference is September 12-14 at the Kahili Golf Course. All attendees registering before August 1 enjoy a discounted fee of up to $75; visit www.hawaiitropicalfruitgrowers.org for details. The conference is open to the public.
Geared to farmers, educators, orchard managers and proponents of sustainable agriculture, the weeklong event is presented by the statewide Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers (HTFG).
The conference is titled “It’s All About Production” and offers a variety of breakout sessions, plus visiting researchers and agro experts. Professor Roger Leakey, crop physiologist, will give the keynote address, “The Domestication of Tropical Trees as New Fruit and Nut Crops.” Dr. Leakey is the former director of research at the International Center for Research in Agroforestry and professor of agroecology and sustainable development of James Cook University in Australia.
Dr. Roger Leakey, renowned crop physiologist and agroforester
Other speakers include tree-pruning expert Dr. Yoshimi Yonemoto of the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences, who will offer “Training and Pruning for Production,” while Dr. John Preece of the USDA and National Clonal Germplasm Repository in California will discuss “Vegetative Propagation of Difficult Woody Plants.”
Considered the world’s leading expert on post-harvest technology, the University of Hawai’i’s Dr. Robert Paull will do a dinner presentation on “Phenology, Productivity and Profits.”
HTFG Executive Director Ken Love says breakout sessions will cover specific crops, while delving into a wide range of topics like “Producing for Whole Foods” and tissue culture. In addition, there will Sunday roundtable and panel discussion touching on marketing and “Where Do We Go from Here?”
The annual gathering continues September 15-19 with day-long mini sessions in Molokai, Oahu, Kauai, Hilo and Kona. Mini-conferences will include presentations by Leakey, Yonemoto and Preece, plus on-site visits to member’s farms and greenhouses.
Registration forms and fee schedule are available at http://www.hawaiitropicalfruitgrowers.org/ or by contacting Love at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Mark Suiso at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Marking its 25th year, HTFG was incorporated in 1989 to promote tropical fruit grown in Hawaii. It is a statewide association of tropical fruit growers, packers, distributors and hobbyists dedicated to tropical fruit research, education, marketing and promotion; www.htfg.org.