MSU Extension Berrien County

The 2024 Southwest Michigan Horticultural Days will be Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 7-8 at Lake Michigan College’s Mendel Center in Benton Harbor, Michigan, hosted by the Michigan Grape Society and Michigan State University Extension.

Two days of educational sessions will cover important topics like farm sustainability, soil management, pest and disease management, farm insurance needs, and annual crop rotation options.

Vegetables: The vegetable session will be expanded to a full day, Wednesday, February 7. Topics will include squash viruses, plasticulture onion management for bugs and disease, best management practices for soap in the washpack, irrigation monitoring info, trial reports from SWMREC, and more. Also, Ben Phillips will host a goals-setting portion to guide his Vegetable work here in SW Michigan.

Tree Fruit: For tree fruit growers, topics include new apple rootstock, trends in the apple and cherry industries. Also included are tips on using EnviroWeather for fruit growers, understanding the use of Smartfresh and other post-harvest treatments to maintain quality of apples, updates on tree fruit disease management, and how to choose the right insecticides to use. Grapes: The grape sessions will have presentations from industry representatives and educational institutions within Michigan and from other states. They will be discussing topics such as pest and disease outlooks and management techniques, alternative weed management methods, adoption of new technologies on the farm and in the winery, and updates on long-term research projects at SWMREC.

Blueberries: This year on Thursday, February 8 we will have two blueberry tracks – a morning and afternoon session! Join us as we discuss blueberry production from the soil to the leaves as we hear from experts from around the state. Pesticide recertification credits will be offered for both sessions.

Marketing: Do you have the right eggs in your market basket? Learn how to optimize your farm’s marketing mix during a full day farm marketing track on Thursday, February 8. Morning sessions will cover the fundamentals of choosing the right market mix for your farm. In the afternoon, we’ll explore strategies and tools to analyze the performance of your market channels to help you make informed decisions about where to sell your product.

Single day or full conference registration available. Register at: https://michigangrapesociety.simpletix.com/

To pay by check please follow the link below to download the paper registration form and return it to Michigan State University - SWMREC

Downloadable Registration Form.

Date & Time

Feb 7, 2024 8:00 AM - Feb 8, 2024 4:00 PM

Venue Details

The Mendel Center