2026 UConn Extension Vegetable and Small Fruit Growers’ Conference
Thursday, January 8, 2026
Student Union Ballroom (Room 330)
2110 Hillside Road, Storrs, CT
Agenda Overview
| 8:00 – 8:50 a.m. | Registration and Coffee; Trade Show Opens |
| 8:55 – 9:00 a.m. | Welcome: Amy Harder, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Extension, CAHNR |
| 9:00 – 9:45 a.m. | Automation on the Farm: Keith Bishop, Fifth-generation Owner and CEO of Bishop's Orchards in Guilford, CT |
| 9:50 - 10:20 a.m. | Cover Crops: Amelia Magistrali, Associate Extension Educator - Soil Health, UConn Extension |
| 10:20 - 10:50 a.m. | Announcements | Morning Break | Trade Show |
| 10:50 - 11:20 a.m. | Improving the Nutrient Content of Crops: Steve McMenamin, Owner and Manager of Versailles Farm in Greenwich, CT |
| 11:20 - 11:35 a.m. | Understanding Crop Insurance: Jim Fitzpatrick, Arthur Carroll Insurance Agency |
| 11:40 a.m. - 12:55 p.m. | Lunch | Trade Show |
| 12:20 p.m. - 12:55 p.m. | Farmer to Farmer Focus Groups (Optional): Topics to include Cut Flowers, Farming Strong: Caring for Our Bodies While We Care for the land, High Tunnels and Season Extension, Managing Pests and Diseases for Vegetable Crops, Non-traditional Wholesale Markets: Food Hubs and Farm-to-School, and On-Farm Composting |
| 1:00 - 1:30 p.m. | Management Improvements for High Tunnel Growing: Becky Maden, Vegetable Nutrient Management Specialist and Extension Research Assistant Professor, University of Vermont Extension |
| 1:30 - 2:00 p.m. | Afternoon Break | Trade Show | Research Posters |
| 2:05 - 3:10 p.m. | Breakout Sessions I & II |
| 3:15 p.m. | Pesticide Recertification (3.5 credits in category PA, 1A) and Adjournment. Safe travels! |
*Schedule subject to change.
Breakout Session Topics:
- Marketing Strategies for Organic Certified Products: Dave Tschiegg, Organic Outreach Specialist, UConn Extension
- Growing Alliums: Crystal Stewart Courtens, Regional Vegetable Specialist, Cornell Cooperative Extension
- Cut Flower Production & Pest Management: Robert Chang of Echo Farm in Woodstock, CT and New Farmer Business Navigator for UConn Extension’s Solid Ground Program and Nancy Barrett, Owner, Scantic Valley Farm in Somers, CT
- On Farm Composting: Baylee Drown of Long Table Farm in Lyme, CT and Project Coordinator for UConn Extension's Solid Ground Climate Smart Adaptation Strategies Course for Beginning Farmers
Poster Presentations:
- Feasibility of Suboptimal Planting Date and Seeding Rate of Cereal Rye Cover Crop in Connecticut - Nora Doonan and Haiying Tao, UConn Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, UConn
- Fertility Management in High Organic Matter Systems - Zaira O'Leary, Paulette Goyes, Jianyu Li, Zachary Placzek, Winie Paul and Mia Maltz, Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, UConn
- Glyphosate-resistance confirmed in two amaranth species in Connecticut - Ritu Mohanpuria, Ethan Paine, Wei Ren, and Jatinder Aulakh
- Impact of Fertilization Management on Cabbage yield, Nutritional Quality and Soil Health - Yiling Zhen and Haiying Tao, Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, UConn
- Management of Major Strawberry Diseases in the Northeastern United States - Becca Syme, CAES
- Plant Parasitic Nematodes of Connecticut - Michelle Salvas, CAES
- Reducing Diamondback Moth with Intercrops and Trap Crops - Maussi Arrunategui and Ana Legrand, Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, UConn
- Soil-Biodegradable Plastic Mulches: Linking Sustainable Crop Production, Soil Health, and Environmental Resilience - Shuresh Ghimire, Nicole Davidow, Carol Miles, Lisa DeVetter, UConn & WSU