Technical Education Sessions and the Grand Reception at The Brakeman
7:30 am – 1:00 pm
Registration & Information Desk Open Times
Drop by to pick up your nametag, say hello, ask questions about the meeting.
7:30 am – 8:30 am
Buffet Breakfast
9:30 am
Spouse/Special Guest Breakfast and Cooking Class
Registration Required – Please note that transportation is not included.
Partake in a cooking class at the historic Eastern Market led by Chef Evelyn. Featuring fresh farm to table ingredients, this multi-course lunch will be an incredible treat!
8:30 am– 11:30 am
Educational Programming
8:30 am- 9:15 am
Detroit: Always in a Pickle
Joe Grimm
Author & Journalist
College of Communication Arts & Sciences
Michigan State University
Welcome to the roller coaster town with the coney dog feud, where that bubbly beverage is called “pop” and where Lions can fly. Detroit built the auto industry, yes – is everything in this town named after a car? All this happened close by. Also, the Maurice salad was invented here, the Detroit pizza was developed, you can find gluten-free sandwiches made with big pickles instead of bread, and some of the best dill pickle soup you can eat is in America’s first majority Muslim town.
Joe Grimm co-authored The Faygo Book, a book about pop, after developing a tremendous thirst on his previous book, Coney Detroit. Grimm is a journalism professor at Michigan State University. His family has lived here more than 300 years and knew the original Cadillac, who did not have a car or a hotel.
9:15 am – 9:45 am
Downy Mildew: What’s New and What’s Next?
Mary Hausbeck, PhD
University Distinguished Professor and Extension Specialist
Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences
Michigan State University
Dr. Mary K. Hausbeck is a University Distinguished Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences at Michigan State University. She has worked at Michigan State University since 1990 and has statewide extension and research responsibilities in plant pathology of vegetables, greenhouse ornamentals, ginseng, and hop. Her current research emphasis includes downy mildews and Phytophthora spp. Her overall program goal is to develop novel and integrated disease management strategies for growers and to train graduate students in plant pathology.
9:45 am – 10:15 am
Cucumbers and Plant Growth Regulators
Ben Phillips
Vegetable Specialist
Southwest Michigan Research & Extension Center
Ben Phillips works with commercial field and greenhouse vegetable growers who target the fresh, wholesale, and processing markets in Southwest Michigan. He has been running pickle trials for 10 years under a variety of conditions and treatments.
10:15 am – 10:45 am
Spray Drones 101
Michael Reinke
Viticulture Specialist
Michigan State University Extension
Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center
Benton Harbor, MI
Spray drone technology has advanced rapidly over the last 10 years. This presentation discusses the current state of the art around spray drones as well as some of the best practices that have been developed as a result of spray drone research in specialty crops in Michigan.
Michael Reinke is the Michigan State University Extension Viticulture Specialist located in Berrien County. When not focused on his grape and wine extension activities, his research work revolves around incorporating tools and techniques from various production systems with the goal of improving specialty crop growers’ resilience and future sustainability. One particular avenue of research is looking at the potential for high-precision crop spraying using unmanned aerial spraying systems (spray drones) in temperate specialty crops.
10:45 – 11:15 am
Sensors & Water Monitoring
11:15 – 11:45 am
Trump Transition News Affecting Pickled Vegetables
Martin Hahn
PPI Legal Counsel
Hogan Lovells
Martin Hahn is a partner in the Washington, DC office of international law firm Hogan Lovells. Martin is chair of the Hogan Lovells Food and Agriculture Practice Group, assisting numerous companies and trade associations with complying with the requirements of the U.S. FDA, USDA, and other agencies. Martin graduated from the Ohio State University and his law degree is from Northwestern.
Afternoon
Free Time to Explore Detroit
