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General Session Program

9:00 a.m.

9:15 a.m.


9:30 a.m.


9:50 a.m.


10:10 a.m.


11:00 a.m.

Welcome/Introductions

Citrus Research Update
Rick Dantzler, Citrus Research and Development Foundation

Ag Workforce Updates
Jamie Fussell, Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association

Charting the Future: Ag Markets, Policy and Specialty Crops
Danny Munch, American Farm Bureau Federation

Panel Discussion: Surviving in the HLB Era
Daniel Scott, Jerry Mixon, Brian Updike, Doug Feek and Tom Mitchell

Lunch/Trade Show

Citrus Seminar Program

1:00 p.m.



1:40 p.m.


1:50 p.m.


2:00 p.m.


2:10 p.m.


2:20 p.m.


2:30 p.m.


2:40 p.m.


2:50 p.m.


3:00 p.m.

Citrus Breeding Panel: More Tools in Our Toolbox — New Citrus Varieties and CRISPR Plants
Jude Grosser and Manjul Dutt, UF/IFAS; Matt Mattia and Kim Bowman, USDA-ARS

Update on the Millennium Block and Grapefruit
Flavia Zambon, UF/IFAS

CUPS Research Update
Arnold Schumann, UF/IFAS

Revisiting Citrus Black Spot in Florida
Clive Bock, USDA-ARS

Can Individual Protective Covers (IPCs) Become BMPs?
Sandra Guzmán, UF/IFAS

Protecting Young Trees — An Update on IPCs
Fernando Alferez, UF/IFAS

Early Results on the Statewide Citrus BMP Project
Davie Kadyampakeni, UF/IFAS

Optimizing Oxytetracycline Injections
Ute Albrecht, UF/IFAS

Grove-First Project Update — A New Framework to Find HLB Solutions
Michelle Heck and Randy Niedz, USDA-ARS

Program Concludes

GROVE TOURS: Following the Citrus Seminar, attendees will have the opportunity to tour the USDA-ARS Picos Farm where the “Grove-First” trunk injection therapies are being evaluated and the UF/IFAS Millennium Block, the large-scale trial of grapefruit rootstocks and scions.
Vegetable Seminar Program
Moderator: Erin Rosskopf, USDA-ARS

1:00 p.m.


1:15 p.m.


1:30 p.m.


1:45 p.m.


2:00 p.m.

Area-Wide Pest Management to Control Vegetable Virus Vectors
Clive Bock, USDA-ARS

Detecting Ralstonia solanacearum in Tomato and Blueberry Irrigation Ponds
Jason Hong, USDA-ARS

Microgreen Production and Biofortification
Erin Rosskopf, USDA-ARS

Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation for Disease Management
Jason Hong, USDA-ARS

A Vegetable App to Predict Soil Moisture and Improve Irrigation
Ziwen Yu, UF/IFAS


Moderator: Anna Mészáros, UF/IFAS

2:15 p.m.


2:30 p.m.



2:45 p.m.


3:00 p.m.


3:15 p.m.

Nematode Management in Pepper Production
Johan Desaeger, UF/IFAS

University of Florida Pepper Breeding Program: Developing Varieties With Enhanced Resistance to Nematodes and Bacterial Spot
Dominick Padilla, UF/IFAS

Thrips parvispinus Management in Peppers
Anna Mészáros and Julien Beuzelin, UF/IFAS

Pepper Weevil Management
Dak Seal, UF/IFAS

Weed Control in Pepper Production: Chemical and Cultural Strategies
Ramdas Kanissery, UF/IFAS

Seminar schedule times are subject to change.

Wednesday, April 3, 2024

8:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Registration at Trade Show Entrance

Don't wait in line, pre-register today!

8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. - Breakfast in Trade Show Hall

8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. - Trade Show Open

Visit exhibitor booths!

11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. - Tailgate Party

Try exhibitor's tailgate food and vote for your favorite!

morning Session (8:45 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.)

General Session

  • 9:00 - Welcome

    Frank Giles, AgNet Media, Scott Adkins, USDA Ron Cave, UF/IFAS

  • 9:15 - Federal Agriculture Priorities in 2024

    Mike Joyner, Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association

  • 9:45 - Preserving Farm and Rural Lands

    Sue Mullins, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

  • 10:15 - The Endangered Species Act: Species Endangered or Florida Ag Endangered?

    Mike Aerts, Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association; Brett Butlemeier, UF/IFAS

  • 11:00 - Lunchtime!

    Visit the vendors to sample their tasty tailgate dishes. AgNet Media will also be serving a full meal.

Afternoon Session (2:00 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.)

Citrus Seminars - Indian River Research and Education Center Auditorium


CEUs available

  • 2:00 - Welcome

    Session Moderator: Amir Rezazadeh, UF/IFAS

  • 2:10 - Florida Citrus Breeders Discuss What’s New and Recommended

    Matt Mattia, USDA; Kim Bowman, USDA; Jude Grosser, UF/IFAS; John Chater, UF/IFAS; Moderator: Flavia Zambon, UF/IFAS

  • 2:40 - Updates on Trunk-Injection Therapy Performance

    Ute Albrecht, UF/IFAS

  • 2:50 - Identifying New Therapies in a Grove-First Approach

    Randy Niedz, USDA

  • 3:00 - Water Farming in Florida

    Sandra Guzmán, UF/IFAS

  • 3:10 - Millennium Block and ‘MAC’ Trials: 4th Year Progress

    Flavia Zambon, UF/IFAS

  • 3:30 - Broadening the Sweet Orange Definition to Offset HLB

    Anne Plotto and Jinhe Bai, USDA

  • 3:20 - Improving Pectin Extraction and Characterization

    Wei Zhao, USDA

  • 3:40 - New Citrus Fertilizer Recommendations Update

    Kelly Morgan, UF/IFAS

  • 3:50 - Post-Harvest Fungal Disease Management

    Gabi Olmedo, USDA

  • 4:00 - Carbon Nanoparticles as Soil Enhancers for Improved Crop Yield

    Xiaoping Xin, UF/IFAS

  • 4:10 - Growers Discuss HLB Management Tactics

    Timothee Salin, George Hamner Jr., Matt Machata and Pat Schirard, Daniel Scott, Moderator: Mark Ritenour, UF/IFAS

  • 4:55 - Seminar Session Ends

Vegetable Seminars - U.S. Department of Agriculture Auditorium


CEUs Available

  • 2:00 - Vegetable Learning Stations

    Hands on learning for vegetable growers.

  • 2:30 - Welcome

    Moderators: Anna Mészáros, UF/IFAS; Erin Rosskopf, USDA

  • 2:40 - Origins of Florida’s Invasive Insect Species

    Muhammad “Zee” Ahmed, USDA

  • 2:50 - Thrips parvispinus Monitoring and Management

    Anna Mészáros and De-Fen Mou, UF/IFAS

  • 3:00 - Florida Vegetable Virus Update and Area-Wide Pest Management

    Clive Bock, USDA

  • 3:10 - Utilizing Banker Plants in Pest Management

    Cindy McKenzie, USDA

  • 3:20 - Saving Water and Money with Soil Moisture Sensors

    Craig Frey and Sandra Guzmán, UF/IFAS

  • 3:30 - Robotics and AI in Vegetable Production

    Yiannis Ampatzidis, UF/IFAS

  • 3:40 - Weed Identification and Management

    Calvin Odero, UF/IFAS

  • 3:50 - Food Safety Regulations Update

    Taylor O’Bannon, UF/IFAS

Visit the Vegetable Learning Stations

The vegetable learning stations will be open for growers to visit with experts on various production-oriented topics. The stations will be in the lobby of the U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory. Plan to visit the stations from 2:00–2:30 p.m. or after the vegetable speakers’ session concludes.
The learning stations will feature the following topics:
  •  Thrips parvispinus Identification, Trapping, Monitoring and Management
  • Identification of Vegetable Viruses and Their Insect Vectors
  • Nematode Management by Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation
  • Technologies and Tools for Vegetable Production: Soil Moisture Sensors and Drones
  • Weed Identification and Management
  • Food Safety Update: Food Safety Modernization Act, Food And Drug Administration Assignments, On-Farm Readiness Reviews
    and Tomato Good Agricultural Practices