The 2023 Northwest Michigan Orchard and Vineyard Show is scheduled for Jan. 17-18 at the Grand Traverse Resort in Acme, Michigan. Registration opens at 8 a.m. on Jan. 17 and the cost for both days is $50 in advance and $55 at the door. The line is often long at the registration desk, so meeting attendees are encouraged to arrive well before the 9 a.m. start time. Both days will feature educational programs and vendor exhibits.

Pre-register for the 2023 Northwest Michigan Orchard and Vineyard Show

One registration (tree fruit or grape session) will give attendees access to both the tree fruit sessions and grape sessions for both days.

The fruit industry luncheon will be Tuesday, Jan. 17, and is open to both tree fruit and grape registrants at a first come first serve basis. 

The Cherry Marketing Institute annual meeting and luncheon will be Wednesday, Jan. 18. Wednesday’s Cherry Marketing Institute luncheon is free to cherry growers if they pre-register with the Cherry Marketing Institute by calling 517-669-4264 or emailing usacherries@gmail.com.

The exhibit hall will be open during the show to feature vendors of orchard and vineyard equipment and supplies, commodity organizations and other exhibitors.

Both Tuesday and Wednesday will offer a variety of topics relating to research and information on tart cherries, sweet cherries, apples and wine grapes addressing production and marketing. Cherry, apple and grape sessions will be held on both days. Tuesday’s sessions will conclude with a social hour.

The program is presented by the Grand Traverse Fruit Growers’ Council with collaboration from Michigan State University Extension and AgBioResearch, Cherry Marketing Institute, Parallel 45, Michigan Wine Collaborative, and the MSU Northwest Michigan Horticulture Research Center. 

For more information on the Northwest Michigan Orchard and Vineyard Show, please call Jenn Zelinski at 231-946-1510 or email goodr100@msu.edu.

Tree Fruit Sessions – Tentative Agenda

Tuesday, January 17

8:00 a.m. Registration Desk Opens 

8:00 – 10:30 a.m. Coffee and Rolls 

Moderator: Nikki Rothwell, MSU Extension 

9:00 – 9:05 a.m. Welcome and overview, Grand Traverse Fruit Growers’ Council 

9:05 – 9:25 a.m. Precision Orchard Management for Tart Cherry Project Review, Brent Black, Plants, Soils & Climate Dept., Utah State University 

9:25 – 9:40 a.m. The case for high-frequency, supplemental irrigation of tart cherry orchards, Todd Einhorn, Dept. of Horticulture, Michigan State University 

9:40 – 10:00 a.m. Ground-based mapping efforts and precision fertility in Utah tart cherry orchards, Kurt Wedegaertner, Graduate Student, Utah State University 

10:00 – 10:20 a.m. Aerial mapping efforts and yield mapping of Utah tart cherry orchards, Anderson Safre, Graduate Student, Utah State University 

10:20 – 10:50 a.m. Vendor Break 

10:50 – 11:10 a.m. Pest and disease mapping and prediction in Utah tart cherry orchards, Christina Lilligren, Graduate Student, Utah State University & Brent Black, Plants, Soils & Climate Dept., Utah State University 

11:10 – 11:40 a.m. Using mapping in Michigan tart cherry orchards, TBA  

11:40 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. General question and answer for precision orchard management project,Brent Black, Plants, Soils & Climate Dept., Utah State University & Nikki Rothwell, NWMHRC, Michigan State University 

12:00 – 1:30 p.m. Precision Orchard Management Project Advisory Committee Luncheon and continued discussion,By invitation only 

12:00 – 1:30 p.m. Fruit Industry Luncheon – Open to both Grape and Tree Fruit attendees 

1:30 – 1:50 p.m.  Food safety updates for orchard systems, Phil Tocco, MSU Extension 

1:50 – 2:20 p.m. Given 25 years of production innovations, is the time right for sustainably profitable fresh market sweet cherries in Michigan?, Greg Lang, Dept. of Horticulture, Michigan State University

2:20 – 2:40 p.m. Mending the stress fence, Remington Rice, MSU Extension 

2:40 – 3:10 p.m. Vendor Break 

3:10 – 3:35 p.m.  Ongoing studies to find solution to Armillaria root rot in cherries and economic impact and cost-benefit of adopting cultural practices, Pratima Devkota, Dept. of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University 

3:35 – 4:15 p.m. Economic impact and cost-benefit of adopting cultural practices for Armillaria root rot management in Prunus + SURVEY, Buddhika Patalee, Dept. of Agricultural Economics, University of Kentucky

Fill out pesticide recertification and certified crop advisor credits.  

5:00 p.m. Local beverage tasting and hors d’oeuvres social hour 

Wednesday, January 18

8:00 – 10:30 a.m. Coffee and Rolls 

8:30 – 9:00 a.m. Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Foundation annual meeting - This meeting is open to all growers

Moderator: Julie Gordon, Cherry Marketing Institute, President 

9:30 – 9:50 a.m.  National Cherry Festival industry report, Susan Wilcox Olson, Media Consultant & Kat Paye, Executive Director 

9:50 – 10:10 a.m.  2021/22 National tart cherry promotion program results, Carloyn Westcomb, Team Leader, & Weber Shandwick 

10:10 – 10:40 a.m. 2022/23 National tart cherry promotion plans, Julie Gordon, CMI President and MCC Executive Director 

10:40 – 11:00 a.m. Vendor Break 

11:00 – 11:50 a.m. Cherry Marketing Institute (CMI) year-end program review, Julie Gordon, CMI President and MCC Executive Director 

12:00 – 1:30 p.m. Cherry Marketing Institute Luncheon – Tower Ballroom 

1:30 – 2:00 p.m. Vendor Break 

2:00 – 2:30 p.m. Tart cherry cost of production study application and geographical indication project update, Christopher Bardenhagen, Michigan Cherry Committee 

2:30 – 2:50 p.m. Tree fruit disease update, Katherine Olive, Dept. of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University 

2:50 – 3:20 p.m. Evaluating Metamitron and ACC – new tree fruit thinning tools, Anna Wallis, MSU Extension 

3:20 – 3:40 p.m.  Tree fruit entomology update in apple and cherry, Julianna Wilson, Dept. of Entomology, Michigan State University 

3:40 – 4:00 p.m. Investigating bacteriophage for sweet cherry bacterial canker control, Lindsay Brown, Dept. of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University

4:00 – 4:15 p.m. MAEAP – Big picture goals and local updates, Adam Brown, Sam Wolfe, Dan Busby, Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP) 

Fill out pesticide recertification and certified crop advisor credits.  

Grape Sessions – Tentative Agenda

Tuesday, January 17

8:00 a.m. Registration Desk Opens 

Moderator: Esmaeil Nasrollahiazar, MSU Extension 

9:00 – 9:10 a.m. Welcome and overview, Esmaeil Nasrollahiazar, MSU Extension 

9:10 – 9:55 a.m. Improving canopy efficiency for wine grapes in Michigan cool climate, Paolo Sabbatini, Michigan State University 

10:00 – 10:45 a.m. Grapevine winter physiology and implications of warmer and more erratic climate, Jason Londo, Cornell AgriTech 

10:50 – 11:35 a.m. Don’t Panic: What We Know about Spotted Lanternfly and Grapes, Rufus Isaacs, Michigan State University 

11:40 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Vendor Break 

12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Lunch, Grand Traverse Fruit Growers' Council   

1:00 – 1:30 p.m. Vendor Break 

1:35 – 2:20 p.m. Picking a fungicide: balancing resistance, pathogen target, price, and chemical residue while protecting your grapes, Timothy Miles, Michigan State University 

2:25 – 3:10 p.m. Grazing panel (The title is not finalized yet), Jason Rowntree, Nadine Basel, Lexi Kuznar, P45 

3:15 – 4:00 p.m. Grazing panel continued, P45 

4:05 – 4:50 p.m. State Wide Conversations in Viticulture AVA Focused, 20 minute speaker following into grower panel from across the state, MGS 

4:55 -5 :00 p.m. Vendor Break 

5:00 – 6:00 p.m. Local beverage tasting and hors d’oeuvres social hours 

Wednesday, January 18

Moderator: Michael Reinke, MSU Extension 

9:00 – 9:10 a.m. Welcome and overview, Esmaeil Nasrollahiazar, MSU Extension 

9:10-9:55 a.m. “What is natural?”  A discussion of wine additives and microbial ecology, Michael Moyer, MWC/Lake Michigan College 

10:00-10:45 a.m. Cold Stabilization of Wine: Traditional & Alternative Methods, Denise Gardner, P45 

10:50-11:35 a.m. TBD 

11:40 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Vendor Break 

12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Lunch 

1:00 – 1:30 p.m. Statewide grapevine cold hardiness update, Michael Reinke & Esmaeil Nasrollahiazar, MSU Extension 

1:35 – 2:10 p.m MDARD Grape Nursery Stock Certification Program, Elizabeth Dorman, MDARD 

2:15 – 2:40 p.m. MAEAP -  Big Picture Goals and Local Updates, Adam Brown, MAEAP 

2:45 0 3:20 p.m. P45 Annual Meeting and Election, P45 

3:25 – 3:55 p.m. Vendor Break 

4:00 – 6:00 p.m. Educational wine tasting to discuss international and Michigan wines, P45