Thank You Seminar Sponsors!
Seminar schedule times are subject to change.
Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026
8:00 a.m. - 4 p.m. - Registration at Trade Show Entrance
8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. - Breakfast in Trade Show Hall
Scrambled eggs with potatoes, bacon, sausage, coffee and orange juice
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. - Trade Show Open
Visit exhibitor booths!
Keynote Address (8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.)
Keynote Address
8:30 - Keynote Address
TBA
9:30 - Break/Trade Show
morning Session (10:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.)
10:00 - Citrus Seminar: New Varieties and CRAFT Update
What’s New From CRAFT
Tamara Wood, CRAFT Foundation
Panel: Selecting New Variety Options
John Chater, UF/IFAS
Matt Mattia, USDA
Moderator: Frank Giles
11:15 - Break/Visit Trade Show
10:00 - Specialty Crop Seminar: Pest Management in Vegetables
Biopesticides for Management of Key Pests of South Florida Vegetables
Jawwad Qureshi, UF/IFAS
Hugh Smith, UF/IFAS
Thrips parvispinus Management Update
Anna Meszaros, UF/IFAS
De-Fen Mou, UF/IFAS
Reduced-Risk Nematicides and Cover Crops for Better Nematode Management
Johan Desaeger, UF/IFAS
11:15 - Break/Visit Trade Show
General Session (11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.)
11:45 - General Session
Playing the Long and Short Game: A Two-Tracked Approach Rooted in Science
Scott Angle, UF/IFAS
USDA Disaster Relief and Farm Program Update
Marcinda Kester, Florida’s Farm Service Agency Director
Bringing A Land Remembered to the TV
Todd Wiseman Jr., TV series producer/director
1:00 - Lunch/Trade Show
Afternoon Session (2:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.)
2:00 - Citrus Seminar
Optimizing OTC Performance: From Research to the Grove
Ute Albrecht, UF/IFAS
Citrus Growers Larry Black and Jim Snively
Moderator: Frank Giles
3:15 - Break/Trade Show
2:00 - Specialty Crop Seminar: Optimizing Plasticulture Production
Nutsedge Management in Vegetable Beds: What Works in Florida Plasticulture
Ramadas Kanissery, UF/IFAS
Looking Under the Plastic: What Happens When We Fumigate
Sarah Strauss, UF/IFAS
Cost of Producing Bell Peppers in Southwest Florida
Tara Wade, UF/IFAS
The “Ditch Effect” and Opportunities to Reduce Yield Variability
Sanjay Shukla, UF/IFAS
3:15 - Break/Trade Show
Afternoon Session (3:45 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.)
3:45 - Citrus Seminar: Improving Tree Health
Combining Practical Tools to Improve Citrus Pest Management and Tree Health
Lukasz Stelinksi, UF/IFAS
AI-Enabled Smart Tree Crop Sprayers
Yiannis Ampatzidis, UF/IFAS
The Role of Soil Microbes in Citrus Soil Health and How You Can Support Them
Sarah Strauss, UF/IFAS
Using Biochar and Compost in Citrus
Tripti Vashisth, UF/IFAS
4:45 - Seminars End
3:45 - Specialty Crop Seminars: Optimizing Plasticulture Production Part II
Thrips and Whitefly Transmitted Tomato Viruses
Ozgur Batuman, UF/IFAS
Evaluation of Conventional Fungicides for Powdery Mildew Management
Amanda McVay, UF/IFAS
Food Safety Considerations in Light of Recent Outbreaks
Rory Wang, UF/IFAS
4:45 - Seminars End
Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026
8:00 a.m. - 12 p.m. - Registration at Trade Show Entrance
9:30 a.m. - 11:30 p.m. - Brunch in Trade Show Hall
8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - Trade Show Open
Visit exhibitor booths!
8:30 - Citrus Seminars: Fresh Fruit Update
Fresh Fruit Promotion Efforts From the Florida Department of Citrus
Tina Charpentier, Padilla Agency
Citrus Under Protective Screen (CUPS): Reflections on a Decade of Practice and Progress Ahead
Arnold Schumann, UF/IFAS
CUPS Pest Management
Lauren Diepenbrock, UF/IFAS
Fresh Fruit Post-Harvest Disease Management
Megan Dewdney, UF/IFAS
9:30 - Brunch and Visit Trade Show
8:30 - Specialty Crop Seminars: Tapping into Conservation Cost-Share Opportunities
Panel Discussion
Panel: Gene McAvoy, National Resources Conservation Service
TBD, Natural Resources Conservation Service
Moderator: Frank Giles, AgNet Media
9:30 - Brunch and Visit Trade Show
10:30 - Citrus Seminar: Horticultural Tools to Improve Tree Health
Optimizing Citrus Irrigation and Nutrition
Davie Kadyampakeni, UF/IFAS
Exploiting Synergies: IPCs, Brassinosteroids and Beyond
Fernando Alferez, UF/IFAS
Freeze Preparedness and Recovery: Practical Management Strategies for Citrus Growers
Muhammad Shahid, UF/IFAS
Update on the Millennium Block
Flavia Zambon, UF/IFAS
11:30 - Visit Trade Show
12:00 - Expo Ends
10:30 - Specialty Crop Seminar: Emerging Alternative Crops
The Potential of Bamboo in Florida
Michael Rogers, UF/IFAS
Economics of Bamboo Production in Florida
Kevin Barley, Florida Bamboo Growers Association
Nutrient and Irrigation Management for Bamboo
Davie Kadyampakeni, UF/IFAS
The Potential of Alternative Fruit and Nut Crops in Central and South Florida
Tripti Vashisth, UF/IFAS
11:30 - Visit Trade Show
12:00 - Expo Ends