Mar 4, 2010

IFTA Wraps up Michigan Meeting

The International Fruit Tree Association wrapped up its 53rd annual conference in Grand Rapids, Mich., yesterday. The event was seen as something of a homecoming for IFTA, which was founded in west Michigan more than half a century ago.

IFTA is now based in Chesterfield, Mo., but it has members all over the world, who meet at the annual conference to share expertise and renew old friendships. Hundreds of people showed up this year, many more than expected.

Expert speakers and researchers shared a wealth of information during the five-day conference (some also took part in a post-conference tour). They talked about everything from cherry training systems to apple rootstocks. It was an overwhelming amount of information, but maybe just as important was all the networking done before, between and after the educational sessions. If you talk to growers and others during a break or overhear their conversations with each other, you might come to realize that these informal conversations are just as important as any educational session.

Watch the video to hear more opinions about the conference from people who attended.

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