2026 Virtual Orchard Meetup Series
Please join Kristy Grigg-McGuffin (OMAFRA), Sonia Hall (WSU), Lindsay Hainstock (BC-AF), Katelyn Hengel (BC-AF), Lee Kalcsits (WSU), Emily Lavely (MSU), Bernardita Sallato (WSU), Mario Miranda Sazo (CCE LOF), and Daniel E. Weber (PSU), for our fifth season of International Virtual Orchard Meetups. This year the 2026 series is sponsored by a national team of researchers and extension agents that are working on a multi-year USDA SCRI project (https://sparcscri.com/) to evaluate different management practices to reduce crop loss from severe cold and heat. This large project is known as SPARC: Strengthening Pear and Apple Resilience to Climate.
Since 2021, the International Virtual Orchard Meetup program has brought together growers, researchers, and government and Extension agents to have an international conversation about important tree fruit topics, connecting industry leaders across North America. This year the virtual orchard meetups will provide an opportunity to discuss challenges related to heat stress in summer and fall, identify opportunities to improve fruit quality, and remain profitable. They will be led by a panel of SPARC scientists and tree fruit growers from across the United States and Canada. Please plan to attend and join the conversation.
The 2026 Series is sponsored by SPARC: Strengthening Pear and Apple Resilience to Climate sparcscri.com
Scroll down for event registration.
Event Details
Date
February 27, 2026
Time
10:30 AM (PST) / 1:30 PM (EST)
Location
Online via Zoom
Host
Lake Ontario Fruit ProgramSession 1 - The Impacts of Weather on Pome Fruit Quality and Storability: Lessons Learned
Registration link: https://wsu.zoom.us/meeting/re...
Agenda: 1:30pm-3:00pm EST
Dr. Lee Kalscits, Department of Horticulture, Washington State University, Principal Investigator and Main Lead for SPARC, will provide an overview of the SPARC project, a US$6.75 million project that will run until 2028 and is funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture's Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI). Among research goals, the team is focusing on extreme cold and heat, studying a variety of issues including cold hardiness patterns for new apple and pear cultivars; flowering and the emergence from dormancy during spring; and how to mitigate sunburn and enhance red color during extreme heat. During his presentation, Dr. Kalcsits will share some of the experiments and analyses the team has focused on since the project started in late September of 2024.
Dr. Sonia Hall, Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources, Washington State University, will summarize some of the results of a recent SPARC grower survey to help understand how heat and cold are affecting orchards and the strategies that growers are adopting (or might want to use) to minimize losses. The survey responses will help prioritize the research and extension goals over the course of the SPARC project
Grower panelists from across North America:
A group of invited packer/grower panelists from across multiple regions (WA, OR, MI, PA, NY, BC, and Ontario) will provide a brief "state of the fruit" update, describing what they are seeing in fruit coming out of storage and how those outcomes relate to conditions during the 2025 growing season.
Garrett Henry, Douglas Fruit, WA
David Machial, Fairview Orchards, BC
Kirk Kemp, Algoma Orchards, Ontario
Scott Henning, Lake Ontario Fruit, NY
Leighton Rice, Rice Fruit Company, PA
Chad Wimmers, Mount Adams Orchards, OR
Whether you are a fruit grower with ample experience, one that has modest experience, or one that is just getting started, the 2026 International Virtual Orchard Meetups will be the right setting for you to ask questions and find alternative solutions. We hope you will be able to join us on Friday February 27!
Event Details
Date
June 11, 2026
Time
4-5:30pm PT/7-8:30pm ET
Location
Online via Zoom
Host
Lake Ontario Fruit ProgramSession 2
Details to follow.
Event Details
Date
June 18, 2026
Time
4-5:30pm PT/7-8:30pm ET
Location
Online via Zoom
Host
Lake Ontario Fruit ProgramDetails to follow.
Event Details
Date
June 25, 2026
Time
4-5:30pm PT/7-8:30pm ET
Location
Online via Zoom
Host
Lake Ontario Fruit ProgramSession 4
Details to follow.
Apples
Apricots
Asian Pears
Blueberries
Cherries
Currants
Gooseberries
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Plums
Raspberries / Blackberries
Strawberries
Unusual Fruit
Upcoming Events
2026 Virtual Orchard Meetup Series
February 27, 2026 : Session 1 - The Impacts of Weather on Pome Fruit Quality and Storability: Lessons Learned
The Impacts of Weather on Pome Fruit Quality and Storability: Lessons from 2025 - The first meetup will be conducted live on Friday, February 27, 2026, at 10:30pm (PST)/1:30pm (EST). The webinar will last 90 minutes. The format will include brief presentations by two SPARC scientists, followed by a packer/grower panel of industry leaders across North America. The meetup will conclude with an open discussion in a very inclusive virtual format. Viewers are invited to share solutions, ask questions, and interact with scientists and panelists. The program is free of charge.
June 11, 2026 : Session 2
Details to follow.
June 18, 2026
Details to follow.
June 25, 2026 : Session 4
Details to follow.
2026 Tree Fruit & Small Fruit Twilight Meetings
April 30, 2026 : Tree Fruit & Small Fruit Twilight Meeting 1
Webster, NY
The Twilight Meetings are a series of monthly meetings, where we examine seasonal changes in tree fruit and berry crop phenology, discuss and demonstrate scouting and monitoring for insects and diseases, and provide integrated pest management solutions to maximize the health and productivity of berry and tree fruit plantings.
Please arrive at 6pm for pizza and soda. This year Twilight meetings will begin and end 30minutes earlier than last year!
May 28, 2026 : Tree Fruit & Small Fruit Twilight Meeting 2
Oswego, NY
The Twilight Meetings are a series of monthly meetings, where we examine seasonal changes in tree fruit and berry crop phenology, discuss and demonstrate scouting and monitoring for insects and diseases, and provide integrated pest management solutions to maximize the health and productivity of berry and tree fruit plantings.
Please arrive at 6pm for pizza and soda. This year Twilight meetings will begin and end 30minutes earlier than last year!
June 25, 2026 : Tree Fruit & Small Fruit Twilight Meeting 3
Medina, NY
The Twilight Meetings are a series of monthly meetings, where we examine seasonal changes in tree fruit and berry crop phenology, discuss and demonstrate scouting and monitoring for insects and diseases, and provide integrated pest management solutions to maximize the health and productivity of berry and tree fruit plantings.
Please arrive at 6pm for pizza and soda. This year Twilight meetings will begin and end 30minutes earlier than last year!
Cornell Fruit Field Day
July 30, 2026
Geneva, NY
Join Cornell researchers in Geneva for Fruit Field Day, returning after 10 years, to tour research plots, learn from experts—including Dr. Terence Robinson with 40+ years in tree fruit research—and explore the latest orchard technologies and practices.