Pruning workshop set near Clarksville
Fruit and pecan growers who want to sharpen their pruning skills to enhance growth and yields can learn from the professionals at the Fruit Research Station near Clarksville during a half-day workshop Feb. 28.
The workshop begins at 12:30 p.m. with check-in and runs through 4 p.m. Space is limited to 100 people and attendees must register in advance. Registration is $20 and can be completed online at https://aaes.uada.edu/fruit-pruning-fieldday-2023.
The station is home to much of the fruit breeding work done by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, according to a news release.
“We’ll cover the principles of pruning in blueberries, blackberries, muscadines, peaches and pecans, with hands-on demonstrations,” said Jackie Lee, director of the Fruit Research Station. “Now is the time to learn since most pruning should be done while the plants are still dormant. It won’t be long before spring comes and growth restarts.”
The workshop will run five pruning stations, with 25-minute sessions running concurrently. Attendee groups will be able to rotate among the stations. The agenda includes: 12:30 p.m. -1 p.m. — Check-in;
1 p.m.- 1:15 p.m. — Welcome;
1:15 p.m. - 1:35 p.m. — Pruning basics: Pruning cuts, timing, tools, safety, with Jackie Lee;
1:35 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. — Break, then travel into field;
1:45 p.m. – 4 p.m. — Five concurrent and rotating field pruning sessions.
Workshop presenters, all from the Division of Agriculture, will be:
Blackberries — Erika Henderson, program associate, and Jesus Arredondo-Lopez, program technologist, both at the Fruit Research Station;
Pecans — Jackie Lee, station director;
Blueberries — Jesse Taylor, Johnson County extension agent;
Peaches — Dwain Ober, station farm foreman;
Grapes and muscadines — Mike Brown, fruit breeding associate, and Matt Gal, fruit breeding technologist, both based at the station.
There will also be a display of the station’s spray application equipment with Jeff Inness, the station’s integrated pest management technologist.
For detail, email Meredith Crawford at mcrawford@uada.edu or call (479)754-2406. The station is located at 1749 State Highway 818, near Clarksville.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact a local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow them on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without discrimination.