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["Dennis Norton" <dmnorton@royaloakfarmorchard.com>]

I would love to attend this meeting, but it is scheduled during our busiest week of the entire apple season!

 

Dennis Norton
Royal Oak Farm Orchard
http://www.royaloakfarmorchard.com
http://www.theorchardkeeper.blogspot.com

----- Original Message -----

From: Ed Fackler

To: NAFEX Greetings:

Sent: Friday, September 08, 2006 6:50 AM

Subject: [NAFEX] Midwest Apple Improvement Ass'n Annual Meeting,Eckert's Orchard Belleville, IL

Midwest Apple Improvement Association

Making Good Apples Great!

 

2006 Annual Meeting

 

Date – Wednesday, October 4, 2006

 

Location – Morning Program                                                                  Local Motel

                   St. Clair County Farm Bureau                                                   Sleep Inn

                   1478 East State Rd. 15                                                              140 Venita Drive

                   Belleville, IL 62220                                                                 O'Fallon, IL 62269

Location – Afternoon Session                                                                    Ph. 618-628-8200                                                                                                  

                  Eckert's Orchard                                                                        Located at exit 14, off I-64

                  951 S. Green Mount Road

                  Belleville, IL   62220

                  Ph. 618-233-0513

 

Registration - $10.00 per person (which includes lunch), payable at the door.

Agenda

     7:30 am – 8:15 am – Registration (coffee/pastries)

 

     8:15 am – 8:30 am – Opening Remarks

                                        President Jim Eckert, Eckert Orchard

 

     8:30 am – 9:15 am – New Apples, New Opportunities, New Profits

                                        Peter Hirst, Purdue University

 

     9:15 am – 10:00 am – Wild Apples of the Kyrgyz Republic: Are Hidden Gems among Them?

                                           Diane Miller, Ohio State University

 

     10:00 am – 10:15 am – Break

 

     10:15 am – 11:00 am – Club Varieties are Here, So What?

                                            Wally Heuser, Wanda Heuser, Summit Sales

 

     11:00 am – 11:30 am – MAIA in Transition

                                            Mitch Lynd, Lynd Fruit Farm

 

     11:30 am – 12:15 pm – Evaluating and Selecting New Apple Introductions

                                            Chris Doll, University of Illinois (retired)

 

     12:15 pm – 12:45 pm – Lunch (catered)

 

     12:45 pm – 1:00 pm – drive to Eckert's MAIA Apple Seedling Blocks

 

     1:00 pm – 3:30 pm –    Evaluate Fruit of New Apple Progeny

 

     We'll walk and sample fruit from GoldRush x CQR10T17 progeny planted in 2000 and GoldRush x Sweet 16 progeny planted in 2001.   Both contain seedlings of "off the chart" fruit qualities and many more trees are fruiting for the first time this year.

     At least a few MAIA members got very excited by apples from a couple trees from these plantings during last year's Indianapolis MAIA meeting.   I even heard Jules Janick make a "non-biased" assessment of one when he simply stated "this is great!"

     I highly encourage your attendance as we'll see years of diligent work.  Also feel free to bring fellow growers to see one of the finest retail orchard operations in the US.