103rd Annual Meeting
Northern Nut Growers Association July 22-25, 2012 Lexington, Kentucky
The 103rd Annual Meeting of the Northern Nut Growers Association will be held at the University of Kentucky (UK) in Lexington, Kentucky from July 22 to July 25, 2012. Our Local Arrangements Committee is made up of John Strang, Extension Fruit and Vegetable Specialist in the UK Department of Horticulture, Shawn Wright, Extension Horticulture Specialist, Robinson Center for Appalachian Resource Sustainability, Jackson, KY and Kirk Pomper, USDA-National Clonal Germplasm Repository for Pawpaw, Kentucky State University, Frankfort, KY.
Presentations and meetings will be held in the Agricultural Science Center North in Seay Auditorium. On-campus housing for participants will be in Margaret Ingles Hall adjacent to the Complex Commons Market dining area, which is within easy walking distance of the meeting area.
The annual meeting begins with a board meeting at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, July 22 in the Weldon Suite of the E. S. Good Barn, and members are welcome to attend. Registration begins at 1 p.m. in the E.S. Good Barn Lobby. Members are invited to tour the Arboretum, The State Botanical Garden of Kentucky, which is on campus and includes a nut planting at 3 p.m. The welcome mixer will begin at 6 p.m. and dinner will be at 7 p.m. in Gorham Hall of the E.S. Good Barn.
The schedule for nut growers on Monday begins with the Annual NNGA Business Meeting followed by a full day of technical presentations. Tuesday will also involve a full day of technical presentations on campus. The exhibit area will be open on both Monday and Tuesday. An optional all-day field trip will take place on Wednesday involving a tour of the UK Horticulture Research Farm in Lexington, the Kentucky State University Research Farm Pawpaw Germplasm Repository, and Buffalo Trace Distillery. This meeting will include plenty of information on pecan, Persian and black walnuts, hazelnuts, chestnuts, almonds, persimmons, and pawpaws.
Due to Thousand Canker Disease, no Juglans species, wood, bark or plant material of any kind will be allowed at the meeting.
The 20th Annual NNGA Research Fund Auction will be held in the E. S. Good Barn Monday evening after dinner, and the Annual Banquet is scheduled for Tuesday evening. CAP tours are scheduled for all day Tuesday and for a several hours on Wednesday.
If you belong to another nut growing organization, please share copies of this article and registration form with fellow nut growers. Information will be available on the NNGA’s website at www.nutgrowing.org.
Things to See and Do
Just driving through the Bluegrass area with the many legendary finely manicured horse farms is awe inspiring. If you are a history buff, Lexington features Ashland, The Henry Clay Estate, the Mary Todd Lincoln House, the Hunt-Morgan House, and the Headley Whitley Museum. You will find Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace outside of Hodgenville, KY, and there are many civil war battlefields and monuments. Step back in time and visit Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, a 3,000 acre historic landmark, 25 miles southwest of Lexington. Tour America’s largest restored Shaker community and see how our forebears made wooden barrels and brooms, dipped candles, used herbs for medicinal purposes, dyed cloth, and much more. The Shakers were the first to package and sell vegetable seed. Their meals are outstanding. Berea lies 40 miles south of Lexington and is Kentucky’s Crafts Capital, it features the Kentucky Artisan Center and is well known for hand crafts, musical instruments, pottery, carvings and fine furniture. The Kentucky Horse Park is a world class facility where an entire day can be spent and will be featured on the Tuesday CAP tour. It includes the International Museum of the Horse, the American Saddlebred Museum-the Showplace for Saddlebreds, a Horse-Drawn Tour and equine presentations throughout the day. We also have many fabulously beautiful state parks, vineyards, wineries and world renowned distilleries to visit. For a thorough presentation of things to see, attractions, restaurants, shopping, hotels and much more, consult the Visitor Planning Guide at http://www.visitlex.com/ continually updated by the Lexington Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Registration
Register by July 1 and save. A tear-out registration form is in this newsletter. The registration deadline is July 12. Registration forms are also available at www.nutgrowing.org Please send in your reservations as soon as possible so that we may make appropriate reservations for activities based on group size.
Onsite registration will begin at 1 p.m. on Sunday, July 22 at the E.S. Good Barn, 1451 University Drive, Lexington, KY 40546, and will continue Monday from 7 a.m. until noon. Rooms will be available in Margaret Ingles Residence Hall for check-in beginning at 1 p.m. Sunday.
In the event that it is necessary to cancel your registration, all but a $20 processing fee will be refunded. Written cancellation requests must be postmarked on or before July10. Substitutions are welcomed.
Special Events
Sunday - Welcome Dinner. Sunday evening’s welcome mixer will be held at the E. S. Good Barn beginning at 6 p.m. with a cash bar and hors d’oeuvres. Our caterer is frequently hired by Jerry Bruckheimer of movie and TV CSI fame when he is in the area. The menu will be:
Baby Ky. Hot Brown and Petit Chopped Salad Tart Hors D’oeuvres
Angus Beef KaBobs with Red Bell Peppers & Red Onions served with Horseradish Sauce
Pecan Chicken
Bechamel Potatoes
Vegetarian Ky. Green Beans
Roasted Seasonal Farmers Market Vegetable Medley
Ky. Tomatoes with fresh basil, pine nuts & balsamic vinaigrette
Assorted Breads
Old Fashion Ky. Peach Shortcake with blueberry sauce, caramelized almonds and fresh whipped cream
Tuesday - Banquet. The Annual Banquet will be held in the Hilary Boone Center on campus. Our featured speaker will be Professor Steve Isaacs, who is an extremely entertaining speaker on the subject of “Water from another Time.” You will not want to miss Steve’s hilarious and thought provoking comments on growing up poor in Tennessee. Our gourmet banquet menu features:
Granny Smith Apple Salad with Dried Cranberry, Golden Raisins, Toasted Pecans and Tarragon Mayonnaise
Cornmeal Crusted Catfish with Chunky Tarter Sauce
Baked Rigatoni with Seasonal Vegetables, Vodka Sauce and Fontina Cheese
Mashed Potatoes
Sauteed Zucchini and Squash with Sweet Onions
Confetti Corn with Chipotle Peppers
Warm Honey-Apple Crisp with Bourbon Sauce
Rolls and Butter
Iced Tea
Coffee
Wednesday – NNGA Field Trip. We will depart UK at 8 a.m. The first stop will be the University of Kentucky Horticulture Research Farm. Here we will tour the Organic CSA and our seedless table and wine grape plantings. Tour participants should enjoy the beautiful Bluegrass area scenery and picturesque horse farms in the Lexington area, the Horse Capital of the World. Our second stop will be the Kentucky State University Demonstration and Research Farm and USDA-National Clonal Germplasm Repository for Pawpaw in Frankfort, KY. Dr. Kirk Pomper will conduct a tour of the pawpaw, primocane fruiting blackberry plantings and their organic high tunnel. CAP participants may want to skip the farm tour and continue on to Lovers Leap Vineyards and Winery for a short vineyard tour and wine tasting. Lunch will be served for both groups at the Center for Sustainability of Farms and Families at the KSU Research and Demonstration Farm. The Lazy Summer BBQ includes Baked Beans, Coleslaw, Macaroni and Cheese, Cornbread Fiesta Muffins, Lazy Country Chicken, Sliced Brisket, Assorted Cookies and Dessert Bars. Following lunch Kentucky nut growers will demonstrate the finer points of nut tree grafting. Finally, we will depart for a fascinating tour of Buffalo Trace Distillery, the oldest continually operated distillery in America, and see how fine bourbon is made and aged. Arrival back on campus will be at 5 p.m.
CAP Activities
Tuesday - CAP Tour. Tuesday’s CAP Tour will depart from the parking lot by Margaret Ingles Hall at 8:45 a.m. for a morning at the Kentucky Horse Park. Lunch will be on your own while shopping and sightseeing in historic Midway. The afternoon will involve a visit to the Kentucky History Center, a tour of Rebecca Ruth Candies, and sightseeing in Frankfort including the State Capitol, Floral Clock and Governor’s Mansion. Return to campus will be at 5 p.m.
Wednesday - CAP Tour. This will be a short visit to Lovers Leap Vineyards and Winery in Lawrenceburg, KY and is a side tour on the NNGA Field Trip. There will be no additional charge for this side tour.
Meals
The Complex Commons Market Dining Service meal cards will be available to purchase with your registration. The meal cards may be used at the Commons Market, Starbucks in the Commons Market, Ag North Deli, Ovid’s Cafe in the Library and a number of other sites on campus. Many other dining options are available in the Lexington area.
The Welcome Dinner and Banquet on Tuesday are priced separately on the registration form. Lunch will be on your own while shopping on the Tuesday CAP tour. Lunch is included in the price for Wednesday’s NNGA Field Trip.
Lodging
Rooms on Campus.
Accommodations and housing for the Northern Nut Growers Association meeting are conveniently located on campus adjacent to the Complex Commons Market Dining Services and a short walk from Ag Science Center North where meetings will be held. Margaret Ingles Residence Hall is air conditioned and features suites of two rooms each containing two bunk beds with a shared bath between two rooms. There is a lobby area for gathering. Individuals should pay for their rooms at the Ingles Hall front desk when they check in. Payments may be by check, credit card or cash.
Off Campus. There are many fine hotels in Lexington. The following off-campus lodging facilities are relatively close to campus. The University Inn is directly across the street from Ag Science Center North. Please make your reservations directly with the hotels.
SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1Crowne Plaza Lexington, 1 mile from campus,
1375 S. Broadway, Lexington, KY 40504
859-255-4281 - $119.00 or AAA $108.00 (No breakfast)
Complementary shuttle from Bluegrass Airport
SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1Hilton Suites Lexington Green, 2.7 miles from campus
245 Lexington Green Cir., Lexington, KY 40503
859-271-4000 - U.K. rate $109.00, king or double (No breakfast)
Complementary shuttle from Bluegrass Airport
SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1SpringHill Suites – Marriott, 1.1 miles from campus
863 S. Broadway, Lexington, KY 40504 (Behind the Waffle House and Shell Station)
859-225-1500 U.K. rate $94.00 (Includes breakfast)
Complementary shuttle from Bluegrass Airport
SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1University Inn
1229 S. Limestone St., Lexington, KY 40503
859-278-6625 - $89.00 single king; $79.00 single queen (Includes breakfast)
Parking
This is difficult on any campus and particularly difficult next to the UK Hospital. Parking at no charge and without a pass is available any time in the lot on the east side of Margaret Ingles Hall along Sports Center Drive and in the small gated lot marked, “Good Barn Conference Parking” adjacent to the E.S. Good Barn off of Farm Rd. Participants may park in any lot without a pass after 6 p.m. Campus police are particularly good at writing tickets! Please pay attention to where you park.
Emergencies
Messages may be left with Kathy Scahill, Administrative Associate, UK Horticulture Department, at 859-257-1601 during office hours, or John Strang, Program Coordinator, at 859-396-9311 after hours. Ag. Security 859-509-2957 or UK Police 859-257-1616.
Technical Program
Technical sessions are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday. Proposals for presentations are being sought by the Program Committee. If you are interested in presenting, or have a recommendation for a potential presenter, please submit the presenter’s name, mailing address, email address and telephone number to Dr. Shawn Wright. We have 20- to 30-minute time slots available. We ask that presenters have a hard or digital copy of their presentation ready at the meeting for publication in the 103rd Annual Report of the Northern Nut Growers Association. We are looking for papers covering a wide variety of topics relating to nut trees, including observations from experienced growers. All necessary presenting equipment will be available in Seay Auditorium.
Dr. Shawn Wright
Robinson Center
176 Robinson Road
Jackson, KY 41339-9081
Ph: 606-666-2438 Ext. 234
Mobile: 606-272-3500
Email: shawn.wright@uky.edu
A preliminary list of a few speakers and topics
Speaker Topic
Brian Hammons “Black Walnut Market Insights”
Tom Molnar “New Sources of Eastern Filbert Blight Resistance”
Kirk Pomper “Eastern Filbert Blight Resistant Hazelnuts for the Eastern U.S.”
Sheri Crabtree “Pawpaw and Persimmon Processing”
Frank Salzano “Chestnuts in Permaculture Forest Gardens”
Dennis Fulbright “Internal Kernel Breakdown (IKB) in Chestnut and its Cause”
Nicole Ward “Walnut Blight and Phytophthora”
Sandra Anagostakis “Chestnuts”
Ric Bessin “The Brown Marmorated Threat”
Cookies
The college will allow us to have cookies, brownies, etc. for the coffee breaks. They must contain nuts and/or fruits and be home made. Bring a dozen or two of your favorites and a few more for the research auction.
Show and Tell
Following the welcome dinner and mixer on Sunday, Fred Blankenship will act as Master of Ceremonies for the popular Show and Tell. Everyone is invited to tell of their experiences back home. If you have developed a new grafting technique, cultural innovation, marketing success, found a new nut variety or fruit, or would like to show a video or pictures of your operation, this is your opportunity to shine. We all like to learn from each other’s successes or failures. Presentations can be very short. Please let Fred Blankenship know if you would like to educate our group. He can be reached at:
Fred Blankenship
161 Highway 376
Rhodelia, KY 40161
Phone: 270- 547-7651
Mobile: 270-272-7670
Making arrangements ahead of time is not necessary – you can inform Fred of your interest at the welcome dinner. If you want to project images, please bring photos or a PowerPoint presentation on a CD, DVD or flash drive.
Auction
The 20th Annual NNGA Research Fund Auction will be held on Monday evening. Contributions by members are strongly encouraged in addition to the items that the Auction and Exhibits Committees will be soliciting. Your donated items will add variety and generate enthusiasm for this event. Handmade donations and products are always welcome. This is an excellent way to advertise your product. Contact Doug Hines for details. Auction items may be dropped off at the registration desk and will be locked up until time for the auction. If you can’t attend, you can show your support by mailing auction items to:
Doug Hines
679 Townsend Valley Rd.
Paris, KY 40361
Ph: 859-953-0053
Email: doug.hines@ky.usda.gov
The bidding will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the E. S. Good Barn, and the auction will conclude when the last item is sold and the last payment received.
Exhibits
The exhibit area will be in Classroom A-7 below Seay Auditorium. It will open for set up Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. If you would like to exhibit, contact Kenny Beard at phone: 270-769-6861; email: larabeard@windstream.net Exhibits that relate to growing, processing, or selling nuts, scion wood, trees, tools, nutcrackers, displays, etc. are welcome. If exhibits need to be mailed they should be shipped to John Strang, Department of Horticulture, N-318 Ag Science Center North, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546-0091, Mobile phone: 859-396-9311; email: jstrang@uky.edu
Group Photo
The group photo will be taken at 10 a.m. during the break on Monday morning in the courtyard of Seay Auditorium. There will be no additional charge for the photo.
Location and Travel
The Blue Grass Airport is located about 20 minutes from the UK campus. Several of the hotels listed have complementary shuttle service, and taxies are readily available. Avis, Enterprise, Hertz, and National rental cars are also available at the airport.
Please note the Lexington area map and simplified campus map that contains building locations for NNGA activities and two areas for free parking. A detailed campus map will be provided in the registration packet. For those that use GPS the E.S. Good Barn address is 1451 University Drive, Lexington, KY 40546.
Weather
Lexington weather in July can be hot and humid. Growers generally look forward to thunderstorms during this period of the season. We suggest sunscreen and hats for the tours.
NNGA Registration site, E. S. Good Barn, 1451 University Drive, Lexington, KY 40546
Agricultural Science Center North, site for technical presentations and exhibits
