By Clint Thompson
North Carolina (N.C.) State Extension reminds the state’s strawberry growers the Western North Carolina Strawberry Preplant Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 21, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the N.C. Extension, Wilkes County Center in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
Matthew Clay, N.C. State Extension agent, talked about the importance of the meeting with planting season looming.
“The main importance is to get all of our strawberry growers prepared for the fall growing season, whether it’s new disease issues that come up or pest issues or new varieties that are coming out from N.C. State University for strawberry growers to possibly plant that are more resistant to stuff,” Clay said.
“It’s also good for growers to network with each other that day, too. We have a lot of different farms across western North Carolina that are coming, so it’s really good for them to be able to network with each other; also, to have all the research specialists in one place to ask questions, especially if they have a particular issue that comes up during the production season.”
Specific topics to be covered include strawberry cultivars for North Carolina; produce safety; weed control strategies; disease control strategies; insect management update; marketing; and added value products.
For more information, contact Matthew Clay at 336-651-7333 or by email at mhclay@ncsu.edu.