Throughout the year, the BCHGA holds or co-presents several events, such as info sessions, field days and short courses, to further our advocacy efforts for the BC hazelnut industry. We invite anyone interested in learning more or keeping up to date, to join us at these events. Below are event dates to keep in mind:
Upcoming Events
2024/25 WEBINAR SERIES AND FIELD DAY – ‘OPTIMIZE IRRIGATION
Events: Optimize irrigation to grow climate-resilient hazelnut trees
Hosts: Dr. Thorsten Knipfer (Plant-water relations laboratory, UBC-LFS), Zachary Fleming (Pacific Coast Agriculture), Karina Sakalauskas (BC Ministry of Agriculture)
Date: 2024/25 Winter/Spring
Locations: Webinars (online) / Field day (in-person, Van Maren Farms)
RSVP: November 8, 2024
Background: Climate change is causing unprecedent challenges for agricultural production and hazelnut irrigation requirements. Effective irrigation scheduling provides for water savings without affecting yield, control of vegetative growth that reduces pruning, and regulate disease pressure. Since soil moisture sensors provide no direct information on the water status of the tree, there is an urgent need to establish plant-based strategies to schedule irrigation and grow climate-resilient hazelnut trees.
Objective: This event series provides conceptual and applied knowledge that will help you to improve your irrigation scheduling and establish best management practices.
Benefits: By the end of this series, you have learned about concepts that inform irrigation management and acquired knowledge about decision-making tools to determine when and how much to irrigate.
Activities: The webinar and field day is targeted towards engagement of BC producers and knowledge transfer.
WEBINAR (online) Winter 2024/25:
Zoom link: https://ubc.zoom.us/j/5560408990?pwd=MWVqVGlLTy9ZTjBRb21ETFBYRWE5dz09
Each webinar is 1.5-h (10:00 to 11:30) and covers conceptual aspects and applications of irrigation management. Individual presentations are 15-min followed by a 5-min Q/A. For each webinar, an online survey will be posted to gather growers’ feedback for future discussions:
Nov 19, 2024 – Soil and atmospheric drivers for ET
10:00am – 10:30am Dr. Thorsten Knipfer (UBC-LFS) / Welcome and program overview
10:30am – 10:50am Dr. Andy Black (UBC-LFS) / Atmospheric demand and evapotranspiration
10:50am – 11:10am Mr. Andrew Nadler (Peak HydroMet Solutions) / Monitoring crop ET
11:10am – 11:30pm Wrap Up and Discussion
Jan 14, 2025 – Irrigation scheduling
10:00am – 10:10am Dr. Thorsten Knipfer (UBC-LFS) / Welcome and todays objectives
10:10am – 10:30am Dr. Kirsten Hannam (AAFC) / ET irrigation scheduling in the Okanagan
10:30am – 10:50am Prof. Simone Castellarin (UBC-LFS) / Deficit irrigation and implication
10:50am – 11:10am Steven Bristow (UBC-LFS) / Stem water potential to inform irrigation
11:10am – 11:30pm Wrap Up and Discussion
Feb 18, 2025 – Environmental impacts of irrigation
10:00am – 10:10am Dr. Thorsten Knipfer (UBC-LFS) / Welcome and todays objectives
10:10am – 10:30am Asha Wareman (BC ACARN) / Benefits of sustainable irrigation practices
10:30am – 10:50am Dr. Jean-Thomas Cornelis (UBC-LFS) / Soil health and root exudates
10:50am – 11:10am Dr. Sean Smukler (UBC-LFS) / Soil greenhouse gas emissions
11:10am – 11:30pm Closing discussion and survey feedback
FIELD DAY (in-person) Spring 2025:
Share knowledge and obtain hands-on experience on irrigation strategies during field demonstrations.
March 20, 2025 – Irrigation demonstrations and discussion forum (tentative schedule)
9:00am – 9:15am Thorsten Knipfer / Karina Sakalauskas / Zach Fleming | Welcome and agenda
9:15am – 9:45am Zach Fleming | Round table: How do you irrigate?
9:45am – 10:00am Thorsten Knipfer | Intro to SWP & pressure chambers (Bag Leaves)
10:00am – 10:30am Steven Bristow | Intro and demonstration of ET station
10:30am – 10:45am Steven Bristow | Demonstration of pressure chamber to measure SWP (Leaves now at Eq)
10:45am – 11:15am Thorsten Knipfer | Working groups: How to use ET and SWP to schedule irrigation?
11:15am – 11:30am Southern Irrigation | Irrigation installation & controller/scheduling technology
11:30am – 12:00pm Zach Fleming | Next Steps & Funding/Programs
12:00pm – 13:00pm Lunch & Networking
Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 556 040 8990
Passcode: 2022
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Annual General Meeting: Abbotsford, BC
Date: Friday, January 24, 2024
Time: : 4:30 – 6:00PM
Location: Pacific Agriculture Show, Tradex Exhibition Centre, Abbotsford, BC
Watch for updates.
Hazelnut Pruning Workshop: Chilliwack, BC
Date: TBD
Time: TBD
Location: TBD
Watch this space for more events coming this year.