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Round leaf bittersweet vines have been used in holiday decorations and other crafting items for many years. Fruiting branches, which have red berries and yellow fruit capsules, make wreaths charming but easily spreads seeds. Round leaf bittersweet is a vine that strangles trees as it grows up the tree canopy. It can choke out other woody plants and can take over a forest canopy. It is established in parts of Minnesota and is designated as Prohibited Eradicate on the Minnesota Noxious Weed List. If craft arrangements, such as wreaths, are placed outside, birds can eat the fruit and move the seed to new locations. It can also spread by:

• Discarded holiday wreaths, bows, and decorations
• Nursery stock
• Birds
• Other mammals

Round leaf Bittersweet Distribution

Round leaf Bittersweet Biology

Multiflora rose is a noxious weed of many states because of it's invasive tendencies. It has been found in Minnesota and is listed as Restricted on the Minnesota Noxious Weed List. It can be spread in:

• Holiday wreaths
• Holiday décor

Multiflora Rose Distribution

Multiflora Rose Biology

Japanese maple scale has a large host range of mostly trees and shrubs. It has not been found in Minnesota. It can be found hitchhiking on:

• Holiday twigs and sprays of shrubs like dogwood and willow
• Nursery stock

Japanese maple scale is widely distributed throughout the eastern United States.

Japanese Maple Scale Biology

Thursday, January 11, 2024

8:00 AM  Registration & continental breakfast

• Sponsored by Germains Seed Technology

9:00 AM  Breakout sessions

• New & Emerging Winter Annual Grains & Oilseeds – Matt Leavitt & Anne Schwagerl
• Going Solar on Your Farm – Bobby King & Joan Olson
  • Sponsored by Solar Farm LLC
• Holistic Approaches to Weed Management for Vegetables – Marissa Schuh
  • Sponsored by Marbleseed
• Virtual Fencing for Your Farm – Scott Haase & Doug Voss
• Upping Your Documentation Game – Kenn Jenkins & Pete Kapustka
• Marketing & Social Media with Minnesota Grown – Rachel Wandrei

10:00 AM  Trade show & break

• Sponsored by Germains Seed Technology

10:45 AM  General session

• Conference welcome: MDA Commissioner Thom Petersen
• Keynote address: Daphne Miller, MD
  • Sponsored by Compeer Financial

11:45 AM  Lunch & trade show

• Sponsored by Garratt Industries Ltd.

1:15 PM  Breakout sessions

• Building Local Foods Capacity through On-Farm Community Events – Matt Barthelemy, Jan Joannides, & Kelley Rajala
• Preparing for Disease: Basic Principles – Joe Armstrong, DVM
• Adding Value, Not Risk, with Farm-Grown Products – Rachel Armstrong
• USDA Organic Market Update – Heath Dewey
• Navigating Turbulent Organic Grain Markets – Carmen Fernholz, Mike Schulist, & Tom Wanquist
• Soil: Get the Basics Right – Gary Zimmer
  • Sponsored by Grain Place Foods Inc.

2:15 PM  Trade show & break

3:00 PM  Breakout sessions

• Grain Marketing Issues & Solutions – Rachel Armstrong & Harriet Behar
• Ask a Vet: Designing Health Protocols – Joe Armstrong, DVM
• Seeds of Success: First-Generation Farming for Value-Added Scaling – Naima Dhore
  • Sponsored by Lakewinds Food Co-op
• Resources for Value-Added Ag Producers – Michael Sparby
• Confused about Hemp? – Charles Levine, Katy Mutschler, & Jeremy Saueressig
• Maximizing the Benefits of Soil Health Practices – Tom Cotter
  • Sponsored by Minnesota Ag Water Quality Certification Program

4:00 PM  Trade show & break

4:15 PM  Legislative listening session

• Commissioner Thom Petersen, Sen. Aric Putnam, Rep. Samantha Vang, & YOU

5:00 PM  Reception & evening social

• Sponsored by Albert Lea Seed House & Minnesota Farmers Union

Friday, January 12, 2024

7:30 AM  Registration and continental breakfast

• Sponsored by Crop Fertility Services

8:00 AM  Breakout sessions

• What Needs to Be Regenerated? – Sandy Syburg & Gary Zimmer
  • Sponsored by BioFlora
• Grazing for Soil Health – Kelly Anderson & Doug Voss
• Progress in the Commercial Production of American Elderberries – Christopher J. Patton
• Demystifying Organic Certification – Harriet Behar
• Living Trellis for Climbing Beans – Ken Kmiecik
• Crop Insurance for Organic Operations – Kelsey Willardson
  • Sponsored by F.W. Cobs Company

9:00 AM  Trade show & break

• Sponsored by Crop Fertility Services

9:45 AM  Breakout sessions

• What’s New in Specialty Soybeans? – Shane Frederick
  • Sponsored by Minnesota Soybean
• Improving the Health of Organic Dairy Cows & Heifers – Brad Heins
  • Sponsored by Organic Valley – CROPP Cooperative
• Hybrid Hazelnuts Bred for Minnesota – Lois Braun & Mike Lilja
• Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) – Allison Walent
• Leveraging Technology to Support Resilient Local Food Systems – Stefanie Jaeger & Anna Richardson
• Adding Covers to Your Soil Health Toolbox – Tom Cotter
  • Sponsored by Field Theory

10:45 AM  Trade show & break

• Sponsored by Crop Fertility Services

11:30 AM  General session

• Keynote address: Carolyn Olson
  • Sponsored by Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI)

12:30 PM  Lunch & trade show

• Sponsored by MOSA Certified Organic

2:00 PM  Breakout sessions

• Organic Grain Rotation Workshop – Nic Podoll
  • Sponsored by Mountain High Organics Inc.
• Growing Hybrid Rye for Organic Pork Success – Megan Kavanagh, Gabriella Lima, & Melissa Wilson
• The Samba Wasp: New Biological Control for Berry Crops – Jay DeLacy & Mary Rogers
• Organic Market Outlook: Market Risks and Opportunities – Alexander Schultz
  • Sponsored by Cashton Farm Supply – CFS Specialties
• Organic Debates: Is Hydro Organic? – Jenny Heck, Andy Petran, & Jim Riddle

3:00 PM  Conference ends