MSU Extension Fruit & Nuts

The 2026 Northwest Michigan Orchard and Vineyard Show is scheduled for Jan. 13-14 at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, 100 Grand Traverse Village Blvd, Acme, MI 49610. Registration opens at 8 a.m. on Jan. 13 and the cost for both days is $60 in advance and $65 at the door. The line can be long at the registration desk, so meeting attendees are encouraged to arrive well before the 9 a.m. start time or register online. Both days will feature educational programs and vendor exhibits.

Pre-register for the 2026 Northwest Michigan Orchard and Vineyard Show

One registration (tree fruit or grape session) will give attendees access to both the tree fruit sessions and grape sessions for both days.

The fruit industry luncheon will be Tuesday, Jan. 13, and is open to both tree fruit and grape registrants at a first come, first serve basis.

There will be two separate lunches on Wednesday, Jan. 14. One room will hold the grape industry luncheon and the other will hold the Cherry Marketing Institute luncheon.

The Cherry Marketing Institute annual meeting and luncheon will be Wednesday, Jan. 14. Wednesday’s Cherry Marketing Institute luncheon is free to cherry growers if they pre-register through the Northwest Michigan Orchard and Vineyard Show online registration. If growers do not have access to a computer, please contact the Cherry Marketing Institute at 517-669-4264 to register for the lunch.

The exhibit hall will be open during the show to feature vendors of orchard and vineyard equipment and supplies, commodity organizations and other exhibitors.

Both Tuesday and Wednesday will offer a variety of topics relating to research and information on tart cherries, sweet cherries, apples and wine grapes addressing production and marketing. Cherry, apple and grape sessions will be held on both days. Tuesday’s sessions will conclude with a social hour, and all attendees are invited to attend; the social hour is included with the registration fee.

In addition to the grape sessions, there will also be an educational wine tasting event, as well as a Johanniter and Monarch Tasting/Piwi Educational. Both of these are an add-on to the general admission price. If you choose to only purchase tickets for the wine tasting, you will need to purchase general admission tickets to attend the general admission sessions.

Tree Fruit Session Agenda

Tuesday, January 13, 2026

8:55-9:00 – Welcome, Keaton Foster, NWMHR Foundation President
9:00-9:30 – New apple pest decision-making tool, Jackie Perkins, Dept. of Entomology, MSU
9:30-10:05 – Cost of production for producing fresh market apples in Michigan, Dr. Chris Bardenhagen, Michigan State University Extension
10:05-10:40 – Novel control strategies for managing weeds in orchards, Dr. Joshua Miranda, Dept. of Horticulture, MSU
10:40-11:00 – VENDOR BREAK
11:00-11:30 – Understanding bitterpit in Honeycrisp, Dr. Chayce Griffith, Dept. of Horticulture, MSU
11:30-12:15 – Practical ways to minimize bitterpit in the orchard, Dr. Todd Einhorn, Dept. of Horticulture, MSU
12:15-1:00 – LUNCH
1:00-1:15 – VENDOR BREAK
1:15-1:45 – Understanding cold acclimation in apple, Dr. Todd Einhorn, Dept. of Horticulture, MSU
1:45-2:15 – How spray programs are impacting Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) in tart cherry, Jackie Perkins, Dept. of Entomology, MSU
2:15-3:15 – Global trends in tart cherry production and acreage, Dr. Chris Bardenhagen, Michigan State University Extension
3:15-4:00 – Next generation sprayer systems for fruit growers, Dr. Mike Reinke, Michigan State University Extension
4:00-4:30 – Experiences with drone spraying on Old Mission Peninsula, Dean and Ward Johnson, Johnson Farms, OMP, and Keith Akerman, Airway Ag
4:30-5:00 – New Wise Conn irrigation system at the NWMHRC, Dan Bacheler, NWMHRC, MSU
5:30-6:30 – Happy Hour

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

8:00-8:30 – Annual Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Foundation Meeting
8:30-9:00 – Quantifying what works: meta-analysis of frost protection and bloom delay in peach, Daniel Dick, Michigan State University Extension
9:00-9:30 – Considerations for harvest management strategies and red color development in apple, Dr. Emily Lavely, Michigan State University Extension
9:30-10:00 – From the Rhine to the Ridge: Applying European agrivoltaics success to Michigan fruit farms, Charles Gould, Michigan State University Extension
10:00-10:30 – How does on-farm solar photovoltaics affect farmers, surrounding land, and communities, Dr. Anthony Kendall, Dept. of Earth and Environmental Sciences, MSU
10:30-12:00 – CMI
12:00-1:00 – LUNCH
1:00-1:30 – VENDOR BREAK
1:30-2:30 – Disease update: cherry leaf spot, American brown rot, fire blight, Dr. George Sundin, Dept. of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences, MSU
2:30-3:15 – Insect update: from ambrosia beetles and spotted-wing drosophila, to woolly apple aphid and codling moth—we have it covered! Dr. Julianna Wilson, Dept. of Entomology, MSU
3:15-3:45 – Variability in the Orchard: How Environmental, Climatic, and Biological Factors Influence Yield in Montmorency Tart Cherry, Jack Sinnaeve, Dept. of Horticulture, MSU
3:45-4:30 – Navigating the Challenges of Groundwater Discharge Permitting, Tess Van Gorder, Michigan Farm Bureau

Grape Session Agenda

Tuesday, January 13, 2026 - Viticulture Session

• Parallel 45 Vines & Wines (P45) 
• Michigan Wine Collaborative (MWC)
• Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Foundation (NWMHRF)
• Michigan State University Extension (MSU Extension)

8:00 – Registration Desk Opens MSU Extension, Moderator, Esmaeil Nasrollahiazar, MSU Extension
9:00-9:20 – 2024 MSU Extension Educational & Research Initiatives Report, Esmaeil Nasrollahiazar, MSU Extension
9:25-10:55 – Grapevine Pruning Techniques: Best Methods and Common Mistakes, Fritz Westover Virtual Viticulture Academy
10:55-11:20 – Vendor Break
11:25-11:55 – Cold Hardy Model Introduction, Esmaeil Nasrollahiazar, MSU Extension
12:00-1:00 – Lunch - (PA 232 Update - Bob Schutzki) NWMHRF
1:00-2:30 – Grapevine Pruning and Training to Promote Vineyard Longevity, Fritz Westover, Virtual Viticulture Academy
2:30-3:15 – Grapevine trunk diseases (GTDs) (ZOOM), José Ramón Úrbez-Torres, Summerland Research and Development Centre, BC, Canada
3:20-4:00 – From Pruning to Budbreak: Early Practices that Reduce Pest and Disease Pressure, Maria Smith, Ohio State University
4:00-5:00 – Michigan Wine Collaborative annual meeting and election (will be held in the main meeting room)
5:00-6:00 – Local beverage tasting and hors d’oeuvres social hours

Tuesday, January 13, 2026— Industry Discussion and Marketing Section 

Moderator: Brian Lillie
9:00-9:30 – Keynote Speaker and Welcome to OV Show, Welcome and 2024 MSU Extension Educational & Research Initiatives Report
9:30-10:30 – Social Media Marketing Top 3 Tips from Top Social Managers in Michigan To Grab Younger Wine Drinkers. Panel: Kyle Brownley, Chateau Chantal; Alaina Leech, Think Fresh Consulting; Jamele Favorite, Music in the Bottle Podcast
10:30-11:20 – Vendor Break
11:25 - 11:55 – MWC Sponsor Showcase Sponsors of Taste Michigan
11:55-1:00 – Lunch
1:00-1:30 – Vendor Break
1:35-2:30 – Why NA needs to be part of your plan. Panel: Mike Laing, Mawby; Mike Fifer, Imperial Beverage; Alex Wegehaupt, Abv Technology
2:35-3:45 – Johanniter and Monarch Tasting/Piwi Educational Opportunity, J.E.M. and Brian Hosmer
3:45-4:00 – Vendor Break
4:00-5:00 – Hybrid meeting, Michigan Wine Collaborative annual meeting and election (will hold in the main meeting room)

Wednesday, January 14, 2025—Enology Session

Moderator: P45
9:00-9:10 – Welcome from P45, Tony Jacobson, P45
9:15-9:55 – Non-Sacc for acid management, Gordon Specht, Lallemand
10:00-11:55 – Acid Management for Sparkling Wine From Vineyard to Disgorgement (w/Tasting), Jerome Barret (Zoom)
12:00-1:00 – Lunch
1:00-1:50 – Acid Management Panel Discussion, P45
1:55-2:10 – Industry Flash Talk, Tim Godfrey, Director, Winery & Viticulture Lake Michigan College
2:15-2:40 – Groundwater Discharge, Tess Van Gorder, Conservation and Regulatory Relations Specialist, Michigan Farm Bureau
2:40-3:00 – Vendor Break
3:05-3:55 – Balancing Acidity in Wines: Techniques and Strategies for Winemakers, Katie Cook, Scott Labs
4:00-5:30 – Educational Wine Tasting - Michigan vs. The World Featuring Sauvignon Blanc, P45

January 14, 2025—Pruning Workshop **Registration required**

Moderator: P45
9:00-9:10 – Welcome, Hot Beverages & Pastries, First Aid Kit, Peter Rigan, P45
9:15-10:30 – Pruning workshop and trunk disease management, Fritz Westover, Westover Viticulture
10:30-10:45 – Coffee Break
10:45-12 – Continuation: Pruning Workshop and Trunk Disease Management, Fritz Westover, Westover Viticulture

The program is presented by the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Foundation in collaboration with Michigan State University Extension and AgBioResearch, Cherry Marketing Institute, Parallel 45, Michigan Wine Collaborative and the MSU Northwest Michigan Horticulture Research Center.