Wilsonville, Oregon — The 2015 International Trials Conference, to be held August 24-27, 2015, in conjunction with the 2015 Farwest Show in Portland, Oregon, has announced its list of scheduled speakers and stops for trial garden and nursery tours. A prestigious assembly of plant trial experts, including Keynote speaker, Dr. Allan Armitage, will share expertise at the cutting-edge conference that focuses on the latest research and techniques for trialing annual, perennial, and woody plants. Bus tours during the Conference will showcase premier trial garden sites and nurseries in the heart of Oregon's nursery country.
Plant trial experts from around the country will lead the two-day educational component offered at the conference. Dr. Armitage's Keynote, will kick-off the conference on Tuesday, August 25, followed by several in-depth sessions focused on trialing – from research to issues to current innovations and setting standards. A roundtable session led by Armitage and Diane Blazek of All-America Selections will have attendees and other attending experts engage in high-level discussions on standardization in trialing. The conference concludes Thursday, August 27, in conjunction with the start of the Farwest Show. Closing Keynote speaker Marshall Dirks will wrap-up the entire conference and deliver a powerful message on the importance of trials. Expert speakers also on the docket include Pat Hayward, Jim Ault, Susie Raker, Jonathan Pedersen, and many more.
Trial garden tours will be the Conference focus on Wednesday, August 26. A wide array of trial gardens and premier nurseries will be on the tours, including: the International Rose Test Garden, the oldest publicly operated rose test garden in the United States; OSU North Willamette Research and Extension Center; Fessler's Nursery; Terra Nova Nurseries; and Swan Island Dahlias, the largest dahlia grower in the United States.
"I have attended both ITC's and have found them to be stimulating and informational gatherings," said Dan Heims, President, Terra Nova Nurseries. "Beyond the obvious benefi ts there is a great amount of networking with breeders and large horticultural interests. If you do any breeding, are a trials manager, or simply interested in the process- come."
The International Trials Conference, attended by plant professionals and industry leaders from around the world, convenes biannually to share ideas on evaluation strategies, develop trialing standards, and explore the plant characteristics demanded by plant buyers and growers. Its ongoing mission is to encourage the creation of universal evaluation criteria and collaboration among plant trial locations, resulting in more meaningful trial data.
The conference is open to all industry professionals who have interest in plant trialing. Registration is required and is now open at www.farwestshow.com/trials. For questions and immediate information, email TrialsConference@oan.org. High-visibility corporate sponsorship packages are available to support the 2015 International Trials Conference. Contact Allan Niemi at Farwest, aniemi@oan.org, for details.
The Oregon Association of Nurseries (OAN), based in Wilsonville, represents more than 900 wholesale growers, retailers, landscapers and suppliers. Oregon's ornamental horticulture industry is the state's largest agricultural commodity, with annual sales of $745 million. Oregon's nursery industry is a traded sector; nearly 75 percent of the nursery plants grown in Oregon are shipped out of state. For information, visit www.oan.org or call 503-682-5089.
The Farwest Show, the largest green industry show in the West, is produced by the OAN, a trade organization that represents and serves the interests of the ornamental horticulture industry. Any revenue realized by the OAN is reinvested into the industry through education, research, marketing support and government relations. For more information about the 2015 Farwest Show, visit www.FarwestShow.com or call 503-682-5089.
Source: Farwest Show
