“Mango Makers and Food Preservers” will be the focus of the 31st Hawaii International Tropical Fruit Conference held Oct. 8 to 9 at the Maui County Business Resource Center, the Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers announced.
The conference will be both in person and virtual and will continue with mini-sessions and tours on Molokai, Oahu, Kauai and Hawaii island Oct. 10 to 14.
Geared toward farmers, educators, orchard managers and proponents of sustainable agriculture, the conference is open to the public. Videos of the presentations will be posted at htfg.org.
Visiting researchers and agro-experts will share information and lead breakout sessions on a variety of fruit-related topics, including the Tatura trellis system, avocados, advanced dehydration and canning methods, propagation techniques and unusual fruits with future economic potential.
Steve Brady will give the keynote speech, “The World of Mangos” with Jane Tai and Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers Executive Director Ken Love presenting “Processing and Utilizing Your Fruit to Develop Award-Winning, Value-Added Products.” A tour with farmer Jordan Longman at the Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers Repository will cover fruit fly trap making and pruning techniques used in Australia and Japan.
A retired internist, Brady has been collecting and growing tropical and exotic fruit for over six decades. He helped found the Naples Botanical Garden and was curator of its Tropical Fruit and Edible Plants Collection. A resident of the Sunshine State, Brady teaches an annual class on mangos for the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agriculture Science as well as training classes for master gardeners.
Registration forms and fee schedule are available at www. HTFG.org or by contacting Love at kenlove@hawaiian tel.net or Mark Suiso at mark.suiso@gmail.com. The Maui County Business Resource Center is located at 110 Alaihi St. in Kahului.
