The 6th Annual Berry Production and Marketing Conference will take place on March 14 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Virginia State University’s Gateway Dining Hall in Petersburg. 

Speakers include Dr. Penelope Perkins-Veazie, a professor at North Carolina State University who now heads research on postharvest physiology and technology for fruits and vegetables for NCSU; Dr. Ioannis Tzanetakis, an associate professor at the Division of Agriculture, University of Arkansas who is working on the epidemiology and molecular biology of berry, ornamental, and soybean viruses;  Dr. Gina Fernandez, a professor in the Department of Horticultural Science at North Carolina State University whose research activities focus primarily on season extension and breeding of blackberries and raspberries; and  Mrs. Kathy Demchak, a Senior Extension Associate in the Department of Plant Science at Penn State University who has conducted research on a wide range of berry-related topics from production systems such as high tunnels and plasticulture to research on disease and insect pests. 

Registration fee is $15.00. Registration Deadline is March 11, 2013. You can register online at 2013 Berry Conference or return completed registration form with check or money order payable to: VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY, Attention: Mollie Klein, P.O. Box 9081, Petersburg, VA 23806, mklein@vsu.edu