TOPSFIELD, Mass. – Northeast Harvest, a Buy Local Program representing almost 400 farms in Essex and Middlesex counties and supported by the Essex Agricultural Society, will host its 2026 Agricultural Conference on March 19th at the Topsfield Fairgrounds. Northeast Harvest works to connect farmers and agricultural producers directly with consumers. This conference offers 4.5 PACE Credits and is FREE to register and open to the public.
The schedule for the conference includes:
8:30 a.m.: Registration & Light Breakfast
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.: Modern Best Practices for Disease Management in Apples – This session will review current best practices for managing key apple diseases, including the evolving role of multi-site fungicides and the integration of biorational materials within traditional fungicide programs. Presented by Elizabeth Garofalo from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. (1 PACE Credit)
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: Invasion Insects of Concern in Massachusetts – This session will cover how to identify these pests, understand their biology, recognize their host plants, track their distribution in Massachusetts, know when to report them to the state, and implement effective management strategies. Presented by Jennifer Forman-Orth from the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture. (1.5 PACE Credits)
12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.: Lunch & Table Presentations
12:45 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.: Preventing Herbicide Resistance Development on Your Farm through Integrated Weed Management – The workshop will give an overview of how herbicide resistant weeds evolve and spread, and why they are a problem. Presented by Maria Gannett from University of Massachusetts Amherst (1 PACE Credit)
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.: Seed Bank Management Can Improve Control of Annual Weeds –This session will focus on strategies to reduce annual weed pressure by incorporating soil seed bank management as an important integrated weed management tool. Presented by Maria Gannett from University of Massachusetts Amherst. (1 PACE Credit)
3:00 p.m.: Wrap Up – James O’Brien, Northeast Harvest Executive Director, Essex and Middlesex County buy local organization and also the General Manager of the Topsfield Fair for the past 20 years, the oldest continuously operating county fair in America and ranks in the top 50 USA fairs.
There is no charge for this workshop, but registration is required. Please register with Heather Ledbury at (978) 887-5000 or email heather@topfieldfair.org. Space is limited
Contributors to Northeast Harvest Agricultural Conference, include: Essex Agricultural Society, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR), Mann Orchards, Methuen, Northeast Nursery, Peabody, and A&B Insurance, Westford.
