The Social Event of the Year

 

The votes have been collected and tallied and by an overwhelming majority, the 38th annual Almond Industry Conference (AIC) was a huge success.

Not only did attendees celebrate the 60th year of the Almond Board of California (ABC), but they also had the opportunity to celebrate the “Growing Advantage” of the California Almond industry and its ability to translate research into a position of leadership. Thanks to the dozen-and-a-half presentations by ABC-funded researchers, attendees learned about the most recent research in replant disease management, insect and mite management, harvesting and pollination.

The expanded exhibit tent, sponsored by Log5 Corporation/Buhler, had more than 50 exhibit booths and included everything from a full-sized solar panel by JKB Energy, to an elevator by JackRabbit, to the American AgCredit 1950s Chevrolet truck and much more.

The conference began with a presidential and chairman of the board address and was followed by a walk down memory lane with the Billings, Bertagna and Boersma father-son duos as they shared family pictures from the 1930s to 2010, and discussed how family practices, technology and research continue to change with each generation.

The opening reception on Tuesday night, sponsored by BASF, was a great kickoff to the AIC and included a guest appearance by Marie Gallo, a member of the board of directors of the Gallo Center for the Arts.

The AIC had more of everything this year, with more than 2,000 attendees and 150 exhibitors, 30 sponsors and 37 ABC employees, who made the conference the social event of the year.

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