LOXLEY, AL — This year’s Independent Plant Breeders Conference was a well-attended, well-praised success, just two years after the conference was cancelled due to lack of registrants.
Hosted by Plant Development Services Inc. (PDSI) and the University of Florida's Environmental Horticulture Department, the conference was held in Mobile, Ala., at the Renaissance Riverview Plaza Hotel on November 13th-14th, 2008. The University of Florida originally organized the event, but a woeful lack of interest forced them to cancel the scheduled event in 2006.
Presenting an opportunity for plant breeders to learn more about plant breeding and genetics, new crop production, new plant marketing, and successful business principles, the event included expert speakers from a wide range of backgrounds. Speakers included: Dr. Sandy Reed, Research Geneticist, U.S. National Arboretum; Dr. John Ruter, Professor of Horticulture, University of Georgia; Dr. Stephen Krebs, Ph.D., Director, David G. Leach Research Station of the Holden Arboretum; Dan Meier, Production Manager of Briggs Nursery, the largest ornamental plant tissue culture laboratory in the United States; and Derick Belden, Executive Editor, Southern Living® magazine. Dr. David Clark, Associate Professor in Environmental Horticulture and Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Florida, and Robert “Buddy” Lee, Director of Plant Innovations, Plant Development Services Inc., acted as emcees.
The more than 75 attendees included plant marketers, independent plant breeders, and plant breeders employed by plant branding companies, wholesale nurseries, and universities. Attendees were welcomed to a networking reception on November 13th ; the conference continued on November 14th with a continental breakfast, speaking sessions and a working lunch. The event concluded with bus tours to Green Nursery in Fairhope, Ala., and Flowerwood Nursery and Plant Development Services Inc., both located in Loxley, Ala.
Armed with rediscovered appeal, this conference is destined to grow and become a vital tool for plant breeders. Attendees discussed the value of moving the conference to different regions every two years, and plans are in the works for a 2010 Independent Plant Breeders Conference in the Northeast. Stay tuned for details!
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Wednesday December 17, 2008