The 2026 Annual Conference
will be held
Friday, July 31, 2026, through Monday, August 3, 2026
on the
University of Massachusetts campus in Amherst, MA

Conference Highlights

The annual conferences for the Northern Nut Growers Association (NNGA) and Chestnut Growers of America (CGA) will be held jointly Friday, July 31 thru Monday, August 3, 2026 in Amherst, Massachusetts.  Most activities will be at the UMASS Campus Center (1 Campus Center Way, Amherst, MA 01003), Dining Commons, UMASS Hotel, and Residence Halls. The conference’s main events include a welcoming dinner with a show and tell session, two all-day technical sessions, live auction, social/banquet, and an all-day field tour. The Parking Garage is 91 Campus Center Way.

This conference is open to everyone with an interest in trees and shrubs managed for their nuts or our native trees managed for their fruits.  Attendees will include a diverse mix of commercial growers, researchers, educators, extension specialists, and hobbyists.  Expect to hear a lot about chestnuts and hazelnuts, especially when grown in agroforestry practices; although, the other nut trees including the hickories, walnuts, and oaks are well represented.

Contact NNGAConference@gmail.com if you have questions about the conference.

Campus Center is 1 Campus Center Way and The Parking Garage is 91 Campus Center Way

Friday, July 31, 2026

Friday’s activities include the annual NNGA Board meeting in the morning and CGA Board meeting in early afternoon in Campus Center on the UMass-Amherst campus. Registration on campus from 3:00 – 5:00 pm.  Setting up of unsecured posters, displays, and exhibits on the Concourse from 3:00-5:00 (or 7:30 – 9:00 am on Saturday morning).  Friday afternoon, Yellowbud Farm will be hosting field tours before we journey to the Sunderland Town Park Pavilion for the evening social with cash bar, welcome reception/dinner, and the traditional Show and Tell program with lightening talks.

  •   8:00 – 12:00    Northern Nut Growers Association Board of Directors Meeting, Room 162, Campus Center
  • 12:00 – 1:00      Lunch on your own
  • 12:00 – 2:00      Chestnut Growers of America Board of Directors Meeting, Room 177, Campus Center
  • 12:30 – 2:30      Registration Packet Assembly.  Volunteers will put together the registration packets in the Storage Room (Rm 165).  If you have fliers you want in the registration packet, they need to be in Room 165 by 12:30 pm
  •   1:00 – 3:00      Northern Nut Growers Association Board of Directors Meeting (continuation if necessary), Room 162, Campus Center
  •   3:00 – 5:00      Registration in Campus Center, pick up your name tag and registration packet at the Registration Desk outside Room 163-164 in the Campus Center.  Auction items with donation sheets can be turned in at the registration desk and volunteers will move them to the lockable Storage Room (Room 165).
  •   3:00 – 5:00      Set up Posters, Exhibits, and Displays, Concourse Area, Campus Center.  The Concourse is a public area in a public building.  Poster, exhibits, and displays can be stored overnight in the Storage Room (Room 165).
  •   3:00 – 5:00      Yellowbud Farm Optional Field Tour (544 Millers Falls Rd, Northfield, MA 01360).  Guided tours of the Yellowbud hickory nursery and orchards, chestnuts, forest farming, hickory oil pressing, and more.  If you do not have transportation, check at the registration table to make arrangements to car pool to Yellowbud Farm and/or the Sunderland Town Park Pavillion.
  •   5:00 – 6:00      Welcome Social with Cash Bar, Sunderland Town Park Pavilion (just past 42 Park Road, Sunderland, MA 01375).  Google Maps shows the location as maps.app.goo.gl/kbED7Mf5U73Hczu57. Sunderland is 6 miles northwest of the UMASS campus via MA-116 N/Amherst Rd.
  •   5:30 – 7:00      Registration at Sunderland Pavillion
  •   6:00 – 7:00      Welcome Buffet Dinner at the Sunderland Town Park Pavillion.  Meal catered by Wheelhouse featuring local summer vegetables and chestnut flour generously donated by Route 9 Cooperative.
  •   7:00 – 8:30      Show and Tell with Lightning Talks, Sunderland Town Park Pavillion.  Jerry Henkin, Session Moderator
  •   7:00 -- 7:05     Shawn Mehlenbacher, NNGA President, Welcome from NNGA/CGA
  •   7:05 -- 7:15     Elodie Eid, Tree Crop Resources for Chestnut, Honey Locust, and Yellowbud Hickory in the Northeast
  •   7:15 -- 7:25     Sasha Sherman, Great Chestnut Experiment
  •   7:25 -- 7:35     Douglas Spangler, NNGA Library Resources
  •   7:35 – 7:45      Jeff Polfer, Abundant Harvests, Soil Health, Nutrients and Plant Health
  •   7:45 – 7:55      Brian Caldwell, New York Tree Crops Alliance Chestnut Marketing and Aggregation Pathways 
  •   7:55 – 8:05      Andrew Faust, Creating Permaculture Legacy Landscapes
  •   8:05 – 8:15      Richard Tegtmeier, Developing the First Chromosome-Scale Honey Locust Genome to Support Breeding, Conservation, and Agroforestry
  •   8:15 – 8:25      Dan Lefever, 1,2,3 Chestnuts
  •   8:25 - 8:30      Announcements, Updates on Schedule of Events and any other housekeeping remarks

Saturday, August 1, 2026

Saturday’s schedule of events includes the 117th NNGA Annual Business meeting, our first keynote presentation, the first day of technical presentations, and the auction.  The day will start with a short Business meeting. The technical session will open with our first keynote presentation followed by concurrent sessions. Presentations have been divided into traditional (30 min with Q & A) or in-depth presentations (60 min with Q & A) throughout the day ending with two concurrent forums (panels or group discussions).  Lunch will be on your own.  It is suggested to try the Dining Commons, UMASS’s version of a food court.  After dinner on your own, participate in the poster/exhibit session until the live auction begins.  Plan to be an active bidder as proceeds from the auction go to support the NNGA or CGA research grants program.

  •   7:00 – 8:30      Breakfast on Your Own; List for two on-campus locations at the registration desk.
  •   7:30 – 9:30      Set up posters, exhibits, and displays on the Concourse in Campus Center.
  •   8:00 – 17:00    Registration, Foyer outside Auditorium.  Pick up name tags and registration packets.  Auction items can be turned in at the registration table where volunteers will move them to the Storage Room (Room 156) for display until the evening.  Registration will remain open all day to answer questions, sell merchandize, etc.

  •  12:30 – 1:30   Lunch on Your Own – List of on-campus options available at registration desk.

  •   5:00 – 6:00      Dinner on your own – Suggest the Worchester Dining Commons’ food court adjacent to Campus Center.         
  •   5:00 – 6:30      Chestnut Handlers and Processors Quarterly Meeting, cafeteria location TBD. The first hour will have a structured agenda followed by an open discussion. Attendees are welcome to listen and then participate in the open discussion.  Invite only meeting, see Elodie Eid about joining the group.
  •   6:00 – 7:00      Poster/Exhibit Session, Concourse Area
  •   6:30 – 7:00      Registration for Auction with cash bar at the marble desk. View the auction items in the Storage Room (Room 165) and obtain your number for the auction at the Clerk’s Table in Room 163-164).
  •   7:00 – 9:00      Auction, Room 163-164.  Bid freely as proceeds go to support the NNGA and CGA research programs
  •   9:00 –10:00     Set Up.  Pay for and remove purchased items.  Cash, check, or credit cards accepted.

Sunday, August 2, 2026

Sunday’s schedule of events will include the second keynote presentation followed by concurrent sessions with either traditional (30 min including Q&A) or in-depth (60 min including Q&A) presentations throughout the day.  The technical session ends with three concurrent forums (panels or group discussions).  Lunch will be on your own.  In the evening, we will have the traditional group photo, social, and banquet.

  •   8:00 – 17:00    Registration, Foyer outside the Auditorium in Campus Center.  Pick up name tags and registration packet.
  •   8:00 -- 9:00     Chestnut Silvopasture Walking Tour. Lisa Depiano will lead a 50-minute walking tour from Campus Center to the on-campus 8-year-old chestnut-sheep silvopasture practice.

  • 12:30 --   1:30   Lunch on Your Own.  Suggestion is to try one of the local campus eateries

  •   5:00 – 6:00      Take down.  All posters, exhibits, and displays are to be taken down and removed from Campus Center.
  •   6:00 – 6:10      Group Photo – The social and cash bar will not open until after the group photo – Listen for announcements during the week as to where to meet for the group photo
  •   6:10 – 7:00      Social with cash bar, Ballroom, Student Center. Student Center is adjacent to Campus Center.  Cash bar opens after group photo.
  •   7:00 – 9:00      Banquet and Program, Jim McKenna, MC, Ballroom, Student Center.
  •    8:00 – 8:15     Banquet Presentation, Shawn Mehlenbacher, Travelogue - Hazelnuts in Chile
  •   8:15 – 9:00      Banquet Program
    •   2026 NNGA Big Nut Crowning
    •   Sponsors, Donors, Guests Recognition
    •   2026 Research Grant Recipients
    •   NNGA Election
    •   NNGA Merit and Service Awards

Photo of Breadtree FarmsMonday, August 3, 2026

Monday’s schedule of events includes tours of four farms, research facilities, and orchards.  Chartered bus transportation and box lunch are included with the full and Monday field tour registrations. We should ride the chartered buses in the morning because of limited parking at Carr’s Ciderhouse and Big River Chestnuts.  After lunch, one bus will return to the UMASS campus before travelling to the Lockwood Farm/Sleeping Giant Chestnut Plantation to allow attendees who wish to pick up their personal vehicles to drive to the field sites.  The conference will adjourn when the busses return to the UMASS campus Monday evening.

  •   7:00 –   7:45    Check out of dorm rooms if not staying Monday night; store luggage in personal vehicles and leave vehicles parked on campus if you were a registered guest.  Grab a get and go breakfast before loading the bus.
  •   7:45 – 8:00      Load the chartered buses if you registered for field tours with transportation. Maps will be available for those using their own vehicles or carpooling to the field sites.
  •   8:00 – 8:15      Travel to either Big River Chestnut (195 River Rd, Sunderland, MA) or Carr’s Ciderhouse (295 River Dr., Hadley, MA 01035).
  •   8:30 – 10:00    Orchard tours at Big River Chestnut or Carr’s Ciderhouse.
  • 10:00 – 10:30    Load buses and travel to either Carr’s Ciderhouse or Big River Chestnut.
  • 10:30 – 12:00    Orchard tours at Carr’s Ciderhouse or Big River Chestnut orchards.
  • 12:00 – 12:15    Load buses and travel to Sunderland Town Park Pavillion.
  • 12:15 –   1:15    Lunch.  Pick up your boxed lunch and eat under the canopy.
  •   1:15 –   3:00    Load buses going to Breadtree Farms (2129 Co Rd., Salem, NY 12865).
  •   1:15 –   3:00    Load buses going to Lockwood Farm/Sleeping Giant Chestnut Plantation (890 Evergreen Ave., Hamden, CT 06518). One bus will return briefly to UMASS Campus Center to drop off attendees wishing to travel in personal vehicles to Lockwood Farms or those calling it a day.
  •   3:00 –   5:00    Field Tours at Breadtree Farms or Lockwood Farms.
  •   5:00 --   7:00   Load buses and travel back to the UMASS campus.
  •   7:15 --   7:30   Informal Gathering for Beverage and Supper.  If you are staying at the Residence Halls Monday evening, expect a group of nut growers to informally gather at the entrance to Campus Center and then walk to a local restaurant for a beverage, supper, and shared conversation.

Posters and exhibits can be set up on the Concourse of the Campus Central on Saturday morning. We have a few easels without boards and can rent double-sided boards on wheels. Bring push pins.  A table with two chairs will be set up for each paying exhibitor.  We are asking poster presenters and exhibitors to be near their displays on Saturday from 6:00 to 7:00 pm so attendees returning from dinner on their own can stop and visit with the poster presenters and exhibitors.  Exhibitors can lock their display items in Room 165-69 overnight.

If you have fliers or other items you would like included in the registration packet, please contact NNGAconference@gmail.com to determine when and where to ship your materials.  Campus Central will accept materials starting July 28 if sent to UMass Conference Services, Campus Center Receiving, Northern Nut Growers Association Annual Conference. University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, Attention: CS# 27023.  Alternatively, send them earlier to Elodie Eid, 8 Hotel Road, Warwick, MA 01378.

Exhibitors and poster presenters are expected to register for the conference to participate in the various sessions, refreshment breaks, welcome, banquet and/or field tours.  Exhibitors have the option to register for a table ($100) or become a sponsor (see the SPONSERSHIP tab) and have the exhibitor table fee waived.

The traditional live auction is scheduled for Saturday evening.  We plan to display auction items during the day in the room adjacent to the breakout room (163C).  Please consider donating items to the auction even if not a NNGA or CGA member.  The donation sheets will ask which organization should receive the proceeds from your items.  Both the NNGA and CGA use the proceeds to support their research grants program for tree-related research. In the past, auction items have included books, artwork, handmade crafts, plant material, homemade nut-based or baked goodies and/or gift certificates.  If you donate baked goods, please label your treats as to whether they are nut, dairy, and/or gluten-free.  If you are an exhibitor, you may want to donate items, especially the items you are marketing, to the auction to increase your exposure at the conference.    If you have auction items but are unable to attend, please email Elodie at Eid.Elodie@gmail.com and ship them to Elodie Eid, 8 Hotel Road, Warwick, MA 01378.

The Campus Center has a policy that does not allow us to bring in outside food for consumption; however, baked goods, homemade candy, and fermented beverages are allowed in the auction.

There will be no formal companion (CAPS) program. During the keynote presentation on Saturday and Sunday, Room 163 - 164 will be available from 8am to 10am for folks to meet informal to discuss possible venues and arrange for carpooling if not on campus.  A local volunteer will be available to answer questions and provide information to interesting on- and off-campus venues.

The welcome dinner on Friday evening is included in the full and Friday thru Sunday registration.  The social/banquet on Sunday evening is included in the full, Friday thru Sunday, and Technical Session registrations. For other meals, we will be on our own to explore the coffee shops in Campus Central, the Dining Commons in the adjacent building, and the off-campus restaurants within walking distance in Amherst.  The Dining Commons is setup like a food court with lots of diversity.  The food should be good; Dining Commons has earned the title of Best College Campus Food, repeatedly.

We have reserved blocks of rooms thru July 1 at the North Residential Area (all singles), Commonwealth Honors College Residential Community (singles and doubles), and a few at the UMASS hotel for each night starting July 30 (Thursday night) through August 3 (Monday night). After July 1, guests may reserve rooms on a space available basis up until July 15, 2026.   We will book our own rooms using a link provided by UMASS.  When ready, it will be posted on the NNGA website. The link will have a page listing all of the dorm options. Suite assignments are made based on accessibility needs, special requests, room/suitemate requests, and gender.  If you want to share a suite or double room with someone, both need to submit each other’s name in the request section.  Check in time is 3:00 pm on the arrival date. Check out time is 11:00 am day of departure.

The North Residential Area contains “suite-like” air-conditioned apartments. Each apartment includes four single bedrooms ($75/person/night), two full bathrooms, and a shared living room/kitchen area.

The Commonwealth Honors College Residential Community contains a variety of air-conditioned apartments and suites with a living room and one bathroom (kitchens are not guaranteed). Suites are available with two doubles, two singles and a double, or four singles

When reserving dorm rooms, guests are required to pay in full at the time of booking.  Along with lodging ($75/person/night), guests will be billed $15/person for a linen set (two sheets, pillow with case, a blanket, and two towels), taxes (6%), and administrative fees (3%).

UMASS will provide parking information specific to where you are staying and lot availability prior to check in.  For easiest access to the Campus Center/Student Union Complex (1 Campus Center Way, Amherst, MA 01003), it is recommended that participants enter the Campus Central Parking garage (91 Campus Center Way and the entrance is on Level 3) and proceed down one level to Level 2. There is a tunnel on Level 2 that will bring you directly into the entrance level of Campus Central.  Take the escalator or elevator down to the Concourse, Auditorium, and meeting rooms.  Luggage carts are available either in the tunnel or the hotel lobby (third floor of Campus Central)

Surface Lot parking maybe be available. Parking permits must be obtained, displayed, and are only valid for lots as indicated.  Illegally parked vehicles will be towed at owner’s expense.

The UMASS campus Is conveniently located about 6 to 10 miles off Interstate 91.  Exit 25 (Northampton) from the south or Exit 36 (Deerfield) from the north. The campus is also accessible via Interstate 90 (Massachusetts Turnpike), which connects to I-91 North at exit 45 (West Springfield).

The UMASS campus has service from the Bradley International Airport (Windsor Locks, CT; 45 miles) and Boston Logan Airport (BOS) 90 miles. Peter Pan Bus Lines (800-343-9999) provides shuttle/bus service from Logan to the campus.  AMTRAX service is available to Springfield Union Station 22 miles from the UMASS campus. Peter Pan Bus Lines (800-343-9999) provides shuttle/bus service from Logan and Springfield AMTRAX to the campus.

Registration is now open. Each attendee should complete their own registration online at Ticket Taylor. The link is also provided on the NNGA and CGA websites. Payment may be made through a credit card or opting to send a check to Deborah Milks, NNGA treasurer, PO Box 1166, Lawrence, KS 66044.

Alternatively, you may mail a check and the registration form (Click here for a hard copy form) to the above address. You can also find the form in the spring of The Nutshell (pages 19-20).

Early registration is encouraged to allow the planning committee to make this the best conference possible!

Four registration options are available to choose from:

  • $265; Full Registration (all events Friday thru Monday)
  • $215; Friday thru Sunday all events except field tour
  • $175; Saturday and Sunday technical with banquet
  • $130; Monday Field Tour with lunch and bus transportation

Full conference registration includes the registration packet; printed program with abstracts; favor; Friday’s welcome reception and Show and Tell session; Saturday and Sunday technical sessions, Saturday auction, Sunday social/banquet, and Monday field tour with box lunch and bus transportation.  None of the registrations include transportation on Friday.

Discounts are available.  Student ($100 off full or $75 Sat-Sun); NNGA or CGA member ($20); and Speaker. Contact NNGAConference@gmail.com if you are a speaker for your discount code.

Scholarships to cover full registration are available for new growers and students who may not otherwise be able to attend the conference. Contact MJ Oviatt (mj@savannainstitute.org) to obtain a scholarship application form.  Scholarships will be awarded first come, first serve.

Full refunds will be available through July 5, full refund less a $50 processing fee through July 16, and no refunds after July 16 with few exceptions.

Sponsorship and Exhibitor packages at levels ranging from $500 to $10,000 are available to assist with conference expenses and providing scholarships.  These packages offer significant benefits to the contributing individual or organization including conference recognition, free advertising in the conference program booklet, Marketplace, and The Nutshell; waiving of registration and exhibitor fees; and welcome/banquet tickets.  Contact NNGAconference@gmail.com to arrange payment, invoicing, and codes to waive fees included in benefits. Click here or below for more information. Sponsorship Tiers

A complete list with times and revised titles will be included in the summer issue of The Nutshell and on the NNGA website when available.  The following is a tentative list of speakers and their topics. (Current as of June 27, 2023)

KEYNOTE PRESENTATIONS (50 min+10 min Q&A)

  • Jono Neiger, Big River Chestnuts and the Regenerative Design Group
  • Russell Wallack, Success, Failures, and Projects at Breadtree Farm

 

IN DEPTH PRESENTATIONS (50 min+10 min Q&A)

  • Buzz Ferver, Plant Physiology: Stratification or Grafting
  • Seva Water, Hazelnut Culture: Integrating Indigenous and European Practices
  • Erik Shellenberg, Syntropic Agroforestry Practices
  • Eric Toensmeier, Update on Oak Breeding
  • Jesse Markson, Update on Genetics and Potential of Yellowbud Hickory
  • Mark Hamann, Hazelnut Evaluation/Clonal Propagation
  • Amy Miller, You Harvested Your Chestnuts. Now what?

TRADITIONAL PRESENTATIONS (25 min+5 min Q&A)

  • Diana Laurenitis, Creating a Small-scale Agroforestry Nut Farm
  • Harry Greene, Financing and Funding Chestnuts with Farmer-Controlled Markets
  • Tina Barney, Non-chemical Means of Protecting an Orchard from Pests
  • David Hughes, Marketing Top Quality Nuts
  • Lou Judge, Nuts for the Next Generation: Farm Succession Planning
  • Tom Molnar, Five New Hazelnut Cultivars for the Mid-Atlantic Region
  • Bob Stehli, Update on Our Chestnut Breeding Program
  • Wiliam Padilla Brown, Orchard Establishment and Management with Microsymbionts (recorded)
  • Matt Grasson, KTCC Nut Processing Update
  • Dale Bergdahl and Martin Kratt, Our Butternut Project is doing well
  • Zach Elfer, The Past, Present, and Future of Hickories
  • Matt Kaminsky and Rachel Hass, Learnings on Silvopasture and Chestnut Orchards
  • Dusty Hinz, High Density Planting of Chestnut
  • Bill Stouffer, Chestnuts and Wheat Alleycropping
  • Magni Hussain, Chestnut Sorting with Smart Technology
  • Nate Westrick, Oak Wilt at Our Doorstep: What It Means for Oaks and Chestnuts in the Northeast
  • Jonathan McRay and Samantha Bosco, Mycena Agroforestry Initiative

SHOW & TELL (LIGHTNING) (5 min + 5 min Q&A)

  • Elodie Eid, Tree Crop Resources for Chestnut, Honey Locust, and Yellowbud Hickory in the Northeast
  • Sasha Sherman, Great Chestnut Experiment
  • Douglas Spangler, NNGA Library Resources
  • Jeff Polfer, Abundant Harvests, Soil Health, Nutrients and Plant Health
  • Brian Caldwell, New York Tree Crops Alliance Chestnut Marketing and Aggregation Pathways
  • Andrew Faust, Creating Permaculture Legacy Landscapes
  • Richard Tegtmeier, Developing the First Chromosome-Scale Honey Locust Genome to Support Breeding, Conservation, and Agroforestry
  • Dan Lefever, 1,2,3 Chestnuts

POSTER AND EXHIBITS

  • Susanna Keriö, Hypovirulence for Chestnut Blight Management
  • Erin Quinn, Rutgers Hazelnuts

 

2026 Anticipated Forums (Panels)

  • Chestnut Marketing, Aggregating, and Economics
  • Hazelnut Breeding and Propagation
  • Oak Wilt in Chestnut
  • Black Walnut: Questions and Answers