To: Avocado Society Members and Our Guests,

You are cordially invited to attend the 103rd Annual Meeting of the California Avocado Society, October 4–5, 2018. The location for this year's meeting is the Embassy Suites by Hilton Temecula Valley Wine Country in Temecula, California.

On Thursday, Oct. 4, there will be two Field Tours: Krnich Ranch and ACW Farms, both located in Fallbrook, California. Registration will begin at 9:30 AM at Krnich Ranch where registrants will pick up their registration folders, maps and very importantly, name tags. At 10:00 AM, we will tour Krnich Ranch and have the opportunity to examine two topics: the high density plantings of Reed avocados and the UC rootstock trials. In the afternoon, beginning at 1:30 PM, we will assemble at ACW Farms and at 2:00 PM begin our tour. Our tour will include: state-of-the-art use of solar power, mechanized irrigation and mulch production and drone demonstration-pioneering techniques that truly demonstrate “innovation on the farm.” Concluding the field tour at 4:15 PM, will be the President's Reception Barbecue that honors past presidents of the Society. The President's Reception is included with your Annual Meeting registration fees.

On Friday, October 5, the Annual Meeting will be held in the conference room of the Embassy Suites by Hilton Temecula Vally Wine Country, Temecula. Registration and continental breakfast begin at 7:30 AM.  At this time, registrants may also peruse the displays of products and services offered by sponsoring agribusiness suppliers to our industry.  

The main program will begin promptly at 8:30 AM. It is my great pleasure to announce that our keynote speaker this year is Jorge Enrique Restrepo, Executive Director of Corpohass, Medellín, Colombia. Mr. Restrepo will discuss the origins and development of the Colombian avocado industry and his expectations for the future.

Dr. Tim Spann, Research Program Director of CAC, will present an overview of the recent 2018 Avocado Brainstorming Conference held in South Africa.  
Dr. Mark Hoddle, Biological Control Specialist and Principal Investigator, UC Riverside, will discuss current and future avocado pests. His presentation will include an interactive session between speaker and audience that should be enlightening and entertaining.

I am certain that all will find this year's Annual Meeting to be highly informative and provide much food for thought when making our management decisions.

The Society will also present the highly esteemed Oliver Atkins Award and the prestigious Award of Honor to growers and/or researchers who have demonstrated outstanding service to the avocado industry. We look forward to a great showing of support and appreciation by our growers.

For additional Annual Meeting information and registration, please the CAS website www.californiaavocadosocietysociety.org. Look under “Programs > Annual Meeting.”

If you have questions regarding the schedule of events or application, please contact Sawsan Knobel, the Executive Administrator at (949) 940-8869.  

Yours sincerely,



Keith Blanchard, President, California Avocado Society