The Pre-Conference tour will stop at Stanley Park, the Museum of Anthropology, Nitobe Memorial Garden, University of British Columbia Botanical Garden, and Southlands Nursery. Included in the Pre-Conference Tour Package. Limited to 49 participants.

Join us for the opening reception of the 2025 WR Annual Meeting! Hos d'oeuvre's and no host bar.

Invitation only.

Hannah Ball - Technical Sales Specialist, RAYN Growing Systems

As tissue culture production scales alongside advancements in controlled environment agriculture (CEA), outdated lighting technologies—like fluorescent and early-generation LEDs—are giving way to purpose-built, high-efficiency LED systems. In this presentation, we’ll explore the evolution of tissue culture lighting, from traditional solutions to modern LEDs that offer improved spectrum control, energy savings, and enhanced working environments.

We’ll break down the key technological advancements driving the shift: including spectral precision, improved driver efficiency, and durability—highlighting why LEDs are a superior choice in tissue culture labs. We’ll also cover critical factors to consider when making the switch, such as IP ratings, connector types, installation costs, and warranty support.

Finally, we’ll explain how the right LED system not only reduces operational costs but also enables better plantlet performance through spectrum tuning and scalable control, making your lab more productive, efficient, and future-ready.

Sma Zobayed - SMA Biotech

Dr. Deborah Henderson - Director, Institute for Sustainable Horticulture

Agritech innovations are coming fast and furiously, especially to the greenhouse sector. For all growing systems, sustainability is becoming more urgent, along with strengthening our food security, protecting the environment, and carbon-neutrality in all human endeavors. We are depending on technology and AI is central to many recent agri-innovations. For the past two years we have screened a series of innovations in “proof of concept” greenhouse strawberry production and arrived at a few which we believe will make a difference to the bottom line. Year-round production requires lights which are expensive and energy intensive. Other agri-tech will need to balance the extra cost with extra savings. What will it take? In this presentation, I’ll share our experiences with integration of agri-technologies into greenhouse production and our conclusions.

Stephanie Saccomano & Mindy Neels, Qualitree Propagators

Re-using fertigation water presents both environmental and economic advantages, but it also introduces challenges related to nutrient variability, system buildup, and inconsistent plant nutrition. In this presentation, we share our experience addressing these issues by implementing in-house monitoring of recycled irrigation water. Using a spectrophotometer as a diagnostic tool, we’ve been able to track nutrient levels more frequently, respond to imbalances, and refine our fertilizer inputs. This has led to more consistent crop performance, improved nutrient-use efficiency, and reduced reliance on external testing. We’ll discuss the operational benefits, limitations, and lessons learned from integrating this into our production system.

Speaker to be announced.

Stops include Reimer's Nurseries, Qualitree and Rainbow Nurseries. Boxed lunch provided on bus.

Stops include Van Belle Youngplants, Van Belle Finished Plants, and Cedar Rim. Breakfast provided on bus.

Boston Swan - Greenhouse Director, Utah Valley University

Guy Meecham - New Plant Development Manager, J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co

J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co has been involved with the selection, and development of new & better trees for more than 50 years. The criteria for what makes a “good” tree has changed in the past and continues to change today.
The presentation will be an overview of the methods used at JFS today along with a look at some of the Genera we are working with and the characteristics that are considered desirable today in a changing climate with smaller spaces for trees in urban settings.

Ryan Contreras - Professor of Horticulture, Oregon State University

The Willamette Valley of Oregon is a great place to breed plants. Its mild climate and proximity to a major nursery industry make it easy to grow and access plants. We have good pressure for some important pathogens that allow easy identification of resistant genotypes and summers that are dry enough to test for tolerance to drought stress. However, we cannot focus solely on our small but important geographic region. This discussion will cover a range of projects from shrubs to trees that uses material from around the globe, including the Pacific Northwest, to breed plants that we hope will solve problems for growers and gardeners.

Nicole Tunbridge - Project Leader in the KPU Applied Genomics Centre and Faculty Member in the Department of Biological and Health Sciences, Kwantlen Polytechnic University

The Applied Genomics Centre (AGC) is an applied research lab located at the Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) campus in Surrey, British Columbia. Although many cutting-edge molecular genetic techniques are now routinely used in medicine, the adoption of such techniques in horticulture is comparatively underdeveloped. At the AGC, our team of research faculty, staff and students develop molecular genetic (genomic) and cellular product (metabolomic) solutions to support the human health, agriculture and horticulture sectors. Undergraduate students participate at every stage from project development to completion, building essential research skills while directly benefitting our industry, government and community partners. This presentation will highlight the technology and expertise available to advance plant breeding and production programs through industry partnership with the AGC.

Speaker to be announced.

Exhibits must be broken down and out of the ballroom by 11 PM.

Join us for our Annual Banquet featuring keynote speaker Bob Geneve, followed by the very popular silent auction! All proceeds will be donated to the Bruce Briggs Scholarship & Exchange Programs.

The Fascinating Ways that Plants Move
Ask an average person about the differences between a plant and an animal and you may get answers about the way they eat or reproduce but eventually they will indicate that animals move around from place to place, and plants do not move. This is superficially accurate because most individual plants are rooted in the ground in one place, but obviously, plants collectively as a species can move considerable distances as seeds or fruits. A localized example includes seeds that are wind dispersed. An extreme example would be drift seeds that travel between islands and even continents floating in the ocean. Less obvious are those movements that plants make while appearing stationary because the movements are imperceptibly slow or randomly very fast. We will discuss these movements categorized as circumnutation, tropism or nastic movements to gain some insight into how and why plants move.

Limited to 5 minutes per presenter.

Alison Kutz - Owner, Sound Horticulture

This presentation explores innovative strategies for deploying biological controls in diverse growing environments, ranging from traditional greenhouses to advanced Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA). It emphasizes the evolution of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and biocontrol over the past decade, highlighting how factors like crop mix, environmental conditions, and ecological considerations influence pest and disease management approaches. The discussion addresses common challenges such as labor shortages and budget constraints, while promoting cross-sector learning and the economic benefits of biological solutions. It examines advancements in beneficial insect deployment methods, including time-release strategies and habitat enhancement, and showcases the increasing sophistication of biocontrol tools, such as nematodes and drone applications. The presentation underscores the importance of tailoring approaches to specific limitations and maximizing the effectiveness of beneficial organisms through ecological redundancy. Ultimately, it encourages collaboration and knowledge sharing to further advance biological systems in plant production.

Sharon Selvaggio - Pesticide Reduction Specialist, Xerces Society

More than a quarter of home gardeners are choosing plants that attract bees and butterflies and native plant demand is also on the rise. Nurseries are ramping up production of pollinator-attractive plants and local natives. Unfortunately, evidence suggests that pollinators may be at risk from pesticides commonly used during plant production. How can nurseries meet the moment by providing valuable habitat plants while minimizing the risk that pollinators will encounter risky pesticide residues?

Sharon Selvaggio with the Xerces Society will discuss recent studies examining pesticide prevalence in retail nursery plants and risks to monarchs and bees. She’ll also touch on recent encouraging data bolstering the idea that consumers will pay more for sustainably produced plants. Finally, she’ll draw on her experience interviewing dozens of nurseries to explore prevention-based growing practices and other potential solutions for nursery growers seeking to raise pollinator-safe plants.

Tracy Hueppelsheuser - British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Abbotsford, BC.

BC is a diverse province. We have many ecozones from coastal rainforests to arid desert landscapes. The plant agriculture industries are also diverse, from tree fruit and berries, various indoor and outdoor ornamentals, to canola and grass seed production.
With increasing trade, travel, and coastal port access, risks of new pest incursions have never been greater. In this presentation I will share some stories about current pest concerns for BC and some innovative approaches for addressing them.

Kristine Schlamp, MPM

In this talk we will be exploring our highly versatile eight-legged friends. Even though they cannot fly this does not detract from their considerable worth as BCA’s (biological control agents). We will look at some of the numerous species available in Western Canada that have unique navigational skills and taste predilections. We will examine species preferences of foliar and soil predators and their preferred environmental conditions, where they prefer to hunt and who they prefer to hunt with. Somewhere out there is a predatory mite that can help you!

Speaker to be announced.