Northern Nut Growers Association & Chestnut Growers of America Joint Conference 2026

117th Annual Northern Nut Growers Association Conference

Jointly hosted with the Chestnut Growers of America
July 31–August 3, 2026 | University of Massachusetts–Amherst

Quick links:

• Conference registration: BUY TICKETS
• UMass campus dorm information & reservations: HOUSING
• Conference Store: STORE
• Scholarship application: SCHOLARSHIP

Mark your calendars and plan to attend the 117th Annual NNGA Conference, held jointly with the Chestnut Growers of America on the University of Massachusetts–Amherst campus. The planning committee has developed an exciting and informative program that will appeal to researchers, commercial growers, hobbyists, and nut enthusiasts alike.

LIST OF PRESENTATIONS
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.
KEYNOTE PRESENTATIONS (50 min+10 min Q&A)
• Jono Nieger, 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
• Jonathan McRay and Samantha Bosco, Mycena Agroforestry Initiative
• 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)
• Christine Barney, Non-chemical Means of Protecting an Orchard from Pests 
• Dale Bergdahl and Martin Kratt, Our Butternut Project is Doing Well
• Brian Caldwell, NYTCA Chestnut Marketing and Aggregation Pathways
• Matt Grason, KTCC Nut Processing Update
• Levi Geyer, Managing Forests for Hickory Nut Production
• William Padilla Brown, Orchard Establishment and Management with Mycrosymbionts
• Zach Elfers, The Past, Present, and Future of Hickories
• David Hughes, Marketing Top Quality Nuts
• Lou Judge, Nuts for the Next Generation: Farm Succession Planning
• Matt Kaminski and Rachel Hass, Learnings on Silvopasture and Nut Orchards
• Diana Laurentitis, Establishing Food Forest in Western Massachusetts
• Tom Molnar, New Hazelnut Cultivars from Rutgers
• Bob Stehli, Update on Our Chestnut Breeding Program
• Bill Stouffer, Chestnut and Wheat Alley Cropping
• Gordon Wilkinson, Drought and Heartnut Production in Ottawa and Nova Scotia
• Nate Westrick, Oak Wilt at Our Doorstep: What It Means for Oaks and Chestnuts in the Northeast
SHOW & TELL (LIGHTNING) (5 min + 5 min Q&A)
• Elodie Eid, Tree Crop Resources for the Northeast
• Brian Caldwell, My Experience with Hot Water Baths for Weevil Control
• Douglas Spangler, NNGA Library Resources
• John Kelsey, Field Evaluation of Crackable Walnut and Hickory
• Andrew Faust, Creating Permaculture Legacy Landscapes
POSTER AND EXHIBITS
• Susanna Keriö, Hypovirulence for Chestnut Blight Management
• Erin Quinn, Rutgers Hazelnuts
2026 Forums 
• Chestnut Marketing and Aggregating & Cooperative Economics
• Hazelnut Breeding and Propagation
• Oak Wilt in Chestnut
• Black Walnut: Questions and Answers

Conference Schedule & Highlights

Friday, July 31

• Afternoon registration at UMass and welcome reception at the Sunderland Pavilion
• Dinner followed by the traditional Show and Tell session

Saturday & Sunday, August 1-2

• Full-day concurrent technical sessions with late-afternoon panel discussions
• Posters and exhibits on display from Friday evening through Sunday afternoon
• Saturday evening: Auction benefiting research programs of both organizations
• Sunday evening: Banquet, preceded by group photo and social hour (cash bar)

Monday, August 3

• Morning field tour with lunch and an afternoon option to visit either Breadtree Farms (Upper Hudson Valley) or the Lockwood Farm/Sleeping Giant chestnut plantation managed by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
• Due to travel distances, expect a late-afternoon return to campus when planning lodging and flights

Scholarships are available!

Are you a beginning, struggling orchardist, a student studying agriculture? Contact our Scholarship committee for additional discount options for the conference. Contact mj@savannainstitute.org for more information.  Please fill out the scholarship application, available at Scholarship.

Attendee & Exhibitor Registration 

1. Select your ticket(s).
2. Apply any discount codes. The discount is applied AFTER ticket selection and must entered be ALL CAPS             
3. If you are a Speaker or have received a Scholarship, please contact nngaconference@gmail.com for your discount code.
4. Exhibitor tables are available and can be reserved for $100.
5. As you register, you will have an opportunity to also purchase a conference t-shirt.  If you only wish to pre-order a conference T-shirt (to be picked up at the conference) click here: STORE! 

Sponsorships, Volunteers & Contact Information

The NNGA and the CGA are volunteer organizations with the mission of supporting growers through our conferences, our newsletters, the exchange of ideas and information and research grants which add to our knowledge. We wish to keep our dues and our registration fees as low as possible to be open to as many as possible and to support student and beginning orchardist scholarships. Consider, if you are able, to donate at any level. We are seeking conference sponsors and volunteers. Additional sponsorship information is available below. Volunteers will assist with registration and other tasks during the conference. Questions can be emailed to nngaconference@gmail.com.

Additional details are available here. 

Location & Lodging  HOUSING

Most conference activities will take place in the UMass–Amherst Campus Center, including technical sessions, posters and exhibits, the auction, and the banquet. Meals, on your own, are available at the award-winning campus dining facility.

A room block is reserved in campus residence halls ($75 per person/night including taxes and fees) for Thursday through Monday nights. Important points to note when you make your reservation:

• You will need to set up a login and password on the UMass Conference reservation site to make an online reservation. Instructions are provided at the link ABOVE. This link is ONLY for dorm rooms!
• Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights are reserved as a block. You will be charged for all 3 nights. Thursday and Monday nights can be added.
• The conference reserved rooms are being held up to July 15 and hotel rooms are limited in Amherst for that time period, so don't wait too long!
• HOWEVER, watch the cancellation policy! If you cancel before July 15, you are still charged for one night ($75) plus the 3% processing fee. After July 15, there is no refund.
• Click on the "On-Campus Lodging" tab at the link to find a full description of the room options and how to organize with suite and roommates.

Please share this information with friends and colleagues! Conference updates will be publicly available at nutgrowing.org and in the summer issues of The Nutshell. 

Accessibility: Activities may require attendees to stand for 20 minutes or more, walk short or moderate distances, and sit in classroom chairs for periods of up to 60 minutes or more. We recognize not all attendees are comfortable or able to complete these tasks without assistance. If you will need assistance with any of these activities, please let us know in advance.

Making changes to purchased tickets: Your email confirmation should have included with a "manage ticket" feature which can also be accessed from the top of this page. Questions can be sent to nngaconference@gmail.com.