2027 Winter Potato Conference

2027 wpc cover

Program Sponsor: Techmark, Inc.

Stage Sponsor: Potato Services of Michigan

Podium Sponsor: 1,4GROUP

Hydration Station Sponsor: Morgan Composting

The Michigan Potato Industry Commission is excited to present the 2027 Winter Potato Conference, February 2-4 at the Sheraton Grand Rapids Airport Hotel. The Winter Potato Conference is an excellent opportunity to learn and network with other industry professionals on a number of leading-edge topics. 

Click here to register. 

Need at hotel room for the conference? 

We have a block of rooms reserved. Please use this link to book your room.

If you have any problems or would like to speak to someone at the hotel to book your room, please call 616-942-3172.

Do you want to apply for Restricted Use Pesticide (RUP) credits?

One (1) Restricted Use Pesticide (RUP) credit is available for this conference. RUP credits must be submitted by the conference start date. To receive the credit, attendees must attend at least two of the five breakout sessions noted with an asterisk. 

CLICK HERE TO APPLY FOR RUP

​2027 Winter Potato Conference Agenda

Conference WiFi Sponsor: Yara North America

(Schedule subject to change)

Tuesday, February 2

9:00am — Exhibitor Setup Opens, Atrium

9:30am-11:30am — MPIC Variety Advancement and Innovation Committee Meeting, Grand Rapids Room

1:00pm-2:45pm — MPIC Board Meeting, Grand Rapids Room

1:00pm-5:00pm — Registration Open, Michigan Room

3:00pm-5:00pm — Michigan Seed Potato Association Annual Meeting, Grand Rapids Room

5:00pm-6:30pm — Opening Reception, Atrium/Michigan Room, reception and bar sponsored by Nichino

Wednesday, February 3

8:00am — Registration Open (all day), Michigan Room

8:00am — Exhibitor Setup Opens, Atrium

8:30am-9:00am — Breakfast, Grand Centennial Ballroom, sponsored by GreenStone Farm Credit Services

9:00am-10:00am — General Session 1, Grand Centennial Ballroom, sponsored by Sound Agriculture

  • MPIC Annual Meeting
  • Todd Feenstra, Michigan Water Stewards 

10:15am-10:45am — Breakout Sessions

  • Mackinac/Petoskey — From Lab to Field: New Insights for Disease Management, Dr. Jaime Willbur, sponsored by Spraytec
  • Cheboygan — The Impact of Water Hardness and pH on Spray Efficacy, Matthew Howe & Jeremy Geerts
  • Harbor Springs — Solar Misconceptions, Allen Bonthuis
  • Traverse City/Saugatuck — Emerging Insect Challenges in Michigan, Dr. Anders Huseth

10:45am-11:15am — Refreshment Break & Exhibitor Visits, Atrium/Michigan, sponsored by Rovensa Next

11:15am-12:00pm — Breakout Sessions

  • Mackinac/Petoskey — Weathering the Storm, Dr. Remington Rice, sponsored by Spraytec
  • Cheboygan — Where’s Your Cash?, Gary Sloan & Paul Salm
  • Harbor Springs — Maximizing Every Drop: Strategies to Optimize Your Tank Mix, Heather Huffman
  • Traverse City/Saugatuck — Taking Flight: The Role of Ag Drones in Potato Production, Bryan Hammis

12:15pm-12:55pm — Awards Luncheon, Grand Centennial Ballroom, sponsored by Sklarczyk Seed Farm

12:55pm-3:00pm — General Session 2, Grand Centennial Ballroom

  • Awards Presentation
  • PGMI Annual Meeting & Michigan Potato Legacy Fund
  • Tim Skubick, Off the Record

3:00pm-3:30pm – Refreshment Break & Exhibitor Visits, Atrium/Michigan Room, sponsored by Spudnik

3:30pm-4:00pm – Breakout Sessions

  • Mackinac/Petoskey — Phosphorus: How Microbes Help Release It, Jeff Divan & Rich Haynes
  • Cheboygan — What’s Next in Potato Breeding?, Dr. Dave Douches
  • Harbor Springs — Putting AI to Work in Your Farm Business, Dr. K. Aleks Schaefer
  • Traverse City/Saugatuck — Insights from Aphid and PVY Monitoring in Seed Potato, Abigail Cohen

4:00pm-6:30pm – Industry Reception, Atrium/Michigan Room. Reception & Bar sponsored by TriEst Ag Group

Thursday, February 4

8:30am-9:00am — Breakfast, Grand Centennial Ballroom

8:50am-10:30am — General Session 3, Grand Centennial Ballroom

  • Blair Richardson, Potatoes USA Update
  • Kam Quarles, National Potato Council Update

10:45am-11:30am — Breakout Sessions 

  • Mackinac/Petoskey — Alternative Management Strategies for Potato Early Die, Dr. Marisol Quintanilla
  • Cheboygan — Preserving Your Family’s Farming Legacy, Jeffrey DeWald & John Litscher
  • Harbor Springs — Cybersecurity and the Modern Farm, Dr. K. Aleks Schaefer
  • Traverse City/Saugatuck — Impacts of Biological Products on Soil Fumigation Programs, RJ Rant & Tony Belcher

11:30am-12:00pm — Refreshment Break & Exhibitor Visits, Atrium/Michigan Room

12:00pm-12:30pm — Breakout Sessions

  • Mackinac/Petoskey — If You Don’t Tell the Story of Agriculture, Who Will?, Chris Iott
  • Cheboygan — Weed Management Challenge: Test Your Knowledge, Dr. Erin Burns
  • Harbor Springs — Building Resilient Potato Systems, Pabian Makokha, Dr. Subhasis Giri, & Kaitlin Gattoni
  • Traverse City/Saugatuck — New Tools for Colorado Potato Beetle Management, Dr. Zsofia Szendrei

12:30pm-1:00pm — Luncheon, Grand Centennial Ballroom

1:00pm-3:00pm — General Session 4, Grand Centennial Ballroom

^There are 9.5 Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) credits available for this conference. Each session marked with an upward arrow is worth 0.5 CCA credits, with the exception of Economic Outlook, which is worth 2.0 credits. 

* There is one (1.0) Restricted Use Pesticide (RUP) credit available. Attendees must attend at least two (2) of the five noted sessions to receive the credit.