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Keynote Speaker
Molly Jahn
Molly Jahn is a professor in the Department of Plant Breeding & Genetics and the Department of Plant Biology at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. She holds degrees from Swarthmore College, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Cornell University. Her research focuses on plant breeding, genetics, genomics and molecular biology and on the development of improved vegetable germplasm including the release of varieties. She is responsible for the pepper and cucurbit breeding programs at Cornell and has worked closely with various segments of the industry to ensure that the products of her research benefit research sponsors and tag producer and consumer communities. Her group at Cornell has produced a number of varieties and hybrid parents in commercial use globally resulting in 44 active commercial licenses. Cornell's Bush Delicata, a winter squash variety released in 2002 was named an All America Selection. Effective August 1, 2006, she will become Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
Welcome Address
Dr. Ben Villalón
In August 1972, Dr. Ben Villalón , Plant Virologist-Breeder TAES, Weslaco visited Dr. Tom Zitter, Plant Pathologist, I.F.A.S., Belle Glade, Florida to discuss Capsicum spp. (pepper) virus diseases and breeding programs. Discussion led to the idea of organizing all pepper research scientists to exchange information and germplasm of mutual interest, Zitter consequently gave Villalon a partial list of federal and state pepper workers. Villalon compiled a list of 65 workers and mailed a questionnaire to ascertain potential interest in a pepper conference for spring or fall 1973. The positive response was tremendous and the list of cooperators grew to 120. The first National Pepper Conference (NPC) was held in McAllen and Weslaco, Texas, on April 25, 1973.
Closing Banquet
Cliff Ohmart
Cliff Ohmart has a B.Sc. degree in forest biology from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and a Ph.D. in entomology from the University of California Berkeley. He was a principal research scientist for CSIRO Division of Forest Research in Australia for 13 years where he did basic research on insect pests of Monterey pine and Eucalyptus. From 1989 to 1995 he worked as a private consultant for Scientific Methods, Inc. in Chico, California helping growers develop IPM programs for almonds, walnuts, prunes, and pistachios. He is currently the Research/IPM Director for the Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission where he is helping winegrape growers implement sustainable farming practices in their vineyards. He has authored and co-authored many publications in international research journals as well as a textbook on Australian forest insects. His most recent publications are as co-editor of the Code of Sustainable Winegrowing Practices Self-Assessment Workbook published in 2002 by the Wine Institute and California Association of Winegrape Growers , senior author of Lodi-Winegrower's Workbook: A self-assessment of integrated farming practices , published in 2000 by the Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission. He has presented over 300 seminars, conference papers and symposia papers at Universities, government research organizations, and grower groups throughout the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden and Finland and is very active at the county, state and national level in pest management and wine industry affairs.
