DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE CONFERENCE PROGRAM  2013 VA AQUACULTURE CONFERENCE PROGRAM 

AGENDA

10:00 am – 5:00 pm           Registration          
3:00 pm – 9:00 pm             Trade Show          
10:00 am – 11:00 am        Shellfish Dealer Certification            
11:00 am -12:00 pm          Shellfish Harvester Certification      
12:00 pm–12:30 pm          VMRC Online Reporting   

GENERAL SESSION – AQUACULTURE FINANCE AND INSURANCE PANEL

Moderator: Tom Murray, Associate Director for Advisory Services, VIMS 
Hear from experienced professionals as they provide advice on accessing capital for production and long terms needs; how to protect your enterprise through adequate insurance and critical legal issues.
Aquaculture lending and private financing
Corey Robinson, Colonial Farm Credit

Government-linked financing
Dorine Ross, U.S.D.A. Farm Service Agency

Grower injuries and legal implications
Christopher Abel, Wilcox & Savage, P.C.

Crop and related insurance issues
David McCaleb, McCaleb-Metzler, Inc.

3:00 pm – 3:30 pm Coffee Break

BIVALVE SHELLFISH SESSION

Moderator: Karen Hudson, Shellfish Aquaculture Extension Specialist, VIMS

Risk Management – Product Cooling
Steve Duckworth, District Sales Manager, Thermo King Corporation
Hear about different methods of refrigerating product for smaller growers
along with the advantages and disadvantages; general loading principles;
refrigeration principles; and risk management

Getting Started in Spat-on-Shell
Jim Wesson, Head of Conservation and Replenishment, VMRC
Want to get into spat-on-shell culture and don’t know how? Come learn
about planning considerations and get your questions answered.

FINFISH/PRAWN SESSION

Moderators: Michael Schwarz, Aquaculture Specialist, Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center (AREC) and Brian Nerrie, Aquaculture Extension Specialist, Virginia State University (VSU)

Prawn Harvest / Post Harvest Handling, Brian Nerrie, Aquaculture Extension Specialist, VSU

Supermarket Prawn Marketing Mike Hutt, Executive Director, Virginia Marine Products Board

Finfish Harvest / Post-Harvest Handling Michael Jahncke, Director, Virginia Seafood AREC

5:00 PM – 6:00 PM TRADE ASSOCIATION MEETINGS

Shellfish Growers of Virginia                               

Virginia Aqua-Farmers Network (VAN)         

7:00 PM – 9:00 PM  GALA RECEPTION & TRADE SHOW

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16

GENERAL SESSION

Industry Award Presentation Honoring George J. F lick, Jr., University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Food Science and Technology y in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech Presented by: Mike Oesterling, Executive Director of the Shellfish Growers of Virginia and Brian Nerrie, Aquaculture Extension Specialist, Virginia State University

Aquaculture as Agriculture How aquaculture is viewed from the Federal, State and local levels; how perspectives have changed over time and where we are headed. Moderator: T. Robins Buck, State Aquaculture Coordinator for Virginia, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS)

Summary of the Virginia Aquaculture Development Act T. Robins Buck, State Aquaculture Coordinator for Virginia, VDACS

How the Virginia General Assembly views aquaculture and some thoughts for future policy decisions from a lobbyist’s perspective. W.R. “Trey” Davis III, Assistant Director of Governmental Relations, VA Farm Bureau Federation 

Why Aquaculture is Agriculture from the Perspective of USDA. Gary Jensen, National Program Leader for Aquaculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture

CONCURRENT SESSIONS:

BIVALVE SHELLFISH SESSION – CO-OPS IN SHELLFISH AQUACULTURE

Moderator: Tom Murray,Associate Director for Advisory Services, VIMS

Co-ops –They work with poultry and clams but what about oysters?
Mike Peirson, Former Managing Director of Cherrystone AquaFarms
Marshall Cox, Shellfish Grower

FINFISH/PRAWN SESSION

Moderators: Michael Schwarz, Aquaculture Specialist, Virginia Seafood AREC and Brian Nerrie, Aquaculture Extension Specialist, Virginia State University

Hybrid Striped Bass – John Hofmeyer, President, VA Aquaculture Assoc.

Prawn –  Jason King, Owner and Jason Barnhouse, Farm Manager, Greystone Farms

Catfish and Winter Trout –  Lynn Blackwood, Chairman, Virginia Aqua- Farmers Network

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm           Lunch (provided)                 Grand Ballroom Salons II-IV

BIVALVE SHELLFISH SESSION – VIBRIO AND YOU

Moderator: AJ Erskine, Aquaculture Manager, Bevans Oyster Company & Cowart Seafood Corp.

VA Food Code sections regarding shellfish; Overview of VDH’s risk -based inspections including the 5 risk factors that contribute to foodborne illness; and food safety courses for restaurants 
Jessica Klemencic, Food Specialist, VA Department of Health, Hampton Health District.

Background of the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference (ISSC); notable issues to expect for ISSC; procedures for illnesses review
Lori Howell, Vice President of Spinney Creek Shellfish; Chair of the ISSC Vibrio Management Committee and Illness Review Subcommittee

Introduction to Virginia’s newly formed Vibrio Forum and concepts currently under development concerning the management of shellfish- borne illness due to Vibrio parahaemolyticus.
Bob Croonenberghs, Director, VDH, Division of Shellfish Sanitation

The challenges and opportunities associated with different post-harvest processing (PHP) methods to ensure the safety and quality of molluscan shellfish.
Michael Jahncke, Director, Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center.

Seasonal variation in vibrio levels in lower Chesapeake Bay oysters and exploration of high salinity relay as a potential post-harvest processing method.
Corinne Audemard, Associate Research Scientist, Virginia Institute of Marine Science

The facts about Vibrio biology – what we know, what we don’t and where the current research directions are headed.
Angelo DePaola, Lead Seafood Microbiologist, U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Panel Q&A / Discussion

FINFISH/PRAWN SESSION

Moderators: Michael Schwarz, Aquaculture Specialist, Virginia Seafood AREC and Brian Nerrie, Aquaculture Extension Specialist, Virginia State University

Small Business Plan Development
Kim Morgan, Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech

Aquaponics–fish and shrimp–System Design Considerations
Brian Nerrie, Aquaculture Extension Specialist, Virginia State University

2:30 pm – 2:45 pm BREAK

Aquaponics- Plant selection and production considerations
Chris Mullins, Extension Specialist, Virginia State University

Virginia’s Regional and Value-added Seafood Processing Center
Dave Kuhn, Research Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech

Pond Producer Panel: Experience is the best teacher
Lynn Blackwood, Chairman, Virginia Aqua-Farmers Network
John Hofmeyer, President, Virginia Aquaculture Association
Jason King,Owner and Jason Barnhouse, Manager, Greystone Farms
Donnie Perry, Operations Manager, TideRight, LLC