The 6th annual CiderCon wrapped up Saturday in Portland, Oregon. Conference organizers say this year’s event was the largest one yet with attendance topping 1,000 people from 44 states and 8 countries. Attendees had the opportunity to choose workshops, seminars and tastings, network with colleagues and enjoy many “Outside Con” events throughout Portland.
The USACM Annual Business meeting was held on Wednesday with President Mike Beck offering a vision of the future of the industry and recapping work the board has accomplished over the past year. He announced that the USACM will be seeking an Executive Director to help guide and grow the organization. The job description will be posted immediately. Beck also named the recipients of the new USACM Research Grant:
- Dr. Nikki Rothwell – Evaluating fire blight and apple scab susceptibility and management of 30 cider varieties – 2 year project; $11,013 (FY16) and $11,030 (FY17).
- Edwin Winzeler – The effectof 1-MCP Treatment on Cider (SmartFresh) Aroma and Taste; $6,600. and Use of ethephon and 1-MCP in harvest of Manchurian crabapples for cider; $4,123.
Board elections were conducted and the new board was announced following the meeting. Current board members are Mike Beck, Bruce Nissen, Eleanor Leger, Trevor Baker, James Kohn, Justin Kissinger and David Cordtz. Ryan Burk, Dan Rowell and Dan Wilson were re-elected and join new board member, Paul Vander Heide of Vander Mill to make up the 2016 USACM Board of Directors.
Representative Earl Blumenauer spoke on Thursday about the recent passage of the CIDER Act, next steps on the legislative journey for the cider industry, and the future of the agricultural sector as a whole. “We are deeply appreciative of Representative Blumenauer’s ongoing support of the cider industry and the time and energy he spent working toward the passage of the CIDER Act. We were honored to have him speak at CiderCon again this year,” said USACM President, Mike Beck.
On Saturday, February 6th,the USACM presented The Cider Certification Program, the first ever accreditation program for the cider industry focused on cider styles, serving, pairing and history of cider. Interim Director, Eric West said, “I couldn’t be more pleased with the turnout for our inaugural Level One course. There’s clearly a demand for educational training that focuses exclusively on cider. We’re off to a great start toward building a program to help industry professionals better understand and appreciate the world of cider.”
Next year’s event will be held in Chicago. Attendees are invited to share their photos of CiderCon on our new Facebook page.
