FREP/WPH Nutrient Management Conference
For over 30 years, FREP has presented its pioneering fertilizer research at annual conferences. Since 2007, FREP has collaborated with the Western Plant Health (WPH) to create a conference that balances technical research with discussion on practical application. Presenters from academia, industry, and agricultural consulting provide general and technical information, current research and data, and practical applications addressing statewide and regional nutrient management issues.
Registration is now open for the 34th Annual Nutrient Management Conference, hosted by the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA) Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP) and Western Plant Health (WPH).
This year’s conference will be held at the Hilton Stockton in Stockton, CA, October 28-29, 2026, and includes a pre-conference tour of Port of Stockton, on October 27 from 1:00 – 4:00 pm.
Early conference registration (through October 15) is $225 and currently enrolled students pay $130. Late registration fees (after October 15) are $250 and $140 for students. Continuing education units (CEUs) for Certified Crop Advisers and Self-Certified Growers will be available for the conference.
Upon registration, conference attendees can sign up for the tour on October 27 (limited space available).
The Nutrient Management Conference annually brings together industry professionals and academic researchers to learn about and share the latest research and innovative management practices related to fertilizing materials and irrigation. This year’s conference includes presentations on irrigation and nutrient management in annual and perennial crops, cover crop adoption, potassium management in almond, irrigation scheduling, updates on outreach impacts of the Nitrogen and Irrigation Initiative, biostimulants, and the role of silicon in plant nutrition. In addition, the agenda includes panel discussions on the outcomes from the Second Agricultural Expert Panel and addressing irrigation challenges across differing regions and cropping systems.
Call for Posters
A poster session will be held the evening of October 28 for undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, and industry members to present their ongoing California research, outreach and/or demonstration projects related to irrigation and nutrient management. FREP does not accept abstracts/posters related to proprietary product development, testing or promotions.
To present a poster at the conference, submit your abstract(s) to FREP@cdfa.ca.gov by October 20, 2026. One presenter per accepted abstract will receive complementary conference registration.
Abstracts must be related to irrigation and nutrient management in California. Submissions must include poster title, author names and affiliations, and an abstract (350-word limit).
We encourage individuals to prepare their abstracts according to the American Society of Agronomy Tips for Writing Abstracts.
Accepted abstracts: How to prepare your poster
To learn more about poster preparation, time and location of the poster session, please see the Poster Guidelines.
Proceedings
The Proceedings include a synopsis of FREP’s latest achievements, summaries of current FREP-funded projects and relevant research, and a list of completed FREP projects. See past Conference Proceedings.
FREP
