NCNA Texas Citrus Nursery Tours & USDA/NCNA Stakeholder Meeting

 

October 20–21, 2026
Houston, Glen Flora, Beaumont, and Orange, Texas

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Industry-only event | Advance registration required | No registration fee

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REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN

Please scroll to the bottom of this page

to complete the event registration form.

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Connecting Citrus Nursery Professionals, Regulators, and Researchers

 

The NCNA Texas Citrus Nursery Tours & USDA/NCNA Stakeholder Meeting is a professional, industry-only event bringing together commercial citrus nursery representatives, federal and state regulators, and academic, research, and extension partners.

Over two days, participants will tour commercial Texas citrus nursery operations and engage in focused discussions about nursery production systems, regulatory implementation, plant-health safeguards, and science-based approaches that protect both plant health and the viability of the citrus nursery industry.

The program is designed to encourage practical dialogue among nurseries, regulators, and researchers and to support clear, workable, and consistent nursery standards.

 

Who Should Attend?

 

Registration is intended for:

• Commercial citrus nursery owners, managers, and employees

• Other professional nursery and allied-industry representatives

• USDA and other federal regulatory officials

• State plant-health and nursery regulatory officials

• University researchers, academic specialists, and extension personnel

• Invited industry associations and plant-health partners

 

Please note: This is a professional nursery and regulatory event. It is not intended for hobby growers, rare-fruit organizations, home gardeners, or Master Gardener groups.

 

Event Objectives

 

Participants will have opportunities to:

• Observe commercial Texas citrus nursery production and biosecurity practices

• Exchange practical experiences related to nursery certification and regulatory compliance

• Discuss SANC and other systems-based approaches to nursery production

• Strengthen communication between nursery professionals and regulatory agencies

• Examine science-based exclusion, mitigation, and risk-management strategies

• Identify regulatory approaches that are protective, practical, and consistently implemented

• Expand collaboration among nurseries, regulators, researchers, and extension professionals

 

Preliminary Itinerary

 

The core program will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, October 20–21, 2026. Monday, October 19, and Thursday, October 22, are optional travel days.

 

All times and locations remain subject to final confirmation. Confirmed participants will receive the final itinerary, bus pickup instructions, and venue addresses by email.

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Monday, October 19 — Optional Arrival Day

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• Participants may arrive in Houston Monday evening.

• No formal program is scheduled.

• The recommended Houston host hotel is [HOUSTON HOTEL NAME].

• Booking information: [HOTEL BOOKING LINK OR PHONE NUMBER].

• No room block will be established at the Houston hotel. Participants must make and pay for their own individual reservations.

• Monday arrival is strongly recommended for participants who plan to use the Tuesday morning charter bus.

 

Tuesday, October 20 — Texas Nursery Tour: Day 1

 

Houston to Glen Flora to Beaumont

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• 10:30–10:45 a.m. — Participants gather at the designated Houston host hotel and charter-bus pickup point

• 11:00 a.m. — Charter bus departs Houston

• 1:00 p.m. — Tour of the Everde Growers citrus operation

• Approximately 2:00–2:30 p.m. — Nursery tour concludes

• Travel to Beaumont; hotel check-in at [BEAUMONT HOTEL NAME], dinner provided, and overnight in Beaumont

 

Tour location:
Everde Growers
1 Tree Town Road
Glen Flora, TX 77443

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Participants flying into Houston on Tuesday morning must allow sufficient time for airport arrival, baggage collection, Houston traffic, and transportation to the designated pickup point. The charter bus will operate on a fixed schedule.

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Wednesday, October 21 — Texas Nursery Tour: Day 2 and USDA/NCNA Meeting

 

Beaumont to the Orange area and return to Houston

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• 8:00 a.m. — Charter bus departs the Beaumont hotel

• 8:30 a.m. — Tour begins at Saxon Becnel & Sons Citrus Nursery

• Approximately 11:30 a.m. — Nursery tour concludes

• Travel to the Orange-area lunch and meeting venue

• Lunch at or near the meeting location

• Approximately 1:00–5:00 p.m. — USDA/NCNA stakeholder meeting. The preferred venue is the Orange County Expo, pending final confirmation. 

• Return to Houston after the meeting

• Return to Houston, with a possible airport drop-off before the final stop at [HOUSTON HOST HOTEL NAME]

• Estimated arrival at [HOUSTON HOST HOTEL NAME]: approximately 7:00–7:30 p.m., depending on Houston traffic, airport drop-off needs, and the final transportation route

 

The final Orange-area meeting venue and address will be provided to confirmed registrants.

Participants considering a Wednesday evening flight should wait for the final transportation schedule before booking. An overnight stay in Houston on Wednesday may be necessary for some travelers.

 

Thursday, October 22 — Optional Departure Day

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• Departure day for participants remaining overnight in Houston

• No formal program is scheduled

 

Proposed USDA/NCNA Discussion Topics

 

The final agenda and speakers are being developed. Proposed topics include:

• Observations and feedback arising from the Texas nursery tours

• Interpretation and management of nursery facility breaches

• Severe-weather breach response and recovery planning

• Regulatory feedback on proposed pre-mitigation strategies

• Steps nurseries can take before a hurricane or other severe-weather event

• Commingling of non-citrus plants within regulated citrus structures

• Clarification of “extraneous plant material”

• Development of a science-based exclusion and risk-assessment framework

• Plant movement and recovery options following a breach in an HLB-regulated area when repeated inspections and testing do not identify a pest or pathogen

• SANC and systems-based approaches to nursery production and certification

• Opportunities for improved nursery–regulator–researcher collaboration

These topics are preliminary and do not represent predetermined regulatory decisions or commitments by participating agencies.

 

Registration Information

 

There is no registration fee, but advance registration is required.

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Please register by Friday, October 2, 2026. Registration may close earlier if the event reaches transportation or venue capacity.

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Because this is an industry-only event with limited charter-bus seating and nursery biosecurity requirements, submitting the form does not automatically guarantee participation. Registration requests will be reviewed for professional eligibility and available capacity.

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You will receive a confirmation email with the final itinerary, hotel links, transportation instructions, meeting location, and nursery access requirements.​​

 

Transportation

 

A charter bus is planned for the two core program days:

• Houston pickup on Tuesday morning

• Transportation to Everde Growers and Beaumont

• Wednesday transportation from Beaumont to Saxon Becnel & Sons Citrus Nursery

• Transportation to the USDA/NCNA meeting

• Return to Houston Wednesday evening

 

The exact pickup and return instructions at the recommended Houston host hotel will be provided to confirmed participants.

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During registration, participants must indicate whether they:

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• Plan to use the NCNA charter bus for the full itinerary

• Plan to provide their own transportation

• Need charter-bus transportation for only one program day

 

Charter-bus capacity will be based on registration responses. Participants using their own vehicles must follow host instructions concerning arrival times, parking, nursery access, and biosecurity.

 

Hotel Information

 

The following lodging arrangements are planned:

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• Houston: The recommended Houston host hotel is [HOUSTON HOTEL NAME]. Booking information: [HOTEL BOOKING LINK OR PHONE NUMBER]. No room block will be established in Houston. Participants who need accommodations for Monday night, October 19, or Wednesday night, October 21, must make and pay for their own individual reservations.

• Beaumont: A room block is being arranged at [BEAUMONT HOTEL NAME] for Tuesday night, October 20. The group rate, reservation deadline, and booking instructions will be posted here and emailed to registered participants when confirmed.

 

Indicating that you need a hotel room on the registration form helps the organizers estimate room-block needs for the Beaumont hotel. It does not reserve a room. Houston hotel rooms will not be blocked and must be reserved

individually by each participant.

 

Unless a participant receives separate written notification concerning approved travel support, attendees are responsible for making and paying for their own hotel and travel arrangements.

 

Meals

 

The working itinerary includes:

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• Dinner provided in Beaumont on Tuesday evening

• Lunch at or near the USDA/NCNA meeting venue on Wednesday

 

Final restaurant, lunch, and catering details will be provided to confirmed registrants.

Please identify any dietary restrictions or food allergies on the registration form.

 

Nursery Biosecurity and Visitor Requirements

 

All participants must comply with the biosecurity and visitor requirements established by each host nursery.

 

Requirements may include:

• Footbaths or footwear decontamination

• Clean, closed-toe footwear suitable for nursery environments

• Use of protective coverings or other provided equipment

• Remaining within designated visitor aisles or viewing areas

• Restrictions on entry into sensitive production or scion areas

• Restrictions on photography

• Following all instructions provided by nursery hosts and tour leaders

 

Participants must not touch plants, enter restricted areas, remove plant material, or bring unauthorized plant material onto nursery property.

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Final requirements will be sent before the event and must be followed as a condition of participation.