The wife and I just got back form the annual NATGA meeting, and boy did we learn a ton. We also learned that snow and ice are very bad for our southern friends as the weather had a devastating effect on the truffle yields this year. (Nearly half of last years!) It was really exciting to see all the new members joining our organization and hear of their tales of wanting to become truffle farmers. As always the food at dinner after the meeting was fabulous, and Shelton Vineyards provided ample adult beverages for us to enjoy.
This year's meeting we were broke into smaller groups and were given a few tasks to complete as part of a networking exercise. We all started out on our tasks as instructed but were unable to hold back our excitement and had to take advantage of the opportunity to discuss truffles with other growers in our groups. I think we all had a look of disappointment when we were called back into the meeting room. We were having such a great time discussing what was working on everyone's farm and what wasn't, what kind of yields everyone was getting, things people wished they did differently before they put a single tree in the ground. But alas, we had to break and go back into the meeting hall.
Our leaders decided that next year they will have to set aside some time for everyone to break into small groups and discuss farming. It sounds silly, but I learned more in those 30 minutes than I did spending countless hours googling for an answer on whether or not to staple down your weed barrier. (The answer: DON'T staple.)
We had a great time "IN" North Carolina - it was the trip "TO" North Carolina that was a real let down. An extra $100 for 2 bags of luggage both less to 20lb, a half-mile sprint through O'Hare and nearly missing our connecting flight in Chicago, rental car was booked in a city 90 miles away, spending an hour on the phone with Travelocity talking to someone in India that didn't speak English all that well to get the rental car thing straightened out, and of course there was the intimate moments I spent with a TSA agent getting molesting.
Next year............we're driving!
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