Truffle growing workshops · In person · For orchard owners & growers
Two days on a producing truffière.
Our orchard management workshops put you on real producing ground with the people who farm it. Two days of practical instruction on bringing a truffière from planting to production, harvest and market — held on site, in the orchard, with the dogs working and the truffles coming out of the ground in front of you.
December 5–6, 2026
Cottage Grove, Oregon
Beginner & intermediate
16 participants max
Lunch included
How the two days run
Cartwright Truffière · Willamette Valley Truffle Company × Truffle Dog Company
Day one · December 5
The orchard year
Truffle life cycle, month-by-month farming practice, costs and time, pruning and irrigation, and hours out in a mature filbert and oak orchard. Practical advice from experienced truffle farmers to help you on your journey.
Day two · December 6
Season, harvest and market
Dogs and handlers, live harvest in the orchard, cleaning and grading, and getting truffle to market — from your first pound to volume, and everything in between.
What this is
A working roadmap for your truffière, built on an orchard that actually produces.
The Truffle Orchard Management Workshop is a two-day, in-person truffle growing workshop held at the Cartwright Truffière in Cottage Grove, Oregon — one of Oregon’s oldest producing orchards, and one of the most productive truffle farms in the US per acre. It’s run by the Willamette Valley Truffle Company in conjunction with Truffle Dog Company, and it now runs annually by request after several oversubscribed seasons.
This workshop is designed for orchard owners with trees inoculated with Tuber melanosporum, the Périgord truffle. It’s equally right for anyone still exploring whether to plant at all. Other species are welcome and we’re happy to talk through what you’re growing. The workshop is centered on the Australian method adapted for North American conditions, with the time and cost constraints of small-scale farming built into every part of the discussion.
You’ll leave with a month-by-month picture of what your orchard needs, an honest accounting of what each part of it costs, and a plan for what happens when truffles start coming out of the ground. Every year the material is updated with new information, new techniques, and another season of data.
This is a working workshop, not a lecture. You’ll spend hours in a producing orchard, handle harvested truffle, and watch dogs work real ground during active season. The group is capped at sixteen so the two days shape themselves around the farms actually in the room — bring your soil test, your yield numbers, your photographs of what’s going wrong, and we’ll work through them.
Dates
Dec 5 & 6, 2026
Format
Two full days
in person
in person
Location
Cartwright Truffière
Cottage Grove, OR
Cottage Grove, OR
Level
Beginner &
intermediate
intermediate
Group size
16 participants max
Price
$950 per farm
Second attendee
$450 same farm
Meals
Lunch both days
Hosts
Simon & Linnet Cartwright
Alana McGee
Alana McGee
Who comes to this
Trees in the ground, or still deciding where to put them.
Growers arrive here from very different places — trees in the ground for a decade, or a site they haven’t bought yet. All of them belong in the room, and the mix is part of why the two days work.
You have an established orchard
Trees are in, some are producing or should be by now, and you want more out of them. We’ll work through yield, canopy and soil management, brûlé development, irrigation and the practices that separate an orchard that trickles from one that produces commercially.
You’re waiting on your first truffle
Planted, watching, unsure whether what you’re seeing is normal. This is the most common reason growers come. You’ll get a realistic timeline, a list of what to check, and a clear picture of what the years between planting and production are supposed to look like.
You’re considering planting
Come before you spend the money. Site, species, spacing, inoculation source, and the real cost and labor curve of the first decade — all of it is easier to hear standing in a fifteen-year-old orchard than it is on paper.
You’re rethinking a plant-out
If you’re weighing the implications of what’s already in the ground — species mix, host trees, density, replacement — bring the specifics. This is exactly the kind of problem the group works well on.
You need a business plan, not just agronomy
Growing them is half of it. Day two covers grading, storage, pricing, buyers, agritourism, and what changes when you go from a few pounds to real volume.
The workshop
Two days, planting to market.
Both days combine classroom sessions with time out in the orchard — a mixed filbert and oak planting ranging from ten to fifteen years old, which gives us a real range of tree ages and management questions to walk through in person. Lunch is at 12:30 both days, with light refreshments available throughout.
Day One
Saturday, Dec 5
The orchard year
Life cycle, month-by-month practice, cost and labor
We start with the life cycle of the Périgord truffle and what it means for what you do, and when you do it, across a full year. Other species you’re growing can be worked into the discussion. Throughout the day we put time and dollar figures against each part of the process, and we’re candid about the pitfalls — the ones we hit ourselves included.
- The Tuber melanosporum life cycle and what drives commercial-grade production
- A month-by-month calendar of orchard practice through the full year
- Time and cost associated with each stage, at small-farm scale
- Time in the orchard: pruning techniques across trees of varying age, canopy management
- Soil, irrigation, brûlé development and monitoring
- The Australian method, adapted for North American conditions
- Common pitfalls, and what we’d do differently
Day Two
Sunday, Dec 6
Season, harvest and market
Dogs, harvest, grading and getting to market
Day two is truffle season itself. It opens with dogs — what kind, how they’re trained, what’s realistically expected of a handler, and the honest comparison between training your own team and hiring one. Then we harvest. You’ll see live harvesting in a producing orchard, and handle the truffles that come out of it.
- Dogs and handlers: breed and temperament, training pathways, handler expectations
- Own a dog or hire a team — cost, timeline and control compared honestly
- Live harvest demonstration in the orchard
- Cleaning, grading and storage of harvested truffle
- Getting to market at the start, and what changes at volume
- Pricing, buyers, restaurants and direct sales
- Business plan considerations, agritourism and the pitfalls to plan around
The material changes every year
This isn’t a fixed curriculum delivered from a binder. Each season brings new production data, new techniques, and new problems from the farms in the room — and the workshop gets updated accordingly. Growers who attended in a previous year and want to come back for the current material are welcome; email us and we’ll sort it out. If you’re unsure whether this year’s workshop is right for where your orchard is, reach out before you book.
Included with registration
What your seat covers.
Two full days
Both days of instruction, classroom and orchard, December 5 and 6.
Time in a producing orchard
Hours on the ground in a mixed filbert and oak planting, ten to fifteen years old, with the growers who manage it.
Live harvest
See dogs working and truffles harvested in a commercial orchard during active season — not a demonstration set up for the occasion.
Lunch both days
Lunch at 12:30 each day, with light refreshments available throughout. Tell us about dietary needs when you register.
A group of sixteen
Capped at 16 participants so the two days can shape themselves around the farms actually in the room.
Direct access to the hosts
Simon and Linnet Cartwright and Alana McGee are present for both days. Bring your orchard’s specifics.
Cleaning and grading practice
Handle harvested truffle and learn what separates commercial grade from the rest.
The grower network
You’ll be in a room with other North American growers at every stage. For a lot of attendees this turns out to be the most valuable part.
Details & logistics
Where and when.
The workshop is held at the Cartwright Truffière in Cottage Grove, Oregon, roughly twenty minutes south of Eugene. Travel and lodging aren’t included — Eugene and Cottage Grove both have options, and we’ll send suggestions with your registration confirmation.
Day one
Saturday, December 5
Full day · lunch at 12:30
Morning
Life cycle and the orchard year
Midday
Lunch, provided
Afternoon
In the orchard — pruning, canopy, soil and irrigation
Day two
Sunday, December 6
Full day · lunch at 12:30
Morning
Dogs, handlers and harvest teams
Midday
Live harvest and lunch, provided
Afternoon
Cleaning, grading, market and business planning
Registration
Two steps
Both are required
Step one
Purchase your spot — this is what reserves it
Step two
Complete the registration form on the product page
If sold out
Email us for the waitlist and additional dates
Bringing a second person from your farm
Registration is priced per farm. The first attendee is $950; a second attendee from the same farm is $450 and is purchased separately. If you’d like to bring more than two people from your operation, contact Simon or Alana directly and we’ll work it out.
1st attendee · $950
2nd attendee · $450
3+ · contact us
Location
Cartwright Truffière, Cottage Grove, Oregon. Full address and directions are sent on registration.
Dates
Saturday December 5 and Sunday December 6, 2026. Both days.
Group size
Maximum 16 participants, first come first served.
Meals
Lunch at 12:30 both days and light refreshments throughout are included. Dietary restrictions and allergies are collected on the registration form.
What to bring
Boots and layers — December in the Willamette Valley is wet and cold, and a substantial part of both days is spent outdoors.
Dogs
Please leave your dog at home. Working dogs are demonstrating during the harvest and additional dogs on site complicate that.
Travel & lodging
Not included. Eugene is the nearest airport, about 30 minutes away.
Registering
Purchase on the product page and submit the registration form. Your spot isn’t held until purchase is complete.
Your hosts
Taught by people who farm it and people who harvest it.
Simon & Linnet Cartwright
Cartwright Truffière · Willamette Valley Truffle Company
Simon and Linnet have owned and operated the Cartwright Truffière since 2007. It’s one of Oregon’s oldest producing orchards — their first truffle came off a five-year-old oak in 2014, and in January 2016 the orchard supplied Grit restaurant in Eugene with the first commercially produced Périgord truffle in the Pacific Northwest.
Production has climbed every year since, and the orchard now supplies the region and well beyond it, including Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado and Texas. In 2019 they launched the Willamette Valley Truffle Company to provide coaching and marketing support to other small farms in the PNW. You can read more of their story at cartwrighttruffles.com.
Alana McGee
Truffle Dog Company · CPDT-KA · MBA, University of Washington
Alana has worked in the truffle industry since 2008 and founded Truffle Dog Company in Seattle. She’s spent that time helping growers train their own dogs to hunt truffles and supplying establishments with both native and European species.
She and her team harvest wild truffles with their own dogs, provide canine detection services and surveys for truffières, and help growers establish culinary and agritourism programs — business planning and go-to-market strategy built around each farm’s specifics. Her expertise is canine scent detection for the domestic truffle industry, harvesting practice, and commercialization for truffle orchards. She’s certified by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers.
Register
$950
Per farm · Two full days · Lunch included · 16 seats total
Seats are released first come, first served and this workshop has sold out in previous seasons. Purchase your spot, then complete the registration form on the product page — the form alone doesn’t hold a seat.
Register — $950
Add a second attendee — $450
If the workshop shows as sold out, email info@truffledogcompany.com — we keep a waitlist and add dates when there’s demand.
If December doesn’t work
Other ways to get help with your orchard
The workshop is the most efficient way to cover the whole picture at once, but it’s not the only route. If the dates don’t work, or your questions are specific to your ground, there are other options.
1:1
Orchard advisory & coaching
Remote or on site · year-round
We also provide harvesting services for orchards that would rather hire a trained team than build one, and canine surveys to confirm whether your trees are producing before you commit to a harvest plan. If you’d rather train your own dog, the Foundations Cohort takes handlers from a dog who’s never smelled a truffle to one working buried hides in thirteen weeks, online from anywhere.
Interested in hosting a workshop like this on your own ground, or in another region? We’ve run them in partnership with farms across North America and abroad. Email info@truffledogcompany.com and tell us about your orchard.
Questions
Frequently asked
Do I need to already own an orchard?
No. A good portion of every group is made up of people who are still deciding whether to plant, where, and with what. Coming before you’ve spent the money is arguably the highest-value time to attend.
I’m not growing Périgord. Is this still useful?
Yes. The framework is built around Tuber melanosporum because that’s what most North American growers have in the ground and what the host orchard produces, but other species are welcome and we’ll work your species into the discussion. Tell us what you’re growing when you register.
Is this a truffle dog training class?
No. Day two covers dogs from a grower’s perspective — what a trained team can and can’t do, what training your own actually involves, and how to decide between owning and hiring. If you want to train a dog yourself, that’s what our Foundations Cohort and in-person classes are for.
Can I bring my dog?
Please don’t. Working dogs are demonstrating during the live harvest and additional dogs on site interfere with that. If you want your dog assessed or worked on truffle ground, ask us about a private session separately.
Will we actually find truffles?
Early December is active season at this orchard, and harvest is part of day two. Nature being nature we won’t promise a number, but you’ll see dogs working real ground and handle what comes up.
Can I send two people from my farm?
Yes, and it’s a common choice — a second attendee from the same farm is $450, purchased separately from the first seat. For three or more from one operation, contact Simon or Alana directly.
What if it says sold out?
Email info@truffledogcompany.com. We maintain a waitlist, seats do open up, and demand is what drives whether we add additional dates.
I attended a previous year. Is it worth coming back?
The material is revised every season with new production data and new techniques, and a lot of the value comes from the growers in the room, which changes year to year. Email us and we’ll tell you honestly what’s changed since you were last here.
Is lodging included?
No. Travel, lodging and meals other than the provided lunches are on you. Eugene is about half an hour north and has the nearest airport and the widest range of accommodation; Cottage Grove has closer options. We’ll send suggestions with your confirmation.
How much of it is outside?
A substantial part of both days. December in the Willamette Valley is wet and cold — bring boots, rain gear and layers.
Do you run workshops anywhere else?
We do, in partnership with host farms in other regions, and we run private on-farm sessions for individual operations. Email us with your location and what you’re trying to solve.
Fine print
- Registration is per farm and covers one attendee. A second attendee from the same farm is a separate $450 purchase. Three or more, contact us.
- Spots are capped at 16 participants and assigned first come, first served. Your spot is not reserved until purchase is complete.
- Both the purchase and the registration form on the product page are required. The form collects attendee names, farm details and dietary needs.
- Travel, lodging and meals other than the included lunches are not covered.
- Please review our Cancellation & Rescheduling Policy and COVID & Weather Policy before registering. By registering you agree to these terms.
- Questions about fit, your species, or your orchard’s stage? Email info@truffledogcompany.com or contact Simon or Alana directly before booking.
