Registration is now open for Jan. 3-4 event

FRANKFORT (Dec. 7, 2022) - Registration is now open for the 2023 Kentucky Fruit and Vegetable Conference, the premier event for statewide produce growers to interact and learn, Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Dr. Ryan Quarles has announced.

The conference, which is set for Jan. 3-4, with pre-conference events on Jan. 2, will be at the Sloan Convention Center in Bowling Green.

“Each year, this conference brings experts in Kentucky’s produce community together to share their knowledge with the rest of the state,” Commissioner Quarles said. “It’s a wonderful way to start out the year and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture is once again proud to be part of this educational experience.”

The Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA), in cooperation with the Kentucky State Horticultural Society (KSHS), Kentucky Vegetable Growers Association (KVGA), Organic Association of Kentucky (OAK), Kentucky Wineries Association (KWA), Kentucky Horticulture Council (KHC), the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (UK), Kentucky State University College of Agriculture, Communities and the Environment (KSU),are joining together to bring more than 90 speakers and 60 exhibitors for this year’s conference.

“We are excited to again partner to bring this educational event to our Kentucky growers,” said Cindy Finneseth, KHC Executive Director. “With such a diversity of educational tracks, growers can really use this information optimize their production practices and increase profitability.”

The Conference will include a general session, as well as sessions on vegetable production (beginner and advanced), high tunnels, organic production, fruit production (beginner and advanced), and business management. New sessions added this year include a cut flower short course. Other conference events include a Farmers’ Market Short Course organized by KDA, a Farm Food Safety Plan Writing Workshop hosted by Cultivate KY, as well as the popular fruit grower and vegetable grower roundtable sessions.

Kentucky specialty crop growers will present as well as Kentucky Extension specialists and out-of-state speakers including: Cody Adkins, USDA Risk Management Agency; Dr. Patrick Byers, University of Missouri; Dr. Wenjing Guan, Associate Professor, Purdue University; Dr. Dave Lockwood, Extension Fruit Specialist, University of Tennessee; and Dr. Melanie Stock, Utah State University.

Pre-registration is available online through Eventbrite (https://2023KYFruitVegConference.eventbrite.com) or by mailing in the meeting registration form by Friday, Dec. 16, 2022. The conference pre-registration fee is $50. After this date, participants can continue to register online or on-site at a cost of $75. The registration fee includes a year’s membership in the KVGA, KSHS, or OAK and full access to recorded content for a year after the meeting.

A limited number of sponsorships are still available. For sponsorship or registration questions call: 859-490-0889 or email: info@kyhortcouncil.org.

The full conference program and registration instructions are available on the Conference webpage: https://kyhortcouncil.org/2023-kentucky-fruit-and-vegetable-conference/.