The SE Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference was the first of 2014. Organized by the Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association, this four-day meeting and conference was a mix of educational sessions and trade show. It allowed growers, suppliers, and vendors to talk, to learn more about Georgia and national produce issues, and to make new friends and business contacts.
This year people came travelled from all over the North American continent to the conference. There were people from the East Coast, the Midwest, California and even Canada. According to show officials attendance was up by five percent from last year with over 3000 people participating. And over 300 companies exhibited at this year's Trade Show.
The educational talks were broken up into produce related conferences for Blueberry, Peach, Food Safety, Organic, Roadside Markets, Vegetable, Vidalia Onion, Blackberry & Raspberry, Muscadine, Sweet Corn, Watermelon, Business Operations and Strawberry.
Talks were held over three days and covered many topics like--"Organic Medicinal Herbs: How To Grow And Market To Meet Today's Demands," "Pollinators And What's Being Done To Protect Them," and "Update On FSMA & How the New FDA Rules Will Affect Your Operation."
On Friday, a live auction, directed by Joe Jones of Speedway Company, raised $9650 for the Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Grower's Association (GFVGA).
By the end of the conference new information about produce had passed from speaker to attendee, new business connections had been formed and a new appreciation for the produce industry had been created.
The GFVGA, started in 1996, when Georgia based peach, vegetable, and blueberry growers realized they needed to support and empower themselves and other producers. They went on to become the 'Voice," of the produce industry in Georgia.
In 1999 they held their first conference and meeting in Savannah, Georgia, where they offered producers educational sessions, a trade show and a chance to learn how to market their produce better. Later in 2003, the conference was named the SE Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference.
To find out more about the Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Grower's Association you can go to their website http://gfvga.org
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| Attendees of the Trade Show at the SE Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference, Savannah, GA, Copyright 2014 by Helen A Lockey |
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| Hillside Orchard Farms apples at SE Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference, Savannah, GA, Copyright 2014 by Helen A. Lockey |
Talks were held over three days and covered many topics like--"Organic Medicinal Herbs: How To Grow And Market To Meet Today's Demands," "Pollinators And What's Being Done To Protect Them," and "Update On FSMA & How the New FDA Rules Will Affect Your Operation."
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| Live auction with Joe Jones at SE Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference, Savannah, GA, Copyright 2014 by Helen A. Lockey |
By the end of the conference new information about produce had passed from speaker to attendee, new business connections had been formed and a new appreciation for the produce industry had been created.
The GFVGA, started in 1996, when Georgia based peach, vegetable, and blueberry growers realized they needed to support and empower themselves and other producers. They went on to become the 'Voice," of the produce industry in Georgia.
In 1999 they held their first conference and meeting in Savannah, Georgia, where they offered producers educational sessions, a trade show and a chance to learn how to market their produce better. Later in 2003, the conference was named the SE Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference.
To find out more about the Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Grower's Association you can go to their website http://gfvga.org
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