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Fruit and Vegetable Conference
Set for Jan. 8-9 in Lexington
By
Aimee Nielson
 LEXINGTON,
Ky., (Dec. 20, 2006) – Horticulture in Kentucky continues to be
big business. Fruit and vegetable sales are expected to reach
$28 million in 2006 and increase to $30 million in 2007.
Interest is also increasing in organic produce.
Experts from all corners of the thriving horticultural field
will be converging in Central Kentucky when the University of
Kentucky College of Agriculture hosts a joint meeting of the
Kentucky State Horticulture Society, the Kentucky Vegetable
Growers Association, the Kentucky Farmers’ Market Association,
and the Kentucky Grape and Wine Short Course, Jan. 8 and 9 at
the Holiday Inn North in Lexington.
“Success with fruit and vegetables is most always based on a
producer’s management skills, especially being able to do things
on time,” said John Strang, University of Kentucky College of
Agriculture horticulture specialist. “This conference is for
beginners and experienced growers alike. We think we have
something to share with everyone, no matter how steep their
learning curve.”
Highlights of the January meeting will be sessions on farmers’
markets, commercial fruit and vegetable production, small fruit
production, organic farming and gardening, the Grape and Wine
Short Course, and winemaking. The topics were chosen to address
the fact that a lot of produce sales in Kentucky are driven by
direct markets. During the college’s annual outlook conference
in early December, UK Horticulture Marketing Specialist Tim
Woods said more than 1,800 farmers sold produce in community
farmers’ markets and farm direct markets in 2006.
Concurrent sessions will take place throughout the two-day event
covering many aspects of fruit and vegetable production,
including commercial tree fruit, drip irrigation, winemaking and
farmers’ markets.
Fruit and vegetable experts from across the United States will
be speaking to joint conference sessions on the first day.
Special out-of-state speakers include: Greg McCollum, research
plant physiologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
Agricultural Research Service Horticultural Research Lab in Fort
Pierce, Fla.; Mosbah Kushad, food crops specialist from the
University of Illinois Department of Natural Resources and
Environmental Sciences; Elizabeth Wahle, Extension specialist
from the Edwardsville Extension Center, in Edwardsville,
Ill.; Jim Wills, professor and coordinator of Biosystems
Engineering and Soil Science at the University of Tennessee;
Dave Lockwood, UT Extension fruit specialist; John Wargowski,
Mid American Ag and Hort Services in Columbus, Ohio; and Cynthia
Brown, Outdoor and Farmers’ Market manager for the Corporation
for Findlay Market in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The first day’s events will conclude with a banquet. Rufus
Fugate, former Leslie County Extension agent for agriculture and
natural resources, will speak on edible wild plants.
The Kentucky Vineyard Society will have an optional Celebration
of Kentucky Wines prior to the banquet. Kentucky vineyard
numbers have grown from zero in 1993 to more than 40 in 2006.
Strang said Kentucky boasts nearly 600 acres of wine grapes,
with more acreage reserved for production in the future. He said
there is room for plenty more.
Conference registration is $20 and includes a one-year
membership in the KVGA or KSHS and entry into the Grape and Wine
Short Course. Banquet and luncheon tickets are only available
with advanced registration by Dec. 20. The conference is jointly
sponsored by the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension
Service, Kentucky State University and the Kentucky Department
of Agriculture.
For more information about the conference, or to request
registration materials, contact Mary Ann Kelley 270-365-7541,
ext. 216. The conference program is available online at the
following address,
http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Horticulture/kvgaprogramjan07.pdf. |
Contact: John Strang, 859-257-5685 |
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The UK College
of Agriculture, through its land-grant mission, reaches across
the commonwealth with teaching, research and extension
to enhance the lives of Kentuckians. |
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