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FRANKFORT, Ky. — Produce growers will get valuable production and marketing advice and meet buyers with help from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture at the 2007 Kentucky Fruit and Vegetable Conference and Trade Show Jan. 8-9 at the Holiday Inn North in Lexington.
The conference will serve as the 151st annual meeting of the Kentucky State Horticulture Society (KSHS) and the 36th annual meeting of the Kentucky Vegetable Growers Association (KVGA). It includes the Kentucky Grape and Wine Short Course Jan. 9.
Mac Stone, director of the KDA’s Division of Value-Added Plant Production, will deliver a produce marketing update during a joint session of the KSHS and KVGA on Jan. 8. Janet Eaton, the Department’s farmers’ market coordinator, will preside over a session on farmers’ markets. Organic Program Coordinator Jake Schmitz will lead a session on organic gardening and farming.
The Department will host buyers, experts and others at its exhibit booth to meet conference participants between sessions. Buyers from Wal-Mart, Coastline and Cabbage Inc. will be available. Representatives of Creech’s Compost will be on hand to talk about its giveaway program. Kentucky’s produce auctions and the Kentucky Farmers’ Market Association will be represented at the booth. Representatives of Kentucky’s new Good Agricultural Practices Program will offer information about training and certification. Bonnie Sigmon of the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service will demonstrate how to build a mini-hay baler.
KDA staff will explain and take applications for its advertising cost share program. All Kentucky Proud items – four sizes of stickers, hats, grocery bags, cool bags, plant stakes, and price cards – will be on sale during lunch each day at cost, since they don’t have to be shipped.
Conference sessions will cover farmers’ markets, winemaking, organic farming and gardening, and vegetable, tree fruit and small fruit production. A Celebration of Kentucky Wines event is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. EST Jan. 8, followed by a banquet at 6:15.
The conference is co-sponsored by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture and Kentucky State University.
For more information, visit the KDA Web site at www.kyagr.com and select “Farmers’ Markets” from the pull-down menu.
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