COLUMBUS – Ohio fruit, vegetable and Christmas tree growers and marketers will convene Jan. 15-17 at the SeaGate Centre and Radisson Hotel in Toledo.
There will be approximately 100 exhibitors, approximately 140 education sessions and resource personnel from Ohio State University and other Midwest university resource people.
The conference is co-sponsored by the Ohio Vegetable and Potato Growers Association, the Ohio Fruit Growers Society, Direct Agricultural Marketing Association of Ohio, Ohio Christmas Tree Association and OSU.
Christmas tree growers are a new addition to traditional educational sessions concerning small fruit, greenhouse vegetables, potatoes, tree fruit (apples, cider and peaches), truck crops, processing vegetables and marketing.
Additionally, there are general sessions dealing with effects of the farm bill, the importance of food safety procedures, the hazards of long-term skin exposure to the sun, being prepared for Worker Protection Standards inspections, updates to farm labor compliance procedures and analyzing farm business liability issues.
There is also the traditional workers compensation safety session for farm employers.
New for this year will be a Clean Seed workshop in the trade show and a session on learning how to sell to Wal-Mart. Over 100 exhibitors will present their latest products and services for attendees.
The trade show opens Jan. 15 at 3 p.m. and is open through Jan. 17 at 1:30 p.m.
For more information visit www.ohiovegetables.org or www.ohiofruit.org or call 614-246-8292.
