By Clint Thompson
Those interested in attending next year’s Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (AFVGA) conference and trade show can mark their calendars for Feb. 5-7, 2025, in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
The annual conference returns to South Alabama for another year, with registration slated to open on Nov. 1.
Blake Thaxton, executive director of the AFVGA, talked about the conference and what growers and specialty crop experts can expect when attending next year’s event.
“We’re going bigger this year. We’re expanding our tradeshow, so we’ve got more space this coming year, so we’ll be looking to add a few more vendors,” said Thaxton, whose show will be held at Lodge at Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores, Alabama. “We had to turn a few vendors away last year, just because we were maxed out. We’re excited to have more space to allow us to continue to grow.
“From the beginning when I became director, we wanted to make the direction of this conference the premier fruit and vegetable conference in our area, to complement the great ones already happening, like in Savannah. We’re excited about what we have moving forward. We think we have a lot of momentum right now. We think we’re building a nice community through AFVGA, and that conference is a big part of that.”
The conference will include educational sessions in four different tracts. These include vegetable production, orchard fruit and nuts, small fruit and marketing and farm management. Workshops tailored to hydroponic production, food safety and labor challenges will also be included.
Those interested in attending can visit www.afvga.org for additional information, or they can email Thaxton at bthaxton@alfafarmers.org.
The AFVGA is an affiliate of the Alabama Farmers Federation, the state’s largest farm organization that represents more than 330,000 member families.