Registration is now open for the Southeast (SE) Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference, the south’s premier fruit and vegetable educational conference and trade show for growers, packers, and shippers. Co-sponsored by the South Carolina Peach Council and Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA), the 2023 SE Regional Conference will return to the Savannah Convention Center in Savannah, Georgia, on Jan. 5-8.
The conference will feature presentations on the most pertinent topics in the industry and highlight more than 290 exhibiting companies, featuring the latest in technology, supplies, services and equipment, says Chris Butts, GFVGA executive vice president.
“SE Regional has become the go-to event for fruit and vegetable producers from across the region,” Butts said. “We are excited to bring our community of industry partnerships, including research organizations, Cooperative Extension and corporate experts from across the country to produce a super-informative educational conference with cutting edge information that growers can take back to the farm and implement in their operations. With input costs continuing to put a squeeze on growers we need different approaches to make our business better. Our produce operators find solutions at the SE Regional Tradeshow as they connect with leading and budding suppliers and service providers from around the world.”
Next year’s three-day educational conference will offer more than 80 hours of concurrent, commodity specific presentations with topics spanning from production training, pest management and marketing and business operations. Commodity conferences include peach, vegetable, citrus, Vidalia onion, watermelon, muscadine, blueberry, strawberry, blackberry and raspberry. There are also sessions on business operations, food safety, roadside markets, organic production and precision ag technology.
“Following a successful in-person show last year, our educational coordinators are even more reinvigorated to produce an outstanding education conference this year,” said Beth Oleson, director of education for GFVGA. “We work hard to ensure we are providing educational opportunities that our produce operators want as well as new information they need. This year’s program is filled with fresh, applicable sessions from subject matter experts from across the southeast, the U.S. and the globe.”
Other special events during the conference help facilitate networking and personal connections. These include a Friday night reception and live auction on the trade show floor, an awards program on Saturday morning and an Industry Roundtable to close the Conference.
For more information on hotels, educational sessions or to register for the 2023 SE Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference, visit www.seregionalconference.com or call (706) 845-8200.