The complete educational program for the 2011 SE Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference, sponsored by the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association and the South Carolina Peach Council, has recently been released. The four-day conference, to be held January 6 -9, 2011, in Savannah, GA, offers informative classes and demonstrations designed to bring the most up-to-date and relevant information to the fruit and vegetable industry.
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“This year’s educational program is truly outstanding,” says Beth Bland Oleson, Education Program Coordinator, “Top speakers from across the country have assembled to provide growers with the knowledge they need to stay up to date and competitive in today’s market. Over 85 hours of production training, pest management information and business marketing updates will be covered.”
The conference features educational sessions for specific commodities on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Commodities include peach, vegetable, Vidalia onion, watermelon, muscadine, pecan, blueberry, blackberry, raspberry and strawberry. Education sessions for organic production, food safety and roadside market will be held as well.
Thursday sessions include the new Business Operations Track. Designed to help producers across all commodity lines, this informative session provides insight into the day-to-day operations and making sound business and marketing decisions. Additionally, The National Blackberry & Raspberry Conference is being held in conjunction with the SE Regional Conference and many Blackberry & Raspberry sessions will be held on Thursday including a Berry Fundamental Workshop.
Covering a wide variety of topics, Friday sessions include A Case for Cover Crops in Establishing Peach Orchards, New Fungicides for Management of Diseases in Vegetables, Trends and Opportunities in the Organic Market, and Review of Early Pecan Varieties. The Food Safety sessions include an FDA Regulatory Update and An Update on GAP Audit Harmonization. The Roadside Market sessions include Funding Sources – USDA Rural Development and Advertising and Promotion that Sells
Saturday’s educational sessions promise to be interesting as well. Topics include Watermelon Diseases and Their Management, Strawberry Transplant Preparation for Annual Plasticulture and Micronutrient Deficiencies in Blueberries and Their Correction. Other sessions include Dormant Pruning Innovations in Processing and Fresh Market Muscadine Grapes, Converting the Sweet Onion into an Odorless Gas and The Bean Plataspid – A New Pest of Beans in Georgia.
Continuing education credits for pesticide application license are available for a number of the sessions on all three days. The conference also offers attendees a trade show with over 200 booths, a silent auction, two receptions and an industry roundtable discussing issues of mutual concern to growers and suppliers alike.
Early bird registration is now open until December 15, 2010. The best value for the conference is a four-day pass for $130.00. For those only able to attend a one day of educational conferences a one day pass is also available for $40.00. Registration and additional information is available at www.seregionalconference.com. For more information on hotels, education sessions or to register for the 2011 SE Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference go to http://www.seregionalconference.com/ or call (706) 845-8200.