For Immediate Release: Nov. 3, 2022
Contact: Marilyn Bay Drake 303-594-3827 admin@coloradoproduce.org
The Colorado Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association (CFVGA) is asking anyone with a stake in the Colorado produce industry to save Feb. 21-22, 2023 to attend CFVGA’s 9th Annual Conference. Conference goers include farmers, allied industries, researchers, university personnel, CSU Extension employees and nutritionally minded consumers. The conference will be held in a new venue, the Westin Hotel in Westminster, and will offer a new format.
The conference kicks off at noon Feb. 21 with a luncheon and membership meeting. All are invited to attend. The schedule continues into early evening the same day, resumes early morning on day two and concludes early that afternoon.
The Tuesday (Feb. 21) evening keynote session, “Agriculture Climate Resiliency Tools and Policy Opportunities,” will feature A.G. Kawamura, former secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture. He is founding co-chair of Solutions from the Land, a non-profit that is developing innovative and sustainable climate smart collaborations for 21st century agriculture. He serves on multiple boards and committees, including the Southern California Water Coalition, Farm Foundation Board and Western Growers Association Board.
“With drought that is unprecedented in our lifetimes, agriculture is aware it must quickly find solutions to raise the food needed by growing populations in our country and our world and to do it with less water,” said Bruce Talbott, CFVGA president. “We hope this session will inspire innovation to address our state’s water shortage.”
Conference attendees will be able to choose from a variety of educational sessions, including the latest in research and production practices, produce pricing strategies, food safety techniques and exploration of drip irrigation. Sessions also will be available on the Ag Labor Rights & Responsibilities Act (ALRRA), also known as SB21-087, and practical workforce resources gleaned from farmworker ergonomic research conducted the summer of 2022.
The conference also will feature a full slate of exhibitors showcasing produce production goods and services. The conference will wind up on day two with the grower-buyer networking session.
Registration opens early December. See the CFVGA conference website for more information.
The CFVGA is comprised of more than 250 members, including growers of all sizes and types of production throughout the state, as well as representatives of allied industries. The Colorado fruit and vegetable growing sector contributes nearly $485 million to Colorado at the farm gate and is multiplied as it goes through the distribution chain. Over 90,000 Colorado acres are in fruit and vegetable production.
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