US (NY): Empire State Producers Expo about to start

The 2017 Empire State Producers Expo will take place on January 17-19 at the OnCenter Convention Center in Syracuse, NY. This annual show combines the major fruit, flower, vegetable, and direct marketing associations of New York State in order to provide a comprehensive trade show and educational conference for New York producers, as well as neighboring states and Eastern Canada. In years past over 100 presentations were given by Cornell Cooperative Extension personnel and highly regarded speakers from across the country. Panel discussions feature some of the top industry experts and growers in New York. Between educational sessions, attendees can visit the trade show featuring over 150 commercial vendors and non-profit exhibitors.

Session organizers for the 2017 Empire Producers Expo are putting the finishing touches on the January program. The speakers and topics that have been submitted thus far for the educational program look to provide a cultivating few days. Topics include commodity specific programs in cabbage, processing vegetables, hops, grains, cut flowers, tree fruit, sweet corn, tomato, onion, potato, Cole crops, root crops and specialty crops; and focused programs in water management and irrigation, weed management, soil health, post-harvest handling, biopesticides, beginning farmer, marketing using social media and apps, transplant and greenhouse production, climate and forecast models, labor, and hard cider production. DEC pesticide recertification credits and Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) credits will be offered during the appropriate educational sessions.

The New York Grown and Certified Program will be presented in a special session on January 18 and will feature the Commissioner of Agriculture, Richard Ball. Commissioner Ball will introduce the new standard for New York State agriculture and provide an opportunity for dialog about this new state-wide program.

For more information:
nysvga.org/expo/information