Jan 17, 2019

Colorado Farm Show Produce Day is Jan. 29

Colorado Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (CFVGA) urges produce growers and others involved in any aspect of the produce industry to attend the Colorado Farm Show Produce Day Jan. 29 at the Weld County Fairgrounds in Greeley. Produce Day is hosted by CFVGA in conjunction with the Colorado Farm Show.

“Produce day will feature valuable information for anyone involved in any way in the production of fruits and vegetables,” said CFVGA President Robert Sakata, Sakata Farms, Brighton, Colo., who will open the day with an overview of CFVGA, including its activities and work on behalf of Colorado produce growers.

Got Hail? Risk Management Strategies for Weather Related Produce Crop Losses kicks off at 9:10am with growers Harry Strohauer and Jason Griffith and risk management expert Keely Meinecke of American AgCredit discussing production and insurance strategies for mitigating natural disaster.

Five Principles of Soil Health and How to Integrate into Vegetable Production will be presented by Rudy Garcia, West Regional soil health specialist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. This session is scheduled for 10:10 am.

More Crop Per Drop: How to Optimize Irrigation in Lean Water Years with Soil Moisture Monitoring follows at 11:10 am and will feature growers Michael Moss and Jason Condon as well as Doug Larson, High Plains regional manager of Hortau.

Are You Ready for FSMA’s Produce Safety Rule? Resources to Help You Get There will kick off the afternoon at 1:00 pm. Speakers who will provide an update on Food Safety Modernization Act implementation include Cristy Dice, Colorado Department of Agriculture produce safety rule program manager, and Martha Sullins, specialist in agriculture, business management and food systems with Colorado State University (CSU) Extension.

What’s New in CSU Specialty Crops Research, beginning at 2:00 pm will wrap up the day, with presentation of the latest research, including organic weed control, drought studies and moisture monitoring in summer squash and vegetable production under solar panels. This presentation is by Dr. Mark Uchanski, CSU assistant professor of horticulture and Extension specialty crops specialist.

Following the final session, participants are invited to visit directly with presenters and CFVGA board members to learn more. For a more on Colorado Produce Day, see: http://www.coloradofarmshow.com/colorado-produce

In addition to hosting Produce Day at the Colorado Farm Show, CFVGA is gearing up for its third annual conference, Feb. 25-26, at the Renaissance Denver Stapleton Hotel. Early registration rates end Feb. 11. For more information and to register, visit http://cfvga.org  

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.