SE Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference registration opens

Registration is open for the Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference, the south’s premier fruit and vegetable educational conference and trade show for growers, packers and shippers.

The conference returns to the Savannah Convention Center in Savannah, Georgia, Jan. 5-8 with unique presentations on the most relevant topics in the industry and a showcase featuring more than 290 exhibiting companies featuring the latest in technology, supplies, services, and equipment.

The event is sponsored by the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) and South Carolina Peach Council.

“SE Regional has become the go-to event for fruit and vegetable producers from across the region,” Chris Butts, GFVGA executive vice president, said in a news release. “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,” Butts said in the release. “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.”

This year’s three-day educational conference will offer more than 80 hours of commodity-specific presentations with topics that include 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,” Beth Oleson, director of education for GFVGA, said in the release. “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.”

The 2023 trade show will offer a varied assembly of produce industry vendors and suppliers. Hailed as one of the most valuable networking events of the year, the SE Regional trade show provides attendees with the opportunity to compare products, talk with industry representatives, observe demonstrations, network with other growers and learn about the latest in fresh produce technology.

Other 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 conference, visit www.seregionalconference.com or call (706) 845-8200.