Blogging from Small Fruit & Vegetable Conference

The 28th Annual Missouri Small Fruit & Vegetable Conference Kicks-Off today…yesterday I met many farmers' market vendors, produce and fruit growers and some organic producers on the Bus Tour. We visited Willow Green Gardens and Tree Farm and Sunshine Valley Farm in Rogersville, Whispering Oaks Winery in Seymour and Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds in Mansfield.

The schedule for today includes:

Tuesday, February 19
9:00am - 10:00am Keynote Presentation
Regional Marketing to Reach Urban Consumers
Dr. Elizabeth Barham - Leader, Missouri Regional Cuisines Project
University of Missouri-Columbia

10:30am - 12noon Marketing Session Arbindra Rimal, Moderator
Legal Aspects of Label of Origin
Dr. Elizabeth Barham - Leader, Missouri Regional Cuisines Project

Issues Related to Small Business Development
Missouri Small Business Development Centers

Is Selling Local Farm Products to an Institutional Cafeteria a
New Opportunity?
Mr. Jim Quinn - Regional Extension Horticulture Specialist
University of Missouri, Jefferson City

1:30pm - 3:00pm Vegetable Session Andy Thomas, Moderator
Commercial Vegetable Production for Wholesale Markets
Mr. Rusty Lee - Vegetable Producer, Lee’s Farm, Truxton, Mo.

An Overview of High Tunnels in Vegetable and Fruit Production
Dr. Ted Carey - Extension Vegetable Specialist, Olathe Research & Extension
Center, Olathe, Kansas

Marketing our Mix with Mixed Markets
Ms. Karen Pendleton - Owner, Pendleton’s Country Market, Lawrence, Kansas

3:30pm - 5:00pm Blueberry Session Ben Fuqua, Moderator
Michigan Blueberry Update: Varieties, Weeds, and Water Management
Dr. Eric Hanson - Professor of Horticulture, Michigan State University-E. Lansing

Blueberry Diseases and Their Control
Dr. Barbara J. Smith - Research Plant Pathologist, USDA-ARS
Southern Horticultural Laboratory, Poplarville, Mississippi