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The program chairpersons and committees have planned another first-class, three-day grower educational program for the 2023 edition of the Mid-Atlantic Convention January 31 to February 2 at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Over 160 companies will be represented in the trade show which is sold-out with a waiting list of exhibitors anxious to get into the show. A series of pre-convention workshops and a bus tour are set for January 30 with the bus tour being sold out. After a virtual convention in 2021 due to the pandemic and a successful but slightly smaller in-person convention in 2022, the Convention Committee is looking forward to a 2023 Convention that continues to build on the 46-year history of a premier grower educational event.
The 2023 Educational Program will feature three days of six to nine concurrent sessions covering the following areas:
In addition, there is a full day of practical production programming presented in Spanish for farm and orchard workers. Expert speakers from Penn State, Rutgers, University of Maryland, and Virginia Tech, along with others from across the country, will present with selected growers from the Mid-Atlantic region. Click here for details on the Spanish program. Click here for information on Respirator Fit Tests.
The Great American Hall, the Aztec Room, and the Confection Level Lobby at the Hershey Lodge hosts the Trade Show with over 160 exhibitors filling 231 booths. Specialized horticultural equipment, farm market merchandise, and packaging, are all on display along with information on the latest seed varieties, fruit varieties, pesticides and other supplies and services for the commercial grower. The trade show exhibits are open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on the first two days, January 31 and February 1. On February 2, they open at 8:00 a.m. but close at 2:00 p.m. Here’s the list of 2022 Trade Show exhibitors, most of whom are expected to return for the 2023 Convention.
For information on exhibiting at the Trade Show, contact: Maureen Irvin, Convention Coordinator 717-677-4184 or shap@embarqmail.com
Michael Kilpatrick is a farmer, presenter, host, inventor, and online entrepreneur who lives to help entrepreneurs apply business principles and practical, proven solutions to grow their businesses and simplify their lives. He is the owner of Growing Farmers, an online farmer education platform, host of the top-rated Thriving Farmer Podcast; and host of the Thriving Farmer Summit series, which has been viewed by over a quarter million farmers. He has managed large farms and businesses, consulted for industry experts worldwide, and spoken at dozens of conferences. Michael believes anyone can build a profitable farm by following the proprietary RIPEN system that he teaches at the Small Farm University, his company’s educational platform and community for thriving farmers. Michael lives in an 1890s brick house on his 8-acre urban Farm on Central in Southwest Ohio with his wife and 3 kids.
For more about Michael see https://michaelkilpatrick.com/ and https://www.growingfarmers.com/. The keynote presentation will be on January 31 at 11:00 a.m.
The day before the main Convention opens, growers can choose between a bus tour of horticultural businesses in the Adams County area or several different workshops. The workshops include Greenhouse Vegetables, Fruit Tree Pruning, Managing a Profitable Farm Market Bakery, Farm Transition, FSMA Grower Training, Spotted Lanternfly Permit Training, and Pennsylvania Pesticide Applicator License Training. The bus tour will be visiting Hollabaugh Brothers farm market, Musselman’s Greenhouse, Rice Fruit Co., and Adams County Nursery with lunch at Hickory Bridge Farm. (As of January 14, the bus tour is SOLD OUT and no further reservations can be accepted.)
The annual Mid-Atlantic Cider Contest is conducted during the Convention to determine the best cider in the region.
For information on the vegetable program or general information on the Convention: William Troxell, Publicity Coordinator
717-694-3596 or pvga@pvga.org
For information on the fruit program or for information on exhibiting at the Convention: Maureen Irvin, Convention Coordinator
717-677-4184 or shap@embarqmail.com.
Future dates for the Mid-Atlantic Convention at the Hershey Lodge are as follows:
January 30 to February 1, 2024
January 28 to 30, 2025
January 27 to 29, 2026
