WEST LAFAYETTE – The annual Indiana Horticultural Conference and Expo (IHC) will take place Jan. 22-23 at the Hendricks County Fairgrounds. Vegetable and fruit growers are invited to join Purdue Agriculture specialists for two days of educational sessions and networking with fellow Indiana and Midwestern farmers and vendors.
Scheduled educational session topics will cover fruit and vegetable production, food safety, controlled environment agriculture, and business marketing. IHC’s annual event will also include a cider-tasting contest and a silent auction to benefit the fruit and vegetable Extension and research fund.
Stephen Meyers, IHC chair and assistant professor of weed science in the Purdue Agriculture Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, said attendees will notice a more streamlined program in 2024, with fruit and vegetable tracks each occurring in a single day. The Hendricks County Fairgrounds will offer a larger venue for the event, giving attendees further opportunities to meet with additional vendors.
“With all of this, we hope to return to the historical core mission of this conference by bringing fruit and vegetable growers, researchers, extensionists, and allied industry members from all different parts of the state together to learn in a spirit of fellowship and improve the lives and livelihoods of Hoosier farmers,” Meyers said. “We look forward to building on the success of the 2023 conference.”
Credits will be available for private pesticide applicators, commercial pesticide applicators, and certified crop advisors. Certified private pesticide applicators can attend recertification sessions for an additional $10 on-site fee by cash or check only. Participants will need a private applicator license number to receive recertification credit.
Sponsorship opportunities are available at https://www.indianahortconference.org/sponsorship/.
Registration is open online through Jan. 15. Attendee registration is $125, which will include lunch, coffee and dessert breaks, and an evening social. The Hendricks County Fairgrounds are located at 1900 E. Main St., Danville, Indiana.
For more information, contact Lori Jolly-Brown, Extension events and communications coordinator for Purdue’s Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, at 765-494-1296 or ljollybr@purdue.edu.
Information: Jillian Ellison, ellison1@purdue.edu; Maureen Manier, mmanier@purdue.edu
Sources: Lori Jolly-Brown, ljollybr@purdue.edu; Stephen Meyers, slmeyers@purdue.edu
Agricultural Communications: 765-494-8415; Maureen Manier, Department Head, mmanier@purdue.edu
