August 2019 - 10

INDUSTRY NEWS
lab will provide custom contract growing for growers' own selections, as
well as tissue culture of the most in-demand hemp selections. Rancho
Tissue will accept orders from registered hemp growers located in any
U.S. state, and will also hold genetics for other hemp growers.
" In addition to my own experience in hemp tissue culture, our
international team of researchers has worked with genetics from the
horticulture industry's leading companies for more than three decades,
positioning us well to successfully produce quality, consistent tissue
culture from any crop or category while providing the utmost protection
for intellectual property (IP), " said Hunter.
For more information or to order hemp or other RTT varieties, visit www.
ranchotissue.com.
GREAT LAKES
FRUIT, VEGETABLE & FARM MARKET
NEW EDUCATIONAL
SESSIONS AT THE
2019 GLEXPO
The 2019 Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable &
New for Spring 2020!
Bloomables™ is made up of
our best flowering roses and
woodies that are easy-to-grow
for the grower and the consumer.
These varieties will not
only look good at retail, they
will bloom all season and offer
high reward in the garden.
To order, contact your Star® Roses
and Plants Territory Manager.
www.BLOOMABLES.com
Farm Market EXPO promises to bring the
latest must-see sessions to the industry.
While the EXPO offers many educational
sessions by crop, the organizers also
bring general information that pertains to
all growers regardless of what they'll be
growing in the spring.
These sessions include a keynote on
consumer trends, a discussion of business
management practices and how online presale
of produce can boost total sales. All
three sessions are a must-attend, especially
for growers who sell at farm markets.
A cattle rancher with a message of
advocacy for agriculture, sparked by a
family-fostered love of farming, keynote
speaker Paige Pratt is thrilled to be a part of
the EXPO for the first time. Pratt will discuss
consumer trends, as things shift from the
practicality of the baby boomer generation
to the new values millennials and Generation
Z bring to the table.
" There is a shift in climate happening, "
Pratt said. " When people purchase products,
they are purchasing things that will line
up more with values rather than just
purchasing products. "
The keynote also promises to provide
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
STAR® ROSES and PLANTS
marketing insights and ways growers can
embrace positivity in their messaging. Pratt
encourages growers and farm marketers
interested in having a seat at the agriculture
industry table of the future to attend. Even
if they are not directly marketing, growers
can learn from Pratt about how to influence
buyers, whether they have commercial
interests or purchasing produce or flora at a
farm market.
Rusty Rumley of the National Agricultural
Law Center will also speak at several sessions.
The Business Management Session is about
types of businesses growers can have and will
outline legal entities and their pros and cons
for growers and farm marketers.
Many growers do not realize they are
automatically considered a sole proprietorship
or a partnership. Besides these two traditional
entities, growers have several other options:
LLC, S Corporation, etc. Rumley will speak
specifically for growers and Extension agents
who work with farm operations and share
reasons why specific business types are better
for growers.
Ruth Ann Roney will lead the marketing
session " Selling More Produce Through
On-Line Sales. " The session, geared toward
anyone who utilizes a farm market or sells
produce in a retail setting, will share tips
on utilizing pre-ordering to bolster event
attendance and sell more produce.
For example, pre-selling flowers for a
wedding party would give farm marketers a
chance to bring people to the market who
wouldn't normally attend, and offer additional
items when they pick up their bouquets.
Roney has attended the EXPO for years,
and encourages growers to make the trip to
Michigan for the show. " As a farmer, it has
always been a place to get great information
and network with a lot of other growers, and
it is one of the best shows to attend in the
Midwest - and even outside the Midwest. "
" With farming and its razor-thin margins,
it is important that people seize every
opportunity they have, about entering new
markets or cutting costs on what they are
already doing, " Rumley added. " Going
to events such as EXPO is a great way to
further develop those skills. "
To learn more about this year's Great
Lakes EXPO, visit glexpo.com.
http://www.ranchotissue.com http://www.BLOOMABLES.com http://www.glexpo.com
August 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August 2019
