November 2021 - 10

GREAT LAKES EXPO NEWS
Succotash session set for 2021 Great Lakes EXPO
in-person EXPO means the opportunity
to get back to what the EXPO does best
- uniting the worlds of academia and
industry.
" I've always thought that the
With a return to an in-person event
in December, the 2021 Great Lakes
Fruit, Vegetable & Farm Market
EXPO and Michigan Greenhouse
Growers Expo is excited to welcome
growers back with a lineup of signature
educational sessions.
In the Succotash session, Ben
Phillips, an Extension educator at
Michigan State University (MSU) and
James DeDecker, the director of the
MSU Upper Peninsula Research and
Extension Center, will offer an overview
of different pest
complexes that
affect sweet corn,
snap peas and
green beans.
" Within those
JAMES DEDECKER
crops, we'll be
taking an in-depth
look at what kind
of damage twolegged
and four-legged pests, birds and
other vertebrates can do, " DeDecker
said. " We'll be diving into that type of
damage, sharing other approaches to
management and detailing different
BEN PHILLIPS
mitigation that growers can use. "
Phillips said the Succotash session will
be " fun and different, " broken down by
how many legs the specific pests have,
from zero (diseases) to six (insects).
" (The session) is COVID-influenced
and will be based on the live podcast
format we experimented with during
the pandemic for getting interesting
information out to growers, " Phillips
said. " It will take the form of a talk
show with a host and special guests, ad
spots and live music. "
Other sessions that Phillips is
helping organize include the Unique
U-picks Farm Marketing session,
which will focus on the marketing
success of Blake's Farm, a u-pick
operation with three large Michigan
locations; the Vine Crops Session,
which will feature a full hour of
" how-to " info for new growers; and
the Greens & Herbs Session, in
which Chris Currey, of Iowa State
University, will share production tips
for hydroponically-grown herbs and
large-leaf greens.
" I spend a lot of time fielding calls
and visiting growers who are trying
something new for the first time, "
Phillips said. " So I've chosen to
organize these sessions with beginning
growers in mind, or growers interested
in trying a new crop or style, in
addition to the seasoned pros who
want some deeper info on productlimiting
issues. "
For DeDecker, returning to an
Great Lakes EXPO was definitely
the premier event for specialty crop
growers in the Midwest and beyond, "
DeDecker said. " But what's really
special is that it brings together really
good representation from academia
and the industry - a good collection
of folks in the industry, alongside
research-based information from the
universities and partners. "
It's that same uniting representation,
along with the networking, that
Phillips said makes the EXPO special.
" The networking opportunities
(between growers) are second to none
between the sessions and trade shows, "
Phillips said.
After shifting to a fully virtual
format in 2020 due to the COVID-19
pandemic, the EXPO is planning a fully
in-person event, with every aspect of
the EXPO that attendees and exhibitors
have come to know and love - from
the trade show floor to the signature
educational sessions
The 2021 EXPO is set for Dec. 7-9, and
registration is open now. For information
on the 2021 EXPO, registration and
educational session details and more,
visit glexpo.com. VGN
Presented by:
|
Fruit + Vegetable
FORTY
UNDER
Celebrate With Us!
Join us at the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable & Farm Market EXPO as we celebrate
the Fruit + Vegetable 40 Under 40 Class of 2021.
Tuesday,December 7, 2021
Devos Place Convention Center
4:30 P.M. - 5:30 P.M.
SPONSORED BY:
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November 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2021
