Produce Trends, Threats, Opportunities to be Discussed by CFVGA Annual Conference Keynoter David Magana, RaboBank
The Colorado Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association’s Fifth Annual Conference will feature David Magana, senior analyst, RaboBank, who on Feb. 26 will discuss trends, threats and opportunities in global and fresh produce markets. The Fifth Annual CFVGA Conference runs Feb. 25-26, at the Renaissance Denver Stapleton Hotel.“Food safety, along with water and labor availability, will continue to be relevant challenges in the fresh produce industry,” said Magana. “Also, higher consumer expectations for fresh, ‘natural,’ fruits and vegetables present significant challenges and opportunities. Trends such as: automation, Blockchain technologies, online grocery shopping, direct marketing and plant-based foods offer more opportunities than ever before.”
Also bringing greetings to Colorado produce growers will be newly-appointed Colorado Department of Agriculture Commissioner Kate Greenberg.
The first day of the conference will feature a series of “Deep Dive” sessions, where participants choose a topic and continue in the topic for multiple sessions. Among these sessions are managing wildlife in produce fields, succession planning, small-scale vegetable systems and Specialty Crop Block Grant project reports. One of these sessions will include a showcase of software currently on the market that helps produce growers manage food safety requirements and streamline paperwork.
Also scheduled for Feb. 25 beginning at 4pm is the ever-popular grower-buyer networking session that brings together Colorado produce growers and potential buyers. Culminating the conference Feb. 26 will be CFVGA’s second annual Tech Pitch featuring VisuGen, microbiological detection technology; SWIIM Systems, farm irrigation water use monitoring system; ToMarket, a local food logistics system; and GeoVisual, fresh produce production forecasting.
In addition, convention goers will have the opportunity to browse and visit with 45 exhibitors, offering a variety of goods and services relevant to the produce industry.
More information on the CFVGA conference is available at: https://cfvga.org or by contacting CFVGA at 303.594.3827 or admin@coloradoproduce.org
The CFVGA is comprised of more than 250 members, including growers of all sizes and types of production throughout the state, as well as representatives of allied industries. The Colorado fruit and vegetable growing sector contributes nearly $485 million to Colorado at the farm gate and is multiplied as it goes through the distribution chain. Over 90,000 Colorado acres are in fruit and vegetable production.