Annual Tennessee Horticultural Expo and Agritourism Conference to bring farmers together

Sessions to explore marketing, farm family communications and land transfer issues

Agritourism operators, fruit and vegetable growers, on-farm winemakers, flower growers and farmers market vendors and managers will all gather in Nashville for the 2013 Tennessee Horticultural Expo and Agritourism Conference on Jan. 24-26.

According to Megan Bruch, marketing specialist with the University of Tennessee Center for Profitable Agriculture and co-chair of the agritourism session, “The conference will once again bring together farmers for unique networking and educational opportunities. Speakers will include UT Extension experts and seven agritourism operators who will share their ideas and experiences on how to offer innovative attractions and how to effectively market these businesses.”

Featured speaker, Ron Hanson, from the University of Nebraska, will share wisdom and wit in his motivational and humorous presentations on serious topics including farm family communication, working effectively with family members and transferring the farm to the next generation.

“This year’s conference will also include a new day of trade show exhibits geared especially for agritourism operators and the always popular farm tours,” says Pamela Bartholomew, agritourism coordinator with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. Bartholomew serves with Bruch as a co-chair of the Expo’s agritourism session. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture is a major sponsor of the event.

Other Tennessee Horticulture Expo sessions will highlight fruit, vegetable, and flower production; winemaking; marketing; regulations and other issues of interest to producers.

Additional information about the conference including a tentative agenda, registration instructions and lodging information is available online at the Tennessee Horticultural Expo website: http://www.tnthe.com. Register by Jan. 15 to save $25 on registration fees.

Source: Sessions to explore marketing, farm family communications and land transfer issues