A pair of recently announced educational sessions will explore the growing importance of biologicals as a tool of organic crop production and offer a look at the growth of organic fresh produce sales at grocery stores across the nation this year as the final parts of the 2022 Organic Grower Summit (OGS) presented by Western Growers and OPN educational program.
The first session, "Less Chemistry and More Biology," will explore the various tools that organic growing operations have at their disposal in the production of specialty crops, how growers choose new biological products, and their impact on the cost of doing business and the environment. Moderated by Dennis Donohue, director of the Center for Innovation and Technology at Western Growers, the session will include panelists Pam Marrone, CEO, and founder, of Chestnut Bio Advisors; Don Cameron, vice president/general manager, Terranova Ranch; and Denise Manker, outreach and engagement, biologics, Bayer Crop Science.
Left to right: Dennis Donohue, Pam Marrone, and Don Cameron
"This session will highlight some of the newest biological tools available for growers and how they can best be utilized in the ever-changing landscape of organic fresh produce production," said Donohue.
The second announced session, "Data Dive into Organic Sales," will feature an in-depth look at organic fresh produce sales at retail in 2022 and offer insight into how inflation and a possible recession will impact sales. The session will feature an analysis of sales by Tom Barnes, CEO of Category Partners, as well as Lonnie Gillespie, chief organic officer of Farm Fresh Direct, offering insight into how consumers view fresh organic produce and how the changing economy is altering consumer buying behavior.
"For the past two years, sales of fresh organic produce have flourished as consumers look for healthy, nutritious products to feed their families. This session will explore the growth of organic produce this past year and what the future may look like for consumers," said Barnes.
Left to right: Denise Manker, Tom Barnes, and Lonnie Gillespie
OGS 2022 will be held November 30–December 1 at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel & Spa in Monterey, California.
OGS will also honor long-time organic grower Jeff Huckaby as the recipient of the fifth annual Grower of the Year award. The Grower of the Year award, sponsored by AGCO, will be presented to Huckaby, president, and CEO of Grimmway Farms.
In addition to the award, the other keynote presentation will be "Grower Roundtable: The State of Organic Growing," moderated by Dave Puglia, president, and CEO of Western Growers.
Other educational sessions include:
- The Future of Ag Tech—Expanding On-Farm Profitability
- Regenerative Organic Marketing and Certification—What Lies Ahead?
- The Growth, Opportunities, and Future of CEA Production
- Get Ahead of the Curve and Avoid Regulatory Speedbumps
- Exploring Organic Research: A Discussion of Organic Grower Challenges and Solutions
For more information:
Matt Seeley
Organic Produce Network
Tel: +1 (831) 884-5092
Matt@organicproducenetwork.com
https://www.organicgrowersummit.com/