Each month, KHC will be featuring one of the Council’s member organizations to highlight how these groups support horticulture in Kentucky. This month is the Kentucky Vegetable Growers Association, also known as KVGA. This non-profit professional member organization was established in 1970 to bring together individuals interested in vegetable production. You can connect with KVGA online (www.kyvga.org) or on Facebook (@KYVGA).
One of the organization’s most important activities is to co-sponsor the annual Kentucky Fruit and Vegetable Conference each January. The statewide conference provides the opportunity for KVGA members to learn the latest production techniques from university specialists and produce growers and network with others interested in vegetable production and marketing. The trade show features equipment and supply dealers as well as technical service providers. Educational sessions focus on such topics as commercial produce production, organic production, protected agriculture systems, and product market channels including farmers’ markets, direct and wholesale marketing, and agritourism.
Conference registration includes an annual membership in KVGA. Even if you missed the Conference this year, you can still join and get access to the archived online sessions. Dues can be paid online and then email links to the sessions will be provided. The 2022 Conference is scheduled for Jan 3-4, with pre-conference sessions on Sunday, January 2. The event will be held in Bowling Green at the Sloan Convention Center.
In addition to notification about educational sessions, KVGA provides many member benefits, including a membership to American Vegetable Grower magazine, an insurance plan, access to the KY Ag Health Care Trust, and a quarterly newsletter. Because of COVID disruptions to usual activities, in 2021, KVGA offered a discounted registration rate to “attend” the virtual Conference attendees and access to the quarterly newsletter. The 2021 KVGA June newsletter is now available online as well as back issues. This new issue covers some really great content.
Each year KVGA recruits board members and officers from within the industry to represent the different sizes, geographies, and marketing channels of Kentucky vegetable operations. The current KVGA Executive Board is: President: Joel Wilson, Wilson’s Cedar Point Farm (Nancy); Vice President: Shubin Saha, Kentucky Fresh Harvest (Stanford); Secretary: Nathan Truesdell, Circle T Farms (Maysville); and Treasurer: Ron McMaine, McMaine’s Riverhaven Farm (Salvisa). Board of Directors includes: Zeldon Angel, Angel Farms (Winchester); Jonathan Berkshire, Berkshire Farms (Glencoe); Sandi Deutsch, Deutsch Farm (Taylorsville); Nathan Howell, Need More Acres (Scottsville); Annette Meyer-Heisdorffer, Daviess Co Extension (Owensboro); Susan Miller, Miller’s Farm (Stanford); David Neville, Capstone Produce Auction (Campbellsburg); Babette Overman, Overman’s Bluegrass Fruits and Vegetables (Lancaster); Brad Reid, Reid’s Orchard (Owensboro); Jacob Sharpe, Homegrown Direct (Georgetown); Ben Wilson, Dragonfly Hollow Farm (Richmond).
If you have questions about KVGA, you can contact any officer or board member for information or send an email to info@kyvga.org.
