Annual horticulture show opens Jan. 13 in Arkansas

Monday, December 5, 2016

Building healthy economies with local and regional food systems will headline the topics presented at the 36th Annual Horticulture Industries Show in Fayetteville, Arkansas. This year’s theme is “Local Foods, Farms, Gardens and Success.”

Slated Jan. 13-14, the HIS has continually provided growers and the public with the latest information on vegetable and fruit production, Christmas trees, farmers market crops, Master Gardeners Volunteer programming and public gardening issues. The conference is open to the public and will take place at the Chancellor Hotel, 70 N. East Ave., in downtown Fayetteville.

Anthony Flaccavento, president of SCALE, Inc., and a national leader on food hub development, will be the keynote speaker. He is a certified organic produce farmer and has 25 years of hands-on experience in sustainable community development. He founded and directs the Appalachian Sustainable Development and is the author of Healthy Food Systems: A Took Kit for Building Value Chains.

Flaccavento also will share his perspective on how growers can balance the needs of growing produce for both wholesale and direct-to-consumer markets.

Other speakers include Virginia cider apple orchardist Eliza Greenman, who will talk about heirloom apples for the south and the Ugly Fruit Project, along with Lane McConnell from Farmers Market of the Ozarks in Springfield, Missouri. McConnell will provide information about strategies farmers can employ to advance their social media marketing skills. Presentations in the Master Gardener/Public Garden session will present programs involving younger generations and how to “cultivate their young minds” leading to a great future in horticulture.

The conference will provide attendees with educational programs and trade show activities for individuals with horticultural interest in Oklahoma, Arkansas and surrounding states. Educational workshops will be presented by growers, researchers and other speakers from the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, Oklahoma State University, Ozark Botanical Gardens, the National Center for Appropriate Technology and others.

Early two-day registration, due before Dec. 29, is $55 per person and up to two additional adults from the same business (including spouses) for $40 each. One-day registration is $42 for Friday or $25 for Saturday. Children and students with ID can register for free. Late or onsite registration is $75 for two days, $60 for Friday or $35 for Saturday.

Tickets for a local foods lunch and reception also are available if purchased before Dec. 29. Full conference schedule and registration information is found at http://www.hortindustriesshow.org/2017-show.

For more information, contact Becky Sellers, HIS executive secretary, at 405-696-3079 or by email at hortindustriesshow@gmail.com.