Registration is now open for the 2026 Kentucky Fruit & Vegetable Conference, the premier event for Kentucky specialty crop and produce growers to connect, learn and grow their businesses. The event will take place Jan. 12-13 at the Holiday Inn Sloan Convention Center in Bowling Green, with pre-conference events on Sunday, Jan. 11. 

This annual event is hosted by the University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment in partnership with the Kentucky State Horticultural Society (KSHS), Kentucky Vegetable Growers Association (KVGA), Organic Association of Kentucky (OAK) and Kentucky Horticulture Council (KHC), as well as the Kentucky State University College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (KSU) and Kentucky Department of Agriculture(KDA).

Attendees will benefit from more than 80 expert speakers covering a wide range of production and marketing topics. The trade show will feature more than 70 exhibitors, offering insights into the latest products and services for growers. 

“Each year, this conference provides valuable production and marketing information to Kentucky’s specialty crop growers,” said Cindy Finneseth, assistant professor and Extension specialist for community horticulture in the UK Department of Horticulture. “With so many educational tracks, there should be multiple sessions that appeal to current and prospective growers interested in improving their production practices and increasing profitability.”

Conference sessions will include information on vegetable production (beginner and advanced), high tunnels, organic production, fruit production and business management. A cut flower short course will again be offered in addition to a new roundtable focusing on issues important to urban and small-scale farmers. 

Additional events include the “Farmers Market Short Course” organized by KDA, “Farm Food Safety Plan Writing Workshop” hosted by Cultivate Kentucky, “Bringing the Farm to School Grower Training” organized by Community Farm Alliance, a student research project poster session and a new “From Diagnosis to Action” plant disease management plan pre-conference workshop. The popular fruit grower and vegetable grower year-in-review sessions are also scheduled as pre-conference events. 

“The 'From Diagnosis to Action' workshop will focus on decision-making and utilization of resources to manage diseases,” said Nicole Gauthier, UK professor and plant pathology specialist. “Growers will work together using hands-on activities to create disease management plans. This workshop is applicable for fruit, vegetable and ornamental growers, whether conventional or organic.”

Presenters include Kentucky specialty crop growers, Extension specialists, state agency representatives and out-of-state speakers such as Kristopher Criscione (Virginia Tech), Eric Gallandt (University of Maine), Paul Norrod (University of Cincinnati) and Celeste Scott (University of Tennessee).

Rachel Rudolph, associate Extension professor and vegetable specialist, said there was real value in the social aspect of the conference.

“Not only does the conference have a lot of educational sessions and opportunities to learn new things, it’s also a great opportunity to catch up with everyone,” Rudolph said. “Growers, county agents, specialists and others can have informal conversations between sessions or during meals and learn from each other that way.”

The full conference program and registration instructions are available at https://bit.ly/49z9Jrr. 

Pre-registration is $80 and available online —  https://bit.ly/4ovH7nF  — or by mailing in the meeting registration form available on the event webpage by Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. After this date, registration will be available online or on-site for $100. 

Attendees can reserve hotel rooms at the special group rate using the link on the conference website or by mentioning the conference when booking directly with the hotel. 

For questions about registration, scholarships, student posters or sponsorships, email events@kyhortcouncil.org.

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Writer: Jennifer Elwell, jennifer.elwell@uky.edu 

The Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment is an Equal Opportunity Organization with respect to education and employment and authorization to provide research, education information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function without regard to economic or social status and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, age, veteran status, physical or mental disability or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.