February 2-4, 2016
Article & Photos by Ruth Faivre, Managing Editor
Even a major snowstorm proved to be no match for the pulling power of the 2016 UW Extension & WPVGA Grower Education Conference & 67th Industry Show.
Predictions of up to twelve inches of snow for the first day of the show caused many people to arrange to stay overnight in advance.
Although the storm produced a blinding blizzard and several inches of snow, it did not reach the projected twelve inches and everyone hunkered down, attending the numerous conferences and Industry Show vendors who reported record numbers of visitors to their booths, producing new leads and quality time with current customers.
The Grower Education Conferences were filled with growers determined not to let the storm keep them from important information regarding the issues that face them in the coming year.
Old favorites and new presenters focused on a variety of subjects including the all-important water issues of high capacity wells, recharge studies, irrigation technologies and conservation practices; pesticides, insecticides and fungicides; reports on 2015 projects; handling infections and rot; late blight; Wisconsin’s Healthy Grown program; soil mapping and supplements; new crop varieties and much more.
The luncheons, cocktail hour appetizers and Annual Banquet meals produced numerous compliments about the superb quality of the Holiday Inn’s food and drinks. The icing on the cake was the wonderful Annual Banquet entertainment, “Piano Fondue,” a dynamic and interactive dueling piano group, who performed following the awards ceremony.
