WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Indiana Horticultural Conference and Expo will feature more than 150 education sessions, a trade show and networking events for fruit, wine, vegetable, hemp and other growers on Feb. 11-13. Experts from Purdue University, Ohio, Michigan, Iowa and as far away as California will share the latest developments in specialty crop production, labor and business. Indiana Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch will deliver one of the three keynote addresses.
Registration is open at https://www.indianahortconference.org/registration-pricing/ for the annual event, previously known as the Indiana Horticultural Congress. It will be held at the Indianapolis Marriott East, 7202 E. 21st St. Three-day and one-day registration packages are available. Early bird deals will end Nov. 27.
Attendees are welcome to explore 14 educational tracks led by speakers from Purdue, Indiana Farm Bureau, and Indiana and national businesses. New sessions featured this year include hemp production, ag tech, urban agriculture, Farm 360 and a poster session. For a complete list of sessions, visit https://www.indianahortconference.org/session/.
In addition to group sessions, attendees will come together on Wednesday for a joint plenary session featuring:
- Indiana Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch.
- Susan Yoder, executive director of Seed Your Future. “Promoting Horticulture and Inspiring People to Pursue Careers in Plants.”
- Michael Bowman, co-founder of First Crop, Inc. “Hemp Renaissance: The Fusion of an Ancient Plant, 21st-Century Technology and Yankee Ingenuity.”
- Updates will be provided by Aaron Patton, head of Purdue’s Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture; Jason Henderson, associate dean of the College of Agriculture and director of Purdue Extension; and Karen Plaut, the Glenn W. Sample Dean of the College of Agriculture.
Continuing education credits are available for certified crop advisers, certified professional agronomists, certified professional soil scientists and soil classifiers. Certified private pesticide applicators can attend recertification sessions for an additional fee. Participants will need a private applicator license number to receive recertification credit.
The conference provides networking opportunities with a social on Tuesday evening, an awards ceremony on Wednesday evening, and a trade show lounge for attendees to meet with colleagues and vendors.
The conference expo was designed to increase attendee traffic and ensure a great experience for vendors with 70 booths available. More information is available at https://www.indianahortconference.org/exhibitors/. New this year is a product showcase for vendors at the trade show. Vendors will unveil new products or services on the showcase stage. More information is available at https://www.indianahortconference.org/new-product-showcase/.
Special hotel rates for IHC attendees are $142 per night at the Indianapolis Marriott East and $132 per night at Delta Indianapolis East (conveniently attached to the Marriott). Reservations can be made via the link on the IHC website or by calling 800-991-3346 and requesting the IHC block rate.
New IHC sponsorship opportunities are available for businesses wanting to increase their brand awareness. Visit https://www.indianahortconference.org/sponsorship/ for details.
For more information, contact Lori Jolly-Brown, events and communications coordinator for Purdue’s Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, at 765-494-1296, ljollybr@purdue.edu.
— Purdue University Agriculutre News
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