The Colorado Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association has had a busy summer — and there’s more to come, said Marilyn Bay Drake, executive director.
On Dec. 14, the CFVGA Produce Labor Conference is scheduled for the Pueblo Convention Center in Pueblo, Colo.
Details of the solutions-focused conference are still being developed but will include labor policy updates, a compliance Q&A session and cover topics such as worker health and safety, H-2A, labor contractors and time tracking.
Lunch will feature Colorado-grown produce. Exhibitor spaces are available.
The conference was planned in response to Colorado’s tight agriculture labor market, made even more acute by the Colorado General Assembly’s passage of the Ag Labor Rights and Responsibilities Act in 2021, Bay Drake said.
“The overtime thresholds are taking effect this year and are a real whammy on Colorado growers,” she said.
Looking to 2024, the association’s annual two-day conference is scheduled for Feb. 27-28. About 40 exhibitors will be on hand at the Westin Westminster hotel and resort, Westminster, Colo., to tout their goods and services for an estimated 275 attendees.
Vendors will show off the latest produce input products and farming equipment, and there will be booths where growers can learn about organic certification and farm-related insurance offerings.
With the rising cost of labor and frequent worker shortages, agtech — such as automated weeders — is an important element of the conference, Bay Drake said.
Breakout sessions are planned where visitors can learn about produce production, food safety, weather, advocacy, marketing techniques and the latest labor laws.
Plenty of time will be allocated for buyers and sellers to network, including a two-hour session where growers may visit with supermarket buyers and buyers from the foodservice industry, including schools, restaurants and hospitals, she said.
This summer, CFVGA conducted an influencer tour where social media influencers were able to visit local farms and take part in a cabbage harvest, work on a bean-sorting line and set irrigation tubes.
The association also publishes recipes on its website (coloradoproduce.org) that feature in-season Colorado fruits and vegetables. And CFVGA brought in Carley Smith, a certified nutritional therapy practitioner known as the Fairy Gutmother, to talk to local chefs and retailers about the value of local produce and the role it plays in promoting gut health, Bay Drake said.
