The Washington State Tree Fruit Association will host its 119th Annual Meeting and NW Hort Expo at the Three Rivers Convention Center and Toyota Center in Kennewick, Wash., on Dec. 4-6.
The two-and-a-half-day event serves as a forum to discuss the latest trends and hot topics within the tree fruit industry, according to a news release. This year’s theme is Deep Roots — New Strategies: Innovative Thinking for Today’s Challenges.
Topics of interest include:
- How to stay competitive as profit margins tighten.
- Climate challenges.
- Market conditions.
- Updated horticultural practices.
The goal of the year’s meeting is not only to discuss the challenges facing the industry, but also to identify strategies and solutions to overcome them, the release said.
Staying consistent with this year’s theme, the Batjer Address will be given by David Granatstein, professor emeritus at Washington State University. Granatstein will look back at the evolution of sustainability in the food system over the course of his professional career and how the tree fruit industry has participated.
The Dec. 4 keynote speaker will be David Magaña, vice president and senior analyst for Rabobank’s RaboResearch Food and Agribusiness group.
Based in California, Magaña is responsible for covering and analyzing the U.S. and North American fresh fruit, vegetable, and tree nut industries. He has a strong background in agriculture and works together with an international team to collect key insights into commodity markets, conduct in-depth analysis of the factors that drive sector success or failure and examine the megatrends that ultimately influence clients’ business strategies, according to the release.
This year the NW Hort Expo will expand to accommodate more exhibitors at both the Three Rivers Convention Center and Toyota Center, the release said. The trade show is free to attend.
Full meeting information, including the program guide, events, registration forms and lodging information, are available at the WSTFA website, wstfa.org.
