Ohio produce growers, marketers visit CEA research center

The Ohio Produce Growers & Marketers Association summer tour had a different look this year.

The annual gathering, which usually is held at a local farm, took place June 20 at the Controlled Environment Agriculture Research Complex at Ohio State University in Columbus.

OPGMA Executive Director Valerie Graham said she wanted to give members a firsthand look at the new facility since growers help sponsor the center through annual payments for a statewide research program.

“We learned about tomato, melon and strawberry research as well as floriculture and plant pathology research,” Graham said.

The center also conducts outdoor research that includes pawpaws, tomatoes, pumpkins, blueberries, an apple orchard and a bee lab.

“This is the first round of research that’s going to be going on there,” she said.

A board decides what research projects members would like to see.

“The projects we select are those we believe will have the biggest impact in the state of Ohio,” Graham said.

The association has another event scheduled for early next year. Its annual conference is set for the third weekend in January.

“We’ll have three different tracks — apples, fruits and vegetables and a marketing track,” Graham said.