Colorado Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association Holds 10th Annual Conference

Colorado's produce growers are crucial to the state's agricultural landscape, contributing not only to economic vitality but also providing fresh, nutritious produce that sustains local communities and promotes a vibrant, healthy lifestyle. The Colorado Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (CFVGA), founded in 2014 to address challenges in the state's produce industry, has a mission centered on uniting growers across all sectors.

“We advocate for growers of all sizes and practices,” says CFVGA president Roger Mix. “Our priorities include advocacy, education and produce promotion.”

The founding board identified five areas of priority for growers, from which five pillar committees were formed and operate today. These priorities include business development; food safety; health and labor; nutrition and health; and water.

The upcoming 10th annual conference on Feb. 27-28, 2024 at the Westin Hotel in Westminster promises engaging breakout sessions on topics like irrigation sensors, food safety and agriculture (ag) technology. Noteworthy keynote sessions explore climate trends and the intersection of human health and produce prescriptions.

Spoke+Blossom sat down with Mix to learn more about CFVGA’s inclusive community of growers and its upcoming conference.

1. What should attendees expect at this year’s annual conference in Denver?

The conference kicks off at noon Feb. 27 with a luncheon and membership meeting. Attendees then can choose from a number of breakout sessions, including how to effectively use irrigation sensors, the new Food Safety Modernization Act ag water rule, affordable labor-saving ag technology and mitigating weather-related crop losses.

Photos courtesy of Colorado Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association

The Tuesday (Feb. 27) keynote session, to begin at 4:15 p.m., is “Climate: 2023 Weather, El Nino, 2024 and Beyond,” featuring Becky Bolinger, Colorado's assistant state climatologist. The keynote to kick of Wednesday (Feb. 28) is “Growing for Human Health: The Science and Application of Produce Prescriptions,” where panelists will discuss the new movement to “prescribe” fruits and vegetables for health in lieu of medical prescriptions. The opening session will conclude with CFVGA’s annual awards and recognition ceremony.

Breakout sessions on day two include how growers can participate and grants available for farm-to-school programs, getting started in the foreign work H-2A program and opportunities for a skilled ag workforce through community college programs. New to the array of breakout choices will be an open session, where attendees come with topics or questions they want to discuss with their peers in the Colorado produce industry.

In addition to educational sessions, the conference features extended break times and two buffet-style receptions designed to provide plenty of networking time and opportunity for attendees to visit with exhibitors. CFVGA expects to have 40 or more exhibitors with everything from crop inputs, the latest in ag tech and services vital to Colorado’s produce industry. The conference will wind up with a noontime reception, followed by the very popular grower-buyer networking session, where growers and buyers of Colorado produce to meet each other in a fast-paced, speed dating type of format.

2. Why is the association important to Western Colorado? 

CFVGA unites produce growers from all regions, types of production and size to speak in a single voice on the issues that impact their livelihoods. Whether a grower is large, medium or small, whether he or she grows organically or conventionally, or whether the sales channel is CSA, roadside markets or wholesale, there are many issues that impact all of us. Just one example is the Agricultural Labor Rights & Responsibilities Act passed in 2021; CFVGA advocated for flexibility on the hand weeding/hand thinning provision and also was able to get overtime thresholds that better fit Colorado’s compressed growing season.

CFVGA’s annual conference brings together growers for networking, educational opportunities and shared purpose. We invite all growers to attend!

3. How can growers learn more?

Please check us out at coloradoproduce.org. CFVGA is passionate about having the participation of as many Colorado produce growers as possible in its conference and as members and is incentivizing growers to join by offering new grower members the first year free of charge. To join, choose the membership tab at the top of this website and follow the prompts to the membership application. On the payment page, use the code first-timer to claim the free membership. 

This spotlight is a sponsored partnership.