The new Citrus Expo hands-on session hosted by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) drew a full house of appreciative growers.
“I think it went a lot better than we were expecting,” says Michael Rogers, director of the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center. . “We had a full house … They (growers) thought it was very worth their while to stick around and participate. So we’re really looking at ways to expand on that in the future, both at Expo and also doing those types of events around the state as well, because it was so well received by the growers.”
With the hands-on approach, Rogers says, “I think you learn a lot better; you remember things a lot better.” He adds that a Meet the Specialist program that ran concurrently with the hands-on session was also successful. “There were people in line” to talk to some of the UF/IFAS citrus specialists, he says. “It was a really good turnout for that as well.”
Rogers says the usual seminar portion of Citrus Expo was also well received. “The feedback we’ve gotten from growers has been very good,” he says. “They enjoyed the topics.”
Rogers urges growers to offer topic suggestions for future Citrus Expos, and tells where this year’s Expo presentations can be found online in coming weeks.
The Citrus Expo seminar and trade show event held every August in North Fort Myers offers the best opportunity of the year for citrus growers to attend seminars, see products for the grove, and network with industry associates.
This interview with Rogers was featured in the latest All In For Citrus podcast, a joint project of UF/IFAS and AgNet Media. Listen to the full podcast here.
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