Michael Rogers discusses several educational opportunities for citrus growers, including the Citrus, Vegetable and Specialty Crop Expo and Citrus Packinghouse Day. Rogers is the director of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC).
The Expo (Aug. 18-19) and Packinghouse Day (Aug. 26) will be held in-person this year after taking place virtually in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “There’s a lot of things that happen when you talk to people in person – ideas that are generated, partnerships developed and … camaraderie,” Rogers says.
The first day of Expo seminars at the Lee Civic Center in North Ft. Myers will focus on citrus. Currently, 18 brief presentations are scheduled between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.. They will cover “a number of topics that are timely and relevant for what growers are doing right now,” Rogers says.
As usual, UF/IFAS will have a large booth at the Expo trade show. “We’ll be having some hands-on things” at the booth, Rogers says. He notes that UF/IFAS specialists and Extension agents will be in attendance. “Stop by and just say ‘hi’ if nothing else,” Rogers urges.
Rogers calls Citrus Packinghouse Day, to be held at the CREC in Lake Alfred, “a fantastic opportunity for folks working on the post-harvest side of the citrus production system.” He points out that attendees will have good educational opportunities as well as have the chance to talk with others in the industry.
Finally, Rogers urges growers and others to utilize the UF/IFAS Citrus Research website, where presentations from many UF/IFAS meetings are posted. The website also has much other information about citrus research. He says the COVID-19 pandemic has caused the UF/IFAS citrus team to get more comfortable with electronic technology and what can be done online.
This interview with Rogers is featured in the June All In For Citrus podcast, a joint project of UF/IFAS and AgNet Media. Listen to the full podcast here.
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