Stay Tuned For Live Coverage of U.S. Apple Association’s Apple Crop Outlook & Marketing Conference
August 18, 2015 
Dave Eddy
Richard Jones
Editor Dave Eddy and Group Editor Richard Jones and will be in Chicago to present Bill Dodd with the 2015 Apple Grower of the YearSM award and attend the 2015 USApple Outlook and Marketing Conference. Follow them on Twitter at @Dave_WFG_AVG and @Richard_AVG_AFG.
American Fruit Grower® and Western Fruit Grower™ magazine’s 2015 Apple Grower of the YearSM will be officially presented on Thursday, Aug. 20, during the USApple Association’s Crop Outlook and Marketing Conference.
This year’s deserving winner, Bill Dodd, follows in the footsteps of such past winners as Grady Auvil, Ralph Broetje, Gary Mount, Mo Tougas, Evan and Nathan Milburn, Dan Boyer, Mike Taylor, John Rice, and many others.
The Apple Grower of the Year award program, sponsored by Valent U.S.A., honors apple growers who have gone beyond the confines of the orchard and have, through their involvement and leadership, made a real impact on the apple industry.
“It is with great pleasure we honor Bill Dodd as Apple Grower of the Year. Bill is not only a fine horticulturist and tireless industry advocate, he’s an educator. He wants kids – many of whom have zero connection to agriculture – to understand that food doesn’t come from the grocery store” David Eddy, editor of American Fruit Grower and Western Fruit Grower says.
Dodd is honored for his creativity and resourcefulness in running his own business, and for his service to other growers in the apple industry. The award was announced in the August issue of American Fruit Grower and Western Fruit Grower magazines.
Dodd is a fourth-generation apple grower, whose family has operated Hillcrest Orchards since 1928. He is the second Ohio grower to be named Apple Grower of the Year. Mitch Lynd of Lynd Fruit Farm in Pataskala, Ohio, was selected in 1995.
Hillcrest Orchards is 30-acre wholesale and retail operation. Dodd, along with his wife, Diane, offer apple and pumpkin picking, a corn maze, hay rides and a straw tunnel play area. But what they’re really selling, he says, is an education, and a connection to the family farm.
The 2015 Apple Crop Outlook and Marketing Conference (Outlook 2015 ) brings all aspects of the apple industry together Aug. 20-21 in Chicago, IL. This two-day conference, hosted annually by USApple, will feature fresh data on global apple crop projections, highlight the latest consumer marketing trends, and offer networking opportunities.
Global Apple Crop Preview
Highlighting the conference will be a broad analysis of the first forecast for this fall’s apple crop. USApple’s own member-driven projections will be compared to predictions from USDA’s prospective apple crop report. This industry data will include specific overviews for the five key apple-producing regions. Historically, the consensus emerging from this conference on the size and quality of the coming crop, by region, is remarkably close to actual results.
In addition, Outlook 2015 will feature experts from key global apple markets, including Canada, Mexico, Europe, and China, who will examine continued growth in global markets and the collective impact on U.S. marketing efforts and on the bottom line.
Outlook 2015 attendees will receive a copy of USApple’s 2015 Production & Utilization Analysis Report, a statistical analysis of the apple industry. This publication — not available prior to the conference — examines apple volume, value, crop movement and utilization, and U.S. export and import trends.
Consumer Marketing Trends
Ever-changing consumer interests and economic trends continue to drive the year-round demand for apples and apple products worldwide, leaving apple growers and marketers to constantly pursue ways to efficiently produce and effectively market their fruit. Outlook 2015 will provide a broad perspective of current and emerging consumer trends, and how they will influence apple marketing strategies for a competitive edge. Industry experts will offer a glimpse into the minds of today’s consumers and the factors driving their purchasing demands, preferences, and behaviors.
Subscribe Today For
