Fruit and Vegetable Growers Connect to Solve Unique Challenges
March 12, 2020 
Highland Ag Solutions’ Walt Shappley (right) discusses Highland’s offerings and how they can benefit Dick Bowman and J&J Family of Farms during the recently held Fruit and Vegetable Grower Connect event in Isle of Palms, SC.
Photo by Rosemary O. Gordon
Wild Dunes Resort in Isle of Palms, SC, was the location for some of the largest fruit, vegetable, and citrus growers in the Eastern U.S. to meet in February with leading industry suppliers to focus on finding solutions to growers’ problems.
An invitation-only event, Fruit and Vegetable Grower Connect brings together growers and suppliers for two days of one-on-one meetings in an environment free of distractions to concentrate on helping farming operations move forward.
Before heading to South Carolina, growers were interviewed to uncover the pressing needs of their farms and areas where improvements can be made. In turn, suppliers were brought in to address some of those needs and concerns, including the areas of crop protection, labor, plant nutrition, and custom software — to name just a few.
Grower Benefits
Learning about new products, services, and technology from the vendors in a relaxed setting was one of the biggest advantages for growers.
Betsy Brightly of Brightly Farms LLC in New York said she was impressed with the meetings in general.
“I was pleased that I met so many knowledgeable people who were eager to pick up new clients, and we were eager to find ways to make the farm more profitable,” she said.
If he had not attended Connect, Caleb Ayers, Farm Manager at Duncan Family Farms Northeast in New York, said he would not have encountered several new vendors and would have missed out on a great opportunity to spend quality time with them, one on one, and go into detail about what each company offers.
Meet For 50 Minutes
Many attendees agreed the meeting time between growers and suppliers — 50 minutes — was just right. Dean Brightly, majority owner of Brightly Farms LLC, said he had the appropriate time to express his needs, listen to what the vendor can do for him and his operation, and come away with ideas on how to move forward.
“It is the perfect amount of time,” said Walt Shappley, Director of Marketing and Customer Experience at Highland Ag Solutions. “The big difference between Connect versus a trade show is at a trade show you are catching people as they walk by. It’s like fishing. [At Connect], when you close the door and people sit down, it is a totally different meeting. For me [the Connect meetings] have been the most effective meetings I have had in years.”
Tim Feathers, an agronomist with Redox, said 50 minutes provided enough time to discuss pertinent points with growers and create a follow-up plan.
“I was very surprised that some of the time when [the meeting time was over], the grower wasn’t ready [to leave] because he was engaged in the conversation,” Feathers said. “Even with that, we could catch up at lunch or catch up at supper. There were other opportunities to talk. I felt that everything was so focused that there was no wasted time or effort, so we could pinpoint things that would be beneficial for us and [the growers].”
Networking Opportunities
In addition to the one-on-one meetings, the event also gave attendees an opportunity to network during receptions and meals. Growers, in particular, had a chance to talk and listen to one another at the Grower Roundtable held on the first day of the event.
They discussed everything from labor costs and government regulations, to water issues and pricing, to imports. The focus of the discussions was on finding solutions.
“I’ve never sat with a grower and talked about operations and not learned something, so I learned a tremendous amount just from listening to the growers I encountered,” said Austin Spivey, Production Manager at IMG Enterprises in Florida.
Adam Van Dyk, Co-owner of Van Dyk Farms in Michigan, agreed the event was a learning opportunity. “I really enjoyed meeting the growers and hearing about their challenges — across the industries — and relating to them,” he said.
If you would like more information about Connect, email Rosemary Gordon at [email protected].
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