February 7, 2008
Marketing conference will teach producers value-added agriculture
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Ohio River Valley Farm Marketing Conference will take place Feb. 19-20 at the Holiday Inn and Roberts Convention Centre in Wilmington, Ohio.The Purdue University Cooperative Extension service is co-host for the conference, which will feature speakers, breakout sessions and a trade show exhibit focused on marketing agricultural products.
"Along with university and Extension professionals sharing their expertise, producers will also speak about their experiences," said Nick Held, Purdue Extension educator and member of the conference planning committee. "It will be very beneficial for participants to hear about these producers' real-world marketing practices."
The conference will begin Feb. 19 with a welcome reception featuring local wine and cheese tasting, tri-state product sampling, and a producer and buyer panel discussion. The program will continue Feb. 20 with keynote speaker Rick Raque, president of Allied Food Marketers. Raque will speak about today's new consumer initiatives and how to succeed as an agricultural entrepreneur.
Following, attendees will have the choice between three breakout sessions. Topics will include: "Local food trends," "Marketing your product" and "Meat Product Marketing."
Kris Parker, Purdue Extension educator, is the presenter for the "Local Food Trends" session and will discuss how to build awareness within a community and bring producers, consumers and the community together.
A lunch program will feature Stan Ernst, Ohio State University Extension Outreach Program leader, who will speak about niche markets, consumer demand, product branding and product merchandising. Sarah Aubrey, founder of Aubrey's Natural Meats, is another speaker during the event.
Two-day registration is $50, while one-day registration is $40. The rate will include meals, the reception and conference activities. The registration deadline is Feb. 12. To download a registration brochure, visit https://directmarketing.osu.edu/orvfmc/. For more information, contact Tom Snyder at (740) 289-2071 ext 220 or snyder.11@osu.edu, or Joy Bauman at (740) 289-2071 ext 111 or jbauman@ag.osu.edu.
Other hosts for the event include the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service and the Ohio State University Cooperative Extension Service.Writer: Hannah Brescher, (765) 494-8402, hbresche@purdue.edu
Source: Nick Held, (812) 926-1189, nheld@purdue.edu
Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Beth Forbes, forbes@purdue.edu
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