Anyone growing vegetables or small fruit for sale should plan to attend the Western Pennsylvania Vegetable and Berry Growers Seminar from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Nov. 15 at the Days Inn on Route 8 south in Butler Township.

Commercial vegetable growers from Western Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia will learn the latest information and products available to help them profitably grow top quality produce.

Activities include a vegetable production session, which will run all day and emphasize sweet corn; a concurrent berry session in the morning; and a farm tourism session in the afternoon.

Core and category credits will be available for pesticide applicator licenses in the production sessions.

The vegetable session will feature Ohio grower Gary Sweet discussing how to grow and sell top quality sweet corn. Blake Myers of Siegers Seed Company will help to sort out some of the confusion surrounding the many different types and varieties of sweet corn on the market today.

Dave Johnson, manager of the Penn State research farm at Landisville, Lancaster County, will update growers on the latest in sweet corn weed control. Other production topics include soil quality issues and an update on tomato variety plots.

The concurrent berry production session includes talks on strawberry varieties, frost protection, recent pest problems and management, and brambles diseases.

Speakers include Kathy Demchak and Dr. Elsa Sanchez, both with the Penn State Department of Horticulture.

Topics in the business and marketing session will focus on agri-tourism. Brant Bickel of the state Department of Agriculture and Kathy Allen of Armstrong Farms Bed and Breakfast will be the speakers.

Educational sessions are complimented by an excellent trade show that includes more than 25 vendors supplying everything from seed to chemicals to fertilizer.

Registration fee is $20 (includes lunch) if received by Nov. 11. Walk-in registration will be $25 at the door.

To request a program and registration form, contact the Penn State Extension, Butler County, 101 Motor Pool Way, Butler, PA 16001, or call 724-287-4761.