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. on Nov. 14 at the Days Inn on Route 8 south of Butler.

This seminar is designed specifically for the commercial vegetable and/or berry grower in the tri–state area. The meeting draws commercial vegetable growers from Western Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia to learn the latest information and products available to help them grow top quality produce profitably.

The vegetable production session will run all day and emphasize pest management in vegetables and berries.

In the morning, a concurrent berry grower session will be offered and in the afternoon a business session will focus on value added products and wholesale marketing opportunities for Pennsylvania produce.

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

Speakers from Rutgers University, Penn State and industry will share their ideas on crop production, business management and marketing.

The vegetable session will feature guest speakers Bradley Majek and Gerald Ghidiu from Rutgers University.

Majek is the extension specialist for weed science and Ghidiu is the extension specialist for insect pests of vegetable crops. Both are based at the Rutgers research station in Bridgeton, N.J.

They will update growers on the latest information about weed and insect control in vegetables and berries. Other production topics include diseases of vegetables and an update on tomato variety plots.

The concurrent morning berry production session includes talks on strawberry weed control, production systems for strawberries and bramble diseases.

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

Topics in the business and marketing session will focus on opportunities to produce value added products with Larry Grunden of PENNTAP and Rick Stahl, executive director, Southwestern PA Community Development Corporation.

Rita Resick and Rick Stafford of Laurel Vista Farms will discuss branding, produce auctions and ideas for marketing produce.

Educational sessions will be complimented by a trade show that will include more than 25 vendors supplying everything from seed and chemicals to fertilizer and farm market supplies for the commercial grower.

Registration fee is $25, including lunch, if received by Nov. 10. Walk-in registration will be $30 at the door for those who do not pre-register. To request a program and registration form, contact Penn State Extension, Westmoreland County, 214 Donohoe Road, Suite E, Greensburg, PA 15601; call 724-837-1402; or visit any Penn State Extension office in Western Pennsylvania.

This meeting is co-sponsored by the Penn State Cooperative Extension, the Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers Association and commercial vendors.

This material is submitted by Donna Zang, director, and the staff of the Penn State Extension office at the Sunnyview complex.