Bowling Green hosts the 2026 Kentucky Fruit and Vegetable Conference

BOWLING GREEN, Ky.-  The horticulture industry’s top growers and marketers have gathered in Bowling Green for the 2026 Kentucky Fruit and Vegetable Conference being held Monday, Jan. 12 and Tuesday, Jan. 13.

Over 600 attendees will visit the Sloan Conference Center to learn and network with horticulture industry professionals to hear about new technology, marketing and growth techniques, food safety and the newest production research.

The conference has been going on annually since 1992 and features numerous speakers and vendors discussing the ever growing industry which has slowly become one of Kentucky’s biggest.

“Over the last 25 years, we’ve gone from one of the smallest sectors across the state to now, exceeding tobacco, pork, dairy, all of those cash receipts in the last year. So now it’s a $300 million industry across the state of Kentucky. And these people in this room are part of that huge cash receipts, ” said Trevor Terry, executive director of the Kentucky Horticulture Council.

Growers from all across the Commonwealth have made their way to Bowling Green for this conference to hear from 95 guest speakers from both in state and out of state to learn about fruit and vegetable growth and production.

The conference offers an opportunity for growers to network and connect with people from all over the state.

“The state of Kentucky is very diverse. From north to south to east to west, totally different growing environments, totally different, marketing environments,” said Nathan Howell, president of the Kentucky Vegetable Growers. “So together, everybody under one roof to be able to share those, growing techniques, marketing techniques. It brings the state of Kentucky as an industry together.”

The conference also gives young people who are trying to break into the industry a chance to learn from those who have been doing this for a long time.

They have a great opportunity to hear from the community that’s been built over the course of 25 years to help them make their own way.

“There are no stupid questions. You come here and you ask those stupid questions, and you celebrate them.” Terry stated. “So whether you feel like you’re a novice or whether you’re kind of just getting into maybe selling into your farmer’s market or moving into school system or something like that, we can help you. There’s somebody here and they want to help.”