February 2023 - 12

SE REGIONAL FRUIT & VEGETABLE CONFERENCE
Georgia produce group celebrates
award winners at highly attended show
BY CHRIS KOGER
MANAGING EDITOR
A
ttendance at the Southeast Regional Fruit &
Vegetable Conference, which was Jan. 5-8 in
Savannah, Georgia, was back to pre-pandemic
numbers.
Chris Butts, executive director of the Georgia Fruit
& Vegetable Association (GFVGA), said attendance was
more than 3,000, an increase of 12%
from the 2022 show and in line with prepandemic
attendance numbers.
" The 2023 Southeast Conference was
a testament to the need growers have to
come together in person to learn and gain
insights that they can take back to the
farm and put into use immediately for the 2023 season, "
Butts said.
" We are able to bring together a wealth of
information and networking opportunities for growers
through the incredible support of our exhibitors and
education partners, " he said. " We're looking forward
to 2024 bringing even more value to our attendees,
partners and exhibitors. "
An auction netted more than $23,000 for
association needs.
Along with the expo and dozens of educational
sessions, GFVGA and co-organizer South Carolina
Peach Council recognized industry members in the
region that received accolades throughout the year, as
well as presenting their own awards.
Industry honored
A new GFVGA award traces its roots to Operation
Blooming Onion, a multi-agency investigation that
focused on labor law violations at Georgia onion farms
and elsewhere. Authorities said 24 people conspired
to smuggle Mexican and Central Americans and forced
them to work. Butts said the GFVGA determined it
needed a vehicle to recognize those in the industry that
support ag workers.
" The award celebrates those who advocate on behalf of
both employers and those who support opportunities for
ag workers, " Butts said. " One person's name comes to
mind when you talk about leadership in the ag workforce. "
That person is Dan Bremer, president of AgWorks H2
LLC, Valdosta, Georgia, who the award is named after.
" He and his staff's experience with H-2A and H-2BN
has served our industry well, " Butts said. " In addition to
his service to our industry and growers, he's provided
outstanding service to GFVGA. "
Bremer has donated his time as a GFVGA committee
chair, event speaker and overall supporter of the
association, and Butts said he's the " go-to person " for
all H-2A-related questions.
Bremer encouraged members of the audience to
find a framed print of President Theodore Roosevelt
on display with the association's silent auction items
just outside the entrance to the expo floor. The print
includes passages from Roosevelt's famous " The man
in the arena " speech, given in 1910 in Paris.
" It's about the person who doesn't succeed every
time, but keeps getting up and doing it again, "
Bremer said. " It's the person who does the work,
while other people around them are criticizing what
they do, that they're not doing this right or not doing
12 | FEBRUARY 2023
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February 2023

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