The All Florida Ag Show bills itself as “ the only industry gathering dedicated to bringing together members of all agricultural sectors across the Sunshine State in one place to discuss issues , exchange ideas and learn about new techniques , products and services to bolster and better their operation .”

The show originated from an idea that a Highlands County Farm Bureau board member came back with from Florida Farm Bureau ’ s annual Field to the Hill trip in Washington , D . C . “ Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack spoke to our group ,” said Scott Kirouac , Highlands County Farm Bureau president . “ He felt as time moved forward that it was more and more important that commodity groups work together to share common issues and problems .

“ We approached the folks at Meister Media with the concept of a trade show that encompasses all forms of Florida agriculture instead of a typical show like a citrus show or a nursery show ,” Kirouac added . “ That ’ s what we did last year . It was our inaugural show .”

This year ’ s All Florida Ag Show will be held April 24-25 at the Highlands Today Center in Sebring . The event will start at 8:30 a . m ., April 24 with registration at 8 a . m . The seminars conclude at 4 p . m . on April 25 .

“ The 2013 All Florida Ag Show is shaping up to be a great follow-up to our inaugural event last year ,” said Frank Giles , Meister Media Worldwide . “ The show will feature a broad educational program that will be a good resource for growers across various segments of agriculture in our state .

“ In addition , the show is a great place for farmers to network with other growers and agriculture ’ s support industry ,” Giles added . “ The tradeshow floor will be full of exhibitors of products and services growers need for successful production today .”

The All Florida Ag Show rewards early birds . Tickets for the show are $ 25 if you purchase them before April 17 . With your early ticket purchase , your meals are included in that $ 25 price for both days . If

you purchase your tickets after that date or at the door , the price is $ 35 with the option to purchase meal tickets for $ 10 per day .

“ Last year , the BBQ catering company did a phenomenal job on the lunch ,” Kirouac proclaimed . “ Everybody was extremely pleased with the lunch they got , with the atmosphere and the ease of parking .”

A big advantage the folks at the All Florida Ag Show like to tout is the event location . Sebring and the Highlands Today Center are easily accessible from all points of Florida .

“ One of the things we heard from the exhibitors and attendees is that they loved the location with Sebring being pretty much geographically in the center of the state , which enabled them to travel here within a

relatively short distance ,” Kirouac said . “ We ’ re an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and a half from the east coast or the west coast . We had a lot of people come from all over the state .”

Kirouac also sees Sebring as an ideal location for their show because of its small town feel and cost . “ A lot of people were very receptive to the show because it was not a typical show in a big city like Orlando or Ft . Lauderdale where it would cost a lot to exhibit there .

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