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“ Exhibitors and attendees said this was a great show to come to , so easy to get in and out of and plenty of places to eat ,” Kirouac added . “ The hotels are nice and clean . Nothing but positive things from last year ’ s show that we hope to continue on this year .”
While last year ’ s inaugural show was a great success , there is still room for improvement . Kirouac mentioned that they will provide more exhibit space this year since
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they had to turn some exhibitors away last year .
“ We are going to work on additional outside exhibitor space ,” Kirouac said . “ We would like to get some larger equipment vendors to display their larger pieces of equipment in an outdoor venue to go along with the indoor exhibitors .”
Another improvement Kirouac hopes to make is adding more variety with their scheduled speakers . “ We want to include topics like labor and immigration , water , and emerging crop trend and technology that affect all of agriculture .”
Everything considered , last year ’ s inaugural event exceeded expectations and was deemed a big success . “ The foundation that was laid last year by Highlands County Farm Bureau put together a top-notch program of speakers to talk about up-and-coming
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specialty crops like blueberries and peaches ,” said Frankie Hall , Florida Farm Bureau director of Agricultural Policy . “ Growers could walk away from the conference last year with information they could use to enter a new viable market in Florida .”
Hall said the key to the All Florida Ag Show staying successful year after year will be their level of utilizing the work done by the land grant institutions in the state of Florida .
“ The All Florida Ag Show can potentially provide an excellent venue for new and upcoming research on different varieties of crops that can be grown and marketed in Florida ,” said Hall .
For more information on the All Florida Ag Show , access www . allfloridaag . com . •
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Top photo : These two youngsters were all smiles at the 2012 show . Bottom photo : Yearling Middle School students Jarred Morgan , left , Josey Pearce , Jacque Linephares and Tristen Anderson traveled from Okeechobee County to attend the show last year . |