FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 7, 2023

Contact: VGANJ Social Media Secretary
Email: vgaofnj@gmail.com

Contact: Devon Perry
+1 (856) 761-9986
Executive Director, GSWGA
Devon@NewJerseyWines.com

2024 New Jersey Agricultural Convention and Trade Show

NJAGCONVENTION2024

The 2024 Annual New Jersey Agricultural Convention and Trade Show will be held Tuesday to  Thursday, February 6-8 at Harrah’s Resort and Waterfront Conference Center 777 Harrah’s  Blvd. in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The convention is hosted in cooperation with the Vegetable  Growers Association of NJ, the NJ Department of Agriculture, and Rutgers Cooperative  Extension. The VGANJ is working with Rutgers Cooperative Extension and others to bring new  offerings to the 2024 convention. Look for new activities in the trade show area, new vendors  and traditional vendors from the past, and new participation from the Garden State Wine  Growers Association. VGANJ is currently accepting exhibitor booth registrations. To find out  more about purchasing a booth space see https://vganj.com/exhibitors.  

What is new for 2024? On Tuesday during the mid-day break, participants at the convention  can pre-sign up and participate in a free “Lunch and Learn” program where exhibitors will  discuss their products and services. Registration is required for the free “Lunch and Learn”  program, complimentary lunch will be provided, and space is limited. Attendees are also  encouraged to participate in the Tuesday evening social and charity auction to bid on some  fantastic items from our supporters. The charity auction will benefit Shriners Hospital and will  be held on the trade show floor. Tickets will be available for the Wednesday, February 7th NJ  Agricultural Society’s luncheon and everyone at the convention is welcome to sign up and buy  tickets to attend. Also, on Wednesday evening, the annual VGANJ/NJDA Awards Dinner and  Banquet will be held. This year VGANJ will be presenting their 2024 Vegetable Growers of the  Year award to Angelo and Leonard Grasso Farms of Mullica Hill, NJ at the Wednesday dinner  banquet. In addition, the NJ Department of Agriculture will be honoring their awardees at the  dinner. More to come on these awards. Tickets for scheduled meals and events can be  purchased through Nancy Wood at the NJ Department of Agriculture. Email Nancy at Nancy.Wood@ag.nj.gov or see Nancy at registration.

All information for the NJ Agricultural Convention and Trade Show can be found on the VGANJ  website at https://vganj.com. To register for attending the educational sessions and trade  show, to make hotel reservations, and view the Rutgers educational program, scroll to the  bottom of the VGANJ webpage or click the “convention” tab at the top of the page. To help  VGANJ meet their room reservations commitment please use the hotel room block for the  convention on the VGANJ website through this link https://book.passkey.com/go/SH02VG4 or  call the hotel at 888-516-2215 and use group code SH02VG4. Attendees can register for all 3  days by purchasing a VGANJ membership or they can purchase one-day passes on the VGANJ  website or when arriving at the convention. Everyone is encouraged to pre-register for the  event.  

The Rutgers Educational Program at the convention this year has the theme of “Pathways to  Grow Farm Viability” and covers a wide range of topics including soil health, hemp production,  basic wine grape production, tree fruit establishment, vegetable topics, high tunnel production,  nursery and ornamentals, strawberry production, transition to organics, blueberry production,  food safety, retail marketing, new agricultural technology, pest problems among many other  topics. On Thursday, February 8 a half-day session on Worker Protection Safety Respiratory  Protection Training with Fit Testing for Respirators will be hosted and licensed applicators can  receive 8 core credits. Additionally, there is an all-day Farm Food Safety workshop on Thursday for a fee that can be paid online. Pre-Registration is required for both Thursday workshops and  both have limited seating – so register early. See the Thursday Workshop section of the  program for workshop registration links and more information. Or use this link for the Food  Safety Workshop registration https://go.rutgers.edu/mhqc3m5u or register for the Respirator  Training Workshop at https://go.rutgers.edu/pesticideworkshop

In addition to the Rutgers educational sessions the NJ State Board of Agriculture will be hosting  their annual delegates convention. For more information regarding the NJ State Board of  Agriculture Delegates Convention see https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/conventions/. Everyone  is welcome to attend the NJ State Board of Agriculture delegates sessions to learn more about  agricultural issues. The delegates and NJ SBOA meet on Wednesday and Thursday of the  convention. Each county board of agriculture, commodity organizations and other groups send  delegates to this convention to vote on resolutions important to the agricultural industry. This  event is hosted and organized by the NJ Department of Agriculture.