A number of industry representatives from Prince Edward Island and across North America will be featured this Friday and Saturday at the Sustainability in Agriculture Conference being held at the Charlottetown Hotel. The conference, held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Soil and Crop Improvement Association, will be discussing future directions for the agriculture and food industry in Prince Edward Island.
On Friday afternoon, Rob Patterson of the Renewal Consulting Group in Charlottetown will discuss current economic trends and influences which are impacting on the industry. He will be followed by John Ikerd of Missouri who will examine the hallmarks of long-term sustainable agriculture. Mr. Ikerd is professor emeritus at the University of Missouri, and has conducted extensive on-farm research and demonstration programs on the impacts of sustainable agriculture on the quality of life of farm families and others in rural communities.
On Saturday morning, Norbert Kungl from Walton, Nova Scotia will share his experiences as a producer and marketer of organic products from his 25 acre farm and greenhouse crops. He will be joined by local producers Peter Townshend and Stephen MacKinnon in discussing production options that work in their operations.
Saturday afternoon's presentations will include Stuart Baker of the Branding Merchant in Charlottetown who will be outlining the branding of Prince Edward Island agriculture and food products to gain recognition in the marketplace. His presentation will be followed by Tom Altemus from the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing who will outline the experience of that state in branding its products.
Keynote speaker at the Friday evening banquet will be John Scott, President of the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers. The Federation represents the interests of independent grocers to government and industry. Mr. Scott's presentation is expected to include the consumers' perspective on food quality and safety, and trends in the food retail sector.
The conference is open to everyone interested in new directions for the production and marketing of food products from Prince Edward Island.