The Florida Postharvest Horticulture Tour brings participants “up-close and personal” to learn how fresh subtropical, tropical and temperate fruits, vegetables and ornamental crops are handled. With exclusive, behind-the-scene visits hosted by top management, the group becomes familiar with a variety of methods and technologies employed to harvest, pack, cool, ship and receive fresh crops.

 This program is coordinated by Dr. Steven Sargent  and Dr. Mark Ritenour, specialists in the area of postharvest technology at the University of Florida-IFAS. is the tour is designed for produce industry professionals, educators, researchers and students in such diverse areas as field and packinghouse management, transportation, wholesale and retail sales, and import/export. The group will visit large and small-scale operations, compare cooling technologies, visit a fresh-cut processor and a major supermarket distribution center.  

Sponsored by the University of Florida Horticultural Sciences Department and UF/IFAS Extension 

 Faculty Coordinators

Dr. Steven Sargent Phone: 352-273-4780 E-mail: sasa@ufl.edu http://hos.ufl.edu/faculty/sasargent

Dr. Mark Ritenour Phone: 772-468-3922 E-mail: ritenour@ufl.edu http://irrec.ifas.ufl.edu/postharvest

Registration Details:   Deadline Feb. 3, 2014

The registration fee includes transportation during the tour.  Hotel and meal costs are the responsibility of each participant.  For the Tour, we reserve a block of hotel rooms for the group in advance and each participant pays upon check out. 

Cancellation Policy:

Registrations cancelled by February 17th will receive a full refund.  After Feb. 17 no refunds will be issued.

Local Hotels:

Gainesville has a good selection of lodging options available.  The following hotels are close to campus and provide an airport shuttle option.

•   Hilton University of Florida Conference Center Gainesville 
•  SpringHill Suites Gainesville

Preliminary Itinerary: *subject to change

• Monday, March 3: Gainesville - Depart (7am)  Strawberry production, micro greens
• Tuesday, March 4:  Central Florida - Cabbage production, Cut flower production, Tomato packing
• Wednesday, March 5:  Central Florida - Citrus packing and processing, Carton manufacturing & printing
• Thursday, March 6:  Central Florida -  Clamshell manufacturing, Irradiation facility, CSA
• Friday, March 7:  Central Florida-  Terminal market, Fresh cut facility, and Distribution center. Return to Gainesville around 7pm.

Sponsorship:

The Florida Postharvest Tour provides our graduate students with practical experience as to how our Florida-grown fruits and vegetables are harvested, handled and shipped. As a corporate sponsor, your name and company will be acknowledged during the tour and listed in the agenda. Your assistance will help keep the costs of this program more affordable to all participants. If you would be interested in joining our program as a donor, please contact Adrian Berry at adberry@ufl.edu.