2026 Florida Postharvest Horticulture Tour

The Florida Postharvest Horticulture Tour brings participants “up-close and personal” to learn how fresh fruits, vegetables and ornamental crops are handled. With exclusive, behind-the-scenes visits hosted by top management, the group will become familiar with the variety of methods and technologies employed to harvest, pack, cool, ship and receive fresh crops. Visits typically include large and small-scale operations to contrast various technologies, a fresh-cut processor, a major supermarket distribution center and a port facility.

This program is coordinated by Dr. Steven Sargent and Dr. Mark Ritenour, specialists in postharvest physiology and technology at the University of Florida-IFAS. It is designed for produce industry professionals, educators, researchers and graduate students in diverse areas as field and packinghouse management, transportation, sales, and import/export. Steve and Mark also teach a 2-credit graduate course, Postharvest Technologies for Horticultural Crops, which is designed around the Postharvest Tour.

Registration Details:

Registration ($800) Ends February 17, 2025

The registration fee includes transportation during the tour via commercial coach with Wi-Fi access. Hotel and meal costs are the responsibility of each participant. A block of hotel rooms is reserved for the group during the tour and each participant pays upon check out. A limited number of educational discounts are available for university and government employees. For more details contact Adrian Berry at [email protected].

Cancellation Policy:

Registrations canceled by March 3rd will receive a full refund and a 50% refund will be issued after this date.

Local Hotels:

The Tour begins and ends in Gainesville, FL so participants who need a hotel before or after the Tour should contact Adrian Berry to coordinate.

Corporate Sponsorship:

The Florida Postharvest Tour provides our graduate students with practical experience of how Florida-grown fruits and vegetables are harvested, handled and shipped. There are typically 15 students participating each year. As a corporate sponsor, your name and company will be acknowledged during the tour and listed in the agenda. If you would be interested in joining our program as a sponsor or distributing information/materials, please contact Adrian Berry at [email protected].

Student Sponsorship Opportunities:

$600 – Covers 4 nights of hotel costs for two graduate students

$1,200 – Covers all expenses for two graduate students

$2,000 – Includes 1 free registration for your company and covers all expenses for two graduate students

Thank you very much for considering our request; your assistance will help keep the costs of this program more affordable to our students.

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Host or Publisher UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences Department