Grow Vegetable Knowledge at the 2025 Great Lakes Expo

By Andi Anderson

Vegetable growers and agriculture professionals can expand their knowledge at the 2025 Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable, and Farm Market Expo (GLEXPO), one of the Midwest’s leading specialty crop events.

Held annually since 2001, the expo provides an exceptional opportunity to learn about the latest advancements in fruit, vegetable, and farm market production while connecting with industry peers.

This year’s event takes place December 9–11, 2025, at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Attendees can expect a robust schedule of educational sessions, a bustling trade show, and workshops led by top experts.

The vegetable program, organized by Michigan State University Extension, offers presentations on a wide range of crops and production practices, making it a must-attend for vegetable producers of all experience levels.

Growers can also earn valuable professional credits, including Michigan and Ohio restricted use pesticide recertification and certified crop adviser credits, by participating in designated sessions.

These sessions highlight cutting-edge research and provide practical solutions to current challenges in vegetable production.

Highlights of the Tuesday, December 9 agenda include:

• Asparagus Session – Explore variety selection with Ben Werling and learn how indicator plants and weather data can predict asparagus emergence with Dan Brainard, both from Michigan State University.
• Pickles and Vine Crops Session – Wenjing Guan from Purdue University will discuss watermelon production from cultivar selection to best practices, followed by Madelyn Celovsky of Michigan State University on roller crimping cereal rye in pumpkin systems.
• Brassicas Session – Douglas Higgins of Virginia Tech will share adaptive disease management strategies for Alternaria and Clubroot, and Gary Vallad of the University of Florida will present research on copper alternatives for managing cabbage black rot.

These sessions represent only a portion of the vegetable programming at GLEXPO. Additional presentations will cover fruit crops, greenhouse production, and farm marketing, ensuring something of value for every specialty crop grower.

For the complete agenda and registration details, visit the Great Lakes Expo website. Whether you are seeking new production methods, professional credits, or networking opportunities, the 2025 Great Lakes Expo provides an engaging platform to advance your vegetable production knowledge and connect with leaders in the industry.

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