Agricultural Leadership Foundation of Hawaii to Host 2012 Hawaii Agriculture Conference: Leveraging Partnerships for Profit

News Release from www.hawaiiagconference.org

Honolulu, HI (August 29, 2012) -- The Agricultural Leadership Foundation of Hawaii will host the 2012 Hawaii Agriculture Conference. The biennial event will be held at the Hawaii Convention Center on September 20 & 21, 2012.

Inspired by the United Nations “Year of the Cooperative”, this year’s theme will be Leveraging Partnerships for Profit. Through lessons and tools focusing on working together, the conference aims to ignite collaboration amongst local businesses within the community with encouragement from examples of successful partnerships.

Conference committee co-chairs Tova Callender of West Maui Watershed and Coastal Management Coordinator, and Steve Kai, Plant Manager of Syngenta, are both Agriculture Leadership Program alumni. Although they come from very different professional backgrounds, together they share a common desire for the development of a conference program that serves the diversity of the Hawaii Agriculture sector.

This year's conference will feature several nationally acclaimed speakers, including Larry Yee, co-founder and director of the Food Commons; Sarah Stokes Alexander of the Keystone Center in Colorado; and also Lauren Anderson of Collaborative Lab. All well known and respected, they will open minds to new ways of thinking as we Leverage Partnerships for Profit. Additionally there will be over two dozen Hawaii based producers and agriculture professionals speaking throughout the two days.

A highlight of the event will be the all Hawaii products luncheon featuring the Monty Richards Leadership Award presented to Donna Ching in appreciation for her decades of service to the agriculture sector on Thursday, September 20. Later that evening at the Pau Hana Reception we are encouraging the general community to join the agriculture professionals to celebrate the bounty of our food and farming culture. Cooking and food growing demonstrations will feature farmers, urban gardeners and chefs providing attendees with easy “how to’s” and recipe ideas to be used at home. The trade show is expected to gather over fifty vendors who will host demos and provide samples of their products.

Registration for the Trade Show and this unique opportunity to network with nearly five hundred expected guests is open through September 1, 2012. Online registration for the conference is also open now. Two-Day Passes include all sessions, meals, the trade show and the reception for $225, purchased prior to 8/15/12. A “Foodie Pass” is available for those who want to attend the Awards Luncheon and Pau Hana Reception only. For more information or trade show and sponsorship opportunities visit www.hawaiiagconference.org or contact Allyson Turner, Under My Umbrella Inc, at conference@agleaderHI.org