Farmers' Forum

The 16th annual Long Island Agricultural Forum will take place next Thursday and on Friday, Jan. 24, at the Suffolk Community College campus in Riverhead.

Open to growers and dealers in Long Island's agricultural and horticultural industries, the forum's sessions will focus on potato, fruit, and vegetable farming; viticulture; floriculture, and nursery growing. Current issues in agriculture, such as property tax reform, labor, wildlife management, and the use of pesticides, will be addressed. Pesticide training credits can be earned by those with pesticide applicator identification cards, and a trade show of over 50 agriculture-related businesses will be open during the show.

Next Thursday evening, participants will have an opportunity to socialize at the Vineyard in Aquebogue, where there will be hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar beginning at 5:30 p.m., and a buffet dinner with entertainment, magic by Maljean the Magnificent, at 6 p.m. Registration can be accomplished by calling Linda Lynch at Cornell Cooperative Extension in Riverhead, one of the program's many sponsors.