Farming technology: Vegetable Association trade show has high-tech feel

KENNEWICK — Veggies have gotten very high-tech, if the exhibitors at the 2023 Pacific Northwest Vegetable Association conference and trade show are anything to judge by. The conference, held Nov. 15-16 at the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick, offered seminars on techniques and developments in farming by experts drawn from universities and businesses all over Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Classes covered a range of topics, although pests and diseases – always a source of concern for vegetable growers – dominated the schedule. The trade show went a little farther afield, so to speak. Interspersed among the seed growers and fertilizer dealers were things that sounded like something out of a science fiction story.