The South Carolina Department of Agriculture hosted its 52nd Annual meeting on Tuesday, April 30th at TopGolf in Edison, NJ.
EPC President and Executive VP of JOH Mid-Atlantic, Theresa Lowden, welcomed and thanked the SCDA contingent who made the trip to New Jersey and the EPC membership in attendance.
South Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture, Hugh Weathers, kicked off the Department’s presentation by remembering former EPC Executive Director, John McAleavey, and his contributions to the EPC and the SCDA/EPC relationship that spans 5 decades. He expressed how impressed he was to see familiar faces in the crowd, as well as new ones, which he said is a sign of a thriving organization.
Hugh then introduced Chris Whitmire, Director Market Development of SCDA, who then introduced Chris Yonce (SC Peach Council), Jade Collins (SC Watermelon Assn.), and Eric McClam (SC Specialty Crop Assn.), who gave brief updates on their crops and encouraged people to support South Carolina produce. Also in attendance from the SCDA were; Fred West, Director of Market Development-SCDA, Michael Cranford, Market Development Manager- SCDA, and Chad James of the SC Specialty Crop Assn.
Prior to the SCDA sponsored meeting, the EPC’s 2024 Leadership Class attended an informational and interactive seminar on Food Safety led by Meredith Melendez, from Rutgers University’s Cooperative Extension. This marked the second leg of a four part program for the participants.
