The extreme cold is starting to wear down a lot of folks here on the Western Slope, but Tuesday afternoon, a whole bunch of people gathered with warm weather in mind. 

The reason for the gathering? The Western Colorado Horticulture Society kicked off its 70th annual convention at Two Rivers Convention Center.

As part of the convention, experts provide educational seminars on orchard work and alternative crops.

There's also a trade show, with multiple vendors selling equipment and services for the orchard and vineyard industry.

We spoke with a representative for Syndicated Solar to hear how his company is working to help farmers.

"The price of energy has gone up anywhere from six to eight percent every year for the last 30 years," explained Dick Walton with Syndicated Solar, "... so what we're doing is really providing a hedge for farmers to lower their energy costs so that they can save money and make their production more effective."

The convention goes through Friday, but if you want to check out the trade show coordinators say the best bet is to attend on Wednesday or Thursday.

You can also learn all about the wine industry during the next couple of days.