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2022 Iowa High Tunnel Short Course

Wednesday, November 9, 2022 - 8:30am to 3:30pm

Event Type:

IOWA HIGH TUNNEL SHORT COURSE
Date: Wednesday, 9th November, 2022; 8:30am-3:30pm
Venue: Garden Room, Reiman Gardens, 1407 S University Blvd, Ames, IA 50011

Welcome to 2022 Iowa High Tunnel Short Course. This short course is designed to highlight production and management of several high tunnel crops along with information on economics and marketing aspects of high tunnel crop production. The course will also provide an update on the status of high tunnel research across the Midwest. This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Mark Hutton, University of Maine. Mark is the Vegetable Extension Specialist at the Highmoor Farm, University of Maine Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station located in Monmouth Maine. He conducts applied research in vegetable production and season extension in conventional and organic systems. Prior to joining UMaine Extension, he worked as a commercial vegetable breeder. He is from Hershey, Pennsylvania and earned a B.S. in Horticulture and M.S. in Entomology both from The Pennsylvania State University. His Ph.D. is in Genetics and Plant Breeding from the University of New Hampshire.

The short course will also host Monika Owczarski from Sweet Tooth Farm, Des Moines. This urban farm grows a variety of vegetables on a network of lots right in the heart of the city to tackle the issue of access to fresh fruits and vegetables and food insecurity. Sweet Tooth Farm is working collaboratively with Radiate DSM, another urban farm, to create the Rooted Farm Collective. There will be a session focusing on Cut Flowers in Tunnels. Dan Fillius from ISU Extension and Outreach will discuss high tunnel maintenance and Ajay Nair, Department of Horticulture, will cover potential cover crops that can be used in high tunnel systems. Core objectives of this short course are to:

Highlight the importance of crop, environment, and soil management for vegetable production in high tunnels
Provide a platform to share resources, knowledge, and expertise in the area of high tunnel vegetable production
Connect growers, agricultural educators, extension staff, and industry personnel working in high tunnels and in the area of local foods.

Registration is free but required. Please provide information below to register. Registration deadline is 4 November, 2022.

Tentative schedule:

8:30 am	Registration and coffee/refreshments
9:00-10:00 am	Keynote - High Tunnels in the Northeast Where Are We and Where Did We Start - Mark Hutton, University of Maine
10:00-10:45 am	Low-cost and DIY Tunnels for Basic Season Extension - Monika Owczarski, Sweet Tooth Farm
10:45-11:30 am	Tour of the Reiman Gardens – Ed Lyon
11:30-12:30 pm	Lunch and networking
12:30-1:15 pm	Prepare for high winds, from construction to daily/weekly maintenance to last minute preparations - Dan Fillius
1:15-2:00 pm	Cut Flowers in High Tunnels
2:00-2:45 pm	Cover Crops For High Tunnels – Ajay Nair, ISU
2:45-3:30 pm	Compost Utilization and Fertility in High Tunnels - Mark Hutton, University of Maine
3:30pm	Final comments and adjourn

Category:

Events

Tags:

tomato, pepper, cucumber, NRCS, season extension

Iowa High Tunnel Short Course

Monday, November 6, 2017 - 8:30am to 3:00pm

Event Type:

Workshop

IOWA HIGH TUNNEL SHORT COURSE
Date: Monday, 6th November, 2017; 8:30am
Venue: Garden Room, Reiman Gardens, 1407 S University Blvd, Ames, IA 50011

Welcome to first Iowa High Tunnel Short Course. This short course is designed to highlight production and management of several high tunnel crops along with information on economics and marketing aspects of high tunnel crop production. The course will also provide an update on the status of high tunnel research across the Midwest. Keynote speaker is Adam Montri from Michigan State University. Adam, along with his wife Dru, is the co-owner of Ten Hens Farm, LLC in Bath, Michigan. Adam and Dru started Ten Hens in 2008 and now farm three acres of outdoor production during the traditional Midwest growing season and year-round in over 17,000 sqft of high tunnel space. They market their produce through one farmers market, an on-farm stand, multiple restaurants, other farms, a grocery store, two multi-farm CSAs, and two senior center/assisted living facilities. Adam is also a hoophouse outreach specialist in the Department of Horticulture at Michigan State University (MSU) and with the MSU Center for Regional Food Systems where he works with farmers throughout Michigan on the Hoophouses for Health program.

Core objectives of this short course are to:

Highlight the importance of crop, environment, and soil management for vegetable production in high tunnels
Provide a platform to share resources, knowledge, and expertise in the area of high tunnel vegetable production
Connect growers, agricultural educators, extension staff, and industry personnel working in high tunnels and in the area of local foods.

Tentative schedule:

8:30am: Registration and coffee
9-10am: Keynote speaker Adam Montri, Michigan State University (Title: Two Acres and a High Tunnel: How Season Extension has gone from Niche to Necessity and Where It Fits in the Future)
10-10:45am: Ajay Nair (Title: Cucurbit crops for high tunnel production)
10:45-11:45am: Cary Rivard, Kansas State University (Title: Breaking Bad Habits: Integrating Crop Diversity into High Tunnel Production Systems)
11:45-12:30pm: Lunch and networking
12:30-1:15pm: Laura Iles and Lina Rodriguez (Title: Disease and insect management in high tunnels)
1:15-2:15: Adam Montri (Title: Crop Selection, Pricing and Economics for Successful Year-Round High Tunnel Production)
2:15-3pm: Joe Hannan (Title: Valuable lessons from production to marketing of high tunnel tomatoes)

Registration is required. Please provide information below to register. Please register by November 2, 2017.

Category:

Events

Tags:

high tunnel, season extension, tomato, cucumber