Northwest
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NEWS RELEASE
By: Tim Baker
Northwest Region Horticulture Specialist
University of
Missouri Extension
102 Main, Suite 1
Gallatin, MO 64640
660-663-3232
BakerT@missouri.edu
Release Date: December 21, 2006
Title: “Great Plains Vegetable Conference”
One of the premier conferences for vegetable growers is found right here in northwest Missouri. Held in St. Joseph, Missouri, the Great Plains Vegetable Conference is put together every year by Extension educators from five states: Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota. The conference will be held next month on January 11-13, 2007.
This conference is open to everyone, from backyard gardeners to commercial vegetable growers. Topics cover not only vegetables, but also small fruits and flowers. There are also presentations targeted toward organic growers.
The events begin with a pre-conference workshop on Thursday exploring the use of high tunnels in vegetable and fruit production. High tunnels, sometimes called hoop houses, are similar to traditional plastic greenhouses, except that they are normally not heated. Their main use is season extension. Typically, crops will be several weeks earlier in the spring, and will remain viable several weeks later in the fall, compared to field crops.
If a grower opts not to heat his high tunnel, costs to build such a structure are far less than a traditional greenhouse. Many growers estimate that with the right crop selling in the right market, you can pay for the cost of a high tunnel in one or two seasons.
Of course, you can optionally choose to heat a high tunnel, and one of the speakers at the workshop will explore low cost heating options. Other talks will discuss marketing, soil management in high tunnels, and several growers will relate their experiences in using high tunnels on their farms.
The main conference begins on Friday. There are four concurrent tracks to choose from, so there is usually something of interest for everyone.
Some of the tracks include pumpkin/cucurbits, marketing, sweet potatoes, small fruits, corn/tomatoes, risk management, organic vegetables, specialty crops, flowers, and a special track exploring topics of interest to new growers.
This year, there will be a new track on small fruit culture covering strawberry plasticulture, elderberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries.
Many of the talks are given by university researchers, and discuss the latest studies on vegetable management, diseases, cultivar selection, and similar topics.
Other talks are presented by successful farmers, who share their stories in the hopes that they can benefit another grower. They usually do. These talks are always followed by many questions from farmers who are looking for practical advice, and experienced farmers such as these will have a lot to share.
There will be approximately 30 exhibitors available to provide information about seeds, irrigation, horticulture equipment, chemicals, and other topics. Meals, break refreshments, and handouts will be included in the $35 per day registration fee for the main conference, if you register by January 8th. After that, registration will cost $40 per day. If you wish to attend the special pre-conference high tunnel workshop on Thursday, the cost is $50, which also includes a meal.
The conference is being held at the Ramada Inn, 4016 Frederick Street, St. Joseph, Missouri. Lodging is available if desired.
For more information about the program and a registration form, give me a call at 660-663-3232. You may also visit our web site at: http://extension.missouri.edu/nwregion/hort/
University Extension programs are open to all
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