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The links below contain mp3 audio files of the program. Each link is individualized for a particular radio station with their call letters at the end of the program. To download a mp3 audio file, RIGHT click on the appropriate link below, and choose "Save Link As", or "Save Target As".
KKWK AGRICULTURE PROGRAM
By: Tim Baker
Release Date:
Monday,
December 26, 2011 Title: “Great Plains Growers Conference" Thank you and good morning, this is Tim Baker, University of Missouri Extension Horticulture Specialist with today's program.
Ever
since moving to Northwest Missouri, I have been a member of the organizing
committee of the Great Plains Growers Conference. Putting together a large
conference like this takes an enormous amount of planning and work, but the
results are certainly worth it, as conference attendees have pointed out to
us on evaluations through the years. This will be our 16th annual
conference. It will be held on January 5-7, 2012.
We do
have a lot of help putting this together. The conference is organized by the
Extension services of five states: Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, and
South Dakota.
The
conference starts with workshops on Thursday.
Attendees choose a workshop when they register.
Each workshop explores a topic in-depth.
This
year, we have expanded the Thursday workshops again. The high tunnel
workshop returns to discuss topics such as high tunnel winter & summer
production, advanced soil management in high tunnels, moveable high tunnels,
and more.
Other
workshops will discuss CSA marketing (Community Supported Agriculture),
implementing Good Agriculture Practices (GAPs) on your farm for food safety,
and a tree fruit workshop for orchardists.
New
to our Thursday workshops is a session titled, “The Basics of Beekeeping in
the Midwest.” I have been
working or organizing this workshop, and am pretty excited about it. This
session will teach the basics that you need to get started, including
equipment, hive construction, where to get your bees, bee care, and more.
Our workshop instructors will take you through step-by-step management of
your bees, and what to expect in that first year. You will also learn of
educational reference sources, and how to find local bee clubs and
beekeepers that can help you get started. Our instructors will also assemble
a hive during the workshop. As a bonus, one workshop participant will walk
away with that hive, which will be given away as a door prize.
Friday and Saturday, there are up to five concurrent tracks to choose from.
But before deciding what track you want to attend (sometimes a hard choice),
we will hear from our keynote speakers, Paul and Sandy Arnold of Saratoga
Springs, New York. They will relate their experiences at their very
successful Pleasant Valley Farm, which should be of interest to everyone.
Break-out sessions this year include a wide range of topics, including small
fruit, beginning organic, conventional vegetables, marketing & agritourism,
tree fruit, integrated pest management, advanced organic, cut flowers,
farmers markets, urban horticulture & community gardens, and more.
You
will hear from growers and university researchers from all over the country.
As usual, we will have a trade show, where you can see the latest that
horticultural suppliers have to offer.
I
have only missed three of these conferences through the years.
I’m always amazed that it not only improves with time, but that
growers continue to support it in ever increasing numbers.
If you are a horticultural producer of any kind, you will find this
to be well worth your time.
For
more information, please call the Buchanan County Extension Center at
816-279-1691. If you desire further information on this or any other topic, contact your local University of Missouri Extension Center. University of Missouri Extension programs are open to all. Thank you for your time. University of Missouri Extension programs are open to all Return to Announcements for Radio Stations Return to Northwest Missouri Horticulture Home Page
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