Progress report for ENC22-216
Project Information
Extension and research specialists from North Dakota State University and South Dakota State University will collaborate to train Northern Great Plains stakeholders in current high tunnel construction and management techniques that address the unique climate challenges and market opportunities within the Dakotas.
Government technical service providers, local foods-focused non-profits, tribal entities engaged in specialty crop production, educators overseeing farm to school activities, county and regional extension staff, and the next generation of specialty crop producers will engage in high tunnel education through local on-farm field days and research and farm experience intensive short courses. The project team will develop a Northern Great Plains High Tunnel Production Manual and regionally-specific high tunnel videos to create lasting educational resources for use beyond the life of the proposed project.
Project participants will increase knowledge and confidence in high tunnel management and be empowered to provide greater high tunnel production support and education within local communities to improve economic outcomes for growers and rural communities through increased farm sales, new market channels such as food hubs, and increased farm to school purchases within each state.
Outputs of this project will include participation in educational activities, creation of educational presentations, print, and digital resources related to high tunnel production, and publication of needs assessment results and grant activity evaluations and reports.
One high tunnel training and research needs assessment distributed by NDSU will reach over 500 unique individuals across South Dakota and North Dakota with a response rate of at least 30%. Responses will inform project educational activities, and will result in 1 IRB-approved, published open-access peer-reviewed research article to inform future research and education within the Midwest. Educational activity evaluations collected in both states will be entered, analyzed, and reported out by SDSU resulting in 2 project progress reports and 1 final report. As assistants for these activities, 2 undergraduate students will be trained in collecting and analyzing survey and evaluation data.
The North and South Dakota High Tunnel Short Courses will provide in-depth research and farmer experience education to at least 100 technical service providers, non-profit and tribal staff, public school educators, extension personnel, and specialty crop producers. These events will result in the creation of 8 new high tunnel training modules (4 research and 4 farm experience-based) that can be amended and presented to future audiences in each state and at regional events beyond the life of the grant.
A total of 10 regional on-farm and campus field days across North and South Dakota will provide hands-on high tunnel training, research-based best practices and networking opportunities to 30 stakeholders representing 6 or more unique organizations per event. This will result in creation of 2 state-specific high tunnel field training curricula, empowerment of 5 farmer-presenters, high tunnel training for 300 professionals to share with their respective stakeholders, and the formation of at least 10 new partnerships.
Team members will synthesize recent Midwest high tunnel research, including research findings from NDSU and SDSU, and on-farm experiences to create one Northern Great Plains High Tunnel Manual containing detailed chapters on topics including: site consideration and construction; soil, fertility, and irrigation management; pest and disease management; crop rotations and management; food safety from field to consumer; and marketing and economic considerations. This manual will be published on the SDSU Extension website and cross-linked with NDSU Extension. 500 print copies will be distributed through events in North and South Dakota beyond the life of the grant.
NDSU and SDSU will work with their respective university technology teams to plan, film, and produce an on-farm video that details specific Northern Great Plains high tunnel production challenges, opportunities, and solutions. This will result in 2 unique, high-quality 20-minute videos to be published on each university’s respective Extension YouTube page and shared on relevant social media pages with an anticipated 500 views per video one year after the conclusion of the grant.
Education
There has been a 10-year gap in dedicated high tunnel production education by great plains extension personnel; structures and production techniques have improved in the intervening years, and a new generation of beginning fruit, vegetable, and cut flower farmers is interested in adding a high tunnel to their farm. Extreme heat and wind make managing high tunnels challenging within ND and SD. Still, benefits of season extension and crop quality outweigh the challenges.
Our educational approach was a combination of formal teaching, in-depth group discussion and active learning. When it comes to high tunnel education, inviting experienced producers to share their successes and failures is invaluable. Their knowledge is not abstract; they have experienced the challenges that they discuss. Our approach was also very active in that participants were invited into the high tunnels to see and experience innovative design as well as crop production. Another aspect is that we are engaging in a train-the-trainer approach. Much of our training is extended to USDA-NRCS personnel that have local high tunnel stakeholders. By educating them, they can do reach stakeholders and interested growers at the local level.
Education & Outreach Initiatives
Assess the needs of regional producers
In January of 2023, a Qualtrics-based needs assessment was distributed to high tunnel producers and technical service providers in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Montana. The needs assessment attempted to discover the size and scope of the regional industry, the broad range of crops, and the challenges that producers face.
Close to 150 stakeholders completed the survey. Results were compiled and summarized. The results were useful in illuminating specific grower challenges and the need for education in these areas. Using this information, the South Dakota State University High Tunnel Workshop and Tour was designed to meet these specific educational needs. A journal article summarizing the results of the needs assessment has been drafted and will be submitted for publication after further improvement.
Extend high tunnel education to producers and technical service providers
North Dakota State University (NDSU) conducted two high tunnel field days. The first field day was held on July 25, 2023 on the NDSU campus in Fargo, ND. The morning included talks on the basics of high tunnel construction, finding funding or financing, addressing heat-related issues, and an in-depth Q & A session. The event concluded with a tour of the campus high tunnel and informal talks within it. The second NDSU field day was held on September 7, 2023 at the NDSU Horticultural Research Farm in Amenia, ND and the focus was on more advanced topics.
South Dakota State University also held two field days during the 2023 growing season. On June 5, over 75 people gathered in Webster, SD to learn the ins and outs of high tunnel production through a hands-on tour. Attendees also learned about tomato grafting, a production technique that is gaining popularity within high tunnels, and food safety within and beyond the high tunnel production system. This event highlighted local fruit and vegetable farmer experiences thanks to our hosts: Darin, Melissa, and Sue Waldner. The second field day held by SDSU was on September 21 in Huron, SD. This field day was in collaboration with Beadle County Conservation. The two-hour event highlighted urban production and unique considerations for building and managing high tunnels within a municipality. Beadle Conservation district staff and board members also dug deep on soil health and crop rotations within high tunnels.
NDSU FD 1: Thirty-nine individuals attended the event and 21 completed the event evaluation. As a result of the event, 15 out of 21 surveyed individuals stated that they would try something new on their farm, garden, or at work as a result of the education received. Eighteen out of the 21 individuals indicated they would be willing to share with others what they learned.
NDSU FD 2: The field day attracted 78 attendees. Two presentations focused on high tunnel tomato and pepper production using automated irrigation. The other two presentations highlighted caterpillar tunnel production of grapes, tomatoes, and peppers. No survey was conducted for this event.
SDSU FD 1: Over 75% of farmers, technical service providers, students and gardeners reported learning 4+ new things at the event. 86% of attendees said they would try something new on their farm or in their garden as a result of the field day, and 95% said they planned to share what they learned with another person. Comments included that people loved networking and visiting with other attendees and that they appreciated learning more about the structure, what to ask before purchasing, and irrigation.
SDSU FD 2: Thirty-one participants engaged in this session, and attendees included conservation professionals, NRCS staff, farmers, and community garden volunteers. East-central SD sometimes gets overlooked in programming, so this was as great opportunity to engage a regional community in the discussion. There is a growing number of cut flower farms in this region, and many of those farmers report that they would like to add high tunnels to their production systems.
Provide in-depth education and networking opportunities to service providers, tribal members, and farmers
On October 16 and 17 Rhoda Burrows and Kristine Lang collaborated with South Dakota professionals and farmers, and North Dakota State University colleagues to host the first-ever South Dakota High Tunnel Short Course in Rapid City, SD. Participants from tribal communities, non-profits, government orgs, and farms across the state gathered to engage in discussion with nine presenters on day one of the short course. One day two the 50+ participants gathered on a charter bus to visit Porcupine and Spearfish, SD for an in-person look at two different high tunnel structures and production models. This short course wrapped up a 2023 summer series focused on high tunnel education from Webster to Huron to Rapid City, SD.
On day one, participants indicated learning the highest number of new ideas from the four farmer presenters, demonstrating the importance of practical experiences and approachable information. 80% of participants reported that they would try something new on their farm or at their organization because of what they learned on day one, and 91% of attendees reported that they would share what they learned with another person indicating the amplification of high tunnel knowledge. Attendees also reported increased confidence (over 85%) in their ability to construct and grow within a high tunnel. Attendees praised the volume and variety of information. After touring two high tunnel production systems, 47% of attendees reported they had learned 5+ new ideas from both farm sites, and 86% reported they would try at least one of those ideas on their operation. Interestingly, confidence for high tunnel construction decreased after the tours, but this may have been due to seeing the steps in person and considering the volume of planning this entails. Fortunately, confidence to produce crops in a high tunnel topped out at 95%; this is a tribute to the farmer tour guides who shared detailed crop production information.
Quotes from attendees:
"I thought it was a great mix-up of topics and presenters."
"Fantastic information. Thank you for organizing programs to help people like me better understand and further my knowledge to help myself and others."
By empowering farmers, tribal members, and community organization leaders to learn about high tunnels and share this information with others, we set the stage for increased science- and experience-based growing methods in ND and SD high tunnels.
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation Summary:
Learning Outcomes
Project Outcomes
NDSU July 25, 2023 Field Day: Thirty-nine individuals attended the event and 21 completed the event evaluation. As a result of the event, 15 out of 21 surveyed individuals stated that they would try something new on their farm, garden, or at work as a result of the education received. Eighteen out of the 21 individuals indicated they would be willing to share with others what they learned.
NDSU September 7, 2023 Field Day: The field day attracted 78 attendees. No survey was conducted for this event.
SDSU June 5, 2023 Field Day: Over 75% of farmers, technical service providers, students and gardeners reported learning 4+ new things at the event. 86% of attendees said they would try something new on their farm or in their garden as a result of the field day, and 95% said they planned to share what they learned with another person. Comments included that people loved networking and visiting with other attendees and that they appreciated learning more about the structure, what to ask before purchasing, and irrigation.
SDSU September 21, 2023 Field Day: Thirty one participants engaged in this session, and attendees included conservation professionals, NRCS staff, farmers, and community garden volunteers. East-central SD sometimes gets overlooked in programming, so this was as great opportunity to engage a regional community in the discussion. There is a growing number of cut flower farms in this region, and many of those farmers report that they would like to add high tunnels to their production systems.
South Dakota High Tunnel Short Course: On day one, participants indicated learning the highest number of new ideas from the four farmer presenters, demonstrating the importance of practical experiences and approachable information. 80% of participants reported that they would try something new on their farm or at their organization because of what they learned on day one, and 91% of attendees reported that they would share what they learned with another person indicating the amplification of high tunnel knowledge. Attendees also reported increased confidence (over 85%) in their ability to construct and grow within a high tunnel. Attendees praised the volume and variety of information. After touring two high tunnel production systems, 47% of attendees reported they had learned 5+ new ideas from both farm sites, and 86% reported they would try at least one of those ideas on their operation. Interestingly, confidence for high tunnel construction decreased after the tours, but this may have been due to seeing the steps in person and considering the volume of planning this entails. Fortunately, confidence to produce crops in a high tunnel topped out at 95%; this is a tribute to the farmer tour guides who shared detailed crop production information.
The threat of a government shutdown in fall 2023 hindered the number of USDA-NRCS personnel that were able to travel to the SDSU High Tunnel Short Course as they were not allowed to travel.
Information Products
- So, You're Thinking About Building A High Tunnel!? (Conference/Presentation Material)