Indiana High Tunnel Initiative: Developing Extension-Farmer Partnerships for Education

Indiana High Tunnel Initiative: Developing Extension-Farmer Partnerships for Education

Summary

The target audience for this project includes Purdue Extension Educators and other agency personnel (Natural Resources Conservation Service- NRCS, Soil and Water Conservation Districts – SWCD, etc) who work with producers either currently involved in or considering adoption of high tunnel production systems.

Objectives/Performance Targets

Increased Educator awareness and knowledge of high tunnel production opportunities and limitations, increased Educator and producer collaborative teaching events and resource development.

Increased collaboration between Educators and producers on educational programs, increased number of programs, field days, publications and newsletter articles about high tunnels developed and presented, increased Educator skills in guiding producers through decisions about high tunnel production.

Accomplishments/Milestones

Grant funds were used to support producer/educator travel to professional conferences. they were also used to cover costs for invited speakers, from out of state, to the Indiana Horticultrual congress High tunnel program session.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

The number of participants at these presentations were as follows:
• Indiana Horticultural Congress
• Producer panel (1 grant team member producers) – 35 attendees including 3 Extension Educators
• NRCS High Tunnel Cost Share program – 25 attendees including 3 Extension Educators
• High Tunnel Flower production- 18 attendees including 3 Extension Educators
• Creating a fertility management program for your high tunnel – 43 attendees including 6 Extension Educators
• Managing soil fertility – 40 attendees including 5 Extension Educators.
• Attendance at professional conferences by producer Educators resulted in change of production, sharing of information and resources with Purdue Small farms teams members and NRCS staff. Follwing 2011 attendance at Great Plains Growers conference 1 Educator/producer was invited to present at the 2012 conference.

Collaborators: