An educational program for training extension professionals and vocational agriculture teachers on high-tunnel technology

An educational program for training extension professionals and vocational agriculture teachers on high-tunnel technology

Summary

The use of high tunnel technology for extending the cropping season and in some instances even permitting year around production of certain horticultural crops is enabling small to medium sized growers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region of the United States the opportunity to increase their farm income, while providing consumers in the region the opportunity to purchase fresh, locally grown horticultural crops for a longer period of time.

The primary goal of this project is to develop and deliver an educational program on the construction, management and economics of high tunnels to the frontline educators who can then reach and impact an even wider audience of growers. County Extension Educators, both at the university and county level, and Crop Consultants are certainly on the frontline in the delivery of new information and technology to growers. The Vocational Agriculture Teachers are training the agriculturists of tomorrow. These groups of educators seemed to be the ideal ones to offer training on high tunnels in an educational workshop environment. These individuals using the training they receive will then develop their own educational programs and pass the information on to growers and students throughout the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic region.

A performance target goal is that 45 of the 180 participants attending the workshops will use the information to develop: a) their own educational programs, or b) assist growers in setting up a high tunnel or c) answer questions pertaining to crop production or d) will plan to construct a high tunnel at their high school and incorporate the technology into their curriculum.

To determine if we reached our performance target, all participants will be surveyed to ascertain how many used the information obtained from the workshops to develop their own educational programs to educate /assist growers in setting up a high tunnel or answering questions pertaining to crop production or plan to construct a high tunnel at their school.

Objectives/Performance Targets

Of the 180 University/County Extension Educators, Crop Consultants and Vocational Agriculture Teachers attending the training programs, 45 will develop their own educational program to disseminate the information they gained to growers or assist growers in building a high tunnel or will provide growers with production information on horticultural crops being grown in high tunnels. The knowledge they gain from participating in the workshop and then share with growers will help growers provide fresh, locally produced healthful food products and flowers over a longer period of time to their customers. Extension of the growing season will increase grower's profitability while at the same promoting sustainability and good stewardship of resources, such as water, fertilizer and other inputs. The Vocational Agriculture Teachers from the Northeastern/Mid-Atlantic Region of the United States that will attend the training program will build a high tunnel at their educational facilities and incorporate the instruction/hands-on teaching about this technology into their curriculum.

Accomplishments/Milestones

Each of the workshops is considered a milestone. Before the end of each workshop, the question will be asked of the participants “how many of you are planning on developing an educational program on high tunnels?” This will provide us with a rough idea of how we are doing toward reaching our performance target of 45 participants who actually organize/present an educational program on high tunnels, assist growers by answering questions on high tunnels, whether on construction, management of crops or economics or develop or plan to develop an on-farm high tunnel demonstration with a participating grower or if a vocational agriculture teacher they have incorporated high tunnels in their educational program, and if they are considering purchasing a high tunnel for use in their high school.

1. 30 extension educators, crop consultants and vocational agriculture teachers attend the first high tunnel workshop in April 2003. At the workshop several participants indicate that they are going to develop an education program on high tunnels.

2. 30 extension educators, crop consultants and vocational agriculture teachers attend the second high tunnel workshop in July 2003. At the workshop several participants indicate that they are going to develop an education program on high tunnels.

3. 30 extension educators, crop consultants and vocational agriculture teachers attend the third high tunnel workshop in September 2003. At the workshop several participants indicate that they are going to develop an education program on high tunnels. In December, all participants attending the first three workshops are contacted to ascertain if they have actually developed and delivered an extension educational program on high tunnels.

4. 30 extension educators, crop consultants and vocational agriculture teachers attend the fourth high tunnel workshop in April 2004. At the workshop several participants indicate that they are going to develop an education program on high tunnels.

5. 30 extension educators, crop consultants and vocational agriculture teachers attend the fifth high tunnel workshop in July 2004. At the workshop several participants indicate that they are going to develop an education program on high tunnels.

6. 30 extension educators, crop consultants and vocational agriculture teachers attend the sixth high tunnel workshop in September 2004. At the workshop several participants indicate that they are going to develop an education program on high tunnels.

In December 2004 every participant who attended the workshops are contacted to ascertain if they organized/presented an educational program on high tunnels, have assisted growers by answering questions on high tunnels, whether on construction, management of crops or economics or developed or plan to develop an on-farm high tunnel demonstration with a participating grower or if a vocational agriculture teacher has incorporated high tunnels in their educational program, and if they are considering purchasing a high tunnel for use in their high school. This will provide the information to see if we actually reached our performance target and increased the educational programming targeted to growers on the use of high tunnels by extension educators, crop consultants and vocational agriculture teachers and in reality reached a wider audience of growers and students in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region of the United States.

Given that the funding did not begin until May 1, 2003 we only conducted on program in 2003 but are anticipating two programs in 2004 and two in 2005.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

An educational program on high tunnels was conducted September 4 and 5, 2003 at the Penn State High Tunnel Research and Educational Facility located at Rock Springs, PA. Those attending were university and county extension educators from New Jersey, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. A comprehensive educational program was developed and is detailed below:
Schedule for the Workshop

Thursday, September 4, 2003

9:00 – 9:30 AM Registration and Coffee and Donuts at the High Tunnel Facility

9:30 – 9:45 Welcome and Background on High Tunnels and History of the Facility – Dr. Bill Lamont, Department of Horticulture, Penn State University

9:45 – 10:30 Tips on Constructing a High Tunnel – Drs. Mike Orzolek, Bill Lamont, and Tom Plummer, Department of Horticulture, Penn State University

10:30 – 11:00 The High Tunnel Program in New Jersey – Dr. A.J. Both, Assistant Extension Specialist, Rutgers University

11:00 – 12:00 The Production of Cut Flowers in a High Tunnel – Lisa White, Manager of the High Tunnel Research and Education Facility, Department of Horticulture, Penn State University

12:00 – 1:00 PM Lunch provided

1:00 – 2:00 The Production of Small Fruit Crops in a High Tunnel – Kathy Demchak, Senior Extension Associate, Department of Horticulture, Penn State University

2:00 – 3:00 The Production of Vegetables in High Tunnels – Dr. Mike Orzolek, Department of Horticulture, Penn State University

3:00 – 4:00 Water, Soil and Nutrient Management in High Tunnels – Dr. Bill Lamont, Department of Horticulture, Penn State University

4:00 – 4:30 Transitioning to Organic Production in High Tunnels – Dr. Elsa Sanchez, Department of Horticulture, Penn State University

4:30 – 5:00 Disease Control Considerations in High Tunnels – Dr. Bill Lamont, Department of Horticulture, Penn State University

Dinner on your own

Friday, September 5, 2003

9:00 – 9:30 AM Coffee and Donuts at the High Tunnel Facility

9:30 – 10:00 Production of Sweet Cherries in a High Tunnel – Dr. Rob Crassweller, Department of Horticulture, Penn State University

10:00 – 11:00 The Use of Biocontrols in High Tunnels – Lisa White, Manager of the High Tunnel Research and Education Facility, Department of Horticulture, Penn State University

11:00 – 12:00 How to Develop an Extension Programming Effort in High Tunnels- Drs. Bill Lamont and Mike Orzolek, Department of Horticulture, Penn State University

12:00 – 1:00 PM Lunch provided

1:00 – 2:30 Visit A Local Grower Using High Tunnels- Chuck Mothersbaugh- Centre Hall, Pennsylvania

We reimbursed the participants for a maximum of:

1 nights lodging - $60.00

Meals for two days @ $26.00 per day

Mileage up to 500 miles at $0.36/mile

We developed an excellent 157page High Tunnel Manual that was provided each participant attending the workshop. We are currently updating the high tunnel manual with the latest research results from 2003 and will be printing a new 2004 High Tunnel Manual for use in the 2004 educational programs.

One thing that is really impacting our programming efforts on this project is the reduction in funding being experienced by extension services in the Northeast. Almost every extension service has experienced dramatic cuts in funding that has also eliminated personnel through early retirements packages or outright layoffs. This is a situation that is making it difficult for extension educators to attend the educational programs at our facility in Pennsylvania , even though we are attempting to cover some of the attendees expenses. We have discussed this situation with participants both at the 2003 program and at subsequent commodity meetings such as the recent New England Vegetable and Berry Growers Conference in Manchester, NH. The idea was discussed of having two educational programs in 2004, one program in the northern reaches of the SARE Region possibly Manchester, NH and one in the southern portion of the SARE area at our high tunnel research and education facility and doing the same in 2005. This is an idea that I am going to discuss with Dave Smith from Cornell University, our liaison to the Administrative Council. This way we could cover the region better and more economical for participants.

We continue to get a lot of interest in the program and we will be discussing the dates for the educational programs for both 2004 and 2005 and then advertising them to extension educators, vocational agriculture teachers and crop consultants through a wide variety of media. In follow up conversations with the participants of the first educational program several have held educational programs on high tunnels and have use the manual in their programming efforts and some have assisted growers in developing plans for building a high tunnel and one agent has constructed a 17’by 36’ high tunnel at his extension office where he will be involving his Master Gardeners in demonstrating the use of a high tunnel for the production of horticultural crops for not only the commercial grower but for the serious home gardener.

One new and exciting addition to what participants at the next educational programs will see at our facility is a 30-foot wide by 96-foot long high tunnel at the Penn State University Horticulture Farm that will be heated using Plastofuel (nuggets made of used agricultural plastic waste i.e. plastic transplant containers, plastic mulch, drip irrigation tape and tubing, hay bags, silage bags, nursery pots, etc.) burned directly in a boiler unit generating hot water, that was developed in South Korea and has just arrived at Penn State. This project is a partnership between Jim Garthe in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, and the High Tunnel Research and Education Facility and a private entrepreneur from South Korea. This utilization of this currently perceived waste material to generate heat might allow even more year around cropping options in high tunnels in the future and also allow for even earlier production of warm season tomatoes and peppers utilizing a high tunnel.