Improving Winter Greens Production and Storage for Cold Climate Farmers

View the project final report

Commodities

• Vegetables: greens (leafy), greens (lettuces)

Practices

• Crop Production: season extension, varieties and cultivars, winter storage

Improving Winter Greens Production and Storage for Cold Climate Farmers is a three year project designed to provide Northern US growers with profitable solutions for winter production challenges and to provide their communities with nutritious local food year round.  Western Montana and regions with similar plant hardiness zones currently face limited options for fresh produce in the winter months. Greens available in our stores and restaurants have traveled many miles and many days, resulting in low quality food with no economic benefit to the local community.  On the other side of the equation, many vegetable producers in Montana have the infrastructure but lack the knowledge and technology necessary to successfully grow year-round, and their businesses suffer seasonal gaps in farm income starting soon after field crops freeze. Producers and researchers in areas in the northern US such as Vermont and Michigan have pioneered methods that may be very applicable to our growing climate but also may require adaptations which we hope to explore and share. 

This project researched cost-effective methods of high tunnel ventilation, efficient passive solar heating, high-yielding and cold-hardy greens varieties, and optimal storage practices.  Missoula Grain and Vegetable Co., LLC (MGVC) constructed four caterpillar tunnels - which are smaller and more mobile than high tunnels - to test alongside three stationary high tunnels at the farm.  MGVC erected a weather station on the farm and added temperature sensors to the high tunnels and one caterpillar tunnel.  Finally explored ways to make winter-produced crops last longer in storage by tracking how a green spinach variety fares in storage for short and long durations. All results have been made available online through a video summarizing our findings.  Our findings were also shared at farm tours, on-farm and online workshops, and through social media interactions with interested Northern producers.

Project Objectives:

1. Strengthen the competitiveness of Montana vegetable farms by researching improvements to the production and profitability of winter-grown greens. To measure this goal, we will track input and yield data from multiple high tunnel systems and variety trials. After presenting this information in workshops, farm tours, and at conferences, we will use surveys to determine its value to participating farmers and to identify additional areas of need.
2. Improve efficiency of high tunnel ventilation and crop frost protection, conserving both fossil fuel and labor resources. Measured by tracking labor costs and yields for our 6 production spaces, and comparing the results between multiple methods and technologies. Results will be shared with other growers at tours, workshops, conferences, and in published articles.
3. Enhance quality of life for farmers by demonstrating lucrative opportunities for winter farm income. This goal will be measured by tracking profits and progress towards less expensive inputs, shorter working hours, and the ability to fund additional staffing at the farm. We will measure increased awareness of strategies for producing and storing high-value winter greens through surveys for tour and workshop participants.
4. Provide local consumers with fresh, local produce year round. Measured through leaf tissue analysis of winter-produced greens under different storage conditions and duration.