High Tunnel Vegetable Production Demonstrated at Farm Progress Show

High tunnels for growing vegetables and fruits are a production technology beginning to dot rural landscapes. More Iowa fruit and vegetable growers are adding high tunnels — also known as hoop houses — to their operations as information about the technology and available USDA funding is shared, according to organizers of a 2010 Farm Progress Show high tunnel demonstration that will be on display Aug. 31 – Sept. 2.

Iowa State University (ISU) Extension, Boone Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) and FarmTek of Dyersville are partners in the Farm Progress Show demonstration hoop house, one they envision to be a high traffic display. “Inside the ClearSpan structure is a complete demonstration of the high tunnel concept,” said Kevin Griggs, Boone County SWCD chairman. “This practice is so new and Farm Progress Show audience so large, that this is an appropriate time and place to increase high tunnel production awareness.”

Linda Naeve, ISU Extension value-added agriculture specialist, also believes the timing is right to introduce more people to high tunnel technology and possibilities. “With the current push for more consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables and local growers looking for ways to meet increased demand for locally grown produce, growers are curious about high tunnel production,” Naeve said.

Since January, Naeve has conducted full-day grower workshops in five Iowa communities and held four workshops for educators on the topic of high tunnel production, with more workshops scheduled. She estimates that 40 percent of the growers attending the workshops have put up high tunnels, with more planning to install the structures. “One thing we stress to growers is to have a plan for marketing the additional produce,” Naeve said. “It is also important to select high-value crops to offset the cost of the building, because some crops just aren’t economical to produce in a high tunnel.”

Naeve is conducting the high tunnel grower workshops as part of a Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture funded project. In addition to the workshops, her project includes the development of a growers’ manual, in English and Spanish, that covers different strategies and management details required for high tunnel production. She also is conducting high tunnel workshops for educators, including vocational ag instructors, NCRS and extension staff.

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Photo Credit: gettyimages-zoran-zeremski