Innovative Farmers Educate Agency Personnel and Other Farmers About the Design and Management of High Tunnels
Wednesday, November 8, 2006, 12:00 noon to 3:30 pm
To register in advance call 518-271-0744.

High tunnels are greenhouse-like structures that offer farmers an inexpensive means to extend growing and marketing seasons, intensify production, and reduce weather-related risk. Learn how a handful of experienced farmers use these cost-effective structures to grow early tomatoes, cucumbers, salad greens, cut flowers and a wide range of fall and winter salad crops. For the past year and a half, our Northeast SARE project has been documenting how innovative farmers in four states are using high tunnels to enhance their enterprises.

On Wednesday, November 8, 2006, from 12:00 noon until 3:30 PM, a free tour is offered to educate extension educators, researchers, agricultural marketers, farmers’ market managers, and other agricultural service providers, as well as farmers, about the real world uses and designs of high tunnels. The tour will visit two farms in Massachusetts' Pioneer Valley — Red Fire Farm in Southern Hampshire County, and the Hampshire College Farm located on the Hampshire College campus in Amherst. There is a half hour drive between the two stops.

This tour, sponsored by the Regional Farm & Food Project, is made possible by a grant from the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program. A DVD video featuring case studies of high tunnels on six farms, and a high tunnel decision-making manual will be released by the Regional Farm & Food Project at the end of November.

Reservations are strongly encouraged. Please contact Billie Best at 518-271-0744 or billie@farmandfood.org. Please bring a bag lunch or eat prior to the tour. Dress for the outdoors as part of the presentation at our first stop will be in an unheated barn. Directions are below.

Tour Itinerary

12:00 Noon Red Fire Farm

Ryan Voiland grows 25 acres of certified organic vegetables on the 50-acre farm he purchased in Granby, Massachusetts, in 2001. The harvest supplies the farm's 400 share CSA and its two farmstands. Red Fire Farm also sells to local wholesale accounts and at a weekly farmers' market.

Ryan has been using high tunnels of one sort or another for over ten years. He has experimented with a variety of structures, crops and growing systems. Current high tunnel production at Red Fire Farm includes summer tomatoes, early spring carrots, and winter salad greens, baby bok choy, and spinach.

This fall Ryan will be moving and reconfiguring some of the farm's tunnels. Some are low tech, inexpensive "walk-in" tunnels. These are 10 feet wide and 150 to 200 feet long, quickly assembled with PVC pipes skinned with polyethylene film.

The farm has several more permanent hoop houses with metal greenhouse frames: The 35’ x 120’ Harnois has a ridge vent and ground heat. There are two Ledgewood frames: 25’ x 120’ and 20’ x 30’, and the farm will be constructing a third – 25’ x 120’ structure this fall. All of the larger tunnels have propane heat, although heat is not used in all cropping sequences.

Attendees will learn about Red Fire Farm's high tunnel operations in all seasons by visiting the structures, watching a PowerPoint presentation, and talking to the farmer.

1:30 pm Depart from Red Fire Farm

2:00 pm Hampshire College Farm

Nancy Hanson farms on the Hampshire College campus for students, faculty, and other staff as a salaried employee of the college. She operates a 200 member CSA from late August to Thanksgiving.

She also sells wildly popular bagged winter salad greens directly to members of the college community from late December until the first week of May, with a several week break in January. She seeds the greens from October to mid December. Nancy says people line up to buy these out of season greens. "I know I could sell as much as we could grow."

Nancy first embarked on winter growing when a student constructed a small PVC-rebar tunnel for a research project. Two years ago, with a grant from the Vervane Foundation, she was able to purchase and erect a 30’ x 96’ Griffin gothic greenhouse for her winter growing enterprise. As she commutes a distance to the farm, she opted for automatic systems, such as a ridge vent, so the tunnel "doesn't need to be babysat." This year, she will use propane heat for the first time in order to maintain the tunnel just above 32 degrees. In the past, she paid students to apply and remove row cover to protect the crops from freezing.

At the tour, Nancy will provide a primer on winter growing. She will share her data on planting dates, yields, and varieties, and will explain how she adapted Eliot Coleman's growing techniques to her operation.

3:30 pm Adjourn

Directions to Red Fire Farm

From Route 116 take Amherst Street to Route 202. Turn left onto Route 202 North. From Route 202 North go through Granby Center and take a right onto Taylor Street. Turn left at the first stop sign onto what continues to be Taylor Street. Turn left again at the next stop sign onto Carver Street. Red Fire Farm will be on your left. From Route 202 South turn left onto School Street. Follow School Street, which becomes Chicopee Street, until it merges with Carver Street. Bear right onto Carver and the farm will soon be on the right.

From the Mass Pike take Exit 6 and turn right at the light after exiting the toll booth. This is Burnett Road, which will become Holyoke Street. Stay on this for about 2 miles. Take a left onto West Street. (It's the second light you come to, there is a Mobil on your left). Follow West Street for about 3 miles. Turn right onto Brook Street. This becomes Taylor Street. At the stop sign go right onto Carver Street and look for the farm on your left

Directions from Red Fire Farm to Hampshire College Farm

Take a right onto Carver Street, which becomes Taylor Street. At next intersection, take a right to continue on Taylor Street. Take a left on Route 202. Take a right on Porter Street (there should be a sign for Route 116). Bear left on Aldrich Street. Take a right on Amherst Street. Take a right on Route 116. Continue past Atkins Farm Market. Turn left into the main entrance to Hampshire College. At the stop sign take a right. Turn into the second parking lot on the right. The greenhouse will be on your right.