Friday, January 8, 2016
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Tree Fruit
11:00 AM - Scab-Resistant Apple Cultivars in New England Terence Bradshaw, UV Apple scab is the most damaging disease of apples in New England, and requires 8-12 fungicide sprays in a typical year to manage. Since the 1940s, breeders have developed apple cultivars with genetic resistance to apple scab which present unique opportunities to produce fruit in organic or low-input systems. Characteristics of specific scab-resistant cultivars will be discussed as will the unique management considerations of growing them. 1:00 PM - TBD 2:00 PM - Frost Protection Jim Flore, MSU Over the last 20 years bloom dates in the Midwest for fruit crops have been earlier in the season, however the last frost free date has not been changing as fast. In this presentation we will discuss the annual cycle of dormancy and cold hardiness in tree fruit, the process of acclimation, deep winter hardiness and de-acclimation in the spring and discuss the influence of climate change on these events. Methods to prevent problems with acclimation (irrigation, fertilization, and pruning) will be discussed. We will also briefly touch on methods to prevent spring frost (delayed bloom, irrigation, and wind machines). 3:30 PM - Cider Apple Research in Vermont Terence Bradshaw Hard cider production has increased exponentially in the U.S. in recent years, which represents the greatest potential market expansion to apple producers in a generation. In order to grow apples for sale to cideries or to pursue on-farm cidermaking, important fruit characteristics, consumer preferences, and economic factors must be considered. Research has begun in Vermont to assess industry economics, potential cider apple cultivars, and production systems for successful cider apple production. 4:15 PM - TBD 
Vegetable IPM
11:00 AM - Management of Winter Squash and Muskmelon Diseases Dr. Mark Gleason, ISU The presentation will discuss several of the most important diseases of winter squash and muskmelon in the Great Plains region, emphasizing how to recognize them early and how to manage them effectively. Bring questions! 11:50 AM - My experiences with IPM on a Vegetable Farm Rusty Lee, Lee Farms Sharing observations from implementing a variety of IPM practices, including: crop rotations, cover crops, trap crops, scented-lure traps, and fungicide scheduling with Melcast. 1:30 PM - Reduced-Risk Insecticides and Biopesticides Raymond Cloyd, KSU This presentation will define what a reduced-risk insecticide and biopesticide are and then discuss the characteristics of the commercially available reduced risk insecticides and biopesticides that may be used to deal with insect and mite pest populations. 2:10 PM - Trap Cropping, Indicator Plants and Banker Plants as IPM Tools in High Tunnels Dr. Jaime Piñero, LU To be most effective at managing insect pests in enclosed environments it is advisable to use preventive pest management tools that are simple, effective and may be able to provide season-long control, as opposed to reactive methods that rely on insecticide sprays. Depending on the insect species being targeted, various Integrated Pest Management methods have become available. 3:30 PM - Managing Tomato Diseases in High Tunnels and the Open-Field Cary Rivard, KSU Tomatoes are one of the most popular and profitable crops grown in the Great Plains. However, they are also one of the more problematic due to the large number of diseases that can occur. During this session, we will talk about some of the common diseases as well as management strategies that can be utilized in high tunnels and in the open-field. We will also make some general comparisons of the risk of disease outbreaks in the high tunnel system compared to the open-field. 4:20 PM - Managing Two-Spotted Spider Mites in Hoop-Houses Using Biological Control Dr. Raymond Cloyd, KSU This presentation will discuss the use of predatory mites to regulate populations of the twospotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) on tomatoes grown in hoop-houses. The presentation will describe the biological control program that two growers in Kansas have used.
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Beginning Organic
11:00 AM - Building Your Farm from the Ground Up Cary Rivard, KSU So you want to be a farmer, but not sure where to start? During this session we will discuss considerations for purchasing land in addition to soil testing and online resources for identifying properties with good agricultural soils. We will also cover basic equipment and infrastructure needs for specialty crop production and talk about how particular crops and/or markets drive infrastructure needs on the farm. 11:45 AM - Growing Soil for Healthy Crops Joel Gruver, Western IL State 1:30 PM - Tips for Successful Organic Transplant Production Liz Graznak, Happy Hollow Farm, MO 2:00 PM - SARE Resources for Beginning Organic Producers Kerri Ebert, KS SARE This session will focus on the network of resources available from SARE and similar organizations that could be of interest to beginning organic producers. Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) is USDA-NIFA-funded, grassroots-focused, education and research program with offices in every state and island protectorate. SARE's mission is to advance to the whole of American agriculture through innovations that improve profitability, stewardship and quality of life by investing in groundbreaking research and education.One way SARE fulfills that mission is by translating cutting-edge research results into practical, how-to books, bulletins, and online resources for farmers, educators, and researchers. SARE also offers grants to farmers, ranchers, educators, and ag professionals to conduct on-farm research, education, and professional and community development. 2:30 PM - The KSU Mobile Cooling Unit Brian Boutte, KSRE/Spoon Creek Organic Keeping crops cool is the most important postharvest handling method for increasing storage life. During 2015, we built a mobile cooling unit at the K-State Olathe Horticulture Research and Extension Center using a 6’ x 12’ box trailer, structurally insulated panels (SIPs), and a cool-bot unit. We will discuss the process of building the cooler in addition to some tips that could be useful for building your own. The cooler will be on-site and we will take participants outside to see it (weather permitting) during the session. 3:30 PM - Market Options for Certified Organic Products: Food Hub, CSA, Farmers Markets and More Katie Nixon, LU/Green Gate Family Farm In Organic agriculture diversity is king both on the farm and off. By understanding diverse marketing options you can chose a few that fit for your farm and your products. By choosing more than one market you can spread your risk and increase your sales. I will be talking about the various markets available and how to make most from your organic product. 4:00 PM - Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) and Farm Storage Facility Loan Blaine Rutherford, Farm Service Agency NAP is a free to low cost disaster assistance program focused on providing coverage for crops where regular crop insurance is unavailable. The program covers a wide variety of crops including fruits, vegetables, forage crops and honey. Various coverage levels are available in the form of basic and buy-up coverage. Basic catastrophic coverage provides protection on 50% of the produciton at 55% of the average market price for a service fee. Buy-up coverage is premium based and provides coverage between 50 to 65% of expected production (in 5% increments) at 100% of the average market price. Service fees and premiums may be reduced or waived for producers falling into the category of beginning, limited resource, or targeted undeserved producers. MarketReady
11:00 AM - Introduction Jim Quinn, University of MO 11:15 AM - MarketReady-Workshop Introduction & Objectives Timothy Woods, UK MarketReady training is for local food producers who currently sell their products directly to consumers and are looking into wholesale marketing to restaurants, grocery stores and institutions. This training helps commercial food producers decide whether they are ready to expand to meet the demands of a wholesale market. MarketReady is the proud recipient of the 2012 National Food MarketMaker Innovation Award for Education, Research, and Outreach. 1:30 PM - MarketReady Training-Pricing & Invoicing Linda Naeve, ISU 2:00 PM - MarketReady Training-Packing & Labeling Linda Naeve 2:30 PM - Buyer Panel Debi Kelly, MU This Buyer Panel will consist of a produce buyer, a restaurant and a grocery store that each by local and direct from producers. Buyers will discuss how they prefer to be contacted by producers, what their expectations are for delivery, whether food safety certification is required, and how payment will be made. 4:00 PM - MarketReady-Insurance Timothy Woods This business function is critical for most commercial buyers. The module will examine risk issues and insurance expectations held by various buyers. 4:15 PM - MarketReady-Postharvest Handling and Produce Grading Jim Quinn Will review the process of handling from the field all the way to the retail floor. What a producer needs to know to deliver quality produce, uniformly and correctly packed, so they can obtain the respect of their customer, however large or small. 5:00 PM - Rules, Regulations & Wrap Up Tim Woods & Linda Naeve Technology
11:00 AM - Cold Storage for the Small Farmer Shon Bishop, LU Post harvest practices are crucial to ensure longer shelf life and higher quality product for vegetable and fruit producers. Among the multi- faceted post harvest practices a farmer can implement to extend shelf life, cold storage should be considered by any commercial producer who wishes to increase profit while decreasing waste. The talk will cover construction of a low cost cold room, as well as lessons learned regarding temperatures that various vegetable types should be stored at. 11:45 PM - New Products in Irrigation, Fertigation, and Water Use Craig Pisarkiewics, MPR Irrigation Supply I will be presenting some new products and concepts to improve irrigation efficiencies. 1:30 PM - Production Technology from Start to Finish Greg Garbos, Four-Season Tools 3:30 PM - Production Technology from Start to Finish, cont’d. Greg Garbos | ||||||||||||||||||