Great Plains Vegetable Conference 2010 – What a Success!!

Last Friday and Saturday I had the opportunity to attend the Great Plains Vegetable Conference in St. Joseph, MO. And man was there a crowd there! Despite the piled up snow, the colder than you know what temperatures, farmers turned out in droves to find out the latest information on growing, harvesting, handling, and marketing vegetables and fruits. Over 300 people attended the conference on Saturday alone – which was highlighted by keynote speaker, Kamyar Enshayan of the University of Northern Iowa. Kamyar reported on his wonderful success with helping local institutions – including restaurants, schools, hospitals and nursing homes – buy from local farmers with the “Buy Fresh, Buy Local” Campaign, a joint project of the Northern Iowa Food and Farm Partnership and his university. One restaurant, Rudy’s Tacos, buys almost 90% of its food from local farmers and businesses, keeping all that money right in the local area. In the last year, $2.5 million was spent on local foods by institutions in an 8 county area. That’s great news and great inspiration!

In another presentation, Lisa Bralts from the Market at the Square in Urbana, IL, explained how to effectively use social media (blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr!) to promote farmers’ markets. Ironically she was snowed in and couldn’t get to the airport so we used webinar technology (Adobe Connect) to connect Lisa from Urbana with the audience in St. Joe. My wow moment? Lisa explained how she used Twitter to inform customers about specials at the market and keep them updated. Okay – it’s Urbana! Then an audience member from Clay Center KS told how his local market (and we are talking a pretty rural place) has used Twitter to remind folks to come to market. It can happen anywhere! It’s here to stay! I heard Eileen Nichols from the Webb City Farmers’ Market talk about easy ways to do farmer inspections for markets, and University of Missouri Extension’s Tim Baker talk about vegetable diseases. (Stay on top of that first-time farmers!)

Several other presentations caught my eye, but I didn’t get to attend them. One was titled “The GAPS Certification and Audit Process” by USDA-AMS Good Agriculture Practices guru David Markwardt. Another was “Farm to College Dining Panel” that discussed how farmers could connect with local colleges and universities to sell produce. For a complete listing of sessions at the conference, click here. You can view 2009’s conference sessions and copies of presentations here. Posted by Mary Hendrickson

14th Annual Greenhouse Growers' School

Fourteenth Annual Greenhouse Growers’ School
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Bradford Research and Extension Center
4968 Rangeline Road, Columbia, MO
(From U.S. 63 travel east on Rt. WW to Rangeline and turn right)

Schedule

8:30 - Registration/Welcome

9:00 - Social networking and marketing, Judy Allmon, Bluestem Services

10:00 - Break

10:30 - New bedding plants for 2010, Derek Schrof, Ball Seed Company

11:30 - Lunch (furnished)

Concurrent sessions in the afternoon—your choice of topics.

1:00 - Room A - Geraniums and vegetative annual production, Joe Rawley, Syngenta Hort Services

1:00 - Room B - Biofuels, Gary Hindgardener, Missouri Mulch

2:00 - Room A - Greenhouse growing “my way", Al Cordle, Bonnie's Plant Farm

2:00 - Room B - New pesticides and their use, Andy Seckinger, OHP

3:00 - Break

3:15 - Room A - Alternative energy sources for greenhouses, Roger Reed, S & R Sales

3:15 - Room B - Plants of Merit update, Chris Nejelski, MoBot

4:00 - Room A - pH management in greenhouse nutrition, Dave Trinklein, MU

4:00 - Room B - Coping with the down economy, Panel discussion

Registration is $15 per person (includes lunch) payable at the door.

For additional information contact:
David Trinklein
State Floriculture Specialist
573/882-9631
trinkleind@missouri.edu

Missouri Value Added Grant Program

The Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority (MASBDA), part of the Missouri Department of Agriculture, objective is to provide grants for the creation, development and operation of rural agricultural businesses that add value to Missouri agricultural products and aid the economies of rural communities.

A agricultural product is defined as "an agricultural, horticultural, viticultural or vegetable product, growing of grapes that will be processed into wine, bees, honey, fish or other aquacultural product, planting seed, livestock, a livestock product, poultry or a poultry product, either in is natural or processed state, that has been produced, processed or otherwise had value added to it in this state."

MASBSA will consider grant applications for value-added agricultural business concepts that:
* lead to and result in development, processing and marketing of new or expanded uses of, agricultural products; and
* foster agricultural economic development in Missouri's rural communities.

This grant is NOT intended for production expenses, operational expenses or for capital expenditures. It will pay for technical, economic or market feasibility or a marketing study. The grant deadline is Jan 29, 2010.

For additional information on this grant call 573-751-2129 masbda@mda.mo.gov or http://mda.mo.gov/abd/financial/valaddgrant.php

Approved Soil Testing Labs for Missouri

The Missouri Soil Testing Association (MSTA) Approval Program is designed to assure that results provided by participating public and private labs serving the citizens of Missouri agree with allowable statistical limits. This is accomplished by evaluating the soil testing laboratories in their performance through inter-laboratory sample exchanges and a statistical evaluation of the analytical data. Based on this premise, soil test results from MSTA approved labs will be accepted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Services (NRCS) in federally assisted cost share programs and nutrient management plans in the state of Missouri.

List of Missouri State Approved Soil Testing Labs – Jan 4, 2010

• Custom Lab, 204 C St, Golden City, MO 64748, 417-537-8337

• Delta Soil Testing Lab, University of Missouri, PO Box 160, Portageville, MO 63873, 573-379-5431

• MU Soil and Plant Testing Lab, University of Missouri, 23 Mumford Hall, Columbia, MO 65211, 573-882-3250

• Perry Agricultural Lab, PO Box 418, State Hwy 54 East, Bowling Green, MO 63334, 573-324-2931

• Mowers Soil Testing Plus Inc, 117 East Main St, Toulon, IL 61483-0518, 309-286-2761

• A&L Great Lakes, Laboratory, Inc, 3505 Conestoga Dr, Fort Wayne, IN 46808, 260-483-4759

• A&L Heartland Laboratory, Inc, 111 Linn St, PO Box 455, Atlantic, IA 50022, 901-213-2400

• AgSource Belmond Labs, 1245 Hwy 69 N, Belmond, IA 50421, 641-444-3384

• Servi-Tech Laboratories, 1816 East Wyatt Earp Blvd, Dodge City, KS 67801, 620-227-7123

• Midwest Laboratories, Inc, 13611 B St, Omaha, NE 68144-3693, 402-334-7770

• Ward Laboratories, 4007 Cherry Ave, PO Box 788, Kearney, NE 68848, 308-234-2418

• Brookside Lab Inc., 308 S Main St, New Knoxville, OH 45871, 419-753-2448

• Spectrum Analytical, 1087 Jamison Rd, PO Box 639, Washington Court House, OH 43160, 740-335-1562

• Ag Source Cooperative Services, 106 N Cecil St, PO Box 788, Bonduel, WI 54107, 715-758-2178

• Waters Agricultural Laboratories, Inc, 257 Newton Hwy, PO Box 382, Camilla, GA 31730, 229-336-7216

• A&L Analytical Laboratories, Inc, 2790 Whitten Rd, Memphis, TN 38133, 901-213-2400

• A&L Canada Laboratories, Inc, 2136 Jetstream Rd, London, ON N5V 3P5, Canada, 519-457-2575

Direct Marketing Your Farm Products Workshops

Have you considered direct marketing of the produce, meat, or other products you grow on your farm? Or are you direct-marketing al-ready? If so, this meeting series is for you!

Four sessions will be held:
 January 21: The basics before you start; how to determine the market for your product and where to market
 January 28: Customer service, public relations, and advertising
 February 4: How to set a price and make a profit; social networking
 February 11: Regulations you need to know; panel of experienced direct marketers

Each session will begin at 7:00 p.m. and will be held at the No-daway County Extension Center, located in the Nodaway County Ad-ministration Building in Maryville, MO. Pre-registration is requested by Friday, January 15th. Cost to attend is $50 per person for all four ses-sions or $15 per individual session. Couples and families may attend all four sessions for $75.

For more information or to register, contact Amie Schleicher, at (660)-744-6231.

University of Missouri Plant Diagnostic Clinic

The Plant Diagnostic Clinic was established in 1965 and handles samples submitted for plant disease, insect, and weed identifications, as well as management recommendations. The clinic supports county extension specialists and receives samples directly from other agencies, businesses and private citizens throughout the state. Most clinic operations are handled by clinic staff, however other MU Division of Plant Science faculty assist when needed. Samples are diagnosed by visual observation or microscopic examination.

More information on the University of Missouri Plant Diagnostic Clinic, fees and services are available at: http://soilplantlab. missouri.edu/plant/index.htm You can also contact the lab at plantclinic@missouri.edu or 573-882-3019.

Chestnut Workshops Cover Entire Growing Season

The University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry is offering a series of workshops on chestnut production in 2010. The four daylong workshops will span the chestnut growing season, from site selection and planting to harvesting and sales.

Each workshop will cost only $10 thanks to support from the Missouri Department of Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Block Grant program.

“Growing chestnuts is an excellent way to diversify your farm income,” said Mike Gold, associate director of UMCA. “A well-managed one-acre orchard of 50 grafted Chinese chestnut trees can gross between $5,000 and $7,000 wholesale and about $10,000 retail within 10-12 years.”

The workshops, which will take place at the MU Horticulture and Agroforestry Research Center in New Franklin, are aimed at current and prospective growers, extension agents and students. Fees will be waived for FFA instructors and students.

Gold recommends participants sign up for all four sessions, which will take attendees through the entire growing season.

Course dates and topics (all sessions are on a Tuesday):

-March 23: Site selection, planting, graft planning and pruning.

-May 4: Grafting.

-Aug. 17: Orchard maintenance, weed control, insect scouting, pest management and disease control.

-Sept. 14: Harvest, marketing and sales.

Instructors include Gold; Ken Hunt, research scientist; Mark Coggeshall, tree improvement specialist; and Michele Warmund, professor of plant sciences. Outside experts and veteran growers will also contribute.

Fees include course materials and lunch. Space is limited. To sign up, contact Julie Rhoads at 573-882-3234 or rhoadsj@missouri.edu.

For workshop details, contact Gold at 573-884-1448 or goldm@missouri.edu.

For more information about UMCA and Chinese chestnuts, see www.centerforagroforestry.org.