MISSISSIPPI STATE, Mississippi (January 28, 2010) –
The South’s already long growing season can be extended by high-tunnel
production, a low-cost technique that is new to many Mississippians.
Mississippi State University is offering the High Tunnel Field Day on March
11 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Crystal Springs at the MSU Truck Crops
Experiment Station. Registration includes lunch and is $15 by March 1 and
$25 per person after that.
“This field day will teach participants the basics of producing fruits,
vegetables and cut flowers in high tunnels,” said event coordinator and MSU
Extension Service ornamental horticulture specialist Mengmeng Gu. “We also
will provide tours of high tunnels being used to grow a variety of crops.”
Speakers for the day-long event are Curt Rom of the University of Arkansas,
Carl Motsenbocker of Louisiana State University and Dave Dowling of
Farmhouse Flowers and Plants of Maryland. Exhibitors will be on hand
offering products and services related to high tunnel crop production.
Additionally, growers can learn about a cost-share program for high tunnels
that is available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National
Resource Conservation Service.
The high tunnel field day is sponsored by MSU, the Mississippi Fruit and
Vegetable Growers Association, and the Mississippi Department of Agriculture
and Commerce.
