Purdue Extension Marshall County 'Specialty Crop Growers Meeting: with focus on High Tunnel Production'

Monday, December 23, 2024 at 12:00 AM

Join Purdue Extension Marshall County for a day-long workshop titled “Specialty Crop Growers Meeting: With Focus on High Tunnel Production.” The focus is on Marshall County growers; anyone is welcome to attend. The program will be held on Jan. 22 at the Gallery on West, 202 West Street in Argos, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Crops from your high tunnel with no supplemental heat means more money in your pocket. How do we irrigate and maintain soil health under such intensive production? During this workshop speakers will cover topics including NRCS Practices and Programs, Soil Health 101, Non-insurance Crop Disaster Assistance Program, and Maximizing High Tunnel Production for Profit and Soil Health.

Keynote speaker will be Dan Perkins. Dan is the owner and farmer at Perkins’ Good Earth Farm in Demotte. He is known as the “Cover Crop Guy” in NW Indiana. Perkins' Good Earth Farm utilizes no-till, permanent deep-compost beds, and is a certified organic farm growing on 2.5 acres with 18,000 bulbs of hard-neck garlic and produce via a 200-member CSA, on-farm stand, commercial kitchen, and local wholesale accounts. The farm generates a good living and lifestyle for their family of six. Dan has over 16-plus years of experience in organic and conventional crop management and growing experience in Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, and Indiana.

This event is free to attend because of the generous support of contributors and partners Purdue Extension-Marshall County, Plymouth Farmers Market, USDA-NRCS, Urban Soil Health, USDA-FSA, Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative, and Marshall County Farm Bureau.

The USDA-NRCS, USDA-FSA, and Purdue Extension are equal opportunity providers, employers, and lenders.

If you need accommodations to attend this workshop, please submit a request at least two weeks before the event to Terri Theisen (ttheisen@urbansoilhealth.org).

To register for this program, visit https://events.humanitix.com/soil-health-in-hightunnels or call the Marshall County Purdue Extension office at 574-935-8545.