Showing posts with label University of Missouri Extension. Show all posts
Showing posts with label University of Missouri Extension. Show all posts
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Social Event of the Year
The Jefferson County Soils and Crops Conference will be held on Saturday, March 26th. It's the 87th time for the event, so that means if you haven't made it in the past, you've missed the Jefferson County Social Event of the Year 86 times! How you've managed to survive without your annual dosage of "Farm Family of the Year" presentations, 4-H auctions, and great exhibits is unknown to me, but it's high time you get into the spirit of Soils and Crops and join us. The event will be held at Hillsboro High School, and there's dinner and presentations and exhibits throughout the evening. If you're interested in attending, please call the Jefferson County Extension office to make reservations: 636.797.5391. I certainly won't miss it, and I hope you can make it too.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
11th Central Missouri Vegetable & Greenhouse Tour
This is a bit of a drive from De Soto, but it might interest some of you. (We've been discussing doing one of these in our area, but we haven't had the time to devote to it just yet. If you'd like to volunteer to plan one, let us know.)
Central Missouri Vegetable & Greenhouse Tour
Some tour features will be:
Where: Meet at the Central Missouri Produce Auction to visit 3 nearby growers of quality fresh produce.
Schedule: (you are welcome to arrive up until noon)
10:00 AM Gather & visit ‘on your own’ the auction
11 until noon Pick up a lunch box compliments of MVGA
12:15 PM A few words from the tour sponsors
12:30 Leave to the first farm*
* Tour will conclude about 3:30 (about one hour per farm). Choose from one of two tour routes. See detail below.
To get your complimentary lunch, a RSVP is needed by Aug. 30th; provide a name and how many will be in your group. Email or call James Quinn; phone 573-634-2824; e-mail QuinnJa@missouri.edu.
Directions:
Tour A
Irvin has been using a Pixall green bean picker for a couple of years. He successively plants green beans throughout the growing season. Weather permitting the green bean picker will be demonstrated. Bring a bag, as what is picked can’t be stored for the next auction. Rumor has it MVGA is buying the beans!
Paul inquired early in 2010 about how to make a new packing/grading/sorting facility ‘GAP’ compliant. So James Quinn resourced what looked reasonable on the web and sent him a ‘packet’. Trouble was, it was probably over 200 pages. Paul will show you what he has come up with. GAP is short for ‘good agricultural requirements’ and is a voluntary program. Some large buyers are asking their growers to become GAP certified. There were no fixed rules or designs for a farm facility like this, but a lot of recommendations for how to meet GAP requirements.
Philip got a new toy this winter, a 2 million BTU wood fired boiler that is wood chip fired (we say a 1 million version of this at Harvey Zimmerman’s last year). Philip needed a larger unit to heat 12,000 sq ft of greenhouse ornamentals and 3,000 sq ft of greenhouse tomatoes. Philip also grows 2,200 mums. For field crops he has ‘a little bit of everything’ for their on farm store sales. He produces some field tomatoes for the auction and as well as a pumpkin field about ½ mile away from the farm place, which will shown last. Paul and Philip have 2 other brothers growing produce, with all the sons learning from their father, Eugene. Eugene’s place is right next door, and if we’re lucky he’ll join us too.
Tour B
First stop/new grower to this tour
Ronald and Denise Nolt- Nolt’s Farm Market
The Nolts have 3 stores which most of their more than 20 acres of vegetables are used to supply. They buy as needed from the auction to round out their needs, as well as sell surpluses. They grow a variety of vegetables, including sweet corn, melons, tomatoes, and a number of others. They also produce fall mums. Their farm is just to the west of the auction with the fields visible from the dock.
James was one of a number of growers who picked up some greenhouse structures from Dix Nursery, which was a very large spring plant supplier until a couple of years ago. He brought the structure back and produced tomatoes in it this year. James is one of a just a few growers to sell strawberries at the auction. He has a variety of field vegetables. This year he tried some herbicides with residual activity against germinating weeds- Sandea in the row middles between black plastic beds & Command around some pumpkins.
Irvin has been using a Pixall green bean picker for a couple of years. He successively plants green beans throughout the growing season. Weather permitting the green bean picker will be demonstrated. Bring a bag, as what is picked can’t be stored for the next auction. Rumor has it MVGA is buying the beans!
Central Missouri Vegetable & Greenhouse Tour
Some tour features will be:
- Green bean picker demonstrated (weather permitting)
- Used ornamental greenhouse structure moved to farm for soil grown tomato system with drop down side walls
- New packing/sorting facility shown (GAP compliant?)
- Growing vegetables for your own stores
- 2 million BTU wood fired boiler
- Morgan County Ext. Center
- Missouri Department of Ag
- Central Missouri Produce Auction
- Morgan County Seeds
- University of Missouri Extension (MU Extension)
Where: Meet at the Central Missouri Produce Auction to visit 3 nearby growers of quality fresh produce.
Schedule: (you are welcome to arrive up until noon)
10:00 AM Gather & visit ‘on your own’ the auction
11 until noon Pick up a lunch box compliments of MVGA
12:15 PM A few words from the tour sponsors
12:30 Leave to the first farm*
* Tour will conclude about 3:30 (about one hour per farm). Choose from one of two tour routes. See detail below.
To get your complimentary lunch, a RSVP is needed by Aug. 30th; provide a name and how many will be in your group. Email or call James Quinn; phone 573-634-2824; e-mail QuinnJa@missouri.edu.
Directions:
Located on Highway E, 12 miles south of US 50 or 10 miles north of Versailles.
Central Missouri Produce Auction
37808 Highway E
Fortuna, MO 65034
Auction Facility - 660-337-6227 (Auction days only)
Directions to the farms will be provided the day of the tour. The closest is ½ mile away & the furthest just a tad over 10 miles. Tour A
First stop/new grower to this tour
Irvin Martin Irvin has been using a Pixall green bean picker for a couple of years. He successively plants green beans throughout the growing season. Weather permitting the green bean picker will be demonstrated. Bring a bag, as what is picked can’t be stored for the next auction. Rumor has it MVGA is buying the beans!
Second stop/was on the 2008 tour
Paul Shirk Paul inquired early in 2010 about how to make a new packing/grading/sorting facility ‘GAP’ compliant. So James Quinn resourced what looked reasonable on the web and sent him a ‘packet’. Trouble was, it was probably over 200 pages. Paul will show you what he has come up with. GAP is short for ‘good agricultural requirements’ and is a voluntary program. Some large buyers are asking their growers to become GAP certified. There were no fixed rules or designs for a farm facility like this, but a lot of recommendations for how to meet GAP requirements.
Third stop/new grower to this tour
Philip Shirk (yep, Paul’s brother) Philip got a new toy this winter, a 2 million BTU wood fired boiler that is wood chip fired (we say a 1 million version of this at Harvey Zimmerman’s last year). Philip needed a larger unit to heat 12,000 sq ft of greenhouse ornamentals and 3,000 sq ft of greenhouse tomatoes. Philip also grows 2,200 mums. For field crops he has ‘a little bit of everything’ for their on farm store sales. He produces some field tomatoes for the auction and as well as a pumpkin field about ½ mile away from the farm place, which will shown last. Paul and Philip have 2 other brothers growing produce, with all the sons learning from their father, Eugene. Eugene’s place is right next door, and if we’re lucky he’ll join us too.
Tour B
First stop/new grower to this tour
Ronald and Denise Nolt- Nolt’s Farm Market
The Nolts have 3 stores which most of their more than 20 acres of vegetables are used to supply. They buy as needed from the auction to round out their needs, as well as sell surpluses. They grow a variety of vegetables, including sweet corn, melons, tomatoes, and a number of others. They also produce fall mums. Their farm is just to the west of the auction with the fields visible from the dock.
Second stop/was on the 2008 tour
James Leid James was one of a number of growers who picked up some greenhouse structures from Dix Nursery, which was a very large spring plant supplier until a couple of years ago. He brought the structure back and produced tomatoes in it this year. James is one of a just a few growers to sell strawberries at the auction. He has a variety of field vegetables. This year he tried some herbicides with residual activity against germinating weeds- Sandea in the row middles between black plastic beds & Command around some pumpkins.
Third stop (repeat from first stop of Tour A)
Irvin Martin Irvin has been using a Pixall green bean picker for a couple of years. He successively plants green beans throughout the growing season. Weather permitting the green bean picker will be demonstrated. Bring a bag, as what is picked can’t be stored for the next auction. Rumor has it MVGA is buying the beans!
Friday, March 12, 2010
Jefferson County Social Event of the Year
If you are looking for something to do on Saturday, March 20th, I hope you will consider attending the 86th Annual Jefferson County Soils & Crops Conference held at Hillsboro High School. There will be all sorts of exhibits, and the event draws several hundred people. It is a great family affair with lots of 4-H kids on-hand to facilitate a silent auction.
Of course, this is also the time when the Soil and Water Conservation District holds its annual meeting, but there's much more that goes on. With your $7 registration fee, you get to see the presentation of the Jeferson County Farm Family of the Year, view pictures from this year's three Century Farms, and have a fabulous dinner that includes dessert and great conversation. You simply can't go wrong!
They do like to have a headcount for dinner, so you need to call the Jefferson County Extension office at (636)797-5391 if you'd like to attend. For more information, see the invitation in the Jefferson County AGNews letter:
http://extension.missouri.edu/Jefferson/AG/March10.pdf.
The De Soto Farmers' Market will have a booth in the exhibit hall, so make sure you come find us. We'll have Vendor Applications and 2010 Rules and Regulations for potential vendors, and we'll also have a giveaway. You'll want to put your name in the bucket for that one!
Registration is due by March 18th, and the doors open at 5 PM with the program beginning at 6 PM. We hope to see you there.
Of course, this is also the time when the Soil and Water Conservation District holds its annual meeting, but there's much more that goes on. With your $7 registration fee, you get to see the presentation of the Jeferson County Farm Family of the Year, view pictures from this year's three Century Farms, and have a fabulous dinner that includes dessert and great conversation. You simply can't go wrong!
They do like to have a headcount for dinner, so you need to call the Jefferson County Extension office at (636)797-5391 if you'd like to attend. For more information, see the invitation in the Jefferson County AGNews letter:
http://extension.missouri.edu/Jefferson/AG/March10.pdf.
The De Soto Farmers' Market will have a booth in the exhibit hall, so make sure you come find us. We'll have Vendor Applications and 2010 Rules and Regulations for potential vendors, and we'll also have a giveaway. You'll want to put your name in the bucket for that one!
Registration is due by March 18th, and the doors open at 5 PM with the program beginning at 6 PM. We hope to see you there.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Announcing Workshops for Growers
In an effort to help local growers optimize their sales at farmers' markets, we've partnered with the University of Missouri Extension to bring you a series of workshops. The workshops focus on the technical aspects of growing as well as some aspects of selling. You are invited to attend as many of the workshops as will benefit you, but we hope you can attend them all! The price is also very reasonable as well: FREE. For more information, please check out the flyer below or call Dean Wilson, Agriculture Specialist with University of Missouri Extension: (636)797-5391. We hope to see you soon.
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