The Need More Acres Winter Farming Field Day was held in December 2018. This program was hosted by Need More Acres Farm. The event was presented by Allen County Extension Agent for Agriculture, UK vegetable specialist, Soil Conservation Office, Farm Service Agency and Need More Acres Farm owners. This field day was intended for participants to gain knowledge of local farming practices and to learn about high tunnel vegetable production. 

According to the most recent agriculture census (2017) Allen County is the number one producer in dollars sold for produce and vegetable production. With that being said, there is a major need for commercial vegetable production programming. With the help and input of the Ag Council and producers in Allen County we were able to provide this field day to our community. Participants were able to see hands on demonstrations, tour farm facilities and learn about commercial vegetable production in high tunnels. Topics included high tunnel construction, winter grown vegetable varieties, FSA insurance and loans, USDA funding, managing and controlling diseases in high tunnels and various other subjects that came up throughout the day.

We had over 65 participants at this field day and at the conclusion of the event we evaluated them with verbal questions. 100% of the total participants said that they gained knowledge on the various topics presented. One verbal comment that stands out was “This was very interesting, I learned a lot about high tunnels today and I think I may be interested in giving this a try”. With the large amount of produce grown in Allen County we plan to continue having these field days and educational programs to inform our community and promote local and statewide agriculture.