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How can growing seasons be extended?

Fresh vegetables taste great, and they are healthy, too. But, in the dead of winter, they can be impossible to find in colder states, at least locally. The December 7th Sustainable, Secure Food blog explores “high tunnels” and how the help farmers extend their growing season.
 
 According to blogger Vicki Morrone, high tunnels are “simple structures made from PVC pipes and heavy-duty plastic. They are an economical way that allows farmers to grow food for nine or ten months of the year. While it’s freezing outside, some very tasty vegetables including spinach, kale and carrots grow inside high tunnels.” Morrone is an agronomist with Center for Regional Food Systems at Michigan State University.
 
 “The tunnels do not need heaters or lights,” says Morrone. But, watering and fertilization can present some problems. “Farmers often apply manure, compost and chemical fertilizers to provide nitrogen and phosphorus, the most important nutrients needed for plants to grow. Adding fertilizer or manure not only feeds the plants, but also adds salt to the soil. These salts from fertilizer take various forms, like calcium phosphate. This salinity is an unfortunate side-effect of fertilization that needs to be managed.”
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The Soybean Bulletin: On-Farm Research

Video: The Soybean Bulletin: On-Farm Research

Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) in The Soybean Bulletin, where Brownfield's Brent Barnett talks with Brent Swart, the ISA Board President, about current on-farm research. Swart emphasizes the importance of giving back to farmer members with information about agronomy and conservation research over the years and The Research Center for Farm Innovation (RCFI). The RCFI team is focused on building a database for farmers across Iowa by researching soybean herbicides and planting populations and testing new products, management practices, and conservation applications.Sciences