By Ajay Nair
ISU horticulture specialists give growers information to enhance production skills
Commercial production topics and practices will be featured at the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach 2015 Fruit and Vegetable Field Day on Monday, Aug. 10 at the ISU Horticulture Research Station, near Ames. The annual event will begin at 1:30 p.m. and conclude with a social and dinner following the educational components. The Research Station is located at 55519 170th Street, north of Ames.
“Although the field day is geared toward commercial production, the information also will be helpful to small-scale growers, master gardeners and homeowners,” said Ajay Nair, assistant professor of horticulture and Extension vegetable production specialist with Iowa State University. “Anyone interested in enhancing their production skills and diversifying their gardens and acreages would benefit from this learning opportunity.”
Growers will have an opportunity to interact face-to-face with multiple Iowa State researchers and receive research-based information focused on a variety of production topics, according to Nair, director of the Iowa State Sustainable Vegetable Production Lab and recent recipient of the 2015 College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Early Achievement in Extension and Outreach Award.
This year’s field day will showcase small-scale fruit and vegetable production systems, cropping practices, research projects, and tools and equipment needed. Specific topics include:
- Organic broccoli and pepper production
- Strip tillage in melon production
- Colored plastics for sweet potato production
- Honey bee health and behavior studies during tour of the ISU Bee Research Facility at the Horticulture Research Station.
Pre-register by Aug. 4
The event is free, but pre-registration is required for dinner. Online registration is open through Aug. 4. To register, go to www.extension.iastate.edu/vegetablelab/fieldday. There will be limited on-site registration the day of the event. Sign-in begins at 1:30 p.m., with educational program from 2 to 5:30 p.m., followed by social time and dinner. The event concludes at 7:30 p.m.
The field day is organized in partnership with Practical Farmers of Iowa, Iowa Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association and the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture.
Funding for the event is provided by the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education and the Specialty Crop Research Initiative, USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture and by the Specialty Crop Block Grant from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.