Field day features growing crops in high tunnel and quick-hoop systems

Sep 10, 2014

ST. PAUL, Minn. – High tunnels and quick-hoops are unheated structures used to extend vegetable production. Many beginning vegetable farmers see these structures as an immense investment. This project compares production and profitability differences between the two unheated season extension systems. They want to determine if inexpensive and portable quick-hoops are more profitable than productive, but costly, high tunnels. Vegetable farmers operate on tight margins and a quick-hoop system may in fact be more desirable with lower overhead costs. Project findings will provide Stone’s Throw Urban Farm and other vegetable farms an understanding of profitability expectations for high tunnel and quick-hoop season extension systems.

Attendees will tour two urban farm lots in South Minneapolis. The tour begins at 2:00 p.m. with an explanation of the experiment. At 2:30 p.m. the tour visits site one at 2820 15th Avenue South, followed by a walk to site two and a tour of the second part of the experiment. Snacks are served at 4:00 p.m. during a season extension discussion. Courtney Tchida, University of Minnesota’s Cornucopia Student Farm Coordinator, shares her experiences during the past two years with a similar experiment.

What: Free, on-farm field day showing comparison of production and profitability of heat-loving crops in high tunnel and quick-hoop systems.
Who: Project Contact: Robin Major 802-380-5156
When: Saturday, September 13, 2014: 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Where: Stone’s Throw Urban Farm: 2820 15th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN
Stone’s Throw Urban Farm’s project is supported by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Grant Program.

Source: Minnesota Department of Agriculture

Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.