Farm Office Live

We will again host two sessions of Farm Office Live this week. Our first session is Wednesday evening from 7:00 – 8:30 pm and it will be repeated live on Friday from 10:00 – 11:30 am.

This month’s topics include:

  • Introducing Margaret Jodlowski, new Ag Economist, and the work she is doing in AEDE
  • Update on the Build Back Better Act
  • State and Federal Legislative Updates
  • Federal Farm Program Update
  • Farm Business Analysis Report

If you are already registered, you will receive a reminder email prior to the sessions. Click here to register if you’ve not yet attended.

Soil Heating Effects on Days to Harvest, Quality, and Regrowth of Three High Tunnel- and Fall-grown Vegetable Crops

Grower interest in fall-to-spring marketing of crops freshly harvested from high tunnels is increasing, along with the number and types of questions they have about the production side of the process. Excellent resources and information are available on major aspects (e.g., crop selection, planting schedules) but growers continue to seek and test cost-effective steps to enhance yield and/or quality. Managing temperatures near the crop so they maximize yield and quality has become a major focus for some. We say “temperatures” because root-zone and above-ground temperatures are often different and influence crop development and composition differently. So, we have been studying the effects of common production materials and strategies used to alter temperatures near the crop for many years. Experiments have included various combinations of row covers (film, fabric) to increase air temperatures (primarily) and soil heating. The most recent experiment was started in September and is described in the five panels below. Please contact us (Matt Kleinhenz; kleinhenz.1@osu.edu; 330.263.3810) if you would like more information, have questions about your production methods, and/or would like to discuss collaborative research that could be completed on your farm.