Sponsored by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) www.iatp.org
On April 8-9, 2009 over 60 men and women gathered at Laura Krouse's Abbe Hills Farm for a Hoophouse Construction Workshop put on by Practical Farmers of Iowa. The two day building project was lead by Michigan State Outreach Coordinator Adam Montri. Adam works with farmers around the state on year-round vegetable production in hoophouses through on-farm economic research projects, one-on-one production consultations, and hoophouse training builds in rural and urban sites. He and his wife Dru and daughter Lydia own and operate Ten Hens Farm, a year-round farm, in Bath, MI.
Laura Krouse and her summer workers on Abbe Hills Farm produce vegetables for a 200-family CSA from June through October. She hopes the addition of the hoophouse will extend the garden season until Christmas. Laura also grows seed for an open pollinated variety of corn that has been selected on the 72-acre farm since 1903. A number of soil conservation and water quality practices have been established, including a restored upland wetland surrounded by native prairie. Primarily chemical-free practices are used to manage soil fertility and pests.
Part 1 is a question and answer with Adam Montri. The discussion ranges from the costs and benefits of hoophouses to practical issues of their construction.
Part 2 is an overview of the hoophouse build.
Part 3 covers the steps necessary in the framing of a hoophouse.
Part 4 shows how to cover the hoophouse as well as create the roll-up sides.
For more information about hoophouses and/or season extension contact Sally Worley .