Rural Roots

Purdue Student Farm kicks off its August Small Farm Education Webinar Series with this live, online education seminar. Topics will include Food Safety Overviews and Sanitation Standard Operation Procedures, Value-adding Business Food Safety and Cottage Food Law, and Fresh Produce Food Safety and Good Agricultural Practices for Small Farms.

Seminars run every other weekday from August 2 to August 13 at 9 am -10:30 am

Sign up here

MONDAY, AUGUST 2

9:00 am – 10:30 am PDT
Moderator: Petrus Langenhoven

Food Safety Overviews and Sanitation Standard Operation Procedures

Juan Archila and Betty Feng, Purdue University
Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs) are one of the necessary food safety practices that food processors need to follow. The SSOPs are essential written procedures to ensure a sanitary environment where the food is being processed. This session will present information needed to develop SSOPs to prevent contamination or adulteration of a product.

Value-adding Business Food Safety and Cottage Food Law

Han Chen and Betty Feng, Purdue University
Many growers are interested in producing value-added food products to diversify farm income sources. However, with further processing, growers are subject to additional food safety regulations. To establish a successful value-added business, food safety is one of the critical components. This presentation will provide a food safety aspect of the value-added business and discuss the cottage food laws in Indiana.

Fresh Produce Food Safety and Good Agricultural Practices for Small Farms

Amanda Deering and Scott Monroe, Purdue University
Food safety is a critical part of growing produce. The use of Good Agricultural Practice (GAPs) by produce growers has been shown to reduce the risk of on-farm contamination of produce by a foodborne pathogen. This presentation will cover the basics of produce food safety and will focus on the main risk factors that are found in a typical production environment and how they may be managed. Regulatory and industry systems that ensure the use of GAPs by produce growers will also be discussed.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 4

9:00 am – 10:30 am PDT
Moderator: Rachel Rawls

Landscape Planning: Data and Design Strategies for the Farm

Aaron Thompson, Purdue University

Many factors that influence the form and function of working landscapes, as both social and ecological forces collide within these spaces. Subject to more intense pressure to deliver efficient production within their limited footprint, small farms are
designed landscapes. However, the involvement of the design professions is often overlooked in the creation and management of these spaces. This talk focuses on the role of landscape planning as a design process that can enhance the design of farms and shape rural landscapes. Topics to be discussed include data-driven site analysis, spatial programming, design development, and
performance evaluation of farm landscapes.

Main Areas of Focus in Social Media Marketing

Ariana Torres, Purdue University and Kate Gahimer, Senler Studio

As technologies evolve and become more accessible, horticulture businesses can use social media to boost sales, build new partnerships, and pursue up- and down-stream integration strategies. In this virtual presentation, Dr. Ariana Torres will interview Kate Gahimer, co-founder of Senler Studio, to tell us the major areas of social media marketing. Speakers will present topics such as how to 1) develop and increase brand awareness, 2) curate content for audience engagement, 3) attract prospective clients
through paid media, and 4) discover other helpful tools within digital communication.

Linking Markets to Production

Renee Wiatt and Maria Marshall, Purdue University

Do you have an integrated decision-making process for your farm? Decisions that are made during the production of your crop can have a large impact on where you market your product. Alternatively, where you plan to market your agricultural product can impact what decisions you make relating to hybrid selection, growing practices (i.e. organic), food safety procedures, and
packaging/labeling. All of the decisions that are made by farmers during production have an impact on profitability. By defining the market and basing all of your decisions on the wants and needs of that selected market, you can increase your farm’s profitability
and make the best decisions for your farm.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 6

9:00 am – 10:30 am PDT

Moderator: Lais McCartney

Soil Samples. Soil Testing and Results Interpretations

Rachel Rawls, Purdue University

Soil and nutrients play a key role in overall plant health. During this half hour presentation, participants will learn why soil testing is an important step in the site preparation process and why soil testing is vital for plant health. A demonstration on how to collect a soil samples using two different tools will be provided as well as an overview on how to interpret the results from a soil test.

Infield Soil Diagnostics and Soil Health

Joe Rorick, Purdue University

Soils are available year-round, even when crops aren’t, allowing for more flexible timing to assess function and address problems before they appear in crop. The management of our soil resource can have large impacts on how it works for us. We have tools to look at our soils when assessing in-field soil function. These tools can improve the ability to understand overall soil function by looking at factors such as aggregate stability, compaction and root restrictions.

Making Cover Crop Biomass Work for You

Ashley Adair, Purdue University
Growing cover crops provides many benefits to growers, including adding organic matter to the soil. The aboveground biomass (i.e. stems and leaves) adds to soil organic matter and helps feed soil microbes. However, aboveground biomass could mean management challenges as a grower. Different species require different timing and techniques for optimal results. This talk explores cover crop biomass and how to manage it for improved soil and crop health.

 

MONDAY, AUGUST 9

9:00 am – 10:30 am PDT

Moderator: Petrus Langenhoven

Control of Bacterial Spot of Tomato Using Alternative Products
Dan Egel, Purdue University

Bacterial spot of tomato is a huge limitation to field production of tomatoes in Indiana. Lesions on foliage and fruit reduce fruit quality and/or yield. Traditionally, copper products have been used to combat bacterial spot. However, a survey of bacterial spot in Indiana revealed that 80% of fields were affected by bacterial spot strains that are resistant to copper. In addition, copper may reduce vigor of plants and may accumulate in the soil. Therefore, many growers are interested in alternative products for bacterial spot control. Alternative products that will be discussed include: plant defense inducing products, peroxide/peroxyacetic acid and biological controls. These products will be compared with grower standard products. Both organically listed products and conventional products will be discussed.

Perennial Weeds and Their Management

Stephen Meyers and Jeanine Arana, Purdue University

Perennial weeds like dandelion, dock, and Canada thistle establish over time, and it takes a dedicated effort to manage them in the long-term. Learn which management tactics work and which could make your perennial weed problems worse.

Small-scale Onion Production and Postharvest Handling Tips

Petrus Langenhoven and Chris Adair, Purdue University

In 2020, we started to test different long day onion varieties at the farm This year, we have included ten onion varieties in the demonstration. During this presentation we would like to talk about seedling production, field preparation, planting techniques, nutrient management, irrigation, pests, and storage. We will also discuss 2020 onion yields.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11

9:00 am – 10:30 am PDT
Moderator: Lais McCartney

Field Production of Specialty Melons

Wenjing Guan and Petrus Langenhoven, Purdue University

Melon is a crop with diverse fruit characteristics. The most commonly cultivated melon type in the United States is cantaloupe. Besides cantaloupe, other melon types with distinctive fruit attributes are generally referred to as specialty melons. Commonly known specialty melons include charentais, galia, ananas, Persian, honeydew, casaba, crenshaw, canary, and Asian melon. This presentation will highlight field performance and quality of multiple specialty melon cultivars grown in southern Indiana, as
compared to typical cantaloupe cultivars grown in the region.

High Tunnel Specialty Melon Production

Petrus Langenhoven and Wenjing Guan, Purdue University

Specialty melons are becoming more popular. For the past two years we have been evaluating several specialty melon types and varieties in west-central and southwestern Indiana. Variety performance was tested in a high tunnel (vertically grown). This presentation will include discussions on varieties, production techniques, productivity, and product quality.

Vegetable Production in Raised Beds

Nathan Shoaf, Purdue University

Many homeowners, backyard gardeners, and urban farmers may decide to grow vegetables in raised beds if their soil type is not optimal. If your soil is compacted with poor drainage, infested with pests, or if contaminants are present, installing raised beds can help improve vegetable production for your garden and may mitigate contaminant exposure. This talk will cover the advantages and challenges of growing in raised ground beds and supported raised beds, as well as considerations for site preparation,
growing medium, and irrigation.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 13

9:00 am – 10:30 am PDT

Moderator: Rachel Rawls

Pathogens of Hemp

Marguerite Bolt, Purdue University
Hemp growers face considerable risks because they are producing a regulated crop that was reintroduced after a decade’s long prohibition. The most obvious risk is having a crop that tests higher than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on a dry weight basis. There are other risks growers face. Over the course of 2019 and 2020 growers observed many different diseases in their crop. These included root, stem and crown, and foliar diseases. Purdue researchers are identifying diseases in outdoor and indoor
grown hemp and how to manage them. This talk will focus on disease identification and management strategies.

Biological Control of Hemp Aphids

Laura Ingwell and Eze Pojmann, Purdue University

Hemp aphids are an abundant and prolific pest in hemp production systems, especially when grown in controlled environments. Join us as we share our experiences with commercially available natural enemies, including three species of parasitoid, lady beetle and lacewing larvae applied to control hemp aphids. We will discuss their efficacy and prey preference size.

Aphid and Mite Management in High Tunnel Strawberries

Laura Ingwell, Purdue University

Using high tunnels for annual strawberry production offer a great avenue to diversify high tunnel cropping systems, increase the availability of locally-grown strawberries and increase farm revenue in early spring. Strawberries in the high tunnels over winter also provide a resource for aphids and mites. In this presentation, Dr. Ingwell will share 2-years of experience evaluating a variety
of biopesticides to manage these two prolific pests.