Regardless of winter snow coating the field, Megan Ayers of Unvarnished Farm in Deputy, IN hosted her second community build of an EQIP-funded High Tunnel.
Megan Ayers, steward of Unvarnished Farm, held her second high tunnel build and learn as part of the Living Farm Series this December. Despite the winter snowstorm, conservation partners and a beginning gardener gathered for a memorable build. All bundled up, we set to work with Nifty Hoops, and finished the community build all in one day.
The Living Farm Series offers growers and conservation professionals the opportunity to learn about conservation practices happening in real-time on farms across Indiana through the lens of season extension. With high tunnels being an amazing tool for season extension, the series offers high tunnel build-and-learn events in addition to our farm tours and conservation practices. For this event, we had Purdue Extension, SWCDs, RITA techs, and a beginner gardener to lend a helping hand and warm attitudes. We sang, danced, laughed, ate well, and shared our love of conservation with one another. It truly was a warm and worthwhile memory I’ll cherish for a long time to come!
It’s an incredible sight to see a whole new structure go up in a day. This event provided hands-on experience while focused on building a high tunnel funded by the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The Nifty Hoops kit Megan acquired through the EQIP cost-share is called a gothic tunnel. The Nifty Hoop kits are relatively very easy to piece together given that they’re color-coded and packaged smartly. Their on-site staff delegated tasks and taught the functions as the materials pulled off the delivery trailer, naming parts and roles of parts as they were assembled by the team.
Despite the snow-covered ground, Megan talked with folks new to high tunnels about the cover crops of radishes and clover that were poking through the snow. The land designated to be under a high tunnel needs to be under production of some sort in order to be contracted through EQIP for a high tunnel. Given that Megan had one tunnel beside the new one beside each other, we learned about her crop rotation plan, and how season extension fits into her conservation plan for her entire farm.
I came away from the event with the same sentiment as the other attendees that it’s a powerful reminder of how many hands make light work…and a joyous moment. And it sure doesn’t hurt to walk into a warm place to farm during the coldest time of the year!
The “High Tunnel Build & Learn” sponsored by the Urban Soil Health program demonstrates what is achievable when agriculture professionals, conservationists, and community members unite to advance sustainable agriculture in Indiana.
