"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." --Aristotle

Address any questions or comments regarding this newsletter to the individual authors listed after each article or to its editor, Rick Weinzierl, 217-333-6651, weinzier@illinois.edu. To receive e-mail notification of new postings of this newsletter, call or write the same number or address.


In This Issue:

Upcoming Programs

A Regional Note from Southern Illinois

Vegetable Production and Pest Management (hydroponic production workshops; low-tunnel observations from McLean County)

Local Foods Issues (extended comment period on rule-making for the Food Safety Modernization Act, water quality for food safety)

University of Illinois Extension educators and specialists in fruit and vegetable production and pest management


Upcoming Programs

The 2014 Illinois Specialty Crops, Agritourism, and Organics Conference will be held January 8-10, 2014.

Check the Illinois SARE calendar for a full list of programs and links for registration.
http://illinoissare.org/ and http://illinoissare.org/calendar.php
Also see the University of Illinois Extension Local Food Systems and Small Farms Team's web site at:
http://web.extension.illinois.edu/smallfarm/ and their calendar of events at http://web.extension.illinois.edu/units/calendar.cfm?UnitID=629.


A Regional Note from Southern Illinois

In southern Illinois ... just like everywhere else, it's cold. It took about 2 weeks to thaw the nearly 10 inches of snow we received in early December. We received about ½ inch of snow on January 1, and there are some predictions for more snow into the weekend and next week. Even given a few "warm" days, the soil is still frozen and will likely be frozen even harder with low temperatures predicted to dip below zero the first of next week. Given these temperatures, a little snow would be beneficial to help insulate the soil and prevent injury to cover crops and some perennial crops. Some local orchards have started pruning apples. Given the cold and cloudy days, winter crops in high tunnels have had limited growth and production. Fortunately the winter thus far has been fairly consistently cold, so most perennial crops are fully dormant and acclimated to the cold as best they can be.

Nathan Johanning (618-939-3434; njohann@illinois.edu)


Vegetable Production and Pest Management

Hydroponic Production Workshops

The University of Illinois will host two 2-day workshops on hydroponic production. The workshops will provide information to anyone interested in hydroponic small fruit or vegetable production. The number of producers using hydroponic production systems in Illinois is increasing, and there are many people who have indicated a desire to learn more about hydroponic production for both recreational and commercial growing. These workshops will offer the opportunity to get a strong foundation in basic hydroponic principles and practices and will include both classroom and hands-on lab activities.. The cost for the 2-day workshops is $95 per person, and one guest per registrant will be allowed for an additional $45. The workshop at Urbana will be held on February 18-19, 2014, and the workshop at St. Charles will be held on February 25 and 26, 2014. For more information or to register, please email jkindhar@illinois.edu or call 618/695-2770 for the Urbana workshop or contact Shelby Henning at shenning@illinois.edu for the St. Charles workshop. The tentative program for these workshops is ...

Day 1

9:00

Overview of Hydroponic Production Systems

10:30

Basics of Greenhouse and High Tunnel Growing

12:00

Lunch

1:30

Greenhouse tour

2:30

Plant Nutrition Basics

3:30

Leafy Greens, Cucumber, and Strawberry Hydroponic Production Basics

5:00

Adjourn

Day 2

9:00

Basics of Starting a Horticulture Business

10:30

Water Testing, Fertilizers and Feeding

12:00

Lunch

1:00

Greenhouse Integrated Pest Management

2:15

Tomato Production Basics

3:15

Greenhouse Tour -- Hydroponic Systems Demonstrations

5:00

Adjourn

Low Tunnels for Season Extension

A lot of research has been done on season extension for market farmers, but there is little data available from central Illinois farms. Low tunnels offer a very flexible, low cost way to provide a protected growing environment to crops. These structures can extend the fall and winter harvest season for greens and with the right succession planting schedule offer earlier harvests in the spring. There is potential to direct-seed a crop like Walla Walla onions in late summer and protect them through the winter allowing a harvest of full-size bulbs 4 to5 weeks earlier than spring-planted onions. It may also be possible to direct-seed in the winter and cover the soil with a low tunnel to get plants such as carrots, onions, peas, etc. to germinate very early in the spring and get a jump on the season.

I am using a low tunnel to observe the cold-hardiness and eating quality of a variety of cold-hardy crops over the winter of 2013-2014. I planted a mix of cold-hardy crops starting on August 23 and ending on September 28. Some varieties are newly-created farmer bred varieties that have been selected for cold-hardiness and have the ability to survive lower winter temperatures than the standard varieties offered by most seed companies. I covered the crops with a low tunnel to test winter hardiness and eating quality of a range of vegetables over the winter. The goal is to collect data for central Illinois on planting dates, winter survival, eating quality, and the performance of different crops and varieties.

I purchased a "quickhoops" bender from Johnny's Seeds and built a low tunnel using ½-inch EMT conduit. I covered the tunnel with Agribon 19 fabric on November 9.. I added a layer of greenhouse poly on November 23. I crossed a rope over the tunnel by threading it through a 9-gauge wire staple at the base of every other hoop on alternating sides. I also put bricks and bags of rocks on the plastic. The biggest challenge so far has been keeping the plastic on the hoops. If you live in a windy area be sure to use a lot of heavy objects to hold the plastic down.

Other farmers have found that low tunnels tend to average 5 degrees of protection to crops under moderate conditions and the amount of protection increases when temperatures drop to extreme lows. I have observed similar results in my low tunnel. On November 10 and 11the nighttime low temperature was 18 degrees and the low temperature inside the tunnel was 27 degrees. When the sun shines the temperature inside the tunnel rises into the 60's during the day when outside temperatures are in the 30's.

Through early December the combination of warmer temperatures and low winds resulted in continued growth and high quality greens. On November 26th the outside temperature dropped to 11 degrees and the temperature inside the tunnel was 21 degrees. The low of 21degrees did slight damage to some of the outer leaves of the greens, but most greens were still thriving in early December and the inner leaves were still edible and could be sold to winter CSA customers or other winter marketing outlets.

I will provide an update on the effects of the snows and colder weather during recent weeks later this month and monitor and report on the condition of these crops through March. See the details and some photos below.

Planting dates for low tunnel crops.

August 23

Evergreen Hardy White Onion, Vates Kale, Aprovecho hardy Turnip (Adaptive Seeds), Arugula, Tres Fine Endive, Keystone Endive, Manoa Lettuce (Wild Garden Seed), Brown Goldring Lettuce (Wild Garden Seeds)

August 26

Cornet De Bordeaux Escarole (Adaptive Seeds), Pokey Joe Cilantro (Adaptive Seeds)

September 6

Arugula, Pokey Joe Cilantro, Cornet De Bordeaux Escarole, Brown Goldring Lettuce, Manoa Lettuce (Adaptive Seeds), Briweri Lettuce (Adaptive Seeds)

September 13

Winter Density Lettuce, Winter Marvel Lettuce, Brown Goldring Lettuce, North Pole Lettuce, Rouge D'hiver Lettuce, Chinese Thick Stem Mustard (Even Star Farms), Even Star Tatsoi (Even Star Farms), Even Star Winter Arugula (Even Star Farms), Vit Mache, Claytonia

September 18

Vit Mache, Claytonia, Even Star Winter Arugula (Even Star Farms)

September 18

Vit Mache

Seed Sources. Johnny's Seeds, Fedco Seeds, Wild Garden Seeds, Adaptive Seeds.


Greens in early November before being covered with low tunnel.


Left and center. head lettuce and ice bred arugula in the morning after a low of 27F. Right. Evergreen hardy white onions, Vates kale, hardy turnips.


Left. Low tunnel supplies from Johnny's. Center and right. I used a hammer and punch to create a hole and pushed the conduit in about 12 inches deep. A string tied to each end helps keep the hoops in line.


I installed the rowcover by tying it to posts at either end of the bed.


From left (1) greens inside low tunnel on November 26; (2) Keystone Endive, note slight drooping over outer leaves due to cold damage; (3) Rouge D'hiver Romaine lettuce on December 1 was the first variety to show significant damage from the cold temperatures; (4) Bibb lettuce inside the low tunnel on December 2.

Bill Davison (309-663-8306; wdavison@illinois.edu)


Local Foods Issues

Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) - Next Steps: Second Round of Public Comment

Based on the thousands of public comments received regarding the Food Safety Modernization Act, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it will propose revised rule language and open another comment period on two of the proposed rules affecting farmers, both small and large. The four issues needing major reform include (1) water quality standards and testing, (2) standards for using raw manure and compost, (3) provisions affecting mixed-use facilities (farms that engage in value-added agriculture), and (4) process considerations for farms who are eligible for qualified exemptions from FSMA requirements.

An FDA press release stated that "we have heard the concern that these provisions, as proposed, would not fully achieve our goal of implementing the law in a way that improves public health protections while minimizing undue burden on farmers and other food producers.". Based on these comments, the FDA will propose new rule language and again ask for public comment. There may be other revisions to the proposed rules; the scope of the revised proposals, on which they will seek further comment, will be determined after they complete their initial review of written comments. Plans are to publish the revised proposed rule by early summer 2014.

According to Ferd Hoefner, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition's Policy Director, "it is important for major rulemakings to include careful economic and environmental analysis of the likely outcomes of implementation. Farmers need to know that food safety rules are not going to put them out of business. Also, for a final rule to be truly effective, more discussion is needed on the details of how the federal-state interface will work to ensure effective implementation and prevent unfunded mandates."

For more information, check out these two websites for the Food and Drug Administration (http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/default.htm. and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (http://sustainableagriculture.net/fsma/). There was also an excellent article on this topic in the latest issue of the Vegetable Grower News at http://vegetablegrowersnews.com/index.php/news/release/29895

Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant (217-782-4617; cvnghgrn@illinois.edu)

Food Safety: Water Use on the Farm

Related to food safety, water quality is a topic that is little understood for Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs). Questions from growers and processors range from use of creek water and pond water for irrigation to recommendations for sanitizing wash water. Water is one of the most critical components of food safety on the farm and in post-harvest handling of produce. Water has the capability to carry microbes, chemicals and physical pollutants. It is used in every aspect of the farm operation -- planting, irrigation, frost protection, processing, cooling operations, produce wash and rinsing, facility cleanup, worker hygiene, and pesticide application. At any one of these points, contaminated water could introduce pathogens onto produce which could potentially reach consumers.

Water quality requirements are dependent on how water is used and the intended purpose. If water is coming in contact with the edible portion of produce, such as on leafy greens, on carrot roots or on strawberry fruit, it is labeled as "agricultural water.". The proposed FSMA rule requires that "all water intended or likely to come in contact with either the harvestable portion of covered produce or a food-contact surface be of safe and sanitary quality for its intended use.". By this definition, irrigation water that is applied through drip tape on a tomato crop is not agricultural water. However, if cantaloupes need to be washed, potable water should be used, even though we do not consume the fruit rind, because the contaminated rind could potentially introduce pathogenic microbes into the flesh of the fruit.

The quality of water should be tested in a laboratory. Departments of Public Health at the county level do accept water samples for coliform counts. A coliform count is a test of water contamination in which the resulting number of the colonies of coliform bacteria (Escherichia coli per 100 milliliter of water) is counted. It mainly tests for the presence of harmless indicator organisms that might indicate the presence of pathogenic organisms. Basic water quality tests also estimate the nitrate content.

Before you submit water samples for testing, call your local Public Health office for proper water sample collection instructions and other vital information, including cost and turnaround time. Other tests for toxic metals and/or chemicals can be done, but they cost much more than the basic coliform/nitrate test.

To disinfect water, there are several sanitizers to choose from. The most common one is industrial sodium hypochlorite, whose active ingredient is chlorine (it is similar to household bleach, which is not recommended for use in GAPs). Chlorine and other types of molecules are considered oxidizing agents, and they therefore easily damage and destroy microbial cells. Approved sanitizers for organic growers are listed here: http://www.extension.org/pages/18355/approved-chemicals-for-use-in-organic-postharvest-systems.

James Theuri (815-933-8337; jtheu50@illinois.edu)


Less Seriously ...

But ...




University of Illinois Extension Specialists in Fruit and Vegetable Production & Pest Management

Extension Educators – Local Food Systems and Small Farms

Bronwyn Aly, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Pope, Saline, and White counties

618-382-2662

baly@illinois.edu

Katie Bell, Franklin, Jackson, Perry, Randolph, & Williamson counties

618-687-1727

klbell@illinois.edu

Sarah Farley, Lake & McHenry counties

847-223-8627

sfarley@illinois.edu

Nick Frillman, Woodford, Livingston, & McLean counties

309-663-8306

frillma2@illinois.edu

Laurie George, Bond, Clinton, Jefferson, Marion, & Washington counties

618-548-1446

ljgeorge@illinois.edu

Zachary Grant, Cook County

708-679-6889

zgrant2@illinois.edu

Doug Gucker, DeWitt, Macon, and Piatt counties

217-877-6042

dgucker@illinois.edu

Erin Harper, Champaign, Ford, Iroquois, and Vermillion counties

217-333-7672

harper7@illinois.edu

Grace Margherio, Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center, St. Clair County

217-244-3547

gracem@illinois.edu

Grant McCarty, Jo Daviess, Stephenson, and Winnebago counties

815-235-4125

gmccarty@illinois.edu

Katie Parker, Adams, Brown, Hancock, Pike and Schuyler counties

217-223-8380

keparkr2@illinois.edu

Kathryn Pereira, Cook County

773-233-2900

kpereira@illinois.edu

James Theuri, Grundy, Kankakee, and Will counties

815-933-8337

jtheu50@illinois.edu

Extension Educators – Horticulture

Chris Enroth, Henderson, Knox, McDonough, and Warren counties

309-837-3939

cenroth@illinois.edu

Richard Hentschel, DuPage, Kane, and Kendall counties

630-584-6166

hentschel@illinois.edu

Andrew Holsinger, Christian, Jersey, Macoupin, & Montgomery counties

217-532-3941

aholsing@illinois.edu

Extension Educators - Commercial Agriculture

Elizabeth Wahle, Fruit & Vegetable Production

618-344-4230

wahle@illinois.edu

Nathan Johanning, Madison, Monroe & St. Clair counties

618-939-3434

njohann@illinois.edu

Campus-based  Extension Specialists

Kacie Athey, Entomology

217-244-9916

kathey@illinois.edu

Mohammad Babadoost, Plant Pathology

217-333-1523

babadoos@illinois.edu