The program is available via live streaming video (must have a broadband, high-speed connection) on March 20 but will also be available for later viewing.
 
For information about how to connect to the conference, visit  http://www.tristateorganic.info/.

The video conference is free and can be viewed by anyone with access to a high-speed Internet connection on a computer at mms://video.dis.purdue.edu/agcomm.

Speakers and topics include:

Matt Kleinhenz, Ohio State University Extension vegetable crop specialist, will give an introduction to high tunnel systems and the opportunities they provide, considerations for implementing and getting a hoophouse certified for organic production.

Adam Montri, hoophouse project manager for the Michigan State University Food and Farming System, will discuss the different types of hoophouses and their characteristics, as well as purchasing considerations and installation for maximum efficiency.

Susan Houghton, co-manager of The Giving Tree Organic Farm in Michigan, will highlight how her farm maximizes production to meet the demand of various markets that depend on food grown in the hoophouses.

Mike Roney, co-owner of Tuttle Orchard in Indiana, will share how he secured his market with a cafeteria in Indiana and maximizes production by using high tunnels.

The University of Illinois is joining Purdue University, Michigan State University and Ohio State University to offer this interactive video conference series presented by researchers, organic farmers, and Extension educators. The series is sponsored by Cooperative Extension Services at University of Illinois, Purdue University, The Ohio State University, and Michigan State University, and also supported by funding from USDA's North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program.

For more information, contact Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant (217- 968 5512; cvnghgrn@uiuc.edu).