development news - Virginia State University

tunnels extend both the beginning
and end of the season for months.
“We were still harvesting raspberries
through the 15th of December,”
Rafie says. “You can’t do that
in the field.”
He said VSU extension specialists
work with growers who want to be
successful at growing berries by
assisting them with the production
and marketing aspects of these
crops and also helping them create
a grower’s network.
“Just like the Hanover Tomato, we
want to help brand the Virginia
Berry,” Mullins says.
He says the use of this tool will
expand production for Virginia
farmers by allowing them to grow
several different crops for an extended
period and have a greater
quantity of quality crops to market.
Otherwise, he added area supermarkets
and restaurants will look
to purchase the crops from
outside the state.
This newly discovered
farming tool is becoming
more popular with growers
because of its simplicity,
effectiveness and low cost,
Rafie says.
“The nature of fresh fruits and vegetables
in the market is becoming
very competitive,” he says. “Farmers
today have to be on the cutting
edge and the use of high tunnel,
combined with growing crops with
market demand, is one way that
will help put them there.”
The cost effectiveness of using a
high tunnel far outweighs the use
of a regular greenhouse, Mullins
says. Unlike regular greenhouses,
high tunnels do not require heaters
and are not vulnerable to
many pests and diseases typically
common for growing crops in the
open field.
“We work with small farmers that
don’t have the $10 per square feet
to construct a normal greenhouse,”
Mullins says, adding that farmers
pay about $3 per square foot to
construct a high tunnel.
“This is appealing to a lot of growers,”
he says. “It’s becoming an
News from University Avenue
important, inexpensive way for
farmers to grow crops.”
VSU extension specialists have
been experimenting with the high
tunnel for about three years and
have worked in collaboration with
agencies such as the United States
Department of Agriculture.
Rafie says the innovative tool has
created excitement within the agricultural
community. Crops grown
at VSU Randolph Farm are test
marketed to area supermarkets to
determine which have true market
potential. The results of this marketing
are shared with growers via the
Cooperative Extension Educational
Programs conducted at VSU.
The high tunnel-grown produce
is already reaping benefits. Sales
of the test marketed produce are
funneled into a scholarship fund to
support agriculture majors at VSU.
The important question used to be, can you grow
blackberries when nobody else can grow them in
the field. The answer is now yes, using a high tunnel
and some pruning techniques.
VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY
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