Iowa Specialty Producers Conference
SESSIONS
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BUSINESS/MARKETING
8 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
KEYNOTE: A goal without a plan is a wish
Hugh Mcpherson - The Maze Master, Maize Quest
8 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Ever find you can’t get everything? Battle procrastination? See your dreams slipping away with time? Attendees learn how to make goals magnetic. Use magnetic goals to create energy that pulls you to the finish line.
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Agritourism, Selling your farm one day at a time.
Frank Gieringer, Gieringers Family Orchard & Berry Farm
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
In this session Frank will share about their families journey and progression into Agritourism and touch on the limitless possibilities out there for anyone’s own farm.
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
The Key to Social Media Success
Britteny Settlage, Amplimark
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Ready to put together a digital marketing strategy that helps support your company’s goals? Talk with Brittney about leveraging social media to create an authentic voice for your brand. Learn ways to identify your social goals while building relationships with your audience, and optimizing your results.
VEGETABLE
11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Transitioning to specialty crops, our farms journey.
Frank Gieringer, Gieringers Family Orchard & Berry Farm
11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
In this session Frank with touch on how they got started on specialty crops and how they chose what to grow.
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Profitable Crop Choices for High Tunnel Production
Lewis Jett, West Virginia University
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Choosing crops for high tunnel production should be based on the most profitable crops per unit of time. Lewis will profile specific crops for most profitable production and marketing throughout the year.
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Strategies for Weed Management in Vegetable Crops
Nathan Johanning, University of Illinois Extension
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Weed Management in a diverse crop rotation with vegetable crops can be a challenge. There are many considerations in cropping systems, herbicides, and other cultural practices that all can influence overall weed management. This overview will cover the basics and help you build your weed management plan for your farm.
FRUIT
11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Practical netting solutions for hail and sunburn protection
Lee Kalcsits, Washington State University
11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Just one hail event can eliminate a year’s worth of effort and cause horticultural and disease problems in future years. Protective netting is used for both hail and sunburn protection. There are many different designs to consider with varying costs and labor efficiencies when deciding on the type of protection you want to use in your orchards. Here, I will outline the horticultural benefits of nettings, describe the range in netting systems that can be used, and identify some key things to consider when designing your system.
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Farm Feature – Ditmars Orchard & Vineyard
Lyle Ditmars
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Description
VITICULTURE
11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
What are your grape leaves telling you: how to diagnose and treat leaf disorder symptoms
Fritz Westover, Virtual Viticulture Academy
11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Many factors can lead to the discoloration of grape leaves. A proper diagnosis is essential before a grower can implement a solution to the underlying issue. This presentation will explore all of the possible factors that can cause leaf discoloration including disease, nutritional deficiency, and grapevine disorders both rare and common. The audience will be empowered with a process for diagnosing leaf symptoms in their vineyards and the most common treatments to correct or prevent the problems.
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Nutrient Testing & Calculating Fertilizer Rates
Annie Klodd, University of Minnesota Extension
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
So you did a soil test. Now what? This is a step-by-step of how to interpret a soil or foliar test report, and how to decide what fertilizers to apply based on your tests. Videos on collecting soil and foliar samples also included.
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
A Close Look at the Japanese Beetle
Joe Hannan, ISU Extension & Outreach
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
A look at determining when and how to take down this shiny pest. What works. What doesn’t. Plus a few tips for success.
ENOLOGY
11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Enhancement of Phenolic Compounds Content in Marquette Red Wines Using a Mechanical Treatment
Aude Watrelot, ISU
11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Red wines made from interspecific cold-hardy grape varieties (i.e. Marquette, Frontenac) tend to be low in tannins and slightly more acidic than Vitis vinifera red wines. Because of the low extraction of tannins from grape skins to wines, the finished wine tend to be unbalanced and of poor quality. The goal of this research is to improve red wine quality by enhancing the extraction of tannins from Marquette grape skins using the Accentuated Cut Edges (ACE) technique, which mechanically breaks grape skins into small fragments.
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Flavor Chemistry & Canned Wines
Rachel Allison, Cornell University
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Wines packaged in aluminum cans (“canned wine”) are one of the fastest growing segments of the wine industry. However, canned wines are at greater risk for developing ‘reduced’ aromas due to formation of H2S (“rotten egg”). In addition to proposing convenient and inexpensive methods for H2S analysis suitable for winery use, current work in the Sacks lab looks at the development and validation of accelerated aging tests to predict corrosion and H2S formation during long-term storage, using commercial wines and model systems. Subsequent investigations will further consider the impact of wine composition on the rate and degree of corrosion and H2S formation.
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
How to Assess and Determine an Action Plan for Problem Wines
Denise Gardner, Denise Gardner Winemaking
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Wine flaws happen periodically for every winemaker. Properly treating a wine that has a flaw can often be a time-consuming process for a winemaker, especially if he/she is not completely sure on the identity of the flaw. This presentation led by Denise Gardner will review the action steps winemakers can take when they experience off-flavors in a wine, microbial problems, or a general lack of quality or varietal character in a wine. These steps will aid winemakers in determining the identity and potential source of the issue. While this discussion will not cover specific fining agents or production steps for each technical wine flaw possible, we will cover a series of steps that are designed to take the guess work out of treating flawed wines. These steps should confirm a winemaker’s suspicions on a problem wine and save winery resources. Plus, we will discuss necessary preventative steps at harvest, fermentation, storage, and bottling that minimize the occurrence of wine flaws.
SPECIALTY CROP
11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Adding Woody Ornamentals to Your Crop Mix
Jake Kundert, Iowa Valley RC&D & Emma Johnson, Buffalo Ridge Orchard
11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Woody ornamentals, like dogwoods and willows, have the potential to be profitable crops on diverse specialty crop farms in Iowa. Since woody ornamentals are marketed as decorative branches, they are harvested in late fall or winter once the plants have defoliated. The seasonality of this crop fits well into the "off-season" of most Iowa crops and could provide cash flow during this part of the year. In 2019, the Iowa Valley RC&D and seven partner farms in eastern Iowa began a trial of 18 woody ornamental cultivars to identify the production methods best fit to growing these crops. Emma Johnson of Buffalo Ridge Orchard and Jake Kundert from the Iowa Valley RC&D will share the lessons learned from this trial and ways to integrate woody ornamentals on your farm.
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Beyond the CSA – Lessons and Insights from Local Meal Kit development
Joanne Roepke Bode, Bode’s Moonlight Garden, Jan Libbey, One Step at a Time Gardens, Andrea Evelszier, North Iowa Fresh, LLC., Alison Moon, Food for Thought, LLC
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Join farmers Joanne Roepke Bode, Jan Libbey, and project team members Andrea Evelsizer and Alison Moon for an in-depth report on their 2019 SARE Farmer Rancher Grant to research and develop a local meal kit. This team created and marketed eight "Seasonal Chef" meal kits featuring locally grown ingredients during the 2020 season. They’ll report on the opportunities and identified challenges of CSA farms managing meal kits among their product options.
BUSINESS/MARKETING
8 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Cross-Marketing Multiplier
Hugh Mcpherson - The Maze Master, Maize Quest
8 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Description
9:30 - 10:30 a.m.
Social Media on a Budget: Choose Wisely
Maria Mora, Big Sea
9:30 - 10:30 a.m.
Learn how to make the most of your social media presence by developing strong audience personas and creating content that speaks specifically to their interests and challenges. Get an overview of the top platforms and how to choose where to spend your limited time and advertising budget.
VEGETABLE
11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Crunching the code for profitable cucumber production
Dr. Ajay Nair, Iowa State University
11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Cucumber is a steady performer when it comes to crops within the cucurbitaceae family. An early season cucumber crop provides vegetable growers an opportunity to receive a price premium. Growing cucumbers in high tunnels has the potential to enhance fruit yield and quality. While there are benefits to high tunnel cucumber production, it is important to identify appropriate cultivars, planting schedule, cultural practices and integrated pest management. This talk will touch on all these topics both in high tunnel and open-field production.
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Lean Ideas Applied to the Market Garden
Ben Hartman - Clay Bottom Farm
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
In this workshop, geared toward market growers, Ben will show the lean growing systems Clay Bottom Farm uses to earn a living working 35 hours or less per week, using less than one acre of land. He will guide you through concrete examples of lean thinking applied to the following: soil building and no-till bed preparation, quick-rotation propagation, paper pot transplanting, better greenhouse construction, growing greens, tomatoes, carrots, and more. There will be a special segment on lean CBD hemp production.
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Cole Crops Roundtable
Laura Krouse, Abbe Hills Farm, T.D., Garden Oasis Farm, John Wesselius, The Cornucopia
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Join a roundtable discussion with Laura, T.D., and John to learn about their farm businesses and to hear about growing and management practices for cole crops.
FRUIT
11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
High Density Apple Orchard Design, Pruning, Thinning
Dan Wiesen, Empire Orchard
11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
In this session Dan will cover tree spacing, trellis construction, and growing and pruning high density apples
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Strawberry Production Opportunities- Extending the Marketing Season
Brad Bergefurd, Ohio State University
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
For those willing to make the investment in time and resources, strawberry production may be a good choice for some farms. Strawberries are increasingly being planted on plastic mulch covered beds and in high tunnels as a popular way to extend the harvest and marketing season, thus capturing a profit from the high demand for local strawberries. Season extension technologies allows the grower to harvest strawberries up to one month sooner and up to five months longer than growers using the traditional matted row system. These season extension technologies provide a potential earlier harvest providing a competitive edge in the marketplace relative to traditional matted row strawberry production systems. Other potential advantages include higher yield, enhanced fruit quality, less disease and increased harvest labor efficiency.
VITICULTURE
11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Developing a Life Cycle Assessment for Vineyards in Iowa
Kurt Rosentrater, Iowa State University
11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Environmental impacts are increasing being determined using the cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. This presentation will explain the basics of the LCA framework, and will provide an update on a recent project at Iowa State University that has been collecting life cycle inventory data from vineyards in Iowa, which will then be used to conduct LCA.
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Understanding Changes to the new Midwest Fruit Pest Management Guide
Joseph Hannan, Lina Rodriguez Salamanca, ISU
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
The 2021 Midwest Fruit Production Guide was redesigned with an all-new layout in the apple and grape chapters. Those chapters now include charts displaying pest emergence by stage, incorporates product efficacy, REI, and PHI into the spray schedule charts. The new design allows users to make side by side comparisons of products for efficacy and target pests throughout the crop season. The guide now has consistent fungicide and insecticide efficacy tables for common pests for all fruit crops.
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Are you a Grape Grower or Canopy Manager?
Sarah Bowman, Surry Comm. College
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Vineyard canopy management tasks are laborious and often expensive. But with strategic planning, thoughtful and timely canopy management promotes efficiency, quality, and long-term wine grape production.
ENOLOGY
11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Using Lab Data to Tell Your Wine’s Story
Erin Norton & Maureen Moroney, Midwest Grape & Wine Industry Institute (MGWII)
11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Erin and Maureen will walk you through the importance of lab testing and at what points in the winemaking process you need to be consulting your numbers. Most of the analysis we’ll be talking about are routine and you are probably already performing. Our goal is to show you how to use those values to make informed decisions to make high quality wines.
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Steps to Avoid Post-Bottling Fermentation
Denise Gardner, Denise Gardner Winemaking
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Winemakers often assume a wine is going through alcoholic fermentation post-bottling if the cork begins to emerge from the bottle. This is especially true if the wine has any concentration of sugar in it. However, a number of factors can cause gas formation (and pushed corks) in wines post-bottling. This presentation will review the potential causes of post-bottling issues that may get missed without proper assessment. Analytical assessments that can better identify the source of a problem in a bottled wine will also be discussed. Finally, we will take a look at standard pre-bottling analysis and QA/QC recommendations ideal for bottling operations. Join Denise Gardner during this presentation and learn how to gain better reassurance on bottling day.
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Pet-Nat & Piquette: Production roulette, naturally
Luke Holcombe, BD Wine Consulting
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
An overview of the premise and history behind these products and how they are commonly made (good and bad ones). We will also dive into how to avoid the pitfalls producers often find themselves in; there are reasons why people stopped making these styles for more refined methods. Now that they are "back," let's make them better than ever!
SPECIALTY CROP/HOPS
11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
How To Grow 10 Bales In Iowa
John Taberna, Western Laboratories in Idaho
11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Think like the crop you are growing. Hops and many vegetable crops go through 2 cycles in a season. Too much nitrogen and organic matter can bite you in the rear!
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Drone spraying. The future PRESENT of agriculture
Michael Ott, Rantizo
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Technology and automation are crucial in the specialty crop industry today. These two components alone can help in several aspects of a successful operation: labor shortages, sustainability, and profitability. Drones are a rising technology in agriculture today and are a ripe candidate for disrupting the traditional perception of pest management and agricultural spraying. Learn more in this session as we cover how drone spraying is being used in the present of agriculture.
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Weed Management in Hops
Dan Wiesen, Empire Hops
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
In this session Dan will talk about weed control in hop fields, especially new fields. He will also cover preparing the field before planting and care for the 1st year.
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Moving Beyond Variety-by-Name: Flavor Contributions in the Hops Industry
Josh Mayich, Island Hop Company
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
As a hop grower, understanding what hop varieties brewers want and will want in the future is difficult at best and often seems impossible. Getting ahead of these often difficult Questions and understanding what flavours the public wants in their beer can be seen as a way of starting the process of being able to predict Trends in Brewing. The Speaker, Josh Mayich, will review the results of a recent study asking These Questions – that will inform growers confirming Trends in Brewing and beer consumption.