Hot Topics At The OPGMA Congress

This year’s Ohio Produce Growers and Marketers Association (OPGMA) Congress, taking place January 16-18 at the Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, OH, has been chock full of information for growing your business, bettering your growing strategies, and the new technology coming around the bend for operations of all sizes. The sessions cover a range of topics from marketing, merchandising, high tunnels, and fertilizer customization and beyond. Below is a list of some of the highlights:

• Ohio State University (OSU)’s Chris Bruynis opened his session on “Business Plans for Farm Markets” by saying, “I don’t care what kind of a plan it is, if it’s not written down, it’s just a dream.” With that statement setting the tone for the meeting, he gave the audience some important tips on how they can prepare for tomorrow, the next day, and 10 to 20 years into the future. Covering anything from retirement planning, inheritance, and important tax laws like the $5 million tax-free gifting limit, Bruynis gave attendees a lot to chew on.

• Mobile high tunnels were also a topic of debate at the North American Raspberry and Blackberry Association Conference, which was held in conjunction with the OPGMA Congress. One session, “Exploring Mobile High Tunnels,” led by Bryan Butler of the University of Maryland, outlined research findings in mobile high tunnel use in growing operations. When asked about the return on investment for high tunnels, Butler said, “The tunnels we have been building pay for themselves in one year.” He did caution, however, that the most important element of the entire process is the management of the unit. “The more you put in,” he urged, “the more you’ll get out.”

• OSU’s Matt Kleinhenz also discussed the importance of careful soil management in his session, “Customizing Fertilizer and Liming Prescriptions from Your Soil Tests.” Referencing the Goldilocks Principal (the balance of supply and demand) from the beginning, he emphasized the importance of working with and understanding your soil testing facility. “You should know the approach they are using in making a recommendation and you should be comfortable with that approach,” he said after detailing each of the three most common soil-testing methods.

• Management was also a hot topic at Sally Miller and Beth Schechelhoff’s lecture on high tunnel tomato diseases. Outlining some of the most common tomato diseases such as tomato late blight, bacterial canker of tomato, greenhouse bacterial canker, tomato pith necrosis, and powdery mildew, Miller and Schechelhoff offered the audience explanations of when and how to use hot water treatment vs. Clorox treatment to rid themselves of these problems from the get-go.

• Penn State’s Steve Bogash focused on his trials on container growing, field tomato, and high tunnel production. Having worked with several varieties of tomatoes for flavor, appearance, resistance, and usability, he presented his findings on how to ward off blossom end rot, yellow shoulders, and uneven ripening as well as radial cracking. He suggested creating a fertilizer plan, knowing your water, and assuring that you are using the ideal equipment, such as Horiba Cardi meters. He also gave attendees a taste of what’s new for the coming year, saying that they should plow down for aragonite at soil prep for calcium, release and also plow down green sand at soil prep for keeping potassium levels up.

For more information on these topics, watch for future issues of American Vegetable Grower and American Fruit Grower.