High Tunnel Help
March 12, 2009 
Twenty-three Mississippi fruit and vegetable growers have been awarded cost-share grants from the Mississippi Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association for the use of the high tunnels in their operations.
As part of this program, participating growers also received travel grants to take part in the “Growing Farmers for Growers Markets Farm Tour” which took place around Chapel Hill, NC. During the four-day tour, growers visited a research facility, farmers market, and several farms learning innovative techniques for producing fruits and vegetable in high tunnels.
This tour showcased ways to extend the growing season and maximize production in small- and medium-sized operations by using high tunnels. High tunnels, or hoop houses, are unheated greenhouse-like structures that protect crops from the weather and help extend the growing seasons without many of the costs associated with traditional heated and cooled greenhouses.
This is the second high tunnel cost-share program supported by the Association. In 2008, the Mississippi Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association supported the efforts of the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce and the National Center for Appropriate Technology in awarding high tunnel cost-share construction grants to 30 Mississippi fruit and vegetable growers.
