Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship State Point Of
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Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship State Point of Contact: Mike Bevins, State Horticulturist Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Phone: (515) 242-5043 Email: [email protected] Specialty Crop Block Grant Program – Farm Bill 12-25-B-1068 Final Performance Report December 26th, 2013 Iowa State Horticultural Society– Promoting and Encouraging Horticulture in Iowa – The All-Iowa Horticultural Exposition…………………………………………..…Final Report……3 Iowa State University – Budgets for Vegetable Crop Production in High Tunnels………………………………………... Final Report…..20 Iowa Valley Resource Conservation and Development – Iowa Valley Food Cooperative for East Central Iowa……………. Final Report…..38 Iowa Lakes Resource Conservation & Development – Iowa Great Lakes Specialty Crop Promotion and Education……..Final Report…..61 Iowa Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association – Optimizing the Cropping Potential and Profitability for Growing Scab-resistant Apple Cultivars in Conventional and Organic Systems ………………………………………………………….Final Report…78 Iowa Christmas Tree Growers Association – Assisting Growers in the Production of Iowa Fresh Christmas Trees………... Final Report…..109 Mississippi Valley Growers’ Association (MVGA) – MVGA Marketing Campaign……………………………….. Final Report…..111 1 Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship – Expanding Markets for Specialty Crop Producers through the Farm to School Program…………………………………… Amended Final Report…..113 Winneshiek County Agricultural Extension District on Behalf of the Northeast Iowa Food and Farm Coalition – Training Professionals to Provide Technical Assistance for Fruit and Vegetable Farmers in Food Safety Practices and GAP Certification…….... Final Report…..119 Practical Farmers of Iowa – Enhancing the Competitiveness of Specialty Crops Marketed through Community Supported Agriculture ……………………………………………………………...…Final Report…..126 Iowa State University – Farm to ISU: Increasing purchases of Iowa Specialty Crops at Iowa State University…………... Final Report…..132 Iowa Nursery and Landscape Association – Expanding Educational Programming and Professional Development for Iowa’s Green Industry……………………………………………... Final Report…..136 Geode Resource Conservation and Development – Expanding the Local Foods Market in the Great River Region…..... Final Report…..139 Southern Iowa Resource Conservation and Development – Aronia Berry Marker Identification for Aronia Berry Food and Beverage Products…………………………………………….. Final Report…..151 Pathfinders Resource Conservation and Development – High Tunnel Production, Business Development and Marketing Workshop for Fruit and Vegetable Producers in Southwest Iowa………. Final Report…..173 2 Iowa State 4225 Fleur Drive, #135 Des Moines, Iowa 50321 Horticultural www.iowahort.org Society Final Performance Report Submitted 12-19-2011 Project Title: Promoting and Encouraging Horticulture in Iowa – The All-Iowa Horticultural Exposition Contact: Kelly D. Norris, Co-Chairman, [email protected], 712-621-5399 Gary Twedt, Co-Chairman, [email protected], 641-777-0455 Project Summary The Iowa State Horticulture Society (ISHS) was founded in 1866 for the purpose of promoting and encouraging horticulture and its related interests in Iowa through the collection and dissemination of information concerning production, marketing, and utilization of horticultural crops. Throughout its 154 years, ISHS has worked with over two dozen affiliate associations, the Iowa Department of Agriculture, and Iowa State University to meet this mission. It is a non- profit organization that receives no funding from the State of Iowa and is governed by a Board made up of Directors from the affiliate organizations, including the Iowa Nut Growers Association, the Iowa Nursery and Landscape Association, the Iowa Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, the Iowa Honey Bee Producers Association, the Iowa Christmas Tree Growers Association, the Iowa Florists Association, and the Iowa Wine Growers Association. Other horticultural interest or environmental groups constitute the remainder of the affiliate associations. The mission of the All-Iowa Horticulture Exposition (AIHE) is to provide educational opportunities that will enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops grown in Iowa. Two years ago, the society held its first All-Iowa Horticulture Exposition bringing consumers, home gardeners, growers, suppliers, and horticultural educators together in a two-day event including educational sessions, demonstrations, and a trade show. ISHS took on the challenge of building a premier horticultural exposition in recognition of the need to promote its message in a 7 more visible and more consumer-oriented means. Programming efforts in 2011 drew heavily on Iowa personnel, primarily to emphasize the ISHS’s commitment to developing horticulture within the state and showcasing the knowledge resources available through the affiliate organizations and Iowa State University Extension. Two nationally known keynote speakers filled out the roster of educational events designed to promote and encourage horticultural activities from all levels of experience—novice to professional. Project Approach The All-Iowa Horticulture Exposition committee followed the timeline below when managing and directing activities leading up to the event: April 2010 – Assessed strengths and weaknesses of the 2010 All-Iowa Horticulture Exposition, met with the local arrangements committee to evaluate future programming and marketing objectives, and made tentative plans to return to the Bridge View Center for the 2011 event. Gauged future local support of the event and encouraged more participation from local businesses and tourism entities. October 2010 – Established roster of events and finalized scheduling of major programming initiatives. Contracted speakers for the 2011 educational sessions and delegated responsibilities for the newly conceived Children’s Garden to an ISU graduate student as part of an ongoing research project into children’s perceptions of gardening and nature that she began in 2010. November 2010 – Secured commitments from two nationally recognized keynote speakers to headline the conference. Formal press announcement of the All-Iowa Horticulture Exposition and the receipt of the the AMS/USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant. Registrations and exhibit information mailed out or sent by email to a database of individuals, businesses, and organizations, including vendors and partners from the 2010 Exposition. Held first local arrangements committee meeting on-site in Ottumwa. December 2010 – Coordinated design and development of flyers with ISU Extension design professionals for distribution at horticultural events leading up to the Exposition. Paid advertisements sent to publications for February-early March editions. January 2011 – Marketing efforts in full-swing. Press releases distributed twice monthly to a pre-screened list of media outlets including radio, TV, newspaper, ISU Extension-related venues, and garden communication professionals statewide with a different promotional 8 emphasis on each deployment. Additional registration materials were sent to prospective exhibitors. Arranged for ISHS Boutique to be managed by the Iowa Arboretum. The Boutique featured books and plants promoted by various speakers on our education roster. Prepared a local tourism package that offered consumers a combination hotel, meal, and ticket offer for the two-day Expo in conjunction with local volunteers. February 2011– Fine-tuning of local arrangements underway. A detailed, aggressive plan for logistics, registration, and details of the event was developed with the help of ISU Extension personnel and local volunteers. City and State Bureaus of Tourism were also involved with local promotional efforts. Radio advertisements and interview packages were contracted. Continued solicitation of local vendors to fill out the trade show. March 2011 – Final planning, held event, reviewed and evaluated success of the 2011 All-Iowa Horticulture Exposition. Summer/Fall 2011 – Prepare reports for 2011 event. Held recap meeting to review evaluation forms, review suggestions, and considering future ISHS programming options. In all, the committee feels that the three All-Iowa Horticulture Expositions have positively benefited horticulture in Iowa. Further planning and relationship building, particularly with local partners would continue to enhance the performance of the event, particularly if the location changed every few years as has been suggested by various partner organizations. Future programming by the ISHS and any future All-Iowa Horticulture Expositions should continue to embrace the core philosophies of the past three events—promoting the interests of specialty crops, expanding the awareness of horticultural commodities, and encouraging nascent niche industries within the small business agricultural community. Despite the increases in advertising and marketing, attendance was similar in 2011 as in 2010. Historically, attendance in 2009 was 720; in 2010 attendance was 400 (primarily due to a winter weather event on day 2); in 2011 attendance was 500. The committee had originally anticipated attendance numbers near 2,000 by year 3, spurred by the success of a local home show that takes place in the same facility earlier in the winter. Several factors could’ve contributed to our lower attendance including 1) multiple overlapping events drawing on the same audience in March (even though we opted for a later date