In 2022, our team Controlled Environment Agriculture Herb Extension & Research Base (CEAHerb) project received a 4-year grant from the USDA Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) to evaluate the profitability and environmental sustainability of fresh-cut and potted culinary herbs produced in controlled environments (greenhouses and indoor farms). The project is led by Roberto Lopez, in the Michigan State University (MSU) Department of Horticulture. Other participating MSU researchers are Bridget Behe and Erik Runkle, professors in the Department of Horticulture, and Mary Hausbeck, a University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences. Other researchers and extension specialists include Kellie Walters in the department of plant sciences and Alicia Rihn in the department of agricultural and resource economics at the University of Tennessee, Brian Whipker in the department of horticultural sciences at North Carolina State University, Christopher Currey in the department of horticulture at Iowa State University, Angela Shaw in the department of animal and food Science at Texas Tech University, and Jennifer Boldt in the application technology research unit at the USDA-ARS.
Please join us at our annual stakeholder meeting to discuss and share results from our project. This meeting will be hosted by Chris Currey at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. Below are the key details. Please make a hotel reservation and travel arrangements at your convenience. Please register for the meeting ASAP as space is limited to 75 attendees.
At this meeting, we will share results of our various experiments and outreach efforts, and seek feedback and input for future work. For those on our Advisory Committee, we will seek specific feedback on our accomplishments and activities to date, and suggestions for future research and outreach activities.
Dates: Sept. 11-13, 2024
Location: Ames, Iowa (closest airport is Des Moines, Iowa)
Hotel: The Gateway Hotel and Conference Center (https://www.gatewayames.com)
Meeting location: Reiman Gardens (https://reimangardens.com)
Tentative Itinerary
Sept. 11th
Check into hotel, dinner on your own
Sept. 12th
Breakfast at hotel, on your own
8:30am to 4:30pm, Research and outreach reports by team personnel. Lunch and morning/afternoon refreshments provided
Tentative Topics:
- Nutrient disorders of culinary herbs, Brian Whipker
- Tools for managing diseases on herbs, Mary Hausbeck
- Managing pH in recirculating hydroponic systems, Christopher Currey
- Non-chemical height control strategies for potted herbs, Roberto Lopez
- The value of carbon dioxide injection, Jennifer Boldt
- Indoor young plant culinary herb production, Erik Runkle
- Tips for germinating culinary herbs, Kellie Walters
- Food safety regulations for potted and fresh cut herbs, Angela Shaw
- Adding value to domestically grown culinary herbs, Alica Rhin and Bridget Beh
6:00pm, Group dinner (at your expense)