Learn more in 2023
Fruit Education Site * Commercial growers, gardeners, and folks who just want to know where their food comes from are invited to join Extension educators Angela Brattin and Patrick Byers and farmer Lykou Lee for free hands-on workshops focused on high tunnel strawberries and field plantings of blackberries, blueberries, and elderberries. All workshops are free & held from 9 to noon at the Lee Farm - 15392 Ibex Road, Neosho, Mo 64850 Friday, April 28 Strawberry harvest Strawberry fertility management Strawberry foliar and petiole testing Blackberry RCA trellis training Blackberry fertility management Elderberry fertility management Preparing for blueberries Tuesday, June 6 Blackberry harvest Preparing the blueberry site Blackberry SWD trapping and management Blackberry fertility management Elderberry fertility management Monday, July 31 Preparing for strawberry planting – prepping beds, soil testing Pruning blackberries on the RCA trellis Blackberry fertility management Elderberry fertility management Blackberry foliar testing Maintaining a trickle irrigation system Monday, October 16 Managing strawberries in the high tunnel Planting blueberries Preparing the blackberry rows for winter Attendees will walk through areas which are uneven and can be muddy, so wearing sturdy waterproof footwear is encouraged and as well as a walking assist such as hiking canes if you need stability. *funded, in part, through Missouri Department of Agriculture Specialty Crops Block Grants. |

The 2023 Missouri Tomato School is May 16-18.
The School gives tomato growers tried and true methods to improve their tomato crop.
The hybrid class kicks off on May 16 with a full day of presentations in-person in St. Louis or via Zoom.
May 17 features farm visits in St. Louis, May 18 features options for farm visits in Southwest or Central MO.
The School brings together national and regional experts and tomato farmers to share the latest best practices and time-honored methods for successful tomato production. Recordings will be provided to both in-person and zoom registrants.
Click here for the agenda and presenters.
Click here to register.
For more information, call: Eli Isele at 314-400-2115
4 Registration Options: Registration Deadline is May 9th, 5:00 p.m.
St. Louis In-Person Lecture + St. Louis- Metro Farm Visits - $30
Zoom Lecture + Springfield Metro Farm Visits - $20
Zoom Lecture + Central Missouri Farm Visits - $20
Zoom Lecture Only - $10
With the exception of Zoom Lecture Only, attendance is limited to 40 participants for each option.
Lecture Day, May 16:
In-Person - 8225 Florissant Road, St. Louis, MO 63121
(the Urban East MU Extension Regional Office on UMSL Campus) or by Zoom
Farm Visits:
St. Louis Metro Area: May 17, 2023 - 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Hermans Farm and Orchard, Confluence Farms, and Thies Farm
Springfield Metro Area: May 18, 2023 - 9:00 am. to 12:00 p.m.
Springfield Community Gardens, Amanda Bell Farm at Cox South Hospital and Milsap Farm
Central Missouri: May 18, 2023 (Centralia – 40 minutes north of Columbia) - 9:00 am. to 12:00 p.m.
S&M Produce and Christie Gingerich Farm
School Partners - MU Extension, USDA – NIFA, USDA – OAO, and Lincoln University. The School is underwritten in part by a specialty crops block grant through the Missouri Department of Agriculture.
The 2022 Missouri Tomato School* was held May 19 and 20,
at Lee's Summit, MO 64064. Click on links below for audio and/or slides.
High Tunnel & Greenhouse — When Bad Things Happen to Good Tomatoes — Rick Snyder
Audio Slides
Tomatoes and Herbicide Injury Research — Michele Warmund
Audio Slides
What’s bugging you might not be bugging your tomatoes! Beneficials and Pests — Tamra Reall
Audio Slides
The Top Ten Best Practices for Tomato Harvesting & Postharvest Storage — Casey Barickman
Slides
Tomato Nutrient Management 101 — Casey Barickman
Slides
So, You Want to Grow Greenhouse Tomatoes — Rick Snyder
Slides
Crash course on hydroponic tomato cultivation — Juan Cabrera-Garcia
Slides
Comparing Yields and Success of Grafted vs. Ungrafted Tomatoes — Kelly McGowan
Slides
Using Essential Oils to Control Aphids, Spider Mites, & Thrips in High Tunnels — David Middleton
Slides
The 2021 Missouri Tomato School* - for videos of Day 1 presentations, click here.
The 2021 Winter Production Conference
Learn about four successful winter production operations in Southwest Missouri on-line presentations:
The Yang Family Vegetable Farm - click here for the recorded presentation.
Box Turtle Farm - click here for the recorded presentation, click here for the chat during the video.
OakWoods Farm - click here for the recorded presentation, click here for the chat during the video.
Millsap Farm - click here for the recorded presentation, click here for the chat during the video.
The 2020 Winter Production Conference* Links to presentations:
Introduction to High Tunnels
High Tunnel Site Selection
Managing Pests in High Tunnels
Introduction to High Tunnel Climate Control
High Tunnel Heating Alternatives
High Tunnel Maintenance
Soil Nutrition
Advanced Soils and Nutrition
Crop Rotation in High Tunnels
Ten Greatest Challenges in High Tunnel Production
Steps to Acquire an USDA/NRCS EQIP High Tunnel
High Value High Tunnel Crops
Cover Cropping in High Tunnels
Greenhouse & High Tunnel Covers
Specialty Cut Flower Production in the Winter
*funded, in part, through Missouri Department of Agriculture Specialty Crops Block Grants.
The School gives tomato growers tried and true methods to improve their tomato crop.
The hybrid class kicks off on May 16 with a full day of presentations in-person in St. Louis or via Zoom.
May 17 features farm visits in St. Louis, May 18 features options for farm visits in Southwest or Central MO.
The School brings together national and regional experts and tomato farmers to share the latest best practices and time-honored methods for successful tomato production. Recordings will be provided to both in-person and zoom registrants.
Click here for the agenda and presenters.
Click here to register.
For more information, call: Eli Isele at 314-400-2115
4 Registration Options: Registration Deadline is May 9th, 5:00 p.m.
St. Louis In-Person Lecture + St. Louis- Metro Farm Visits - $30
Zoom Lecture + Springfield Metro Farm Visits - $20
Zoom Lecture + Central Missouri Farm Visits - $20
Zoom Lecture Only - $10
With the exception of Zoom Lecture Only, attendance is limited to 40 participants for each option.
Lecture Day, May 16:
In-Person - 8225 Florissant Road, St. Louis, MO 63121
(the Urban East MU Extension Regional Office on UMSL Campus) or by Zoom
Farm Visits:
St. Louis Metro Area: May 17, 2023 - 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Hermans Farm and Orchard, Confluence Farms, and Thies Farm
Springfield Metro Area: May 18, 2023 - 9:00 am. to 12:00 p.m.
Springfield Community Gardens, Amanda Bell Farm at Cox South Hospital and Milsap Farm
Central Missouri: May 18, 2023 (Centralia – 40 minutes north of Columbia) - 9:00 am. to 12:00 p.m.
S&M Produce and Christie Gingerich Farm
School Partners - MU Extension, USDA – NIFA, USDA – OAO, and Lincoln University. The School is underwritten in part by a specialty crops block grant through the Missouri Department of Agriculture.
The 2022 Missouri Tomato School* was held May 19 and 20,
at Lee's Summit, MO 64064. Click on links below for audio and/or slides.
High Tunnel & Greenhouse — When Bad Things Happen to Good Tomatoes — Rick Snyder
Audio Slides
Tomatoes and Herbicide Injury Research — Michele Warmund
Audio Slides
What’s bugging you might not be bugging your tomatoes! Beneficials and Pests — Tamra Reall
Audio Slides
The Top Ten Best Practices for Tomato Harvesting & Postharvest Storage — Casey Barickman
Slides
Tomato Nutrient Management 101 — Casey Barickman
Slides
So, You Want to Grow Greenhouse Tomatoes — Rick Snyder
Slides
Crash course on hydroponic tomato cultivation — Juan Cabrera-Garcia
Slides
Comparing Yields and Success of Grafted vs. Ungrafted Tomatoes — Kelly McGowan
Slides
Using Essential Oils to Control Aphids, Spider Mites, & Thrips in High Tunnels — David Middleton
Slides
The 2021 Missouri Tomato School* - for videos of Day 1 presentations, click here.
The 2021 Winter Production Conference
Learn about four successful winter production operations in Southwest Missouri on-line presentations:
The Yang Family Vegetable Farm - click here for the recorded presentation.
Box Turtle Farm - click here for the recorded presentation, click here for the chat during the video.
OakWoods Farm - click here for the recorded presentation, click here for the chat during the video.
Millsap Farm - click here for the recorded presentation, click here for the chat during the video.
The 2020 Winter Production Conference* Links to presentations:
Introduction to High Tunnels
High Tunnel Site Selection
Managing Pests in High Tunnels
Introduction to High Tunnel Climate Control
High Tunnel Heating Alternatives
High Tunnel Maintenance
Soil Nutrition
Advanced Soils and Nutrition
Crop Rotation in High Tunnels
Ten Greatest Challenges in High Tunnel Production
Steps to Acquire an USDA/NRCS EQIP High Tunnel
High Value High Tunnel Crops
Cover Cropping in High Tunnels
Greenhouse & High Tunnel Covers
Specialty Cut Flower Production in the Winter
*funded, in part, through Missouri Department of Agriculture Specialty Crops Block Grants.