- Publication Date : October 1, 2011
Summer has come and gone and the harvest season has ended. Here’s hoping that you all were able to overcome the elements as the season progressed and changed. In the Midwest, we faced a whole new set of challenges, just not the extreme problems faced by others, especially in the areas of extreme wet or dry.
Seems that this was the year for great Regional Meetings from all reports I have seen. And the Midwest meeting was no exception thanks to Megan Schoenfelt and those who helped her organize and hold to a schedule. Three days of content squeezed into a day and a half! The faculty members and others who presented information were great and much was gleaned from the information that they shared. Special thanks to Emma Locke and Michelle Jones (postharvest), Gary Anderson and Teresa Lanker (floral design), Andy Glaser (weed management), Luis Canas (IPM scouting) and Larry Phelan (healthy soils) for their presentations. Plus anyone else that I missed.
The tour of the Secrest Arboretum was educational and enjoyable. Thanks to Ken Cochran for such an informative tour. It was interesting to see the repairs and progress made since the tornado went right through campus. I am impressed by how much information is taken home from these meetings.
The tours of the Amish farms were both entertaining and informative. To see how they have produced crops without some of the things that we take for granted was instructive and may have given some of us new ideas about ways to try to make our operations more efficient. Thanks to the Miller and Weaver families, and to Sue Weaver for sharing the insights of their operations. I know that we, as the visitors to their operations, wish them the best in their efforts to grow and promote fresh cut flowers.
It has been my privilege to serve as the Midwest Director and trust that my successor finds his term as interesting and rewarding as I have. Thanks to all who have assisted me in these efforts and have a great winter season, whatever you are doing.
