The Scouting Report: A weekly digest

Hoop house farming, teacher apprentices, unhealthy high schoolers, orcas sinking boats

Does the prospect of self-sufficiency and growing your own food catch your fancy? Then high tunnel, or hoop house farming could be your thing.

A high tunnel is a protective structure that can prolong growing seasons and increase yields, according to South Dakota State University Extension. They are less expensive than greenhouses, and unlike greenhouses, plants are grown directly in the ground as opposed to containers.

SDSU Extension is hosting a high tunnel field day on June 5 at Waldner Farms in Webster, South Dakota. Darin Waldner, who grows seasonal fruits and vegetables in high tunnels with his wife, Melissa and mother, Sue, will give a presentation and tour of his family’s operation. They will be joined by Extension horticulture specialists Kristine Lang and Rhonda Burrows.

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