2019 ASHS Annual Conference

High Tunnels are an expansion of plastic cover technology that date to use of portable, bell shaped glass covers (cloche) over individual plant in the 19^th century. History of high tunnels dates back to 1955 when Dr. Emery Emmert, a horticulture professor at University of Kentucky, first used plastic covers in greenhouse. In the United States, 50 years after their creation, growers are beginning to take advantage of the opportunities that high tunnels provide. High tunnels have become an important production tool for vegetable, small fruit, and cut flower growers in many parts of the United States, especially the Midwest, southeast and northern states. The recently concluded agriculture census reports that sales from crops grown in protected culture systems in the U.S. totaled nearly $748 million, which includes high tunnels and greenhouses. High tunnels provide a protected environment relative to the open field, allowing for season extension, lower incidence of diseases, and improved yield and quality. Producers, ranging from small-scale diversified to larger scale farms, are utilizing high tunnels to: 1) locally produce crops for early markets, 2) grow diversified crops such as tomato, lettuce, peppers, cut flowers, strawberries, and brambles, 3) improve yield and produce quality, and 4) increase farm profitability. Many land-grant universities, non-profit organizations, and cities have stepped up efforts to address grower and community needs and food security issues using high tunnels. The NRCS Environmental Quality Incentive Program has played a key role in the expansion and adoption of high tunnels through its high tunnel cost-share program. More than 10,000 U.S. farms are reported to have installed at least one HT from 2009-2014 with EQIP support. Overall, USDA reports that it has processed nearly seventeen thousand requests for HT financing through EQIP since 2010, with the total number of EQIP-financed HTs increasing eleven-fold, on average, in each state from 2010-2018. As high tunnel acreage expands, we can look forward to new and innovative crop production techniques and significant growth in industries that manufacture tools, equipment, sensors, and environmental monitoring systems for high tunnel crop production.