ELKHART COUNTY — My old friend Herman Bullard once pointed out that counties near urban areas often see a gradual increase in fresh fruit, vegetable and flowers production as the year’s progress and as land values begin to increase due to developmental pressure.

Herman’s predictions have come true, with well over 7,000 acres in our community now devoted to fruit, vegetables and flowers on the land or in greenhouses throughout the community.

It is a very diverse industry, both in the crops being grown and the people that are raising them. We have a surprising number of young, excited individuals operating small farms for the first time in generations. At the same time, we have well established, third and fourth generation operations looking for ways to keep the farms profitable and bring the next generation into the business.

Purdue Extension is planning a meeting for growers March 9 in the Mennonite and Showalter Rooms, on the Elkhart County 4-H Fairgrounds.  The program will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The topics will be wide ranging, from disease and insect management, to growing crops in high tunnel greenhouse systems.

One topic everyone should hear is the discussion on the Food Safety and Modernization Act. This is a new law that will affect most direct-to-consumer and wholesale producers in our area, and was formally known as Good Agricultural Practices. The rules for this law were released in November and it is taking some time for the industry to sift through the volumes of paper associated with the rule

Registration is $30 ($15 for the second person from the same farm) and is needed by March 2. Make checks payable to the Elkhart County CES Ed Fund, and send to our office at Purdue Extension — Elkhart County, Suite E, 17746 CR 34, Goshen, IN 46528.

Private Applicator Certification, CCHs and CEUs will be available for those people needing credits.

PARP credits are $10/person.

A complete agenda for the program can be found at http://tinyurl.com/z5emcc2 or by calling the Purdue Extension Office in Elkhart County, (574) 533-0554.