New advancements result in longer growing season for local farmers

Editor’s note: The following is part of the Business Matters special section.

Scott Case doesn’t use the flashiest technology at his Haines Township farm.

But advancements in some agriculture tools are what Case said helps bolster the industry.

And some of what he uses can also be found on Penns Valley-area Amish farms.

Case, owner of Patchwork Farm and Greenhouse, said he and his wife invested in several new advanced farm innovations in the past four years.

“It’s not like I’m using computer processors to do anything, but the technology in some of these things comes from the engineering behind it,” Case said.

And those investments are worth the price.

“It results in a longer growing season,” Case said.

Entering its 25th year, Patchwork Farm includes a greenhouse that produces garden plants and herbs, and a field operation for organic produce, among other smaller operations.

It’s about 140 acres, Case said.

Case uses what’s called “high tunnels” that produce a protective dome around field plants and produce. This protects the produce from outdoor factors like moisture and temperatures that might normally be too cold for growth.

“It’s like a greenhouse without the fans and furnaces,” Case said. “And you see these a lot with local Amish farms for drying tobacco.”

He started using the high tunnels about four years ago as a way to keep up with the “local food movement,” Case said.

“This whole ‘buy local’ trend is growing,” Case said. “People want to know where their food is coming from and are only willing to buy produce from within a certain mile of home.”

To keep up with the shift, he invested in high tunnels that allow him to have a longer growing season.

Case said he can plant tomatoes as early as the end of March and continue through October. Lettuce production, he said, just wrapped up before Christmas.

“I’d rather have people buy from me rather than having to buy and ship from California,” Case said. “It’s worth it.”

It also allows Case to grow raspberries and ginger.

He’s also invested in drip irrigation in the fields.

It’s a system that allows water to drip directly to the root of the plants rather than over a broad area of the crop. The water spouts are placed about a foot apart from each other, which allows each plant to get about the same hydration, Case said.

And it not only helps get enough water to the produce more quickly, but also cuts down on water and electricity costs.

“There are so many benefits that go beyond the field,” Case said.

In his greenhouse, equipment might be a little different from what’s used on the crops, but the technology behind it enhances farming just the same.

Case said a furnace was installed in the greenhouse that is about 93 percent efficient. Before that, a standard furnace was used that he said was like having a small “smoke stack” in the facility.

Plastic film used to enclose the greenhouse also comes with a tech factor.

“The technology advancements in the plastic are helping keep our plants, I guess, healthier,” Case said.

The greenhouse uses two layers of plastic with a fan that inflates to separate the two plastic pieces.

Case said that inflation system has been around for a while, but the inside layer of plastic is made from material that prevents dripping.

“What we found before was there was moisture accumulation, and it would attract to the top of the inner layer of plastic,” Case said.

The moisture would eventually drip into the plants, and over time, could add additives to the plants from the material the plastic is made of.

“We’re keeping those additives out with this drip-less layer,” Case said.

That same new inside plastic layer in the greenhouse also has infrared film that helps trap heat in the greenhouse.

“It’s rare to be talking about technology in agriculture in terms of computers, but there are other ways we see advancements in technology that creates the things we need to enhance farming,” Case said.

This story was originally published February 12, 2016 at 11:10 AM with the headline "New advancements result in longer growing season for local farmers."