USDA HOOP HOUSES AT THE WHITE HOUSE

[earthywolf]

Good video! I am glad they came out and asked us if we know our farmer or where in the world does our food come from. Great to teach people cheap doable skills to feed themselves. I have organic gardened most my life. Wonderful hobby, gets you moving and connected to your earth!

[trinkijankapoka]

4:27

[pantheongaia]

Well this is kind of moot now that S.510 has passed isnt' it?

[SmoothJazzDecember]

Totally awesome! I love learning ways to save grow my own food. Thanks for sharing.

[RememberUsWethePeopl]

GROW GM PLANTS ...... YOU LIE !!!!

[jayandallie5]

I find this kinda funny...people have been doing this for years. Slap some government workers on the project and some "fancy talk".....(a little bit of swirling smoke)and poof a brand new idea! Now there is our taxes hard at work. I have my own hoop houses..it's not hard, nor did I stand around talking about it forever.

[cchanderson]

@jayandallie5 What are you talking about dude? They do things like this to raise awareness. Agriculture is our nations largest employers and with the world population doubling in the next 30 years we might want to make sure we are at the top of our agricultural game from industrial farms to back yard gardens we all have to become aware of agriculture. Once you know you can feed yourself a certain amount of stress leaves you. I applaud the local farmer, gardener and the USDA thanks.

[jayandallie5]

@cchanderson I grew up on a farm I am VERY well aware of the importance of agriculture. I support the local farmers markets and buy ALL my meat local. I even have my own garden....butchered my own chickens and pig. The local farmer,gardener should be applauded..however this isn't a "new concept". We are returning to what our great grandparents all ready knew- thus my comment. I find it funny that it's a "new idea", that's all. :)

[cchanderson]

@jayandallie5 Great man me too me too...I am like the song a country boy can survive ;0)

[Samariah3]

Enriching our relationship with the food we eat by growing it can only be positive, especially for our next generation. My Grandaughter helps her Papa build compost piles to "feed" the soil and we have lush harvest without ever having to use pestisides or herbisides. She also has learned the benifits of earthworms and finds them to put in the compost piles. She's an avid gardener at age 3 1/2 with her own sunflower patch up and sprouted, even before the last frost.

[ektrules]

In the beginning that guy said the tunnels allow them to grow food in any climate throughout the year.

What exactly can you grow in them tunnels in the winter? If it was 20F out during the day, what would be the temp inside those tunnels? I would guess 30F at most, and I can't think of any vegetable that would grow at that temp.

[frugivorefarm]

@ektrules Ah Ignorance, try reading a book for once before you open your mouth. You can start with one called Four Season Harvest by Elliot Coleman. He has been growing crops as a professional gardener for over forty years and basically pioneered the system of growing cold weather crops in cold frames (basically, what they are using here). He grows over 20 different types of vegetable and leaf crops in the middle of winter using systems similar to the ones shown here and his farm is in MAINE!

[ektrules]

@frugivorefarm Whoa. I admitted ignorance by asking a question (it wasn't rhetorical). And like I said, it was a guess. If what you say is true (60F inside while 20F outside), that's quite impressive, and I may look into that technique. It just doesn't seem like those thin tunnels could hold that much heat, especially in the dim winter sun. I have heard of "Four Season Harvest," but I just thought it was for warmer climates than the one I currently live in (zone 5).

[frugivorefarm]

@ektrules Just wanted to let you know I read your post as sarcastic (and indeed rhetorical). It was my presumption as it is sometimes hard to read tone online, and definitively my bad. You have my honest and sincerest apology (...swallows humble pie). On a more amicable note, Four Seasons Harvest was written around the author's farm in Maine( zone 5), so certainly a good read for you if you are interested in year round growing.

[frugivorefarm]

@ektrules

To answer your question, if it is only 5F outside on a sunny day it will typically be 42F inside the tunnel on a farm in Maine. As for when its 20F outside during the day, your uneducated guess of 20F =WRONG.

Correct Answer= 60F, and this may be slightly warmer in W.D.C. as it is further south and the sunlight is more intense at lower latitudes.

[boop1972]

The USDA is excited about backyard gardening? Ha! Prove it! You only get excited about protecting corporate profits and squashing little farmers.

[claudius2u]

I'd like to add a bit to my comment on this video, but not another rant on the impractical politicians behind this silly nonsense.

I lived not far from W.D.C. and historically the growing season sustained life there for hundreds of years without such cost ineffective agronomy. Summers are humid, hot, and long enough to grow great long-season crops abundantly. Silly politicians take undue advantage of voter ignorance. type "how to build a hydroponic bucket system" above to see real home farming!

[claudius2u]

CommunistGovernments are "So Excited" about 'little' people being connected to the Big Brotha in the White-washed House! This is silly, people!

Try growing any Summer weather crop in this structure, and it will freeze. As for "Climate Change," True Science shows the CO2 Rise follows 200-300 years of warmer weather; Does NOT lead it, like Gore & Co. Liars try to claim. Hey President, show us your Real Birth ID. This sleaze politicing is getting old!

[Thefamilyfeud]

@claudius2u You're a loon. I'm a staunch conservative and I grow nearly all my food for one reason, I know how and we are extremely healthy. Hoop Houses are amazing because you can build one for about $700 (12' x 32') and extend your growing season about two months and in Wyoming, that's a big old deal. Do I believe in human induced global warming? NO! However, taking control of your health and welfare is good stewardship not government "Sleave politicing."

[claudius2u]

Yeah, I'm a loon!:-))

I suppose Wyoming has weather a bit as cold as Central PA, but the gardening issues with Winter put using home and micro-farm use of green houses far out of reach, just as your own project costs place hoop frames out of reach for 90% of home gardeners. Adding $700 to one's food bill for a couple of month's extra gardening doesn't best buying a bit more pricey organic market produce.

Here in W.WA I grow lots in 100% compost, and Seasonal crops extend the harvest.

[PakaNoHida]

Every Farmer and the USDA should read, "One Straw Revolution."

[honesttaxes]

The USDA is in the pockets of agribusiness. If they're offering to help small farmers, it's only so they can find out who they are and more easily strap them with enough regulations that they can't compete. Beware government "help". If they help you, they own you.

[doctilde]

When they interject the junk science of global warming --- all I can say is PAY ATTENTION to what HONESTTAXES is saying here. Big Agribusiness is JUST as susceptible to being manipulated as Big Pharma and Bi Finance. This govt, ANY govt, offers a hand -- always watch what the hand you don't see is doing.

[GardensFromEden]

If this is something that is not going to be tied up with the paper work and they really want to make this work then I'm all for it.

The USDA has found out what we have known all along. Using Organic Compost in a GardenSoxx produces the most nutritious and abundant crops per acre then any other Grow Technology....PERIOD

[MadSmokerBBQ]

@GardensFromEden and it only took them five decades, a bloated budget, and a huge federal bureaucracy discover something we already knew.

[GardensFromEden]

As a matter of fact my company sells the GardenSoxx. We use organic compost to fill the Soxx and we have a USDA report that our yields are far superior to Coir Grow Bags and Hydroponics.

[westkan]

This program must have KS Sen. Pat Roberts PO'd big time. At the Ag Sec. confirmation hearing was dead set aid towards smaller farmers. As if the Western KS big operators haven't had their share of assistance. This is something I must look into.

[ryharwell]

Wow. Go USDA. I use smaller scale hoop houses for raised beds. Nothing negative can be said.

[MadSmokerBBQ]

Wow. Blind.

[ryharwell]

Blind?

It's an effective technique. And what are the downfalls of the USDA supporting small farmers? Blind? Look in the mirror.

[northwoodshippie]

Hey Blammscans, I do not own a mansion nor am I the Governor of Illinois! But I went to my local USDA office today and talked with them about getting a hoop house for my farm, they were very excited that someone in this area is showing an interest. My family has been farming our land since 1868, and we don't use GMO's and I don't feel that this is "government greenwashing".

[westkan]

Hope it works out well for you man.

[marygaylord]

How does this work if you live where there is a lot of snow?

[earthsurfing13]

Yes- but its more about extending the harvest rather than 'growing'.

Check out Elliot Coleman's books- particularly 'Winter Harvest Handbook'.

There's also a good article for free on Mother Earth News. "Quick Hoops".

Workingmom- I appreciate your support of farmers, but the idea of confinement animal feeding is more of a concern because of concentrated manures, dependence on imported feed, disease, and unethical treatment of animals. No one's saying resp. shelter is bad!

[westkan]

The USDA rep did mention year round growing. Which makes sense if one goal is to reduce the transportation distance from farmer to table. Probably won't work in every instance, but over all transportation requirement may be reduced.

[westkan]

I don't believe anyone said this is fit all sizes/location method. Snow means more work for the farmer in keeping it cleared off the hoop houses. The reflective properties of snow will work in favor of the farmer. Snow against the lower portion of the walls should provide insulation.

[seasonseatingsfarm]

We had 10' of snow fall last winter. You clean the snow off the tunnel, clean it away from the edges (leave a foot for insulation as long as it doesn't block too much light) so that the next storm has room to pile up. My tunnels are made of 1.66 steel. They have no problem with snow load.

[bluenijin]

This is a good way to grow an organic garden and follow the permaculture principle of each element having many functions, using the hoop houses we can build up the soil quality, avoid using pesticides and herbicides, and be able to get food all year.

[Veggiecare]

Absolutely! Continue to spread the word, bluenijin.  And don't forget that organically grown food TASTES so much better.

[workingmomofthree]

It amazes me how it is ok to bring plant production under roof/plastic, but when farm families that raise livestock put their animals in large barns for the same reasons - year round food, improve water quality and to protect the animals, people want to say this is bad? Livstock farmers are just ahead of the plant folks who are finding they need to produce more and produce year round to make it cash flow. Thank you farmers for your commitment to feeding my family and the Nation!

[earthsurfing13]

No Monsanto- Whitehouse Garden in organic.

These are technically 'Low Tunnels', as they said. The program is funding High Tunnels for farmers.

[blammcans]

Hey Shoimie. The "first family" doen't own that property. Thank US.

Now. Who is footing the bill for all of this ? The 38 other states you have "planned". Where do they go ? The governors mansions ?

Monsanto donate some nice genetically modified seed for the project ?

Government greenwashing at it's finest.

[BoulderBelt]

Nice idea but these are not high tunnels or hoop houses being constructed at the white house garden. These are row covers on hoops. I use these row covers on hoops inside my high tunnels for winter production in Ohio.

i am thrilled though that some tax dollars are going to us small farmers producing real food rather than the big industrial farmers. it's about time we got a piece of the USDA pie, even if it is a very very small piece compared to what the commodity farms recieve

[seasonseatingsfarm]

Thanks BoulderBelt. I came to comments to point out the inaccuracy. These are low tunnels, not high tunnels.

[westkan]

However the USDA rep. did call the ones in the video low tunnels, saying that some call them hoop houses. another rep. said the ones they are going to help the small farmer with are much larger. A foray into semantics doesn't seem warranted. :)

[seasonseatingsfarm]

It's *not* semantics. There is a difference between low tunnels, high tunnels and hoop houses.

[westkan]

@seasonseatingsfarm Becomes semantics when people use the same term for differing items. U still fail to recognize the the USDA reps did call the structures in the vid low hoops and that the hoop houses underwritten in the study are much larger. Oh well....

[seasonseatingsfarm]

The USDA press release very clearly calls the low tunnels high tunnels. I'm not failing to recognize anything.

[scgardeningnews]

Nice intro for home gardeners and small farm producers to an easy, inexpensive method to extend the growing season. In some areas, to the entire year. Other benefits to using the type of non-woven fabric covering they are using - can extend season in hot areas in summer w/ shading, and cuts down or eliminates insect infestation.

[jakevv]

Great idea and great initiative! This is an very inexpensive way to increase production of local, nutritious foods in the colder regions of the country.

[spaniel27]

Hey MadSmokerBBQ, love your name, but the answer is yes, I'm happy to pay the miniscule amount this costs instead of the billions we've been paying for agribusiness subsidies, not to mention the gazillions in Iraq and Afghanistan. If this small investment results in more people eating healthful, local foods, that is a huge payoff.

[jbatcrazy]

@spaniel27 get you Obama Hoop Buildings at span-techbuildings

[mlatchu56]

@spaniel27

If I knew how to post a new comment, I would!

Hope this gets on to the youtube web comments.

I am growing amazing Kale (brassica's) and Brussles sprouts while my world has been covered in snow for 3 weeks...

I completeley support the efforts of he White House...

It works, and it is a win win situation...

Go! go! go!

Mandy (seeds seller on Amazon, Ebay, Etsy)..et al...

This system is actually working, is sustainable, and a win win...

[MadSmokerBBQ]

Aren't ya glad your income is taxed for stuff like this ?

[seasonseatingsfarm]

Yes I am! The amount of money in resources saved is great! That is what you meant, right?

[MadSmokerBBQ]

Guess i just don't have the socialist mindset ingrained deeply enough into my psyche. I will submit myself for more re-training until I stop thinking and can say that taxes are good idea.

[ryharwell]

@MadSmokerBBQ

Right. Socialism has everything to do with it. There have always been programs to support agriculture. And this is a DROP IN THE BUCKET compared to TARP. Your comment is straw man and stupid at best.

[WinstonMIII]

@MadSmokerBBQ hey maybe instead of being against everything associated with the government you could actually get your head out of your ass and realize this is a HUGE step being taken by the USDA.

[westkan]

@MadSmokerBBQ Perhaps it's UR current indoctrination that's the problem. This no more socialism than the system that produces the food we eat now. The system that has received BILLIONS from the taxpayers.