USDA LAUNCHES HIGH TUNNEL PILOT STUDY TO INCREASE AVAILABILITY
OF LOCALLY GROWN FOODS Extend your season with Johnny's seeds,
tools and supplies. WASHINGTON, Dec. 16, 2009 - Agriculture
Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan today announced a new pilot
project under the 'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food' initiative
for farmers to establish high tunnels - also known as hoop
houses - to increase the availability of locally grown produce
in a conservation-friendly way. Merrigan and other Obama
administration officials highlighted opportunities available for
producers in a video posted on USDA's YouTube channel, which
shows high tunnels recently installed in the White House garden.
"There is great potential for high tunnels to expand the
availability of healthy, locally-grown crops - a win for
producers and consumers," said Merrigan. "This pilot project is
going to give us real-world information that farmers all over
the country can use to decide if they want to add high tunnels
to their operations. We know that thes