CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — Business leaders and politicians alike are beginning to advocate for more production in the agriculture industry through the use of a moderately new technology–high tunnels.
High tunnels, which have some similarities to green houses, are semi-circular or square in shape and can extend growing seasons in either direction.
Mike Queen, host of the MetroNews-affiliated “The Mike Queen Show” on the AJR News Network, hosted a forum on the topic Tuesday on his show.
“Well high tunnel green houses aren’t really new technology,” WVU Extension Agent Debbie Friend said. “For a lot of people in West Virginia, they may have driven by them and not realized it because high tunnels look a lot like green houses.”
Kent Gilkerson, a berry farmer in Monroe County, said it’s allowed him to get a jump on other berry farmers.
“The berries get ripe a little earlier in the high tunnels,” Gilkerson said. “You get a little bit of jump on the local market.”
“That allows folks to extend the season for growing,” Friend added. “You can have tomatoes as long as the weather stays decent in the fall, but you can have tomato production up through November and December in high tunnels. And you can start tomato production earlier in the season.”
Webster County businessman Rodney Riddle is planning on hosting a town hall on high tunnels in Birch River after discovering the success his neighbors were having using them.
“I’ve been doing some research on it,” Riddle said. “I’ve had some neighbors who did this and are taking this business quite seriously,” Riddle said. “They started telling me the net numbers of poundage as well as there sales.”
Senator Kent Leonhardt (R-Monongalia, 02), running for Commissioner of Agriculture, is also a big advocate of the use of high tunnels.
Leonhardt believes they can play a big role in increasing agriculture production in West Virginia, reducing the length of time food goes from farm to table.
“These high tunnels can improve food safety for the state of West Virginia,” Leonhardt said. “And once again we can improve food security should a disaster or like a derecho come through.”
To learn more about high tunnels, check out HighTunnels.org.