Here's the deal. I met this guy, Mr. Ted Carey at someone's garden, and to make a long(winded)…read morestory short, he works with K-State in an extension research location in Olathe, where he specializes in research where a person uses large tunnels (think quonset huts) to extend the growing season of vegetables and fruits. The best part is, he told me that during the growing season (they do various berries, for instance), they need volunteer pickers, and the pickers can pick a bucket for every bucket they pick for the research people! So a free lunch, so to speak. A fruit lunch, of sorts. Anyhow, it sounds pretty neat, and if anyone is going to go, let me know, I'll ride along.
From a pamphlet of some sort of open house they did, they say they grow: "collards, cucumber, eggplant, onion, garlic, squash, melon, rhubarb, asparagus, blueberry, blackberry and raspberry. Research is also under way on organic fertility and pest management techniques, including compost tea, EM, and the use of screened high tunnels."
In addition, their research arm is beginning a certification program (as far as I know the only one in the area) with JCCC for sustainable farming entrepreneurship called, appropriately enough, "Sustainable Agriculture Entrepreneurship Certificate" (http://www.jccc.edu/home/depts.php/1205/site/sustainableag). It's in its first years, but it hopes to teach the basics of beginning your own farm business with a focus on practical experience with at the Horticulture research place in Olathe during the year and a half long program.
Here's some publications they do: http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/
