ALGONA, Iowa — Beany Bode and Joanne Roepke Bode, of Bode’s Moonlight Gardens, will share their experience raising pumpkins and produce at a Practical Farmers of Iowa field day they are hosting on Friday, June 21, from 1-3 p.m., on their farm near Algona (2304 140th Ave., about 4.5 miles northeast of town).
The event – “Pumpkins and Produce in One Multipurpose Space” – is free to attend and will include light refreshments following the program. The field day is sponsored by Healthy Harvest of North Iowa, Iowa Farmers Union and Iowa Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association.
Beany and Joanne have been operating Bode’s Moonlight Gardens since 2004, raising a wide range of naturally grown vegetables, and the occasional pet pig, on 1.5 acres that include two high tunnels. They recently added a new packhouse, prep area and germination room.
The couple have also added a wholesale pumpkin business and raise 10 acres of pumpkins that are sold and delivered across the state.
As Beany and Joanne have grown and expanded their farm to meet the needs of local food customers, they have chosen to remain small-scale, marketing their produce at the Kossuth County Farmers Market and through a 75-member CSA.
At the field day, they will share their experience designing and building their new multipurpose packhouse and prep space. They will also discuss weed management strategies they’ve tried in their pumpkin patch.
Beany and Joanne will be joined by neighbors and farm mentors John and Helen Scuffham, who introduced them to the wholesale pumpkin business and the growing and marketing techniques involved.
Directions to the field day are available on Practical Farmers’ website.
This event is part of Practical Farmers’ main 2019 field day season, which includes 40 events across Iowa, and the region, on topics spanning the agricultural spectrum. The field days are meant to help connect farmers with their peers for networking and farmer-to-farmer learning.
Practical Farmers’ 2019 field days are supported by several sustaining and major sponsors, including: Albert Lea Seed; Bio Till; Center for Rural Affairs; Gandy Cover Crop Seeders; Grain Millers Inc.; H.A. Wallace Chair for Sustainable Agriculture – Iowa State University; Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance; Iowa Beef Center at Iowa State University; Iowa State Department of Agronomy; La Crosse Seed; Man@Machine; MOSA Certified Organic; Niman Ranch; PepsiCo; Pipeline Foods; Premier 1 Supplies; River Valley Cooperative; Scoular; Sunderman Farm Management; Sunrise Foods International; Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education; Trees Forever; Unilever; Welter Seed & Honey Company.
— Practical Farmers of Iowa
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