It’s hard to beat locally grown produce. It’s often fresher and tastier, uses less energy for transport, and helps farmers in your community. But the off-season presents a big challenge for farmers who grow fruits and vegetables and for consumers who want to find local produce throughout the year.

When farmers can lengthen the growing season, even by several weeks, their options change. That’s why the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service promotes high tunnels as such a powerful tool. High tunnels are plastic-wrapped, metal-framed structures that are fairly easy and inexpensive to build. They are designed to extend the growing season into the colder months, helping to increase the availability of local produce, keep plants at a steady temperature and even conserve water and energy.

High tunnels are like greenhouses, except they are considered “passively heated.” That means they do not require electricity to heat – only sunlight. The plastic cover provides enough insulation to add up to 12 extra weeks to the growing season, depending on location. The inside of a high tunnel has its own microclimate, often producing crops of higher quality and quantity than those in traditional farm fields. High tunnels are also different than greenhouses in that the plants are grown in the ground, not in pots or on tables. You can think of it as a plastic covering over a field.

High tunnels can cut costs for farmers by conserving water and require fewer inputs, like fertilizers or pesticides. In high tunnels, these inputs are often applied through tubes that run along the base of the plants, allowing water and fertilizer to be delivered where it’s needed. Outside of high tunnels, these inputs are often spread on a larger scale and at higher quantities to ensure the plants receive enough.

NRCS helps farmers build high tunnels, providing technical expertise and funding. Local and regional markets often provide farmers with a higher share of the food dollar, and money spent at a local business often continues to circulate within community, creating a multiplier effect and providing greater economic benefits to the area.

For more information, contact the Rhode Island USDA Service Center at 401-828-1300 or visit www.RI.nrcs.usda.gov. You can also watch this NRCS video on high tunnels.

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Why are pollinators so important? That’s easy - Food. One out of three bites of food can be attributed to these important creatures – bees, butterflies, moths, birds, beetles, bats, and a few other small mammals. Pollinators provide crucial benefits to fruit, vegetable, and seed crops, as well as other plants that produce fiber, medicine, and fuel. Many plants would be unable to reproduce without the help of pollinators.

But as you may know, pollinators are in trouble. Many are seeing decreasing populations because of habitat loss, disease, parasites, and pesticide use. But there’s good news. There are simple ways you can help. It can be as easy as selecting high-quality pollinator plants for your garden. To find the best plants for your area, check out our Rhode Island Pollinator Garden Design Guide, or our NRCS partners’ websites at Xerces Society Northeast Region Pollinator Conservation Resources or Pollinator Partnership.

If you operate a farm or ranch, NRCS can help you create habitat for pollinators. This benefits both pollinators and farmers and ranchers. Increased pollinators can increase crop yields. Support pollinators by planting wildflowers in and around fields and choosing the right cover crops. NRCS offers more than three dozen conservation practices that help to build healthier landscapes for pollinators.

Habitats used by pollinators attract beneficial insects (insects that eat crop pests), and they may provide habitat for other wildlife, reduce soil erosion, and improve water quality. As you can see, pollinators and healthy habitat for pollinators help keep the ecosystem healthy. If you are putting in conservation practices to prevent soil erosion or protect stream banks, consider including wildflowers, shrubs, and trees that support pollinators.

For more information, contact the Rhode Island USDA Service Center at 401-828-1300 or visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/state-offices/rhode-island/improving-habitat-for-rhode-island.

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A woodland tract has great potential, but it must be managed well to harness its full benefits. If your woodlands have grown unproductive or overcrowded, consider some simple management techniques like an occasional cutting or thinning to improve them. Improvements to forests and woods are easy – and the best part is, trees typically respond quickly to management techniques.

Thinning is often performed when a forest is overstocked with trees. Cutting the excess trees allows the remaining trees and understory plants to prosper from more sun, water, and space. Depending on local markets and the size of the trees, it may be possible to remove and sell the thinned trees to offset the cost of the operation.

Harvest cuttings are used to remove and market logs for profit. Depending on the type of woods you own and your objectives, you may want to consider periodic intermediate cuttings to remove some trees of marketable size. Final harvest cutting occurs when most of the trees in a stand are removed and sold. After cutting, make sure the land is replanted or has existing younger trees to continue regenerating your woods.

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) helps private landowners make their forests and woods healthier through conservation activities, often called small woodlot improvement. In addition to these management techniques, NRCS helps landowners with other forest-related practices, such as using prescribed burning, installing fire lanes, and establishing native plants.

When land is managed well, it not only helps you, the landowner, but spurs other environmental benefits as well. For more information, contact the Rhode Island USDA Service Center at 401-828-1300 or visit www.RI.nrcs.usda.gov.

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