Video: Winston County Hosts Farm Field Day

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WINSTON COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) — Farmers in Winston County are learning new techniques of their trade.

These vegetable growers are learning new techniques to grow fresh wholesome edible produce. New approaches like building a hoop house have helped Winston County farmer Peggy Miller and her husband, Alonzo, expand their harvest and find new customers.

“We also have a drip irrigation system installed in the hoop house that allows us to control the watering of the vegetables,” Miller said. “The hoop house is a little different from the greenhouse. It doesn’t have a thermostat or anything controlling the temperature.”

“It extends your growing season in the winter time,” farmer Shelton Cooper said. “And it gives you like six weeks extended in the end of the growing season. It’s very important, especially if you grow for the market. It’s extending your money if you have success with it.”

“In February, we planted tomatoes which are already bearing again,” Miller said. “We planted green, red, and yellow bell peppers, Jalapeno peppers, also banana peppers. We are also growing herbs in there like rosemary and basil.”

The Millers have been raising beef cattle since 2008, and will admit, even though they had about 30 heads, they don’t know everything there is to know about farming. However, these field day events help these small-time farmers share their successes with others and learn new ones themselves.

“I have a few cows I’ve been using the program the NRCS Program, and they are here today and they’ve been telling us what we qualify or how to get qualified,” Cooper said. “And it’s a good program to use, especially whether you are getting started or in the business.”

Networking and sharing, everyone and everything seems to be growing.

“It’s about sharing knowledge with one another and then everyone wins,” Miller said. “Everybody helping each other.”

Farmers markets are popping up in almost every town across the region. These farmers hope what they learn will help make those markets a bigger success.