Enthusiasm and Attendees in Bloom at Flower Farm Tour
South Dakota Specialty Producers (SDSPA) and South Dakota State University (SDSU) Extension hosted a Flower Farm Field Day Tour on Fri., July 25 at Eden Acres near Alpena, S.D.
The event was scheduled to include an agritourism tour at a pumpkin patch near Woonsocket, S.D. Unfortunately, South Dakota weather days before the event eliminated the pumpkin patch and corn maze near Woonsocket and also impacted the Eden Acres Farm.
Despite these setbacks, Eden Acres, made up of Mindy Eden and her family who farm near Alpena, S.D., continued to host the event that drew over 60 flower and gardening enthusiasts from across eastern South Dakota plus staff from Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and SDSU.
“This is the first timeI have attended an event like this and was impressed,” said Gigi Browning owner of Dorothy’s Gardens, near Ipswich, S.D. and a current member of S.D. Specialty Producers. “It was nice to put faces with the names I see on the website and enjoyed hearing about the different resources available to other flower growers like me. I’m ready to get more connected to learn more.”
The field day included a tour of the Eden Acres flower farm, gave participants information about how to select flowers to grow and hints about marketing and also how to use high tunnels to extend the growing season.
Photos of the event can be found here. To learn more about SDSPA visit www.sdspecialtyproducers.org.