**When registering, please select “High Tunnel Farm Tours” under “Choose Your Program”
High Tunnel Farm Tour & Workshop – Learn from Local Farmers!
Interested in improving your high tunnel production?Join us for a hands-on tour of New Entry’s incubator farm, where we’ll showcase our three new high tunnels! We'll be joined by experts Jonathan Ebba (UNH) and Margaret Skinner (UVM) for an in-depth look at pest management and climate control techniques.
During this workshop, we’ll cover:
- Humidity management best practices
- Strategies for cooling and heating your high tunnel
- Common pest identification and scouting techniques
- Integrated pest management (IPM) strategies
- Ventilation and airflow optimization
This event is a great opportunity to connect with fellow farmers, ask questions about building and managing high tunnels, and gain valuable knowledge for your farm!
About the Presenters:
Jonathan Ebba is a Field Specialist with the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension, where they design educational programs and provide direct technical assistance to commercial farmers and growers. With specialized expertise in controlled environment and covered agriculture, Jonathan focuses on greenhouse and high tunnel production systems. He offers guidance on environmental control, crop production, and structural and equipment management for tunnels and greenhouses, helping farmers optimize their growing operations.
Margaret Skinner is an entomologist with 38 years of experience helping growers manage pests through Integrated Pest Management (IPM). As a researcher at the University of Vermont’s Entomology Research Laboratory, she works with an interdisciplinary team tackling real-world pest challenges in forests, landscapes, greenhouses, and high tunnels. Margaret is the lead on the High Tunnel Production Toolkit project, funded by NE SARE, which supports beginning high tunnel growers with practical resources, one-on-one training, and workshops. She brings deep expertise in pest ID and management and is committed to helping growers adopt effective, sustainable solutions.
Leah Jurman manages New Entry’s technical assistance programs and coordinates support for farmers in the incubator program. She leads field workshops and provides hands-on help with production, business planning, marketing, and the transition to independent farming. Leah oversees 15 acres of training farmland in Beverly, MA, including equipment and site prep for dozens of growers each season. Before New Entry, she worked with The Trustees as Agriculture Team Coordinator and was Assistant Farm Manager at Appleton Farms. She’s also held grower roles on several eastern MA farms and holds a BS in Biology and Global Studies from Emmanuel College.
Funding Aknowledgement
This material is based upon work supported by USDA/NIFA under Award Number 2023-70027-40447.