January 2021 - 18

GLVPN VEG CONNECTIONS
Bridge builder: Great Lakes Vegetable Producer's Network
By Ben Werling
Michigan State University Extension
Once upon a time, in what seems
forever ago, there was a routine
rhythm to Extension work. The beat,
beat, beat of the drum as winter
meetings wrapped up and we were
all busy giving in-person education
before growers turned to the business
of growing our food. Then, without
warning (so it seemed!), everything
changed in a matter of days. Many of
us - including me - scrambled to grab
the essentials from the workplace as
we did a 180-degree turn away from
our social safety nets to the home
office, not fully grasping the brave
new virtual world we were heading
towards.
Once the adrenaline of adjusting
to a new normal wore off, the next
question was, " What do we do
now? " We watched as universities
and organizations began to promote
webinar after webinar, and knew
that we would be up against webinar
fatigue and pandemic podcast
proliferation. We decided to take
inspiration from the part of the job we
love the most, learning with others to
help growers.
We offer a
full line of
fruit &
vegetable
equipment
Cross Action Forks
Double Forks
Box/Bin Nester
Brush Pusher
Conveyors
Mechanical Bulk Loader
Universal Dump All
Weed Spray Tank
3 Pt. Forks
3 Pt. Hi Lift
Sprayers
Freight-Mate
Lift, rotate and dump up to 3,000 lbs. on
24-inch load center
Dependable, low-cost hydraulically
Operated 180˚ or 130˚ rotator
Automatic box clamp also available
* Less than half the cost of most rotators.
* Smooth hydraulic operation - no gears or ratchets
* One man can attach and disconnect the rotator
* Can be used on conventional and rough terrain
forklifts
AUTHORIZED
DURANDWAYLAND
DEALER
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PHIL BROWN
WELDING CORP.
4750 8 Mile Rd.
Conklin, MI 49403
18 | VegetableGrowersNews.com
* Right to left rotation easily changed by operator in
the field
* Accepts standard forks on Class II fork mount
* Allows nesting and stacking from the driver's seat
while forks are at 180˚
OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT
HYDRAULIC CONTROL VALVE
HOSE REEL
HOSE PULLEY BRACKETS
PALLET GRIP
Phone: (616) 784-3046
Fax (616) 784-5852
www.philbrownwelding.com
VegetablegrowersNews.com
Sprayer
Models
* 200 Gallon Manual Fold
* 300 Gallon Manual Fold
* 400 Gallon Manual Fold
* 400 Gallon Hydraulic Fold
PENNS CREEK MFG.
1340 Broadway Rd., Winfield, PA 17889
570-837-1197 * www.pennscreekwelding.com
Builders of dependaBle ecnomical VegetaBle sprayers
If you're one of the early-dawn
coffee shop crowd, think of how much
you learn from talking with your
fellow growers (and how it makes you
feel connected). Maybe, we could do
the same thing for you. Instead of
each university coming up with its
own virtual webcast, maybe we could
have coffee shop-type conversations
with experts from across the region.
Maybe this would help us reach
outside our own local networks, to
bring the best expertise to problems
you face on the farm.
From this idea was born the Great
Lakes Vegetable Producer's Network,
or GLVPN - a virtual bridge letting
information flow from across the
Great Lakes region to you. Nobody
knows it all, and now we could have
coffee shop talk with the best expert
for the topic of the day.
What has GLVPN looked like so far?
This summer, GLVPN was organized
by a core crew of seven Extension
staff and had speakers from across the
Great Lakes as guests on our weekly
show. For us, it was a bright spot in a
tough time. We got to meet and know
Extension staff we don't normally
work with and hear them talk about
things growers care about. For me, it
The Great Lakes Vegetable Producer's Network started with a core crew of seven vegetable
specialists from across the Midwest and Canada. This summer, our core crew invited 27
guest veggie experts from nine states and Ontario to a weekly conversational talk show and
podcast (listen at glveg.net/listen). Now, we hope to leverage this network of experts to
bring you the best information possible in our new column, GLVPN Veg Connections.
created some energy at a time when
the normal things that keep me going
were falling away.
What could GLVPN look like in
Equipment that makes dollars & 'sense'
the future? Our first effort was by
no means perfect, but we want to
harness the energy of this group to
bring good information to you. As we
seek to expand the brand, one thing
we will do is change this column's
stable of authors. In the past, it's
been a " Michigan State University
exclusive. " Now, we want to tap into
the best expertise for the topic at
hand - no matter where those folks
are located - to bring you good
information in a monthly GLVPN
column, " Veg Connections. "
The pandemic has brought a lot of
hardship for a lot of people. We all
hope that some positive things, no
matter how small, have come out of
2020 for you, your family and your
farm. Hopefully, GLVPN can be one
of those things for you. Stay tuned
to GLVPN at glveg.net/listen, where
you can also find all the weekly shows
recorded this summer. VGN
SEE VIDEOS OF SPRAYERS IN ACTION ON UPDATED WEBSITE!
NEW HYDRAULIC FOLD SPRAYER FEATURES
AIRBAG BOOM SUSPENSION!

http://www.glveg.net/listen http://www.glveg.net/listen http://www.pennscreekwelding.com http://www.VegetablegrowersNews.com http://www.philbrownwelding.com http://www.VegetableGrowersNews.com

January 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2021