Wilkins Lecture at UW-River Falls to Focus on Micro-Greens

November 11, 2013 -- The 3rd Annual Harold Wilkins Lecture, "Micro-Greens: A New Emerging Greenhouse Crop," will be held Thursday, Nov. 21, at 4 p.m. in Room 116 of the Ag Science building at UW-River Falls. The lecture is free and open to the public. 

The speaker is Ken Fine, a sales representative with Johnny's Selected Seeds, an employee-owned company headquartered in Winslow, Maine. Fine has more than 25 years of experience in the vegetable industry, including 14 years working with commercial growers at Johnny's Selected Seeds. He has seen the evolution from small, struggling organic farms to the current mainstream appreciation for locally grown organic produce. 

Micro-greens are young, tender greens (spinach, pea, beet, basil, etc.) less than 14 days old that are used to enhance color, texture and flavor of salads, soups and sandwiches. There is some early scientific evidence that the leaves from micro-greens have more nutritional value than the mature leaves of the same plant. 

Wilkins Lectures are sponsored by Harold Wilkins, emeritus professor of horticulture from the University of Minnesota and former advisor to Terry Ferriss, professor of horticulture at UW-River Falls. Speakers come from outside the geographic region and focus on cutting-edge issues related to greenhouse production and/or floriculture. Wilkins is co-owner of Gold Finch Farms in Baldwin that specializes in cut-flower bouquets and cut-flowering branches.  

For more information, email terry.l.ferriss@uwrf.edu or call 715-425-3345.