Berea Gardens Agriculture Center

January News

2012-01-16T08:39:00.000-05:00

January Newsletter

Winter arrived late this year and we have been blessed with abnormally good growing conditions. We are still operating our weekly Wednesday market here at the farm, selling both our produce and Lynnita's fabulous bread to a number of dedicated and satisfied customers.

We have also had good conditions for rooting cuttings and currently have hundreds of new blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, lignonberry, elderberry and rose plants rooted and growing in the greenhouse. The berries will be for our own planting here (for at least this year) and the roses are intended for sales on Mother's Day. It is such a blessing to be back in the greenhouse making new plants on these cold, dark days.

In late Fall we planted the first 30 trees of what will become a large diversified fruit orchard. The varieties I selected of apples, peaches, pears, cherries, nectarines, plums, apricots and selected rootstocks are adapted to this area and are varieties that I can freely propagate myself so that we will have no additional cost in acquiring more trees. We eventually plan to have about 200 trees growing to supply both ourselves and local markets with fruit.

Another recent acquisition was an old, tractor pulled grain harvester. A neighbor and dear friend of ours travelled up to Amish country in Ohio and brought back this wonderfully useful piece of equipment. He has told us that we can keep it here and make use of it as we can. This will allow us to efficiently grow and harvest small grains and dried beans. We will be planting some barley, hulless oats and black beans this year to put it to work.

We were richly rewarded this year with our seedbanking activities. A neighbor of ours brought us some seed for a speckled lima, similar to the Chritmas Lima variety. He gave me a handfull of the seed two years ago that had been in his family for generations and stored in his freezer for twelve years. We grew them out and at the end of this season harvested over 100 pounds of the dry lima beans. We have shared seed freely with neighbors and visitors here and are grateful for the opportunity to help preserve this wonderful variety. It is also nice to have enough on hand to feed our guests and ourselves through the year. To date we have received a dozen varieties of seed that are truly indigenous "heirlooms" from our neighbors in this area.

As we continue to develop our farm, meet wonderful new people in our training programs and grow true and abiding friendships in our community, we are ever mindful of the blessings God has bestowed. May we be counted as faithful in His sight.

Bob, Lynnita and Jordyn

Free, Limited Time Replay of our September Agriculture Webinar done in association with Dave Westbrook and his Country Living University

Many of my contacts have requested an opportunity to review the Webinar that I presented last September with Dave Westbrook and Country Living University. Until the end of this month I will again make the presentation available to those of you that receive this newsletter. The only access to the Webinar will be through the link on this page. My prayer is that you will find encouragement and motivation from this presentation to grow at least a portion of your own food in the coming season. Again, the link is only accesible in this email so if you know of others that can benefit from the presentation please feel free to forward this on to them. The Webinar is available here.

Agriculture Training Programs for 2012

Our training program schedule through April 2012 is now posted on our website. We are currently assessing what our priorities should be for the coming growing season and how best to make use of our time and resources. We have a number of opportunities to increase our farm's productivity and grow more food for our local markets. Frankly, interest in our Training Programs for the next few months has been relatively weak. Unless we see an increased interest in our monthly Training Programs we may reduce the offerings to a bi-monthly or even a quarterly schedule in order to allow us more time for actual farming. Difficult economic times are impacting us all, and we want to make a decision that will give us the best opportunity for the balance of farm production and the demands of the Training Center. Drop us an email with your comments, and please keep us in prayer as we come to a decision about our future scheduling.

Horses!

For the past three years Jordyn has been working with us on the farm, serving customers, baking bread and muffins for sale at the Farmer's Market, and saving diligently to realize her dream of owning a horse. Her dream was realized in December when we took possesion of this fine team of young Haflinger mares. This small, rugged Austrian breed is ideal for our conditions and we anticipate that they will serve us well as both work animals and will also be used for riding. Meet Cedar and Sawdust.

True Education Conference

The True Education/Agriculture Conferences hosted at the end of November and early December were once again a great blessing to the many that participated. We want to express our sincere thanks to the many speakers that made this year's event very special. Audio and video recordings of any and all of the meetings will be available soon from Bob Jorgensen at Medical Missionary Press.

October Newsletter - True Education and Agriculture Conference

2011-10-04T01:13:00.000-04:00

Berea Gardens Agriculture Ministries

October Newsletter

The annual True Education Conference is coming again to the Berea Gardens Center. This year's weekend meetings will again be followed by a four day Agriculture Education Series and an Agriculture Confenrence organized by Bob Jorgensen. Speakers for these meetings will include Elvin Easton, Bob Jorgensen, Norberto Restrepo Jr., Mark Heisey, Jerry Travers and Bob Gregory.

Please join us for this opportunity to better understand the principles of true Christian education and the second meeting of those engaged in various aspects of the agricultural work associated with education. Between the two weekend meetings we are offering a four day session of Agriculture Training that will be of benefit to beginning as well as expert growers. This training includes some of the elements of the Berea Gardens Training Program and will cover topics of soil preparation, weed control, pest and disease prevention and control strategies, regulatory issues facing small market farms, plant genetics and details about why the agriculture and food industries in America are in such crisis that it is compromising the health of millions of Americans.

These meetings will run from November 25 to December 4 and will be held at the Berea Gardens Center in Minnora, West Virginia.
Map Link Here

Complete meeting and speaker schedules will be sent out soon

There is no cost for the two weekend conferences and accommodations are available here for those wishing to stay with us.

Llink to the Berea Gardens web page for more information

Link to Medical Missionay Press, Bob Jorgensen, Meeting Chairman

Lodging, Meals, Maps:
Berea Gardens Center is a privately owned retired public elementary school building located in rural West Virginia. In order to provide accommodation for those attending the meetings we will have a number of classrooms available for use as dormitory style lodging. It will be necessary for you to provide your own floor mat and sleeping bags or blankets. Motel accommodations are available at distances between 8 and 40 miles from the location. We have shower facilities

You will be responsible for providing your own meals. There is a large commercial kitchen available for your use, but you should plan to bring your own food and utensils. The nearest grocery store is in Spencer, WV, about 23 miles away. Fresh seasonal produce from the Berea Gardens Farm will be available on site for purchase.

We have ample space for campers and RV's, with some limited capacity to provide hookups. Power is available but may require cords of up to 100 feet.

There are no charges for accommodation but we will be accepting your free-will offerings to defray our expenses.

Free Webinar from Back to Enoch Ministries and Berea Gardens

2011-09-08T09:04:00.004-04:00

Is Your Family Ready For The Coming Food Crisis?

What You’ll Learn…

Why you need to start gardening NOW!
GMO, Nanotech and Irradiation – What you need to know
How To Grow All The Food You Need For A Family Of Four In Only 1/2 Hour A Day
Don’t Buy Seeds…Until You Know The Five Keys To Proper Seed Selection
Where To Put Your Garden For The Best Results
How To Fix Bad Soil (And It’s All Bad!)
Plus Much More!

Special Guest – Bob Gregory

The Gregory Family - Jordyn, Lynnita & Bob

Bob is the director of the Berea Gardens Organic Farm and Agriculture Training Program in Minnora, West Virginia. He has more than 30 years of experience in agribusiness and organic farming practices. His presentations are fast paced and packed with practical information you can put into action right away.

July Newsletter

2011-07-07T21:17:00.002-04:00

Berea Gardens Agriculture Ministries

July Newsletter

The mid-summer heat and humidity is upon us and it is apparent that the tomatoes, melons, beans and the dozens of other crops we have growing enjoy it more than we do. The plants are flourishing and we have been busy keeping up with the harvest for our Farmer's Markets. In June a second market opened in our county seat, Grantsville, so we are now participating in two markets, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Lynnita and Jodyn have recently recieved certification to market baked goods and have had wonderful success selling Lynnita's amazing eleven-grain/seed loaves to very appreciative customers. Her specialty muffins made from our squash, pumpkins and sweet potatoes are also well received.

Our tomatoes are just beginning to ripen and I want to share some information about a wonderful variety that I haven't grown before. The tomato is Cour de Bue, an oxheart shaped paste tomato I got from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. This tomato is incredibly productive, dense and flavorful. More important to me (as the grower) is the disease resistance and durability of the fruit. We are anxious to do some canning with this one. The dense fruit should make for an excellent sauce.

Our early plantings of broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, beets, chard and carrots were wonderful this year with good quality and excellent yields. The cool, moist weather we had through the end of last month really favored these crops. We are now transitioning to our summer harvest and laying plans for our Fall plantings that will be going in at the end of this month. Some of our field space will provide us with three crop cycles this year and we are learning to understand our climate here to make the most of its potential. I always look forward to the Fall garden. It is usually the most productive and easiest to grow.

Hope you are finding blessings in your gardens too.

Bob, Lynnita and Jordyn

Monthly Training Sessions Reaching Many

Our comprehensive agriculture training sessions are now scheduled for each month through the end of the year, and word is getting out to many folks around the country about our program. In April, the Meisner family of Mountain Media Ministries in Idaho attended our session while finishing an East Coast trip. They shared their experience with others on the way home and provided us with a number of referrals. In May we held the largest class to date with a group of wonderful folks from Michigan. One of the men from the May session was pleased enough to schedule with us for a repeat session this month so he can bring his wife and son.

We still have space in the remaining sessions scheduled for this year and encourage you to get this training which is so important for these times. You can find more information about our program and schedule here.

Camp Meeting Recordings

I was blessed with an opportunity last month to spend a week at the Mountain View Conference Camp Meeting where I had the opportunity to share about agricuture and our ministry through six presentations. I was richly blessed by many of the other speakers and particularly appreciated the chance to talk with Stephen Bohr, a man that well understood the theme of "Revive Us Again, O Lord."

The fine folks at Mountain View have recorded all of the meetings and posted every one of them as an audio presentation on their web site. If you would like to hear what I had to say (albeit without the PowerPoint slides) you will find all six presentations here.

Coming Up

In August, Dave Westbrook of Back to Enoch Ministries has invited me to participate in a webinar that he will be hosting as part of his Country Living University program. I look forward to helping with his effort to prepare people for a simpler, agrarian lifestyle.

Later this year we will also be hosting Bob Jorgensen of Medical Missionary Press and the True Education Seminar Series, again in conjunction with a following Agriculture Conference. I will be sending out more information about this as the dates and details develop

Food Safety

I am still unable to provide much detail about the implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act. The Republican Congress is holding up funding for the FDA to fully implement the new laws, and there is still some conflicting information about how the new regulations will impact small growers. For up to date information about this topic and other issues pertaining to agriculture and food, you may visit the blog I maintain where new information is posted as it develops. There are many useful and informative articles available in the archive there.

February Newsletter

2011-02-13T21:03:00.004-05:00

Berea Gardens Agriculture Ministries
February News

Spring is on its way and the growing season is drawing near. Food prices are climbing at an alarming rate and the economic climate of the world is becoming increasingly unstable. Commodity prices at the Chicago Board of Trade for grains and oil seeds scheduled for late summer and fall delivery are hitting all time highs, with some contract prices doubling in just the past few weeks. In the past six months wheat is up 70%, corn up 60%, soy up 50%, sugar up 35%, palm oil up 142%, sunflower oil up 60%, and the list goes on and on. China, the source of over half of the apples in the American market, has seen the cost of those apples double in just the past two weeks.

The cost of oil is also increasing rapidly. When you consider that it requires 12 calories of fossil fuel to produce 1 calorie of food in this country, it is inevitable that we will be spending a much larger portion of our family budgets to feed ourselves in the very near future.

Governments around the world are developing strategies for what can only be described as a food crisis of unprecedented proportions which has already begun and is forecast to worsen throughout 2011.

The time for taking responsibility for our own food production is certainly at hand. If the financial incentive isn't enough, consider also the diminished quality of the foodstuffs available to us now at our grocers. The average distance that produce travels from field to fork now exceeds 1670 miles. That means by the time we receive it most of our food is already three to six weeks dead. It has been harvested at an immature stage before many of the valuable phytonutrients are fully developed, and has been treated post-harvest with fungicides to endure the journey. Even if we are eating a diet rich in (seemingly) fresh fruits and vegetables, how much nutrition are we getting from such a system?

Our solution to this circumstance is to grow the vast majority of the food we eat. And we would like to show you how to do it also. Did you know that an average family of four can be fed by one person working in a garden less than one hour per day?

If you have realized that the time has come for you to learn more about how agriculture can be of personal and financial benefit to you, please look over our training schedule below and contact us about receiving the training you need to become self-sufficient in your food needs. On less than an acre, and with a commitment of less than an hour per day with training and skill development, you can do it!

Click here for more information about our 5 day training programs and schedule your session soon. Space is limited.

In the next few weeks, we will also be launching our online Farmer's Market at www.bereagardens.locallygrown.net
The site is now under construction and will allow us to take internet orders for our produce that will be delivered at three locations during the week in our area. We believe that this will allow us to efficiently distribute our produce in a way that gets much more food into the hands of those that want it with a minimum of distraction from our farming activities.

In early January President Obama signed the Food Safety Modernization Act. I promised you last month that I would be sending out an announcement as to what this legislation will mean to small growers and processors. At this time the new Republican Congress is deliberating over the funding of this Act, and as a result, no definitive information is yet available about what the FDA intends to require of small growers. The current mood in Congress may prevent the full implementation of this Act if the funding for it is withheld. We anticipate that the provisions of this Act will have an impact on us, but for now we are proceeding full speed ahead with our plans and will deal with the circumstances of regulation as they develop.

The FDA already has their requirements drawn up, but they have not yet become available to the public. That disclosure must take place within 180 days of the enactment of the legislation, and that might mean we will not know exactly what we are dealing with until mid-season after our crops are planted.

As always, we solicit your prayers. We have a great many challenges and a lot of hard work ahead of us this year and our courage is bolstered by those of you that bolster us with your prayers and support.

Blessings,
Bob Gregory

Training Schedule Set For Early 2011 Five Day Sessions

2010-11-11T23:48:00.004-05:00

The Berea Gardens training schedule for early 2011 is now in place. For more information about these 5 day opportunities for an intensive learning experience at our Certified Naturally Grown Organic Farm, visit our web page here.

Click on calendar to enlarge

November Newsletter and Meeting Announcements

2010-11-11T18:25:00.002-05:00

Berea Gardens Agriculture Ministries

November Newsletter

The annual True Education Conference is coming again to the Berea Gardens Center. This year's weekend meetings will be followed by a four day Agriculture Training Session and an Agriculture Confenrence organized by Bob Jorgensen. Speakers for these meetings will include Pastor Dave Westbrook, Elvin Easton, Bob Jorgensen, Joong Ho Shin, Brad Neeley, John and Ed Dysinger, Steve Meyer, Jerry Travers and Bob Gregory.

Please join us for this opportunity to better understand the principles of true Christian education and the first of its kind meeting of those engaged in various aspects of the agricultural work associated with education. Between the two weekend meetings we are offering a four day session of Agriculture Training that will be of benefit to beginning as well as expert growers. This training includes some of the elements of the Berea Gardens Training Program and will cover topics of soil preparation, weed control, pest and disease prevention and control strategies, regulatory issues facing small market farms, plant genetics and details about why the agriculture and food industries in America are in such crisis that it is compromising the health of millions of Americans.

These meetings will run from November 26 to December 5 and will be held at the Berea Gardens Center in Minnora, West Virginia.

There is no cost for the two weekend conferences and accommodations are available here for those wishing to stay with us.

Llink to the Berea Gardens web page for more information.

Lodging, Meals, Maps:
Berea Gardens Center is a privately owned retired public elementary school building located in rural West Virginia. In order to provide accommodation for those attending the meetings we will have a number of classrooms available for use as dormitory style lodging. It will be necessary for you to provide your own floor mat and sleeping bags or blankets. Motel accommodations are available at distances between 24 and 40 miles from the location. We have shower facilities

You will be responsible for providing your own meals. There is a large commercial kitchen available for your use, but you should plan to bring your own food and utensils. The nearest grocery store is in Spencer, WV, about 23 miles away. Fresh seasonal produce from the Berea Gardens Farm will be available on site for purchase.

We have ample space for campers and RV's, with some limited capacity to provide hookups. Power is available but may require cords of up to 100 feet.

There are no charges for accommodation but we will be accepting your free-will offerings to defray our expenses.

Click for maps

October Newsletter

2010-09-28T23:08:00.003-04:00

Berea Gardens Agriculture Ministries

October Newsletter

The heat of summer has finally passed and the incredible beauty of the Appalachian Fall is upon us. This is the time of year we love most here, and the gardens love it too. The transition to our fall crops is complete and we have a beautiful array of plants growing wonderfuly without the stress from weeds and pests that are so troublesome during the hotter months. Broccoli, cauliflower, beets, spinach, carrots, lettuce, and a wide array of other vegetables are looking beautiful and will provide for a nice harvest over the coming months. Our greenhouses will allow us to grow many things right through the winter.

We have had a wonderful season at or Farmer's Market and have made many warm friends from the local folks that we have met. The season ends the last week in October, but for us it will also be a new beginning. Our vison of opening a bulk food store to serve our community is close to reality. Betty Nicholson, a dear friend from Hartland and recently from Black Hills Health & Education Center, has joined us to take charge of starting up and operating the store. We look forward to meeting some of the needs in our area, as well as having an opportunity for health education and a way of providing practical advice and products for healthy eating. The store will also give us a year-round venue for marketing the produce from the farm. In time, we hope to be able to offer an online version of the store that can serve a wider region with bulk beans, grains, nuts and a variety of other products. Please pray for this venture and our ability to use it as a means to further other aspects of health and lifestyle education that will benefit our community.

Our Agriculture Training Program has had a good season and dozens of people took advantage of the opportunity to learn more about this important skill. Many of our attendees have sent comments that their gardening success has been enhanced by what they learned here. We still have openings for the October 11 session, and if you desire to participate you may find information on the Berea Gardens Website.

True Education Conference Series Scheduled for November 26-28

The annual True Education Series hosted by Bob Jorgensen is coming again to Berea Gardens at the end of November. Please plan now to join us from November 26-28 for a wonderful opportunity to fellowship and share more about true Christian education. Speakers this year will include Pastor Dave Westbrook, author of "Out of the Cities and Director of Back to Enoch Ministires, Elvin Easton of The Living Choice in the Dominican Republic, and others. Bob Jorgensen of Medical Missionary Press will host the series. Bob has made a very thorough study of the principles of True Education and the implementation of these principles in Adventist history. I will be sending updated information as the total speaker schedule is selected.

Agriculture Training Week
Nov. 29 - Dec. 2
The week following the True Education Conference will be an opportunity to get some practical agriculture training. From Monday, November 29 to December 2 class sessions will be held on developing land for growing crops, soil chemistry and fertility, plant pathology and pests, hazards of modern commercial agriculture and regulatory compliance issues for small market growerrs as well as round table discussions with the 'experts' speaking at the weekend conference.

Agriculture Conference December 3-5

The first conference for many of the Adventist educators and promoters of agriculture is an opportunity to meet and talk with those that are actively engaged in this work; the A,B, and C of education. Speakers include Bob Jorgensen, Jerry Travers, Brad Neely, John Dysinger, Elvin Easton, Bob Gregory and others. Topics will cover cutting edge trends in the understanding of healthful agricultural production.

Please plan now to join us. Further announcements and details about speakers and accomodations will be coming to you soon.

The other side of the farm.....

2010-07-31T23:54:00.000-04:00

The abundance of the farm is going to provide well for us throughout the winter and our commercial kitchen is getting its first serious use.

Lynnita and a friend from our church, Sharon, are working on tomatoes, pickles and peaches.

Tomorrow the green beans will be processed.

Jordyn has plenty to do, too.

The huge ten-burner stove is wonderful for this task.

What a blessing!

Busy, busy, busy summer

2010-07-20T20:21:00.001-04:00

It has been far too long since I have updated this page! The season is half over and the crops are growing beautifully. Our two acre production field is fenced and the promise of a good harvest is satisfying. This picture of our kitchen garden is from early June. The 50 foot row of cucumbers in the foreground have yielded more than 700 pounds, making us popular with the picklers at the Farmer's Market.

Here is a more recent picture of the same area from a different angle. Jordyn has been picking bushels of green beans, tomatoes, peppers and more cucumbers. The melons in the foreground are nearing ripeness.

These are our 5 day seminar graduates for June. We still have space available in the August and October five day sessions for any of you interested in learning how to achieve an efficient and abundant harvest.

Our first class session was a wonderful success

2010-04-25T22:35:00.002-04:00

Our first week-long agriculture class was attended by 11 students from as far away as Maryland and Tennessee. We studied soil chemistry, plant pathology, propagation and efficiency planning for both home gardeners and market farmers. All of us were blessed with a deeper appreciation and understanding for the potential of our agricultural operations.

Particular attention was given to the role of plant populations in weed suppression and some of the principle advantages of high tunnels and greenhouses for season extension, maximizing quality and marketing opportunities.

The presented theories were accentuated by observations on the operational market farm just outside the classroom.

Space for you is still available in many of our sessions. See our schedule and contact information in the post from March 4 below, or go to our web site here.

Good Friday Potato Planting

2010-04-03T18:48:00.000-04:00

Thanks to our helpers, V.J. Romage, Dean and Blanca Ferrell, Charley and Dolly Tompkins, Jordyn and Lynnita for a great day of enjoying this beautiful land and helping us to plant our 2010 potato crop.

Training Schedule Set for 2010

2010-03-04T19:33:00.004-05:00

Our training schedule for 2010 is now finalized. For those of you interested in greening up your thumbs we are offering a number of three day and five day seminars from April to October. To see what is offered and for details, go to our web page at The Berea Gardens Center

A schedule of our dates:

Springtime in West Virginia

2010-03-04T19:25:00.001-05:00

March first on the farm at Minnora. We have had snow on the ground since mid-December and it has been anything but a farmer's paradise here since then. Apart from being the coldest, snowiest winter here in decades, it has also been the cloudiest. Light levels have been extraordinarily low and even the crops in these greenhouses have been in "cold storage" for nearly 75 days. We did have some sunshine today, the second time in the past 50 days. Despite the weather, we still have kale, lettuce and chard for our table.

HIGH TUNNEL WORKSHOP DREW LARGE CROWD

2010-01-29T13:19:00.000-05:00

(01/27/2010)
Submitted by Robin Wilson, AmeriCorps VISTA

Last Sunday’s workshop hosted by the Berea Gardens Agriculture Center located at the old Minnora School in Calhoun County brought together approximately 70 market growers and home gardeners for an exciting afternoon of information and opportunities
.
WVU Extension Agent, Brandy Brabham explained how to construct and use high tunnel structures for season extension. Brabham presented a series of slides from Dr. Lewis Jett, WVU Extension Commercial Horticulture Specialist and a national expert on high tunnels.
Sam Sheets and Matt Murphy from the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) explained a golden opportunity for local farmers to cost-share on the construction of high tunnel structures to produce more crops through one of their government programs, Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP).

Bob Gregory, who along with his wife Lynnita, owner of Berea Gardens, shared his experiences with using high tunnels to extend the season for a variety of produce, container flowers, and cut flowers, while serving as a professor at a college in Virginia. Gregory briefly discussed his experience with managing multi-million dollar greenhouses for the cut flower industry in California and consulting work in other countries that illustrated his mastery of horticulture. The presentations were followed by a guided tour of the all season unheated high tunnel structures at Berea Gardens.

High tunnels erected at Berea Gardens Agriculture
Center, located at the former Minnora School
High Tunnel growing structures have the advantage of free solar heat, which extends the growing season. With High Tunnels, five to seven crops per year can be grown on the same piece of land. Using these structures, growers can bring crops to market in the off-season for maximum returns. The system works best with nature, by focusing on cold-hardy crops in the winter, and then providing more ideal temperatures and moisture levels for summer crops using proper irrigation and ventilation. These structures allow for growing more food in our climate zone, which limits the need to for shipping foods over long distances, thus allowing for a cleaner environment. If more producers grow food to market, there is the potential to create more local jobs as well.

NRCS funding is offered as a pilot program to encourage growers to experiment with using high tunnels. The funding opportunity is part of a national effort to connect farmers with families, schools and restaurants called the Getting to Know Your Farmer Initiative.
Growers who receive funding through this program will be expected to keep records on production, sales and environmental impact. The cost-share ranges from $3.30 per to $5.63 per square foot.

Applications for this year are due by Friday, January 30, 2010. Applicants are ranked and notified by March. For those who don’t apply this year there will be opportunity to apply next year, because it is a three-year program. To apply, Roane County residents need to contact the USDA/NRCS at 304-927-1022 or stop by their office located in parking plaza across from Pizza Hut in Spencer.

Interested people from Calhoun County, the first step is to contact the USDA’s Farm Service Agency at 304-462-7171 to determine if you are eligible, and then contact the NRCS office in Spencer.

For assistance on site selection, construction designs, or supplier contacts for these high tunnel structures, growers should contact the WVU-Extension Service in Calhoun County at 304-354-6332 or in Roane County at 304-927-0975 for more information.

High Tunnel Workshop Set for January 24th

2010-01-11T17:46:00.002-05:00

Submitted by: Robin Wilson, AmeriCorp VISTA, 304-377-5391

Bob Gregory agronomist and founder of Berea Gardens is joining with Brandy Brabham, WVU Agricultural Extension Agent for Calhoun and Roane Counties in presenting a free training for home and market gardeners on building high tunnels for fruit and vegetable production on Sunday, January 24, 2010 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Berea Gardens Agriculture Center, located at the former Minnora School, 8 miles south of Arnoldsburg on Route 16 in the Minnora community.

High tunnels are unheated, plastic-covered structures that provide an intermediate level of environmental protection and control compared to open field conditions and heated greenhouses, which allows growers to extend the growing season. Berea Gardens has several of high tunnel structures and workshop participants will be able to tour some of these structures to see examples of some cold crops growing through the winter.

There are numerous benefits to growing crops in these structures, aside from making fresh greens available all winter, growers can get earlier fresh local produce such as tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchinis, and carrots. Early local production is good for expanding local markets and draws a premium price. It is also good for the environment with less shipping and agricultural chemicals needed. Another benefit is local fresh produce is better tasting and more nutritious.

The high tunnel growing concept is also being supported by the US Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in 38 states including West Virginia, by providing financial assistance for the construction of these structures through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the EQIP Organic Initiative, and the Agricultural Management Assistance program for commercial growers. For the definition of a commercial grower and more information about this financial assistance, you may contact the local NRCS serving Calhoun and Roane Counties at 304-927-1022.

For more information about this workshop, you can contact the WVU Extension Office in Calhoun County at 304-354-6332 or in Roane County at 304-927-0975.

December Newsletter

2009-12-15T21:14:00.011-05:00

Greetings,

The wintry winds have arrived and the snowflakes are falling here in Minnora. The fields are at rest but our greenhouses still supply some fine winter greens.

As the end of this year approaches we find ourselves giving sincere thanks to God and to all of the people that have made our vision of developing an agriculture training center a reality. It has been a year of very hard work and very earnest prayer. As we look forward to the new year we are both humbled and inspired with the knowledge that everything we need is now in place to offer training to others interested in learning about agriculture. We are blessed with fertile land, ample water, exquisite beauty, and all of the infrastructure, tools and equipment necessary for growing wonderful crops and thoroughly trained students.

This month Berea Gardens gained approval to be listed among farms that are "Certified Naturally Grown," an independent organization that standardizes and enforces production practices that are healthful for people and the environment. This is similar to the USDA Organic Certification, but without the bureaucratic influence and exhorbitant costs. Administered by farmers for farmers, we are proud to be counted in this group. This certification assures our customers that the products we sell are pesticide, GMO and hazard free.

With an eye ahead to the new year it is also time that I start asking some questions of you. It is our desire to begin meeting your needs for education in agriculture as soon as possible, and that means I need to better understand what your needs are. I have compiled a short survey to help us better organise and plan our programs and it would be very helpful to me if you would take a few minutes to answer some simple questions.  Your response will be anonymous and no personal information is either collected or stored. The link to the survey is here.

Over the course of the next few weeks we will be updating and reconstructing our website with a whole new range of information and services that should be helpful to anyone interested in agriculture and healthy food. We also are striving to get an online seed store up and running for the coming growing season and plans are in the works to have our local bulk and fresh produce store open in the Spring.

Our contacts and networks in the local community are growing rapidly.  Last month I was invited to speak at an "End of the Season Potluck" sponsored by the West Virginia Agriculture Extension Service Office for participants in the Farmer's Markets from throughout our region. I was very pleased to be able to share with the 90 or so that attended about agriculture's relationship to the teachings of the Bible.  I was not hindered in any way in sharing my beliefs and perspectives about agriculture from a Biblical perspective. It was a remarkable opportunity and was very well received. As a result of contacts made at that meeting we have been requested to schedule two seminars in January here at Berea Gardens for some of the growers that are interested in learning more.

We wish to thank all of you for your interest, prayers and support for the work we have begun here.  We know that the challenges that lay ahead of us are large, but we also know that if we continue to work in accord with God and His principles we will be rewarded with a fruitful  harvest.

Blessings,
Bob Gregory

Thanks to all that helped make the meetings a wonderful blessing to all

2009-11-03T18:32:00.003-05:00

I want to express my deep appreciation to Jere Franklin and all of the helpers we had that made our seminar weekend a great success. We had visitors from as far away as South Dakota and Delaware, made a number of new friends from Kentucky, and were richly blessed by the messages Jere brought to us.

Our gymnasium had a new look and much better acoustics for this meeting thanks to some rolls of burlap and a lot of help from our friend, Floyd Walters, from Apison, Tennessee.
(click on the pictures to see a larger rendition.)

We were greeted with this beautiful rainbow at dawn on Sabbath in the western sky.

Jere provided wonderful messages of encouragement and inspiration to all 80 or so of us that were in attendance. Special thanks to all of the ladies from the Spencer Church that helped with our children's program.

Meeting Announcement

2009-09-22T05:59:00.001-04:00

Berea Gardens Agriculture Ministries is pleased to invite you to a series of meetings by Jere Franklin and the Franklin Families at the Berea Gardens Agriculture Center in Minnora, West Virginia. This inspirational and motivational series is intended to assist us in preparation for the soon return of Jesus Christ. Please join us for a powerful weekend of education, encouragement and fellowship.

When:   October 30 to November 1, 2009
Where: Berea Gardens Agriculture Center, Minnora, WV (directions and contact information below)
Cost:    Your free-will offerings will be accepted to cover the costs of these meetings
Lodging: Camping areas are available and dormitory style rooms will be available in our school building for shelter. Those planning to stay in our rooms should bring their own bedding and matress padding. The floors are tiled concrete. You will be sharing rooms with others but we will have designated rooms for gentlemen, ladies and families. Shower facilities are available.  Nearest motels are located in Spencer, WV (26 miles distant) and Gassaway, WV (35 miles distant.)
Meals: Guests must provide for their own meals. We can offer our commercial kitchen for your shared use. We have sinks, refrigeration and a ten burner stove-top. You should plan to bring your own cooking and eating utensils. We have plenty of dining tables for shared use.  Although it will be sanitized, your use of our kitchen is understood to be entirely at your own risk as it has not yet been certified by our county health department. The nearest restaurants and grocery stores are located in Spencer, WV. A small country convenience store is 1 mile away in Minnora.
Water: Our water system is potable but chlorinated. We also have untreated well water available but you should bring your own containers.
Pets: We cannot accommodate pets in or around the buildings.
Handicap or Special Needs: Please contact us prior to the meetings if you have a handicap or special needs.
**********************************
You Can Survive!
Featuring the Franklin Families

A storm is coming relentless in its fury. Are we prepared to meet it? (8T 315)

If you knew of a plan whereby you could save your family from the apocalyptic prophecies described in Revelation regarding the final destruction of the earth, wouldn’t you want to know about it? God has a plan to save His people. It’s revealed in Jere Franklin’s book, You Can Survive!

Lincoln Steed, editor of Liberty Magazine, says that the book, You Can Survive! is “A sincere and practical outline for survival and revival.”

Pastor Pat Milligan (OR) says, “The YCS seminar was a real blessing to the Hood River and White Salmon churches. I appreciate how Christ centered and balanced it was. Our churches need these types of seminars!”

Pastor Hector Torres of Colville, Washington says, “Jere’s inspiring messages motivated our family to step out in faith and follow God’s counsel to move out of the cities into a quiet mountain setting. It was a blessing to have him in our churches.”

The work of the people of God is to prepare for the events of the future. (2 SM 142)

October 30 to November 1, 2009
Friday Night 7 PM       The Soon Return of Jesus
Sabbath 9:30 AM       Sabbath School
Sabbath 11 o’clock     Restoration and the Time of Jacob’s Trouble
Sabbath 2:30 PM       “God’s Appointed”
Sabbath 4:00 PM       The National Sunday Law
Sabbath 5:30 PM       The Time of No Buy No Sell
                                  Question and Answer Period
Sunday 10:00 AM       Country Living and the End Time
                                  Question and Answer Period
*******************************
Contact information: Please use email links at our website www.bereagardens.org Maps are located at the upper right of this page.

Newsletter - September

2009-09-09T17:53:00.009-04:00

We have had a wonderful and busy summer season as we continue to develop the ministry here at Berea Gardens. The gardens and greenhouses are now producing and we have also made progress on cleaning up and repairing some of the rooms in the Agriculture Center. We have secured our business licenses and are ready to begin marketing our produce. We have been blessed by many of our contacts this summer, including many of the people in this area that are heavily involved in the fresh foods movement, and it is apparent that the opportunities for a successful business aspect to this ministry can be realized so that we can truly be self-supporting. We are planning to open our local bulk/natural foods store later this year and will be ready to begin our agriculture training programs by late winter or early spring.

This past month has been particularly busy. We have been joined on our farm by two people that are very special to me, Charles and Delpha Tompkins. For those of you that know my testimony you are aware that Charley is the person that first acquainted me with the present truth message that I now hold so dear. The Tompkins' produce the Sabbath School Lesson Comments by Ellen White. This wonderful quarterly booklet that accompanies our Sabbath School studies will now be produced by them here at our farm. To accommodate them while they build a home in the back of our hollow they purchased a mobile home that we moved to the entrance of the farm land across the small creek behind the Agriculture Center. We are very thankful to have them here and God worked a number of miracles to facilitate their move. The work of tearing down, moving, and re-setting their used mobile home has kept me quite occupied and delayed slightly our fall planting of vegetables. Still, we have quite a variety of crops now producing and are well positioned to take advantage of the late season and winter markets.

We also have some news for you about our next meetings. Jere Franklin will be conducting a seminar here October 30 to November 1. I will soon be sending you all a flyer with the details of this event. As we did last summer, we will have shelter available in the school building, camping available, and we hope to have the commercial kitchen inspected by then so that we can also provide meals. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us for these meetings. I shouldn't need to stress that the end-time preparation messages of Elder Franklin are more pertinent now than ever.

Berea Gardens has also recently been in the press. Two of our local newspapers and an online news source have printed some fine articles about our ministry. This wide-spread introduction has been very helpful in informing the community about why we have come here and the local interest in our activities is very high. We expect that many folks from the area that have not heard present truth messages before may be attending Elder Franklin's meetings.

Lynnita has taken a nursing position in Charleston, about an hour away, and we are very relieved that she no longer has to travel to Virginia for work. It is our fervent prayer that God will bless our committment to agriculture and health by allowing our farm and store to prosper so that she can join us here soon in full time ministry.

We thank all of you again for your help and your prayers. Be watching for our meeting flyer and please spread it as far and wide as you can for us.

Blessings,
Bob and Lynnita Gregory

Sign up for this newsletter through email by visiting bereagardens.org

2009-09-09T17:49:00.000-04:00

Firstfruits

Reward after a day of hard work

2009-08-03T02:41:00.000-04:00

Progress Report (visual)

2009-07-27T16:18:00.005-04:00

Since the conclusion of our meetings we have been very busy getting 'settled in' and preparing the way for some production during the Fall growing season. We have an acre of field area prepared and have constructed five greenhouse cold frames for extended season growing. These pictures were taken in early July. Since that time we have covered the first greenhouse and set up our propagation bench and mist system. A full range of fall veggies have germinated in plug trays and will be ready to set out soon.

Wonderful meetings

2009-06-20T19:10:00.006-04:00

Our True Education Seminar to inaugurate the Berea Gardens Center was a wonderful success. Many were blessed by the thoughtful and inspired presentations by Bob Jorgensen, Elvin Easton, Joong Ho Shin, Tony Ricono and Bob Gregory. Over 70 people stayed with us on the grounds and in the Center for the four day event and over 100 attended the meetings on Sabbath.

The practical principles from Adventist history presented by Jorgensen and the lessons of those currently working in ministry provided inspiration and understanding of what true education really is and the promises of what it can accomplish. Our thanks go out to all of you that helped us prepare for and conduct these meetings. All of the segments were recorded in both audio and video format and will be available soon through the Berea Gardens website.

2009-05-16T18:16:00.001-04:00

2009 TRUE EDUCATION CONFERENCE DAILY SCHEDULE

Thursday

June 11, 2009

Friday

June 12, 2009

Sabbath

June 13, 2009

Sunday

July 14, 2009

9:00-10:30 A.M.

Work Bee

Charles Gallimore

“The Old Is New”

Elvin Easton

“Almost Education”

Bob Jorgensen

“Lessons From the Model Schools”

11:00 A.M.-12:30 P.M.

Work Bee

Elvin Easton

“Starting Small Mission Schools”

Bob Jorgensen

“The Dignity of Knowing How to Work”

Bob Gregory

“Testimony of God’s Working”

1:00-2:00 P.M. LUNCH

3:00-4:30 P.M.

Work Bee

J. H. Shin

“Experiences With Students”

DISCUSSION PANEL

Moderator

Tony Ricono

7:00-8:30 P.M.

Bob Jorgensen

“What, Really, Is True Education?”

Tony Ricono

“The A, B, C of Education?”

J. H. Shin

“Devotional Life and Useful Labor”

Have a safe journey home!

Special Announcement!

2009-05-03T15:36:00.008-04:00

2009 True Education Conference June 11-14

WHAT: Special meetings to discuss issues of true education, educational developments of Adventist history, and the current needs of God’s people; how we got where we are; what we can do; first hand experiences in educational endeavors seeking principles of true education.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT FACILITIES AND LOCATION, CONTACT: 304-655-7389 or 540-661-0120.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT MEETINGS AND TOPICS, CONTACT: 828-649-3976.

Also see www.mmpress.info

WHERE: At the BEREA GARDENS CENTER near Minnora, West Virginia

SPEAKERS: Elvin Easton, Bob Gregory, Tony Ricono, Bob Jorgensen, Joong Ho Shin, Charles Gallimore

WHEN: Starting Thursday, June 11, at 7:00 PM and ending Sunday, June 14, 2009.

DIRECTIONS TO MEETING LOCATION:

The location for the meetings is 97 Milo Rd, Minnora, WV 25268. This address is new and most mapping software will not recognize it. On Google Maps, Yahoo Maps and Mapquest, if you search for “Minnora, WV” the location is a half mile north on Route 16 at the corner of Route 16 and Milo Rd (also known as Fink Run Rd.) It is approximately 45 miles northeast of Charleston, WV

COMING FROM THE SOUTH ON I-79: Coming from the south from Charleston take I-79 north to exit 40 (Big Otter exit) and head north 8 miles on Route 16 to Minnora.

COMING FROM THE NORTHEAST ON I-79: From the East take route I-79 south to exit 40 (Big Otter exit) and head north 8 miles on Route 16 to Minnora.

Meetings start 6:30PM on Thursday evening, June 11, and go through noon, Sunday, June 14.

There will also be opportunity for Questions and Answers with the speakers on Panel Discussion

NO MEALS PROVIDED; ALL EDUCATION CONFERENCE GUESTS NEED TO MAKE THEIR OWN MEAL PROVISIONS.

“Now, as never before, we need to understand the true science of education. If we fail to understand this, we shall never have a place in the kingdom of God.” — Christian Educator, Aug, 1897

Madison Educational & Research Institute

474 Blue Hill Road

Marshall, NC 28753 USA

Website: www.mmpress.info Email: mmpress@mmpress.info

Phone: 828.649.3976 Fax: 828.649.0070

LODGING AND OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION

GROCERY STORE: The nearest grocer is in Spencer, 23 miles away. Bottled water, convenience items and some packaged food items are available at Nelly’s Market in Minnora, about a half mile away.
CAMPING: For campers we have tables available, potable (but chlorinated) water, toilets and showers.
RVs: For RV's we have potable (but chlorinated) water, 110v electric power (supply at least 50 feet of hose and extension lines) and a sanitary waste dump.
Rooms: For those wishing to stay inside the school we will have separate rooms for males, females and mixed families with simple curtain dividers. Guests should supply their own bedding materials and cots or padding. The floors are concrete.
Their will be no charges for usage of the facilities during these meetings.
MEALS: Guests should plan to bring their own meals and food heating equipment. Dish washing facilities will be available.

Other Accommodations in vicinity:

23 miles distant to the northwest near Spencer on State Route 33. Rates vary from $48 (one person) to $69 (four persons): Grandview Motel, 1158 Ripley Rd, Spencer, WV 25276 - (304) 927-1840

42 miles distant to the southwest towards Charleston: Country Inn & Suites, 101 Crossings Mall, Elkview, WV 25071 - (304) 965-9200

36 miles distant to the southeast along I-79 at Gassaway: Microtel Inn and Suites, 115 Reston Place, Gassaway, WV‎ - (304) 364-6100

33 miles distant to the northeast: Best Western Glenville Inn, WV-5, Glenville, WV‎ - (304) 462-5511

ONE DAY WORK BEE: Anyone who can come and help with preparation and cleanup work is invited to come for a work bee on Thursday. Please come on Wednesday so as to be able to start early on Thursday.

"If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth."

2009-04-17T07:38:00.004-04:00

We have been very busy these past thirty days, having made three trips to Minnora to begin the preparations for bringing our buildings into usefulness. We now have power, telephone and water systems up and running with our next major task being a check of the natural gas system. When we complete a pressure test of the lines we will be able to begin gas service for our heat and hot water.

There is a tremendous amount of "stuff" still in the buildings that has been inventoried and segregated for donation to other ministries, donation to the community, and a few items suitable for selling to help us with some expenses. I will soon be posting some photos of items that we will be offering.

The process of cleaning the buildings is underway, and you can imagine that after years of vacancy the job is a big one. A priority is the kitchen area, gymnasium and a few of the second floor rooms that will be needed for our first series of meetings.

We are in the planning stages of organizing a "True Education Seminar" to be led by Bob Jorgensen with presentations by Bob, Elvin Easton (The Living Choice), Tony Ricono (Steps to Victory), myself, and perhaps a few others. Dates for these meetings are June 11 to 14. I will be posting more in the next few days as we develop the "official" announcement.

Obviously, we will have much to do to get things prepared for this event and we continue to solicit your prayers for this work.

Spring planting and summer crop plans for production and marketing are completed at Hartland and it is our desire to relocate permanently to the new school at the end of May. That will still allow us to begin an agricultural project here this season, albeit a bit later than I would like. By early fall we should be ready to begin an agriculture series.

We are also developing a list of needs that we need assistance with, both in the way of materials and manpower. Once we refine and organize it I will be posting it here. An immediate need is for paint. Lots of paint! The gymnasium needs freshening both inside and out.

God continues to bless us and we have recently received unsolicited donations of some much needed equipment. A riding lawn mower, a very nice pickup truck and two trailers have been given to us to aid in our work. One of the trailers was necessary for me to move my tractor, and the other is enclosed and will be very useful to us for transporting produce when our farm production begins. It has been wonderful to see how God's people have been inspired to help meet the needs of this ministry. We praise Him, and we thank you.

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

2009-03-22T09:27:00.002-04:00

Last Tuesday, March 17, we met with Richard Kirby, the Calhoun County Clerk and took the title and keys to the school! We spent the next three days organizing much of the "stuff" that was left in the buildings and beginning to do some clean up. We have the electricity checked out and turned on, the water well and system inspected and evaluated for two minor repairs in the restrooms (we can do this ourselves), and have photos and an inventory list of things to sell or distribute to the community or other ministries. We have a very busy Spring ahead of us and we are very encouraged and excited about all of the potential we can see in these facilities. Please keep up your prayers for us as we are stretched between activities in Minnora and Hartland over the next few weeks.

"And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:"

2009-03-06T15:36:00.010-05:00

The miracle has been wrought. When I sent out our first appeal letter a mere 23 days ago to raise funding for the purchase of this school I knew full well that if it was God's will, the funds would come in. Watching it happen has been a wonderful blessing for all of us and I want to thank all of you that have supported this effort, both with your funds and prayers. Our check for payment to Calhoun County has been sent and we will be travelling to Minnora on March 17 to finalize the sale and pick up the deed to the property.

As we proceed from here I have formed an advisory board to help with the initial decision making process of getting this ministry fully functional. There is also much work to be done to clean up the buildings, make some repairs to a few of the floor and ceiling tiles, and to ready the buildings for activities. We will also need to acquire liability insurance before opening it for use. The funds above the purchase price received will be used for these purposes. As we progress on these issues we will strive to keep all of you informed through this blog, and I also encourage those of you that have not yet done so to subscribe to our newsletter here: www.bereagardens.org
Only those of you that currently receive or have subscribed through the website will receive this newsletter, even though I may have your email address for use in other correspondence. This blog page is available to all, but the newsletters will contain more specific information about some of our activities.

Praise God for this wonderful accomplishment, and blessings to you all for a joyous Sabbath.

The New School of Agriculture from Berea Gardens Agriculture Ministries

2009-02-15T09:23:00.015-05:00

Berea Gardens has a home! For the past three years we have been searching for that 'particular' property defined by counsel that will allow us to continue with our agriculture education ministry and provide a venue to teach families the basics of country living and self-sufficient gardening. We searched throughout the United States for a place that provides ample water, a suitable climate, isolation from the pollen drift of genetically modified crops, privacy and natural beauty. After examining dozens of properties and hundreds of listings we found it in Minnora, West Virginia last October. We have purchased a 138 acre farm on the West Fork of the Little Kanawha River that has 20 acres of beautiful, fertile soil surrounded by a large area of hardwood forest. There are Chestnut, Walnut, Apple and other fruit trees scattered through the woods and an area suitable for a large orchard. We feel very blessed to have been led to such a wonderful place.

But that is only the beginning of a story that can only be described as miraculous. Adjacent to our property is an elementary school that was abandoned in 1995 when the school district consolidated and moved to facilities about 5 miles away. These two buildings were used as a Community Center until last fall when the county decided to liquidate the property. Two weeks ago, as soon as notice of an auction was published, we made a speedy trip to Minnora where we were able to assess the buildings. Last week, by faith, we placed our bid. On Monday we received the call informing us that our bid of $51,110 was accepted! By God's grace we are one step closer to our vision. We were compelled to buy these buildings so that they can be put to use in God's work. The result of this step of faith is that we now have available over 24,000 square feet of solid floor space at a cost of $2.08 per square foot immediately adjacent to our farm.

Our vision includes plans to develop a venue targeting the need for families to learn the basics of country living and self-sufficient gardening. Initially we will develop a working market farm, complete with greenhouse space, a plant nursery, vegetable and field crops . Once established, we will invite families seeking training in agriculture. Concurrently, we have imminent plans and a dedicated individual to open a local food co-op and health food store which will market locally and online. Included in the plan is the development of a seed bank and business, marketing both locally and online. In light of the current recession and political climate of our nation, we feel humbled and blessed to have been entrusted with such a wonderful place to meet these goals.

The school buildings will provide ample space for hosting families and managing our commercial needs, but there is also a great deal of space that can be used for other aspects of God's work. One of the buildings contains a full commercial kitchen with all equipment included. It is easy to visualize this setting as a center for camp meetings, health work, seminars, training programs and much more.

We request that you keep us in prayer as we steward this amazing opportunity. We utilized all of our financial resources to acquire the farm, at the time unaware of the soon availability of this resource. Realizing our full dependence on God, we placed the bid on faith. As impressed, we solicit your support in meeting this bid. We have less than 30 days to raise the funds necessary to conclude the purchase.

If you are moved to assist with the purchase price, we thank you in advance for your prayers, phone call or email. We look forward to hearing from you, enabling us to explain in greater detail the potential of this resource and how you can help. Direct contact will allow us to share ideas, photos and specifics.

My work at Hartland will continue until we are certain that the farm program will continue unimpeded and I am committed to doing all that I can to assist in the long term success of the training done here, but we are very anxious to develop this new venture and look forward to God's leading as we proceed on this path He has set us on.

Bob and Lynnita Gregory, 26 Hartland Oak Dr, Rapidan, VA 22733

Email to info@bereagardens.org

You may also donate securely by credit card using the button below the slideshow on this page.

In the coming weeks we will be posting information about our progress and the program we will be offering later this year. Please bookmark this page and check back frequently.