BROOKINGS — SDSU Extension has supported the growing local foods movement for more than 20 years. This year, those efforts have included a pilot produce prescription program and expanded high tunnel research.

Dakota Food Rx launched in January and is funded through a South Dakota Community Foundation grant. In its pilot phase, the program serves Spearfish and Sturgis with capacity for up to 50 patients.

Geb Bastian, assistant professor and SDSU Extension nutrition and health specialist, said the program connects patients who are food insecure and have diet-related chronic disease with locally grown fruits and vegetables.

Health care providers screen patients and issue a “prescription” to receive free produce from a participating community supported agriculture producer. Budding Moon Farm and Cycle Farm by Spearfish and Bear Butte Gardens by Sturgis are the participating CSAs, who Bastian said have been integral partners.

Bastian and others are also working to develop a set of Dakota Food Rx recipes to feature the produce people receive from the CSAs. Some of his favorite recipes so far have been an eggplant lasagna, and a new spin on stuffed peppers.

“Maybe you’ve never used kohlrabi, but you’ve had coleslaw so we can show you how to make coleslaw with a kohlrabi,” Bastian said.

Giving people better access to fresh produce can help them manage, or possibly even prevent, chronic diseases related to diet. In addition, Bastian hopes participants feel a stronger sense of community through involvement in Dakota Food Rx.

“We think about health as holistic; it’s not just about nutrition,” Bastian said. “The programs we create in SDSU Extension try to touch on as many aspects of health as possible.”

Based on the positive response so far, Bastian hopes to implement the program statewide in the future.

For producers, high tunnels continue to garner interest. There is not a centralized database tracking high tunnel construction, but there are about 100 high tunnels in South Dakota that were constructed with financial assistance through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service. Kristine Lang, assistant professor and SDSU Extension consumer horticulture specialist, estimates there are 100 to 200 more that have been constructed by individuals or groups without NRCS funding.

“We know people are still building high tunnels,” she said.

A high tunnel is a protective structure that is an increasingly popular option for vegetable and flower growers. It is plastic-covered, solar-heated and passively ventilated. Unlike a greenhouse, plants in a high tunnel are still grown directly in the soil and are less expensive to construct.

South Dakota growers contend with extreme temperatures, winds, and short growing seasons. Lang said high tunnels can extend growing seasons by several weeks and improve the quality of produce and reduce plant diseases. Overall, she said that can improve produce yields and strengthen profit for growers.

“High tunnels are an important tool for diversification of farms, which is huge for the local foods story,” Lang said.

Thanks to funding from a USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant administered by South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, there are two new high tunnels at the SDSU Specialty Crop Research Field-South in Brookings for continued research and education.

Lang hosts high tunnel tours and is tracking seasonal changes in air and soil temperatures. Her other upcoming research projects include cut flower rotations and heat tolerance in high tunnel systems.

For more information on Dakota Food Rx, visit the Dakota Food Rx program page or email Bastian at graham.bastian@sdstate.edu. For more information on high tunnels and to schedule a tour, email Lang at Kristine.Lang@sdstate.edu.