We see so much focus on corn and soybean row crop farming at the Farm Progress Show that it was refreshing to learn about growing blackberries! We also got to eat some of my favorite berry. Of course I remember coming home from picking in our patch where I grew up covered with scratches and picking out thorns. Things are different today if you want to get into commercial growing of this healthy crop. The experts are at Trellis Growing Systems who are partnering with Bedford Reinforced Plastics. They are sponsoring our coverage of the show here and I stopped in at their media reception to learn more. I spoke with Richard Barnes, Trellis Growing Systems founder and Shannon Foor, Bedford Reinforced Plastics. They told me how the partnership was formed, progress they’ve made and where their efforts are focused for the future.

Basically, Trellis approached Bedford for a product material to make their unique growing system that was designed for midwest growers. Bedford’s reinforced plastics product is custom made and designed to resist corrosion and aging, making it ideal for blackberry growing. Trellis has sold systems throughout the country including some of the largest growers in the industry. In the midwest they’ve sold systems into Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky and other states.

Besides selling their systems Trellis provides a full meal deal that includes consulting and advice, setup, product selection and even marketing. They’ve also partnered with Bedford on several farms of their own! What better way to talk farming to a farmer than being one yourself?

You can listen to my interview with Richard and Shannon here. Interview with Bedford/Trellis

2011 Farm Progress Show Photo Album