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- K.W. Zellers & Son Thrives
With Lettuces On Muck Soil
By Karen Gentry
Managing Editor
There used to be more than 30 family farms on the muck land around Hartville, Ohio. Today there are only two commercial operations left.
K.W. Zellers & Son, Inc. in Hartville, is one operation that has thrived and prospered with its vegetable and herb mix. The Zellers’ operation was one of the stops on a recent media tour in Northeast Ohio, a tour designed to showcase Ohio agriculture to daily newspapers, television, radio and trade publications.
Jeff Zellers, vice president of K.W. Zellers & Sons representing the third generation, said that when his grandparents bought some land back in the 1920s and 1930s, there was a lot of celery grown as well as dry onions, radishes, lettuces, potatoes and carrots. “The business evolved and continues to evolve as the market demands,” Zellers said.
Today, K.W. Zellers & Son is a seasonal grower, packer and shipper of its own private label: the Arrow Brand fresh salad vegetables. The crops grown on their 1,100 acres of production include: leafy lettuces, radishes, green onions, parsley, greens, cilantro, dill and other assorted salad vegetables. Arrow Brand produce is shipped beginning about June 1 through Oct. 15 primarily to retail, foodservice and wholesale accounts in the East and Southeast.
Zellers told media representatives that their operation is “integrated from start to finish.”
“We do everything ourselves. We do some of our own shipping and trucking,” Zellers said. In peak season, they ship 45 to 55 trailer loads per week. Zellers’ father Kenneth handles all of the logistics of keeping the harvesting right and making sure the operation has the correct types and quantities at the right time.
On June 26, many of Zellers’ seasonal workers were busy cutting red leaf and green leaf lettuces as well as onions. Workers also would plant five acres of radishes the next day. Zellers said that they average two crops per acre.
“Most of our crops are hand-harvested—picked in the field,” said Zellers. They rely on a crew of 190 workers, who comprise six labor camps. “We generally try to keep people on the same crews for harvesting,” said Zellers. This helps provide a consistent package of produce whether it is green leaf lettuce or curly parsley.
All produce is cooled within one hour of harvest at the cooling facility located on the farm. Zellers showed media representatives the operation’s ice plant, adjacent to the farm, which allows for slush ice to be added to such products as parsley, bunch radishes and green onions.
Zellers noted the rising popularity of cilantro, an herb that is used for cooking and seasoning. He said his operation now has 80 acres for cilantro that is shipped and packed in different ways depending on customers’ preferences. Sometimes the roots are left on for specific customers.
“Romaine (lettuces) have become more and more popular,” Zellers said. He attributes this to more and more restaurants offering Caesar salads. They grow seven different lettuces, although radishes remain the crop with the largest acreage.
Weather has proved to be a challenge this year for K.W. Zellers & Sons. Zellers said the early cool weather followed by too wet and too cloudy weather has affected the quantity and quality of their vegetables. Because they compete with produce grown in California, Canada and New York, less produce from their area in Ohio doesn’t always mean higher prices. However, in late June he told media representatives that “lettuce prices have been through the roof lately.”
He told the tour participants that the area’s highly organic muck soil is a finite resource. Zellers said that despite last year’s drought during the summer, the area’s muck soil can wick water back up to the crops.
“We can grow high grade, high yielding lettuce,” said Zellers.
Food safety is stressed at the Zellers operation. Food safety practices include: pressure washing of cooling and packing equipment daily; testing water semi-annually; utilizing a copper ionization system; thorough cleaning of all trucks before each shipment; and employee training to ensure proper food safety handling procedures are followed.
Zellers can be reached via e-mail at kwzell@sssnet.com.
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