A shekara ta 2011, abokai Tim Ryan da John Bonner sun gina gine-gine mai fadin murabba'in mita 300 a Burton, Ohio, tare da burin zama gida, mai tsabta, mai ba da kayan abinci na rayuwa da ganyaye. Sakamakon ya kasance Manyan Tafkunan Growers, kuma sha'awar samfuran su ta zo da sauri da fushi.
"Muna so mu rage yawan zirga-zirgar abinci (tun da yawancin kayan da ake samarwa yanzu suna fitowa daga Yammacin Kogin Yamma), samar da samfurori masu tsabta fiye da abin da aka yi tare da samfurori masu girma da kuma sarrafa yanayi a cikin greenhouse don ba da damar mafi yawan yawan amfanin ƙasa," Ryan. yace. Falsafar mu mai sauƙi ce: don samar da mafi inganci, sabo, mafi tsaftar samfur a duk shekara a yankin Babban Tafkuna. Kayayyakinmu suna rayuwa, suna ba su rayuwar rayuwa mara misaltuwa ga masu siye da masu dafa abinci.
Da sauri sosai, buƙatu ya wuce wadata da masu girbin hydroponic sun yanke shawarar faɗaɗa - farko zuwa murabba'in murabba'in murabba'in 3,000, sannan ƙafafu murabba'in 10,000 kuma yanzu kayan aikin murabba'in murabba'in 60,000 cikakke tare da cikakken tsarin NFT (Tsarin Fina-Finai na Nutrient).
"Mun yanke shawarar fadada kawai saboda bukatar abokin ciniki… an sayar da mu gaba daya daga cikin kayan aikinmu na yanzu, kuma yayin da muka kara yawan sawun mu da kashi 50 cikin dari, mun ninka karfin aikinmu saboda yanzu muna noman ganye a fadada mu, wanda ke girma. da sauri fiye da latas da ɗaukar sarari kaɗan, "in ji Ryan. "Yanzu muna iya shuka latas da ganyaye tare da nasu bukatun dangane da zafin jiki, abubuwan gina jiki, da sauransu."
A yau, Manyan Tafkunan Growers na iya girma shugabannin latas miliyan 1.4 kowace shekara, tare da isasshen sarari don faɗaɗa ayyuka zuwa ƙafar murabba'in 450,000 da shugabannin latas miliyan 18.
Yankin ci gabanta mafi girma ya kasance a cikin kunshin latas mai rai, wanda ke ba da rayuwar shiryayye na mako biyu zuwa uku kuma yana ba abokan ciniki a cikin jihohi da yawa damar siyan samfuran.
Duk buƙatun mabukaci da haɓakar sha'awa daga masana'antun dillalai da na abinci sun kori ma'auratan don yin wannan gagarumin jarin.
"Muna kusan sayar da kashi 30 na samfur zuwa gidajen cin abinci da kashi 70 cikin XNUMX a cikin dillalai / jumloli," in ji Ryan. "Muna cikin jihohi da yawa a ko'ina cikin Midwest kuma muna amfani da mai ba da sabis na abinci don isar da abinci. Muna ba da kai tsaye ga masu siyar da kayayyaki na gida kuma muna da isar da manyan motoci da aka shirya don abokan ciniki.
Samun kwarewa
Haɗin kai na Bonner da Ryan ya dace da yanayin greenhouse.
An girma Bonner a gonar iyali mai girman kadada 30 a yankin, wanda ke da masara, waken soya da kuma wuraren zama. Kakarsa ita ce ta kafa Burton Floral and Garden, mafi girma mai rarraba kayan lambu a cikin Midwest. Bonner ya sami digiri a fannin harkokin kasuwanci kuma ya gudanar da gidan girbin iyalinsa na tsawon shekaru shida, kafin ya fara Great Lakes tare da abokinsa.
Har ila yau, ya tashi a wannan yanki, Ryan ya sami digiri na farko a fannin kimiyyar siyasa da digiri na biyu a harkokin kasuwanci, sannan ya ci gaba da aiki fiye da shekaru goma sha biyu a kamfanin Swagelok Co. na Solon, Ohio, yana haɓaka basirar kasuwancinsa.
Ɗaya daga cikin manyan hannun jarin Babban Tafkuna shine a cikin tsarin sa na NFT, wanda ke sake zagayawa rafi na maganin gina jiki a cikin tushen shuka, rage ruwa da sharar abinci mai gina jiki yayin ba da damar yawan amfanin ƙasa daga ƙaramin sawun. Wannan wani abu ne wanda ya taimaka ci gaba da samun riba mai yawa daga farkon.
Har yanzu, akwai tsarin koyo ga Ryan da Bonner yayin da suke gano wasu fuskokin kasuwancin.
"Mafi mahimmancin darasi da muka koya daga noman letas da ganyaye a arewa maso gabashin Ohio shine cewa ko da yake muna da kayan aiki na zamani, abubuwan muhalli har yanzu suna taka muhimmiyar rawa," in ji Ryan. “Yawan hasken rana da muke samu yana da tasiri mai girma akan girma da inganci. Duk da cewa za mu iya noman kayan amfanin gona masu inganci a duk shekara, watannin bazara suna ba mu kyakkyawan launi da samarwa, kuma gano yadda za a kwaikwayi wannan a cikin lokacin sanyi ko gajeriyar kwanakin hunturu zai taimaka mana sosai don samun nasara.”
Alal misali, da sauri sun koyi cewa wasu nau'ikan latas suna samar da mafi girma, inganci mai kyau lokacin da aka fallasa su zuwa hasken haske daban-daban, yayin da wasu ganye ke girma da ƙarfi da sauri tare da ƙananan matakan zafi.
Dangane da haka, Ryan ya ba da ƙarin haske a matsayin mai yiwuwa babban yanki na dama ga Manyan Tekuna a yanzu, kuma suna gwada LED da sauran dabarun hasken wuta don taimakawa tantance yadda za a rage tasirin gajerun kwanaki a cikin watannin hunturu.
"Akwai ma'auni akai-akai da muke buƙatar kiyayewa, kuma sabbin kayan aikinmu za su ba mu damar samar da irin wannan kulawar ɗaiɗaikun ga tsire-tsirenmu, wanda a ƙarshe zai samar da ingantacciyar samfur ga abokan cinikinmu," in ji shi. Gidan greenhouse ba ya amfani da maganin ciyawa, wanda ya fi kyau ga jiki da muhalli, in ji Ryan.
"Saboda tsire-tsire namu suna samun mafi kyawun adadin ruwa da abinci mai gina jiki, suna girma tare da daidaito da inganci yayin da suke adana albarkatun - a cikin ɗan gajeren lokaci," in ji shi. "Kuma tun da muna girma a cikin yanayin da ake sarrafa shi, komai yana cikin yanayi duk tsawon shekara. Bugu da ƙari, tun da kayanmu ya fito daga dama a nan Ohio maimakon a jigilar su daga Kudu maso yammacin Amurka ko Mexico, yana da rashin yarda da sabo da dadi idan ya isa cokali mai yatsa."
Zuwa gaba
Ryan ya ji daɗin cewa kamfaninsa na iya tallafawa al'ummar yankin ta hanyar samar da ayyukan yi, kuma yana tsammanin hakan zai ci gaba yayin da shekaru ke wucewa. Great Lakes Growers yana da kusan abokan hulɗa na cikakken lokaci 15 a cikin greenhouse da direbobi biyu ko uku, dangane da buƙata. Ya kara sabbin ma'aikata da yawa tun lokacin haɓakawa, kuma zai sami buƙatu da yawa dangane da yadda ƙoƙarin sarrafa kansa ke ci gaba.
Neman gaba, Ryan yana tsammanin Manyan Tekuna Growers su ƙara faɗaɗa sararin samaniya da abubuwan bayarwa.
"Muna shirin ci gaba da bunkasar mu cikin shekaru uku zuwa biyar masu zuwa, muna samar da dabarun da za su ba mu damar rage tasirin sauyin yanayi," in ji shi. "Muna fatan zama mai ba da mafi kyawun, mafi kyawun letas da ganyaye masu gina jiki da ake samu a cikin Midwest."
- Keith Loria, wakilin VGN