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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 21 M A R C H 6 , 2 0 1 7 F O C U S W E S T E R N M A I N E with water and nutrients. e plants are grown at a starter facility elsewhere until they are abut two feet high, then brought into the greenhouse, explains head grower Tony Stevens. ey take one week to fl ower and are ready to pick in eight to 10 weeks. e trays extend from the center aisle to the end of the greenhouse on each side. A rail down the middle of each row helps the workers use carts to prune, trim and pick ripe tomatoes. e rails also serve as a heat source. Each worker tends fi ve rows of toma- toes on each side, which easily is day- long, hard work, as the tomatoes also extend from the trays up more than eight feet toward the growlights. e starter plants are brushed with a substance to attract the bumblebees that live in boxes between the rows of plants. e bees pollinate the plants so the tomato-growing cycle can begin. e tomato vines are trained to grow horizontally, looking more like thick grape vines extending 25 feet long than like typical vertical garden tomato vines. e vines are shaped into parallel rows growing toward a high ceiling and clipped to wires, so the tomatoes can get enough light. e plants grow about one foot weekly, so the growers must make sure to clip leafs below the lowest level of tomatoes so they don't suck nutrients from the plant. " ey need a certain amount of light per day," says Jablon. December requires more growlight help than the longer natural light during the sum- mer. It's an energy-intensive process. "Our light bill in the winter is $3,000 an hour," he adds. e company is experimenting with LED lighting across the tops and mid- sections of the plants to save energy. So far, they've seen more growth as a result as well, as the lower parts of the plants are getting more light. Growing hydroponic tomatoes is an expensive venture. Adhering to Good Seed Practice Protocols is very expensive, Jablon says, and starting a hydroponic operation, including plants, greenhouses and equipment, costs about $1.5 million per acre, he estimates. Energy is the largest expense, followed by labor. Liza Graham, director of crop care, who has been with the company almost 10 years, says everything is done by hand, except for the price-code stamps put onto the tomatoes when they are packaged. "I like that I'm working with them from start to fi nish," she says of the tomatoes. e only automated part of the fac- tory is a Canadian-made machine that snaps an image of each box of tomatoes going through it on a conveyor belt to indicate their location. In the next step, a series of arms that place stickers on each fruit recalibrates to the proper position for the box of tomatoes about to pass below it. e tomatoes are then eyed by an inspection person and the box moves along to be shipped. e tomatoes are picked, packaged and shipped in the same day, head grower Stevens notes, to maintain their freshness. " ey're picked red so the sugars last," he says. Perks of the job Each day Graham, Sinclair and other crop care workers slide down the rails in their plant area, which is marked with their name. On this particular visit, crop care worker Mike Towle was clipping some of the larger leafs from the tops of the plants to assure light can get through to the bottom. Looking down the long row he had yet to trim, it looked like a busy day. Crop care workers are on shift from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Each can take home fi ve pounds of tomatoes every other week, says Jablon. e company also off ers classes for its employees two nights a week in what it calls the Backyard Farms University in conjunction with the Kennebec Valley Community College. Courses include fi nancial management and other aspects of the company's business. "It helps us with retention and gives the employees skills," Jablon says. " is is hard, repetitive work." It also sets a path for the future. Jablon, who says the company has under $100 million in revenue, is trying new varieties of tomatoes, including heir- looms, which carry higher margins. L V, Mainebiz senior writer / c o n t e n t s p e c i a l i s t , c a n b e r e a c h e d a t @ . and @LV 866.736.2804 mainebls.com EQUIPMENT REAL ESTATE BUSINESS ACQUISITION Maine Loans for Maine Businesses Loans from $50,000 to $20,000,000 Streamlined Process Gets Deals Done Quickly Decisions Made in Maine CVS — South Burlington, Vermont Creative When your project requires creative solutions to meet strict zoning regulations, call Laura Blanchette at 207.282.7697 At any one point we have about 11 million tomatoes At any one point we have about 11 million tomatoes At any one point we have about 11 million tomatoes At any one point we have about 11 million tomatoes At any one point we have about 11 million tomatoes At any one point we have about 11 million tomatoes At any one point we have about 11 million tomatoes At any one point we have about 11 million tomatoes At any one point we have about 11 million tomatoes At any one point we have about 11 million tomatoes At any one point we have about 11 million tomatoes At any one point we have about 11 million tomatoes At any one point we have about 11 million tomatoes At any one point we have about 11 million tomatoes in various stages of development. in various stages of development. in various stages of development. in various stages of development. in various stages of development. in various stages of development. in various stages of development. in various stages of development. in various stages of development. in various stages of development. in various stages of development. in various stages of development. in various stages of development. — Stuart Jablon President and COO of Backyard Farms

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