I keep checking the tomato plants in our little raised garden. We decided to plant less for just the two of us this year, and then put the plants and seeds into old wooden feed bunks that are easier to reach and care for. The tomatoes are growing, and I am anxious for them to turn red. Especially to make BLT’s. One of our favorite quick meals for the summer!
A few months back, when we were enjoying the sunshine and warmth of Yuma, Arizona, my brother, Jeff, gave me an article from the Yuma Sun paper. It was titled, “ The Amazing life of lettuce…from field to salad”. Or sandwich, when it comes to those delicious BLT’s. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
As I read the article and observed the fields in person many times when we have traveled there, it is obvious that Yuma County and the city itself are very productive. Over 100 crops are successfully grown with a great climate, nurtured soil, abundance of water and irrigation, and a large skilled labor force.
The head lettuce that is crisp and green actually starts with a little seed that is coated with a little fertilizer and fungicide to protect the seedling as it germinates. Planting takes place with tractors positioning the seeds in just the right place into the prepared seed beds. Sprinklers come on and go off at just the right time to help germinate the seed. Depending on the temperature, those tiny little pieces of life can sprout and be up in 48-72 hours! A miracle in itself. Weed control chemicals are used to ward off diseases and insects that could kill the new growth.
The next step in getting this lettuce grown to maturity, and to us for eating, is a back breaking job. Farmworkers walk through the fields using hoes to leave just the strongest looking plants about 12 inches apart. it sounds like a routine job, but it takes skill to choose the best plants for maximum yields at harvest. The crop literally depends on these workers and their dedication to their job.
As these plants continue to grow, again mechanization takes over delivering fertilization and tillage. The needed nutrients are delivered on either side of the seedling rows without disturbing the plants. Those former sprinklers have been removed, and now flood irrigation takes over. It depends on weather, time of year, and the variety of head lettuce grown, but most plants will be ready for harvest in 75-90 days.
The farmers and workers in this southwest area do their very best to provide us, the customers, with a delicious and safe product. Food safety is a huge concern, and many steps are taken to ensure that it will be more than satisfactory for the consumers. All of the machines seen in the field are sanitized at the beginning of each day. Workers are required to wear hair nets, clean clothes, gloves, and only tools provided by the harvest company. Sick workers are not allowed into the fields, and they must leave jewelry, hair pins or other loose items on the buses. Their hands are washed before, during, and after each shift. If a knife is dropped in the field, it is cleansed in a bucket of chlorinated water before reusing it. The correct amount of chlorine is checked several times a day in each bucket. In addition to harvesting the crop, the workers are expected to look for animal tracks, garbage, leaking fluids from machines, insect or bird damage, and fecal material. If any contaminated material is found, harvest can be restricted up to 50 or more feet from the problem.
The heads of lettuce that we eventually buy are taken quickly from the field to the cooler and chilled to 48 degrees and put in a cold room. Within 24 hours it is usually on the way to the buyer. Crops are cut daily to maintain freshness.
It interested me to know that there are ten salad plants based in Yuma which also demand 2 million pounds of lettuce on a DAILY basis! This includes both head lettuce and romaine. The average head of lettuce is about 2 pounds. Would you believe that the harvest crews include 25,000 to 30,000 workers who are daily in the fields? And lettuce isn’t their only job! In addition to harvesting different varieties of lettuce, there is cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, herbs, leafy greens and kale to take care of. Agriculture grows Yuma, pretty much like it does here in southwest Minnesota.
Our oldest daughter, Ranell, lives right next to one of the agriculture fields in Yuma. Only a wall separates her home from the dusty fields. When she gets lonely for the farm, she sometimes sets up the stepladder against the wall and peeks over to see what is happening. Or if she hears a machine she doesn’t recognize, she might set herself up for a time of watching their harvest take place. She says it gives her a little of a “farm” fix. The harvest is different from what we are used to here, but the whole idea of the farm process is basically the same. A fascinating world we live in!!
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