May/June 2023 - 6

FEATURE
EXITING THE
WHOLESALE
MARKET
Ohio grain grower transitions
to vegetables
Tom Brown of Hilltop Harvest Farms in Wapakoneta, Ohio, is finding
success selling directly to consumers. Photo: Hilltop Harvest Farms
BY DOUG OHLEMEIER
ASSISTANT EDITOR
A
grain grower is finding success with marketing
fresh produce directly to consumers after deciding
to stop selling wholesale to retailers.
Tom and Tammy Brown's Hilltop Harvest Farms
in Wapakoneta, Ohio, grows a variety of vegetables.
Tomatoes, cucumbers, hard squash, leafy greens, peppers
and cantaloupes are the western Ohio farm's biggest items.
Of his 250 acres, which include grains, Tom Brown grows
produce on seven to nine acres, which varies seasonally.
" One thing we learned early on when we got into the
produce business and direct marketing was you have to
have the produce magnets, the crops that will bring people
in and what people want to buy, " Brown said.
Strawberries, tomatoes, melons, sweet corn
and pumpkins are big draws for shoppers visiting
farm stands.
The tomatoes Brown grows in high tunnels can be ready
for harvest a month earlier than field-grown and draw
customers in sooner. Growing tomatoes that way, and
6 | MAY/JUNE 2023
planting other vegetables in raised beds, required a change
of mindset which involves different varieties and different
timings of fertility and irrigation.
" Some will freak out about this, but we do not rotate our
high tunnels, " Brown said of his four tunnels.
The reason is financial. Ideally, he could add a fifth
tunnel, and rotate with cucumbers, but Brown said he has
always fared well with his system. He runs drip irrigation
for five days to leach salt out of the beds.
" Old-timers would say we have to take plastic off in the
winter, " Brown said. " Well, no, we don't. "
Removing plastic becomes expensive because it never
returns the same way, he said.
All of Brown's cucumbers are grown on trellises in
raised beds with none laying flat.
" That's the best way to deal with the plant disease, the
downy powdery mildews that affect cucumbers, " he said.
" You can put fungicides on and you will gain some, but you
will lose that plant in Ohio. "
Brown plants cucumbers four times during the season.
Similar to his tunnel tomatoes, yields are up to 2.5 times
higher on the trellises.

May/June 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May/June 2023

Editor's Letter
Feature: Exiting the wholesale market
Weather Update: Extreme weather challenges
Cover Story: The survey shows…
Cover Story: Farm market pricing guide
CA Storage: Taking control
Plant & Soil Health: Steam controls weeds, pathogens
Food Safety: Ionized gas used for food safety
Technology: Precision agriculture
Farm Market & Agritourism: Seven takeaways from benchmark market survey
Ag Labor Review
Classifieds
Ad Index
May/June 2023 - 1
May/June 2023 - 2
May/June 2023 - 3
May/June 2023 - Editor's Letter
May/June 2023 - 5
May/June 2023 - Feature: Exiting the wholesale market
May/June 2023 - 7
May/June 2023 - Weather Update: Extreme weather challenges
May/June 2023 - 9
May/June 2023 - 10
May/June 2023 - 11
May/June 2023 - Cover Story: The survey shows…
May/June 2023 - 13
May/June 2023 - 14
May/June 2023 - 15
May/June 2023 - Cover Story: Farm market pricing guide
May/June 2023 - 17
May/June 2023 - CA Storage: Taking control
May/June 2023 - 19
May/June 2023 - 20
May/June 2023 - 21
May/June 2023 - Plant & Soil Health: Steam controls weeds, pathogens
May/June 2023 - 23
May/June 2023 - Food Safety: Ionized gas used for food safety
May/June 2023 - 25
May/June 2023 - 26
May/June 2023 - 27
May/June 2023 - Technology: Precision agriculture
May/June 2023 - 29
May/June 2023 - Farm Market & Agritourism: Seven takeaways from benchmark market survey
May/June 2023 - 31
May/June 2023 - Ag Labor Review
May/June 2023 - Classifieds
May/June 2023 - Ad Index
May/June 2023 - 35
May/June 2023 - 36
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyers-guide-2025
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-october-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-august-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-june-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/april-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/vgn-digital-seed-guide-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyers-guide-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-october-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-august
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-june-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/april-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/vgn-digital-seed-guide-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyers-guide-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-october-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/august-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/june-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/seedguide-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyersguide-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/october-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/august-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/june-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/april-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/seedguide-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyersguide-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/october-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/august-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/june-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/april-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyersguide-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/december-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/november-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/october-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/september-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/august-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/july-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/june-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/may-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/april-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/march-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/february-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/buyersguide-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/VGN/january-2019
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com