January 2020 - 8

SAKATA
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
footsteps of his father. Bob Sakata is
now in his 90s, but remains active and
was able to attend the celebration with
his son. In a news media interview,
Robert and a reporter from the Business
Journal took turns asking Bob questions.
Bob Sakata has quite a story to tell
- he and his family were living in San
Francisco during World War II and lost
everything when they were relocated to
an internment camp in Topay, Utah. He
came to Colorado when Gov. Ralph Carr
allowed Japanese Americans to relocate
there. According to the Colorado
Business Hall of Fame, Bob worked
for a Brighton dairyman named
Bill Schluter, who in 1944 loaned
Bob and Joanna Sakata $6,000 to
purchase 40 acres of farmland.
That was the humble start to
farm that today encompasses 2,500
acres of vegetables and grain. Bob
Sakata has served on numerous
committees, including the National
Onion Growers Association board
of directors. He was also appointed
to the USDA commodity credit
advisory board by President Richard
Nixon and reappointed by President
Gerald Ford, according to the
Colorado Business Hall of Fame.
Robert Sakata has followed in his
father's footsteps, but the route has
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue displays a t-shirt during a visit to Sakata
Farms. At left is Robert Sakata. His father, Bob, is seated at the right. Photo: USDA
not been as direct. He didn't always
want to farm.
" I saw how hard my parents
worked, " he said.
Robert earned a degree in
biochemistry, and was a researcher
bent on curing cancer before becoming
disillusioned with the competitive
nature of modern laboratories.
" I was kind of down on life, "
he said. He taught skiing to 3- to
6-year-old children, and later moved
to California to tend bar and work in
restaurants before returning to the
family farm.
" I think I came to the sudden
realization that, 'What a great
opportunity I have!' " Robert said.
" That, maybe, the full circle of
trying to cure cancer was back on
the farm growing the fresh fruits
and vegetables that we know are so
important for a healthy life.
" Luckily, my parents and our staff
welcomed me back and I've been
there and happy ever since. "
Like his father, Robert Sakata has
worked hard on his own farm and
abroad to address challenges facing
the collective agriculture industry.
During a 2018 visit to Sakata
Farms U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
Sonny Perdue noticed a T-shirt that
defined farming as " the art of losing
money while working 400 hours a
month to feed people who think you
A young Bob Sakata in a vegetable field.
Photo: Sakata Farms
are trying to kill them. " He posed for
a photo with Robert and the T-shirt.
Good labor
In 2019, Robert and his crew had to
rush to harvest onions before a freeze.
" All of our staff worked some
hard, long hours, " Sakata said.
" Luckily, we knew about seven days
in advance the cold front was coming
through. We kind of set out a goal
for ourselves of how many acres we
had to do per day. I'm just so proud
of my staff, that 9 p.m. the night
that it really got cold, we finished. "
The harvest was doubly important
because a " disastrous " 2018 onion
crop had been marred by hailstorms.
GET MORE
FROM VEGETABLE
GROWERS NEWS
SIGN UP TO RECEIVE THE LATEST INDUSTRY
NEWS AND PRODUCTS RIGHT IN YOUR INBOX!
eVGN:
This monthly e-newsletter features exclusive content not available
anywhere else including new product information, videos, industry
interviews and news.
VGN Week in Review:
This popular e-blast is sent each Saturday with must-read news items
you might have missed.
VGN Special Offers:
Sponsored content focused on the latest products, services and
solutions for successful growing operations.
SIGN UP NOW
vegetablegrowersnews.com/signup
6 | VegetableGrowersNews.com

http://www.vegetablegrowersnews.com/signup http://www.VegetableGrowersNews.com

January 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2020