Jeff Zellers – Rare Soil Produces Rare Ohio Crops

Jeff Zellers K.W. Zellers and Sons, Inc. 13494 Duquette Avenue Hartville, OH 44632 330-877-9371 jwzellers@aol.com

On a humid day, it only takes a short walk through the fields of K.W. Zellers and Sons, Inc. near the quaint, northeastern Ohio town of Hartville to feel as if you need a cool shower. Jeff Zellers doesn’t mind, though. The rare, black, muck soils are perfect for growing the lettuce, radishes, green onions, parsley, greens, cilantro, dill, and other salad vegetables and bedding plants that Zellers harvests and ships daily during the growing season. Jeff has been working in these fields since he was a young boy, learning every aspect of the family business. The third-generation Zellers enjoys a day in the field now, because it gets him out of his office stationed in the packinghouse, where he manages the marketing and shipping every day. 

Background. K.W. Zellers and Son, Inc. was started by Kenneth and Helen Zellers in the 1920s and is currently run by second and third generation Zellerses, including Jeff. Family members run all facets of the farming operation, including growing, harvesting, and shipping. Zellers employs approximately 150 seasonal workers, comprising six labor crews. They grow “Arrow Brand” fresh salad vegetables, which are shipped and marketed east of the Mississippi River. 

Advancements in Food Safety. Jeff will tell you that Zellers works hard to supply customers with the safest produce possible. In the packing house, where they are sent shortly after harvest, all the vegetables are run through a copper ionization system that neutralizes any harmful bacteria that may have been in the soil. Every day, the cooling and packing equipment is pressure washed, and water is tested semi-annually. Trucks are cleaned before each shipment, and employees in proper food handling procedures. 

Advancements in Environmental Control. “Mother Nature is ultimately going to control the quality of our crop,” Jeff said. But that doesn’t keep him from minimizing his risk of losing a crop to the weather. The farm has drainage tile every 40 feet. Being in the basin of the Ohio/Erie Canals, the land can flood, as it did this spring. But that’s also why the muck soils are so rich in organic matter and perfect for growing produce. When the well-drained soil is dry, Zellers relies on pumps placed all over the farm for irrigation. 

Zellers is also careful to maintain the “cold chain.” In other words, the produce remains cold from the time it’s harvested until the time it’s shipped – during the washing process, in the packinghouse, and on the trucks. Even a few minutes warming on the loading dock can rob a vegetable of its crispness. Jeff invites farm visitors to climb the metal staircase into the icehouse with the caveat that it’s not “visitor-friendly.” The 80-ton-capacity ice room produces up to 25 tons of shaved ice per day and feels like a Siberian winter – not even pleasant on a 93 degree June day. The ice is used throughout the packinghouse and on trucks. 

Caring for Farm Workers. A shuttle van that transports labor crews to and from the fields is decked out in streamers and balloons to celebrate the birthday of a middle-aged Mexican woman who is busy today harvesting romaine. Her straw hat hides her embarrassment about all the fuss over her birthday as her crew leader teases her in Spanish. Zellers has a long history of hiring migrant workers to harvest its 1,100 acres of produce. About 70 percent of the workers return each year, a source of pride for Jeff Zellers.  

Quotable Quote. “It’s easier to make money on a bad crop because the market needs it.” Jeff Zellers, K.W. Zellers and Son, Inc. on the few benefits of destructive weather.