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Dan
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Dan
Coppus |
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Profile
Background. Growing up on a traditional farm with corn, soybeans, wheat and cattle,
Dan Coppus never believed he could return to the farm after college and make a
decent living. The timing of his graduation from college – the early 80s
during the farm crisis – was all it took to make Dan choose a career in
industrial sales. But 15 years later, he has returned to farming full-time with
a venture very unlike that of his parents. Dan is growing high-quality bibb
lettuce without even the help of soil. The “hydro-bibb” lettuce is grown in
vinyl downspouting, or “channels,” that hold nutrient-rich water in a
climate-controlled greenhouse with supplemental light. The lettuce is grown at
about the same rate as when grown in California fields (35-45 days), but much
closer to its final destination and without the vagaries of the outdoor
environment.
Ag
Advancements – Controlling the Environment for a Steady Supply.
To assure the lettuce is available to his clients all year long, Dan harvests
about 1,800 heads of lettuce each week. That means he also seeds each week and
transplants each week to assure a steady supply. The 30-by-144-foot greenhouse
is set up in five sections where the lettuce is seeded in normal flats,
transplanted into “growing cubes” where the plants stay for 14 days, and
transplanted yet again to the growing channel for completion. The key to
Coppus’s operation is the controlled environment. Growing conditions –
including light, temperature, pests, disease, and growing season – are
controlled in the greenhouse, allowing for longer growing days, higher heat
during the winter, and direct feeding for a constant flow of water and
nutrients.
Benefits
to the Operation.
He says “weather is the no. 1 enemy” to traditional farming, so he decided
to control all of those factors, eliminating much of the economic risk nature
imposes. In addition, Coppus has been able to benefit the bottom line by
eliminating the “middle man” in some instances.
Benefits
to Customers. By
controlling the environment and eliminating soil-borne pathogens, Coppus can
offer customers a product that is that much safer. (The end consumers are many
times the customers of high-end restaurants and country clubs.) Also, the
lettuce is grown to consistently hold the same characteristics of flavor,
texture, and color, so his customers know what to expect week in and week out.
Benefits
to Community. Dan
regularly hosts student tours at the greenhouse. It’s a chance for kids to
learn about a type of agriculture that’s not typical of the area, where rows
of corn and soybeans, grown outdoors from spring to fall, are commonplace.
Farming
Philosophy: “If it’s not good, it’s not sold.”
Dan says he always strives to be “the best.” “If you have the best
product, you will keep your customers because they know that every week
they’ll get a quality product.” Any second-rate lettuce that comes out of
Dan’s greenhouse is piled in the corner each week and trashed.
Quote/Unquote.
“It’s hard to get farming out of your blood.” – Dan Coppus,
Twin Oaks Hydroponics, on returning to farming after a 15-year career in
industrial sales.
Compiled
by Melanie Wilt, ODA Communications (614) 752-9811.