I have something new for you this week! I have asked Cristal Espinosa of Green Acres Farm and Greenhouses to tell us a little more about her parents, Pati and Lupe Espinosa. Pati and Lupe immigrated over 20 years ago to the US and have grown quite an operation in Rock Cave. Read on to learn more about Pati, Lupe, and Green Acres.
Green Acres and Greenhouses owners, Pati and Lupe Espinosa, launched the farming businesses in 2011. The business began when Chef Dale Hawkins from Fish Hawk Acres agreed to lease his farmland to Green Acres and to buy their produce for his catering business. Green Acres has since expanded to nearly 40 acres and has 15-20 employees each year between the markets and field work.
Green Acres has the advantage of having three greenhouses to begin growing flowers and vegetable plants by seed very early in the year. They may begin getting things early through their use of greenhouses, but also grow a substantial amount in the field when the harvest season begins later in the summer.
Pati grows a wide variety of flowers and makes beautiful, one-of-a-kind arrangements.
Lupe tends to the fields and grow a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Along with a berry patch that contains red raspberries, black raspberries, golden raspberries and blackberries.
Pati and Lupe immigrated to the US over 20 years ago. They began working in agriculture for Bonnie and Jerry Witten at the Witten farm in Beverly, Ohio in 1996. Pati was sent to horticulture classes, seminars and workshops in Columbus, Ohio to learn more about flowers and produce beautiful arrangements for their greenhouses. Lupe attended classes to learn more about the agricultural aspect of farming and managed a great amount of the field work among his coworkers.
With over 20 years of experience in agriculture and conventional farming, they are well-versed in effectively using irrigation, intensive tillage, and mechanical practices. However, they are well aware of the conservation of biodiversity and want to promote ecological balance, they are knowledgeable in the use of natural fertilizers, manually removing weeds between rows by hand, and use other organic practices as much as possible. They maintain the crops and fields keeping in mind sustainability is the goal.
They sell their produce to their three roadside markets in Anmoore, Buckhannon and Elkins. As well as other esteemed farmers markets, such as the Bridgeport, Clarksburg and WVU Medicine Farmers Market in Morgantown.
