Rainbow Farms Makes its Mark With Diverse Offerings
February 1, 2008 
The sun was shining brightly when American Vegetable Grower visited Larry and Tina Klco at Rainbow Farms in Northeast Ohio. The Klcos farm is small; they own about 30 acres and rent 20. The 110 varieties of fresh produce they grow is sold at the farm’s on-site stand, as well as local farmers’ markets. The Klcos also offer some pick-your-own (PYO) crops.
What makes this farm different from many others, you may ask? It is a first-generation operation, and that’s something you don’t see too often anymore. Larry didn’t follow in his father’s footsteps. In fact, not one of Klco’s 10 siblings is involved in production agriculture.
Larry’s father, who was the owner of a local service station, had realized early on his son didn’t want to be a mechanic. So instead of giving Larry engine and exhaust tools, he built him a greenhouse.
Larry later attended the Ag Tech Institute in Wooster, OH, where he met his wife, Tina. Tina was a student of landscape design. So when it came time, the two of them put their heads together to make Rainbow Farms a reality.
Stepping Out
This first-generation farm’s story began in 1980 when Larry and Tina rented ground in Northeast Ohio. Larry cut his farming chops working for Bob Jones Sr. of The Chef’s Garden in Huron, OH — an operation nominated for the 2007 Grower Achievement Award — where he was the farm manager from 1977 to 1980.
Despite the fact that his first love is farming, Larry worked an off-site job for about 20 years, bringing home a steady paycheck. When the company offered him a transfer to Texas, however, he chose the sandy soil near the shores of Lake Erie instead.
“We invested everything in farming,” he explains. “I didn’t want to look back and say, ‘I wish I would have done this.'”
Today, the farm sells fresh produce at 120 outdoor markets each year. On Sundays, though, the Klcos close up shop. “It’s the Lord’s day and it is the day we try to spend with the family,” explains Larry.
Right now, Rainbow Farms is the largest strawberry grower in the county with 6 acres, and folks from surrounding areas flock to the farm specifically for the strawberries. To capitalize on its strawberry grower status, the Klcos offer PYO strawberries and they cater to families with small children with a PYO area that is stroller accessible.
“We are one of the few PYOs that allows children,” adds Larry. And instead of charging by weight, the Klcos charge by the 4-quart basket, which simplifies the process.
Technology’s Benefits
In order to provide customers with strawberries early in the season, the berries are grown on black plastic, with floating row covers. This allows the family to plant earlier so fruit is ready before any competitors’.
The Klcos also are the only grower in the area producing strawberries on ridge culture. Larry says the berries are grown this way to help with water drainage. “It may be harder for us,” he explains, “but it is easier for the customer to pick.”
Striving to stay ahead of the competition, the Klcos start production of several crops in the greenhouse in February. Larry says high tunnels are used as another means of season extension. Some tomatoes, herbs, and other vegetables are planted in April and May in the tunnels to help protect them from cold weather in the early spring. Not wanting to waste anything, the Klcos use their old drip tape to hold down the plastic used on the high tunnels.
To have fresh produce throughout the season, the Klcos have to stagger planting times. For example, Larry plants sweet corn by section so he will have it from the end of July to the end of September.
The farm also follows sustainable agriculture practices, limiting the number of sprays and using products that are environmentally friendly, targeting specific pests. For example, Larry uses an organic spray to take care of worms on broccoli and cauliflower.
In addition, the farm uses drip irrigation because it is more cost and water efficient. According to Larry, the drip system goes through a small emitter and he filters the water using a recycled filter, saving on cost.
Catering To Customers
What keeps the Klcos on the cutting edge is that they are never afraid to try something new. They grow seeded and seedless watermelon in several different colors — red, yellow, and orange, as well as a Korean melon variety. In addition, this past season was the first year for producing asparagus and rhubarb.
How do they determine what to grow? Larry and Tina say they base their planting decisions on what is in demand at the markets. Offering a variety of products is important, adds Tina. The more items you have for sale, the more you will sell, she says. To keep customers interested, Rainbow Farms grow 15 types of pepper and 10 types of tomatoes.
Tina’s philosophy for farm market sales is “pile it high and they will buy.” She adds that offering high-quality product at fair prices also keeps the customers coming back.
One of their marketing techniques is to use an old 1930 Model A truck with the farm’s logo on the doors. And despite the fact that the farm fresh produce can sell itself, Tina says she tries to make the produce look even more appealing while on display at markets by housing fruit and vegetables in wooden bins on nice cloth tablecloths. She also has umbrellas to shield the fresh produce, as well as consumers from the hot sun.
Over the years, the Klcos have had to play teacher to some folks because so many are city dwellers and removed from agriculture. Customers will call them in April for strawberries and say that they were able to purchase strawberries at Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club. “They just don’t understand,” says Larry.
Thankfully, though, they don’t have to continually educate their help, which includes the couple’s four children: Sam, 28; Rachel, 26; Kara, 20; and Bethany, 16. In addition to his kids, Larry says he hires about five people to work in the summer through October. “Right now, I can’t find an American who will work on the farm,” he adds.
With a limited number of workers, harvesting crops is more difficult, especially when everything is hand picked. In the past with sweet corn, the Klcos would place the corn in bins and then pack the corn into containers for markets. The next step was to put the filled bins in trucks. This made removing the bins from the trucks very labor intensive, says Larry.
To create sweet corn harvesting efficiencies, the Klcos had an old manure spreader rebuilt, added padded sides, and had one side of the spreader fold down. A roller was added so the corn is able to roll off a tarp. “This allows someone to sit and pack the corn,” explains Larry. “Now, it takes about a half hour to pack 300 dozen ears of corn.”
Building The Future
Keeping up with the workload has been the biggest challenge for the Klcos over the years. Looking at his farming venture in a positive light, Larry says that his wife’s help has been instrumental to the farm’s success. “This could never have been done if I didn’t have a partner who is willing to sacrifice everything,” he says. “I grow it and Tina sells it.”
Because this couple has invested so much of their lives into this farming venture, they wanted to make sure the land they farm never becomes fodder for a developer. To do that, Larry and Tina had the farmland preserved, which is something that has never been done before in Lake County. Now, the land can only be used for farming or green space, says Tina.
At one time, there were 30 farmers in this area of Ohio. Larry says that number has dwindled to six, and he doesn’t plan to be part of the downsizing. To stay successful, the Klcos continually live up to their mission statement: “To produce the highest quality, freshest fruits and vegetables for our market and pick-your-own customers, providing them the enjoyment of eating well and eating healthy.”
In fact, Larry says down the line, he’d like to make the market on farm ground a permanent fixture. And who knows, maybe the Klcos will offer more than high-quality fresh produce, adding pies made from berries grown on the farm to the product list.
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