By VERNON ROBISON
The Progress
The Mesquite Community Farmers Market held in December was a big hit. A huge turnout of local residents came to the event seeking farm-fresh produce. At the very center of the event was Kirsten and Alex Pope, owners of Ika Greens, a family-owned farm operation in Moapa. The Popes were truly the rock stars of the market.
“We had locals lining up 30 minutes before we were supposed to open,” said Alex in an interview with The Progress. “We had three lines of people backed up waiting, and there were people sneaking under the caution tape to try and get in the line. No one wanted to miss out on the produce.”
The couple said that they have seen similar demand at the “Second Saturday” events held twice a month at the Clark County Fairgrounds. They have had a challenge in keeping up with all that demand.
“I can’t keep lettuce or eggs on the table long enough at these events,” Alex said.
“I have also been selling out of microgreens, too,” Kirsten added. “I took 100 racks of greens to Mesquite and I had zero left. It is a good problem to have. But we are having trouble keeping up with it.”
Ika Greens is located on the north side of Isola Road in Moapa. It is the location of the old Roos N More Zoo. The Popes purchased the three-acre parcel about two years ago and moved there from their previous home in Henderson, NV.
Alex, who original hails from New Zealand, comes from an agriculture background. So he studies deep into plant varieties, necessary nutrients, sunlight requirements, ideal temperatures and all the other science behind modern farming techniques.
The couple tried their hands at growing a vegetable garden in their small Henderson yard. But they didn’t have good results because of the poor soils in that area. So they started experimenting with hydroponic systems where seedlings are transplanted with their roots extended into a system of nutrient-enriched water. This technique met with significant success.
Alex then decided to take it to the next level and try another technique called aquaponics. This is where certain varieties of fish are added into the water supply for the plants. The fish provide nutrients needed by the plants. After this nutrient-rich water passes through the system and is used by the plants, it is filtered for nitrates and returned back to the fish.
“I started with hydroponics and then I figured that I would throw some fish into the mix and see if aquaponics works,” Alex said. “It was amazing. We were eating off of it year-round!”
Alex further extolled the benefits of this method. It uses much less water than conventional farming because the water can be recirculated. There are no chemicals that need to be added to the water to grow the plants. And if you use certain varieties of fish in the process, you end up with fish on your plate as a source of protein. This clean protein can also be sold at the market.
When the couple first moved to Moapa, Kirsten started with growing her specialty: microgreens. These leafy greens are harvested early, between the sprout and the baby green stage.
“This is a very nutritious point in the plant’s life,” Kirsten said. “They are very nutrient dense so you are getting a lot of good stuff in a much smaller amount.”
Kirsten started selling her microgreens at the Second Saturday Market event when it first began last year in January. She immediately found the demand was there for these products. So the couple began to grow the business.
Alex had been experimenting with hydroponics in a greenhouse on the Moapa property. That has turned into an abundant operation involving hundreds of plants including kale, chard, lettuce, spinach, asian greens and much more. All of these are first planted as seedlings, then are carefully transplanted with their roots extended into a system of water pipes in the greenhouse. In the high growing season, these plants can go from seedling to harvest in about six weeks, Alex said.
Alex is currently working on a larger aquaponics system for his greenhouse operations. This will increase the amount that can be grown and decrease some of the cost.
By April last year, the couple was able to bring more mature leafy greens to the Second Saturday Market, as well as the microgreens. These also got swept up quickly in the high demand.
“That is when we realized that there was really a demand for more variety,” Alex said. “We decided that we had to bring in variety from outside our operation. Instead of us trying to grow everything, we teamed up with other farmers in the area. If they have extra produce, we can put it into these markets as well to fill the demand.”
The Popes began reaching out to other farmers in the region. They made contact with the owner of Blue Lizard Farms in Caliente who provided thousands of fresh tomatoes for market last summer. They spoke to Hardy Farms in Logandale and arranged to bring squash and other locally-grown products to market as well.
“The Moapa squash from the Hardys was an especially big hit,” Alex said.
Farms from southern Utah, Washington, Colorado, Idaho and California have since been added to the list to bring fresh fruits and vegetables to the market in season.
“Of course, we always label these products with the farm that produced them,” Alex said. “We don’t take credit for it and we want customers to know where they have come from.”
Alex explained that he looks for small farmers operating on less than 30 acres to team up with.
“If you are under 30 acres, you basically have quality focus and not quantity,” Alex said. “So in a way, you are following the organic practices and that is what I really want.”
That a producer is certified organic is less important to Alex. “It is quite expensive to be able to claim that you are organic,” he said. “So I don’t necessarily need that certification. But if they are following those practices on a smaller farm, I want them in the market.”
With all of these willing farmers providing different products in season, the Popes have begun offering much more variety to the farmers markets where they participate.
“That leaves us to focus on these greens and microgreens as well, and still be able to offer a variety to the customers,” Kirsten said. “And amid all of that we are able to support more small farms as well.”
Ika Greens products are available at various farm stands and markets in the area. The Popes attend the Second Saturday Market at the Logandale Fairgrounds (held on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month). They will also be selling at the Mesquite Community Farmers Market on the 1st and 3rd Fridays of each month at the Welcome Center in Mesquite. They sell products at a regular Farm Stand at Ace Hardware in Mesquite. See ikagreens.com/localmarkets for more details.
The Ika Greens website is still under development so that customers will soon have the ability to place orders for products online for pickup at the various available locations or at the farm itself.
Ika Greens is building an “honesty box” service where local customers can drop by the farm, pick up produce and pay for it on site. Stay tuned for more information on that.
To contact the Popes send an email to info@ikagreens.com.
