Terra Nova Ranch

Lettuce Seed Operation

By Patrick Cavanaugh

 

In driving around on the West Side of Fresno County, you may see a field of a crop growing upward with a mass of seeds in a big flourish at the top. This is an important lettuce seed operation for North Pacific Seeds.

North Pacific is based in San Joaquin and specializes in contract multiplication of high quality vegetable and herb seeds. The company serves seed companies and wholesale distributors around the globe. North Pacific is a daughter company of South Pacific Seeds based in Australia.

At Terra Nova Ranch, different varieties of lettuce are grown in mini-blocks. This time of year, the seeds are carefully harvested by hand crews. It’s all part of the multi-faceted activities happening in the San Joaquin Valley during the summer months.