Shubin Saha has Kentucky Fresh Harvest primed for growth

Among the people involved in the development of Kentucky Fresh Harvest is Head Grower and Chief Operating Officer Shubin Saha, whose past experience in research and helping other growers has paved the way for his own success at Kentucky Fresh Harvest.

Following His Dream

Originally from Lexington, KY, Saha earned his degree in horticulture from the University of Kentucky. He quickly realized his passion was in greenhouse research because of the ability to manipulate the crop, and his dream was to run his own greenhouse, specifically one that grew vegetables.

His graduate studies took him to Florida, where he was among the first group of students in the Doctor of Plant Medicine program at the University of Florida. It is an interdisciplinary study involving entomology, plant pathology, and soil science; basically, anything and everything under the sun that would affect crop growth, Saha says.

"Part of the reason I went to Florida was I figured if I could grow a crop in Florida, with all its pest and disease pressure, I could grow a crop anywhere," he says.

This interest in research and education continued when Saha returned to the Midwest and spent five years as a horticulture professor at Purdue University. Eventually, a vegetable specialist position opened at the University of Kentucky, giving Saha the chance to not only return home and support small farmers in the Bluegrass State, but also to bring applied research to real-world production.

This Extension experience eventually brought Saha face to face with the team that would launch Kentucky Fresh Harvest. He first worked with them strictly on an advisory level, but after a few months, it became apparent that his interest and knowledge in greenhouse vegetables, as well as his connections within the state, mirrored the Kentucky Fresh Harvest team's need for someone to manage the day-to-day operation of what would become its production facilities.

"It was an opportunity I couldn't pass up," Saha says.

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Photos: Since joining Kentucky Fresh Harvest, Shubin Saha has played an important role in bringing the company to the forefront of greenhouse tomato production. Courtesy of Kentucky Fresh Harvest

Source: Greenhouse Grower