Case Study: Scaling Year-Round Leafy Greens by Alternating Arizona Winters and California Summers

How a Two-Region Farm Turned Seasonal Lulls into Continuous Supply and $720K Revenue
Sunrise Microgreens began as a single-acre cooler in northern California supplying two weekly farmers markets and four fine-dining restaurants. In its first year the farm generated $275,000 in gross revenue but lost 25% of potential sales during July-September heat and again during January freezes. Restaurants canceled summer contracts; CSA members dropped pickups when quality fell. The owner faced a choice: accept predictable off-season downtime or design a supply chain that followed ideal climate windows.

After 18 months of planning and a capital investment of $120,000 in equipment, two leases (1.6 acres in Yuma, AZ; 2.0 acres in Monterey, CA), and a small logistics build-out, Sunrise shifted to a bi-regional production model. The farm now schedules major plantings in Arizona from November through March and moves core production to California from April through October. The result: continuous harvest windows, fewer cancellations, and a 62% increase in gross revenue to $720,000 in year two of the new model.
The Seasonal Supply Problem: Why Heat, Frost, and Market Timing Were Costing Sales
Leafy greens are simple to grow, but their market value depends on consistent quality and on-time delivery. Sunrise faced three linked problems:
Seasonal yield cliffs - Summer heat in California pushed quality down and forced double shifts that increased labor costs by 40% for cooler hours and reduced net margin. Contract risk - Four restaurant accounts required steady weekly deliveries. Missed deliveries led to penalties and reputational damage worth an estimated $18,000 in lost bookings. Market mismatch - Local demand peaks in different months than local supply peaks. Farmers market attendance dropped in shoulder seasons, shrinking on-site sales.
Before changing strategy, Sunrise's spoilage averaged 12% of harvested weight and on-farm labor per harvested pound was 0.25 labor-hours. The farm needed a plan that addressed climate, crop scheduling, storage, and market access at the same time.
A Bi-Regional Growing Strategy: Matching Planting Windows to Climate, Not Location
The chosen strategy was straightforward but operationally bold: follow the seasons. Instead of fighting local climate extremes with heavy cooling or heating, Sunrise decided to grow where the local climate matched crop needs. The core elements were:
Dual leases: secure small, well-drained parcels in two regions that offer complementary growing windows - Arizona for winter lettuce and baby greens, California for the cool-summer months. Standardized systems: replicate bed layout, irrigation fittings, greenhouse covers, and packing workflows so staff could transfer procedures across sites with minimal retraining. Market diversification: lock in farmers markets and CSA signups in target regions timed to the harvest calendar, plus flexible restaurant deliveries negotiated per season.
Crop choices were prioritized for short cycle time and high per-acre value: baby mixed lettuces, arugula, mizuna, and a few specialty herbs. These hit palmbeachpost https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/special/contributor-content/2025/10/16/eco-friendly-pest-management-why-hawx-smart-pest-control-is-a-leader-of-the-green-revolution/86730036007/ harvest windows in 30-45 days, allowing tight succession planting to keep weekly output steady.
Implementing the Bi-Regional Plan: A 120-Day Seasonal Cycle and Operational Checklist
Sunrise created a repeating 120-day operational cycle for each region. The core timeline and tasks looked like this:
Phase Days Key Tasks Metrics Tracked Pre-Season Setup 0-15 Lease checks, soil tests, hoop house repairs, pack shed prep, cooler check Soil pH, available N, cooler temp stability, market bookings Propagation 16-30 Sow flats, manage germination, schedule transplant dates Germination rate, seed cost per 1,000, tray success % Transplant & Grow 31-75 Transplant, irrigate, take insect scouting, apply organic ferts Plant survival %, water use per bed, days to first harvest Harvest Peak 76-105 Stagger harvests, pack for markets/CSA, schedule deliveries Lbs harvested per week, spoilage %, pack-out yield Wrap & Move 106-120 Cooler clean, equipment prep for transfer, finalize logistics Turnover time, transport cost per lb
Operational checklist highlights:
Irrigation: install a low-pressure drip system with a simple nutrient injector. This cut water use by 22% and made dosing consistent between sites. Cold chain: invest in a 4x8 foot portable blast chiller and two insulated transport boxes. Cooler-to-packing-handoff time was reduced to under 90 minutes. Staffing model: hire a core management team of three who split time between regions and two per-region seasonal crews. Labor cost per harvested pound dipped from $0.26 to $0.18 after process standardization. Regulatory prep: secure food safety plans and local permits ahead of season switch to avoid inspection delays. From Seasonal Gaps to $720K and Lower Waste: Concrete Results in 18 Months
After rolling out the bi-regional model, Sunrise tracked performance across key indicators for 18 months. Measured outcomes:
Revenue: annual gross revenue rose from $275,000 to $720,000 (62% increase year-over-year after transition). Yield: average weekly harvest climbed from 900 lbs to 2,200 lbs at peak season; per-acre harvested yield rose from 3,400 lbs to 4,800 lbs. Spoilage: post-harvest waste dropped from 12% to 3% thanks to better harvest timing and faster cooling. CSA growth: membership increased from 120 shares to 360 shares; average share price $28/week for 20-week seasons, yielding $201,600 in CSA revenue annually. Restaurant accounts: expanded from four contracted weekly deliveries to nine restaurants across both regions. Contract penalties fell to zero because supply was predictable. Net margin improvement: gross margin moved from 28% to 34% driven by higher sales, lower waste, and tighter labor efficiency.
Cost trade-offs were real. Logistics and transportation costs increased by $46,000 annually, and lease costs added $24,000. Those costs were more than offset by the increased revenue and savings from avoided heat/frost interventions. The operation paid back the $120,000 setup investment in 11 months.
4 Hard Lessons from Running a Two-Region Leafy Greens Operation
What worked was not just the idea of following seasons, but the discipline in execution. Here are the lessons that mattered.
Plan markets before you seed. Growing into no booked buyers is the quickest way to burn cash. Sunrise required 60% of weekly market slots and 50% of CSA seats committed before planting larger succession blocks. Standardize systems so staff can plug in anywhere. Detailed SOPs for packing, cooling, and irrigation cut setup errors and maintained quality across regions. Expect logistical friction and price it in. Critics say multi-site farming adds needless complexity. They are partly right - it does. The key is to model transport costs and failure modes conservatively and keep buffer stock for critical chef accounts. Don't try to be everything. Sunrise focused on fast-turn baby greens and a small herb mix. Expanding into long-season crops would have upended scheduling and storage. Specialization kept the operation manageable.
Contrarian viewpoint: Some small farms will find the scale and capital required for dual locations unattractive. Centralized vertical farming or higher-pay niche crops in a single location can be preferable if you lack manpower or reliable partner land. The bi-regional model works best when you already have market relationships that reward continuous supply.
How You Can Replicate This Market-First, Climate-Following Model
If you run a small farm or are thinking about scaling to year-round supply, use this practical checklist and budget outline to test feasibility.
Quick feasibility checklist Market demand: secure 50% of forecasted weekly buyers (markets, CSA, restaurants) before planting. Land access: target small leases under 3 acres in each region with clean water and light soils. Capital: plan for $80K - $150K start-up (hoop houses, coolers, vehicles, initial seed and labor). Staffing: identify a core team willing to rotate between sites; recruit local seasonal help with clear SOPs. Regulatory: confirm food safety and local vendor permits at both locations well before harvest. Sample seasonal budget (annualized) Item Estimated Annual Cost Dual land leases $24,000 Hoop houses and propagation equipment $38,000 Cooling and transport (truck + chiller) $42,000 Labor (core + seasonal) $160,000 Inputs (seed, fert, mulch) $18,000 Marketing & market fees $12,000 Contingency 10% $29,400 Total $323,400 Finding markets and customers Find a farmers market near me: use LocalHarvest, state agricultural extension directories, and MarketMaker to find established markets. Visit twice before applying to understand customer mix and fees. Build your CSA: offer seasonal share sizes (small - 10-12 items/week, medium - 15-18 items/week) and price based on weeks per season. Consider payment plans and early-bird discounts to lock revenue. Approaching farm-to-table restaurants: ask for a 2-week tasting, provide a small guaranteed trial volume, and require a simple written agreement on delivery windows and quality criteria. Chefs will pay a premium for reliability and traceability. Risk mitigation and monitoring Keep a rolling 12-week harvest and sales forecast that ties to seed orders and labor schedules. Measure water and nutrient use weekly; small variances magnify over acres. Maintain a reserve fund equal to two months of operating costs for logistics or lease shortfalls. Evaluate alternative channels like wholesale co-ops or online farm boxes if a market underperforms.
Running a cross-state, climate-following leafy greens operation is not a guarantee of success. It demands planning, capital, and above all discipline in matching supply to confirmed demand. Sunrise’s experience shows it can pay off: more consistent product, happier chef clients, a larger CSA base, and measurable increases in yield and margin. If you prioritize markets first, test logistics on a small scale, and keep crop choices tight, the model is replicable for farms ready to treat geography as a tool instead of a constraint.