local/state
Battalion/Page 6
April 2,1982
Farmer grows alfalfa;
sprouts big business
Warped
By Scott McCti
United Press International
SAN ANTONIO — Chicken
feed sprouted the seeds of a new
business venture in Bob Phipps’
mind, but the tiny population of
his home state forced him to
leave North Dakota and head to
Texas to watch his idea grow.
Today, seven months after
Phipps left Bismarck, N.D., his
Energy Sprouts Inc. is selling
more than six tons of alfalfa and
bean sprouts each week. And
the entrepreneur says South
Texans are gobbling up more
and more sprouts every day.
“We started out growing
wheat sprouts for chickens in
North Dakota,” Phipps said. “A
guy told us to try alfalfa, so we
did and it turned out really
good. Then the supermarkets
started wanting our stuff.
“Business went fine, but
there just weren’t enough peo
ple up there to eat our product.
There’s only 650,000 people in
the whole state. We couldn’t
make a go of it there so we sold
our business.”
Phipps turned his eye toward
San Antonio, where his sister
lived, and found that South
Texas supermarkets were pur
chasing alfalfa and bean sprouts
from as far away as California.
“The produce buyers here
like a fresh product, so we saw
the opportunity to supply it,” he
said.
“Our initial start-up costs
were about $75,000 and it costs
about a quarter of a million dol
lars to keep it going at the
volume we’re having now, sell
ing about 12,000 pounds a week.
We hope to sell about $400,000
this first year.”
He claimed local grocery
chain stores reported an in
crease of 30 to 40 percent in the
sale of sprouts when they started
buying from his company, appa
rently because consumers liked
the fresher product. Energy
Sprouts Inc.’s biggest comped-
Something Else
Hair Salon
March 24-April 10
Student Special
Men’s & Women’s Haircuts $8 reg. $10
Easter Special
Perm reg. $ 40- $ 45 now $ 35
Long Hair $5 extra
Men’s Perms reg. $35 now $30
M-F S-7 With coupon Sat. 8-12:00
No appointment necessary
693-9877 404 E. University
tor is now a supplier in Houston.
Phipps grows the alfalfa
sprouts, which are thin and light
and used primarily in salads and
sandwiches, and bean sprouts,
which are thicker, chewier and
used in eggrolls and Chinese dis
hes, in a 3,000-square-foot ware
house in San Antonio.
There, pounds of seeds are
placed in mechanical drums
where they sprout after being
automatically watered and ro
tated for three and a half days.
The sprouts, which for years
have been used in health food
store concoctions, but are rapid
ly gaining wider use, are
washed, dried, packaged,
weighed and cooled, then ship
ped to local supermarkets which
in turn ship them to branch
stores as far away as Lubbock
and Dallas, as well as Arkansas
and Louisiana.
“They’ve definitely caught on
here,” Phipps said. “Produce ex
perts are saying the sprout busi
ness is in the same position the
mushroom business was five
years ago before it really caught
on.”
In addition to the more tradi
tional alfalfa, bean and soybean
sprouts, the company also mar
kets a Chinese vegetable mix
and “zesty” sprouts, a spicy com
bination of alfalfa and radish
sprouts.
WELCOME TO AGGIE
CINEttA, WE HOPE
YOU ENTOX T0NI6HT'S
tAOVIE...
NEXT WEEKEND |TICKETS CAN BE
WE WILL BE SHOWINGJPURCHASED AT THE
3 EVENING AND 2. IB0X0FFICE . ENJOY
MIDNIGHT MOVIES. I THE /MOVIE
(wHisfEit, WHisfttj wmifflj
'THAT MUSTMj
BEEN FBWI,
PEOPLE MWIH
JUST LAU6K
A&M women ranked ninth
Aggies hosting rodeo
by Amy Polk
Battalion Reporter
It’s rodeo time again in Aggie-
land — this weekend, the Texas
Aggie Rodeo Association is
sponsoring the 1982 TAMU In
tercollegiate Rodeo.
Jane Armstrong, faculty
adviser for the association, said
contestants from the southern
region of the National Intercol
legiate Rodeo Association —
which includes colleges and uni
versities from Texas and
Louisiana — will compete in
COUPON
25c off any entree
coupon.
two potato. ° ood "" Apr " 30
Each Bite
an EDUCATION
in NUTRITION
102 Church St.
College Station
*46-0720
All our potaotes are Ph. D’s
PURE, HEALTHY, and
Nutritiously DELICIOUS
each of our ingredients is REAL and prepared
FRESH each day
"O
O
COUPON
bareback, saddle bronc, bull
riding, tie-down calf-roping,
team-roping, goat-tying and
barrel-racing.
The events started Thursday
night and will run through
Saturday, beginning at 7:30
each night at the Texas A&M
Equestrian Arena on FM 2818.
The top two individuals in
each event and the top two
men’s and women’s teams from
each region will qualify to com
pete in the NIRA national finals
in Bozeman, Mont., in June,
Armstrong said.
Texas A&M students have
done well this season, Arm
strong said. According to the
March issue of College Rodeo,
the Texas A&M women’s team is
ranked first in the southern re
gion and ninth in the nation.
Dan Mundorf, a senior agri
cultural education major from
Three Rivers, is ranked fourth
in steer-wrestling.
Corley Copps, a freshman
business major from Dilley, has
several high rankings, including
third place in the national stand
ings for barrel-racing and re
gional leader in barrel-racing
and the Women’s All Round.
Copps started riding at the
age of 3 and was 5 years old
when she entered her first
rodeo. She began riding with the
Texas Youth Rodeo Association
and started riding in open
rodeos, where money is
awarded, at the age of 9 or 10.
Her favorite event is roping.
“I practice every day about
two to three hours a day,” Copps
said.
Rodeo association members
are busy, and Copps is no excep
tion.
“This semester we have a
rodeo every weekend til the
semester is out, starting last
weekend,” Copps said. “I’ll go to
all of those and then during the
summer, I’ll make two or three
rodeos a weekend — if I can.”
Both of Copps’ brothers have
ridden in rodeos. Her older
brother, Mitch, is a professional
roper.
“I used to get real nervous be
fore I rode, but after doing it so
much it’s not as bad — but there
is still a f eeling there
“You get excited, and
ready to go out there and,;
to show everybody else
Copps said she enjoys
lege circuit because she
see many of the people
used to ride with a few yen
“You really look for*
seeing all your f riendsaja
going out and having a
time after the rodeo,"(
said. “Sometimes that n
you up if you think aboti
more than you do riding,
Copps said she likes
thing about rodeoing.
“I love horses: 1 like to
people,” Copps said.’ lesyt
ly like to watch the men hi
roping and team-ropinj
takes a lot of skill tobeablt:
that. I think it is beautifiil'
Greek Derby Da)
to benefit childrei
p
lan
COUPON
by Charlotte Boyd
Battalion Reporter
The Sigma Chi Fraternity ex
pects to raise over $3,000 for the
John Wayne Wallace Village for
Children in their sixth annual
Derby Day competition
Saturday.
The derby is made up of 11
The Best Pizza In Town! Honest.
INTRODUCES OUR
BUY ONE, GET ONE JUST
LIKE IT AT 1 /2 PRICE PIZZA
SPECIAL!
AT THE PIZZA MAT ONLY
Please Present Coupon 846-3412
COUPON
MIDDLE EAST:
OTHER PERSPECTIVES
A Lecture by:
DR. KAUKAB SIDDIQUE
The Program will proceed with
Student Panelist from:
• PALESTINE • SAUDI ARABIA
• LEBANON
Saturday, Apr. 3 7 p.m.
Zachary, Room #102
FREE ADMISSION
Sponsored by:
SOCIETY OF IRANIAN STUDENTS
(MSA-PSC)
AND
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ASSOC.
TAMU
events ranging from the
relay, dressing and undn
out of a suitcase, to the
buffalo relay, running'
teaspoon of water without!
ing it. No admission u
charged.
The competition begin
a.m. next to Texas
Speedway.
Winners will be anno
Saturday night at the Deri
Dance, which isopentoat
at the National Guard Ait
Rabbit, a band from Atisu
f rovide music and admit
3.50 at the door.
John Wayne was a Sign
member and the Brooi
Colo., children’s villagt
school with the goalofaccd
ing the progrees of
with learning disabilitiesot
tional disturbances so the
return to public schools.
“All Sigma Chi clu
throughout the U.S. and
da will sponsor a Derby D.
their campus for this hoiti
mentally retarded,” Cal It
Sigma Chi member, said.
St
y
r
j.iheTrench
heutenarm
[ ^Wormn
Friday & Satq rt j ay>
April 2 & 3 g pm
Rudder Theat re R
L
A
U
R
E
N
B
A
C
A
L
L
J
A
M
E
S
G
A
R
D
N
E
R
M S C
ApGIE CINEMA^
Presents -
Friday & Saturday, April 2 & 3
Midnight Rudder Theatre R
M
A
U
R
E
E
N
S
T
A
P
L
E
T
O
N
*
M
I
C
H
A
E
L
B
I
E
H
N
IN A BILL/PHILUPS PRODUCTION OF
A GEORGE ROY HILL FILM
TITJB STING
Sunday, April 4 7:30 pm
Rudder Theatre PG
All ticket* $1.50 with TAMU ID. Ticket* available at t;
MSC Box Office Mon.-Fri. 9-4:30 and 45 minutes beM
showtime.