New Publication from Ariana Torres and Jean Pierre Zavala

July 24, 2026

Dr. Ariana P. Torres (Horticulture & Landscape Architecture / Agricultural Economics) has published a new paper with former MS student Jean Pierre Zavala (now at Texas Tech University) in HortTechnology: “HortCalculator: A Web-based Financial Decision-Support Tool for Midwestern Spinach Production in High Tunnels.“

The paper presents HortCalculator, a free, web-based financial planning tool developed for small-scale specialty crop producers growing spinach in high tunnels. Unlike existing farm financial tools, which are typically designed for large commodity operations or require costly software licenses, HortCalculator is freely accessible online and tailored to the realities of diversified small farms — variable labor arrangements, multiple direct-market sales channels, and limited acreage.

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