Different Type of Agriculture to Bring Better Quality Vegetables to Your Table

October 17, 2017  |   Bryce Mansfield

Local family growing vegetables without soil

DRAFFENVILLE, KY- Better quality vegetables grown without soil —One family wants to bring that to west Kentucky by using a different type of agriculture. It’s called aquaponics.

Aquaponics is a combination of hydroponics and aquaculture. Hydroponics is the process of growing plants without soil and aquaculture is the process of raising fish specifically to grow plants.

How does it work? Fish — tilapia most commonly — are raised in a holding tank. Bacteria is filtered from their waste, and the bacteria is used to fertilize different vegetable plants. The water is then filtered and recycled back into the fish tank, and the whole process repeats itself in a cycle.

This process is going to be fundamental to one local family, who will bring this type of agriculture to west Kentucky for the very first time.

Leaving nursing after 26 years to pursue a lifelong dream isn’t easy. For Tammie McCullough, it’s worth taking that leap.

“I was nervous about leaving the corporate world, but I’m fortunate I get this opportunity. I always wanted to own my own business and work for myself, and now it’s coming true,” McCullough said.

She and her husband turned this journey into a family adventure.

“My son had just graduated college. He wasn’t sure exactly what direction he wanted to go in life, and my dad is retired so he’s always looking for something to do. So, it was a perfect family fit,” McCullough said.

Her son, Tyler McKenty, said he looks forward to getting everything in place so they can get started.

“It makes me feel good, kind of a sense of purpose. Like I’m not just out there working to be working. I actually want to do this. I can go to work every day, happy. Knowing what I have to do and get it done,” McKenty.

For McCullough, this business adventure is a start she dreamed of years ago and she has a message for those who have dreams of their own.

“Follow your dreams. Don’t give up, and just take that leap of faith. It can be a reality,” McCullough said.

The family hopes to have the greenhouse up and running by the start of the new year.

For more information on west Kentucky Aquaponics, click here.

For more information on this story and others, follow Bryce Mansfield on Facebook by clicking here.