Hydroponics Farm In Shipping Container Seeking Ann Arbor Restaurants

July 9, 2018

By McKenzie Sanderson  MSanderson@mlive.com

ANN ARBOR, MI - Hidden inside an upcycled shipping container tucked away in the corner of an industrial plaza parking lot is a fully functional hydroponics farm.

Crop Spot Farms is essentially a two-acre farm retrofitted inside a 320-square foot container that was previously used for transporting meats, fruits and vegetables.

The recycled container now shares space with vehicles in the parking lot of the Michigan Innovation Headquarters on 600 Wagner Rd.

Inside the farm are rows of leafy greens -- lettuce, arugula, swiss chard, kale, and herbs - nestled inside vertically hanging tubes, each connected to a controlled water source and surrounded by strips of grow lights.

Crop Spot Farms brings hydroponic farm tech to Ann Arbor inside a shipping container

Founder and lead farmer Nabeel Kasim can control the farm's climate and irrigation through a mobile phone application, which is connected to the main power source inside the container. The controlled environment allows for more consistency in plant production and a better tasting, more nutritional product, Kasim says.

"Using the (hydroponics system) indoors is more environmentally-friendly because it requires 95 percent less water," Kasim said. "Growing outdoors brings about the issue of bugs and pesticides, so this system reduces the pollutants and toxins that come with that. It also allows the produce to be available year-round, which is why it's so great to have in Michigan where there are limited harvest seasons."

After graduating from the University of Michigan in 2015, Kasim picked up an interest in hydroponics during a trip to a remote village in Cambodia, where he encountered a family using a soil-free farming technique.

The technique, collectively known as hydroponics, was successful in an area with sporadic rainy weather, which inspired Kasim to experiment with it in Michigan.

Kasim hopes Crop Spot Farms will foster engagement and educational opportunities with Ann Arbor restaurants, schools, and the community.

"I want to help people realize the value of healthy, good-tasting food," Kasim said. "It's all about giving back to the community and make people aware of locally-sourced, environmentally-friendly food. I also hope to supply local restaurants so they can have at-scale, quality produce year-round."

Crop Spot Farms has been in operation since the beginning of May. Kasim said the farm's first major harvest was expected to begin this month.

A launch party for Crop Spot Farms is set from noon to 7 p.m. Sunday, July 15 outside the Michigan Innovation Headquarters building on Wagner Road. There will be produce samples and informational tours of the farm.

"Typically, restaurants are less busy or closed on Sundays, so this event will give them the opportunity to learn about the farm and see it in person," Kasim said. "I'll have some yard games and samples for people to try or take home. I also plan on giving tours every half hour as people start to arrive."

The launch event is free and open to the community. More information can be found on the Crop Spot Farms website.

Owner Nabeel Kasim poses inside Crop Spot Farms, a hydroponic farm in a recycled shipping container at MI-HQ, 600 S. Wagner Rd. In Ann Arbor on July 5, 2018. Kasim started off gardening as a hobby before realizing he could apply his engineering and logistics skills to hydroponics - a technique he discovered on a trip to Cambodia. "Gardening was dirty," Kasim said. Now he plans to make a business selling heirloom variety leafy greens to Ann Arbor restaurants and hopes to turn the operation into an educational example of future farming techniques.

Lettuce plants grow from hanging hydroponic columns at Crop Spot Farms, a hydroponic farm in a recycled shipping container at MI-HQ, 600 S. Wagner Rd. In Ann Arbor on July 5, 2018.

Lettuce plants grow under violet-and-blue LED lights at Crop Spot Farms, a hydroponic farm in a recycled shipping container at MI-HQ, 600 S. Wagner Rd. In Ann Arbor on July 5, 2018.

Plants grow from hanging columns on either side of UV and infrared LED strips at Crop Spot Farms, a hydroponic farm in a recycled shipping container at MI-HQ, 600 S. Wagner Rd. In Ann Arbor on July 5, 2018.

Plants grow from hanging columns on either side of UV and infrared LED strips at Crop Spot Farms, a hydroponic farm in a recycled shipping container at MI-HQ, 600 S. Wagner Rd. In Ann Arbor on July 5, 2018.

Plants grow from hanging columns on either side of UV and infrared LED strips at Crop Spot Farms, a hydroponic farm in a recycled shipping container at MI-HQ, 600 S. Wagner Rd. In Ann Arbor on July 5, 2018.

Plants grow from hanging columns on either side of UV and infrared LED strips at Crop Spot Farms, a hydroponic farm in a recycled shipping container at MI-HQ, 600 S. Wagner Rd. In Ann Arbor on July 5, 2018.

A drip regulator provides the water for a hydroponic column planter at Crop Spot Farms, a hydroponic farm in a recycled shipping container at MI-HQ, 600 S. Wagner Rd. In Ann Arbor on July 5, 2018.

Owner Nabeel Kasim peers between vertical hydroponic columns at Crop Spot Farms, a hydroponic farm in a recycled shipping container at MI-HQ, 600 S. Wagner Rd. In Ann Arbor on July 5, 2018.

Owner Nabeel Kasim peers between vertical hydroponic columns at Crop Spot Farms, a hydroponic farm in a recycled shipping container at MI-HQ, 600 S. Wagner Rd. In Ann Arbor on July 5, 2018.