September 2, 2017  |  CONCORD, N.H.  |  The Associated Press

USDA Secretary Impressed By NH Agriculture Innovation

New Hampshire may not be part of the nation's farm belt, but U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue says he's impressed with what he saw in the Granite State.

Perdue on Friday toured Lef (pronounced Leaf) Farms to learn how year-round, indoor farming can be far more efficient than traditional agriculture operations. The Concord Monitor reports (http://bit.ly/2eOsXx1 ) that the hydroponic farm aims to produce 3,000 pounds of leafy greens every 24 hours.

Perdue says New Hampshire farmers are taking "two- and twenty- and hundred-acres and making a sustainable lifestyle out of a product that we all need."

Perdue was in New England on a two-day "Back to Our Roots" trip to discuss the 2018 Farm Bill with farmers and other agriculture producers.