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Aquaponics Farm Puts Fresh Fish And Greens On Plates Of Calgary Restaurants
Reid Henuset and Paul Shumlich of Deepwater Farms in Calgary's first commercial aquaponics farm on Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2018. Al Charest/Postmedia
AMANDA STEPHENSON, CALGARY HERALD
November 20, 2018
It looks like any non-descript industrial park warehouse, but the new Deepwater Farms facility in southeast Calgary produces fresh, local food daily using technology that some believe could be the future of agriculture.
It looks like any nondescript industrial park warehouse, but the new Deepwater Farms facility in southeast Calgary produces fresh, local food daily using technology that some believe could be the future of agriculture.
This urban farm, located in a 10,000-square-foot building, is the city’s first commercial-scale aquaponics facility — meaning it combines hydroponics and aquaculture to raise both leafy greens and fish. Giant tanks house as many as 10,000 fish of varying ages and sizes (currently, Deepwater is raising sea bass), and the waste from the fish is then broken down into nitrates that are used to fertilize the racks upon racks of lettuce, herbs and other greens growing under giant LED lights.
The unconventional technology has given Deepwater the capacity to harvest about 450 kilograms a week of organic, locally grown produce. The company expects to triple that output once it is fully ramped up in late 2019. It can also harvest about 900 kilograms of fish a month — fresh, sustainable seafood that can go straight to the plates of landlocked Calgarians.
“I literally just stumbled across the concept of aquaponics one day on the internet,” said company founder Paul Shumlich. “It was the closed-loop aspect that really spoke to me, because we could take a waste product and turn it into a valuable input in another process. It was a symbiotic system between the fish and the plants, and it was organic.”
Reid Henuset and Paul Shumlich of Deepwater Farms in Calgary’s first commercial aquaponics farm. Al Charest/Postmedia
The 28-year-old Shumlich, who studied entrepreneurship at Mount Royal University, has been working on Deepwater Farms for close to five years, testing the technology in various garages and greenhouses, and building his customer base. Convinced there was a market for consistent, reliable produce that doesn’t need to be shipped from California or Mexico in the dead of winter, Shumlich started out by cold calling some of the city’s top restaurants.
He now has a 30-strong client list, and his produce appears in menu items at establishments including Model Milk, Ten Foot Henry, the Hyatt and the Teatro Group. Japanese restaurant Shokunin is the first restaurant to put Deepwater Farms’ fish on the menu, and the company, which now has 10 employees, expects more customers soon.
“In the city, we see the potential to grow 10 times our current size within the next three years,” Shumlich said.
While Deepwater is the largest farm of its type in commercial operation in Alberta, there is growing interest in aquaponics in the province. According to its website, Earthis Inc. is working on a design for a commercially viable vertical aquaponics greenhouse and already has a proof of concept up and running in Okotoks. And Current Prairie Fisherman Corp., which began farming tilapia and barramundi in Nobleford in 2008, recently built a large greenhouse to provide their restaurant clients with specialty vegetables as well, using fish waste as plant fertilizer.
Aquaponics is appealing from an environmental perspective and an economic perspective (plants grown through this type of system can grow three times as fast as conventionally grown produce), but it is more complex than other types of farming. Every part of the system must work in harmony and must be constantly monitored to ensure the health of both the plants and the fish. Still, Deepwater’s leaders say there is a future for aquaponics even in jurisdictions where indoor growing isn’t a necessity.
“Even though California and Florida have the weather to grow this stuff year-round, they still can’t control everything. They’re going to get rainy days, they’re going to get dry weather,” said acting president Reid Henuset. “If we can get our systems down to the point where we know how every little detail of it works, there’s no reason we couldn’t take it worldwide. Because, with this system, you can control everything.”
Deepwater has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for expansion.
Shumlich said he believes aquaponics technology could have applications in cannabis production, greenhouses of all types and even industrial agriculture through the production of natural fertilizers.
“Vine crops I don’t think it makes sense to grow indoors, you’re not going to grow Prairie wheat and barley indoors,” Shumlich said. “But I think for things that are being transported out of southern California, like leafy greens, it’s definitely the future. And I think in general, smart agriculture is the future of all food production.”
Twitter.com/AmandaMsteph
What’s The Difference: Hydroponics Vs. Aquaponics Vs. Aeroponics
Three distinct systems – all vying for the top spot in the niche of alternative growing systems.
May 9, 2018
By Heather
Three distinct systems – all vying for the top spot in the niche of alternative growing systems.
What differentiates these three systems from one another? What makes them work? These are the areas that we will be tackling today.
Hydroponics vs. aquaponics vs. aeroponics – which one is the superior system?
Hydroponics
What Is It?
The principle of hydroponics is the oldest among the three because the use of soil-less setups has been around since the age of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
A hydroponics system has two main parts: the grow beds and the reservoir.
The reservoir contains the nutrient solution or the water mixed with various nutrients that plants need in order to grow successfully in the media bed. The grow beds, on the other hand, contain the media and the ‘cups’ that will hold the plants in place.
To clarify, growth media will replace soil in a hydroponics setup. There are many kinds of growth media to choose from: coconut coir, perlite, organic-polymer composites, rockwool, etc.
Among the beginning enthusiasts market, the most popular is coconut coir because it’s 100% organic, expands tremendously with water and can accommodate plants easily – with spectacular results.
Perlite, on the other hand, is hailed as a near-perfect medium for growing plants but it is particularly light, which makes it problematic for flood and drain systems as it can easily float away along with the small current of the water in the grow bed.
Organic-polymer combos/composites like Perfect Starts are becoming increasingly popular because they’re easy to use and are not deformed when germinating plants are transferred from the growth trays to the main growing beds.
And finally, we have rockwool. Rockwool is a type of reusable media as it can be sanitized with steam washing after every growing season.
Rockwool is actually melted rock spun into slabs and other shapes/sizes for the purpose of growing plants.
The main point of contention with rockwool is that it’s not very environmentally friendly and thus, it goes against the main principle of switching to a more environmentally friendly method of cultivating plants.
The type of media used in a hydroponic system is so important because it will dictate the efficiency in which plants will be able to absorb the nutrients from the solution.
One of the key problems with hydroponics is that roots sometimes succumb to low oxygen levels, which predisposes crops to premature death.
A solution that growers have found effective in dealing with poor aeration and oxygen zone issues is combining two kinds of media to get the best attributes of each one.
Our personal recommendation would be to combine 50% coconut coir with 50% perlite.
Perlite is amazing when it comes to absorbing and delivering moisture plus it also improves the overall aeration of the plant’s root area. Both are highly regarded in the hydroponics community and both are also widely available to growers everywhere.
Tip: Coconut coir can be made more effective with the addition of perlite.
Hydroponics Pros And Cons
The main advantage of hydroponics is it’s designed for long-term cultivation of almost any kind of crop.
Commercial hydroponic growers harvest hundreds of kilograms of crops easily using large rockwool slabs.
The system simply works and can be easily expanded if you want to make money off your hydroponics system.
The downside is that with the booming interest in hydroponics in recent years, the price of the chemical compounds needed to create a viable nutrient solution has been steadily rising due to the over-mining of these minerals.
Another problem with hydroponics is that it uses relatively more water because after a time the buildup of salts becomes too much for the system and water has to be replaced so as not to kill the plants.
Also, there is a need to check the electrical conductivity of the water every day to make sure that the pH of the water is just right. Fluctuations in the pH level of the water can damage plants and eventually cause a die-off.
Aquaponics
Aquaponics is a hybrid system that combines the best of aquaculture and hydroponics. System-wise, it looks like a hydroponic system, but instead of relying on a main reservoir that contains a nutrient solution, the source of nutrients will be a vat of live, swimming fish.
How does this work? When you feed fish, the fish will naturally excrete waste. The waste mixes with the water, increasing the ammonia levels.
Obviously, this waste has to be mediated and reduced, so as not to kill the fish. Normally, fish tanks are regulated by biological filters and other types of filters that neutralize ammonia and reduce the impact of feces on the fish.
In an aquaponics setup, water from the fish tank is recirculated throughout the system so that it passes through the grow beds, where crops are steadily being cultivated.
The plants absorb dissolved nutrients in the water and process ammonia, which is highly toxic to fish in increased levels.
Bacteria residing the in the roots of plants, as well as good bacteria from the gut of fish work together to establish a balanced ecosystem where both fish and plants will survive.
After about half a year, the mini-ecosystem formed by an aquaponics setup will begin to show signs of high-level, self-regulation.
This will be the time when both fish and plants will begin to truly flourish. There will be great increases in both fish yield and plant yield, and the maintenance of the system will become even easier.
Tip: Be sure to check the roots of plants for signs of rot.
Aquaponics Pros And Cons
The best thing about aquaponics is you will be essentially hitting two birds with one stone – you will be raising fish and growing crops at the same time.
Fish waste, which is something that is regulated in aquaculture, will no longer be considered a problem because it becomes a sought-after source of nutrition for the plants.
Without fish waste, plants wouldn’t have nutrients.
The plants, on the other hand, will serve as a 24/7 ammonia control center for the fish tank, reducing the ammonia load and preventing toxicity in the water.
Fish are sensitive to ammonia and even a small increase in the ammonia content in the water can cause stress, shock, and disease.
Additionally, aquaponics growers now add red worms to the grow beds to increase the efficiency of waste breakdown and subsequently, the distribution of nutrients to plants.
Red worms are first grown on soil and upon adulthood, they are then soaked/washed and then transferred to the growth bed of an aquaponics setup.
The process of breaking down physical waste into smaller particles through the digestive action of red worms is – you got it right, composting!
Yes, it is amazing to imagine that you can actually compost organic material on a grow bed, on stuff that isn’t actually soil.
But there you have it – red worms do the job quite splendidly.
In addition to helping improve the nutrient levels of the water being fed to the plants, there is another big reason why red worms are now being regularly included in aquaponics systems: e. coli.
E. coli is a common pathogen/bacteria found in fish feces. E. coli infections can bring down a full-grown, healthy adult and bring him to the hospital.
Imagine what a widespread e. coli outbreak can do to a tank full of fish, with no other place to hide from the swimming bacteria.
E. coli colonizes fish feces, so these need to be broken down more quickly to prevent an e. coli outbreak from taking over the system.
Red worms can do this perfectly because they need to eat fish feces to survive.
Is there a downside to an almost perfect system? One of the downsides of aquaponics culture is you have to be very specific with the design of the system so you won’t have to shut it down during the winter.
Obviously, you can’t move large equipment and vats indoors, unless you have a really big house (or garage) but all the same, it’s an issue since frozen water can easily kill fish and winter does the same to plants.
Another downside to the system is even if you only want to grow crops for consumption or sale, you still have to tend to your fish well enough so they don’t continually die off.
Fish care can be learned and if you are a natural hobbyist and if you don’t mind looking at another component in a system, then tending to your fish won’t be much of a problem.
Aeroponics
What is It?
Aeroponics is a variation of hydroponics, but instead of using a grow bed filled with media, the plants are instead suspended, with roots facing a sprinkler system connected to the main nutrient reservoir.
Depending on the plant and the design, aeroponics systems generally use little to no media at all.
Now, you may already be wondering – what is the point of all this?
Why not just use media like everyone else? Why do you have to install a sprinkler system that periodically sprays the roots of plants with the nutrient solution?
It all boils down to oxygen. Believe it or not, even if the roots of the plants are down there in the soil, these still need oxygenation in order to thrive.
One of the limitations of hydroponics is because the roots are also submerged in water and the media, there is often poor oxygenation, which hampers plant growth.
Aeroponics solves this problem by completely liberating the roots of the plants and allowing it to come into contact with pure air.
The results are astounding.
Crops grow two to three times their normal size and yields are simply amazing.
Root formations are also incredible. Normally, the taproot of plants only have a moderate amount of root hairs around them.
In plants grown using the aeroponics method, the roots flourish widely and the root hairs become really thick – a tangle of healthy root hairs just enjoying the exposure to oxygen.
Aeroponics Pros And Cons
As with any system, aeroponics has its own set of ups and downs. The main advantage of this system is crops grow incredibly quickly and the yields are high.
If you are after high yield and shorter growing periods, aeroponics is certainly something to think about, especially if you are already investing in equipment and space for this endeavor.
Aeroponics also uses the least amount of water over time and all excess water that isn’t used by the roots of the plants are simply drained back to the nutrient tank.
Tip: Always have backup power and an extra pump in an aeroponics setup.
The nutrient tank is checked daily, much like a conventional hydroponics system.
The pump and spray system is submerged in the water and through a simple timing mechanism, is able to deliver short mists of water to the roots of the plants.
And now for the downsides. Room air doesn’t store water, even if it’s really humid. Humidity is not enough to sustain the roots of plants at all.
Aeroponics is extremely dependent on the misting system. If something should happen to the misting system, then the plants can die easily as a result of dried up roots.
To avoid this, you have to plan ahead. The misting system needs to have backup power and you need to have a backup misting system too, in case the first one fails for some reason. This usually means having an identical pump waiting in store to replace the main once it breaks down.
The misting heads also need to be checked periodically for clogs. We recommend replacing these misting heads instead of just cleaning them to get optimum results.
Remember – your plants are at the mercy of the misting system. They’re not submerged in water and plants are like fish out of water when there’s periodic misting taking place.
US (HI): Researchers Help Waimānalo Families Use Aquaponics, Improve Health
Three researchers at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa have won a national fellowship and will receive $350,000 funding over three years to assist Waimānalo families with backyard aquaponics to sustainably produce healthy food.
The project will connect the modern technology of aquaponics with Native Hawaiian food practices. Aquaponics taps into the power of the natural symbiotic relationship between fish and plants, and combines the raising of plants in water with raising fish in tanks to create a sustainable, contained food production system.
From left, Ilima Ho-Lastimosa, Ted Radovich and Jane Chung-Do
The fellowship was awarded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works to promote health equity in the U.S.
The research team is comprised of Jane Chung-Do, an associate professor with the UH Mānoa Office of Public Health Studies in the Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work; Ilima Ho-Lastimosa, community coordinator at the Waimānalo Learning Center and an education specialist in the Department of Tropical Plant and Soil Science (TPSS) in the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources; and Ted Radovich, a TPSS associate specialist.
They will expand their work with families in Waimānalo to develop an aquaponics program to grow fresh fruits and vegetables and raise fish that families can use to prepare meals and Hawaiian medicines. This builds on the decade-long work that Ho-Lastimosa has been promoting in her community of Waimānalo.
The researchers will recruit Native Hawaiian families in Waimānalo to participate in aquaponics lessons and will guide the families in building and maintaining backyard systems. The researchers will follow up to see whether the systems are successful in helping the participants increase their intake of and access to fresh fruits, vegetables and fish, as well as promote healthy eating habits. In addition, impacts on participants’ mental wellness, cultural identity, family strength and community connectedness will be measured.
Ilima Ho-Lastimosa feeds fish in an aquaponics set-up, while Jane Chung-Do looks on.
“Our goal is to restore Native Hawaiian practices related to food and community,” said Chung-Do. “The study embraces the perspective that health is holistic and interconnected with our culture, families, communities and the ʻāina.”
As a public health scientist, Chung-Do has worked to enhance the wellness of children and families in Hawaii, especially in rural and minority communities.
Radovich was born and raised in Waimānalo and holds a PhD in horticulture. His expertise is in sustainable and organic farming systems.
Ho-Lastimosa grew up on the Waimānalo Homestead and holds masters degrees in social work and acupuncture; she is also a master gardener. The community leader and cultural practitioner in Waimānalo founded God’s Country Waimānalo, a group that initiated a food sovereignty and sustainability movement in the community.
Source: University of Hawai'i (Theresa Kreif)
Publication date : 10/11/2018
Green Life Farms Hires Elayne Dudley as Sales Director
Green Life Farms, a hydroponic farm currently under construction in Boynton Beach, FL, hired Elayne Dudley as its Sales Director, marking a major milestone as the project continues working toward commercial operations in April 2019.
Hydroponic farm under construction taps experienced sales veteran for new role
Boynton Beach, FL (November 1, 2018) – Green Life Farms, a hydroponic farm currently under construction in Boynton Beach, FL, hired Elayne Dudley as its Sales Director, marking a major milestone as the project continues working toward commercial operations in April 2019. Dudley will spearhead bringing Green Life Farms’ fresh and local leafy baby greens to supermarkets, restaurants, and other distributors throughout South Florida.
“Elayne comes to us with deep knowledge of the produce industry and vast experience in sales and marketing,” said Mike Ferree, Vice President, Green Life Farms. “She will be an important asset as we continue to grow and prepare for commercial operations to begin early next year.”
Dudley has more than 20 years of experience in marketing and sales, helping to grow business at several companies, including CVS Health, Loyalty Builders and Inside Sales Group. She brings expertise in strategic customer relationship building and business development in both business-to-business and business-to-consumer settings. Dudley is passionate about providing both outstanding customer service to Green Life Farms’ supermarket and restaurant accounts, and providing consumers with the freshest, cleanest, tastiest baby leafy greens on the market.
For people who expect more out of the food that goes into their bodies, by demanding less of what goes into producing it, Green Life Farms produce will set a new standard. The produce will be grown locally, using farming practices that keep produce free from harmful additives, so customers are free to enjoy it all without worry or waste.
Green Life Farms, a hydroponic farm currently under construction in Boynton Beach, FL, hired Elayne Dudley as its Sales Director, marking a major milestone as the project continues working towardcommercial operations in April 2019. Dudley will spearhead bringing Green Life Farms’ fresh and local leafy baby greens to supermarkets, restaurants, and other distributors throughout South Florida.
About Green Life Farms
Green Life Farms is constructing a 100,000 square-foot state-of-the-art hydroponic greenhouse in Boynton Beach, Florida, with additional expansion planned in Florida and beyond. Commercial operation is expected to begin in April 2019. Green Life Farms will provide consumers year-round with premium-quality, fresh, local, flavorful and clean baby leafy greens that are good for their bodies, families, communities and planet.
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United States and Israel Collaborative Research: Safe Recycle of Aquaponics and Hydroponics Water
Scientists from the University of Illinois and Agricultural Research Organization, Israel are collaborating to reduce the use of water in aquaponics and hydroponics.
USA.- Scientists from the University of Illinois and Agricultural Research Organization, Israel are collaborating to reduce the use of water in aquaponics and hydroponics. To prevent plant pathogens from spreading in these soilless environments, water disinfection is required.
The researchers found that disinfection with ozone created lower toxic effects than with chlorine. They also found that lower concentration of disinfectants over a longer exposure time created lower toxicity in the recycled water. The results were presented to aquaponics and hydroponics producers in Illinois.
Edenworks Touts Results From Growing With Ecology Instead Of Chemicals
Oct 30, 2018
Edenworks Touts Results From Growing With Ecology Instead Of Chemicals
Edenworks micro kale. Leafy greens are grown in a proprietary growing media designed to host a wide range of beneficial bacteria, improving plant health from the roots up. Plants are fertilized from under their roots with fertilizer from fish. Plants are grown in a controlled environment, lit by energy efficient LEDs.EDENWORKS
Jason Green, the aptly named CEO of Edenworks, says too many articles on the growth of the indoor farming industry are missing its "most exciting aspect." That is, the ability to achieve new levels of plant health through ecology rather than chemicals.
Edenworks grows produce and fish in aquaponic ecosystems. The company is based in Brooklyn, New York. When Forbes caught up with Green in 2017 for a "30 Under 30" feature, he and cofounder Matt LaRosa had plans to expand by the end of 2018, moving to a space 40 times larger while rolling out five more product lines across the New York City area.
Those type of plans are still in the works, but the company has been growing in other ways during the past year: Shifting its focus from the plant to the microbe after a bout with root rot fungus. And Green says they've unlocked ways to virtually eliminate diseases in plants while increasing yields and using less fertilizer.
Edenworks cofounders. From left: Ben Silverman, Matt LaRosa, Jason Green. Behind them is a vertical farming system. Plants are grown in vertically stacked shelves.HEIDI LEE
Edenworks supplies greens to Whole Foods and other select grocers in Brooklyn. The plants are grown with nutrients provided by the waste from farmed fish. Edenworks has plans to commercially sell the fish, striped bass, later on, followed by shrimp and salmon.
Aquaponics – a Great Way to Increase Farmers’ Income
For those who don’t know, Aquaponics is a sustainable method of raising both fish as well as vegetables.
26 October, 2018 | By Pawan Kumar Sharma
Population wise India is the second largest country in the world hence the government is worried about how to control the increasing population level but at the same time it is a matter of pride that we have largest youth potential in the world. In the present era we have a challenge to create employment opportunity for the job seekers and to provide nutritious diet to the present as well as future generations.
Good agriculture production could have been a solution but due to rising population, agricultural land is diminishing. Growing wasteland is also a big problem in farming. In urban areas due to space problem people don’t think about agricultural production but always demand for fresh quality vegetables and protein sources.
For all these problems there is one solution - Aquaponics.
For those who don’t know, Aquaponics is a sustainable method of raising both fish as well as vegetables. Aquaponics is a great indoor farming method, which can be done anywhere. It provides fresh local food that is without any pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers. Other benefits include:
It provides two crops in one place at a time and is very helpful in increasing the farmer’s income.
It gives more production than traditional farming method.
It provides vegetables from hydroponics and fishes from re-circulatory aquaculture system at the same time. We know that vegetables are the good source of vitamins and fish is a good source of protein with high amount of w -3 fatty acids that is helpful in maintaining good health.
Easy to operate.
It can be implanted in very small space like 10 m2, so the vegetables and fishes can be grown on site of restaurant, hotels, houses, and farms easily.
Aquaponics can be a good opportunity for the unemployed; they can start it as a startup business under START UP YOJANA.
HOW IT WORKS:
It combines Hydroponics and Re-circulatory aquaculture system and this is suitable for both as the nutrients requirements is fulfilled by the disposing of nutrient-rich fish waste from aquaculture unit thus there is no need for nutrient media. This fish waste provides a natural nutrient solution for plant growth and this nutrient-rich effluent is used to irrigate a connected hydroponic bed while fertilizing its plant crops at the same time. The filtration of water is done by the hydroponic unit as the plants absorb the nutrients and filter the water through the sand filter so this media based hydroponic system serves as an aerobic bio filter that is generally used in RAS, converting ammonia to nitrate. The ammonia is converted by denitrifying bacteria in the hydroponic grow bed into forms readily up taken by plants for energy and growth. Essentially, the hydroponic bed and its crops serve as a bio-filter for the fish waste water before it is returned, cleaned back into the fish tank. To utilize the nutrients more in amount from the waste water effluent of aquaculture unit, the Aquaponics unit should be dominated by the hydroponics system.
Preferable vegetables and fish species for Aquaponics:
Vegetables:
Lettuce, Basil, Coriander, Spring onion, Fruit vegetables such as tomato, cucumber, Beets, Okra, Blueberries, etc
Fish species
Nile Tilapia (the most preferable fish), Catfish, common carp, Asian Barramundi , Mullet, Perch, Largemouth bass, bester sturgeon, Grass carp, Ornamental fishes.
Potential of Aquaponics Production System (Fish and Vegetable):
The vegetables are produced around double in hydroponic and aquaponics systems as compared to more conventional horticulture system. Some researchers has demonstrated the total production from Fish and vegetable up to 160 kg/m2/yr. so the aquaponics is a great solution for food security and unemployment problem.
About the Author:
Pawan Kumar Sharma
Dr. J. Stephan Sampath Kumar
Centers for Sustainable Aquaculture, Thanjavur- 614904
Tamil Nadu Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Fisheries University Tamil Nadu.
pawan.sharma32224@gmail.com
Mobile- +91-9024974343
US (HI): Helping Waimānalo Families Use Aquaponics, Improve Health
Researchers Help Waimānalo Families Use Aquaponics, Improve Health
Three researchers at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa have won a national fellowship and will receive $350,000 funding over three years to assist Waimānalo families with backyard aquaponics to sustainably produce healthy food.
The project will connect the modern technology of aquaponics with Native Hawaiian food practices. Aquaponics taps into the power of the natural symbiotic relationship between fish and plants, and combines the raising of plants in water with raising fish in tanks to create a sustainable, contained food production system.
The fellowship was awarded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works to promote health equity in the U.S.
The research team is comprised of Jane Chung-Do, an associate professor with the UH Mānoa Office of Public Health Studies in the Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work; Ilima Ho-Lastimosa, community coordinator at the Waimānalo Learning Center and an education specialist in the Department of Tropical Plant and Soil Science (TPSS) in the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources; and Ted Radovich, a TPSS associate specialist.
They will expand their work with families in Waimānalo to develop an aquaponics program to grow fresh fruits and vegetables and raise fish that families can use to prepare meals and Hawaiian medicines. This builds on the decade-long work that Ho-Lastimosa has been promoting in her community of Waimānalo.
The researchers will recruit Native Hawaiian families in Waimānalo to participate in aquaponics lessons and will guide the families in building and maintaining backyard systems. The researchers will follow up to see whether the systems are successful in helping the participants increase their intake of and access to fresh fruits, vegetables and fish, as well as promote healthy eating habits. In addition, impacts on participants’ mental wellness, cultural identity, family strength and community connectedness will be measured.
Ilima Ho-Lastimosa feeds fish in an aquaponics set-up, while Jane Chung-Do looks on.
“Our goal is to restore Native Hawaiian practices related to food and community,” said Chung-Do. “The study embraces the perspective that health is holistic and interconnected with our culture, families, communities and the ʻāina.”
As a public health scientist, Chung-Do has worked to enhance the wellness of children and families in Hawaii, especially in rural and minority communities.
Radovich was born and raised in Waimānalo and holds a PhD in horticulture. His expertise is in sustainable and organic farming systems.
Ho-Lastimosa grew up on the Waimānalo Homestead and holds masters degrees in social work and acupuncture; she is also a master gardener. The community leader and cultural practitioner in Waimānalo founded God’s Country Waimānalo, a group that initiated a food sovereignty and sustainability movement in the community.
Source: University of Hawai'i (Theresa Kreif)
Publication date : 10/11/2018
Dachnik Aquaponics Completes Vertical Aquaponics Renovation of Commercial Facility in Copperton, Utah
Dachnik Aquaponics, an Aquaponics Technology company founded in Utah, spent the entire summer renovating their Vertical Growing Commercial Aquaponics Facility located in Copperton, Utah.
Their previous design, consisting of Bamboo vertical growing towers, created a lot of attention and buzz in the community; including videos by top YouTube Organic Food channel “Growing Your Greens” which has currently received over 273,000 views explaining the system and its unique design in detail.
Video Link
Dachnik Aquaponics was barely able to keep up with email inquiries and phone calls for months when the system went live and was revealed to the world.
However, the bamboo towers while looked gorgeous; were not viable for a large-scale commercial operation. They did not have the durability needed to last long-term and were extremely high maintenance.
With every new system Dachnik Aquaponics builds, new ideas come along that help solve potential problems and how to make it better. Their goal is to never idlily standby any design, but to always keep improving it for maximum efficiency in order to keep raising the bar in Aquaponics.
“Most of the media attention, buzz and money is currently flowing towards Hydroponics. However, we feel like Aquaponics provides the full spectrum needed for sustainable agriculture but has remained quite stagnant over the years without any substantial, disruptive developments in order to solve the problems all commercial Aquaponics farms face that make it unattractive to farmers and investors and hinder profitability. Our next generation design solves the issues plaguing Aquaponics by creating a one-of-a-kind biofilter, massively increased plant yield per SqFt, and effectively eliminating most labor requirements.”
Sean Burrows, Co-Founder, Dachnik Aquaponics
Fast forward to where we are now. We have built a complete proof of concept and working farm about a 1/6th scale of the commercial farms we envision our next projects to be. Our automated vertical Aquaponics systems are simpler to operate and provide the most grow holes per square foot of any other Aquaponics system to date. Thanks to our new patented vertical growing tower consisting of 48 grow holes per tower as well as our “stackable” float bed design.
We can produce as many plants in 10,000 square feet as 36 acres in California. Based on 15,000 plants per acre and 4 harvests per year. Attached to the Aquaponics greenhouse is the fish and production/storage building where we expect the five 18,000-gallon fish tanks to produce up to 100,000lbs of fish per year, as well as Australian Redclaw and other Crayfish. We are forming alliances with state-of-the-art greenhouse designs and solar to create completely off grid systems with a very attractive return on investment.
Our Aquaponics growing system is quite simply the ultimate bio filter. We set out to create a system that works in harmony with nature and yes, we kept the media and worms.
Looking five years down the road, Dachnik Aquaponics sees itself as the leader in Aquaponics technology with large fully automated commercial systems built worldwide. We want to be adding billions of dollars into the economies where our systems are built. Dachnik Aquaponics is also planning on selling smaller “residential” sized systems as well based off their commercial designs.
Here’s the latest video update from Dachnik Aquaponics showing their new and improved design after the renovation of their previous one:
Video Link
Their current model is now selling fresh produce within Salt Lake County to restaurants, markets, caterers along with a monthly membership direct to consumer model.
Dachnik Aquaponics is currently taking orders for commercial sized farms.
Here’s a link to their website to learn more
Urban Farming Organization Visualizes a Franchise Model To Produce Fresh Fish And Vegetables
Lisa Waterman Gray
On a cool September morning, Dre Taylor dodged raindrops while talking with several people tending beans, peppers, tomatillos, collards and more outside of a 4,500-square-foot building. This is Nile Valley Aquaponics, a vibrant fixture in Kansas City, Missouri's urban core. The name came from Egypt where people cultivated plants and fish thousands of years ago. Goats and picnic tables share outdoor space and offices occupy a nearby house.
Last summer (2018), Nile Valley Aquaponics grew dozens of fruits, vegetables and herbs, from tomatoes and squash to basil and sage, kale and Swiss chard. Its 100,000 Pound Food Project seeks to produce 100,000 pounds of local fresh fish, vegetables and herbs, creating greater access to healthy food choices, while providing volunteer opportunities and economic stability in the area. Health education is also important. Several October classes will address growing mushrooms, building a greenhouse for less than US$500, and building a personal aquaponics system.
Nile Valley Aquaponics' 100,000 Pound Food Project seeks to produce 100,000 pounds of local fresh fish, vegetables and herbs, creating greater access to healthy food choices.Lisa Waterman Gray
The organization operates under the 501c3 M2M (Males to Men) Community Foundation mentorship program, which Taylor launched in 2013. He also founded the Kansas City Urban Farm Co-Op whose Fruit Orchard opens on Sept. 29 in Swope Park.
Taylor's interest in aquaponics began following a Will Allen workshop by former professional basketball player and founder of Milwaukee-based Growing Power Backyard Aquaponics (the nonprofit has closed). After creating a personal aquaponics system and a 2013 visit to Growing Power Backyard Aquaponics, Taylor's dream expanded. Once he had a 378-liter (100-gallon) fish tank operating, Taylor began talking to potential funders.
Construction began in October 2015 on two vacant lots donated by long time residents and community leaders Harrel Sr. and Myrtle Johnson. Three conjoining vacant lots were also purchased from the Land Bank of Kansas City. Taylor and volunteers removed 18 trees, which became tables, benches and a desk.
By March 2017, these previously distressed vacant lots had become a welcome urban oasis. "Our goal is to grow all fish food here, by January 2019," Taylor said. "About 800 people have worked on this project. Everybody loves it and we have a lot of community support. We're building a community based on food. Kids involved during the summer received stipends funded through grant money."
Nile Valley's facilities are welcome urban oases for the community.
Lisa Waterman Gray
Modern-day aquaponics facilities operate from Myanmar to Peru. Aquaponics critics fear energy consumed by these indoor farms may negate potential climate benefits and Taylor admits his monthly electric bill can top US$1,000.
But these operations typically use less water than traditional farms do. Aquaponics farmers re-circulate water while housing more fish in smaller spaces. With plants included in 'the loop' the land and water needs decrease. In Half Moon Bay, California, Ouroboros Farms circulated the same 227,125 liters (60,000 gallons) of water for a year.
Organic certification has been another sticking point. However, late last year, the National Organic Standards Board rejected a proposal prohibiting hydroponic and aquaponic farms from organic certification. Nile Valley Aquaponics isn't currently certified.
Taylor has patents pending on his state-of-the-art system. Today, approximately 30,000 tilapia thrive here, while three six-foot-deep troughs feed and water 5660-square-meters (20,000-square-feet) of indoor 'farmland' on four levels.
Taylor also created an organic pesticide liquid that should be available for sale next year. Every week three hundred pounds of coffee chaff from a coffee roaster, plus water, create 'feed' for more than a million Black Soldier Flies that eat it while breeding. This yields one ton of waste per month, making compost and releasing a natural pesticide liquid that is mixed with water before application to plants.
In 2019, a major expansion will unfold. Designed by St. Louis-based HOK (a global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm), it will incorporate two additional greenhouses, raised garden beds, a chicken coop and beehives. Sustainable materials, a wind turbine and rainwater cisterns will enhance the site, where neighbors will find community gathering and event spaces too.
"The new facility will be a sleek, new urban [agriculture] design that can be used in a mixed-use area—from neighborhoods to new developments," Taylor said. "Nile Valley is a game changer, bringing healthy food, community, education, and economic development to an underserved community."
From Seaton’s Basement, This Professor Is Using Aquaponics To Teach Sustainability
October 6, 2018
Kansas State professor of biological and agricultural engineering Stacy Hutchinson pulls dead stems and other plant material from her single-barrel aquaponics system. Hutchinson has run her aquaponics system in the basement of Seaton Hall for around two years, allowing students and other faculty members to assist and/or learn from the system. (Olivia Bergmeier | Collegian Media Group)
Kansas State was built as a college of agriculture, but there is a smaller operation in the basement of Seaton Hall that can help communicate the work of producers to the consumers of the world, Stacy Hutchinson, professor of biological and agricultural engineering, said.
Hutchinson said she uses a single-barrel aquaponics system to help students learn about its use in sustainable farming practices. The system produces vegetables and fish proteins in a circular system where the waste from the fish feeds the plants that then clean the water for the fishes’ habitat.
Kansas State professor of biological and agricultural engineering Stacy Hutchinson poses with her single barrel aquaponics system, where she grows different breeds of lettuce and grows talapia. Hutchinson has run her aquaponics system in the basement of Seaton Hall for around two years, allowing students and other faculty members to assist and/or learn from the system. (Olivia Bergmeier | Collegian Media Group)
“In an aquaponics system, you’re a little more sustainable, because you’re producing both the vegetables, the plant material as well as raising protein,” Hutchinson said.
Kansas State professor Stacy Hutchinson runs her own aquaponics system in the basement of Seaton Hall. “In an aquaponics system, you’re a little more sustainable, because you’re producing both the vegetables as well as raising protein.” (Olivia Bergmeier | Collegian Media Group)
Hutchinson said she oversees one barrel, but her system holds 250 gallons and it holds up to 200 pounds of fish once they’ve matured.
“There’s not much water left at that point, it’s just like a solid fish mass,” Hutchinson said.
An aquaponics system makes it easier to grow protein, unlike with traditional farming practices in beef and poultry, Hutchinson said.
Where it takes a lot of resources to grow those two types of meat proteins in agriculture, an aquaponics system allows for the growth of the protein and the carbohydrates that utilize the same nutrient pool in a circular system, she said. The only input into the system is food for the fish to consume.
“In a very small footprint, you can farm pretty high-quality protein as well as produce you’re vegetables,” Hutchinson said.
Aquaponics is a circular system, meaning the nutrient-rich water from the fish tank below is pumped into the tank where the different vegetables will grow. Hutchinson said, "It’s more sustainable in the fact that you’re recycling fish waste back up into plant food so you don’t have that extra input requirement for the plant food, plus then you’re producing protein which that’s something we have a little harder time farming." (Olivia Bergmeier | Collegian Media Group)
Hutchinson spoke at length about an aquaponics group in Kansas City called the Urban Farming Guys who have tackled a local food desert.
“Jason’s family and the group that he works with went in and set up a lot of garden plots, but they also run a barrel aquaponics system like I’m running,” Hutchinson said.“It’s rejuvenating that area through [an aquaponic] food production.”
“Crime has gone down, people are now wanting garden spots and he’s creating an entire economy off of the urban farming processes and aquaculture is part of it,” she said.
It was not long ago when almost 80 percent of the American population was involved in food production and today there is less than one percent, Hutchinson said.
These beads, located in the highest tank of the aquaponics system, will "catch" algae and other microorganisms to help clean the water for the fish in the lower tank and to help feed the various vegetables. Hutchinson has run her aquaponics system in the basement of Seaton Hall for around two years, allowing students and other faculty members to assist and/or learn from the system. (Olivia Bergmeier | Collegian Media Group)
She said efforts like the Urban Farming Guys and similar operations are where communication between the grower and the consumer are being revitalized.
In what she referred to as the “farmer’s market movement,” people are moving toward more niche or small-town operations that revolve around one-way consumerism and better education about food sourcing.
“You’ve got groups of people now that are producing food at scales that they’re probably not making a full living off of, but they’re connecting back in a way and producing sustainable, high-quality food product that can be sold locally,” Hutchinson said.
A New Hotel Design Featuring Breeding Tanks Full of Fish And Vegetable-Filled Vertical Farms — Take A Look
October 1, 2018 | Peter Kotecki
Varinot & Varinot Architectes
The annual Radical Innovation Award competition always features elaborate and imaginative hotel designs, including water-powered resorts on mountaintops and rooms in flying glass pods.
This year, one of the finalists created a hotel design centered on aquaponics - a system that combines raising fish and cultivating plants in water. Excretions from the fish can increase the toxicity of the water, but this water is fed to the plant system, where bacteria turn the by-products intro nutrients for the plants. The water is purified by the time it returns to the aquatic system at the end of the closed cycle.
Varinot & Varinot Architectes, a firm based in France, wants to apply this closed loop model to hotels by recycling rainwater throughout the building. The circulation would provide water to aquariums, flowers, and vertical produce farms within the hotel.
Radical Innovation Award winners will be announced on October 3. In the meantime, take a look at some of the renderings for the Aquaponic Experience Hotel.
The architects' proposal calls for a modular design that could adapt to different skylines around the world. It could be a smaller building in Paris or a tall tower in New York, for example.
Varinot & Varinot Architectes
A rooftop restaurant would serve local food, and breeding tanks on different floors would feature sturgeons, crawfish, tilapia, trout, and more.
Varinot & Varinot Architectes
Each room would include an aquarium that would provide water for various flowers and herbs.
Varinot & Varinot Architectes
In line with the aquaponics model, the vertical culture system on each floor — where produce is grown in vertically-stacked layers —would filter the water before it is injected back into the fish tank.
Varinot & Varinot Architectes
The hotel's vertical cultures would include mushrooms, tomatoes, eggplant, melons, lettuce, strawberries, and grapes.
Varinot & Varinot Architectes
From homemade caviar to vegetable salads and crawfish dishes, the architects say the hotel's production of fish and produce could each feed 60 people per day.
Varinot & Varinot Architectes
It is unclear if the Aquaponic Experience Hotel will ever be created, but the competition finalists will all meet with industry experts to discuss developing their ideas further.
US (MD): South Mountain MicroFARM Increases Lettuce Yield By 60% And Microgreens Yield By 10%
South Mountain MicroFARM is a 100% LED-lit, aquaponic leafy greens cultivator in Maryland. The 7,500 square foot greenhouse is situated on the Sellers family’s 22-acre Christmas tree farm. Two-thirds of the greenhouse contains media beds, hydroponic channels and vertical racks that grow a wide range of lettuces, herbs, and microgreens. The remaining one-third houses tanks of tilapia. For Levi Sellers, South Mountain’s Head Grower, building the greenhouse was a homecoming in multiple ways. Levi has lived many lives - he’s worked in a hydroponics supply shop, as a mountaineering guide, and an EMT. But he felt agriculture calling him back to the family farm.
Building an energy-efficient greenhouse
One of the biggest challenges to growing year-round in Maryland is the summer heat and humidity. As a result, the greenhouse was designed with the west-facing wall open for ventilation, so that the winds that blow from west to east can passively cool the greenhouse. Levi installed shade cloths to further soften the relentless heat and light of Maryland summers. Vertical fans help control humidity levels. The lower heat output of the LumiGrow fixtures made them the practical choice for Maryland’s climate.
“When it’s 80% humidity and 100 degrees outside, there’s not a thing you can do. If it’s a cloudy day, you still need to run your lights so that you don’t lose production," explains Levi, "If we were using HIDs, we’d just be increasing our heat more. It’s much harder to control. We really like that we’re able to run our lights on cloudy days and not worry so much about the heat.”
Choosing LumiGrow has also allowed South Mountain to save on upfront infrastructure costs. Installing HID fixtures would have required them to install an additional electrical service panel and purchase a larger backup generator. When the power goes out for extended periods of time during the summer, the lower power draw of the LumiGrow fixtures makes it possible to run both the fish tanks and the lights on the farm’s existing generators. South Mountain MicroFARM also received a 40% utility rebate for purchasing energy-efficient lights, which made the price competitive with HID.
For South Mountain, the benefits of choosing LEDs over HPS were clear. LumiGrow’s high standard of customer service made the choice a no-brainer.
“We looked at several of your competitors, but they weren’t offering the same spectrum adjustability and their customer service wasn’t as good as what I experienced with [our Account Manager] Mike," recalls Levi.
Picture-perfect lettuce
According to Levi, South Mountain’s heads of lettuce are a lot bigger and denser than their hydroponically grown competitors at the grocery store. South Mountain’s lettuce fills the package better, making them more attractive to the end-consumer.
“When I compare photos of our greens grown under LEDs to others' grown with the same aquaponics system who went with the manufacturer’s recommendation to use HID, our LED-grown lettuce looks so perfect and pristine that it almost looks fake,” says Levi.
Levi runs his fixtures year-round to maintain the specific DLI that produces the uniform, picture-perfect plants that consumers are looking for. He tries to maintain about 18 hours of light per day, so the energy savings from his LumiGrow fixtures make a big difference. DLI and photoperiod are both key factors in biomass generation - the higher the DLI, the more biomass produced per plant lifecycle.
Levi’s LumiGrow fixtures have had a huge impact on his lettuce crop - they reach harvest size in 40-50 days, shaving up to 33% off the crop production cycle. This allows Levi to fit in more turns. Levi has also had great results with his microgreens - his LumiGrow-lit trials were ready to harvest 2-3 days earlier than his unlit microgreens. The LumiGrow-lit trays also produced approximately 10% more material per tray.
Levi has also experimented with allowing the heads of lettuce to grow for the full 55-60 days. He found that the LumiGrow-lit lettuce was 40-60% heavier. Restaurants buy lettuce by the tote, so heavier heads of lettuce allow South Mountain to reach the tote weight that restaurants expect with fewer heads of lettuce. All of this means more revenue for South Mountain MicroFARM.
In addition to producing a better-looking, more marketable product, South Mountain MicroFARM uses 75% less energy than their friend’s similar-sized greenhouse.
A pink beacon of sustainability
Initially, Levi had some concerns about what the locals would think about the greenhouse’s vivid hue illuminating the side of the mountain. His fears were unfounded. While the locals often jokingly ask if the farm is having a rave without inviting them, the truth is that they love the pink glow. Their kids adore how it stands out at night and proudly use it as a landmark when telling their friends where they live.
“It acts as a form of advertisement for us, and it’s really sped up the word of mouth advertising about our business and what we’re doing,” says Levi, “We’ve built our brand around being very sustainable and eco-friendly. We focus on every detail, down to the fish feed to make sure it’s locally sourced and sustainably grown. And what better way to show people that than an uncommon glow of pink from our greenhouse? The pink glow means we’re doing something different.”
For more information:
LumiGrow
800-514-0487
info@lumigrow.com
www.lumigrow.com
Publication date : 9/24/2018
AccorHotels Now Using 600 Onsite Urban Food Gardens
Hospitality giant Accor Hotels has announced that it is on track to install urban fruit and vegetable gardens at 1,000 of its 4,500 global hotels by 2020
9 August 2018, source edie newsroom
Hospitality giant AccorHotels has announced that it is on track to install urban fruit and vegetable gardens at 1,000 of its 4,500 global hotels by 2020, as part of its commitment to cut emissions from food transportation and reduce its food waste output.
The urban vegetable garden at Novotel London Waterloo produced enough pesticide-free basil to stock the kitchen all summer
The hotelier has today (August 9) revealed that it has fitted 600 of its locations worldwide with the gardens, which supply fresh vegetables, herbs and salads to be used in its restaurant and bar menus, putting the chain on track to meet its target of installing 400 more over the next two years. To date, 26 of these gardens are at UK branches, including the Novotel hotels in Canary Wharf, Paddington and Waterloo.
AccorHotels said in a statement that the move to build the gardens would help the company meet its target of reducing food waste from its restaurants – which collectively serve more than 150 million meals each year - by 30% by 2020, while boosting the traceability, and reducing the environmental footprint, of its produce supply chains.
“As a group that produces a lot of food for our guests across the world, it is vital that we play our part in reducing food waste and investing in sustainable food systems,” AccorHotels’ chief operating officer for Northern Europe, Thomas Dubaere, said.
“Our hotels are encouraged to source local produce, reducing the environmental impact from their food purchases and providing outlets for farmers to sell their produce.”
As well as shortening the produce supply chain, AccorHotels claims that installing urban gardens has improved the biodiversity and air quality in the areas surrounding its hotels, reduced the urban heat island effect and urban runoff and provided better heat and sound insulation to buildings which have rooftop gardens.
In addition to produce from onsite, pesticide-free gardens – which make use of hydroponic, aquaponic and vertical farming innovations to thrive - AccorHotels regularly uses honey produced from beehives on hotel rooftops across its restaurants. For example, the Novotel London Tower Bridge has recently been fitted with hives on its rooftop garden, with AccorHotels estimating that this will enable kitchen and bar staff to harvest 30kg of honey by the end of 2018.
Branching out
AccorHotels’ commitment to build urban gardens at its hotels forms part of the chain’s Planet 21 sustainability strategy, which was launched in 2012 and sets out a range of 2020 targets across topics such as eco-design, energy efficiency and water stewardship, alongside sustainably sourced food.
The strategy additionally includes the company’s Plant For The Planet initiative, which has seen AccorHotels commit to plant 10 million trees by 2021 through a string of global agroforestry and reforestation projects.
As of 2016, it has planted five million trees in 26 countries through the initiative – but Dubaere noted that the need to champion sustainable agriculture in a city environment had grown since Plant For The Planet launched in 2009.
“Our backing of agroforestry projects supports sustainable food production in rural areas, but almost 70% of the global population will live in cities by 2050, so we also feel it is important to mitigate the increasing consumption in urban areas,” Dubaere added.
The launch of the urban garden initiative came after AccorHotels last year became a signatory of WRAP’s Courtauld Commitment 2025, committing to achieve at least a 20% reduction in food waste and greenhouse gas emissions. To date, more than XYZ companies across a range of sectors have signed up to the commitment, with signatories representing 95% of the UK food market.
Sarah George
2nd Urban Agri Africa 2018
The world’s population is expected to increase by about 3 billion by 2050 and it is forecasted that nearly 80% of that population will live in urban centers.
Africa’s urban growth rate is at 3.5% the highest in the world and doubles the world average. The challenge of growing enough healthy food for Africa’s growing cities is enormous. At the same time, the stresses of climate change, and the declining availability of arable land and fresh water are challenging conventional agriculture as never before.
Many countries and companies are expressing strong interest in vertical farming business and urban agriculture. It is a solution to the weather and pests problems, food security, climate change and environmental preservation. Commercialization of vertical farming is catching on in Asia, Europe, USA, Russia and now Africa.
Many private companies are interested in growing crops in hydroponics, aquaponics and aeroponics systems in warehouses, greenhouses, containers and high scrapers. There is also a burgeoning interest in the production of medicinal plants in vertical farms.
Africa has unique opportunities for vertical farms. Feeding Africa’s rapidly growing urban population will continue to be a daunting challenge, but vertical farming – and its variations – is one of the most innovative approaches that can be tapped into as part of an effort to grow fresh, healthy, nutritious and pesticide-free food for consumers.
Learn more at 2nd Urban Agri Africa 2018 to be held on September 25-26 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The latest joint ventures and partnerships will be highlighted, case studies shared and strategies robustly debated. New trends, opportunities, and technologies will be showcased, once again providing the perfect platform for extraordinary networking opportunities for all Summit participants.
Find out more at 2nd Urban Agri Africa 2018.
To register or request event details... Contact
Jose at +65 6846 2366 or jose@magenta-global.com.sg today.
Growing Mixed Greens At The Largest Aquaponics Facility In The World
Superior Fresh in Hixton, Wisconsin, produces 1.8 million pounds of lettuce and leafy greens — and 40,000 pounds of fish — within 123,000 square feet of production space.
Treena Hein
Very unique greens are growing right now in a greenhouse in Hixton, Wisconsin.
An aerial shot of Superior Fresh in Hixton, WisconsinPhoto courtesy of Superior Fresh
These greens are distinctive in several ways — first and foremost, they float on a rather large water tank of 850,000 gallons. Indeed, they are located at what the company says is the largest aquaponics facility in the world and utilize salmon waste in their growth. They are also certified organic.
Superior Fresh has been growing various greens and Atlantic salmon since 2017 with an eventual projected greenhouse harvest of 1.8 million pounds and fish harvest of 40,000 pounds per year. The greenhouse is quite large (123,000 square feet with more than 1,100 LED lights) and employs 40 people, including the adjacent packaging facility.
Baby romaine, spring mix, head lettuce, red leaf lettuce, swiss chard, bibb and green romaine are currently being marketed by Superior Fresh to various retailers, schools, hospitals and restaurants between Minneapolis and Chicago. “Our goal is to keep everything within 400 miles of our farm so that our customers get the freshest product possible,” says chief operating officer Brandon Gottsacker. “We currently package both washed and raw product in plastic clamshells, bags and wholesale cases.”
Superior Fresh has 123,000 square feet of greenhouse space, outfitted with more than 1,100 LED lights.Photo courtesy of Superior Fresh
Semi-decoupled system
Some aquaponics systems have a setup wherein the plants grow in floating beds right in the fish tanks, but Superior Fresh uses what it calls a semi-decoupled system. The system has interconnected but separate greenhouse and aquaculture operations, with the same water usually flowing through both, then cleaned and recirculated. Gottsacker says there are several benefits to this system. “It allows us to have a large-scale, high-production environment for completely different organisms, fish and plants,” he says. “In addition, water parameters ranging from temperature to nitrates and micronutrients are measured and adjusted as needed, but in our setup, we have the option to completely decouple the systems. That is, we can circulate the water continuously or control the greenhouse environment independently from the fish system but still utilize all the available nutrients from fish waste.” The plants are grown in standard floating foam boards, which Gottsacker and his team are optimistic will last for years.
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Superior Fresh head grower Adam Shinners says running an aquaponics greenhouse in Wisconsin had initial challenges with fine-tuning the nutrients, handling pest and disease pressure and also managing light, but at this point, he and his team have had many months to optimize processes. The goal, as it is in any greenhouse, is to achieve a consistent environment to ensure consistent product, but it’s obviously more complex due to the fish factor. Shinners had had to ensure that the nutrient mass balance between fish waste load and plant uptake is accurate, consult with pest and diseases experts to ensure good management practices minimize risk, and work closely with Superior Fresh’s LED supplier to help understand the best lighting strategy, “with plant yield, energy consumption and plant morphology in mind.”
The pests that Superior Fresh greens have had to contend with include mites, thrips and aphids, all of which must be controlled using beneficial insects in order to maintain organic product certification. “We are currently using Swirski mites and Chrysopa as our beneficial insect of choice to control for thrips and aphids,” Shinners says. “
This practice is seasonal and pressure-dependent. When the pressure is low to undetectable during the winter months, the usage is discontinued. When pressure increases during the summer months, using these beneficials seems to control the population of these pests very well.” With all that water in the greenhouse, mildew is another challenge, but it’s being addressed well with precise humidity control and the use of preventative biological fungicides. These are sprayed through an atomizer, Shinners explains, ensuring good leaf coverage while using a minimal amount of product.
Lettuce and leafy greens grown at Superior Fresh include baby romaine, spring mix, head lettuce, red leaf lettuce, swiss chard, bibb and green romaine.Photo courtesy of Superior Fresh
Production challenges
At the same time Superior Fresh has handled the basics of greenhouse production, the greenhouse team is also working to ensure the right varieties are grown at the right times of year to maximize quality and yield. “We have been testing varieties for over a year now, so we are slowly collecting data as to which varieties we should grow at certain times,” Shinners says. “We offset the natural decrease in biomass during the winter by injecting carbon dioxide into the air and extending the photoperiod to 20 hours using our LEDs.” The LED spectrum provided is suited for greens production: blue and red wavelengths, at a rate of 12 to 14 mols, depending on how much sunlight is available on a given day.
Water for the greens is drawn from two wells on the property, flowing first to the fish and then to the greens, with 99 percent recirculation. The remaining 1 percent is removed along with fish waste and used to irrigate alfalfa fields onsite. All fish processing waste and greenhouse waste is also composted onsite and applied to these same fields.
An ozone system is used to treat the water, but only unwanted bacteria are targeted. “Beneficial bacteria are a very important piece of the puzzle when integrating fish and plants and we do not want to kill them,” Gottsacker explains. “The ozone helps flocculate the solids, which helps keep the water free of unwanted or unnecessary bacteria.”
The nutrient level from the fish waste is very consistent and now displaces about half the fertilizer that would otherwise be required on an ongoing basis. Initially, however, Shinners says the fish waste was not high enough in macronutrients to meet the demands of the greens. This has changed as the fish matured and feeding rates have increased, and some micronutrients are added into the greenhouse fertigation system.
Superior Fresh packages washed and raw product in plastic clamshells (pictured), bags and wholesale cases.Photo courtesy of Superior Fresh
In terms of other hurdles, Gottsacker says one of the biggest has been, “trying to get buyers and/or distributers to understand what we are offering. … Many buyers have a difficult time changing their conventional ways.
All of our customers have been incredibly responsive to this futuristic style of growing and truly enjoy coming to see the farm and all the foods that we are producing. The hardest part is getting the attention of buyers and getting them to make a change as well.” He adds that because salmon are a coldwater fish species that require very good water quality, keeping that in check “requires constant monitoring and is incredibly challenging.”
Gottsacker gives huge credit to the staff. “Everyone here puts in farmer’s hours when needed no matter what day of the year it is,” he says. People with farming mentality were hard to find, but today we have a great group of people onsite every day that do a great job keeping our fish and plants thriving.”
He adds that if Superior Fresh only focused on a few varieties of lettuces, it could hit its goal of 1.8 million pounds a year very quickly. However, Gottsacker explains that “we as a team have the vision to grow what people want. … This vision comes with some production volume sacrifices but shows our customers that we can grow them what they want.” He notes that standalone aquaculture systems, especially for salmonids, take two or more years to see any cashflow, but by farming both fish and plants, Superior Fresh was “able to alleviate the long lead time to positive cashflow with produce sales early on in the development of the business.”
Looking forward, Gottsacker says that “as people begin to recognize the positive benefits that comes along with growing food the way we do, they become life-long customers.”
Treena is an Ontario-based national and international award-winning writer who focuses on science, technology and industry issues.
Aquaponics As A Way To Reduce Food Imports In The Caribbean
Tackling the Caribbean’s high food import bill and improving food security is increasingly being explored through aquaponics.
This potential was highlighted by the recent visit to the Choiseul aquaponics facility and mobile desalination plant in Laborie in Saint Lucia by both the Hon. Dean Jonas, Minister of Agriculture of Antigua and Barbuda and Mr. Jedidiah Maxime, Director of the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Fisheries, and Barbuda Affairs.
Minister Jonas said that while the OECS faced an unacceptably high food import bill, the region also faced an unprecedented opportunity to lead the way in aquaponics which needs 90% less land and water than agriculture but has the potential to generate 3 to 4 times more food than the latter.
“While traditional farming will always remain the backbone of the OECS agricultural industry and is envisaged to expand with the support of enterprises such as the agri-shipping initiative, we must also expand investment in complementary food production techniques such as aquaponics and hydroponics where sometimes limited agriculture land tenure and space demand creative new ways of food production” said Minister Jonas.
“An aquaponics industry can facilitate the rearing of fish for high value protein concurrently with green leafy vegetables, beans, peas, radishes, onions, herbs and other produce which as an import substitution measure can help reduce dependence on these foreign imports.
“I commend the Choiseul facility for helping pioneer the important role aquaponics can not only play in driving economic activity but also in ensuring food security through the production of more eco-friendly, nutritious and high-value produce for local communities” said Minister Jonas.
OECS Director General Dr. Didacus Jules said the Choiseul aquaponics facility was a model for the rest of the OECS to replicate for the highly efficient use of existing space for more economical food production.
“Crops may be produced according to the interests of growers and local demand and notably production is generally more environmentally sustainable than traditional farming" said Dr. Jules.
“Depending on market trends, crop production can be rapidly accelerated according to local, tourism and export demand.
“There is also an opportunity for small holders and young people seeking a career in complementary agricultural technologies to enter aquaponics, both as a commercial venture and as way to produce food for local consumption.
“However, public-private investments in the right frameworks of support and infrastructure will be required beyond present capacity and to this end we will also be seeking to engage our development partners further as part of an existing coalition of support to the OECS’s agriculture industry” said Dr. Jules.
For more information:
OECS
The 2018 Aquaponics Association Annual Conference Is 1 DAY AWAY - Aquaponics Across Connecticut!
The Putting Up Shoots Conference Features Tours of Four Sites Across The Great State of Connecticut.
The 2018 Aquaponics Association Annual Conference is less than 10 DAYS AWAY - have you registered for the largest aquaponics event in the nation?
Learn from Top Aquaponics Experts from Around the World!
Join us and leaders from Practical Aquaponics, Foodery Farms, Ouroboros Farms, Waterfarmers, and so much more Sept. 21-23rd for the event of the season!
The Putting Up Shoots Conference Features Tours of Four Sites Across The Great State of Connecticut.
Guests will get a first-hand look at all angles of aquaponics: commercial, food safety, community, research, and STEM education.
Tours will inform afternoon sessions and team-building. We will identify ways that Connecticut growers are breaking down barriers and growing more with aquaponics, and how we can all apply these lessons.
Check out the Putting Up Shoots Conference Homepage for ticket info.
Also, check out the draft Putting Up Shoots Schedule.
Email community@aquaponicsassociation.org for questions.
There's A Ticket Type For Everyone
With day passes starting at $175, STEM educator weekend passes at $375 with the code "onceinalifetime", and full weekend passes at $475, there's a place for everyone at the conference!
Hope to see you there!
The Loss of a Solid Manufacturing Base Has Left Connecticut Trapped With Long-Term, Structural Economic Problems.
Companies like Trifecta Ecosystems in Meriden and Ideal Fish in Waterbury are pioneers of an entirely new industry: aquaponics, recirculating aquaculture, and controlled-environment growing.
By Brian Filipowich, Eric Pedersen, and Spencer Curry
The loss of a solid manufacturing base has left Connecticut trapped with long-term, structural economic problems.
But there is an elegant solution: tap into the state’s technological pedigree, agricultural past, and unused infrastructure to manufacture something different – world-class produce and fish.
Companies like Trifecta Ecosystems in Meriden and Ideal Fish in Waterbury are pioneers of an entirely new industry: aquaponics, recirculating aquaculture, and controlled-environment growing. Aquaponics is a method of growing fish and plants in a closed system in which nutrient-dense fish water provides nutrients for hydroponic systems that grow produce all year long.
Already, Trifecta Ecosystems in Meriden has a total capacity to feed 200 families their weekly veggies all year round, in addition to 600 lbs. of fish protein grown per year. Trifecta also helps more than 20 schools and non-profit organizations from around the state grow food for themselves using aquaponics.
Ideal Fish has tapped into the Brass City’s robust industrial infrastructure that includes high-quality manufacturing space, electrical power, water, waste water treatment, and transportation infrastructure. From Cleveland to Detroit, aquaponic farms are springing up in old factories.
The most advanced aquaponic growers in the nation, like Superior Fresh of Wisconsin, are growing sushi-grade salmon and over ten thousand units of greens per day in multi-acre controlled-environment greenhouses. These growers provide a vision for Connecticut’s future.
We can no longer rely on shipping our food thousands of miles. Mounting environmental challenges and the demand for local food will force us to grow with these new efficient methods.
And aside from the produce itself, there will be thousands of jobs in agriculture technology, equipment, and training.
Why doesn’t Connecticut become an Aquaponics Center of Excellence? It sits between New York City and Boston, the largest food market in the U.S. It has the untapped or underutilized physical infrastructure, academic resources, and manufacturing expertise. With world-famous agricultural institutions like UConn Agriculture Extension and UConn’s new Hartford campus, could farming be the answer to Connecticut's economic woes?
September 21-23, the national Aquaponics Association’s annual conference Putting Up Shoots will be at the Hartford Hilton.
The world’s top aquaponics growers will be presenting their work and discussing the potential for aquaponics.
This is a great opportunity for the state of Connecticut to invest in an entirely new industry. Click here for conference info: http://bit.ly/2NZ4WTV
Spencer Curry, CEO
Trifecta Ecosystems, Meriden, CT
Eric Pedersen, CEO
Ideal Fish, Waterbury, CT
Brian Filipowich, Chairman
Aquaponics Association, Washington, D.C.
Are Hot Springs The Future of Farming?
A small Colorado town is using its hot springs for an unusual purpose: growing food year-round. And with geothermal energy in abundance, this could be a model used across the US.
By Daliah Singer - 10 September 2018
The tomatoes aren’t cooperating. Instead of growing up the trellis, the plants are weaving all over the garden bed and arching, menacingly, toward a young grapevine. On a hot August afternoon, Pauline Benetti and Diane Kelsey are trying to coach the fruit upward by tying its stems to the wood-and-metal trellis.
It’s high season for the juicy red spheres, but these two volunteers – both shorter than the vines they’re trying to wrangle – aren’t just struggling with these plants for the final farmers’ markets of the summer. They want to train the tomatoes to grow in the right direction inside this greenhouse all year long.
Their work is part of a five-year effort by the Geothermal Greenhouse Partnership (GGP) in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. The volunteer-run nonprofit, in coordination with the south-west Colorado town, is transforming the world's largest and deepest geothermal hot spring into something much more than just a travel destination: it’s using the renewable energy source to grow food year-round for the community.
Pagosa Springs is well-known in the western United States for its unique approach to geothermal energy, which is energy harnessed from the Earth’s heat. Geothermal food growing, though, is a new enterprise.
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In the center of the small downtown, on the banks of the San Juan River, sit three conspicuous, geodesic greenhouses, each 42ft (13m) in diameter. They stand in stark contrast to the old-timey buildings on the road above. All will house gardens, but each has a different mission.
The project’s three greenhouses use geothermal energy to help grow plants even in Colorado’s cold-weather months (Credit: Daliah Singer)
The first, the Education dome, was built in 2016. It is the only one of the trio that’s currently operational. Volunteers stop by to prune and plant every day; more than 300 students have visited the site to learn about the plants and to practice their maths or science skills; and the public is welcome from 11:00 to 14:00 on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
“Everything we do is [focused on] teaching sustainable agriculture to the next generation and growing food year-round – which is pretty special” at an altitude of 7,150 feet (2,180m), says Sally High, a former environmental educator and GGP board treasurer.
The geothermal water comes from town wells via a lease agreement with Pagosa Springs. A heat exchanger inside each greenhouse uses the geothermal liquid to heat domestic water, which is piped through the floor of the greenhouse in cold-weather months. The geothermal fluid then resumes its natural path.
Inside of the Education dome, volunteers prune and plant every day (Credit: Daliah Singer)
The closed-loop system is as close to non-consumptive as possible – meaning almost no water is consumed during the process, with most of it returning to the ground – and allows the greenhouse to maintain a consistent temperature that ranges from 58F (around 14C) on the coldest winter nights to 90F (32C) on a sweltering summer day. (A pond, fans, misting system, and windows also help regulate the temperature.) That means the squash, kale and beets can grow in any month – a major benefit in a high-elevation mountain town where the average frost-free growing season spans less than 80 days.
The method will be similar in the Community Gardens greenhouse, which is expected to open before the end of 2018. Local civic organisations and community groups, such as food banks and veteran-focused associations, will have their own garden beds in which they’ll grow food to help feed their communities.
The Innovation greenhouse, slated to open in 2019, has a different purpose. It will house an aquaponic growing environment, raising fish and plants together in a symbiotic system in which the fish waste acts as a food source for the plants while the plants filter the fish’s water, one that uses about one-tenth of the water required for conventional soil growing. It’s a controlled environment, so the dome will be closed to the public except during special demonstrations or tours.
Our geothermal resource is underused and undervalued – Sally High
“Farmers’ markets are seasonal. This takes Colorado’s agriculture [towards being] very local and year-round,” says High, who sees Pagosa’s greenhouse endeavor as both an economic and tourism driver for the town. “Our geothermal resource is underused and undervalued.”
First discovered in the 1800s, the hot springs are popular for therapeutic purposes (Credit: Getty Images)
The Ute Indians first discovered the area’s therapeutic waters in the 1800s. More than a century later, in 1982, the town, with help from the US Department of Energy (DOE), launched a geothermal heating system that uses the geothermal water to provide heat to about 60 local businesses and residences and melt snow on the sidewalks in the small downtown. (There are around 20 such systems in the country, including in Boise, Idaho, and San Bernardino, California.)
“It’s a 24/7/365 power source; it’s not intermittent, like solar or wind,” High says. “This direct-use project… it’s absolutely replicable.”
Pagosa Springs isn’t alone in growing food geothermally. But the process is still rare in the US. In its most recent look at geothermal direct-use installationsin the country, which dated to February 2017, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) counted just 29 greenhouses.
“One thing that’s unique about geothermal is, in addition to the ability to provide power, it can provide these other services to a community that allow them to be more self-sustaining,” says Katherine Young, NREL’s programme manager for geothermal energy.
Since 1982, the hot springs have been used to provide heat to buildings in downtown Pagosa Springs (Credit: Daliah Singer)
Most conversations about geothermal energy focus on Iceland, where the natural resource accounts for about 25% of the country’s total electricity production and where 90% of homes are heated geothermally. Other European countries have access to mostly intermediate- to low-temperature geothermal resources, which restricts them somewhat, as higher heats are better suited to electricity production. Even so, at least 13 countries tap into them for greenhouses, among other uses.
But the US hasn’t fully realised its geothermal potential. According to the DOE, “the US leads the world for installed geothermal capacity, with more than 3.7 gigawatts” – most of which is concentrated in the West. But a 2006 Massachusetts Institute of Technology study found that technology investment could open up access to more than 100 gigawatts in the next five decades, providing more than 10% of the country’s electricity demand. (The DOE announced a $4 million [£3.1m] investment in six deep direct-use feasibility studies last year.)
There’s a ton of heat everywhere beneath the US, and it can be harnessed – Katherine Young
“There’s a ton of heat everywhere beneath the US, and it can be harnessed everywhere,” Young says. “It can play a significant role in the US energy economy.”
Thus far, the GGP project has been primarily grant-funded – including a recent $174,500 (£135,000) infusion from the Colorado Water Plan and Colorado Water Conservation Board – and volunteer-driven. But as the final domes inch closer to completion, the team wants to hire a site manager, its first employee. Funds will come from private donations as well as by selling produce from the Innovation dome to local restaurants and at farmers’ markets. (Visitors can also buy tomatoes and lettuce from the Education dome on the two days a week it’s open; some of that produce winds up at the farmers’ markets, too.)
This past summer, vegetables grown in the Education greenhouse’s salad garden were part of the meals in the free summer food programme for kids in need. Community events at Centennial Park, where the greenhouses sit, have ranged from cooking classes to breakfasts to educational speakers.
Vegetables grown inside of this greenhouse helped feed local children this summer (Credit: Daliah Singer)
For local youth like Tucker Haines, the Education greenhouse affords more than just an opportunity to learn about eating – and growing – fresh foods. Every Monday last school year, the 13-year-old would walk from Pagosa Springs Middle School to the GGP park. His maths teacher thought hands-on learning might help the formulas and fractions finally click with the students. Tucker and his classmates measured the garden beds and plants and kept calendars which outlined when the seeds were going to germinate; they also planted and harvested kale, red cabbage and cauliflower. “My regular math class I couldn’t quite understand,” Tucker says. Suddenly, though, the numbers started to make sense. “It made math enjoyable,” says his mother Nancy Haines.
Tucker’s experience is the kind of broader community benefit High and the rest of the GGP were hoping for when they set out on this mission a decade ago. “It’s this living laboratory that we have right smack in the middle of town,” says Cindy Schultz, Pagosa’s associate planner. “It gives people a sense of what’s possible.”
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