Hydroponic container farming is poised to be a transformative force in 2025, offering innovative solutions to contemporary challenges in food safety, local sourcing, supply chain resilience, health, and environmental sustainability. Here's why 2025 is an ideal time to embark on a hydroponic farming venture:

Enhanced Food Safety

Foodborne illnesses remain a significant concern, with consumers increasingly vigilant about the origins and safety of their food. Hydroponic systems, operating in controlled environments, substantially reduce the risk of contamination from pathogens like E. coli and salmonella. Additionally, the absence of soil eliminates the need for pesticides, addressing consumer concerns about chemical residues.

Near the entrance of a 40-foot container farm installed at New Mexico State University’s Grants campus, dozens of 4-day-old kale plants lined a horizontal nursery bed, sprouting at various lengths in shades of electric green from miniature patches of densely packed soil.

Further inside, instructor Gabriel Garcia flipped a switch. Instantly, red and blue LED lights engulfed the space, illuminating the intricate vertical farming system in a shocking pink glow.

“The lights mimic the sun,” Garcia explained on a July afternoon. “This is where we’ll move the kale when their root structures develop, and they’ll stay here until they reach maturity.”

Near the entrance of a 40-foot container farm installed at New Mexico State University’s Grants campus, dozens of 4-day-old kale plants lined a horizontal nursery bed, sprouting at various lengths in shades of electric green from miniature patches of densely packed soil.

Further inside, instructor Gabriel Garcia flipped a switch. Instantly, red and blue LED lights engulfed the space, illuminating the intricate vertical farming system in a shocking pink glow.

“The lights mimic the sun,” Garcia explained on a July afternoon. “This is where we’ll move the kale when their root structures develop, and they’ll stay here until they reach maturity.”

The container farm was one of the first projects shepherded by NMSU’s Center of Excellence in Sustainable Food and Agricultural Systems, housed in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.

Vertical farming is revolutionizing how we grow food, offering solutions to challenges like land scarcity, water shortages, and the demand for fresh, local produce. Freight Farms' Greenery exemplifies this innovation, turning a standard 320 sq. ft. shipping container into a high-tech, efficient, and scalable farming solution.

What is vertical farming?

Vertical farming is the practice of growing crops in stacked layers, often integrated with controlled-environment agriculture (CEA). Unlike traditional farming, which requires vast horizontal land, vertical farming uses innovative techniques like hydroponics to grow plants upward. This approach minimizes land use, conserves water, and allows for year-round production in urban and rural areas alike.

This spring, two shipping containers designed to be vertical farms were delivered to Purdue University to offer students, staff, faculty and the community to learn and experiment with new horticulture and agricultural practices.

"The student farm is all about offering our students experiences in many different angles to production. So, the Overbeck Controlled Environment Agriculture Facility project was a great fit. We are excited to educate our students how to operate a container farm. With many students excited by new technology, we have seen great interest in these container farms and the learning opportunities they can provide."

“I had a plan, or maybe it was more of a dream,” said Brad Fourby, Navy veteran and owner of Leafy Green Farms.

“The moment I saw a shipping container farm is how the idea for my farm started.” Leafy Green Farms is in southeast Kansas, where the population is 20,000 — a big difference from Brad’s hometown of Sacramento, California.

Brad’s decision to move nearly 2,000 miles away was aided by his military experience in strategic planning and resilience. “I knew I didn’t need to win the war today; I just needed to survive the battle” he said. That step-by-step approach has proved helpful as Leafy Green Farms has grown as steadily as their greens since the first seed was planted on July 4, 2021.

Saratoga County has a new farm serving up fresh produce, and it’s growing inside of a high-tech shipping container.

The Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce said that Foothills Farm, located in Greenfield, New York, is unlike any other farm in the area. Founders Max and Nikki Poritzky are proud of this new endeavor.

“We grow in a contained environment, indoors, and we grow vertically, so we grow on walls basically,” Max Poritzky said.

The farm produces lettuce varieties, leafy greens and culinary herbs, which are supplied to several local restaurants as well as the Skidmore College dining hall.

A new hydroponic freight farm opened in Chelsea on Saturday, providing fresh produce year-round.  The urban farm was launched by GreenRoots, a local environmental organization. 

Roseann Bongiovanni, executive director of GreenRoots Teaching Kitchen, said the farm's hydroponic technology will let the organization grow produce year-round. “It’s a sort of urban farm-to-table concept to address food insecurity, nutrition, health, and also to build community and culture,” Bongiovanni said. 

On the outside, the farm just looks like a storage container in a parking lot. But inside the container, water and artificial light and heat create an environment for plants to grow no matter the weather outside. 

“We are excited to have new technology on campus so our students can learn about these alternative high-tech farming practices,” says President of Central Wyoming College. “It is cutting edge and has major implications for substantially increasing food production in small spaces, and for bringing fresh foods to food deserts that have little or no access to these healthy and fresh food options.”

CWC’s AAS Degree in Regenerative Small Scale Farming is the first of its kind in Wyoming. Central Wyoming College also offers a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Organizational Management and Leadership with an option in Agricultural Leadership. 

Lander, Wyo. — Central Wyoming College’s Freight Farm arrived yesterday at the Lander Center.  The 40-foot shipping container is a fully automated hydroponic, year-round growing system, and is capable of producing two to four acres of produce a year. 

“This will enhance the Central Wyoming College student experience,” says Ethan Page, Instructor of Local Food and Agriculture. “We will now be able to eliminate seasonal and logistical barriers and grow food at the Lander Center 365 days a year.  We operate a student farm and a farm incubator program at the Alpine Science Institute in Sinks Canyon  We will now be able to offer fresh veggies at local farmers’ markets throughout the year.”

As a global Life Sciences executive and strategic advisor with a passion for sustainable Agri-Food systems, Brad has accelerated startups and turnarounds, transformed commercial and manufacturing operations, and grown multibillion-dollar P&Ls.

Previously as Chief Commercial Officer at Kansas-based Compass Minerals, Brad led the global commercial Plant Nutrition and Salt businesses, global supply chain, and global R&D. Prior to Compass Minerals, Brad spent over 17 years with Monsanto Company in agriculture and pharmaceuticals. Brad is also an Operating Partner at Ajax Strategies and Skyline Global Partners, and he is an Independent Board Director for Midwestern BioAg.

"The farm came in a basic format, and we adjusted it to our way of farming that suited our needs best. Since it was able to grow over 900 different crop varieties, I intended to bring the technology, and find what my market needed, no matter how I had to do that," says David Payne, Co-founder of Beats Per Minute, a container farm operator in Kansas City, Missouri.

Brad McNamara, Co-Founder and President of Freight Farms, joins us on this week’s episode to discuss:

- Scaling local food production around the world

- Decentralized vs centralized farming

- Drive-in farmer’s markets

- Notable customer stories

- The future of food production

- Two big ideas rotting in his idea graveyard

Brittany Weerts and Ali Jewell traveled to Boston last week for a 2-day intensive training for the new Freight Farm container farms at the Purdue Student Farm. While there, they met with Nathan Liberty – Freight Farm’s growing manager and also a former HLA graduate.

Back in January, 2024, the Museum of Science, Boston opened their newest exhibit in the form of a small, vertical smart farm through a partnership with Freight Farms and Green City Growers. Named ‘The Garden,’ the unit will have a window so museum-goers can watch as Green City Growers visits twice weekly to tend the farm.

Pursuant to the Third Amending Agreement, Agrinam, Merger Sub and Freight Farms have agreed to extend the date by which Freight Farms may provide notice to terminate the Business Combination from June 28, 2024 to July 15, 2024.

As the MLB prepared for the match-up between the Cardinals and the Giants at Rickwood Field on Thursday, it also gave back to the community.

Thursday morning, it unveiled a hydroponic farm from Freight Farm at A.G. Gaston Boys and Girls Club. The farm will be used to teach kids about nutrition and farming and the produce will be given to neighbors in the area.

After two-and-a-half years in business patience and persistence are paying off for Fresh Simple Greens. Orders continue to increase — from customers who buy direct and rave about the crisp, fresh taste of their lettuce, and more recently from grocery stores, which buy their herbs.

Join us for a webinar featuring David Payne, Owner of Beats per Minute, a veteran-owned vertical farming company from Kansas City, Missouri. Specializing in high-quality basil, Beats Per Minute supplies over 50 grocery stores and is in high demand.

This story is one in a series created in collaboration with the AASA Learning 2025 Alliance to celebrate the work of groundbreaking school districts in the Pittsburgh region. Kidsburgh will share these stories throughout 2024.