Leominster Champion

August 30, 2022

FITCHBURG — Three months after an 8-ton shipping container arrived on the Monty Tech campus, the school is hosting a grand opening celebration.

The Sept. 16 event represents the official opening of the retrofitted container, a so-called “freight farm” that will produce 1,450 heads of leafy greens each month.

The hydroponic farm is a collaboration between Leominster nonprofit organization Growing Places and Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School. Purchased with a $176,600 grant from the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, the shipping container is able to produce the equivalent of an acre’s worth of land. The freight farm grows produce for the school’s cafeteria, culinary arts program, and the community. Over time, farm operations will become part of the school’s curriculum, with opportunities for students to explore business, engineering, and environmental science.

Freight farms like Monty Tech’s are a growing part of the food system. To create one, a traditional shipping container is retrofitted with climate-controlled, water-based growing apparatus. The system uses just a small fraction of the water needed to grow produce using conventional methods, according to Monty Tech Nutrition Director Jason Yeagle. The system also eliminates the need for pesticides, uses limited electricity, and reduces the carbon footprint associated with shipping foods across the country.

“Monty Tech and Growing Places are natural partners in innovation,” Monty Tech Principal Dayana Carlson said. “The Food Security Infrastructure Grant program aims to ensure equitable access to locally-grown produce. We are excited to use our campus resources to make this possible here in north central Massachusetts.”

The Sept. 16 grand opening event will feature remarks from Nutrition Director Jason Yeagle, as well as from his spouse, Growing Places Executive Director Ayn Yeagle. Members of the Monty Tech Foundation Board of Directors, local farm and program partner Pineo Family Farm, and executives from the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts will attend.

Attendees will have the chance to tour the farm and sample its late summer produce, all of which has been grown since the container arrived in mid-June. If interested in attending the event, which will take place from 9-10:30 a.m., please email Katy Whitaker at whitaker-katy@montytech.net by Monday, Sept. 12.

Growing Places is a nonprofit organization that creates equitable access to healthy food and environmental sustainability through education, collaboration, and advocacy. They serve residents of communities throughout North Central Massachusetts. To learn more about Growing Places, visit growingplaces.org.

Monty Tech, located in Fitchburg, is a public high school that serves 1,435 high school students from 18 cities and towns, providing a comprehensive academic program and cutting-edge vocational-technical programs. To learn more about Monty Tech, visit montytech.net.

Lead photo: Monty Tech Nutrition Director Jason Yeagle is pictured in the school’s freight farm.