Small Hydroponic Farm Inside Freight Container Showing Big Results in Lyons Falls

By: Zachary Canaperi

Break its airtight seal by unlatching and swinging open the heavy doors to find HumbleBee Farms — an indoor, controlled-environment hydroponic farm.

Thousands of green vegetables protrude from the side of grow frames, which are movable walls that the grower shifts around creating access hallways to different rows of plants. The drab paint on the outside is replaced by raw stainless steel all around. Sound is dampened, and the only noise left is the quiet hum of technology, and Vivaldi, playing softly from a speaker.

Kristin Cunningham, owner of HumbleBee Farms, said that classical music and high frequency tones make the plants grow faster and taste better, and that studies have shown this to be true. She also believes that the personal attention and care she puts into the plants is reflected in their flavor.

"This is food that is going into other people's bodies, so I'm extremely adamant that if I'm not feeling good or I'm grouchy, I won't seed, I won't transplant, I won't harvest. I feel that everything holds energy, and if I'm just in an awful mood, this food will carry that," she said.

Brandon Cunningham, co-founder of HumbleBee and Kristin's husband, said that when they compare the growth rates of their vegetables with data provided by Cornell University, the time it takes them to go from seed to harvest is about five days quicker than the average growers.

"It's all the attention and the music and how dedicated we are to making sure everything we are doing here is perfectly tuned for the plants," he said.

The Cunninghams purchased their entire system, ready to operate, from a Massachusetts company called Freight Farms. It is a hydroponic system, meaning that plants are grown with a water-based nutrient solution rather than soil. The mineral-rich water is circulated through a sponge-like medium attached to the grow panels. This material is also where the roots embed themselves.

According to the Cunninghams, their system has the capacity to grow 11,000 plants at once and produce the same yield as a traditional 3-acre farm. For energy, they use 190 kilowatt-hours per day, which costs about $20.

The LED lights, which are on 18 hours a day, are the only heat source needed for the container all winter. Notoriously water efficient, the Freight Farm only uses about 5 gallons of water each week. They can control the climate and lighting remotely on their smartphones and keep an eye on the crops by way of the container's six video cameras.

The Cunninghams' operation provides a stark contrast to the industrial farms that supply most grocery stores. For example, everything produced by the Freight Farm is harvested and sold to locals all in the same day, while mass-produced vegetables are shipped across the continent, over the course of several days.

For some, there is also a notable difference in the quality of the produce.

Kathy Gillett, who stopped by HumbleBee farms last Thursday afternoon to pick up some lettuce, said that she prefers buying indoor grown because "it stays fresh for three weeks," unlike the bags in the grocery store, that wilt shortly after purchasing.

Neil Mattson, a professor at Cornell University's School of Integrative Plant Science, said that the losses that vegetables sustain during transport go beyond taste and texture.

"Americans get most of our leafy greens from California and then some from Arizona, which account for around 95% of the leafy greens that we eat — coming from about 3,000 miles away. It takes them then about four to six days to get here, plus adding on additional time for distribution," he said.

This can result in produce that is less healthy than locally grown food.

"There's an opportunity for nutritional compounds to be lost," he said.

Mattson said that indoor farms are often pesticide-free — a label that HumbleBee Farms can sport, because the Cunninghams can deal with pests and disease by controlling variables like humidity and temperature, instead of spraying potentially harmful chemicals.

The Cunninghams, who are originally from San Diego, were able to see firsthand the large farms that supply much of the produce for north country grocery stores. For years, they had an interest in alternative ways of agriculture, like aquaponics and hydroponics, so they began growing microgreens. Then, after visiting upstate New York, they decided it would be a good location for them to take their hobby to another level.

They moved to Lowville in September 2021, and opened HumbleBee farms in May this year.

"This is somewhat of a food desert out here, so (opening) was important to us, because we think that eating healthy is a right, and not a luxury," Kristin said. "We really wanted to be able to provide our community with fresh organic vegetables, 365 days a year."

Now, only seven months later, they said they are filling about 20 orders a week. Customers order online and pick up on Thursdays at the farm from 10 a.m. to noon, and at the Lewis County Fairgrounds from 3:30 to 6 p.m.

Cunningham said they are excited that their business is growing, and they will soon be opening a storefront at the old train depot in Lyons Falls. They would like to begin catering to schools, restaurants and small family-owned markets.

While the benefits of having a year-round supply of fresh, pesticide-free produce are many, this form of agriculture appears vastly different to what people traditionally think of as farming in the north country. When people see vegetables growing sideways out of walls without any soil, it can certainly raise questions.

Mattson said that more research is needed to fully understand the differences between vegetables produced in soil, and those grown hydroponically.

Cornell University has begun this type of research, and Mattson carried out a study funded by the National Science Foundation that investigated different aspects of urban, controlled agriculture.

Mattson said one of the questions in the study was: How would nutrition of kale compare growing in a field versus growing hydroponically in a greenhouse, or indoors?

To answer this question, the researchers tracked many human nutritional compounds found in plants, with an emphasis on carotenoids, which are eye health pigments.

"We had three varieties of kale, growing them simultaneously in a field, in a greenhouse, and indoors, and then harvested them at three different stages, and analyzed them for carotenoids. We found that the indoor kale was always as nutritious as field grown — and sometimes it was actually more nutritious," Mattson said.

The artificial LED lighting used by hydroponic growers may have a part to play in the results.

"One of our hypotheses is that the indoor kale is high in blue light, which is triggering the plant to make more of these carotenoids as phytoprotective compounds — kind of like sunscreen for the plant — to help protect them, and it turns out to be a human nutritional compound, too," Mattson said.

"That was just one study, and there are many nutritional components. I have been looking for more studies in the area and I think there is a need for more research," he added.

Although there is more to be learned, Mattson said that overall, this way of farming is something people can look forward to, especially if it means that more people are eating vegetables.

"It seems at this point the differences are pretty subtle. The best thing we can do is just get Americans just to eat more vegetables. So, if you have a flavorful vegetable," he said, "you'll eat more of it."