Hydroponic container farms provide a unique environment where students can engage in activities that promote SEL:

Unstructured Conversations: Tasks like seeding and harvesting create opportunities for meaningful dialogues between students and educators, fostering relationship skills and social awareness.

Collaborative Learning: Working together in the farm setting encourages teamwork, communication, and appreciation of diverse perspectives.

Problem-Solving: Managing farm operations requires critical thinking and responsible decision-making, skills that are transferable to various life situations.

Pesticides have been a cornerstone of traditional agriculture, used to protect crops from pests and diseases. But their impact on health and the environment is increasingly under scrutiny. From chemical residues in food to harmful runoff polluting waterways, the "bad" of pesticides is clear. Yet, with Freight Farms' hydroponic solutions like the Greenery™, there’s a better way to grow—without pesticides.

Looking back on their first full year of production, entrepreneurs Max and Nikki Poritzky have counted one ton of produce grown and distributed to restaurants and schools from their hydroponic farming facility, Foothills Farm, in Greenfield Center.

The farm is a 40-by-eight-foot container housing an efficient, vertical growing system that produces high quality lettuces and herbs using a fraction of the space of traditional farming.

The couple have backgrounds and careers in the field of nutrition and come from health conscious families, they said. 

She studied nutritional biochemistry at UC Davis and was a commercial executive marketing dietary supplements, an industry in which Max also had an executive career spanning 25 years. He said his mother founded Wild Oats, the first health food store in Saratoga Springs. 

“‘Let food be thy medicine’ might sound clichéd, but this is how our families live,” Max said. 

Unlike most farmers who walk outside the door to view their crops, Tony Rahe (pronounced Ray) of Rahe of Sunshine Farms in Wykoff walks inside a door to tend to his beds of lettuce.

Instead of horizontal rows of crops planted in black soil as far as the eye can see, Rahe’s crops are planted vertically in a clean, compact space fed by constant drips of water.

Rather than being at the mercy of nature with its unpredictable weather, Rahe’s operation runs on Wi-Fi as the growing conditions are monitored by his iPad around the clock so that he has uniform light, moisture and nutrients that vary little from day to day. 

“The plants grow without any pesticides, herbicides, period. We don't have to do that,” said Trevor Spear, the owner of Nanue’s Farm. “When you pull the lettuce off the panel, it is fresh to eat right now. No cleaning has to happen.”

Spear took up hydroponic farming as a hobby in retirement, and soon found an unexpected passion. When he started Nanue’s Farm in 2019, downtown Raleigh was one of the first to embrace hydroponic farming.

Are you looking to promote your Freight Farm and expand your customer base? Whether you're already operating a Freight Farm or planning to start, effective marketing strategies can help you connect with your audience, secure sales, and maximize your farm’s success. In this guide, we’ll cover expert techniques to market your Freight Farm, increase visibility, and grow your business.

While farm to table restaurants are nothing new, not many operators source their own salad greens from right next door. Neon Greens is a newly opened quick-service salad restaurant in St. Louis, Mo., that operates its own 400-square-foot vertical hydroponic farm attached to the restaurant storefront.

The farm yields yield roughly three acres each of 80 different lettuces, all of which Neon Greens uses in its salads, from mizuna lettuce to sweet crisp lettuce.

The two hydroponic farms are in an ancillary room attached to the restaurant, and an elevated conveyor belt delivers the lettuce next door once it is harvested.

Puerto Rico imports nearly 85% of its food, leaving its food system vulnerable to disruptions like hurricanes, supply chain issues, and economic instability. Farm in the City Nowis tackling this challenge with a novel approach to agriculture franchising, building a network of container farms powered by sustainable, accessible technology. By blending modern farming techniques with local empowerment, FITC’s model isn’t just about growing food—it’s about fostering resilient communities and creating new economic opportunities across the island.

Farm in the City Now reimagines food production as a franchise system, where small-scale container farms are owned and operated by farmers and local entrepreneurs, yet supported by a cohesive network of resources, training, and technology.

This model, rooted in principles of sustainability and resilience, is a transformative solution that makes agriculture both profitable and accessible for local communities.

Today, we salute Navy Veteran Brad Fourby. Brad had a dream and moved nearly 2000 miles away from Sacramento to Pittsburg, Kansas, to make the dream come true. 

That dream is “Leafy Green Farms.” Using his military training helped keep Brad methodical in his approach to his dream, saying, “I knew I didn’t need to win the war today; I just needed to survive the battle.”

He planted his first seed on July 4, 2021. What he created inside a shipping container was vertical rows of produce in a hydroponic growing environment that now serves area food deserts as well as 10 different farm classrooms and school districts to inspire future farmers.

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."

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. 

As our population grows, we're going to need a lot more farms to feed the planet. Yet, in a lot of places, farming is almost impossible. And much of the land we can use for farming is disappearing.

With so many farms on land, could we build farms vertically to save space? Maybe it’s time to grow ... up?

Where do we need vertical farms?

What would it take to build them?

How could they help to save the planet?

“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. 

Freight Farms’ Greenery™ integrated several advanced systems to create an optimal growing environment:

1. Hydroponics: Plants are grown in a nutrient-rich, water-based system that recirculates water, reducing waste and maximizing resource efficiency.

2. LED Lighting: Adjustable LED lights simulate natural sunlight, providing plants with the ideal light spectrum for growth.

3. Climate Control: Advanced sensors regulate temperature, humidity, and CO2 levels, ensuring stable conditions year-round.

4. Automation and Sensors: Integrated automation monitors and adjusts farm conditions in real-time, reducing manual labor and optimizing farm performance.

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.”

This 40-foot shipping container grows lettuce hydroponically, giving our students hands-on experience with agricultural technology that shapes the future of farming; it's a living classroom where students learn about sustainable agriculture, environmental stewardship, and the importance of regenerative farming.

By integrating this farm into our school campus, we’re fostering a deeper connection between students and nature while addressing food security in an urban setting.

A special thank you to Orange County Supervisor Doug Chaffee for his generous financial support, the AUHSD Board of Trustees, and AUHSD Business Services for overseeing the construction with dedication.

Together, we’re cultivating change—one seed, one student, and one meal at a time.

Growing food without soil has been increasingly popular nationwide in recent years.

Hydroponics is the technique of growing plants using water as a nutrient solution and a growing medium instead of soil. Sustainable production methods like hydroponics and aquaponics can help produce food in various ways, including year-round production, increased space efficiency, and decreased waste while using up to 90% less water than traditional agriculture.

It isn’t new for the Brookings community to start experiencing places like South Dakota State University’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences (CAFES) and SoDak Greens.

Pittsburg High School is on a mission to get its students to be more health-conscious about their meal choices.

The idea is so important that they decided to have a hydroponic container farm on school grounds.

Hospital-based farming is an innovative approach that integrates agricultural practices within healthcare settings to improve patient outcomes. Hospitals can enhance patient recovery, reduce food insecurity, and promote overall well-being by providing fresh, nutritious food directly from on-site farms. 

This blog, supported by recent research, explores the benefits of hospital-based farming and offers practical insights for hospitals and healthcare systems looking to implement such initiatives.

A Freight Farm is not your traditional farm; it's a cutting-edge, self-contained ecosystem housed within a repurposed shipping container. Inside these compact and versatile structures, we harness the power of hydroponics and vertical farming to grow fresh, nutritious produce year-round, regardless of climate or location. From leafy greens and herbs to fruits and vegetables, Freight Farms empowers individuals, communities, and businesses to cultivate a sustainable future while minimizing environmental impact.