USA: COLORADO - Thinking Outside The Box by Farming Within It
FEBRUARY 7, 2023
FarmBox Foods LLC is on a mission to revolutionize farming. The small company, based out of Sedalia, repurposes shipping containers to grow food and fodder using highly efficient hydroponics. FarmBox was founded on the principle of sustainability and strives to provide communities and organizations with the tools they need to grow locally-sourced food year-round.
FarmBox has gained recognition over recent years for its innovative work in the modern farming space. The company has been featured in several media publications, including an appearance on Good Morning America. In addition to the media attention, more and more food providers are working with the company to source produce or install boxes of their own. FarmBox customers include the Denver Broncos, Natural Grocers, and C Lazy U Ranch.
Founded in 2018, the company has slowly but steadily grown. Now consisting of 21 employees, FarmBox Foods has expanded its operations to include a number of round-the-clock container farms. The company’s first container farm was designed and built as a vertical hydroponic farm, which now produces varieties of leafy greens, culinary herbs, microgreens, and peppers. The success of the first project inspired the addition of the gourmet mushroom farm that produces everything from oyster and shiitake mushrooms to chestnut and turkey tail mushrooms. Recently, FarmBox Foods announced the launch of its newest product, a hydroponic fodder farm. These farming solutions are available to purchase, and customers around the world have the option to customize their container farm to fit the needs of their climate.
The shipping container farm is nothing new, but FarmBox Foods’ patented system grows nutrient-dense foods with less labor and maintenance than traditional hydroponic solutions. From seed to harvest, these container farms utilize full-spectrum LED lighting and a high-tech monitoring system to grow quality produce with minimal inputs. The technology that FarmBox has integrated into its farms allows users to adjust everything from humidity levels and water pH to temperature and nutrient levels from their phone or computer.
These technological solutions play a significant role in maximizing the yield of these container farms. The vertical hydroponic farm can grow nearly 8,000 plants at a time in an area of only 320 square feet. Furthermore, owners only need to work 15 to 20 hours per week to operate their farm. The gourmet mushroom farm functions in a similar way. Capable of growing 400 pounds of mushrooms per week, year-round, the farm only requires 25 hours of labor a week.
Colorado Farm Bureau recently met with the FarmBox team to learn more about their offerings and to celebrate the launch of their new fodder farm. The fodder farm is the most recent addition to the FarmBox product portfolio and has been designed to accommodate the needs of ranchers who desire a year-round feeding solution for livestock. The fodder farm, like the mushroom farm and vertical hydroponic farm, provides a hyper-local and reliable farming solution capable of withstanding climate impacts like drought, heat waves, freezes, and floods. The protein-rich and nutrient-dense fodder improves the overall health of livestock, supplements hydration, and adds weight to cattle. Because barley fodder requires only a seven-day growth cycle, a staggered schedule allows farmers to harvest more than 800 pounds of feed per day.
FarmBox Foods is a proud Colorado Farm Bureau member of Douglas County. The steps the company takes to provide sustainable, locally-grown food continue to garner the attention of media and customers alike and showcase how innovation, technology, and a passion for food can drive our industry ever forward in a changing world.