The Future of the American Farmer?

As consumers become increasingly aware of where their food comes from and how it’s grown, it seems that we could be entering a new era of hydroponics. Moce can attest to the growing interest among hobbyists and backyard DIYers, but the growing social demand combined with recent technological advancements means hydroponics has a new potential to influence the food system.
Companies like Lufa Farms in Montreal, BrightFarms in Philadelphia and Gotham Greens in New York are growing food hydroponically in giant greenhouses directly on the roofs of supermarkets. They take advantage of the available natural light while also significantly cutting down transportation costs. By selling directly to the markets below, their hydroponic produce can theoretically be competitively priced against conventional produce.

The ever-increasing returns in computing power from Moore’s Law and efficient automatization are making large-scale hydroponic operations more accessible to even the most inexperienced farmers. Freight Farms outfits old, metal shipping containers with intense insulation and a standardized hydroponics system that “can be put anywhere around the world, in any environment,” according to the communications coordinator for the Boston-based start-up, Rebecca Liebman. She says a restaurant owner in Minnesota can grow straight through the winter months and produce 13,000 pounds of fresh basil annually.

The initial investment is still steep. For $60,000 a new farmer gets an 8’x40’ shipping container filled with everything he needs to start farming on the spot. “A tablet computer inside controls everything — the lighting, the pH and the temperature,” Liebman says. In an area smaller than the footprint of three parking spaces, a single person working eight hours a week can grow one acre’s worth of leafy greens. “Freight farm” pays for itself in 9 to 12 months because the farmer harvests high-quality produce every week, year-round. After the initial investment, which is likely less expensive than the cost of an acre of land, annual costs remain under $5,000 dollars.


‘We looked at what everyone else did wrong and then fixed it — we took the tools and created a system that is innovative.’“We did not create the concept of hydroponics, it’s been around for a long, long time. We looked at what everyone else did wrong and then fixed it — we took the tools and created a system that is innovative,” Liebman says. Energy-efficient LED lights and thick insulation keeps electricity costs low (around $1,500 annually) and the closed-loop water system means the water tank is only filled four times per year. The company plans to add solar panels to future designs, using alternative energy sources to cut down on costs and increase resource efficiency. The technology is continuously improving to address the environmental concerns.

Where Gericke failed to bring hydroponics to the public, Freight Farms hopes to succeed. The internal computer is loaded with informational tutorials and the farmer can video chat with experts at Freight Farms if they have any trouble.

Zach Yohannes, himself a farmer, a student and a businessman, suspects the next generation of American farmers will be of a new breed — one ready to embrace Gericke’s hydroponic dreams. “They have the drive, the education and the willingness to help the planet.” The utopian dream of a long-dead botanist is still far from reaching fruition, but someday soon it might grow to its full potential. No soil necessary.

What Are You Waitng For? Start to Grow Your Own Good.  
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