Meet Our Participating Farmers
Through the USDA SBIR Program GSS Group secured funding to research a design a vertical hydroponic tower that integrates with other systems and maximizes limited production space for greenhouse farmers. As the development of the HydroFreshâ„¢ tower has progressed, we have partnered with farmers to understand the true effectiveness of the system. The following farmers provide us with reliable data from their existing system and their provided HydroFreshâ„¢ system.
Table Top Greens - Decatur, Arkansas
Jamie Koehn operates two greenhouses to produce lettuce and herbs year-round. Jamie is one of the kindest people you will ever meet and is always willing to give a hand where needed. If you’re located in the Northwest Arkansas area, you must stop by the Bentonville Farmers’ Market or The Wooden Spoon to try Table Top Greens’ produce.
Ozark All Season - Winslow, Arkansas
Ozark All Seasons is one of the lushest greenhouses we’ve had the pleasure of visiting! From seedling to produce, Farmer Bob and his crew have a system that keeps the greens as happy as possible. As a veteran, he is eligible for support from the USDA for purchasing and developing land or facilities, purchasing equipment or supplies, refinancing for job expansion, and financing for energy-efficient improvements. If you’re a veteran looking to return home or start a new career, the USDA has opportunities for you to succeed.
If you live locally (Northwest Arkansas) this packaging might look familiar in grocery stores or restaurants like Meji:
Profound Microfarms - Lucas, Texas
Jeff and Lee Bednar + few kiddos are responsible for Profound Microfarms in Lucas, Texas. Specializing in growing top quality chemical-free, non-GMO produce year-round for restaurants, wholesalers, charities, and YOU! You can support this farm in building a new barn by attending a tour and a truly farm-to-table chef-prepared meal in their elegant setting.
Elm Lane Farm - Derby, Kansas
Less than an hour from the El Dorado State Park in Kansas you’ll find Karen harvesting lettuce at Elm Lane Farm. Her husband, Mike, is usually somewhere nearby willing to lend a hand but
while lots of women are involved in all these operations, Elm Lane Farm is primarily run by Karen. If women farmers had the same resources and opportunities as men, agriculture production could increase 2.5 to 4% and the total of malnourished people would decrease 12 to 17% - meaning as many as 150 million people could be lifted out of hunger and poverty, according to The Word Food Programme.
We are always happy to see the farm dogs!
West Ky Aquaponics - Benton, Kentucky
Tilapia and lettuce are the main attraction at West Ky Aquaponics, seriously, you can book a tour. Tammie, Steve, and Tyler are the main team (although, I hear Tyler does most of the heavy lifting) but you can usually find Granddad out helping run an errand.
As our only aquaponics participant, we always learn something new when visiting this greenhouse. They grow with NFT (Nutrient Film Technique), DWC (Deep Water Culture), HydroFreshâ„¢ vertical tower, and media beds. Their interest in new growing methods stems from research that supports different systems having unique microbial profiles.
As the farm field trials continue, we are excited to announce the recent addition of two teachers as participants to help us test how these systems would perform for schools. Greenhouse Megastore took the HydroFreshâ„¢ to the FFA Convention and they raffled off the opportunity to become a participant. We were lucky enough to be matched with Eastern High School in Indiana and Willow Springs High School in Missouri.
