By Vincent Kesic, IU McKinney
An uncommon type of farming comes to Indiana just outside of Indianapolis. In Muncie, a company based out of Minnesota, Living Greens Farm, is setting up a vertical aeroponic farm system. Vertical farming is one of the most common forms of aeroponic farming and is used to produce large amounts of leafy greens while using significantly less water and fertilizer than traditional farming.
Aeroponic farming uses tall grow towers where plants are grown by using nutrient-enriched water and little to no soil. The roots of the plants stay inside of the enclosed tower while the leafy greens that we consume are harvested on the outside of the tower. This type of farming is a great way to save water and soil usage. The projections of water usage are near a hundred million gallons per year less than traditional farming; while the fertilizer usage will be close to 60 percent less than traditional farming. The facility will be pesticide-free, and the nearly 5 million pounds of produce will be used in bagged salad kits at many popular grocers.
Living Greens Farm believes to create up to 120 jobs for Hoosiers within the next two years and looks to expand into other areas of the country. This will be a great operation to get fresh leafy greens such as kale, lettuce and spinach to the Midwest and to Indianapolis grocers. However, vertical aeroponic farming is not typically a viable option for the growth of larger, heavier fruits and vegetables. But the constant demand for leafy greens is often high enough to make these farms extremely useful. Read more from Inside Indiana Business here.
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