At the last Farmers convention in Georgia, a field was littered with heavy farming machinery. $200,000 for a tractor, $800,000 for a combine, $100,000 for a basic field irrigation system… When asked how kids coming out of high school could ever get into farming given these prices, the heavy farming equipment salesman simply replied “They can’t, unless they inherit it…”.

Two booths down, certain farming organizations were lamenting that the ”new generations” are uninterested in becoming farmers. Bound by traditional methods, the small independent farmer seems almost doomed.  However, there is hope.  Consider...  

Growing Hydroponically

Unlike traditional farming, hydroponics does not require massive tracts of “good earth”. It doesn’t need heavy machinery. It doesn’t require back-breaking labor. It doesn’t require as large on an initial investment and is less prone to the whims of nature.

Case in point: one of our customers. He had very little to start with. He started on 10 acres of land unsuitable for traditional farming. Yet in a few short years, almost every single foot of that tract was covered with hoop houses. He grows various plants hydroponically that he ships nationwide.

Today, while some of the local traditional growers are shutting down, he just bought 40 acres to grow more plants. He plans on growing more plants that cannot be grown locally using traditional methods. The same amount of plants he will grow on these 40 acres would require 200+ acres if grown using traditional methods.

That is, in a nutshell, the power of hydroponics. The Foody 12 hydroponic system can be deployed anywhere. A steep rocky hill with a southern exposure has little value to anyone, yet it makes for a great Foody farm. Using gravity, the foody towers can be easily irrigated. A commercial building rooftop in the middle of downtown makes for a great growing platform. An abandoned quarry, an unused parking lot, etc. all of these can be easily turned into vegetable/fruits oasis that feed the local residents.

Moreover, growing hydroponically does not pollute the environment. There is no agricultural run-off, no contamination of ponds, streams and rivers or water-table. Hydroponics uses 90% less water than traditional farming. Since everything is self-contained, water and fertilizer are recycled until absorbed by the plants.

A Foody farm could be operational for five years and, if removed, there would be no traces of it. Foody systems are environmentally friendly, yet incredibly versatile for growing food efficiently and cost effectively.