This family farm’s future is bright indeed!

The name alone gives you a warm fuzzy feeling and I can tell you from personal experience, their greenhouse is wonderfully warm even in the depths of winter… or at least most winters.

Like so many farmers and small business owners, Theresa is always looking to the future, and decided to make a ‘sea change’ in the farm over the last winter. They switched over from Aquaponics to Hydroponics, showing just how nimble small businesses can be.

As Theresa, the main farmer at Bright Future Farms, settles into these changes, she is finding room for growth in new areas. But first – let’s take a look at Aquaponic and Hydroponic development.

A Quick History

Farmers have always been tinkerers.  And some Mayan farmers (2,000 years ago!) were farming using an intricate system of open water canals, reservoirs and filtration boxes. Other cultures have used flooding and seasonal water fluctuations to their agricultural advantage throughout the years; think rice paddies.

Flash forward to the 1970’s and Dr James Rakocy at the University of the Virgin Islands developed a commercial-scale Aquaponics system that harnesses the waste of fish to fertilize plants, all within a closed loop system.

Aquaponics or Hydroponics

The main difference between the two systems is that aquaponics grows fish within the system as a way to fertilize the plants, while hydroponics grows plants only. Both systems are soil-less, using ‘growing medium’ like perlite, grow stones, rock wool etc. More info on ways to grow in the fun video by Epic Gardnening. The systems can look quite different and there are lots of small variations.

Hydroponics can be as simple as getting nutrient filled water to flow by plant roots. But even those kinds of systems require a pump. An Aquaponics system also includes:

Rearing Tanks, Clarifier, Filter Tanks.

The water is sent through the rearing tanks, clarifier and filters then onto the hydroponic tanks to water AND feed the produce. For Theresa, if they’re not growing fish, they simply add those fertilizing nutrients into the system.

The beauty of an aquaponics system is that lots of complex natural processes happen on their own… as long as the system is set up correctly. This creates a sustainable, self-contained system that produces nutrient dense foods.

In other terms, the fish produce waste, which is converted to fertilizer for plants, the plants then filter the water that return to the fish.

‘In’ the Farm

Theresa ended up with a single, 24′ X 36′  freestanding greenhouse that has supplemental heat for our cold Minnesota winters provided by a propane furnace.

Nelson and Pade, Inc is a trusted source for Aquaponics systems, and is the Wisconsin company Theresa went through to purchase her original Aquaponics set up. While not cheap to start up, the system is quite efficient once running.

The first thing I did when I visited on that frigid February day was walk through their bio-security system which included washing your hands and walking through a foot bath of a bacterial and parasitic killing solution. This step adds to their ability to say that they’re clean from outside contaminants, and keeps things growing healthy and organically.

Tending the System

When I first explored the greenhouse, it looked a bit like a science experiment, with tubes and tanks all hooked up and going around and around. But Theresa was able to explain it simply.

Theresa checks the water quality by testing levels of ammonia, nitrates, pH level, plus checks the temperature daily. The main input to an aquaponic system is fish food. The fish eat the food and excrete waste. More than 50% of the waste produced by fish is in the form of ammonia secreted in the urine and, in small quantities, through the gills. Monitoring a few key chemical levels assures healthy fish and plants.

Sea Change

Their greenhouse now consists of a Dutch bucket drip system for tomatoes, cucumbers and sweet peppers, and a deep-water raft system for a variety of lettuces.

All produce is grown without soil or chemicals in very efficient re-circulating systems, within a controlled environment. Their current growing method is hydroponics, but the raft system is configured for both hydroponics and aquaponics.

Right now, they are adding the nutrients to the deep-water raft system. On average hydroponic systems use 10 times less water to grow food than traditional field crops. That adds up quick! 

“We may raise tilapia again, to have our aquaponics system operating, but are going to compare results of growing lettuce hydroponically before making that decision. Either method of growing produces healthy, delicious and safe food,” says Theresa. As you can see, this farmer is a scientist at heart.

Also of note, composting the unused parts of the vegetables they grow helps add to the general fertility of their outdoor farm garden.

Bright Future Farm also grows a variety of microgreens, also without soil or chemicals, that nicely accompany their other lettuces, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers.

Now, more than ever, smaller farms are becoming more popular will feed more of the country. Bright Future Farms combines that small business nimbleness with water wise growing techniques to produce delicious produce – and sometimes fish! In places where water is short, hydro- and aqua- ponics will play a larger and larger roll in food production in the upcoming years.

Catch Bright Future farm at these upcoming Farmers Markets:

Cambridge Farmers Market:
Saturdays starting May 7^th 9am-1pm

Lindstrom Farmers Market:
Wednesdays, starting July 8^th 3pm-6pm

Bright Future Farm’s Future is, well – bright! Check out their website for more info.

Dig into locally grown food!
Michelle