farmbox Archives - Hydroponic Container Farms and Mushroom Farms

Educating Future Generations Using Innovation, Hands-On Learning

Is there any greater gift than bestowing life-changing knowledge to younger generations?

For schools that focus on science, technology, engineering and math — or those that simply think outside the box when it comes to how they educate their students — it’s a no-brainer. The trend of implementing curriculums that emphasize hands-on learning is on an upward trajectory, and it shows no signs of slowing.

The Governor’s School of Science and Mathematics in South Carolina is a prime example of how to promote greater interest in learning among all students, including those who struggle in a traditional, straight-out-of-the-textbook setting. The high school recently began growing in a Vertical Hydroponic Farm made by FarmBox Foods that will serve as an interactive classroom for years to come. It’s housed inside an upcycled shipping container that’s been outfitted with all of the plumbing, electrical components and sensor technology needed to grow food.

Oftentimes, engagement is the key that unlocks the door to improved attentiveness, and producing something tangible hammers home the potential impacts. When a student is able to hold, say, a fresh head of lettuce that was grown via ingenuity, it can spark something greater: intense motivation to learn more. They suddenly — and satisfyingly — have used both existing and newfound knowledge of science and technology to grow fresh, nutritious food, perhaps for those who face hunger in their community. The students can literally hold the real-world impact in their hands.

GSSM’s Hydroponic Research Lab, however, isn’t necessarily centered on what it can produce, but how it produces, and, perhaps more importantly, why. It’s a venue for all-encompassing lessons in everything from civics and social responsibility to inventing new indoor farming techniques and creating avenues for environmental stewardship that previously didn’t exist. The educational promise is boundless, as are the practical applications that result.

In many respects, encouraging initial failure provides interdisciplinary opportunities for critical thinking and problem solving. GSSM’s students will have the ability to experiment with different controlled environments, study the research findings, and help answer questions about its effects on the agricultural community in its region, state and beyond. The lab will also help students to develop and standardize hydroponic research protocols for model plants used in plant science, plants of interest and plants beneficial to the area.

“The GSSM Hydroponic Research Lab provides unprecedented opportunities for students to engage in meaningful research on issues of worldwide significance right here on the GSSM campus in Hartsville, SC,” said GSSM Director of Research and Inquiry, Dr. Josh Witten. “Because this lab represents a unique research resource, it will also be a platform for GSSM students, faculty, and staff to collaborate with researchers beyond our campus. These innovative and immersive experiences are a hallmark of the GSSM education, which prepares students to become the problem solvers of tomorrow.”

The container farm contains elements of — and applications for — biology, chemistry, environmental science, engineering, computer science, robotics and economics, and is ‘being used as a teaching tool to engage their creativity,” the school said.

Creating a curriculum

Within the next 1-2 years, FarmBox Foods plans to roll out a curriculum specific to each controlled-climate farm it manufactures. The Colorado company is fortunate to be surrounded by educators of all types who have offered to contribute their expertise to the endeavor, largely because they can see the enormous potential. The goal is to create plug-and-play lesson plans that fit with current science and technology curriculums.

User-friendly automation within the Vertical Hydroponic Farm puts control in the hands of the students and teachers. For example, they can tweak the watering schedule or crank up the humidity and witness first-hand its effects on the plants, and learn precisely why it has such a big influence on the growing process. They can also explore how plants that historically haven’t been able to grow in low humidity can survive.

Higher learning

One of FarmBox Foods’ prototype hydroponic container farms was delivered to the campus of Delaware State University in Fall 2022. Consider for a moment all of the different academic disciplines and tracks that a single farm can touch, from marketing and business development to mechanics and horticulture.

“We have a lot of interested clients looking for ag-tech solutions to bring to schools,” said Michael Choi, owner of Ponix, which equips indoor farms with specialized software. “It offers a compelling story for schools — how they can work with the community, and offer things like workforce training. It’s how you program around it.”

Choi, who sold the used farm to Delaware State University, said they will use it for both food security and educational purposes.

“I’ve been working with a network of schools for many years, and that particular school wanted to move forward quickly,” he said.

Valor Christian High School, in Highlands Ranch, Colo., has a project-based learning environment that is helping to lead the next generation of agriculturists to the greener pastures of the future.

The Applied STEM Program, led by director Rick Russon, enables students to put into practice what they learn in the classroom, preparing them for successful careers in a number of industries, including agriculture. Members of Valor’s agriculture club, in particular, have an infectious enthusiasm for ideas that combine brain power with a desire to make a positive impact on the world, and it’s already leading to groundbreaking results. For their capstone project, Russon and the club members built a four-tube vertical hydroponic unit using prototype parts donated by FarmBox Foods.

The Applied STEM Program is aiming to modify the four-tube hydroponic system and build several models to bring them into food deserts to feed people in need. Valor Christian sends nearly 40 teams throughout the world each year on missions, and Russon’s hope is that they can help deploy a workable system in areas with little arable land and few natural resources.

The Valor-based vertical hydroponic setup continues to draw interest from students and faculty who want to grow their own farm-fresh greens and help others learn the science behind the hydroponic growing process.

By the numbers

The farms are housed inside an insulated, 40-foot-long shipping container
A Vertical Hydroponic Farm — or VHF — produces 200-250 lbs. of veggies each week; a Gourmet Mushroom Farm yields around 400 lbs. of mushrooms per week
The farms have a 320-square-foot footprint
A Vertical Hydroponic Farm can grow approximately 8,000 plants in various stages of growth simultaneously (4,100 in the grow walls, 3,800+ in the seed table)
Because of its ability to capture, filter and recycle water, the Vertical Hydroponic Farm uses around 5 gallons of water per day
The VHF yields the equivalent of approximately 2.5 acres of farmland annually
The VHF grows peppers, grape/cherry tomatoes, microgreens, tree seedlings, as well as a variety of leafy greens, like lettuce, kale, cabbage and culinary herbs
Estimated labor required for a VHF is 15-20 hours per week. Labor for the Gourmet Mushroom Farm is about 30 hours per week

CORE Electric, FarmBox Foods announce partnership to grow trees for reforestation

A groundbreaking reforestation program launched by CORE Electric Cooperative and FarmBox Foods is using innovation to achieve a new form of environmental stewardship.

On Nov. 17, the electricity provider finalized a contract with FarmBox Foods, a Colorado-based manufacturer of controlled-climate farms, to grow trees in a Vertical Hydroponic Farm housed inside an upcycled, insulated shipping container. CORE plans to use the trees to rehabilitate forests within its service area, which covers 5,000 square miles along Colorado’s Front Range.

“CORE’s partnership with FarmBox to support reforestation efforts in our service territory advances our work to be responsible stewards of the environment,” said Jeff Baudier, CORE Electric Cooperative CEO. “As a member-owned cooperative, protecting the natural resources of the communities where we live and serve is a cornerstone of our mission.”

In the first three years of the initiative, CORE plans to plant 15,000 blue spruces and ponderosa pines, both native species in Colorado.FarmBox Foods began successfully growing tree seedlings and saplings in the controlled-climate container farm in 2021, but the Vertical Hydroponic Farm purchased by CORE is the first to be solely dedicated to tree propagation. Under the terms of the agreement, FarmBox Foods will operate the indoor tree farm at its home base in Sedalia and conduct research on drought resistance, nutrient dosing, lighting and other growing parameters. The trees will then be transferred to hoop houses to allow the root systems to grow out before being planted.

“We’re really excited to see the positive impacts that will come from this unique partnership,” said Rusty Walker, CEO of FarmBox Foods. “CORE recognizes its role in helping to maintain healthy forests and I think this is going to be a model for other electric cooperatives going forward.”

The partnership allows CORE to “play its part in keeping its service territory beautiful for generations of future members,” the cooperative said in a statement. To keep powerline corridors safe and free of potential hazards, CORE responsibly removes vegetation. It’s putting a renewed focus on rehabilitating areas that have been damaged by wildfires.

“This first-of-its-kind program exemplifies how CORE is leading the way to a more sustainable future and our mission of innovation,” said Amber King, communications manager for CORE.

CORE Electric, which supplies the energy that powers FarmBox Foods’ operating farms that grow nutritious produce in Sedalia, will work with local partners to identify areas in need of reforestation.

Evolving Labor Trends Turn Mushroom Farming into Viable and Profitable Option

Evolving Labor Trends Turn Mushroom Farming into Viable & Profitable Option

Nearly everyone has heard about recent workplace trends said to have arisen from the pandemic, like “quiet quitting,” when in fact people have been re-assessing their priorities and career choices for years in an effort to strike a more equitable work-life balance.

There’s generally more awareness about workers leaving their jobs in pursuit of something more fulfilling. Finding a passion and turning it into a lucrative source of income is the goal, and turnkey solutions like container-based mushroom farming are receiving more recognition and acceptance as a low-overhead avenue to success.

Starting a career in farming might sound daunting, but a Denver-area company called FarmBox Foods makes it accessible, even for those with no prior experience in agriculture. FarmBox Foods manufactures high-yield Gourmet Mushroom Farms inside insulated shipping containers, allowing people to grow popular varieties of mushrooms year-round and create multiple revenue streams in the process. The privately owned company also trains you how to do it.

It’s a viable solution for those who don’t have millions of dollars to invest in a new business venture. There’s no need to buy farmland (the containers have a footprint of 320 square-feet) and all of the necessary equipment for start-to-finish mushroom cultivation is included. And customers can even finance the container farms, which generate more than $1.2 million in profits over their projected 10-year lifespan.

The farms open up opportunities for sustainable food production in places that currently lack access to fresh food, including islands. More than 90 percent of food consumed on islands is imported, which increases costs, reduces quality and results in food miles that impact the environment.

“It’s something that people can really pour their heart and soul into,” said Rusty Walker, CEO of FarmBox Foods. “It’s not just a new career. It allows you to live and work where you want to and get a good return on your investment while doing something that gives back to the community.”

The controlled-climate mushroom farms use a digital control panel and a network of sensors to monitor and automatically adjust conditions inside the farm for optimal growing. The farms can grow nearly 20 varieties of mushrooms, including lion’s mane, oysters, king trumpets and reishi, and yield around 400 pounds of mushrooms per week.

To learn more about purchasing or leasing a Gourmet Mushroom Farm, or to schedule an in-person or virtual tour, visit farmboxfoods.com/gourmet-mushroom-farm/.

FarmBox Foods launches indoor farm that grows livestock feed

FarmBox Foods LLC is excited to announce the official launch of its Hydroponic Fodder Farm.

The company hosted a public open house on Sept. 27 at our home base in Sedalia, CO. Guided tours of the new indoor farm — the third product line offered by FarmBox Foods — were provided. Attendees also received a tour of the company’s other tech-assisted, containerized farms: the Vertical Hydroponic Farm and Gourmet Mushroom Farm.

What exactly is fodder? It’s a nutrient-dense hay that’s used as a dietary supplement for horses, cows, pigs, goats, chickens, sheep, rabbits and alpacas.

(Want to learn more about FarmBox Foods? Watch our July appearance on ABC News here)

By growing fodder on site year-round, farmers and ranchers can avoid supply chain disruptions, sourcing issues and spikes in hay prices. The controlled-climate farms provide a reliable, hyperlocal source of fresh food while shielding the barley fodder from weather and climate impacts, including drought, heat waves, freezes and floods. The farms are housed inside upcycled, insulated shipping containers outfitted with plumbing, electrical and sensors to control conditions inside. The 320 square-foot farms also capture, filter and recycle water for maximum water efficiency.

Protein-rich fodder improves the overall health of livestock, supplements hydration and adds weight to beef cattle. It also promotes the production of better-quality milk for dairy cows and goats, improves fertility rates, reduces the likelihood of illness, and decreases methane output because of its superior digestibility compared to traditional alfalfa hay.

Because barley fodder requires only a 7-day growth cycle, a staggered schedule allows farmers and ranchers to harvest around 880 pounds of fodder per day.

What makes FarmBox Foods a green-oriented company?

We use only upcycled shipping containers.

We give used, insulated shipping containers a new life: growing food at scale in areas that struggle with reliable cultivation and/or access. By outfitting them with the components to grow produce, the repurposed containers are kept out of landfills and scrap heaps.

The farms we build are designed to promote efficient water usage.

We capture, filter and reuse water in both our Hydroponic Fodder Farm and our Vertical Hydroponic Farm, which requires only about 5 gallons of water per day. Water is often lost to evaporation and transpiration in traditional farm settings. By recycling the water, our farms get the most out of every drop. In times of severe drought and diminishing water supplies, this efficiency is critically important.

The farms were built to reduce energy usage associated with agricultural production.

Our Vertical Hydroponic Farm uses around 190 kwh per day, the energy equivalent of two loads of laundry. The Gourmet Mushroom Farm uses even less, drawing an average of only 80 kilowatt-hours of electricity each day. High-efficiency, low-energy LED lights are used in FarmBox containers to reduce energy consumption.

Reduced need for fossil fuels.

Every kilogram/pound of food waste has a corresponding waste factor for energy, labor, water, carbon emissions, etc. It takes a lot to get produce from point A to point B, including diesel fuel to power trucks and trains. Transporting goods across long distances could be a thing of the past, as our portable container farms enable people to grow food near the consumer, thereby reducing emissions and expenses. Hyper-local growing almost entirely removes the supply chain — and its ongoing issues — from the equation.

Indoor farms don’t require the use of pesticides.

Because our farms are enclosed, they’re protected from many of the variables that keep traditional farmers up at night, like drought, flooding, heat waves and hail. But it also prevents impacts from pests, and therefore, pesticides are not required in our farms. As a result, the water discharged from the Vertical Hydroponic Farms and Hydroponic Fodder Farms we build does not contribute to groundwater contamination.

Fodder consumption by livestock reduces methane output.

Barley fodder is easier to digest than traditional alfalfa hay and other nutritional supplements, and because of this, less methane is emitted into the atmosphere. We’re in the process of gathering more specific data to quantify the reduction of methane from different types of animals, and how that reduction corresponds with their respective intake of protein-rich fodder.

Growing near the consumer reduces the likelihood of food waste.

After being harvested, produce grown in traditional outdoor settings often spends a few days on trucks and in distribution centers before it arrives at the store. Hyperlocal growing helps fresh veggies arrive on consumers’ plates and in their refrigerators much sooner — often within 24 hours of being harvested. The produce maintains its shelf life, which provides a longer period of time to eat the food. This results in less food waste at the consumer level.

Our farms can run off solar power.

Anyone who wants to grow nutrient-dense food off-grid can do so by hooking their farm up to a small solar grid.

Compost from our Gourmet Mushroom Farms helps promote soil health.

The spent substrate from FarmBox Foods’ GMF showroom model is donated to the local community to be used as nutrient-rich compost. The seedling pods and spent mushroom substrate can be used for further plant-growing compost once they are removed from the farms. The spent mushroom substrate, in particular, is quite sought after for this purpose. These eco-friendly by-products can also be incorporated into the soil, and the substrate will continue to grow mushrooms if properly managed.

Soil rejuvenation and less need for agricultural acreage.

Millions of acres of America’s traditionally fertile soil have been stripped of vital nutrients, and farmers are compelled to implement crop rotation and remediation steps like composting to regenerate agricultural land. A FarmBox occupies only 320 square-feet of space (they can also be stacked), does not need soil, and allows farmers to revitalize oft-used ag soil.

Furthermore, clear-cutting forests to make room for agriculture is not necessary for some crops. Farmers can utilize available vertical space to grow more food on a smaller footprint.

Farming Solutions for a Sustainable (and Less Scary) Future

Farming Solutions are needed – It seems every day you come across a news story that paints a very bleak future for traditional farming and the consumers who benefit from it.

We’ll briefly explore the many challenges facing the agricultural industry, but we’ll also posit some potential ways for farming operations large and small to adapt to changing times and conditions.

Shifting climate patterns are making it vastly more difficult to predict whether a crop will make it to harvest. Heat waves, hail storms, cold snaps and floods have become more pervasive and intense in recent years. Even crops that may not be directly affected by catastrophes, like the severe drought currently gripping the western portion of the U.S., are being indirectly impacted by residual factors, like smoke from wildfires.

We’re also facing other crippling issues without a foreseeable fix. Supply chains that support agriculture have been stretched to their limit since the beginning of the pandemic for a variety of reasons, including transportation availability, labor shortages, and associated delays affecting raw material sourcing. And the skyrocketing cost of fertilizer is further complicating matters for traditional farming operations and having an outsized impact on already-thin profit margins.

But what if there was a way to circumvent these issues using innovations in agtech? It sounds impossible, and while it comes with its own set of challenges, indoor growing, especially in urban areas, could be a big part of the answer going forward.

Science and tech have come a long way in the last decade (hello, sensor technology!), allowing growers to do much more with much less in a smaller footprint. And hyperlocal farming means produce grows near the consumer, eliminating supply chain-related woes. Instead of spending the first half of its shelf life in transit, veggies get to the end user much quicker, resulting in less food waste. Local growing also reduces the need to burn fossil fuels to get food to its destination, and empowers communities to gain more control over their own food supply.

It’s hard to put a value on security and reliability, and we certainly won’t attempt to, but controlled-environment agriculture allows people to harvest large yields year-round without external variables getting in the way. There’s also no need for fertilizers or pesticides, which takes possible contamination of drinking water out of the equation.

The practice is gaining momentum worldwide and already having an impact on sourcing for grocery chains, hotels, hospitals, restaurants and food banks. Likewise, farmers are embracing the technology because it provides a security blanket in uncertain times.

Container Farms on School Campuses – Community Supported Agriculture

With a foundation in technology and science, there’s greater interest in container farming among students of all ages. Controlled-climate farming enables people to grow food almost anywhere in the world, helping to eliminate food deserts.

Container Farms on School Campuses – School districts and teachers are always looking for new and innovative tools to capture their students’ attention and promote enthusiasm for learning.

Teaching students how their education is interwoven into later professional success just might bring purpose to those who currently find none in a traditional classroom. When you place students in a setting with engaging hands-on projects that give them practical experience, the potential for future success is limitless.

An operating container farm has a unique ability to touch multiple subjects and areas of interest for young students, especially those who want to find ways to better our world through science and tech. A container farm shows the next generations how to do more with fewer resources by engineering concrete solutions that promote sustainability. These applications have positive real-world implications, including improving our ability to feed people in food deserts and reducing the use of fossil fuels for shipping food over long distances.

Emerging technologies, including those that rely on sensors, have opened up new avenues and ideas and solutions for longstanding problems. This is an exciting prospect for a generation that increasingly is looking to eschew the typical 9-to-5 office grind and, for lack of a better term, get their hands dirty.

From using cultivation methods that require less energy and water, to developing a solid business plan, to maintaining the mechanisms that enable containerized farms to thrive, to demonstrating and quantifying the sustainability of such operations, there are many skill sets needed to make the endeavor a success.

Adding a container farm to a school campus offers high-level learning opportunities in perpetuity and equips students with expertise and experience that few other young professionals or college applicants can claim. It’s a tech-driven differentiator for schools and districts that pride themselves on thinking outside the educational box, and it could produce a wave of future entrepreneurs.

Today, container farming is a glimpse into the future. Soon, it will be the new normal, and it’s time that students of all ages get introduced to concepts that can help achieve progress that will benefit humankind.

What are the benefits to schools?

Equipping future generations with the ability to use science and technology to grow food for underserved populations.
Feeding students fresh, nutrient-dense foods.
Reducing costs associated with purchasing transported foods while enabling schools to cheaply grow their own.
Providing foods for students in need to take home with them so they will have quality food they grew themselves.
Create revenue streams for the school through school farmers markets all year long.

Container Farms on School Campuses — An operating container farm has applications to almost every school subject imaginable, from math to science to engineering.

View The FarmBox Gourmet Mushroom Container Farm

View Mushroom Farm

Suttons Vertical Gardens – No shipping required: Container farm provides fresh greens directly to community

Tracking the rise of community-supported agriculture, or CSAs.

From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, fresh vegetables were hard to come by in rural areas outside of Halifax, Nova Scotia. The cost of the produce that was available began to increase, and the quality was decreasing.

It was then that Kris and Brenda Sutton circled back around to an idea that Kris had researched a few years earlier: vertical farming.

They learned that growing produce in the community where it’s consumed eliminates supply chain issues from the equation and can give customers peace of mind knowing where their food is coming from. It also means consumers get fresh, nutrient dense produce compared to those being shipped in, losing nutritional value as they are transported. Additionally they learned that the vertical farms — housed inside insulated, controlled-climate shipping containers — can operate year-round, regardless of the season, allowing for quality and consistency for the food.

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The idea was tossed around for a short time between the husband and wife, but after Kris was briefly put off his work as an airplane mechanic following a back injury, he laid on the couch and daydreamed more and more about running his own vertical hydroponic farm. He saw this career as a less physically demanding and more rewarding one. His “happy place” during recovery was thinking about “getting back to gardening and planting seedlings in the Spring.”

Kris and Brenda decided to contact and visit a nearby vertical farm and quickly embraced the concept and all it could offer.

“She was more excited than I was at that point,” Kris says, then adds, “well, close. On the same level.”

The owner of the container farm they visited, however, pointed out some of its inefficiencies, and recommended buying a farm from their competitor, FarmBox Foods, which offers a system that requires less labor, is more efficient and can produce larger yields.

Months later, the daydream became a reality when a FarmBox Foods container farm was placed in their backyard. Within weeks, the first crop was on its way and Sutton’s Vertical Gardens was officially in business.

Together Kris and Brenda developed a start up plan that includes selling a variety of lettuces to local grocers and restaurants between Halifax and Enfield, Nova Scotia. Sutton’s Vertical Gardens also has plans to further serve their community in the future by hopefully offering the container farm as a venue for school field trips, volunteer experience and educational purposes.

”Yes, we want to make money and have a livelihood but we also want to try and educate and inspire others to be farmers, innovators, and entrepreneurs. Who better to start sharing these ideas with but our future generations?!” Brenda said.

Kris, the business’ main farmer, who comes from a family of green thumbs and has an existing 14-by-24-foot greenhouse filled with bell peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes, gets up at 5:30 a.m. every morning and embarks on the shortest commute he’s ever had. He walks to the FarmBox Foods container farm in his backyard in Enfield, NS, a mere 30 feet away from the fenced-in play area for the Sutton’s adorable odd couple Boston Terrier and Great Dane, and walks into his new office.

The fresh scent and the sight of the ever growing and changing plants are a daily reminder that the Suttons are right where they should be, creating something they’re proud to soon be sharing with their local communities.

“They always say ‘try to find a job where you do what you love and it will never feel like work,’” Kris says. “I feel very lucky to be able to say I’m doing just that.”

Learn more by following Sutton’s Vertical Gardens on Instagram and Facebook.

Sutton’s Vertical Gardens grew lettuce for its first crop.

View The FarmBox Gourmet Mushroom Container Farm

View Mushroom Farm

Rise of Community Supported Agriculture During Pandemic a Signal from Consumers

Tracking the rise of community-supported agriculture, or CSAs.

From the outset of the pandemic, Community Supported Agriculture programs throughout the country saw a surge in demand as the worldwide food supply chain ground to a halt. Health-conscious consumers wanted to make sure they had access to a reliable source of fruits and veggies, and farms large and small in communities across the country were suddenly booming.

CSAs also provided a convenience factor, as people no longer had to brave the madness of the grocery store during COVID-19 related restrictions. And instead of selecting from display cases filled with questionable produce that has lost most of its shelf life and nutritional value in transit, consumers found growers right down the street — and many of them haven’t looked back.

hydroponic container farms - community supported agriculture

Community-supported agriculture is made much easier by the trend of container farming, a fast-growing market that has buy-in from a broad spectrum of producers and end users. Natural Grocers recognized the benefit of growing vegetables on site at its stores, and partnered with Colorado-based FarmBox Foods, a manufacturer of automated container farms that grow leafy greens, peppers, culinary herbs and even gourmet mushrooms.

CSAs offer membership to both individuals and suppliers. Members pay an upfront fee in return for a share of what the farm grows and harvests during a specific season.

According to Vera Fabian, an operator of a CSA in Cedar Grove, North Carolina, who was interviewed for an article for Eater.com, demand for CSA membership is even higher this year than it was in 2020.

Learn more about CSAs at www.localharvest.org/csa/.

Year-round community gardens can operate as CSAs

View The FarmBox Gourmet Mushroom Container Farm

View Mushroom Farm