Farming Without Harming Archives - Hydroponic Container Farms and Mushroom Farms

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.

Rising food prices influenced by several factors

What is influencing the increase in food prices and what can be done about it?

Rising food prices influenced by several factors

A confluence of global events and circumstances have some experts painting a grim picture for populations that already face food insecurity.

Recent spikes in food, fuel and fertilizer prices could lead to “destabilization, starvation and mass migration on an unprecedented scale,” said David Beasley, head of the U.N. World Food Program.

A recent U.N. analysis shows that “a record 345 million acutely hungry people are marching to the brink of starvation.” That’s a 25-percent increase from 276 million at the start of 2022, before Russia invaded Ukraine in late February. The number stood at 135 million people before the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, according to an ABC News article.

The war in Ukraine is having a continuing ripple effect on the global food supply. Russia and Ukraine together export 28 percent of fertilizers made from nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, according to Morgan Stanley. The limited global supply has sent prices into the stratosphere — in some cases doubling the cost — and there are fears that high costs or the lack of availability will result in farmers using less fertilizer, leading to lower yields of commodities that are already constrained.

In early July, the Consumer Price Index report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics said that food prices in the U.S. increased 10.4 percent from June 2021 to June 2022.

Rising costs for any critical ingredient for running a farm — water, labor, fuel or fertilizer — translate to higher food prices. And when all four hit at the same time, disruption ensues, to the detriment of consumers, especially those who were already hanging on by a thread.

In all, worldwide experts fear crop yields will drop by 10-30 percent, and developing countries will be hardest hit.

The prevalence of “undernourishment” — when food consumption is insufficient to maintain an active and healthy life — continued to rise in 2021. The U.N.-commissioned report, “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World,” estimates that between 702 million and 828 million people faced hunger last year.

A grain shortage stemming from the Ukraine conflict is also driving up the cost of basic foods and other commodities, and corn and wheat are not getting out to the market because the Black Sea is closed. To top it off, drought conditions are crippling agricultural operations in several regions known for high output.

There’s a dearth of issues to navigate. But as The Shelby Report points out, crises stoke innovation. Agricultural adaptation is being employed, including the use of hydroponic container farms housed in upcycled shipping containers. The controlled-climate farms allow for uninterrupted, decentralized growing year-round and provide a stable environment to ensure reliable yields. Smart irrigation systems are being used more than ever, and data is driving decision-making at unprecedented levels in order to maximize available resources. Responses to climate change vary by location and commodity. Learn more about how the USDA is assisting food producers.

FarmBox Foods makes appearance on ‘Good Morning America’

Good Morning America visited FarmBox Foods’ headquarters to explain how businesses and nonprofits are using technology to sustainably grow food near the consumer year-round.

GMA Visits FarmBox Foods to Talk ‘Farming Without Harming’

Good Morning America visited FarmBox Foods’ headquarters to learn how businesses and nonprofits are using technology to sustainably grow food near the consumer.

ABC News Chief Meteorologist Ginger Zee spoke to FarmBox Foods CEO Rusty Walker June 20 about the company’s mission to build high-tech indoor farms that provide food security year-round for those without reliable access to nutrient-dense food.

(Watch the GMA appearance here)

Zee also interviewed representatives from two FarmBox Foods customers, Natural Grocers® and Centura Health, about their use of Vertical Hydroponic Farms, which provide a hyperlocal source of fresh produce while reducing environmental impacts and unpredictability associated with traditional farming. The farms are housed inside upcycled, insulated shipping containers that are outfitted with plumbing, electrical and sensors to control conditions inside.

By growing food on site, the companies that use FarmBoxes are avoiding supply chain disruptions, reducing food sourcing costs, improving access, and helping to eliminate food waste because the veggies get to the plate much quicker.

The controlled-climate container farms provide a perfect growing environment for the plants and shield them from weather and climate impacts, including drought, heat waves and flooding.

Natural Grocers is growing organic lettuce behind its store in Lakewood, Colo., mere steps from the display case, and plans to expand the program elsewhere. Centura Health, meanwhile, owns three Vertical Hydroponic Farms and uses them to produce food for hospital patients and visitors, and to provide nutritious produce to food banks in the communities they serve.