We Grow Things Differently
March 22nd marks National Agriculture Day and, as we make a difference by growing things differently, we wanted to highlight a few things about Nature Fresh Farms that makes us unique in the agricultural world. Every day we’re looking for better and greener ways to grow the freshest vegetables and so we’ve found some of the most unique and sustainable ways to operate our greenhouse facilities. Please take a few minutes to read about how we utilize our resources to help sustain the Earth and ensure the best quality, consistency, and care for our products.
Vertical Growing:
We practice vertical growing in our greenhouses – this farming practice allows us to yield more fruit in a smaller space. To grow vertically, we wind string around the stalks of our plants to increase stability and sustain the plant’s growth. We also use plant supports to stop the plant stems from bending as fruits mature and gain weight.
Traceability:
We use technology to help us trace the journey of every fruit and vegetable. By assigning (RFID tags) (Radio frequency identification) to every area of the greenhouse and each picking bin / cart, we can identify exactly when and where we pick our produce.
Natural Pollinators:
Open field crops are pollinated by wind, but in the greenhouse, this is not an option. This is why we use bumble bees in our greenhouses – to pollinate our plants! Bumble bees are not aggressive and they are also efficient pollinators because of their fuzzy bodies. We also use good bugs as natural predators to reduce the use of pesticides.
Conserving Water:
Nutrient water is pumped through our irrigation system and delivered directly to our plant’s roots systems using drippers. Excess water is then collected, sterilized, fertilized and recirculated back into the system. This means that we irrigate with a 100% closed-loop system.
How We Heat:
To heat our greenhouses we boil water in large biomass hot water boilers and pump it through our heating rails. These rails are located between every row along the greenhouse floor. Every year we burn approximately 15,000 tons of waste wood in our biomass boilers – this product would have been thrown into a landfill and not used productively.
Climate Control:
Since we grow indoors, we can completely control growing conditions for our plants. We use a state-of-the-art climate control system called PRIVA that is programmed and managed by our expert growers to ensure our plants always have optimal growing conditions. This system controls the temperature, humidity, watering, air flow, ventilation, and carbon dioxide (CO2) release within our greenhouses.
We hope that this not only shows you how much we care about building and operating the most sustainable greenhouses but also growing the very best produce for you and your families. We are passionate about what we do and why we do it. Nature Fresh Farms is transparent when it comes to our agriculture practices and that’s why celebrating National Agriculture Day is so special and important for us.
