Posted on Dec 26, 2023
missouri-trains-students-aquaponics-hydroponics-indoor-agriculture-farming
1.02K
4
1
3
3
0
Students are learning about aquaponics and hydroponics at Ranken Technical College in Troy, Missouri. Nearly double-digit growth is expected in the indoor farming industry over the next decade, but high energy costs remain a challenge.
The sound of running water fills the lab as students navigate between large plastic tubs and styrofoam sheets holding green plants in one of the classrooms at Ranken Technical College’s campus in Troy, Missouri, outside of St. Louis.
Tilapia at different life cycle stages fill the blue tubs. Their water is then filtered to draw out nitrogen that passes through tubes to the other half of the room, where it fertilizes the various plants growing under bright lights.
Ranken’s facility is providing its students a chance to work in one of several indoor farming formats, many of which are popping up around the country and in Missouri.
The U.S. is home to an estimated 2,000 indoor farms, and the industry is expected to grow at 9.8% annually between now and 2033.
Though many of these facilities have appeared in recent years, the industry remains relatively small due to how new it is, said Nick Crosse, who teaches Ranken’s aquaponics class.
The sound of running water fills the lab as students navigate between large plastic tubs and styrofoam sheets holding green plants in one of the classrooms at Ranken Technical College’s campus in Troy, Missouri, outside of St. Louis.
Tilapia at different life cycle stages fill the blue tubs. Their water is then filtered to draw out nitrogen that passes through tubes to the other half of the room, where it fertilizes the various plants growing under bright lights.
Ranken’s facility is providing its students a chance to work in one of several indoor farming formats, many of which are popping up around the country and in Missouri.
The U.S. is home to an estimated 2,000 indoor farms, and the industry is expected to grow at 9.8% annually between now and 2033.
Though many of these facilities have appeared in recent years, the industry remains relatively small due to how new it is, said Nick Crosse, who teaches Ranken’s aquaponics class.
missouri-trains-students-aquaponics-hydroponics-indoor-agriculture-farming
Posted from kcur.org
Farming
Agriculture
Troy
Posted 5 mo ago
Responses: 1
1
1
0
PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Hope for the future
Despite the challenges of starting an indoor farming business, the students in Crosse’s class at Ranken are hopeful about the future of this new industry.
Abbigail Gifford, one of Crosse’s students, plans to eventually use her aquaponics experience in a farm-to-table approach.
“I would love to open up this exact facility somewhere and make it like a commercial business, sell to restaurants, sell at local farmers markets,” she said.
Chris Ken, another student in the lab, is seeking a different avenue with his future indoor farming career. Ken’s parents grow cannabis indoors at their facility in central Illinois, where he discovered his passion for indoor farming, and he hopes to eventually start an operation of his own.
“I feel like in the future we’re gonna see not only this (operation at Ranken), but we’re gonna see it in a better scale on a bigger scale,” Ken said. “I feel like we are going to be definitely on the forefront of that just because we have the experience working with it, so we know what things need to be better.”
..."Hope for the future
Despite the challenges of starting an indoor farming business, the students in Crosse’s class at Ranken are hopeful about the future of this new industry.
Abbigail Gifford, one of Crosse’s students, plans to eventually use her aquaponics experience in a farm-to-table approach.
“I would love to open up this exact facility somewhere and make it like a commercial business, sell to restaurants, sell at local farmers markets,” she said.
Chris Ken, another student in the lab, is seeking a different avenue with his future indoor farming career. Ken’s parents grow cannabis indoors at their facility in central Illinois, where he discovered his passion for indoor farming, and he hopes to eventually start an operation of his own.
“I feel like in the future we’re gonna see not only this (operation at Ranken), but we’re gonna see it in a better scale on a bigger scale,” Ken said. “I feel like we are going to be definitely on the forefront of that just because we have the experience working with it, so we know what things need to be better.”
(1)
(0)
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google