I ka makahiki 2011, ua kūkulu nā hoaaloha ʻo Tim Ryan lāua ʻo John Bonner i kahi hale ʻōmaʻomaʻo 300-square-foot ma Burton, Ohio, me ka pahuhopu e lilo i mea hoʻolako kūloko, maʻemaʻe, a puni ka makahiki i nā letus ola a me nā mea kanu. ʻO ka hopena Na Waiwai Nui, a ʻo ka hoihoi i kā lākou huahana i hele wikiwiki a huhū.
"Makemake mākou e hōʻemi i nā mile o ka lawe ʻana i ka meaʻai (no ka mea, ke hele mai nei ka hapa nui o nā huahana mai ke Komohana Komohana), hāʻawi i nā huahana maʻemaʻe ma mua o ka mea i hana ʻia me nā huahana ulu ʻia a mālama i ke kaiapuni i loko o ka hale ʻōmaʻomaʻo e ʻae i nā hua mau loa," Ryan. i ʻōlelo ai. "He mea maʻalahi kā mākou ʻatikala: e hāʻawi i ka huahana kiʻekiʻe loa, hou, maʻemaʻe a puni ka makahiki ma ka ʻāina ʻo Great Lakes. Ke ola nei kā mākou huahana, hāʻawi iā lākou i ke ola papa ʻole no nā mea kūʻai aku a me nā chef hale ʻaina.
ʻO ka wikiwiki loa, koi aku i ka lako a ua hoʻoholo ka poʻe mea kanu hydroponic e hoʻonui - ʻo ka mua i 3,000 square feet, a laila 10,000 square feet a i kēia manawa he 60,000-square-foot hale piha me kahi ʻōnaehana NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) piha.
"Ua hoʻoholo mākou e hoʻonui wale ma muli o ka koi o nā mea kūʻai aku ... ua kūʻai loa ʻia mākou i waho o kā mākou hale i kēia manawa, a ʻoiai mākou i hoʻonui wale i ko mākou wāwae wāwae i ka 50 pakeneka, ua pāpālua mākou i kā mākou hiki ke hana no ka mea ke ulu nei mākou i nā mea kanu i kā mākou hoʻonui, e ulu nei. ʻoi aku ka wikiwiki ma mua o ka letus a lawe i kahi liʻiliʻi, "wahi a Ryan. "Ua hiki iā mākou ke ulu i ka letus a me nā mea kanu me kā lākou pono ponoʻī e pili ana i ka mahana, nā meaʻai, a me nā mea ʻē aʻe."
I kēia lā, hiki i ka Great Lakes Growers ke ulu i 1.4 miliona poʻo lettuce i kēlā me kēia makahiki, me ka lawa o ka wahi e hiki ai ke hoʻonui i nā hana i 450,000 square feet a me 18 miliona letus poʻo.
Aia kona wahi ulu nui i loko o ka letus ola i hoʻopaʻa ʻia, e hāʻawi ana i kahi ola mālama ʻelua a ʻekolu mau pule a hiki i nā mea kūʻai aku ma nā mokuʻāina he nui ke kūʻai aku i nā huahana.
ʻO ka makemake o nā mea kūʻai aku a me ka piʻi ʻana o ka hoihoi mai ka ʻoihana kūʻai aku a me nā ʻoihana lawelawe meaʻai i alakaʻi i ka lua e hana i kēia waiwai nui.
"Ke kūʻai aku nei mākou i 30 pakeneka o ka huahana i loko o nā hale ʻaina a me 70 pakeneka i ke kūʻai aku / kūʻai nui," wahi a Ryan. "Aia mākou i nā mokuʻāina he nui ma waena o Midwest a hoʻohana i kahi mea lawelawe meaʻai no ka lawe ʻana i ka hale ʻaina. Hoʻouna pololei mākou i nā hale kūʻai kūʻai kūloko a ua hoʻonohonoho ʻia nā lawe semi-truck no nā mea kūʻai kūʻai nui.
Loaʻa ka ʻike
ʻO ka hui ʻana o Bonner lāua ʻo Ryan he kūpono kūpono no ka hale ʻōmaʻomaʻo.
Ua hānai ʻia ʻo Bonner ma kahi mahiʻai ʻohana 30 mau ʻeka ma ia wahi, nona ka kulina, soybeans a me nā hale ʻōmaʻomaʻo. ʻO kona kupuna wahine ka mea nāna i hoʻokumu iā Burton Floral and Garden, ka mea hoʻolaha horticultural nui loa ma Midwest. Ua loaʻa iā Bonner ke kēkelē ma ka hoʻokele ʻoihana a ua hoʻokele ʻo ia i ka hale ʻōmaʻomaʻo o kona ʻohana no ʻeono makahiki, ma mua o ka hoʻomaka ʻana o Great Lakes me kāna hoaaloha.
Ua hānai pū ʻia ʻo Ryan ma ia wahi, ua loaʻa iā Ryan ke kēkelē laepua ma ka ʻepekema politika a me ke kēkelē laepua ma ka hoʻokele ʻoihana, a laila hoʻomau ʻo ia e hana i nā makahiki he ʻumi a ʻoi aku no ka Swagelok Co. o Solon, Ohio, e hoʻomaikaʻi ana i kona mākaukau ʻoihana.
ʻO kekahi o nā waiwai waiwai nui a ka Great Lakes Growers ma kāna ʻōnaehana NFT, ka mea e hoʻihoʻi hou i ke kahawai o nā mea kanu ma waena o nā aʻa mea kanu, e hōʻemi ana i ka wai a me ka ʻōpala meaʻai me ka ʻae ʻana i nā hua kiʻekiʻe mai kahi kapuaʻi liʻiliʻi. He mea kēia i kōkua i ka mālama pono ʻana i ka hale kōmaena mai ka wā kahiko.
Eia nō naʻe, aia kahi ʻōkuhi aʻo no Ryan lāua ʻo Bonner i ko lākou ʻike ʻana i nā ʻano ʻē aʻe o ka ʻoihana.
"ʻO ka haʻawina koʻikoʻi a mākou i aʻo ai mai ka ulu ʻana i ka letus a me nā mea kanu ma ka ʻākau hikina o Ohio, ʻoiai ʻo mākou he hale kiʻekiʻe loa, ʻoi aku ka nui o nā mea kaiapuni," wahi a Ryan. "He hopena nui ka nui o ka lā maoli i ka ulu a me ka maikaʻi. ʻOiai hiki iā mākou ke hoʻoulu i nā huahana kiʻekiʻe a puni ka makahiki, hāʻawi nā mahina kauwela iā mākou i ka kala a me ka hana ʻoi aku ka maikaʻi, a me ka noʻonoʻo ʻana pehea e hana hou ai i kēia i loko o nā lā anuanu / pōkole o ka hoʻoilo e hele i kahi ala lōʻihi e kōkua iā mākou e kūleʻa.
No ka laʻana, ua aʻo koke lākou i kekahi mau ʻano letus e hoʻohua nui a ʻoi aku ka maikaʻi i ka wā e ʻike ʻia ai i nā ʻano māmā like ʻole, aʻo kekahi mau mea kanu e ulu ikaika a ʻoi aku ka wikiwiki me ka haʻahaʻa haʻahaʻa.
Ma kēlā manaʻo, kapa ʻo Ryan i nā kukui hoʻohui ʻia ʻo ia paha ka wahi nui o ka manawa kūpono no nā Great Lakes Growers i kēia manawa, a ke hoʻāʻo nei lākou i nā LED a me nā kumu kukui ʻē aʻe e kōkua ai e hoʻoholo pehea e hōʻemi ai i ka hopena o nā lā pōkole i nā mahina hoʻoilo.
"Aia kahi kaulike mau e pono ai mākou e mālama, a ʻo kā mākou mau mea hou e ʻae iā mākou e hāʻawi i kēlā ʻano o ka nānā ʻana o kēlā me kēia kanaka i kā mākou mea kanu, kahi e hāʻawi ai i kahi huahana ʻoi aku ka maikaʻi no kā mākou mea kūʻai aku," wahi āna. ʻAʻole hoʻohana ka hale ʻōmaʻomaʻo i nā herbicides kemika, ʻoi aku ka maikaʻi no ke kino a me ke kaiapuni, wahi a Ryan.
"No ka loaʻa ʻana o kā mākou mea kanu i ka nui o ka wai a me nā meaʻai, ulu lākou me ka ʻoi aku ka paʻa a me ka maikaʻi ʻoi aku ka maikaʻi ʻoiai e mālama ana i nā kumuwaiwai - i ka manawa pōkole," wahi āna. "A no ka ulu ʻana o mākou i kahi hale mālama ʻia i ke aniau, aia nā mea āpau i ka makahiki āpau. Eia kekahi, no ka mea, hele mai kā mākou huahana mai ʻaneʻi ma Ohio ma mua o ka hoʻouna ʻia ʻana mai Southwest US a i ʻole Mekikoka, he mea hou a ʻono ia i ka wā e hiki ai i kou ʻōpala.
I ka wā e hiki mai ana
Ua hauʻoli ʻo Ryan e hiki i kāna hui ke kākoʻo i ke kaiāulu kūloko ma o ka hoʻolako ʻana i nā hana, a ke manaʻo nei e hoʻomau ʻia nā makahiki. Loaʻa iā Great Lakes Growers ma kahi o 15 mau hoa like manawa piha i ka hale ʻōmaʻomaʻo a me ʻelua a ʻekolu mau mea hoʻokele, ma muli o ka pono. Ua hoʻohui ʻo ia i kekahi mau limahana hou mai ka hoʻonui ʻana, a e loaʻa i ka pono no nā mea hou aʻe e pili ana i ka holomua ʻana o nā hana automation.
Ke nānā nei i mua, manaʻo ʻo Ryan e hoʻonui hou aku i kāna mau wahi a me nā makana.
"Hoʻolālā mākou e hoʻomau i kā mākou ulu ʻana i loko o ʻekolu a ʻelima mau makahiki e hiki mai ana, e hoʻomohala ana i nā hoʻolālā e hiki ai iā mākou ke hōʻemi i ka hopena o nā hoʻololi ʻana i ke aniau," wahi āna. "Ke manaʻolana nei mākou e lilo i mea hoʻolako hoʻokahi i nā letus a me nā mea kanu momona loa i loaʻa ma Midwest."
— Keith Loria, mea kakau VGN