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US (OK): Grow filter brings sustainable agriculture to vertical farming
Upward Harvest has spent the last six years perfecting a vertical farming design that brings to market a scalable, economically viable way to grow organic goods - all without the high costs of artificial lighting, industrial shelving, scissor lifts, and elaborate environmental controls, according to Travis Flatt, founder of Upward Harvest. They call it Vertical.Grow.Filter. It’s a completely closed loop growing system with zero water discharge that maximizes production and profits and minimizes inputs and recurring costs.
"We believe the single largest barrier to entry into the space of sustainable agriculture has now been removed thanks to our innovation in vertical farming", Travis tells us. "With our growing technology - a grower can expect a full return on investment within the first year of production."
"This technology completely sets us apart from anything else currently on the market", Travis goes on to say. "No other growing system offers the flexibility and efficiency of the Vertical.Grow.Filter. technology. Right now, the entire industry - from commercial growers to grocery stores, distributors to municipalities, hospitals, universities, restaurants, food service companies and everyone in between - they are all looking to implement new and better ways to feed their customers healthy/local/organic food. And they all want to become more sustainable at the same time. This is where Upward Harvest comes into the picture."
Through the last 6 years of Research and Development in the field of agricultural innovation, Upward Harvest is now in its 3rd generation growing technology, all utilizing aquaponics as the means for production. "The common misperception in the greenhouse industry is that fish waste-water cannot supply the needed nutrients for sustained growth for all the stages of plant life. What we have found is that often times, the things that are criticized the most are often the things that are understood the least. This is definitely the case when it comes to aquaponics. We have successfully grown all types of leafy greens, herbs, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, okra, zucchini, squash, hops, and more."
Founder & Chief of Innovation, Travis Flatt, illustrating the size and vigor of the plant yields found in Upward Harvest’s growing technology.
The Vertical.Grow.Filter. is an all inclusive growing system. It allows the grower to maximize growing footprint, grow a wide range of produce, and filter water that would otherwise need mechanical filtration to remove solids. The towers are filled with a recycled material that is very similar to pumice. They are also home to an active colony of composting worms. These worms help break down solids, they consume non-active root growth, and they provide additional nutrients to the plants while tunneling through the media, allowing the water to travel in different paths as it filters through. Once the water exits the towers it then flows back to the fish tank by gravity. After the first month of irrigation through the media, these towers become an active biofilter providing some of the cleanest water possible.
"6 years worth of water testing and documentation confirms our water is cleaner than our city’s drinking water when it comes to ammonia levels", Travis explains. "Yet it contains over 92 trace minerals and balanced levels of NPK for tremendous plant growth! This is all done without extravagant filtration mechanics typically found in Recirculating Aquaculture Systems."
Another perk to the growing technology is energy conservation. "An entire acre or 2,400 towers can be powered from just 1 water pump", Travis tell us. "This allows us to run our farms at a fraction of the cost of an indoor hydroponic farm - yet produce yields at multiples of an indoor hydroponic farm’s production. Our Vertical.Grow.Filter. also boasts an amazing buffering capability in the event of power failure thanks to the large surface area of the growing media within the tower itself. From low start-up costs to even lower recurring costs - we are ready to help you build the next generation of farms that will feed our growing population well into the future without further damaging or depleting our natural resources or environment."