Growing up has never been easier. With the help of local business Bright Agrotech, a Laramie-based farm and alternative farming equipment manufacturer, small farms are able to double or triple the amount of farming done in a small space. With the help of investors, the business plans to expand.
University of Wyoming alums Chris Michael and Nathan Story, have been selling vertical indoor farming towers since 2010. Last year, the two opened a greenhouse in West Laramie using “vertical aquaponics.”
Vertical aquaponics involves using towers where plants grow out the side, which allows farmers to grow more crops in a small space. The aquaponics portion involves using fish and other animals in a mutually beneficial relationship. The plants filter the waste from the fish, which provides the plants with essential nutrients. The clean water is then filtered back to the fish tank.
“We use fish, which is a natural product rather than using a manufactured solution. It is truly organic since we can’t use any chemicals because the fish are really sensitive to them,” Michael said.
The system is ideal for an area like Wyoming. In such a cold-winter climate, one of the biggest challenges to keeping a greenhouse is heating. By using the vertical growing towers, a small farm can grow more vegetables without having to heat a larger building.
Bright Agrotech started its own Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), which currently provides 60 individuals with weekly allotments of herbs and lettuces. The business also supplies Big Hollow Co-op and a few Laramie restaurants.
The manufacturing side of the business is growing, said Michael. The indoor growing towers have had a lot of interest from growers. A farmer living within the Arctic Circle in Norway has expressed interest in purchasing towers.
The owners of Bright Agrotech are now setting their sights on the home-growing market. Michael and Story plan to shrink down their patented full-sized growing tower into a modular home kit.
“Anyone can grow vertically in their kitchen or patio,” Michael said.
To fund the first production run, which includes creating the product mold and selling the first batch, Bright Agrotech is launching a Kickstarter Campaign beginning on Nov. 15. The business owners hope to raise $20,000 from the website campaign.
Investors, depending on the amount they give, can receive a video tour of the greenhouse, a decal with the catchy phrase “Grow up: Vertical farming for everyone,” or a home kit once they are produced.
Interested investors can visit http://www.brightagrotech.com/Kickstarter.html or the Bright Agrotech Facebook page.
