LIVE LOCAL ORGANIC features aquaponics food-growing, a process that uses the natural synergy of fish waste being pumped into soil-less growing beds to fertilize plants being grown into water.
Ridgefield resident Joel Kelly is partnering with his uncle, Joel McGinley, to bring a thousands-year old horticulture technique to area businesses and restaurants.
Kelly and McGinley, founders of Live Local Organic, are confident that now is the time to introduce aquaponics to a community ripe for the ultimate in sustainable crop growing. Aquaponics is the food-growing practice of utilizing fish to fertilize plants being grown in water.
Instead of the traditional method of a plant deriving its nutrients from soil, aquaponics uses the natural synergy of fish waste being pumped into soil-less growing beds. The beds absorb their nutrients from this waste, which is in toxic levels for the fish, and drain the purified water back to fish in their separate tank. This filtration system is made even more sustainable by the fact that the only water lost is through evaporation and that which the plant absorbs. McGinley actually heard about this process 15 years ago at his daughter’s high school open house. A teacher had set up an aquaponics system in a green house and the practicality of it stuck in the back of his mind. Kelly recently graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in business and a focus on entrepreneurship. The two men took an aquaponics class from a couple who’ve been utilizing its benefits for 49 years and have perfected the system that Live Local Organic is using to go commercial with.
Live Local Organic is also in the middle of a Kickstarter campaign to raise $40,000 between March 11-April 10. The money will be used to open their first warehouse. In 6,000 square feet they hope to be able to take what they’ve learned from their 360-square-foot test green house to supply year-round local, sustainable and organic crops to restaurants and stores like Neighbor’s Market and Zupan’s Markets.
Their first customer is a Portland-based company called Genki-Su that sells a Japanese drinking vinegar. One of the main ingredients in their drink is a Japanese basil called shiso that’s difficult to grow out of season. In their test green house, employing the method of aquaponics, Live Local Organic has been successful in supplying Genki-Su with this herb.
Kelly believes this concept will be a niche for his business.
“We’re kind of thinking of going the route of selling out of season crops because we sell them at a higher quality and lower price than a lot of companies are getting them for,’’ Kelly said. “Stores and restaurants get them from Southern California and Mexico, like tomatoes. A lot of stores have no choice but to buy (this way).”
Live Local Organic is currently growing zucchini, cucumbers, peas, beans, dill, bell peppers, shiso, basil, romaine lettuce, bibb lettuce, butterhead lettuce, cilantro, chard and kale. Aquaponics is not limited to vegetables but can grow fruit-bearing crops, as well. Another bonus of the system is that because the water is packed with all the nutrients the plant needs, it can grow 20 percent faster and the yields are higher. The general time frame is 45-60 days from planting to harvest.
The fish being used are tilapia due to the fact that they’re prolific breeders and are actually the most eaten fish in the world. According to Kelly, the fish are fed organic fish food and Live Local Organic is also employing sustainable and organic practices in their fish raising. Tilapia tend to live for about a year and it’s the company’s intention to then sell the fish to area restaurants.
While there are companies selling aquaponic kits, Live Local Organic’s intention is to focus on the sale of crops, but they will offer advice and teach classes to help individual gardeners build their own systems on a smaller scale.
“One of the main difference (with aquaponics) is water consumption because it doesn’t really seem like such a big deal but farming practices really affect water consumption,’’ Kelly said. “If we can get this going, we can make a huge dent in the water consumption that’s happening.”
For businesses and restaurants interested in learning more, go to http://www.livelocalorganic.com/. To support their Kickstarter campaign, go to http://bit.ly/LiveLocalOrganic.
