Guess Who Leads The Future Of Food? Surprise!

It's the bloody AMISH.

Here's a beautiful, low tech, organic vertical farm.

Linky

When you hear about a farm that supplies all-natural, sustainable produce, using 90% less water and 90% less land, one that utilizes the most advanced vertical aeroponic technology on earth, you surely would not guess it would be an Amish farm. Yet in Topeka, Indiana, you cannot get produce that is more local, fresh, healthy, and sustainable — even in the middle of an Indiana blizzard — like you can get at Sunrise Hydroponics, an Amish farm.

These people really know what they are doing. I myself own a vertical farm for all kinds of produce among other things.

While Purdue and other universities spend millions of dollars trying to find solutions for the state’s agriculture challenges, the Future of Growing is already here. Who would have guessed that the Amish are leading the way?

No, no I would not have.

Thoughts ATS?

~Tenth

reply to post by tothetenthpower


I'm going to hazard a guess and say that if anyone survives the coming breakdown,it will be the Amish for sure.They don't rely on electricity or any fossil fuels to get things done.They have perfected being 'off grid'. For them its a life style.My money is on them all the way.

reply to post by tothetenthpower


Did you build your own vertical farm? or go off plans?
This is exactly what I've been looking for. Can you share how you built yours, I would love to know more about how it all works.
I love how simplicity solves so much, when we live in a world that complicates everything.

reply to post by mark1167


www.lowtechmagazine.com...

Originally I used this kind of setup.

I've recently upgraded to OmegaGardens.

~Tenth

tothetenthpower
It's the bloody AMISH.

Thoughts ATS?

I've got some Amish and Mennonite friends and they never cease to amaze me, either with their farming ability or craftiness. In the realm of deep oddities, we had a really superb top-notch Mennonite machinist (born Amish and left to become Mennonite during rumspringa). Ron was a whiz with CNC at work, but didn't use any power tools at home. It's not that he didn't know how to use them, he just didn't feel he needed to in most cases.

That's a great idea! I would really like to try it; do you have any tips you could share?

I made one rain gutter garden strip last year, and it worked so well I plan to add to it extensively this spring.

Found your links; thanks!

reply to post by tothetenthpower

It's a great concept. If all you need to survive is lettuce.

But seriously, on an individual basis, can everyone provide all of their nutritional needs by this method? The image you posted shows a greenhouse, not a "green tower" that you can set up on the balcony of your apartment. (No, I don't live in an apartment but a lot of people do).

Can a system like this provide the megatons of food required to feed millions?

reply to post by Phage


Well Phage, honestly if we ate regionally, as opposed to internationally ( trucking food in from the four corners if you know what I mean) than yes, it's entirely possible to use indoor vertical farms.

I use them for a variety of produce and herbs. Although I do use LED lighting so I'm cheating in a sense. It certainly would be more seasonal if you did it like these Amish folk are doing, considering what it would cost to heat the place and have proper lighting all year round to encourage the growth cycles.

But yeah, as a means to feed millions of people? It would have to be done locally and on a huge scale, as in every second person grows their own produce.

ETA: they would certainly need to break the 'no technology' clause of being Amish in order to sustain this long term.

~tenth

reply to post by tothetenthpower

It really was an honest question. I'm not (quite) old enough to have direct experience but it harkens to WWII victory gardens...updated with hydroponics.

Another avenue. High quality protein along with the vegies:
en.wikipedia.org...

My daughter's school has some models running and it is very cool....if you like talapia.

reply to post by Phage


Yeah if you check out my link above for OmegaGardens, that's what I've been using. I bought 3 of them over the last 2 years and I've never looked back.

I didn't think the question wasn't honest lol Sorry I've been unusually snarky in my online stuff lately lol

As for food, we really need to return to regional growing. Stop asking farms to produce Oranges for Eastern Canada all year round for example. All of our food is expensive because of transport and we need to start cutting out the distributors.

~Tenth

Hi Tenth! I am so jealous. Since I live in an apartment, can you give me an idea of the electricity cost involved?

aboutface
Hi Tenth! I am so jealous. Since I live in an apartment, can you give me an idea of the electricity cost involved?

It's really next to nothing if you're using a small rotary engine to do the work, in the case of the Omega Garden anyway.

The vertical gardens cost nothing other than the LED lights you might use and since LED's generally are less than 30wat, you'd hardly notice a difference in your power bill for a small home installation.

~Tenth

reply to post by tothetenthpower

As for food, we really need to return to regional growing. Stop asking farms to produce Oranges for Eastern Canada all year round for example.

You mean stop asking Canadians to stop asking for oranges all year round?

(extremely infrequent smilie posted herewith)

reply to post by tothetenthpower


Very, very kewl. I've seen similar things but this seems easier. Can they be used outdoors or do they need to be in a greenhouse. I don't suppose you can start from seed in one but would rather transplant seedlings.

Bravo.

reply to post by Phage


yes, that's exactly what I mean lol

~Tenth

reply to post by FyreByrd


Yeah I know some people who do them outside, but only seasonal of course. I find tomatoes usually get the best results. Potatoes too for some weird reason.

~Tenth

reply to post by tothetenthpower

Supply and demand. Demand and supply.
Holy crap it ain't so simple, is it?

How does one go about becoming Amish?

Phage
reply to post by tothetenthpower

 

How does one go about becoming Amish?

edit on 2/1/2014 by Phage because: (no reason given)

Gotta win one of these.

~Tenth

reply to post by tothetenthpower

I'll stick with hang gliding, it's safer.

reply to post by tothetenthpower


Checked your links cause I'm interested and found out Omega Garden is just a twenty minute drive from me. Was down that way today looking at someone's greenhouse setup with huge fish tanks (tilapia, I think) where the fish waste supplies the nutrients to the plants above so it does a double duty in providing protein as well as fresh veggies. Simple solutions are wonderful.