MARSHFIELD, Wis. (WSAW) – UW-Stevens Point at Marshfield has partnered with Fork Farms and Marshfield Clinic to provide healthy foods through hydroponic farming.
“It was a dream, but today the dream has come to fruition,” said Anthony Andrews, campus executive at UWSP at Marshfield.
Within one year, UWSP at Marshfield has turned one of its rooms into an indoor hydroponic garden. The plants grow with nutrient-rich water instead of soil.
How the system works
“Instead of the sun, we’ve got these highly efficient grow lights. Instead of a hose, we have a recirculating irrigation system. And it’s really the magic is in how simple it is,” said Alex Tyink, CEO of Fork Farms.
The Fork Farms CEO said this type of gardening produces food year-round. The plants also grow twice as fast as they would in the sun.
“There’s not a lot of wind. There’s not too much sunlight. We’re actually giving the plants exactly what they need to optimize their growth,” Tyink said.
Community impact goals
Marshfield Clinic’s Jay Shrader and UWSP at Marshfield’s Anthony Andrews are behind the project. One goal is to provide the community with a chance to learn more about creating healthy food habits.
“We have a short growing season. Individuals have to drive a long way to get access to food, let alone healthy food,” said Jay Shrader, vice president of community impact and social accountability at Marshfield Clinic.
“We’re hoping to use the first crops of produce to be able to create nutritious food products and herbs and spices for patients at Marshfield Clinic,” Andrews added.
As they move forward, they hope to produce enough food, herbs and spices to help organizations like Soup or Socks Food Pantry that work to combat hunger.
“This is all about educating and it’s about innovation,” Tyink said. “This is about doing something just differently enough that pushes the envelope of what it means to really take care of our community. We can grow food all the way through the winter. We’re growing it right here locally.”
Shrader said the biggest message he wants people to take away is to think differently.
“You keep doing the same thing about trying to solve health care. It’s not going to work. We provide world-class health care, but it’s very complicated. We need to think about where people work, live, and play. This is an example of that,” Shrader said.
Tyink said the garden is a great opportunity to teach the community more about growing their own food year-round.
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