US (NM): Large-scale hydroponic farming taking seed in Albuquerque
Albuquerque’s Skarsgard Farms is converting one of its 3,000-square-foot greenhouses in the South Valley into a hydroponic farming trial. Owner Monte Skarsgard said hydroponic farming is a trend among some urban farming operations across the country and whose time looks to be right for his operation and its members.
“There’s no need for tractors, no weeding, no drip irrigation,” Skarsgard said. Hydroponic farming takes place when nutrients that are typically in soil are dissolved in water for a plant’s roots to absorb, making the need for traditional soil obsolete.
Skarsgard began expanding his greenhouse operations on his South Valley farm about six years ago and has gone from 12,000 square feet to 78,000 square feet over that time. Farms often grow certain foods in a greenhouse environment to extend the growing season and to offer more variety.
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