US (MN): Willmar growers looking into aeroponics franchise model

A proposal to grow fresh lettuce and herbs year-round with nothing more than air, light and a fine mist of water and nutrients was presented last month to a local ag-based committee that is more familiar with growing crops in soil.

Aeroponics, which involves growing plants by having roots exposed to oxygen and fed with a mist of water, could be an answer to consumers who want locally grown product and an answer to an entrepreneur looking for a new business, said Dana Anderson, CEO of Living Greens Farms, based in Faribault.

By producing the same amount of leafy green vegetables in one acre of warehouse space that would typically take 200 acres of farmland to produce, aeroponics could also be the answer to land-use sustainability and feeding the world, Anderson said.

"The 21st century farm of the future has arrived," Anderson said. "We have just an incredible opportunity of improving sustainability and giving consumers a better product."

He's now looking to expand the business with a franchise model.

Read more at the West Central Tribune