US (VA): Growers show off aquaponics technology at VSU field day
The idea is simple, as extension specialist Chris Mullins demonstrated at Virginia State University’s Randolph Farm Thursday morning. Essentially, water from a tank containing fish is routed through hydroponic pipes used to grow greens or herbs before it is returned to the tank. The plants benefit from the nutrients the fish provide to the water, and the fish benefit from the filtration the plants help carry out.
“Fish production and plant production: it’s combining those together for mutual benefits,” said Chris Mullins, who with his father Joe presented a small-scale aquaponics system to several dozen farmers and citizens attending an aquaculture field day at VSU.
While aquaponics wasn’t the only subject of conversation at Thursday’s field day, the apparatus composed of a tank, two barrels, eight PVC pipes, a pump and some tubing attracted the most attention.
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