U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., toured a farm operation Monday that is largely immune to the weather, to pests and to trade wars. Vet Veggies provides fresh leafy green vegetables and herbs year-round to Northwest Arkansas restaurants and grocers by growing the plants indoors in climate-controlled conditions with artificial light.
Boozman, the son of a veteran, is a member of both the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee and the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee.
The Vet Veggies farm was the first stop on a tour of businesses Boozman said could provide opportunities for veterans.
Jerry Martin, founder of Vet Veggies and host for the tour, said a veteran or someone else could start a similar one with an initial investment as low as $350,000. Martin is a local businessman and veteran of the Vietnam War.
Although Vet Veggies is profitable, its real purpose is to refine techniques of hydroponic farming, he said. The idea is to come up with a business model that can spread nationwide.
Read the full article at Arkansas Democrat Gazette (Doug Thompson)