Rows and rows of leafy greens of all sizes and select varieties span across the greenhouses of TrueHarvest Farms in Belton. It’s where managing partners Jason Maks and Marshall McDaniel planted the roots for their hydroponic farm. They grow, harvest, and package lettuce to sell to restaurants, schools, and grocery stores.
“At TrueHarvest Farms, we are an indoor ag facility that uses hydroponics, or uses water, basically to provide nutrients to the plants along with water,” Maks said. They grow four lettuce varieties—romaine, a butterhead, a red oak leaf, and a crispy leaf.
“In an indoor grow facility, we have the ability to manipulate the environment. We have the opportunity to use less water than we would use outside,” Maks said.
In the summer, they can grow lettuce in about 35 days, and it takes up to 60 days in the winter, depending on how much light accumulation takes place. In the 50,000-square-foot facility, much of the process is automated to minimize opportunities for contamination and maintain optimal water vapor retention for freshness.
Read the complete article at www.texasfarmbureau.org.