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US (AL): From chicken farmer to hydroponic greenhouses

"Rooted in faith, harvested by innovation" is more than a motto for a Dale County farm family transitioning their chicken houses into greenhouses. Bill and Anita Barefield Ferguson, owners of Riley Creek Farms, are converting four retired poultry houses on the more than 600-acre "faith-rooted family farm" in the Echo community into pesticide-free hydroponic greenhouses. Hydroponic farming is a method of growing plants in nutrient-enriched water without using soil.

"Bringing eco-friendly, flavorful produce from our fields to your table," is their mission and their logo includes the words "Rooted in faith, harvested by innovation." That is, in short, their story. "To say it has been an adventure would be an understatement," Ferguson said as he surveyed the landscape of green created by thousands of heads of lettuce in various stages of growth inside the former chicken house. "God's hand has been in this. Every. Step. Of. The. Way."

This conversion is the first of its kind and he is learning every step of the way, he said. "I'm 72 years old, and if I'm going to do something, I've got to do it."

Raised in Dothan, Ferguson attended Young Junior High, Dothan High, and Dixie Academy before attending Enterprise State Community College. Farming was not on his radar growing up, he said with a smile. His career goal was to be a professional golfer, and he did a stint working as a golf pro at a country club.

Read more at Dothan Eagle