Daleville aquaponics startup grows powerhouse food
MUNCIE, Ind. (AP) - Jeff Ginn is growing what he calls some of the healthiest food on the planet in the aquaponics greenhouse he opened less than a year ago.
But don't take his word for it. Much of the organic produce he grows year round ranks high on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's list of "powerhouse fruits and vegetables," including watercress (No. 1), chard (No. 3), chives (No. 14), kale (No. 15), arugula (No. 18), tomatoes (No. 27), butterhead lettuce (No. 29) and strawberries (No. 30).
Powerhouse foods are strongly associated with reduced chronic disease risk on the basis of 17 nutrients of public health importance, such as fiber, protein and vitamins A, B-12 and C.
Ginn's Healthy Life Organics aquaponics greenhouse on the edge of Daleville is the third aquaculture startup in Delaware County since 2015, when two indoor saltwater shrimp farms - Blue Barn Shrimp and L&L Shrimp Farm - opened.
Besides fresh fruits and vegetables, Ginn raises yellow perch in his aquaponics system of tanks, troughs and pipes through which 2,000 gallons of water constantly recirculates. The perch are raised in a 250-gallon fish tank. The fresh produce is grown hydroponically in the water troughs in which Ginn plans to also start raising Australian red claw crayfish, aka freshwater lobster.
Aquaponics combines aquaculture (raising fish, crayfish or prawns in tanks) with hydroponics (growing plants in water, without soil). Treated fish waste feeds the plants.
"This root system is what cleans the water for the fish," Ginn said. "Without the plants, the fish wouldn't survive, and without the fish, the plants wouldn't survive. It's symbiotic, like nature, just sped up. That's why it's sustainable. You don't have to add anything but the (plant) seeds and the water. The fish take care of fertilization and the roots take care of cleaning the water for the fish, so it's all one big happy system."
A crayfish hatchery will be opening soon in New Castle.
"The crayfish's job is, they eat all the dead roots off the bottom of the plants, and that really makes the plants take off," Ginn said. "And you don't have to feed the crayfish. And you harvest 400 crayfish every 90 days."
Air Force veteran Glynn Barber, a former tool and die maker from Redkey, invented the aquaponics systems used by Ginn and Wapahani High School. Called ESCIA (Environmentally Controlled Sustainable Integrated Agriculture), Barber invented it in his garage.
Scott Truex, an associate professor of urban planning at Ball State University and co-founder of The Sustainable Communities Institute, has called ESCIA "an unparalleled food production machine" that "has the potential to revolutionize the aquaponics industry and feed the world."
"We have an ECSIA module in Haiti feeding 83 orphans," Barber told The Star Press recently. "We just placed two systems in Elkhart and another in East Chicago."
The water is so nutritious for plants that they grow in fast-forward mode. When it's sunny, "I can see growth from the day before," Ginn said.
"These cucumbers have been in there for three weeks," he said while handling cucumber leaves larger than his hands. "It's climbing right up this net. You can see little flowers and buds all over, so I'm going to have a lot of cucumbers before too long."
Ginn has sold most of his fresh produce to a Muncie restaurant but is planning to switch the operation to a CSA (community-supported agriculture) model. Typically, members or "share-holders" of the CSA pledge in advance to cover the anticipated costs of the farm operation, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In return, they receive shares in the farm's bounty throughout the growing season, as well as satisfaction from connecting to the farmer. Members also share in the risks of farming, including poor harvests due to bad weather or pests.
Ginn's tomato plants, for example, were climbing to the ceiling and productive before being infested with aphids, which he attributes to lax biosecurity. The aphids spread into the greenhouse from an ornamental plant that had been brought in for aesthetics.
"Don't bring in potted plants," Ginn learned. "The system works great; I just didn't protect it right."
Ginn, who lost the use of his legs in a motorcycle accident 12 years ago, decided to open his aquaponics greenhouse after visiting Barber's operation in Redkey. The two men had worked together at a Yorktown tool and die shop years ago.
The taste of the fresh produce grown by Barber sold him. "I couldn't believe the taste," Ginn said. "I was amazed."
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Source: The (Muncie) Star Press, http://tspne.ws/1qjOO2l
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Information from: The Star Press, http://www.thestarpress.com