In Season Aquaponics

We started this farm with the intention of creating a sustainable, system of aquaponic farming that could be easily replicated in other locations and possibly franchised. How did we arrive at that point? I graduated from NC State with a degree in mechanical engineering and began working in a high tech textile manufacturing facility as a Process Improvement Engineer. It was this position that really made me understand how the quality of a process can mean the difference between success and failure and also highlighted the need for continuous improvement. After half a dozen years with the Textile company, I decided to take a leap of faith and pursue a lifelong interest in the horticulture industry and opened a landscaping business. The business grew to the point where I was able to implement systems, hire staff and have the business grow on its own, maybe even better, without me. I operated the landscaping business for more than a decade before I sold it to raise capital to launch this farm. So why did I choose aquaponics? I was looking for a business that created a product instead of a service. I also wanted to be able to leverage my past experience and education to do something innovative and worthwhile. My wife suggested that maybe I should look at fish farming as I have raised tropical fish for decades dating way back to the early 80's. I initially dismissed the idea, but realized that my wife of 20 years probably knows me better than anyone else and thought I'd at least see if it led to anything viable. It wasn't long before I ran across the concept of Aquaponics and soon realized that this logically fit the bill for what I was looking for. There's plenty of innovation left to do in this field and there's also a confluence of environmental and social issues that have amplified the need for solutions like this to meet current and future food security demands.