Lee Pulaski, lpulaski@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader Photo by Lee Pulaski Jeff Smith, consultant for Valhalla Farms, points out some full-grown vegetables during a tour of the greenhouse last week. Turnaround time from seed to harvest on most vegetables is 30 days, according to Smith.
Leader Photo by Lee Pulaski Valhalla Farms grows a variety of lettuce on rafts in a greenhouse. There is currently one greenhouse actively growing vegetables, but Lori Mathwich and her husband, Shawn, hope to have several greenhouses operating in a few years.
Farmers use a variety of methods to make crops grow in Wisconsin, but one farm near Tilleda is taking a no-soil approach in order to grow fresh and healthy food year-round.
Valhalla Farms Aquaponics was born in 2014, using a sterilized greenhouse to grow kale, Romaine lettuce and even Hongtleanhu peppers as a local source of fresh and healthy food. Lori Mathwich, who along with husband Shawn bought the farm in 2008 from Duane and the late Sonya Maas to build a bed and breakfast, sees her aquaponics operation as “smart farming,” an opportunity to revolutionize crop production.
The idea sprung up after Duane Maas asked the Mathwiches a few years ago to plant and grow the Hongtleanhu peppers for a company that produces tequila. With the help of students from the Shawano and Bowler FFA chapters, the farm was able to grow some peppers, but it was a limited yield due to the dependence on ideal weather conditions and a limited growing season.
“Our change of weather is worse than China or Mexico,” Mathwich said. “Only about half made it.”
So then the idea came up about taking the variables of healthy soil and changing seasons out of the equation. In September 2014, ground broke on a commercial greenhouse that would not only house the plants, but the living fertilizer source, as well — tilapia.
The waste produced by the tilapia supplies nutrients for the plants, which are grown on rafts in hydroponic pools. The fish are fed a high protein diet, according to Valhalla consultant Jeff Smith, and the water in the fish tanks is filtered into gravel beds where the plants grow.
Valhalla also harvests the fish for sale on site when they reach 15-17 inches in length. There are about 1,200 tilapia in the greenhouse at any given time, Smith said.
As a result of aquaponics, there is no need for chemicals, and plants germinate at a faster rate. Smith noted that most plants reach the point of harvest within 30 days.
“Everything just grows at a faster rate,” Smith said. “It’s all grown in water on rafts and media beds.”
The greenhouse is automated to open and close air vents when needed and keep the air temperature constant, according to Smith, regardless of whether it is 90 degrees or minus 20 degrees outside.
Water sources are recycled and pumped back into the fish tanks. The only water consumed is through natural evaporation and plant absorption, according to Smith.
“Every day, we plant a variety of kales and lettuces. Every day, we harvest kales and lettuces,” Smith said.
Besides the vegetables for human consumption, the greenhouse also grows fodder for beef cattle. Like the vegetables, the oats, wheat and grass are grown soil free, and a tray of fully grown grass can be ready in about eight days, with the roots intertwining like a carpet for easy removal and transport to cattle barns. Oats and wheat germinate in seven to 10 days.
“There is a big demand for this,” Smith said. “In the drought-stricken areas, fodder is very big. You can grow it indoors, and it’s phenomenal.”
Valhalla Farms is still trying to scope out how high the demand is.
“You can grow 365 days a year. You can have fresh produce year-round,” Smith said. “Once I know what the demand is, I’ll know what I have to grow more of.”
Mathwich and her husband work part-time with the Army along with running the bed and breakfast and now the aquaponics facility. Mathwich is eager to jump into something that is new and different, especially after she retires from the Army in 2017.
“Everybody is going organic. It’s already here now,” Mathwich said. “It really is the healthiest way to go. There’s no pesticides or chemicals.”
There is currently one greenhouse in operation, but the hope is that it could be expanded to three in a few years, depending on whether plant and fish harvesting and sales take off, Mathwich said. She also envisions the aquaponics operation serving as an educational opportunity for area students.
“This is the sort of thing they’re going to see in college, so why not give them a taste of it?” Mathwich said. “We brought in six or seven students from Shawano and Bowler this summer helping us get things done. Somebody took a chance on us when we were kids, so we’re taking a chance on them.”