Visiting with (left) Eric Francis, Chief Development Officer and (right) Spencer Curry, CEO and Co-founder of Trifecta Ecosystems
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I am so proud to have my first article published in Connecticut Food and Farm Magazine (Winter 2017 Edition)! It feels so good to be writing again : ) (Did you know I actually have a minor in journalism…?) All photographs done by the always-talented John Shyloski Photography. Thank you to Trifecta Ecosystems for spending the day with us and being such wonderful hosts!
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(Click on image above to go to CT Food and Farm!)
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Aquapioneers: Farming for the Future
The sun spills through the windows of an industrial building in Meriden, CT. The relaxing sounds of sitars and Indian music are playing, echoing throughout the oversized room. Fish are swimming around in their tanks. Lush, green plants fill the room. Is this a yoga class…? No! It’s the 2,500 square foot Trifecta Ecosystems aquaponics farm at their 8,400 sqft warehouse facility. It is currently the largest aquaponics system in Connecticut – able to harvest up to 1,300 plants each week from 3 – 8′ x 48′ row beds.
The newest trend in soil-less farming, aquaponics is just starting to make its mark on the Connecticut agricultural scene. But what is it? Aquaponics is a method of farming that grows fish and plants together in one self-contained ecosystem. Fish waste provides a food source for the plants and the plants naturally filter the water to make it clean again for the fish. The process all begins in the fish tanks. As the fish swim, they naturally produce ammonia in the water through their gills and their waste. The ammonia-rich water is pumped through a series of filters filled with healthy bacteria in order to remove the bigger waste particles and convert the waste into food for the plants. The first strain of bacteria snacks on the ammonia in the water and converts it into nitrites. The secondary bacteria then turn the nitrites into nitrates – which are the good stuff that leafy greens love to eat. The water is pumped into the plant beds where the plants (which have been sprouted in a coconut-based bedding mixed with vermiculite) absorb all the nitrates and other nutrients in the water. The clean water then gets pumped back into the fish tanks thereby starting the process all over again.
Why is aquaponics the cool, eco-friendly cousin to hydroponics? Hydroponics currently uses expensive, non-sustainable petroleum-based fertilizers, whereas aquaponics uses fish feed and other nutrients to create a natural fish-waste based fertilizer. Hydroponics farms need to carefully drain their chemical-laden systems due to salt and chemical build ups every couple of months. That regular dishcharge puts a blight on an otherwise very water efficient method of growing. With aquaponics, there is no need to change the water in the system, only to add more clean water if the levels get low from evaporation and what the plants use to grow. Aquaponics farms are also more energy-efficient than their counterpart. They cleverly heat the water the plants float in, giving them warmth from the “ground” up and mimicking being tucked snugly into the earth. This expends much less energy than trying to warm the air in a room surrounding the plants from the outside-in.
CEO and co-founder of Trifecta, Spencer Curry, believes aquaponics can work synergistically with traditional farms. Traditional soil-based farms can use the excess fish waste from aquaponics farms as a nutrient-dense fertilizer. Aquaponics farms also have the ability to be built in urban areas – converting empty factories and warehouses into full-functioning farms that benefit the community. If soil and aquaponics growers work in tandem, aquaponics can grow the leafy greens, herbs and small fruiting crops and field growers can grow the large vegetable, fruits, trees and other crops that are not practical to grow indoors in cities.
And there are benefits to aquaponics over traditional soil-based farming. First, there are obvious advantages to being indoors: no storms to ruin your crop, no deer or other animals to eat your plants, no weeding, and the ability to operate year ‘round.
Aquaponics produce can have a better, fuller flavor and grow faster than most traditional soil-grown produce due to the high concentration of nutrients in the water. With aquaponics, the plants can all thrive in the nutrient-dense water as opposed to competing for the limited nutrients in soil, yielding more than double the produce than the same amount of traditionally farmed space.
Aquaponics also lends itself well to growing more flavorful heirloom vegetable varieties. While hybrids were developed, in part, for disease resistance, the more tender heirloom varieties can thrive in the balanced, protected atmosphere of aquaponics. Similarly, GMO plants were designed to withstand harsher climate conditions. With the cozy, controlled environment of aquaponics there is no need for GMO crops.
Insect pests do damage to all farmers’ crops. Aquaponics farmers turn to beneficial insects such as ladybugs, lace-wings, and praying mantis for help. Some farmers even go so far as to build them tiny bug houses to coax them to stay – encouraging a self-sustaining ecosystem known as Integrated Pest Management (IPM).
Aquaponics farms can be run by a small staff doing both farming and business tasks. Trifecta Ecosystems is currently a staff of five. Founded five years ago by Kieran Foran (Farm Manager and Chief of Marketing) and Spencer Curry (CEO), two years ago they added Eric Francis, now their Chief Development Officer and a year ago brought on Andrew Ingalls, their Chief Operating Officer and Head of Research. Their newest team member is Anne St. Hilaire, Director of Branding and Marketing.
Trifecta also sells aquaponics systems sized for home use up to full scale farms. They have helped set up systems for elderly, disabled, and special needs individuals – all groups for whom this kind of growing system have proven therapeutic. According to Spencer, “It takes five minutes a day to take care of the system. One minute to feed the fish and four minutes to enjoy the system.”
Looking around Trifecta, you’ll see a plethora of different lush, full-flavored greens: twelve different types of lettuces as well as dwarf Siberian kale, Genovese basil, rainbow Swiss chard, and Malabar spinach. These varieties will be available for sale in their WeeklyHarvest subscription beginning in 2018. Soon microgreens will be added, with varieties being suggested by local chefs. Catfish, sourced as fry from New Haven’s aquaculture program, The Sound School, and grown at Trifecta, will also be available for purchase.
In 2018, Trifecta will be building a commercial kitchen and pairing up with the non-profit My City Kitchen to create a farm-to-table program for children from low income and single-family households. In the program, Trifecta will teach the children aquaponics farming skills while My City Kitchen will give cooking lessons. According to Spencer Curry, Trifecta’s main mission is to create “the city that feeds itself” by encouraging the synergy between traditional soil farmers, aquaponics farms, and home gardeners.
Follow along on social media as Trifecta Ecosystems nurtures this “seed of change” and for news on CSA WeeklyHarvest share availability and upcoming farm-to-table dinners held at the facility.
Left to Right: Eric Francis, Chief Development Officer; Kieran Foran, Co-founder, Chief of Marketing, Farm Manager; Anne St. Hilaire, Director of Branding + Marketing; Spencer Curry, CEO and Co-founder; Andrew Ingalls, Chief Operating Officer and Head of Research