Fishy way to grow plants
Behind the stacks of kegs and cans at the North Country Brewing's canning warehouse, there's an entirely different process taking place.
The company is using aquaponics to grow a small amount of crops, but the brewers take as much pride in the system as they do their craft drinks, according to North Country owner Bob McCafferty.
The company partnered with Slippery Rock University to participate in the Growing Together Aquaponics program.
McCafferty said the partnership started when SRU professor Robert Arnhold asked him to use some of the canning facility's warehouse space for the program.
“I don't think he even got the question out, and I was like, 'Yes,'” McCafferty said.
The program supports local business by growing crops through a unique method while providing work experience for those who are intellectually and developmentally challenged, said Lauren Baker, the brewery's general manager.
Baker said the students, who come from SRU's assistance programs, visit for about two to three hours per day Monday through Friday, and help with tasks such as cleaning, logging data and harvesting the crops.
“(The students) test the water for the temperature, the ammonia and pH levels and for nitrate and nitrite,” Baker said.
Marena Toth, a brewery employee and the program's coordinator, said the students also help with feeding the fish in the tanks, which is where the whole aquaponics process begins.
The setup begins with a tank of Tilapia, which eat and live in a tank that feeds their excrement mixed with water through a hose to tubs of waiting plants.
The water passes by gravity from one tub to the next in a linear fashion, which may seem like a bad way to distribute nutrients, Toth said. But unlike hungry humans at a dinner table, the plants aren't greedy by nature.“The plants aren't going to take more than they need,” Toth said. “The fish make more than they need, so (the plant) takes what it needs and lets the rest through to the other plants.”Toth has been taking care of the fish and plants over SRU's summer break.“When the kids come in, I'll be showing them what to do,” she said.Toth said aquaponics has its benefits as a growing process, “Things grow faster,” she said.Being more hands-on with the project in the summer allows Toth to experiment with the system and look for ways to improve crop turnout or makeup.She said some plants, like peppers, herbs and edible flowers, have done well. Others, like tomatoes and cucumbers, have yet to pan out.“We're working out different kinks,” Toth said. “We're doing a lot of research on what we can grow well.”
Baker said the business also benefits from experimentation. North County uses homegrown, edible flowers for presentation on food from its restaurant, or lavender for a Saison style beer.“The system has been a really good way for us to experiment with things like that,” she said. “All of this is going to our restaurants.”She said the produce from the system is only sent to the Harmony Inn location for now, but she and the company are open to expanding the program.“I think we'd all like to expand it,” Baker said. “There's always potential for the future.”McCafferty said he sees the project becoming part of the company's identity and another building block for being a part of the community moving forward.“Honestly, I didn't know what to expect,” McCafferty said. “Really, seeing the kids makes it all worth the while.”
