Get to Know the Fork Farms Family of Hydroponic Growing Systems and Their Real-Life Applications

Two billion people worldwide face food insecurity, and agricultural demand is on the rise. Climate change is causing an average 20 percent decrease in crop yield, and supply chain issues are causing food and resource waste and an overall reduction in nutritional quality. Hydroponic growing is one way to make fresh food more accessible while also using sustainable practices.

Estimated to reach $25.1 billion by 2027, the growth of the hydroponic market is as robust as ever. The significance and impact of the industry cannot be overstated, given the many environmental benefits of hydroponics, including reducing water usage and a lower overall carbon footprint. Indoor hydroponic farming, for instance, uses between 80 to 90% less water than traditional farming practices.

Fork Farms works daily to innovate and support positive sustainable change. In fact, in 2023, our products had the potential to save 4.6 million food miles, 567 thousand pounds of food waste, 12 million kWh of CO2, and 32 million gallons of water in communities across the globe.

What Products Does Fork Farms Sell?

With the steady growth of the hydroponic market, there is a wealth of hydroponic growing options, from small scale to commercial scale, on the market today. At Fork Farms, we are proud to offer our partners a variety of options through our family of hydroponic growing systems. These include the Flex Farm, the Flex Connect, and the Flex Acre.

Flex Farm

The Flex Farm is a highly scalable, mobile vertical growing system that requires only 9 square feet of space and a standard electrical outlet for operation. It can grow lettuce, greens, herbs, and a variety of other foods on-site, quickly, efficiently, and affordably. A single Flex Farm can grow 25 pounds of lettuce every 28 days, making it an ideal solution for homes, schools, or almost any other setting. The best way to understand the impact of a Flex Farm is to hear firsthand how our partners are using Flex Farms in their communities.

Bark River-Harris High School in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

According to the Michigan Public Health Institute, most of the U.P. is considered a food desert. In late 2023, 12 middle and high school classrooms across the U.P. began using Flex Farms to allow students the opportunity to grow their own fruits and vegetables hydroponically on school grounds. In a region where fresh foods are hard to find much of the year, Flex Farms provides the community access to fresh foods such as leafy greens, peppers, and tomatoes every month, regardless of climate. The 12 Flex Farms have also served as powerful educational tools in middle and high school classrooms, teaching students about science, health, sustainable growth, and life-long skills in critical thinking and problem-solving. News coverage and videos of this project can be viewed here.

Vincent Grow Room

Vincent High School in Milwaukee has created an indoor “Grow Room” that uses 12 Flex Farms to grow a variety of fresh greens and herbs on school grounds and enhance the curriculum in their Agribusiness track. The family of 12 Flex Farms can produce more than 300 pounds of fresh leafy greens in less than one month. Students in Vincent’s Agribusiness track and Career and Technical Education (CTE) program not only maintain the Flex Farms and grow fresh foods, but they also learn about STEM and experience hands-on, real-world farming scenarios and management skills. The students also created a business plan exploring how to incorporate produce and herbs into food science projects, sell fresh foods at the local farmer's market, and ensure enough fresh food is available to donate to the local food pantry. Coverage from CBS Milwaukee of this unique project can be viewed here.

Flex Connect

For larger operations–typically four to 12 Flex Farms–the Flex Connect is an ideal growing system. Its modular design allows for easy expansion of the hydroponic system, while operating on a single water system. This design reduces maintenance time and labor requirements while enhancing crop production and increasing efficiency. The Flex Connect has empowered food service providers to reinvent and take control of their fresh food supply chain with a scalable, centralized hydroponic farm solution.

Grow It Forward

Grow It Forward is an anti-hunger organization founded to provide people in need with dignified access to fresh food, along with opportunities to grow, cook, share, and advocate for this essential resource. Grow It Forward operates  56 Flex Farms in a 3,500-square-foot-space in the basement of a former church in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, to help feed those in need. Their farm uses four Flex Connect systems and several Flex Farms to grow fresh lettuce, basil, herbs, sage, cilantro, parsley, rosemary, kale, and more. The farms produce three tons of leafy greens each year, which are used in their food pantry, in cold-pressed juices, and in salads offered in their café. Additionally, their fresh produce is featured in sandwiches and salads offered through their catering division. Grow it Forward also sells its fresh greens wholesale to local restaurants and farmers’ markets, and donates produce to various community meal programs. Discover more about Grow it Forward’s incredible community story here.

Cultivate

Thanks to an $80,000 grant from UnitedHealthcare, a program called Cultivate was established. Cultivate is a comprehensive ecosystem in the Sherman Park neighborhood of Milwaukee that connects food security, community, and employment for a predominantly Black neighborhood that has been long underserved. The Cultivate program uses Flex Connect systems to grow fresh greens and herbs including everything from mint to red butter lettuce. Local high school students maintain the farms, harvest the fresh food, prepare it for purchase, and then sell it to Sherman Park Grocery. You can find more details on this amazing project, including videos and interviews with students and Maurice, the owner of Sherman Park Grocery, here.

The Flex Acre 

The Flex Acre is the next innovation in commercial hydroponics, and is the newest product in the Fork Farms family.  It is a revolutionary commercial hydroponic system that leverages ground-breaking controlled agriculture technology to reduce barriers for anyone to grow food affordably and at scale. It brings high efficiency to the large-scale farm, and feeds people onsite with minimal distribution significantly reducing operational costs and transportation. Each Flex Acre is a growing system 9 feet high,9 feet long, and 3 feet wide. It can produce more than 100 pounds of leafy greens, fruits, and vegetables every month. Some of our partners use the Flex Acre to grow mass amounts of food efficiently and economically all year long. With empty commercial space still at a record high, we can’t think of a better use of space and place to grow. Think of acres of blooming hydroponic farms!  

nOURish BRIDGEPORT

Fork Farms has been working with nOURish BRIDGEPORT Inc. since 2020 to bring fresh, sustainably-grown foods to more people in an area of the country that is not only declared a “food desert” by the USDA, but also has a high rate of food and nutrition insecurity. To combat food insecurity and boost overall health, nOURish BRIDGEPORT built Connecticut’s first non-profit indoor hydroponic farm. This innovative farm produces fresh produce such as leafy greens, cherry tomatoes, and cucumbers year-round for distribution to food pantry clients. The Nourish Indoor Farm uses 25 Flex Farms and one Flex Acre, growing 150 pounds of fresh, healthy produce each week.

Nourish Indoor Farm was established to improve access to healthy food  for people of Bridgeport who struggle with food security, educate people on nutrition and health, and foster community. In Bridgeport, the average life expectancy is  60 years, while  in the nearby town of Westport, the average life expectancy is  79 years. nOURish’s goal is to help change this statistic by providing fresh, nutritious food to those who need it most. Their Super Food Pantry provides groceries to 600 families each week, feeding 2,400 people. nOURish’s education, food, and health programs are powered by approximately 2,500 adults and youth volunteers, which fosters community and educational opportunities. The annual sustainability impact of utilizing the Flex Acre and Flex Farms at nOURish includes the potential  to save 7,300 pounds of food waste, 60,500 food miles, and more than 419,000 gallons of water each year compared to traditional agricultural practices. Now, that is impact.

If you’d like to learn more about which hydroponic application would be best for you, please contact a member of our Fork Farms team. We can help you build and grow.