DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — On the outside, it’s basically a big metal box, on the inside, Hillery Goodgame carries on a family tradition.
“To me, this is wonderful! I have been growing things since the age of about 5 years old,” Goodgame said.
She owns 86 acres south of Atlanta, growing produce the traditional way, but this is the 21st century.
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“There are literally 2800 heads of lettuce growing in this small room,” said Juliet Eden, who is with Ponix, the developer of a hydroponic farm run by Goodgame.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded a $5 million grant to see if this kind of farming can outproduce the old-school method that Goodgame is used to.
Metro Atlanta farmers from underserved communities have been brought on board to oversee the experiment.
The experiment includes 300 square feet of space, kept at a constant temperature of 74 degrees, plus LED lighting, and 140 gallons of water in constant circulation, equalling a ton of red leaf lettuce per month.
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“How’s it taste,” Channel 2′s Berndt Petersen asked Hillery. “Honestly, it tastes like it’s alive,” she said.
Goodgame believes this may be the future of farming across urban Atlanta.
“I don’t have a challenge of getting water. I don’t have to be dependent on the weather. This is absolutely so exciting,” Hillary said.
The lettuce Goodgame is growing will be harvested later this month and immediately sent to local restaurants and grocers.
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