“We can grow one acre of food using these 9-foot-by-9-foot Flex Acre panels. It’s 99 percent less land use and we use less water. We also don’t have to rely on the weather at all,” said Endres.
Alone, these panels can grow at least 1,152 heads of lettuce at one time with a harvest every 28 days. It’s more than enough lettuce to furnish for lunches at each of the six schools within the district.
Endres used funds from her budget to purchase the Flex Acre units from a company in Wisconsin called Fork Farms along with four smaller portable units called Flex Farms that can be used in classrooms. She heard about them after attending a conference and was intrigued by the idea. Now, she says, the Flex Acres are the first in the State of Michigan, and TK is the first school district in the nation to use them.
The flex acre panels are more of a commercial growing system, each measuring 9 feet tall and 9 feet wide. The panels are set up in what used to be a storage room near the back loading docks at the middle school. Each panel contains 520 planting pods with a total of 2,304 pods available for all kinds of lettuce and leafy vegetables, herbs, strawberries, cucumbers, peppers, edible and cut flowers and other vegetables.
“I’m so passionate about this. The produce we grow is more nutritious. It will have zero travel miles and will taste better because it’s fresher, we can harvest daily. I’m confident we can grow some of our own food right here. We have already sent lettuce we’ve grown right here to each of the buildings,” said Endres. “Before this we have had to procure our lettuce from various places and sometimes the quality is sub-par. You know it’s not as fresh as if we harvest it right here ourselves within days of being used.”
She admits there is going to be a learning curve to plan, schedule and use the hydroponic system, but she’s also very excited about the possibilities of all the fresh food she’ll be able to plant, grow, harvest and use for students.
“I’ve had this idea in my head for a while now. After I heard about this, I took a lot of time to research and study and really learn about the system and how it could work here. I’ve been working closely with the company and they’ve been very helpful answering all my questions and getting it all set up and operational.”
A team from Fork Farms came to TK and built the system in one day. They worked with TK maintenance and building and grounds department employees who helped with the water, electrical and space needs.
Endres said she has also been in contact with the health department and has a strict regime of checks and balances to ensure food safety. Each day she monitors water quality and nutrient levels and has a schedule of cleaning and maintaining the growing system as plants are harvested and others planted.
In addition to the larger acre units, Endres also purchased four Flex Farms that are smaller, portable units that can be used in classrooms and include an educational curriculum provided by Fork Farms.
“I’m most proud that this department can give back educationally to the students with this program. There is always somewhat of a disconnect between food service and education and now we’re going to be teaching students how to grow their own food. Education is important. And we want to share this option of growing food with our students,” said Endres.
The portable units can easily be moved between classrooms and buildings. “There’s a buy-in from students. If they have a hand in planting or growing something, they are much more likely to try eating it.”
The portable farms can grow more than 390 pounds of produce each year. They only require a standard electrical outlet and less than 10 square feet of space. They have a fully contained water system, energy-efficient LED light towers and a pump allowing it to be in a corner of a classroom and then easily relocated to another classroom.
Students have actually already had a hand in helping. During the high school’s annual Service Day, several students helped prepare the pods and plant the first seedlings in the Flex Acres units.
She thanked the students, the administration, board of education, the building and grounds department, the maintenance department and her own food service workers who have all supported and made this idea become a reality.
“I can’t see a downside to it. Nutritional, freshness, food security - it’s all that and it provides educational opportunities and buy-in from students. Nutrition is a big passion of mine and I believe this is a way we can get more nutritious food into each of our buildings and create enthusiasm with students.”