Nate Calkins from Lake Orchard Aquaponics in Sheboygan, Wis. isn’t farming to save himself a dollar; he’s doing it for all the right reasons.
“I feel better about farming if I can do it in a mindful way that helps to protect our resources,” said Nate.
Aquaponics is a sustainable agricultural system that combines aquaculture (raising fish) and hydroponics (growing plants in water without soil) in a symbiotic environment. In this system, fish waste provides essential nutrients for plants, which help filter and purify the water, creating a balanced ecosystem.
Aquaponics models natural systems that have been in place since the beginning of time. Bodies of water like Lake Michigan or the pond at Lake Orchard Farms are examples of aquaponic systems. Nate shared the example of a frog eating a bug and when the frog poops, it provides a natural fertilizer to grow a lily pad.
The fish tanks at Lake Orchard act like toilet bowls. They are constantly flushed with return water that flushes out the fish excrement into bacteria basins. The bacteria in the basins act like the bacteria in the soil that breaks down the fish excrement into nutrients that are usable by the plants.
The plants grow on floating rafts with nothing but their roots hanging down into the water. There is no soil in an aquaponics system.
Lake Orchard Aquaponics consists of a 4,000-square-foot greenhouse with 3,200 square feet of growing space. Although it does not sound like much, the space is the equivalent of six acres of soiled ground with a 100-day growing season in Wisconsin. Lake Orchard’s annual leafy green production is 45,000 pounds. The greenhouse runs non-stop year-round.
The fish house is 2,000 square feet. Lake Orchard runs around 1,200 to 1,500 tilapias in the tanks. The fish’s purpose is to provide nutrients for the water for the plants to grow. Tilapia has a fast growth rate and high feed conversion, making them ideal for Nate’s aquaponics setup. Nate wants a fish that will produce nutrients to fuel lettuce production.
To Nate, sustainability means recycling as much as possible, including water. Water consumption is important to Nate. His facility uses 250-300 gallons of fresh water a day. Comparatively, an average family of four uses 400 gallons of water a day.
“The fact that we have water doesn’t mean that we should abuse water,” shared Nate.
Sustainability is important to Lake Orchard Farm because it is the right thing to do. Nate wants to share his methods with others so they can reap the benefits of aquaponic farming.