Right off Highway 53 in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, lies an old potato storage building. People passing by might think it is any other storage shed. But the closer you look, you will find the future of aquaponics farming: Aquagarden, LLC.
What started as a basement project for owner Colin Bursik is now a full-time business. In 2022, Colin and his two high school best friends, Trent Dado and Tanner Wears, embarked on a business adventure together to make an impact on the American food industry.
Together, the three own and operate their aquaponics business, Aqua Garden, LLC. Aqua Garden grows and sells a wide range of products. They specialize in basil, mint, dill, cilantro, parsley, chives, thyme, sage, rosemary and romaine lettuce. These greens are then sold to grocery stores all over Minnesota and Wisconsin, along with local restaurants, marketed under their Wobbly Walleye brand.
Aqua Garden also partners with a local chef to curate their shelf-stable pesto and purees. Along with their many assortments of greens, Aqua Garden also sells fresh walleye raised right here in Wisconsin.
What are aquaponics?
Aquaponics is the combination of the words hydroponics and aquaculture. Hydroponics is the practice of raising plants in water. Aeroponic towers allow farmers to grow plants vertically without taking up as much space. Aquaculture is the practice of raising fish for market. Aquaponics combines the two practices to create a minimal-waste and sustainable farming method.
In aquaponics, farmers raise a breed of fish. Aqua Garden, for example, raises walleye. The waste from the fish is taken to water the plants in the hydroponic towers. Fish waste makes the water high in nitrates and micronutrients, which is great for vegetative crops. The water is put through a filtration system to remove fish poop and create soluble nutrients. They are then left with nutrient-rich water to give to their plants. This system creates a very low-waste process in which they utilize fish byproducts.
Are aquaponics operations sustainable?
Yes! Aquaponic systems are especially sustainable. For Aqua Garden, their sustainable practices are upcycling fish waste and using LED lights.
Since Aqua Garden’s facilities are in an old potato storage unit, there is no outside light. As a solution, they installed LED lights that move around the plants. This allows the plants to get light from multiple angles and produce bushier leaves.
Colin shared about the impact these lights has had.
“In the winter, there are often times when our heater doesn’t even kick on. We’re very insulated in this building. Our LED lights are actually producing heat throughout the day in the winter,” Colin said. “Even in the winter, our heater isn’t on all the time. We’re producing heat to keep it at about 71 degrees, which is perfect for our plants and fish.”
Why aquaponics farming?
For Aquagraden, the answer is simple: shrinking the food mile gap and promoting sustainable farming. Certain herbs and greens are commonly shipped thousands of miles into the United States. Colin hopes that having a local and U.S.-based farm can help shorten the gap between consumers and their food.
“It’s doing something for the community that is improving. For us, it’s about negating those food miles, making our food healthier and doing it in a way that allows us to be here forever,” Colin said. “We want to have a business that is providing great tasting, healthy products to our community at a price point that works for them, so much so that they want more of it.”
As a proud Wisconsinite, Colin values his community around him. Providing food that ends up on their neighbors’ plates has been a passion and driving force behind the business.
When asked about the importance of being local, he said, “We love this area. We definitely feel a level of pride just having our herbs on grocery store shelves. We walk in, and sometimes the shelves are completely empty because people really like them. Seeing the great green wall really makes us proud.”
Colin, like many farmers across Wisconsin, is dedicated to the future of agriculture. Colin’s passion for community and sustainable food makes him and Aqua Garden true stewards of the land!
Colin Bursik is featured as a part of Gather Wisconsin’s Leaders of the Land® segment, which features Wisconsin farmers moving agriculture forward through their commitment to sustainability.