For our latest stop on the Great Canadian Farm Tour, we visited the Barrett Centre of Innovation in Sustainable Urban Agriculture at Durham College in Ontario. This cutting-edge facility blends technology with agriculture, showing how food can be grown efficiently in urban spaces while making a meaningful impact on the community.
James Conway, the hydroponic farm manager and a graduate of Durham College’s Horticulture Technician program, shared insights into how hydroponics is revolutionizing farming. Using water enriched with nutrients and innovative materials like rock wool, the Barrett Centre grows crops like lettuce, herbs and micro-peppers without soil. Nearly all the lettuce is donated to local food banks, supporting those in need.
Here are some fun facts we learned on the tour:
- DIY Pollination: When growing peppers, James uses an electric toothbrush to mimic a bumblebee for pollination.
- Year-Round Freshness: The facility’s advanced system allows lettuce to be grown year-round, ensuring a consistent supply of fresh food.
- Farming for the Future: The centre experiments with micro-plants designed to maximize growth in small spaces, potentially contributing to sustainable food production for future space exploration.
- Hydroponic Coffee: At home, James grows a coffee plant hydroponically, with the first beans expected in two years.
As the tour wrapped up, James left students across Canada with a message of encouragement: “Always use your imagination. Don’t let it stop. Kindness is the best strength out there.”
If you missed the tour, catch the recording here: WATCH THE TOUR
The next stop of the Great Canadian Farm Tour is on Wednesday, November 26, at 11:00 a.m. ET, where we’ll visit a cranberry farm in British Columbia: REGISTER HERE
A special thank you to Farm Credit Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada for supporting the Great Canadian Farm Tour!