With each cut, Herczak took a swipe out of traditional farming.
Herczak and James Hu are partners in Artisan Growers, a young player in Ohio s emerging vertical farm industry. Unlike other indoor farms, such as greenhouses, these farms rely on LED lights and grow hydroponically, without soil, on trays that can be stacked, giving the industry its name.
The method has been around for decades but has grown significantly in recent years, in part because it can be done anywhere, in any climate. We can provide to our customers the freshest, best-tasting and nutritious locally grown produce, while using renewable energy, very little water and no pesticides, said Mike Zelkind, chief executive officer of 80 Acres Farms, which operates eight vertical farms, including a new, fully automated 70,000-square-foot facility in its headquarters in Hamilton, about 20 miles north of Cincinnati.