Posted on 09/01/2017 6:53:29 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
HIXTON, Wis. (WKBT) - Nestled in the small town of Hixton, Wisconsin, sits a one-of-a-kind farm.
Superior Fresh is the first of its kind indoor Atlantic Salmon farm in the country and it's one of the largest aquaponics facilities in the world.
The facility combines aquaculture and hydroponics, where waste from fish will be used to supply nutrients for plants grown in water.
The 720-acre-farm uses recirculating technologies that collect water and reuse it to grow plants.
That water is collected from the aquaculture systems which carry 120,000 pounds of Atlantic salmon.
Nutrient-rich water from the fish is then used to grow plants.
In turn, those plants clean the water and the water is sent back to the fish.
It's the only aquaponics farm in the country which uses Atlantic Salmon, operating officers say that's because it's technical and costly.
"Atlantic salmon need premium water quality year-round so they're very very difficult species to raise, not a lot of people can raise them," said Chief Operating Officer Brandon Gottsacker.
The 40,000 square-foot salmon farm is connected to a greenhouse through underground piping, recirculating almost 100 percent of the water.
Superior Fresh owners say this combination of growing fish and plants together is sometimes more efficient than conventional farming.
"So it's basically from farm-to-table in a very very short period of time, one or two days versus bringing the product from Mexico or Chile or California , which is multiple days on the road," said Superior Fresh Owner Todd Wanek.
By having an indoor controlled environment, operating officers say they are able to grow a variety of plants, creating mixed salads, whole head lettuce and herbs year-round, adding up to more than two million pounds of leafy greens each year.
"Therefore we raise all of these products on just four gallons a minute of fresh water so that's similar to turning on your faucet at your house, and raising two million pounds of food."
Sounds like an efficient plan, though the produce will likely be dearer than the Mexican imports. (Veggies, that is! 😉
Southeast Alaska bumper sticker: “Friends don’t let friends eat farmed fish”
And they mean it. I was recently given 45 lbs of wild Alaska salmon by a local fisherman who had no more room in his freezer. There is just no comparison between farmed and wild salmon.
This is fake news. This is not the first “fake” farmed Salmon in the US. My High School had a Chinook Salmon hatchery and the class associated with it was a biology credit called “Aquaculture” back when I was there. Farmed Atlantic “Salmon” is nothing new. I was in Aquaculture back in 1886-1987.
If you live on the West Coast and know anything about fish....these are at best farmed steelhead.
Dang I must be old! I meant 1986 not 1886. LOL!
Where I grew up the term “Farmed Fish” was another way of saying “chum”.
Real fish don’t eat pellets.
It’s wild salmon or no salmon at all.
I hope you got out of the buggy whip business in time and didn't lose your shirt!
I spent 10 days in AK fishing halibut and all manner of salmon. Came home with 250lbs of fillets vacuum packed and flash frozen. Ate on it for a year and now order from a processor a few times a year. Catfish is the only farmed fish I’ve eaten.
I for one, can’t stand Salmon, unless it’s Sushi.
what processor?? Im interested
Maybe put sarcastic quotes around “Atlantic” also? It’s the Chinook salmon in the Great Lakes, no?
LOL! I’m guessing you missed my follow up post where I mentioned my typo.
I don’t know for sure but I’m guessing “great lakes salmon” is Sockeye Salmon. Sockeye can grow in restricted waters and breed. They are like Steelhead Trout on steroids. I would rate landlocked Sockeye slightly below wild Coho Salmon on eating quality.
This is where I get my salmon and tuna from.
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