Aspirus Stanley Hospital, Stanley, 2022 Community Benefits

Clark County Schools Benefit from Hydroponic Farms

What started as a lofty dream for Clark County’s Eat Right Be Fit (ERBF) Coalition became a reality in late 2021 when four of Clark County’s eight public school districts were awarded a hydroponic vertical farm along with one year of growing supplies.

Over the last few years, Wisconsin has seen a significant increase in the number of school districts who utilize hydroponic farms to provide students with educational opportunities as well as to supplement their school lunch programs. 

“In a single year, some farms are capable of producing 300lbs of fresh vegetables for less than one dollar per pound,” says Deenah King-Walia, ASW, Community Health Improvement Lead at Aspirus Stanley Hospital. 

Hydroponic farms are unique in that they do not require soil. Instead, the plants are suspended, with their root systems feeding directly from a solution of water and nutrients that circulates through tubes. There are several styles and sizes of hydroponic farms available on the market. 

“They are relatively clean, provide many opportunities for agricultural education, and can grow large quantities of produce in very little space,” adds King.

ERBF received a $10,000 grant from Aspirus Stanley Hospital which provided the launchpad to contact teachers at each of Clark County’s eight public school districts regarding the opportunity to receive a free hydroponic farm along with one year of supplies. Other partners joined the effort to help expand the program. 

Teachers who were interested were asked to complete an online survey, discuss the opportunity with their principal or district administrator, and attend an informational meeting with Fork Farms, creator of the Flex Farm hydroponic system. 

In total, four schools completed all preliminary requirements for consideration and submitted an application. They were Abbotsford School District, Loyal Elementary School, Owen-Withee Middle/High School, and Thorp Elementary School.