Lake Orchard Farm in Sheboygan, Wis. began as a dairy farm in 1848. When Nate Calkins joined the operation in the early 2000s, the farm began to transition into the hospitality business and eventually added aquaponics. Nate isn’t farming to save himself a dollar, instead, he feels he is doing it for the right reasons.
“I feel better about farming if I can do it in a mindful way that helps to protect our resources,” said Nate.
Aquaponics is a sustainable agricultural system that combines aquaculture (raising fish) and hydroponics (growing plants in water without soil) in a symbiotic environment. In this system, fish waste provides essential nutrients for plants, which in turn help to filter and purify the water, creating a balanced ecosystem.
Aquaponics models natural systems that have existed since the beginning of time.
Bodies of water like Lake Michigan or the pond at Lake Orchard farms are examples of aquaponic systems. Calkins shared the example of a frog eating a bug and when the frog poops, it provides a natural fertilizer to grow a lily pad.
The fish tanks at Lake Orchard act like toilet bowls. They are constantly flushed with return water that flushes out the fish excrement into bacteria basins. The bacteria in the basins act like the bacteria in the soil that breaks down the fish excrement into nutrients that are usable by the plants.
The plants grow on floating rafts with nothing but their roots hanging down into the water. There is no soil in an aquaponics system.
Lake Orchard Aquaponics consists of a 4,000-square-foot greenhouse with 3,200 square feet of growing space. Although it does not sound like much, the space is the equivalent of 6 acres of soiled ground with a 100-day growing season in Wisconsin. Lake Orchard’s annual leafy green production is 45,000 pounds. The greenhouse runs non-stop year-round.
The fish house is 2,000 square feet. Lake Orchard runs around 1,200 to 1,500 tilapias in the tanks. The fish’s purpose is to provide nutrients for the water for the plants to grow. Tilapia has a fast growth rate and high feed conversion, making them ideal for Nate’s aquaponics setup. Nate wants a fish that will produce nutrients to fuel lettuce production.
Nate’s biggest conservation-related challenge is energy consumption during the winter months. A facility like Lake Orchard consumes 4,000 to 5,000 gallons of propane to heat from November to March. Energy consumption is low during the summer months and offsets some of the energy use during the winter.
Nate’s goals for the future are to be as self-sustainable as possible.
“I feel it is an achievable goal to use renewable energy sources to make this farm work,” shared Nate.
Nate values the sense of community he gets from his Farm Bureau membership. Being involved in Farm Bureau has allowed other farmers to find Nate and get to know his business and push them to think outside of the box when it comes to sustainability.
Leaders of the Land® is Wisconsin Farm Bureau’s brand for sharing sustainability stories. Monthly profiles highlight farmers across Wisconsin working hard to meet their environmental, social and economic goals. This content was provided by Midwest Communications, Inc.
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