Brooklyn Berry Farm

Brooklyn Berry Farm would be a vertical farm located near Brooklyn, New York. The vertical farm would be housed in a warehouse converted to contain stacked hydroponic beds of different strawberry (or other produce) varieties, ensuring year-round harvesting. The hydroponic beds would be stacked in vertical columns approximately two feet apart and reaching a height of 20 feet. The columns would be separated into rows approximately two to three feet apart. Light for growing the plants would be supplied by high energy-efficiency LED grow lights that would be powered, as much as possible, by rows of solar panels on the warehouse roof. A clean-entry system at the entryway to the warehouse, would prevent the introduction of pests and diseases, allowing for an entirely organic, pesticide-free product. An Ideal Crop While Brooklyn Berry Farms could be employed to grow many different types of produce, this proposal focuses on the initial planting of strawberries due to a number of key advantages: 1) Strawberry plants are small-growing, making them easily stackable in the vertical farm structure; 2) strawberries grow excellently indoors and in hydroponic systems; 3) strawberries, especially fresh, are a high-priced commodity year-round; 4) traditional domestic growing regions require long-distance shipping to reach New York markets. A Stable Climate Because of its mild climate, California is the leading producer of domestic strawberries whereas Florida is the primary supplier of winter strawberries. Climate change is affecting both growing regions with more unpredictable weather and severe water-supply shortages, both of which strawberry crops are highly sensitive to and threaten future crop yields. By growing strawberries hydroponically in a climate-controlled, indoor environment, and in a region with an abundant water supply, we can provide a stable, high quality product for the New York market. A Fresher Product By producing a local, year-round product just minutes or hours, not days or weeks, from market, we can provide New York consumers with longer-lasting, more nutritionally rich and fresher produce. An Organic Product In open fields, strawberries are susceptible to over 200 different types of pests and a variety of diseases that require pesticides, treatment and make growing truly “organic” products difficult. By growing the fruit indoors and building in a simple decontamination system for workers entering the grow space, the strawberries can be grown entirely without pesticide, herbicide or any other harmful treatments. Elimination of Long-Distance Shipping (Cost-Saving and Environmental Impact) A 2013 USDA report showed that transporting fresh produce from California to New York resulted in a 20-30% increase in the wholesale price of the commodity on the East Coast. Shipping costs, whether by sea, air or ground, are also sensitive to price changes in oil, making for volatile wholesale pricing of fresh produce on the East Coast.