Hydroponic grow room allows MPS students to urban farm
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) – Students at one hometown high school are learning how to urban farm in the classroom.
Currently, 35 Milwaukee Public Schools have Flex Farms on school grounds. The largest single farm is nestled in the basement of Vincent High School, where 13 vertical flex farms allow students to produce more than 300 pounds of fresh greens a month.
"The whole idea behind it is that students can grow hydroponic fresh produce, 12 months a year, all with water," Agribusiness Instructor
Tyler Foote said. "So, we have students learning how to problem solve. How to communicate. How to be generous when they give their food. So, it's a pretty cool way for students to learn the necessary skills to take with them the rest of their lives."
Vincent High School received a grant through the USDA called "Grown In Milwaukee, For Milwaukee," enabling the school to purchase Flex Farms to enhance the curriculum in their Agribusiness track.
The students grow culturally diverse foods and herbs they share with their school.
"We get to make our own recipes with it too, and we get to give them out to teachers and students, and it's amazing to see their feedback, and they say it's really good, and it makes you feel good about yourself," Junior Ab Shen Xiong said.
Xiong and her peers totally control the flex farms and the growing process.
"We have to manage the PPM, the PH, all the nutrients that come with it," Xiong said. "We have to space them according to how big or how long they'll grow."
The sustainable approach to farming also focuses on limiting waste.
"So, if we don't use it here at school, then we sell it at either a local farmers market or we sell it to local shelters or food banks across Milwaukee," Foote said. “They’re able to see that what they’re doing and capable of is actually benefiting those around us."
While students nurture the plants, they are also nurturing their minds.
"It teaches us a lot, not just about the plants, life skills, and communication. We get to learn about the culturally diverse food here."