Last week we held our “Hydroponic Crop Production” seminar here at our new 4,320 sq ft commercial greenhouse in Northern California.
We hold these 2-day seminars quarterly, teaching people how to grow hydroponically specifically using NFT, or Nutrient Film Technique (although we spend a bit of time on vine crops in buckets and/or gutters). Since everyone here at our company loves to talk ‘Hydro’ and help others get started, it’s always a good time.
We purposely keep our classes small (15-16 participants) so that we can really pay attention to the needs of the people who are participating, so it’s always a little surprising when we have representatives from around the world. At one of our seminars last year, we had 7 countries represented!
Last week, we had attendees from 3 different countries – folks from way up in northern Canada, others from the warm sunny Caribbean islands and still more from all over the US. Regardless of where they come from, the common thread between all was the goal of finding new ways to feed their communities in a sustainable manner and to make a profit while doing so.
What was particularly exciting about this seminar is that it was the first (of many) seminars in our new partnership commercial greenhouse. AmHydro partnered with the Humboldt County Office of Education to build a beautiful greenhouse that is growing both NFT & vine crops. Students use this greenhouse daily and grow beautiful produce that is used in the school lunch program and sold locally. This greenhouse and hydroponic growing system also provide the perfect learning situation for a new grower.
Our seminars provide time for in-depth discussion on both the science and business of hydroponic plant production.
The attendees learn about nutrition and biology of plants and what they need to grow strong and healthy. We discuss nutrient needs, pest and disease issues and how to treat them. On the business side, we spent several sessions talking about different aspects of a hydroponic business: how to start your business, what you will need to get growing, how to market your product, solid business practices, and the costs associated with starting and running the business overall. If you can’t sell your produce for a profit, it doesn’t matter how good you can grow, your business won’t last.
In addition to classroom time, we provided hands-on afternoons working and learning in our greenhouse. Practical skill is an important component to our seminars, and we make sure that participants have a chance to get their hands wet!
We love hosting these seminars and getting people growing in their communities. It’s especially rewarding when we see them get as excited as we are and are able to start up successful hydroponic farms.
If you are interested in learning what it takes to start growing successfully with hydroponics, our next seminar is April 27 & 28 in Pleasant Grove, UT.
Connect with us and we’ll be happy to give you all the details. Hope to see you there
