LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — It’s a leafy spread fit for healthy eating — something you’d imagine would likely come from fertile fields rather than the dry Las Vegas valley.
Most of the food at Frontier Farms could not be grown outside due to the heat at lack of humidity.
That's why owner Scott Mickelson and his wife Jillaina turned inward, building Frontier Farms in a 10 thousand square foot Henderson warehouse.
Good Morning Las Vegas anchor Justin Hinton got an inside look at the facility and their technology-based approach to farming.
Mickelson says by using less water and no pesticides, the facility is able to utilize "controlled environment agriculture."
It’s a technology-based approach to farming using less water and no pesticides, something experts describe as "controlled environment agriculture."
"We have our seed plugs which are made from a coconut husk, so it’s not dirt. It’s sterile. It’s clean. We just plop a seed in there and out comes the seedling," Mickelson told Channel 13.
Row after row, you'll find a variety of micro-greens, some of which may even end up on store shelves at your local Whole Foods. The farm also has a vertical growing section, which Mickelson says has a patent pending.
Though, he says this all could someday become the future of farming.
"Putting a farm next to or in the same zip code as the end user is the future," he said. "People want to know who’s growing their food."
One other noteworthy thing about the farm is the way Mickelson utilized "sound recipes" to help yield better growths. Scientists have found plants respond well to sound vibrations, so rather than real birds providing the concert, Frontier Farms has created their own.
"This is highly specialized to our plants, and we should be able to get 30-40 percent better yields using this sound recipe," Mickelson said.
High hopes for this new farm fresh off the ground.
