Unconventional farm aims to ‘redefine the meaning of fresh produce’ in valley
A half-dozen workers covered head to toe in protective garb use tweezers to carefully place tiny seeds, one-by-one, to ensure each is planted in its precise space.
They are just a few of the almost 140 employees who carry out various farming jobs taking place not in the blazing Las Vegas heat, but indoors, in a massive 215,000-square-foot climate and environmentally controlled building.
Oasis Biotech — off Sunset Road and Annie Oakley Drive — is set to provide local vendors with some of the freshest, nutrient-rich produce available in the valley.
“We want to redefine the meaning of fresh produce to Las Vegas,” said Brock Leach, Oasis Biotech’s chief operating officer and general manager. “We are now living in a world where the produce your family consumes will be grown in the same city in which they live and eaten almost immediately following harvest.”
The company is a firm believer in sustainability and helping provide food to the population that lacks it.
Oasis Biotech says it uses 90 percent less water than a traditional farm and recycles 100 percent of unused nutrient water back into its irrigation system. All crops are non-gmo, and free of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides.
A controlled-environmental agriculture farm utilizes vertical hydroponic systems that require no soil.
Phase 1 of the complex features an area of 60,000 square feet, with 49,982 square feet of cultivation space, or the equivalent of a 34-acre farm, utilizing all LED lighting, which consumes 50 percent less energy compared to traditional indoor grow lights.
Oasis Biotech grows microgreens, baby greens and specialty herbs in Phase 1 of the project, with plans to add strawberries and rooted vegetables within the next 18 months.
Phase 2 will utilize an additional 30,000 square feet of the facility.
Through a partnership with distribution company Get Fresh, Oasis Biotech’s product will begin shipping to local companies Tuesday. Delivering local means fewer miles driven, leading to a reduced carbon footprint.