College using wool to help grow crops
FRESH salad crops and fruit could in future be grown under lights with little more than nutrient-rich water – and a bit of sheep’s wool.
Students and lecturers at an agricultural college in Gwynedd have begun experimenting with wool in the growing of lettuce and strawberries.
Coleg Glynllifon, near Caernarfon, is exploring the potential of vertical farming using hydroponics – growing crops in water rather than soil.
Rhodri Owen, the college’s farm manager, believes the technology could transform agriculture in a country that traditionally relies on cattle and sheep.
It could even help revive the fortunes of sheep farmers, who have seen returns from wool plummet after Covid-19 put paid to overseas markets, he said.
Instead of growing plants in a sponge, as is often the case in hydroponic systems, college staff are trying out wool instead.
“Usually the plants are grown in a sponge held by a cradle, with their roots dangling into water,” said Rhodri. “Instead we are using wool as the structural medium. It’s early days but we hope it could provide an alternative market for a product
whose returns have been very low this year.”
Glynllifon was one of five commercial growers in the region to be given a hydroponics unit by Tech Tyfu, a vertical farming pilot scheme run by social enterprise Menter Môn.
Another was Hooton’s Homegrown, a fruit and veg operation with its own farm shop near Brynsiencyn.
It focused on growing watercress, a plant that, gram for gram, contains more calcium than milk, more Vitamin C than oranges and more Vitamin E than broccoli.
Tech Tyfu has also identified local opportunities for specialist crops such as pea shoots and a range of microgreens.
The market just for pea shoots is estimated to be worth about £40,000£50,000 in Gwynedd and Anglesey alone.
Rhodri Owen believes the potential is considerable and is worth exploring at a time when Welsh farms are having to rethink their products in the wake of Brexit and the climate debate.
He said: “All farmers are looking for diversification options. Many have spare outbuildings, where solar panels can be installed, and they have the expertise and labour.
“In the summer the Llŷn Peninsula’s population trebles, and its hotels and restaurants are all looking for fresh produce sourced locally.
“Yet 80% of green-leaf salads eaten in Britain are currently produced in southern Spain.”
Glynllifon was handed a VF 5207 hydroponics unit for a year-long trial.
It’s been installed in the reception area to attract the attention of curious students and visitors.
The unit is capable of growing 140 lettuce plugs every three to four weeks. As organic lettuce can fetch as much as £1.60 per plant, each unit could gross almost £3,000 a year.
As water nutrients are currently bought in, finding a home-grown alternative is a key challenge.
“It’s not as simple as turning on the lights and water pumps,” said Rhodri.
“We need to find the right growing solution using nutrients that can be found on farms. One day it might be possible to source them from cattle and sheep manure.”
Costing the venture is another target of the project – and how much the unit needs to be scaled up to make it commercially viable.
Rising to the challenge have been the college’s engineering students. They’ve itemised the components for the £5,000 hydroponics unit with a view to manufacturing their own, perhaps costing a tenth as much.
Ideally Rhodri would like to get his hands on a VF 5222 hydroponics unit, a tray-based alternative that grows plants on water-filled beds of sponge.
“One of our students sells woollen balls from home and she’s designed a woollen mat that could be used to support the plants,” he said.
Once the Covid all-clear is given, Glynllifon plans open days to showcase the technology to local farmers.
Martin Jardine, director of agri food at Glynllifon, said the college’s mini vertical farm was already giving good results.
“As it has a controlled environment, there are many benefits, including improved production times and increased yield, with no chemicals and no pest control required,” he said.