Boozman tours farm in Springdale

Vet Veggies’ founder focuses on refining hydroponic growing techniques

SPRINGDALE — U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Rogers, toured Monday a form of farming largely immune to the weather, to pests and to trade wars.

Vet Veggies in Springdale provides fresh leafy green vegetables and herbs yearround to Northwest Arkansas restaurants and grocers by growing the plants indoors in climate-controlled conditions with artificial light.

Boozman, the son of a veteran, is a member of both the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee.

The Vet Veggies farm was the first stop on a tour of businesses Boozman said could provide opportunities for veterans.

Jerry Martin, founder of Vet Veggies, hosted the tour saying a veteran or other operator of the business could start a similar one with an initial investment as low as $350,000. Martin is a local businessman and veteran of the Vietnam War.

Although Vet Veggies is profitable, its real purpose is to refine techniques of hydroponic farming, he said. The idea is to come up with a business model to spread nationwide.

“Veterans like to work outside and be their own boss,” he told Boozman. “Also, to run this kind of business, you have to be involved with your community, with other people.”

That would help returning veterans re-enter civilian life more successfully than many other options, Martin said.

“We’re profitable now, but we could be a lot more profitable with more investment or a government grant or low-interest loan,” he said. This capital would allow the business to improve the farming techniques quicker, he said.

A traditional farm requires hundreds of acres along with tractors and other farm equipment, Martin told the senator.