Urban Farm Earns Fed’s Organic Stamp

FarmedHere moved its indoor aquaponic and aeroponic operations to a new 90,000-square-foot post-industrial building in the Chicago suburb of Bedford Park, Ill., where leafy microgreens, salad greens and herbs are grown in accordance with the strict standards of the USDA’s National Organic Program.

“This is, for sure, a major milestone for the emergence of indoor, urban farming,” said Jolanta Hardej, CEO and co-founder of FarmedHere LLC. “We have successfully developed the technology and process to grow indoors in an entirely organic way.”

FarmedHere has been selling its fresh, locally grown produce in many Chicago grocery stores since 2011. Its newest urban farm offers 150,000 square feet of growing surface.

Indoor farming allows total control over the environment plants and fish grow in, while increasing food safety and crop predictability. The ability to vertically stack rows of produce and fish nursing tanks allows for a very efficient use of the available space. Production is based on two systems: aquaponic and aeroponic. The aquaponic system produces organic herbs like basil and other greens, while at the same time growing tilapia fish. The aeroponic system produces a variety of leafy greens ranging from arugulas to watercress to be offered in nutritious salad mixes. Both systems are extremely efficient when it comes to the use of water and power.

FarmedHere obtained its organic certification as a result of developing and implementing a very detailed organic system and farming process plan, followed by a thorough inspection by a third-party certifying agency. This comprehensive inspection covered many aspects of FarmedHere's operations, including examinations of food safety, equipment, growing, handling, storage areas, water systems, substances and methods for pest and disease control, as well as monitoring and record-keeping practices.