Exploring Hydroponics on Campus

Soil is a thing of the past — not really — but new agriculture technologies have made hydroponics a competitive option for vegetable and fruit production. Hydroponics is the technique of growing plants without soil. Plants may be grown in nothing or have rock, wool or perlite substrates. 

If you stroll through the entrance of either Rendezvous or Miller Dining Hall, you will notice two hydroponic setups that were established in mid-Feb. These hydroponic systems mainly act as display pieces that show students where a minuscule amount of dining hall basil comes from. However, I believe they could be used to teach students about an increasingly important and developing form of agriculture and subsequently turn students into lifelong learners. 

Hydroponics is a modern innovation within the world of greenhouse and indoor agriculture. There is a lot of opportunity within the modern garden scene to grow high-density, low-acreage crops by stacking plants vertically. Hydroponics does this by feeding plants a nutrient-rich solution. The U.S. only comprises 10.1 percent of the global hydroponic market, according to a market analysis report by Grand View Research. 

As of 2023, the industry was only valued at 506.25 million dollars in the U.S. These statistics point toward an industry which is relatively untapped in its potential. Here in Bozeman, we are seeing the effect of regional hydroponic growers in our supermarkets. It is part of the reason shoppers have access to locally grown tomatoes and lettuce year-round. Hydroponics are a hobbyist’s paradise because one can build their own system at home that yields fresh herbs. Pounds of produce can quite literally be grown in a closet. 

As a horticulture major, it is fascinating to see what modern hydroponics entails from seed to harvest. However, it is unlikely that these setups the school installed will be used in formal education. Babylon Micro-Farms set up these hydroponic stations, which they control remotely. The horticulture department does not have a hydroponics setup as nice as the ones in the dining hall, so students are truly missing out on an educational opportunity. 

As the university takes more steps to become sustainable and adopt more green technology such as these hydroponic systems, it would be great to see hydroponic-specific education implemented in our educational curriculum. It is cool that I can watch plants grow throughout the year in the dining halls, but currently it is just an unused opportunity. MSU has the tools to aid lifelong learners and arm them with knowledge directly from the real world instead of a lecture hall, as demonstrated by these hydroponic setups. If I’ve seeded your interest, head over to the dining halls to check them out and see some modern produce production happening in real life.