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University of Montana Dining makes first harvest from aquaponic garden thanks to Galactic Farms

In this garden, fish help grow vegetables like chard, kale and basil, and soil isn’t in sight.

This week, UM Dining will harvest the first plants it grew in a new aquaponic garden set up in The Corner Store of the University of Montana. It will sell them to students Friday at its farmers market.

Jeff Pernell of Galactic Farms https://www.facebook.com/galacticfarms built and installed the system, and he named it SPACE 200 for being a sustainable, probiotic, aquaponic, cultivation ecosystem. The tank holds roughly 200 gallons of water.

"Being able to grow food in an environment that is super self-contained, like a spaceship, is a challenge, but we need to be thinking about that stuff when we’re looking at climate change, for instance, when we’re not sure what the environment is going to be giving us," Pernell said.

People are still going to have to eat, and as far as he’s concerned, aquaponic gardens offer several advantages to traditional food production. Pernell appears to be one to know, too.

By Keila Szpaller

Full Story: http://ravallirepublic.com/missoula/news/local/article_b1807ec1-38c4-5345-8fc3-5186a847e886.html

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