Professor Mark Green steps into key role as hydroponic enterprise director for the Institute for Local Food Systems Innovation
By Manuela Arundel
It all began with a 320-square-foot shipping container. In April 2017, Hannaford Charitable Foundation generously donated Maine鈥檚 first Freight Farm to Saint Joseph鈥檚 College. Freight Farms, a Boston-based agricultural technologies company, builds fully assembled, vertical hydroponic farming systems inside shipping containers. Professor Mark Green, a professor of sciences at Saint Joseph鈥檚 College who has taught hydroponics for several years, spent several days working with Freight Farms experts and other hydroponic growers, such as Corner Stalk Farm, discussing the practice of growing crops hydroponically. Back on campus, Dr. Green began overseeing the Freight Farm, where it found a home behind Pearson鈥檚 Caf茅 and, where for the past year, it has provided fresh, local greens for over 1,000 students, faculty, and staff.
Professor Mark Green, PhD, works with Paul Riley '20 and Emily Quirion '18 in this early phase of hydroponic farming on campus. Photo: Sean Harris.
Soon after the arrival of the Freight Farm, Green began working with Peter Nielsen, Saint Joseph鈥檚 College Entrepreneur-in-Residence and Executive Director of Mission-Aligned Business, on the concept of building a hydroponic farm as the centerpiece of the Institute for Local Food Systems Innovation.
Spearheaded by Nielsen, the Institute for Local Food Systems Innovation is the primary initiative in the development of a sustainable agriculture cluster, a key pillar of Saint Joseph鈥檚 strategic development of Mission-Aligned Businesses. The Institute consists of five integrated enterprises: a food manufacturing incubator, a hydroponic farm, a traditional crop and livestock farm, an agritourism event center, and an education program offering certificates in areas such as hydroponic farming, food processing, and food merchandising.
In July 2017, Dr. Green stepped into the role of hydroponic enterprise director for the Institute for Local Food Systems Innovation, and became a key member of the Mission-Aligned Business team. 鈥淢ark is highly accomplished and an ideal fit for his new role at the Institute,鈥� says Nielsen. 鈥淗e embraced the project from the start, attracted student involvement, and became indispensable to the team.鈥�
Dr. Green has been a member of Saint Joseph鈥檚 Science faculty since 1997, teaching Environmental and Marine Sciences courses, including Aquaculture, Limnology, Chemical Oceanography, Geological Oceanography, Introduction to Environmental Science, and Senior Research. Green is also the recipient of four National Science Foundation (NSF) grants totaling over $1 million, including a prestigious NSF CAREER award to continue his research into ocean acidification and its impact on small bivalves in nearly Casco Bay. He consistently gives his environmental science students valuable experiences as research assistants and co-authors of journal articles.
For the past year, Dr. Green has immersed himself in research of hydroponic farming operations.
Along with other team members from the Institute, he toured Backyard Farms, a hydroponic tomato farm in Madison, Maine, and Olivia鈥檚 Garden, a hydroponic greenhouse located at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, Maine. He met with solar and wood pellet聽energy experts, and developed a significant relationship with FarmTek鈥攁n industry leader in greenhouse design, construction, and hydroponic systems鈥攖o design the farm鈥檚 hydroponic growing systems, and with Johnny鈥檚 Selected Seeds, a major worldwide distributor of seeds located in Winslow, Maine.
Dr. Green鈥檚 extensive research and previous work in hydroponic culture became especially valuable as he began drafting a comprehensive Operations Plan for the hydroponic farm. In the Operations Plan, Green outlines every necessary detail for a functioning facility, including the overall footprint of the structure and growing area, the height and orientation of the greenhouse, the pitch of the roof and water-capturing systems, crop selection and projected yield, HVAC systems, air-flow fans, and environmental control systems. Green selected three hydroponic growing techniques鈥攏utrient film technique (NFT), deep water/raft culture (DWC), and Dutch Bucket culture. NFT and DWC will be used initially to grow Bibb lettuce. Dutch Buckets will be used to cultivate tomatoes. With each crop and growing system, Green researched best practices for supporting plants, harvesting periods and conditions, as well as pest and disease management.
The hydroponic greenhouse will provide invaluable research opportunities for students.
The hydroponic greenhouse at Saint Joseph鈥檚 College will be a center for educational excellence for both the on-campus student body and for individuals interested in learning about the science and business of hydroponic farming. Green is developing the curriculum model that will be at the foundation of all the Institute鈥檚 educational opportunities.
鈥淲hen completed, the greenhouse will immediately benefit the College and enhance the experience for our students largely through development of hands-on educational opportunities,鈥� says Dr. Green. 鈥淭hrough all the opportunity afforded the College from the construction of the hydroponic greenhouse, I would love to see us introduce new majors and minors into the sciences.鈥�
In addition to the expanded undergraduate course programming, Saint Joseph鈥檚 will also offer a Certificate in Hydroponic Culture, consisting of non-credit bearing workforce development courses. The program is designed to be completed in approximately 160 hours of training time. Students are required to take a three-day Hydroponics Core Course, four Tier 1 courses, and two Tier 2 courses. Course topics include Hydroponic Systems, Plant Growth Requirements, Plant Physiology, and Starting a Hydroponic Growing Business, and Managing and Operation of a Commercial Hydroponic Farm.
Donated by Hannaford Supermarkets, the College's Freight Farm is the first of its kind in Maine and a precursor to the much larger hydroponic greenhouse that will be built at the farm. It uses an adapted body of a freight truck, parked behind Pearson's Cafe, and currently produces 40 or more pounds of fresh greens for dining services every week. Photo: Sean Harris.
鈥淚n an industry that will continue to grow at a rate much faster than that of traditional agriculture, it鈥檚 important to provide an opportunity for those individuals interested in either beginning or advancing a career in the field,鈥� says Dr. Green. 鈥淭he hydroponic greenhouse at Saint Joseph鈥檚 is being designed and outfitted to be the 鈥榞old standard鈥� of hydroponic farms and will be a model showcase and education center to help advance the hydroponic farming industry by educating its workforce for the future.鈥�
Dr. Green鈥檚 curriculum will be used to develop all further certificate programs at the Institute for Local Food Systems Innovation, including certificates in Food Processing and Food Merchandising.
Saint Joseph鈥檚 College believes that it is of paramount importance for its undergraduate science majors to be involved in scientific research. The construction of the hydroponic greenhouse will provide invaluable research opportunities for students. Green has already identified a collaborative research relationship with FarmTek, in which the College鈥檚 hydroponic farm will be available to beta test advanced hydroponic technologies being developed by FarmTek. Testing new technologies dovetails perfectly with Saint Joseph鈥檚 desire to provide 鈥渞eal world鈥� research opportunities to its students.
Similarly, Green is currently working with Johnny鈥檚 Selected Seeds to establish a relationship for hydroponic grow-out experiments of the company鈥檚 seed varieties, which could be carried out at Saint Joseph鈥檚 through the use of faculty guided undergraduate research.
鈥淏y design, the hydroponic farm at Saint Joseph鈥檚 will be, in part, a research facility where hydroponic farmers and others in the industry can turn when seeking answers to some of their basic hydroponic questions and challenges,鈥� says Green. 鈥淥ne of the principal missions of the College and the hydroponic farm is to not only enhance the hydroponic industry and help its growers, but also provide research opportunities to our students. We can do this best by using our cutting edge hydroponic farm and the intellectual capital provided by the College鈥檚 faculty and students to advance this goal.鈥�
Donated by Hannaford Supermarkets, the College's Freight Farm is the first of its kind in Maine and a precursor to the much larger hydroponic greenhouse that will be built at the farm. It uses an adapted body of a freight truck, parked behind Pearson's Cafe, and currently produces 40 or more pounds of fresh greens for dining services every week. Photo: Sean Harris.
In addition to his聽work with the hydroponic farm鈥檚 curriculum and operations, Green remains involved in all aspects of the Institute, including marketing, sales and distribution, as well as the staffing plan. He is a passionate supporter of the College鈥檚 strategic direction and Mission-Aligned Businesses. A key player on the Mission- Aligned Business Advisory Council, which is co-chaired by Governor John Baldacci and Saint Joseph鈥檚 Trustee Ron Philips, founder and past president/ CEO of Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI), Dr. Green has been invaluable in the conception of the hydroponic farm. He will undoubtedly continue to play an essential role in all the enterprises of the Institute for Local Food Systems Innovation and likewise hopes to see collaboration as well from other faculty members.
