MMC-BD NEWS

Farm-to-table will mean something a little different for local food pantries in a few weeks.

Marshfield Medical Center-Beaver Dam, in partnership with Fork Farms, installed a brand new indoor vertical hydroponic farming unit in its cafeteria Thursday morning in an effort to efficiently cultivate produce that will help address food insecurity around Dodge County.

The local hydroponic unit is part of a larger initiative by Marshfield Clinic Health System and its Center for Community Health Advancement to address healthy food deficits as indicated by Marshfield’s Community Health Needs Assessment. Overall, the hydroponic unit at the Marshfield Medical Center-Beaver Dam Café is the 19^th installation completed by the partnership between MCHS and Fork Farms.

The hydroponic unit was originally scheduled for installation in March but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Fork Farms’ Steve Tyink, the resource-efficient unit will produce harvestable lettuce in just 21-25 days for only about $1 a pound. Each unit includes energy-efficient LED light bulbs, water systems, pumps and starter supplies and creates a hyperlocal healthy food source that addresses food insecurity and increases the transparency of food supply chains.

Marshfield Medical Center-Beaver Dam staff and community volunteers will work together to grow, harvest and distribute the produce to local food pantries. Lettuce is first on the menu, but many other types of produce can be grown within the units.

For more information on the project, email mmcbdbzprojectdodgecounty@marshfieldclinic.org.

To learn more about the initiative and hydroponic gardening, visit www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2020/07/16/how-rural-wisconsin-is-embedding-hyperlocal-food-production-in-community-spaces/