Frontier Middle School
New York State has long maintained a dedicated agricultural community and recent years have seen that focus widen to include different aspects of soilless cultivation in hobbyist, academic, and commercial sectors. According to 1997 agricultural census data and recent studies performed by Cornell University, as overall commercial production of some vegetables--such as tomatoes--has declined over the years in New York State, hydroponic greenhouse production has been on the rise. Hydroponics is certain to be a major part of future agricultural production and an integral aspect of our children's lives.
Considering the level of growth soilless agriculture has seen over the years, it isn't surprising that schools of all levels have been incorporating hydroponics into their curricula. For example, various State Universities of New York (SUNY) and Cornell University have developed in-depth programs that both educate and conduct hydroponic and aquaponic research that is then fed back to the commercial sector. Likewise, elementary and secondary schools have been getting into soilless growing more than ever before.
Hamburg, New York, is located on the beautiful shores of Lake Erie, just south of Buffalo. A few years ago, Patrick Paolini of Frontier Middle School in Hamburg received a grant from the Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) to help start the construction and operation of a hydroponic growing unit in the school's technology lab. In his search for resources, Paolini soon came across Harvest Moon Hydroponics, which has four locations in New York State--in Cheektowaga, Rochester, Troy, and West Nyack. Soon, a mutually beneficial partnership developed between Frontier Middle School and Michael Yocina, president of Harvest Moon Hydroponics.
