West Virginia Hydroponic Farmer Wins Innovator Award

Paul Mock, Sr. started working the land on his family’s farm in 1969. Since then he has used many of the traditional techniques that his grandfather and father passed on to him. But he also has created some new ways of doing things on his farm.
Mock’s innovations won him an award at the Forum for Rural Innovation. The award highlights innovations farmers have created with the hope that other farmers can utilize them for more efficient farming operations.
Mock started his Morgan County hydroponics operation nearly three years ago. He uses nutrient-enriched water to grow lettuce, watercress, basil, cucumbers and tomatoes in his greenhouses, without the use of soils.
Mock started out with just three greenhouses, but that number has since grown to 10, and his is currently the second-largest hydroponics operation in West Virginia, he said. He now has the capacity to grow nearly 150,000 heads of lettuce and roughly 35,000 pounds of tomatoes in a given year.
Mock also owns a landscaping business specializing in water features.

Tagged as: Farming & Agriculture, greenhouse, sustainable agriculture, sustainable hydroponics, vegetables