A vertical farm located on Retreat Road intends to bring the most nutritious and delicious vegetables to plates around Cochrane, Alberta, along with a mission to be sustainable and environmentally friendly.
Farmer and owner of Good Life Farms Inc. Chad Randal said his closed environment system is capable of bringing plenty of fresh produce to the community.
With only two farms, Randal said each farm can grow 12,000 heads of lettuce per month year-round. Despite only having 320 square feet of farming space, Randal said the farms can grow the equivalent of three football fields worth of produce.
“They could supposedly grow tomatoes and all these things, and it was in the back of my head,” Randal said. Randal and his wife, Nicole, were owners of a successful water conservation and treatment technologies business for the oil and gas industry. After being approached by a group that purchased the business, Randal and his wife embarked on a new journey.
As part of a community of only 600 closed environment system-based farms around the world, the Good Life Farms were also recognized as the runner-up for the ‘Best Farm Wrap’ for the exterior design of their enclosed space. Another advantage to the closed environment system is the efficiency with water, with only 20 liters of water being used on each farm per day.
The farms are also partially powered with solar panels and include an electric vehicle charging station. Randal added that in the future, he plans to use an electric vehicle to make deliveries. This is all part of his strategy to keep the farm green and sustainable.
Read the entire article at Cochrane Today