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Iowa grower chooses hydroponics over soil to reduce waste

Iowa is about 84-percent farmland - a testament to the state's rich soil. But in Our Town Tipton, there's a thriving farm that doesn't use any of it.

Garuda Farms co-founder, Sean Malone, used to work in freight logistics and a big portion of that business happened to be lettuce, onions and carrots. Malone saw how crops were grown in California and felt there had to be a better way to create quality produce without using so much water and fuel.

"I went down the rabbit hole on hydroponics and then I took some classes through Iowa State online. And when my wife agreed that maybe we could give this a try, I didn't ask twice," said Malone.

He grows leaf lettuce like romaine and Bibb year-round at the farm in Tipton. He doesn't use dirt or pesticides and a fraction of the water conventional farms demand. Each week about two thousand seeds get started and water, nutrients and light are adjusted for optimal growth. Within six weeks, the product is ready to be harvested.

Read more at KCRG