Vineyard-based Grōv Technologies has signed an agreement with Colorado-based Hunter Ridge Dairy to build 10 Grōv Olympus Tower farm units as part of the new Grōv-Hunter Ridge feed center, a controlled-environment feed production facility designed to advance sustainable dairy production. Grōv is developing enterprise-scale, automated controlled-environment agriculture systems to grow high-density nutrient animal feed, produce and other crops using significantly less water and resources than traditional farming.
The 10 farm towers will produce 60,000 pounds per day of what the company calls superfeed, a sprouted grain product used for cattle feed. As configured, the new feed center to be constructed on approximately one-third of an acre. Grōv expects the installation to produce the equivalent of 350 to 500 acres of field-grown fodder using less than 5 percent of the water.
Hunter Ridge Dairy owner A.J. De Jager will be joining Grōv Technologies as a senior advisor. He is a fourth-generation dairyman from California and established the dairy in Ault, Colorado, seven years ago. The dairy now manages over 4,000 milking cows.
“Installing the Olympus Tower Farm is just one of many steps I’m taking to improve the predictability and sustainability of our farm,” said De Jager. “Several weeks ago, Colorado was hit with one of the most severe storms in history, with over 30 inches of snow and 60 mile per hour winds. We are also one of the highest hail-storm regions in the country, which can wipe out our field-grown feed in one storm. Having indoor, fresh and sustainable feed will help mitigate these disruptions as climates continue to change in North America and around the world.”
“A.J. is a dairy innovator and we are thrilled to have him join the Grōv team as an advisor,” said Steve Lindsley, president of Grōv Technologies. “He will bring us a wealth of experience and expertise as we continue to develop industry-changing technologies that will improve animal health, raise production, produce higher-quality dairy products and increase profits for operators.”
The engineering and permitting processes for the farm installation have started with groundbreaking and construction to begin soon, with completion anticipated sometime early fall.