Aquaponics and Access:
Swanky Roots
Image courtesy of @nathansatranphoto and Swanky Roots.
Montana isn’t known for its’ year-round local produce. The harsh winters and short summers can greatly impact growing seasons and deter farmers from planting certain crops. That didn’t stop Billings locals Ronna Klamert and Veronnaka Evenson from pursuing their passion. In the last decade, a significant rise in indoor growing practices and technologies has led to an increase in fresh, local produce in areas around the country.
On the far west side of Billings, Montana, there’s a massive greenhouse surrounded by seasonal flowers and shrubbery. Inside, hundreds of pounds of greens are grown every week, year-round, for the Billings-area. Mother-daughter team Ronna Klamert and Veronnaka Evenson have always been interested in plants and gardening. Ronna gardened all of her life and made sure to pass that love down to Veronnaka. Veronnaka graduated from Montana State University in 2016 with degrees in Plant Science and Agricultural Education and with a minor in Biology teaching. Veronnaka and Ronna wanted to bring their passions together to improve their community by growing wholesome, nutritious food. Through research, Ronna and Veronnaka came to the conclusion that aquaponics made the most sense for their location, operation size, capacity, and interests.
In 2016, Ronna and Veronnaka opened Swanky Roots, an indoor, aquaponic farm producing leafy greens year-round. Swanky Roots serves the Billings area with fresh produce like butterhead, leaf lettuce, kale, swiss chard, and more.
“The amazing part of aquaponics is that it uses so much less water than conventional agriculture,” Veronnaka said. “We grow lettuce with six times less water than we could in the field.”
Diagram courtesy of Swanky Roots
Aquaponics works as a closed-loop system. Seeds are planted in beds. A separate tank of water and fish are nearby the vegetables. Pipes from the fish tank to the garden beds water the plants, giving them the nutrients from the fish waste. Those microbes convert that waste to fertilizer for the plants. The plants then filter the water and suck up the nutrients from the microbes and the waste. That clean water is then returned back to the fish in their tank.
Nationwide, drought-ridden communities are looking to aquaponics as an answer. One pound of fish equates to 12 to 14 pounds of vegetables. The aquaponics design eliminates waste products and water waste. The set up also allows for year-round cultivation. Additionally, because the plants are consistently surrounded by nutrients, they grow up to 25 percent faster than in soil.
“Without this system, we really wouldn’t stand a chance trying to grow greens in Montana year-round,” Veronnaka said.
Last year, Swanky Roots partnered with The Yellowstone Valley Food Hub, a central facility that connects different food producers around the Billings-area to consumers.
The Yellowstone Valley Food Hub offers consumers direct access to year-round, delicious, quality food from nearby farms and ranches. It’s a huge benefit to producers as well, as the model provides growers with a local market to sell to. Consumers place their order online and pick up their products every Thursdays from 5:15-5:45 at the Shrine Auditorium in Billings.
Since partnering with The Yellowstone Valley Food Hub, Veronnaka and Ronna have felt more tied to their customers and community. Their access to a market made up of locals has increased their bond with the community. Seeing the same customers every week has helped Swanky Roots’ get to know their customers better and has helped their customers get to know them.
Food Hubs are sprouting up across the United States in response to consumers’ demand for more local food. Local food sales grew from $5 billion to $12 billion between 2008 and 2014. The same study predicted local food sales would jump to $20 billion in 2019, outpacing the growth of the country’s total food and beverage sales. To meet that demand, more food hubs have sprouted across the country.
Looking forward, the mother-daughter team wants to continue producing their greens for their community, and branch into educating folks on where their food comes from. Both Veronnaka and Ronna are hopeful to one day turn the 60-acre lot that the greenhouse sits on into an educational farm.
