Rocky View County Farm Uses Hydroponics to Grow Fresh Greens Year-Round
Raven's Nest co-owners Laura and Keith Chitwood have launched a modular farming operation that bypasses traditional agricultural challenges.
Kayla Flindall
August 5, 2026
Residing in the east of Rocky View County near Airdrie is the family owned and operated Raven's Nest Farm. In the beginning it may have started with an idea, but now it is a community source for fresh and long-lasting greens and herbs.
Co-owners and co-operators Laura and Keith Chitwood run a deep-water hydroponic farm made by the Canadian company Growcer.
With Growcers’ virtual tour it shows the farm is the size of a large shipping container. Inside are left and right plant reservoirs, a work and seeding station, nutrient monitors, C02 sensors, thermostat, HVAC system, environmental sensors, LED lights and more.
Keith explained how he grew up on a farm with his parents, and through his experiences he saw the challenges that traditional farming can face, such as drought and hail.
Due to these challenges, and the price of land, Keith explained how the idea came to them that if people could farm indoors it would eliminate most of those issues. So, they purchased the modular hydroponic farm and got to work.
“You won’t even have to sacrifice quality or freshness even in the winter months,” Laura said. “Like, we’ll still be, we’ll still be open even when everything else shuts down.”
As a two-person team, Laura and Keith handle planning what to seed every week, transplanting, harvesting and cleaning. Through their system, they produce 800 heads such as romaine, spinach and more every week.
While harvesting, they are in full personal protective equipment (PPE) wearing hair nets, gloves, lab coats, and foot coverings to ensure the farm remains bio-secure with no bugs or bacteria.
The harvesting areas are then cleaned by hand; the water is drained, scrubbed, then re-filled with water and nutrients, leaving the system ready for another round of transplanted plants.
“We have like a little, we call it the nursery in our farm, like it’s plants that are growing, and then we transplant those into the raft,” Laura said.
To get their business to where it is today, the Chitwood’s said it involved a lot of going door-to-door, meeting with other businesses and spending time on social media talking to people.
However, their philosophy is that tasting is believing.
“Once you’ve tasted it and you can see how fresh it is, and how long it lasts your fridge, and how little waste there is. Usually that’s when people are sold on the, our on our produce,” Laura said.
On the media side of operations, Laura will sit down once a month to write a newsletter for their followers, including sourced out recipes for readers to try. Additionally, she also handles the delivery schedules, and any inquires that are sent in.
A common question they receive is about what they spray on their produce, however their answer is nothing. They explain that because what they grow is fresh, it lasts.
Raven's Nest Farm delivers to Airdrie every Sunday and Monday; also offering pickups during delivery hours. Additionally, the first Thursday of every month they deliver to Irricana, Beiseker and Crossfield.
Some challenges Laura and Keith have faced in the past involved their HVAC system breaking. However, it has since been fixed by Cascade HVAC. They added, finding a work-life balance can be challenging.
Looking at their typical demand, they say it fluctuates. For example, during the summer they explain things slow down a bit due to people having their own farms or going on vacation.
In the future, Laura and Keith share they would like to expand to possibly hold a vendor tent in farmers markets. However, at this current time they do not have the manpower.
For more information on Raven's Nest Farm visit ravensnestfarm.ca.