USA - How Plant Science is Taking Root in East St. Louis
Ella Manthey for Greater St. Louis Inc.
Produce growing in VertiGreens’ Maplewood facility. The startup recently partnered with the JJK FAN Center in East St. Louis, where it deployed 21 container farms growing lettuce.
When health officials announced that the nationwide cyclospora outbreak had arrived in Missouri this summer, Tova Feinberg started getting calls.
“A lot of my friends and my current clients reached out,” she said. “They were like, ‘We need the lettuce now because it's coming from this trusted source [because] we weren't affected by this outbreak.'”
Feinberg, the founder of Vertigreens, has spent the past five years developing a vertical hydroponic farming startup. Instead of using acres of soil, she grows lettuce on shelves that she stacks to the ceiling in shipping containers.
Just one container fits “about 2.6 acres of cultivation space,” she explained. “We are able to grow 3,600 heads of lettuce within one of these units.”
But the containers themselves need space. Feinberg found a solution in East St. Louis through the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Food, Agriculture and Nutrition Innovation Center, which marked its grand opening this summer.
Vertigreens founder Tova Feinberg stands inside one of the container farms at the JKK FAN Center in East St. Louis.
Ella Manthey for Greater St. Louis Inc.
The center purchased four of Feinberg’s vertical farming containers to grow food for its educational and summer programs, which draw hundreds of youth each year. Feinberg now has more than 20 container farms up and running at the center. As part of the deal, she said, 10% of her Vertigreens produce gets donated to East St. Louis families.
Amy Funk, the center’s director, noted that “86% of the population in East St. Louis live in what's a designated food desert.”
Next year, she added, “we anticipate producing over 30,000 pounds of produce a year, much of which will go into the meals served at JJK, as well as schools and other sites in East St. Louis.”
On this episode of “St. Louis on the Air,” Feinberg discussed the origin of her startup, the workings of a vertical farm and the lessons she’s drawn from the recent cyclospora outbreak.
She was joined by Antonio Brazelton, the senior coordinator of research partnerships at the Danforth Plant Science Center, who shared his own experiences with plant science in East St. Louis. Brazelton spent years studying collard greens at the JJK FAN Center before recently taking an academic position at Washington University.
To hear the full conversation with Tova Feinberg and Antonio Brazelton, listen to “St. Louis on the Air” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube or click the play button below.
Danny Wicentowski is a producer for "St. Louis on the Air."