The nutrition staff oversees the hydroponic program and works hand-in-hand with students, who are learning valuable skills in planting, monitoring nutrient and PH levels, and harvesting the lettuce used in their own school meals.

What is green and crunchy — and might help high schoolers unlock a future career?

The answer is all about educational partnerships. Virginia Western Community College has developed a 5-week hydroponics project for high school classrooms, using a hydroponics tower to grow Buttercrunch lettuce. A sensor creates graphical visualizations of data, and students interpret the data that has been collected over the project’s duration.

Inside the freight farms are grow walls and nursery stations that used to grow only romaine lettuce, but have now expanded to radishes, carrots, and even strawberries. Each shipping container is equivalent to around three acres of farm land.

The freight farms give cohort participants a job as they help with the maintenance and harvest of produce each week. They get paid $15 per hour for up to 20 hours per week for each hour spent helping at the farm and in the classroom.

Wellstar Hospital in Georgia operates an onsite container farm called “WellFarm” through a partnership with FarmBox Foods.

The vertical farm supplies fresh herbs and greens for patient meals, the hospital bistro, and the gift shop.

Produce grown onsite is used for nutritional therapy, particularly for immunocompromised patients. The farm supports community engagement and wellness programming.

The Colorado Chamber of Commerce today announced that the Vertical Hydroponic Farm by FarmBox Foods has been named the Coolest Thing Made in Colorado for 2025. The award was presented that the Coolest Thing Made Awards ceremony presented by FirstBank.

The Vertical Hydroponic Farm, manufactured in Aurora, uses patented vertical farming technology inside upcycled shipping containers to maximize growing space while minimizing water and energy use.

SHERIDAN, Ark. — Two of Arkansas’s biggest problems, struggling farmers and food insecurity, could be addressed by a farming technique that was shown off in Sheridan on Tuesday.

This year, we have spoken with several farmers who said they could be forced to close their family farms, and Arkansas often ranks near the top of the list for food insecurity in America.

Leaders with Northern Illinois University and ComEd are celebrating the successes of a program helping students better understand the future of agriculture.

Two years ago, NIU started its Edible Campus program as a way to fight food insecurity and teach students about agriculture. Leaders say a successful part of that program has been its “Hydropod” vertical farming system.

Amanda Estes, 17, harvests green star lettuce on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, grown at Germantown High School's Flex Farm, an indoor mobile hydroponic farm from Fork Farms in Germantown, Wisconsin. Estes, a vegetarian, said she has learned a lot about plants' life cycles while participating in this class.

"We can feed the entire cafeteria with the lettuce we produce here. I feel like I'm making a difference in our community.

Verde Compacto has installed a full-scale vertical farm inside Estadio Akron, home to Club Deportivo Guadalajara (Chivas). Just beyond the stands, a container system grows leafy greens, herbs, and wheatgrass for direct use in the stadium's kitchens.

"We wanted to prove that you don't need to be in the countryside, or even outside a stadium, to grow fresh, high-quality food," says Juan Gabriel Succar, Co-Founder of Verde Compacto.

ComEd showed off cool agriculture pods Monday which showcase indoor farming inside of shipping containers.

The shipping containers are set up with LED lighting, high-efficiency HVAC systems for fresh air and pumps to recirculate water.

It’s part of a national study to understand how utility companies can plan for indoor agriculture.

A company specializing in vertical farming was awarded the “2025 Coolest Thing Made in Colorado” by the Colorado Chamber of Commerce on Thursday.

The statewide business lobbying group celebrated the top inventions of the state for the past four years with this recognition aiming to highlight different locally-made products.

This year’s winner was the Vertical Hydroponic Farm made by FarmBox Foods out of Aurora.

A 40-foot shipping container in Dededo is growing what its operators believe could help solve Guam’s food security challenges: fresh lettuce harvested hours before reaching consumers’ tables and sold well below imported prices.

Sunny Grow Inc., which began operations in March, represents Guam’s latest venture into vertical farming. Earlier efforts struggled with high electricity costs and logistics, but Vice President Yi Yuan believes their approach can succeed where others failed.

October is National Farm to School Month, a nationwide celebration of how schools, communities, and foodservice leaders are rethinking what “local food” means. It’s about strengthening food systems, empowering students, and creating a healthier, more sustainable future, one seed, one tray, and one lesson at a time.

At Babylon Micro-Farms, we’re proud to help bring this mission to life. Our indoor micro-farms make it possible for schools to grow fresh, nutritious produce on-site, all year long, with no pesticides, no long-distance shipping, and no growing seasons required.

WARSAW —  Jefferson STEM Elementary recently welcomed Steven Koontz, Indiana Master Gardener and owner of Keep It Watered, for a hands-on learning experience with Jefferson’s six aeroponic tower gardens.

The gardens, made possible through generous donations from Da-Lite/Legrand and the K21 Health Foundation, have become an ongoing part of Jefferson’s STEM program thanks to Koontz’s continued support with materials and expertise.

Corey Ellis, co-founder and CEO of Growcer in Ottawa, Ontario, is one of three finalists in the Innovator category of the CEAg World Impact Awards. The Innovator Award recognizes an entrepreneur or leader who has pioneered and implemented a new tool, concept, or practice that has significant implications for CEA. This award recipient will be someone who has used their expertise to drive tangible improvements for growers, enhancing productivity, sustainability, and overall farm success.

Learn more about Ellis below, and watch CEAgWorld.com for more profiles of our finalists.

• FarmBox Foods helps hospitals estimate financial and nutritional ROI before the implementation of their container farms.

• Key factors include operational costs, yield, reduced readmissions, and local sourcing benefits.

• Predictable production enables budget planning over the long term.

• Bonus depreciation incentives make CAPEX more attractive for institutions.

• ROI is also measured in patient outcomes, staff wellness, and community engagement.

Eudora, Ark. (KATV) — 180 Pipe, a leader in vertical farming systems, is hosting an open house and technology demonstration on Oct. 14, 2025, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 800 Grant 83 in Sheridan, Ark.

The event, co-hosted by Founder Luigi Campos and Eudora Mayor Tomeka Butler, invites the public, media, and Arkansas agriculture leaders to explore how communities can grow fresh, nutrient-rich food regardless of climate or available land.

Science students at Germantown High School hosted a harvest event on Friday to showcase fresh greens they grew inside their classroom.

The students used an indoor hydroponic farming system to grow several varieties of lettuce, cherry tomatoes, mini cucumbers, snacking peppers and micro greens that they then served up at school lunch on Friday.

The district's food nutrition director, Jill Seefeld, said they built the lab this summer.