MORRIS, Oklv. – The Muscogee Nation Conservation District hosted its second annual Aquaponics training. They partnered with Oklahoma State University Extension Office and Olive Branch Aquaponics at the Morris Indian Community Center on Feb. 22.
Aquaponics is merely combining hydroponics (gardening without soil) and aquaculture (raising fish) into a recirculating system. Using a natural nitrification process, the fish neutralize and nutrify the water that goes to the plants, which then removes waste that goes back to the fish.
OSU Ferguson College of Agriculture Graduate Student Teal Hendrickson spent the morning of the training introducing her research on hydroponic systems, which are similar to aquaponics.
Hendrickson’s findings have been featured in four publications. Her articles include Effects of Elevated Water Temperature on Growth of Basil Using Nutrient Film Technique, Effects of Hydrogen Peroxide Products on Basil, Lettuce, and Algae in an Ebb and Flow Hydroponic System, and Algae Control for Greenhouse Production.
In the information provided by Hendrickson, growers and consumers are interested in aquaponics for sustainability as modern aquaculture is a growing concern. “Fish farms” have a reputation for polluting the environment and creating disease among the fish. Under adequate management, plants, fish, and microbes can thrive in a balanced symbiotic relationship.
Olive Branch Aquaponics
Owner and Founder of Olive Branch Aquaponics Bob Rider spent the afternoon sharing his independent research and experience to participants. In his research, Rider has refined his technique to grow plants at four times the rate of normal production. He has developed a partnership with Langston University to study just how he does it. Representatives from the university collect data from Rider’s laboratory where he records each thing he does in accordance with a grant project that funds the research.
Rider has practiced aquaponics at his farm for 16 years on the Muscogee (Creek) Reservation in Beggs, Okla. He has done aquaponic farming full-time for four years.
“It took me 12 years before I felt comfortable enough to make my living,” Rider said.
Not only does Rider grow produce at his farm, he also makes jellies, sauces, medicines, and other homemade products from them. Rider travels across the state teaching courses on various subjects that stem from the field of aquaponics. Rider has traveled around the world to design and build aquaponic systems ranging in size from 480 to 2,500 square foot greenhouses.
“We custom design them depending on what you are wanting to get out of the system and what you want to do with it,” Rider said.
According to Rider, the smallest system design will fetch a price of $50,000. The system includes a greenhouse, beds, a fish tank, and equipment. A small system like that can potentially feed a family of four. Out of all his clients, Rider claims to have about a 50 percent success rate, with about 25 percent of clients treating aquaponics as a hobby. The other 25 percent have trouble putting the extra time into it.
Rider claims it does not take a green thumb to operate this type of system. It is low maintenance, with ten to 20 hours of work going into the greenhouse weekly. It does require weekly water ammonia tests in the fish tanks since it affects the plant quality. The greenhouse allows for year-round production, although Rider recommends using power-generated heating equipment during the winter months.
Rider does not recommend using electric-powered systems for the greenhouses due to power outages. Some aquaponic systems are built in places with closed ceilings where sunlight cannot enter, like the one at the Morris Indian Community Center.
A Lifelong Passion
Gardening was something Rider was used to as a kid who grew up in a rural area of the reservation. “When I was a kid everybody had a garden of some sort,” Rider said.
Rider was introduced to aquaponics as a way to produce lettuce. Once he started producing abundantly, he knew there was more he could grow. Over the course of 16 years, Rider has had plenty of trial and errors, as well as success. He claims that his garden has formulated itself as a low-maintenance operation. “After a while, it balances itself out,” Rider said.
The relationship between the plants and fish become symbiotic, as if everything is working together effortlessly while maintaining harmonic balance. According to Rider, there are many factors that contribute to the function of the system. First, maintaining a health pH balance in the water keeps the fish healthy and provides the plants nutritious water.
Rider also claims turning a profit can be easy. For example during past cold and flu seasons he has grown elderberries. Using six planting beds, Rider can plant about 200 elderberry stems in each bed. The stems cost around two dollars each. With just that, the stems grow to where they start to bud. They are then placed in a planting pot and sold for $14 a piece. A $700 investment can turn into a $7,000 profit from just one bed alone.
Not only does the industry allow Rider to provide for his family through profits, it also provides them with food. It allows them to spend time outside together. Rider remarked that this aquaponic farming lifestyle has even improved his health.
Rider strives to consume everything from his farm in one way or another. He ferments fruits for additives, uses the dead fish to produce other forms of fertilizer, and comes up with ways to get the most out of each thing that is grown from his garden. Aquaponic farming is a strong source of food security, and food sovereignty. The technique is eco-friendly, sustainable, and lucrative.
Olive Branch Aquaponics has plans with the community centers across the Muscogee Nation to implement an aquaponic system in each location. They would also like to install systems for elders, and train them on how to utilize aquaponic farming.
For more information call Rider at 918-695-7562 or call the Muscogee Nation Conservation District at 918-549-2606.