We were just up in Wisconsin recently for more learning and training with our friends at Growing Power in Milwaukee. Several of our team participated in their aquaponics workshop, an intensive three-day course that combined the science of growing fish and vegetables together with hands-on construction where we built an aquaponic system from scratch! We were excited to meet fellow aquapons from all over the country, as well as those from far-away places like London and Greece.
Growing Power has a great collaboration with the Great Lakes Water Institute at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and several of their faculty gave excellent presentations that helped us understand water chemistry - the minerals and good bacteria an aquaponics system should contain, how to keep those levels balanced and tested, and the tweaks and adjustments that will keep everything in equilibrium. They also talked about another of their favorite topics, fish -- on topics such as the nutrients and food they recommended, the quantity of fish to stock in a given volume of water, and their observations of fish behavior. Those workshops gave our team a whole new appreciation and understanding of fish, especially their potential to provide the key nutrients the vegetables in an aquaponic system need to flourish.
Following that training, it was time to build! In the space of an afternoon, our workshop leader, Danny, took us through the steps of constructing an aquaponics set-up that used "ebb and flow" plumbing to recirculate water into the system.
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| Transplanting into the system just built |
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| Adding onion and squash plants to the system |
Hoisting hammers, rotary saws, and drills, we built the base where the system's vegetables would grow in the space of several hours that weekend. We learned to line the bed, siphon it, and measure and construct legs for the system. Danny was careful to teach us that a level is a very, very important tool to have in situating the system so everything will flow properly!
Our team also got experience on the vegetable side of the operation, learning Growing Power's ideas on the best vegetables to grow aquaponically, how to provide the most nutrient-rich environment for the plants, and how to find local markets for our produce and fish. Growing Power's insights on how to best work with local and state governments to set up aquaponic operations reflected their great experience in the field.
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| Chris very happy to see Growing Power's Will Allen again! |
No trip to Milwaukee is ever complete without sampling what America's Dairyland is best known
for - custard and cheese! We enjoyed fantastic custard cones at Kopp's Frozen Custard in Milwaukee (flavor of the day, "kolackzi"!) and cheese curds at the one-of-a-kind Mars Cheese Castle near Racine. What a weekend of learning, growing, and enjoying Dairy State treats!
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| When in Milwaukee, you've got to visit a custard stand - love the "Kolaczki" flavor of the day! |
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| Wisconsin cow culture at Mars Cheese Castle near Racine |