How one dairy farmer utilizes vertical farming for his operation

Fourth-generation dairy farmer Brad Bateman has a little over 7,000 dairy cows and farms corn and alfalfa on 3,200 acres in Utah. On his farm, he has incorporated vertical farming in an effort to feed his dairy cows more sustainably. 

“Every mouthful that that cow takes is a total balance diet. It is fresh, it is local, it is sustainable and it’s renewable and it is here everyday.” Bateman continued, “We feel like it is an investment into the future. And five, ten years from now — for sure 15 — this will be the norm.” 

Grōv Technologies created a fully automated indoor growing system to grow feed for livestock. On Bateman’s farm there are six total towers. Every tower can produce 6,000 pounds of fresh feed everyday — in total that is 36,000 pounds a day! For this system, it only takes three percent of water compared to that of traditional farming. The system runs 18 hours a day, 365 days a year.