16 Reasons to Start Container Farming
Start container farming for yourself.
There’s never been a better time to start a hydroponic farm.
1. Be your own boss
Being your own boss is a liberating experience that allows you to pursue your career on your own terms. Take matters into your own hands to achieve the goals that matter to you and create your hydroponic farming business to mirror your interests and passions. Along the way, you’ll learn about everything from time-management skills to how to optimize your kale yields. Get inspiration from DeMario Vitalis, one of our Freight Farmers, who left his corporate job in pursuit of independence.
2. Create your ideal work-life balance
As we slowly emerge from the pandemic, chances are that you have (at least partially) returned to in-person work. The days of throwing a load of laundry in the washer between meetings are behind us. That ritual of a lunchtime walk around the neighborhood is a distant memory as you gaze out at the uninspiring office park from the window nearest to your cubicle. The increasing traffic on your commute home feels oppressive. Some of the perks of having a home-based, more flexible work schedule are coming to light.
Operating a Greenery™ S farm requires approximately 20 hours per week, meaning you can schedule your work around your home life — not the other way around. Plus, with a container farm that can go practically anywhere, your commute is up to you!
3. Get up from your desk
Sitting all day is bad for you. The American Heart Association has linked diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer to prolonged sitting! Not good at all. Our farmers are luckier than most since they spend at least 20 hours a week on their feet while doing light active work in the farm.
4. Accomplish something every day
After close to three years of dealing with a pandemic, we’re all looking for something to conquer. The need for accomplishments is tied to the fact that successes, no matter how small, trigger the release of dopamine in the brain, leading to feelings of pleasure and motivation. Farming in the Greenery S involves a multitude of small, tangible accomplishments — seeding, transplanting, harvesting, cleaning — every day, making you excited to come back and do more.
5. Work with your hands
Hands-on work can do wonders for your emotional health. It has the power to increase happiness by promoting feelings of vitality and effectiveness. This, in turn, can reduce stress and depression and relieve anxiety. Farming in the Greenery S involves hours of calm and methodical hands-on work, providing you with these benefits every day.
Start container farming for your community.
6. Engage and change your community
There’s something about food that brings people together! The Greenery S is a new and exciting technology that will pique your community’s interest and encourage people to learn more about you, your business, and hydroponic farming. Engage your friends and neighbors with a delicious alternative to unappetizing, limp, factory-farmed greens from the grocery store.
7. Provide a source of fresh local food
Consumers love local goods. Recent studies have shown that COVID-19 only increased commitment to buying local. One 2021 survey of Americans found that 25% made an effort to buy from local farmers. Make it easy for your neighbors to eat healthy and buy local produce by providing them with fresh greens year-round from your container farm.
“What Eeden Farms, and by extension Freight Farms, allows us to do is to grow food on a consistent basis under any weather, any climate. And we’re in the position to serve farm-to-table within that 21x7 miles of the Bahamas.”
Photo courtesy of Lotus House
8. Be an oasis in a food desert
A food desert is an area where residents are unable to access fresh fruit, vegetables, and other whole foods. They are commonly found in impoverished areas of the country due to the lack of grocery stores, farmers markets, or healthy food providers in the area. A Greenery S is an excellent way to provide nutritious options to underserved urban or rural areas year-round. Check out Lotus House in Miami for a great example.
9. Provide a safe source of greens
Salmonella and E. coli outbreaks are practically commonplace at this point, but with each, people get sick and others are scared to shop at grocery stores for fear of feeding themselves and their families contaminated greens. Here is just one heartbreaking story on the devastating effects of E. coli and the lack of food safety in the industry. Container farming creates greater traceability, making it easy for people to know where the greens came from and if they’re safe to eat. This has become even more important for consumers through the pandemic, with 58% saying their attention to the origin of their food has increased.
Start container farming for others.
10. Create a therapeutic environment
While horticultural therapy has been practiced for millennia (even the Ancient Greeks believed in plants’ healing powers), it experienced a revival in the 19th century and is currently utilized as a therapeutic method for helping youth and adults who are at-risk or mentally ill. Today, we have farmers working to help veterans with PTSD, adults with autism, people with histories of substance abuse, and more. These communities can benefit from the many physical and emotional benefits of farming mentioned above, such as working with your hands, accomplishing tasks, and working toward a meaningful goal. Take San Antonio Clubhouse as an example of the power of farming.
“I think the possibilities of what this farm process and programming can do for different types of communities and nonprofits is invaluable. If y’all can do it, jump in and do it, because it’s been life-changing for so many people.”
11. Save water
Traditional farming requires an incredible amount of water: globally, 70% of freshwater goes toward agriculture, and just one head of traditionally grown lettuce requires about 3.75 gallons of water. By comparison, a full head of lettuce grown hydroponically in our container farm uses only 0.1 gallons of water, contributing to the fact that our hydroponic farms use 99% less water than traditional agriculture. The Greenery S also creates no run-off, which protects the surrounding landscape and water sources from being contaminated — a common issue with traditional farming methods.
12. Empower future leaders
What farmers like Town to Table, schools like Mountain Vista High School, and nonprofits like the Boys & Girls Club have in common is that all use their farms to inspire young people to get involved with farming and sustainability. These farms are changing their communities and the food landscape. Regardless of your project, you can inspire those around you to become leaders in agriculture and sustainability.
“I like doing hands-on stuff. It’s just a different experience than what actual school is so it’s just really refreshing.”
Some practical reasons to start container farming.
13. Always essential
As a self-employed farmer, you are not at risk of being laid off or being made obsolete. People always need to eat, and you’ll be a consistent source of food for them.
14. Make money
While we’ve talked about several valuable reasons to start container farming in 2023, we have yet to discuss your money-making opportunities. The Greenery S is optimized to grow lettuces, leafy greens, herbs, and small root veggies. While all greens can be profitable, those grown inside our farms are clean, pesticide-free, and available year-round in any climate. These factors help many of our farmers command premium prices, especially in direct-to-consumer sales channels like farmers’ markets or CSAs.
Learn more about the financial opportunity in our project planning center.
15. Corner a winter market
Aside from growing high-value plants, the Greenery S gives your venture the added advantage of being season-agnostic. Grow warm weather plants year-round in all climate conditions thanks to the insulated container and the controlled-environment technology built into the farm. By having a consistent yearly supply, you can negotiate higher prices when selling out of season.
16. Pay less in taxes
Like other farming equipment, the Greenery S qualifies as a “single-purpose horticultural structure” under Section 179 of the US IRS tax code. This means you can deduct the full cost of the container farm from your annual taxable income, saving $8.5–$30k (depending on your income tax bracket).
One final note: Not only is the best technology available to you, but you also have the support of our whole team here at Freight Farms. We can help you find a farm site, develop a marketing plan, and troubleshoot any problems that arise. We founded Freight Farms with the belief that, with the right tools, anyone can become a farmer — you included!
