December 1 - 3rd

Wyatt is correct when he states that the first video clip was just growing silage for the livestock.  That process had to start with the seeds, so how did they start with production of the seeds in order to use them in the process?  Is there another automated process that can quickly and more efficiently produce the seeds, or do seeds have to come from traditional farming practices.

I do have to admit that I have a little bias at this point.  Let me explain.  When I go to the Farmer's Market in Davenport, I look for folks who are growing their own produce.  IT DRIVES ME CRAZY to see wholesalers pull up in these big trailers full of produce to sell, when all they did was buy it from some distributor.  THAT'S NOT THE IDEA.  I want to purchase food and other items that are grown and produced locally.  Now, one grower comes from Milan, but it's a hydroponic farm.  The grower doesn't hide that fact, which I appreciate.  My example is this...I love tomatoes!  But I just haven't been able to find a hydroponically grown tomato that really has the rich taste that I know I get when I pluck a tomato off a vine from a plant that I grow in my backyard.  It just doesn't taste the same to me.  And I wonder if the tomato doesn't taste the same, am I getting all the nutrients that I would normally get from a tomato that is grown in dirt.

So when I watch that second video clip, I wonder if the leafy green vegetables they are growing will taste the same produced hydroponically as produced in soil?  Maybe some students will share their examples too in their blogs.  Because if vegetables don't taste the same hydroponically, then do we people have to be ready to adjust our tastes to fit food that may actually be healthier for us and easier to produce, but they just don't taste the same.  That worries me.