Farmer hopes to sprout success through aquaponics

DOVER, Del. – Doug Wood is on a mission to produce crops for people all across Delaware in a more sustainable way.

“I just had that ‘aha’ moment and said let’s do something different that can service our state and probably have hopefully the best product that I can grow,” said Wood.

In Dover, Wood grows all sorts of plants using something called aquaponics, which essentially means he uses fish to help grow his crops such as lettuce without using any chemicals or pesticides.

“So, we take fertilizer from the fish, which is waste and filter the solids out and use the liquids as a nutrient-rich source for the plants,” said Wood.

Wood says he hopes to make a difference in people’s lives, which is why he’s teamed up with the Smyrna School District to provide cleaner options for kids.

“So, we’re currently purchasing four varieties of lettuce of different greens that we get from Doug,” said Roger Holt, child nutrition supervisor at the Smyrna School District.

Roger Holt at the school district says students and families want to know where their food is coming from. So, working with people like Wood is a step in the right direction.

“This is another way for us to be able to answer some of the needs and some of the questions from our students and our families to serve a wholesome product that we know the story behind it,” said Holt.

“It just goes to show that relationships, that local, being local and working local and living local is huge and it’s still an important factor in business today,” said Wood.

Wood produces about 300 heads of lettuce every single day. All that lettuce will go to students at the Smyrna School District and community members across the First State.

Members of the Smyrna School District say they plan on having students visit Wood’s greenhouse to learn more about aquaponics and sustainable agriculture.