Power of SUNY

SUNY Morrisville to Cuts Costs by Combining Fish Farming & Lettuce Production in New Greenhouse

Researchers at SUNY Morrisville joined forces with Syracuse-based engineering firm O’Brien & Gere to secure state and federal funds to build an experimental greenhouse on campus, where they hope to produce salad greens and fresh fish year round, without over-spending operational costs such as heat and light.

Fish farming and soil-less agriculture, or hydroponics, both face considerable challenges in Upstate New York and other cold-weather regions because operational costs tend to outweigh any potential monetary gains.

At SUNY Morrisville, researchers will integrate fish farming and lettuce production with an innovative energy system and cut costs by using waste from one process to fuel the other.

The project is supported by $1.1 million in state and federal grants and is intended to lay the groundwork for a commercial venture to build similar high-tech farming operations on a larger scale.