An innovative collaboration among electric co-op power supplier Tri-State Generation and Transmission, the national Electric Power Research Institute, and Moffat County School District provided northwestern Colorado high school students and faculty an opportunity to learn as they grow crops indoors and year-round with EPRI’s “Farm in a Box.”
This cutting-edge indoor agriculture facility, installed at Moffat County High School in Craig, is a 40-foot long shipping container now known as the Agricultural Farm. Flat screen-type surfaces hang from the ceiling of the container in polymer “pods.” The container is temperature-controlled, with energy-efficient lighting and plumbing infrastructure to support the production of vegetables.
The Farm in a Box will offer educational opportunities for Moffat County High School students and research data for EPRI. EPRI staff will monitor the container for the first two years to evaluate different metrics, such as nutrient quality of the produce, community impacts, sustainability performance and electricity load profiles.
The box represents a convergence of energy, agriculture, biodiversity and sustainability.