Sweet Grown Alabama Blogs

Flashback to an Auburn University classroom where an undeclared student sat with very little idea of what his purpose was in life. To learn that 3 billion more people would occupy the Earth in a matter of 40 years was shocking. The questions and problems that surfaced upon learning this still exist over a decade later. How are we going to nourish 10 billion people without extinguishing our natural resources, unique ecosystems and our way of life? 

The most prominent answer is probably technology and industrialized agriculture. With increased automation, genetically modified crops, and greater/quicker yields we can provide enough for everyone. These are the buzzwords on how we feed the planet with an exponentially growing population. But what if the problem we have been trying to solve just needs to be rephrased into a sustainably solvable question?

How do we nourish our community? Instead of focusing on a seemingly insurmountable problem that involves global supply chains, transportation, cultural, political and socioeconomic issues. Communities now become the centerpiece of the problem that can be practically addressed. 

Aquality Farms was created to provide our community with affordable access to sustainably grown pesticide-free produce and wellness products. At the start of 2024, we started renovating our family's old warehouse. What once was "The Produce Company", servicing the local schools, restaurants and hospitals, was resurrected into a different iteration with the same mission at heart, giving the community the freshest and highest quality products possible. 

Same building, different decade, new vision. In the middle of Anniston in only 6,000 square feet we can produce over 1,000 pounds of produce a week. The front of the farm is devoted to lettuce and microgreens, where an acre worth of Romaine is grown in just 2,000 square feet. The lettuce is grown in six weeks by using hydroponic vertical tower systems. In this controlled environment there is no need for pesticides, fertilizers aren’t leached into our watershed and water is conserved.

We believe the greatest impact we can make is by providing the highest quality produce and educating the next generation about sustainable agricultural systems. That’s why we are partnered with the Alabama Farm to School Program to supply produce to over 20,000 children every week. It’s our mission to make these low-impact sustainable systems and fresh, local foods the standard and not the exception. Instilling these values and norms into the next generation will pay dividends to them, the community and the environment in the future.

The "back forty” of our farm is where we grow gourmet and functional mushrooms. The fungi kingdom is often overlooked and underappreciated, but we are trying to give mushrooms their proper due. Besides their culinary appeal, mushrooms such as Lion’s Mane, Turkey Tail, and Reishi have proven to be effective in preventing and combating many health problems. Lions’ Mane has NGF (Nerve Growth Factor) which maintains and establishes new neural connections. It is being used for Alzheimer’s, ADHD, dementia, and neurological disorders. Turkey Tail is an immune system modifier as it acts on an overactive or underactive system to bring it to equilibrium. Reishi, or the mushroom of immortality, is used to relieve stress, anxiety, and is a natural calming agent that relaxes the mind before bed ensuring uninterrupted sleep.

We extract these benefits by using an ultrasonic homogenizer that breaks down the cell wall. This unleashes the beneficial compounds called beta-glucans, erinacines, hericenones, polysaccharides, and triterpenoids that help with numerous health issues. Once concentrated, these ultrasonic dual-extracted tinctures are ready to use daily. Fungi are crucial to a healthy environment, as decomposers they naturally break down waste and return valuable nutrients to the soil. We partner with local farms to repurpose our substrate into row crops and vegetable production fields to improve soil quality. Mushrooms take in oxygen and respire carbon dioxide; we plan to create a system in which the CO2 from our fruiting chambers is channeled as a supplement to our lettuce production area. This will minimize any carbon dioxide by-products from our operation and maximize lettuce productivity.

Aquality Farms views itself as a health and wellness company; we are more than just a farm. Like so many of you reading this, you aren’t just an apiary, a cattle ranch, homesteaders, peanut producers or a person who enjoys the freshest products Alabama has to offer. You have a history, a purpose and a vision for what you are doing. We believe by increasing the focus on our local food systems the health of the individual, the community and the environment can be positively impacted. Proper agricultural practices and accountability lead to a cleaner food supply and the conservation of our natural resources for future generations. The communal approach lends itself to reducing food deserts and our dependencies on other states and countries, therefore improving Alabama’s food security. Becoming closer to our food supply creates a relationship with nature that increases our consciousness about what we are putting on our crops and in our bodies. Affordable access to toxin-free products is becoming ever more important as cancer cases rise, pharmaceutical companies are being exposed and inflation skyrockets. Little of significance has been done to effectively help the rural minority and urban depressed in combating cardiovascular disease, generational poverty and the cycle of marginalization. Perhaps focusing our time, energy and resources on our communities is just what our world needs to sustainably feed 10 billion people in 25 years. At Aquality Farms we aim to bring accessibility, affordability and education to our community. We believe in striving to live a sustainably healthy lifestyle. 

What is sustainably healthy? A philosophy towards life that promotes prosperity while protecting our posterity and planet. The well-being of ourselves, our communities and the environment is dependent upon the choices we make each day. Produce is considered healthy at first glance but becomes quite the opposite when the hidden costs are revealed. Some industrial agricultural practices have eroded fertile soils and polluted once bountiful waters. The energy consumption used to transport produce across the country has put pressure on the planet’s natural resources and our pocketbooks. Increased fuel costs and mileage to market result in a lower quality product at a higher price. This is the current unsustainable system that negatively impacts the wealth and health of individuals, communities and the environment.

The combination of energy-efficient growing methods and a local business model allows us to prioritize the needs of the community in an eco-conscious manner. We encourage everyone to find solutions to other unsustainable systems that surround us daily and bring about meaningful change.  Alabama is home to fertile soil, clean water, creative minds and hard workers who can produce the best products using the best practices. So keep fresh, keep local, keep sustainably healthy, keep Alabama!

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Sweet Grown Alabama.