Image provided by Abel Communications
By Tre Shuttlesworth News Editor
Local greenhouse BrightFarm began selling pesticide-free and non-GMO salad greens this month with the promise of job creation for the Selinsgrove area.
“[We offer] part time work, flexible work hours, a great culture and a fun time,” said General Manager Tony Paar.
The 280,000 square feet facility at 1 Lorian Drive in Selinsgrove began production in early January and produced its first harvest in early February thanks to its efficient plant-growing process.
The company celebrated their first harvest by donating it to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, according to a press release.
The new Selinsgrove facility is two times the size of all other BrightFarms facilities. With over four acres of greenhouses, it will act as a flagship model for the company’s future greenhouses, according to General Manager Tony Paar.
BrightFarms maintains other facilities in Virginia, Ohio and Illinois.
The plant creates over 50 job opportunities that range from full-time to part-time positions. Only three employees at BrightFarms’ Selinsgrove facility are from out-of-the-area, including General Manager Tony Paar and Head Grower Chris Hennessy.
Paar said that employment at BrightFarms is extremely reliant on part-time employees, creating job opportunities for local students.
BrightFarm’s plant-growing process takes 14 days, compared to the 60 days it takes on farmland, according to Hennessy.
The process starts with plant seeds at a seeding machine before seeds go through a germination process that takes two to five days. BrightFarms utilizes a unique plant-growing blend that lets them avoid using any soil to grow their plants.
Inside the greenhouse, BrightFarms puts plants into water ponds with constant flow, ensuring that the roots are always dragging in the water.
They are also able to control the amount of sunlight that enters the facility with the shaders built into the roof of the greenhouse.
Packaging is also done at the plant, with waste collected during this time donated to local farms to feed cattle.
Delivery is also done by BrightFarms on the day of packaging. From packaging to delivery, Paar takes pride in having BrightFarms salad greens delivered within 24 hours of being packaged to local retailers.
Paar added the importance of BrightFarms being committed to local retail partners such as Giant.
“Giant has been with us since the beginning,” said Parr.
“At Giant, we pride ourselves on delivering the very best and freshest produce to our customers, and we couldn’t do that without partners like BrightFarms,” said John Ruane, senior vice president of merchandising of Giant in a BrightFarms press release.
The short growing process gives Hennessy lots of freedom and opportunity to fine tune salad greens. He manages an experimental growing lane that lets him test growing techniques with results in two weeks.
He also ensures that any pests that pose a danger to production are taken care of. He implements carnivorous bugs into the greenhouse if plant-eating bugs ever pose issue to the greens.
According to Hennessy, BrightFarms greenhouses are able to use 90% less land and water to make their crop than a normal farm.