Meet the Country Leaders®: Nate Calkins

Nate Calkins from Aquaponics at Lake Orchard in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, doesn’t farm to save money; he does it for the right reasons.

“I feel better about farming if I can do it in a conscious way that helps protect our resources,” Nate said.

Aquaponics is a sustainable agricultural system that combines aquaculture (fish farming) and hydroponics (growing plants in water without soil) in a symbiotic environment. In this system, fish waste provides crucial nutrients for plants, which support filter and purify the water, creating a balanced ecosystem.

Aquaponics models natural systems that have existed since the beginning of time. Examples of aquaponics systems are bodies of water like Lake Michigan or the pond at Lake Orchard Farms. Nate shared an example of a frog eating an insect, and when the frog poops, it provides natural fertilizer for the waterlily to grow.

The Lake Orchard aquariums work like toilet bowls. They are constantly flushed with backwater, which flushes fish waste into bacterial pools. The bacteria in the pools act like bacteria in the soil, breaking down fish waste into nutrients that plants can operate.

Plants grow on floating rafts, with nothing hanging down into the water except the roots. There is no soil in an aquaponic system.

Lake Orchard Aquaponics consists of a 4,000-foot greenhouse with 3,200 feet of growing space. While that may not sound like much, that space is equivalent to six acres of contaminated land with a 100-day growing season in Wisconsin. Lake Orchard’s annual production of leafy greens is 45,000 pounds. The greenhouse operates nonstop year-round.

The fish house is 2,000 square feet. Lake Orchard has about 1,200 to 1,500 tilapia in tanks. The purpose of the fish is to provide nutrients to the water so that plants can grow. Tilapia have a speedy growth rate and high feed conversion, making them ideal for Nate’s aquaponics. Nate wants fish that will produce nutrients to fuel his lettuce production.

For Nate, sustainability means recycling as much as possible, including water. Water usage is crucial to Nate. His facility uses 250-300 gallons of fresh water per day. By comparison, the average family of four uses 400 gallons of water per day.

“Just because we have water doesn’t mean we should abuse it,” Nate said.

Sustainability is crucial to Lake Orchard Farm because it is the right thing to do. Nate wants to share his methods with others so they can benefit from aquaponics farming.