With help from the Farm Service Agency and more than 22 years of agricultural experience, Deborah L. Walliser turned an ordinary greenhouse into a low-carbon-footprint-method of growing vegetables that is able to create more food with less water, space and emissions.
In 2008 Walliser, executive director of Solsustech Inc., was the manager of a half acre hydroponic greenhouse in Vicksburg, Ariz., when an opportunity came to lease and run her own facility. It was always her goal to run her own greenhouse; however, she did not have any personal or family funds to begin operations.
Yet, Walliser didn’t want this opportunity to pass. So in December 2008 she contacted the Farm Service Agency to inquire about farm loan programs. The following month she submitted an application and by March 2009 she began operating her greenhouse with a $300,000 direct operating loan.
By using hydroponics — a method of growing vegetables using nutrient-rich water instead of soil — Walliser is able to grow more crops in less space without the worry of soil-borne pests or excessive water usage. Her floating lettuce ponds use only one gallon of water to grow a head of lettuce instead of the traditional 60 gallons in the fields.
Through this method, Walliser is able to grow 15 crops per year with harvest every day. Some of her crops include three varieties of tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers.
Walliser cultivated a number of market contracts and with a diversity of crops, she secured a tri-state market area that includes Arizona, Nevada and California. Her customers are retail grocery stores, restaurants and other food establishments. Walliser also sells wholesale to produce distributors and has a stand at local farmers markets.
She has been so successful with her greenhouse operation that she is now looking to expand. Her credit needs have outgrown the direct loan limit for FSA allowing Walliser to graduate to commercial credit sources. Soon, she will be purchasing a piece of property and building an additional greenhouse to accommodate the production necessary to fulfill the needs of her customers.
— by Shawneen Stevenson, outreach coordinator, Arizona FSA
