Hydroponic Tomatoes

Hydroponic farming is a growing industry. Based on 2014 figures, greenhouse tomatoes accounted for over 50% of tomato sales and tomato volume sold at retail stores in the United States. The majority of greenhouse tomatoes produced in the United States are used for domestic consumption. The United States imports a significant portion of its supply of greenhouse tomatoes from Canada and Mexico to meet domestic demand. Producers in the United States benefit from high yields, consistent product quality, year-round supply and closer proximity to its customers.

In 2014, World-wide Greenhouse Vegetable Producing Companies included over 1700 growers in 94 countries, representing 35,180 acres. The largest North America producers represent over 12,440 acres of greenhouse area. The three largest companies in North America are NatureSweet, Houweling’s Tomatoes and Village Farm (publicly traded). Annual industry revenue in the US is $848M with growth over the last 5 years at 5.3% annually. The number of growers in North America is close to 800:

  • USA - 509 growers
  • Canada - 207 growers
  • Mexico - 67 growers

While the US has the most growers, Mexico leads the way in production. 2014 North American Greenhouse tomato production (millions of pounds):

  • USA – 645
  • Canada – 618
  • Mexico – 3049

Companies such as Houweling’s is utilizing heat and power cogeneration at their Camarillo, CA greenhouse.

  • 8.7 MW of electric power
  • 10.6 MW of thermal power
  • CO2 for fertilization of produce

One of the faster growing areas for Hydroponics in the US is west Texas. The main producer currently in that area is Village Farms. They have locations in Marfa, Ft. Davis and Monahan. The 30 acre facility in Monahan produces 80 million tomatoes annually. Hydroponic farming uses 87% less water than infield farming while producing 30 times the amount of produce. 100% of the water used by Village Farms reaches the plants with no waste.  Prior to the water reaching the wastewater system, it is cycled five times to eliminate waste. Village Farms yields more than 220 pounds per square meter a year, translating into about 880,000 pounds per acre annually. Village Farm’s Texas sales exceeded $50,000,000 and they employ approximately 600 employees. 90% of the tomatoes in Texas come from the greenhouses in west Texas.

Yield increase for vegetables grown in soil versus hydroponics:

Village farms financials:

On April 5th 2016 -Village Farms L.P. (“Village Farms”) the U.S. operating subsidiary of Village Farms International, Inc., SolarCity and MP2 Energy have agreed to build a 2 megawatt solar array adjacent to Village Farm’s 30 acre Permian Basin Division greenhouse in Monahans, Texas. The solar system is expected to provide the facility with nearly all of its daytime electricity needs and generate more than 82 million kilowatt-hours of power over the life of the system.