What Could Bessemer Aquaponics Do For Greensboro And The Piedmont Triad

Aquaponics has the power to put locally grown, quality organic food on Greensboro tables that might not otherwise get it. That alone should be enough to convince Greensboro, a city with over 23% poverty, the highest unemployment in the state of any comparable city and the hungriest population in the nation to jump at the chance to convert over 20 abandoned, County owned acres located slap dab in the middle of one of Greensboro's poorest neighborhoods into an Aquaponics school and production facility.

Sadly, that won't be enough to get our community to act. Sadly, in this town you've got to show people how they can profit before they'll extend a hand.

For those of you average citizens who are simply worried about getting quality produce at good prices:

"Production can occur year-round under a greenhouse or in a temperature-controlled enclosure.  This allows producers to market fresh produce during seasons when trucked-in produce is at their highest seasonal prices."

How about this, Greensboro developers, Aquaponics can fill your empty old buildings. All around the world what would have been abandoned buildings are being turned into Aquaponic farms.

For the downtown Greensboro restaurant owner: want the freshest ingredients possible year 'round to impress those Irving Park customers with money to spend and demanding tastes? Our location is 3 miles due east of downtown-- just follow East Market Street. The vegetables in the farmers market will never be as fresh and they don't sell fresh fish.

For the downtown business owner, no matter what type of business you own, wealthier Greensboro communities mean more people shop and do business downtown. Since 1957 the leaders of downtown Greensboro have waged war against Greensboro communities in the name of downtown development with the end result being a completely dysfunctional downtown development organization that forever remains in constant turmoil. When our communities thrive so will downtown.

For Greensboro's hotel and motel operators: Bessemer Aquaponics will be the first accredited Aquaponics school in the nation. Our goal is to bring 80 to 100 students a month from outside of Greensboro on top of those students who live locally. Those 80-100 students will need to sleep somewhere.

The creation of the nation's first accredited Aquaponics school in Greensboro would mean a boon for Greensboro's already established plastics, chemical, metal and machine industries as equipment, chemicals and parts would have to be made. Already Silicone Sealant, the only kind of sealant that can be used with live fish, is made in Greensboro and fish safe PVC pipe is made in Colfax.

With all the concern about food deserts and food insecurity the lucrative cut flower industry often gets forgotten. That's right, those imported roses and carnations you just bought for Mothers' Day could be grown using Aquaponics right here in Greensboro. From the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center:

"Cut flower imports in 2012 were valued at $615.7 million, a 30 percent drop from 2011. Colombia was the largest supplier of cut flowers, providing flowers valued at $480.1 million, a 15 percent decline from the previous year. Ecuador was another main supplier of cut flowers, followed by Mexico and Thailand.  (FAS)

Roses are the leading cut flower imported into the United States. In 2012 fresh rose imports were valued at $367.3 million. Imported fresh mums were valued at $128.9 million, and imported fresh carnations were valued at $82.5 million. In each case, Colombia was the largest supplier, and Ecuador was usually the second largest supplier.  (FAS)

Imported nursery products except for cut flowers were valued at $1.0 billion in 2012, jumping 51 percent from 2011. Canada was the largest supplier of imported nursery products, followed by the Netherlands and Colombia. All three countries experienced double digit or greater increases in the value of their U.S. sales.  (FAS)

Orchid plant imports in 2012 were valued at $65.3 million, decreasing 6 percent from 2011. Taiwan was the main supplier, followed by the Netherlands and Thailand. Flower bulbs continued to be supplied by the Netherlands. Tulip bulb imports totaled $52.0 million in 2012 and lily bulb imports totaled $29.7 million.  (FAS)"

That looks to me as if Greensboro could make major strides towards reducing our portion of the US Trade Deficit.

What about the increased property tax revenue the City and County would receive from the dozens, perhaps hundreds of business start-ups an emerging industry would generate? Isn't that the excuse our elected officials always use when passing out questionable incentive packages?

Bessemer Aquaponics is the regional solution to the problems of unemployment and food insecurity in the Piedmont Triad.

We have 20 acres. The Guilford County Agricultural Extension Service has agreed to bring in Aquaponics experts from NC State University. If we do it right the project will be eligible for grants from the United States Department of Agriculture. Now we need Greensboro to get behind the idea for Greensboro's sake. Please share, please tell your friends, please ask your elected representatives to act now.

Don't assume this is happening. It won't happen without your help.