August 19, 2024
We worked with District Farms to secure funding from the USDA for 50% of the cost of their lighting upgrade, resulting in reduced energy consumption, increased yield, and happy customers.
District Farms has been quietly making a name for themselves in the Frederick Area over the last few years. They were started with a clear goal: To provide the healthiest, tastiest, cleanest and most beautiful greens available, while minimizing environmental impact and decreasing time from farm-to-table. Since about 90% of the leafy greens consumed in the United States are grown in California, and Arizona, more growing efforts were needed on the East Coast. Thanks to this locally grown source of greens, they have saved $49,000 in fuel costs, 17,000 gallons of diesel, and 380,000 pounds of CO2!
But there’s always room for improvement in every operation, and District Farms needed a supplemental lighting upgrade. They reached out to us to see if there was any way we could help, and we were happy to lend a hand. Thanks to our experience with the REAP Grant, we helped them achieve eligibility for this crucial financial aid that allowed them to purchase high quality LED grow lights for their facilities.
With a grant totaling $76,000, District Farms was able to replace five bays of their existing 1000 Watt High Pressure Sodium lights with our High Efficiency Prism ETS 650 Watt LED lights, drastically reducing their energy consumption while increasing their plant yield with increased light levels. Because of the way these lights are designed, they’re able to fit within the existing infrastructure of the facilities reducing installation costs. Thanks to this upgrade, District Farms can expect to see a roughly 50% increase in their speed of growth during supplemental lighting season.
We are excited to continue collaborating with District Farms as they make big strides towards producing premium lettuce while minimizing environmental impact.
