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Hydroponic grower Great Plains Greens outlines local sales, school partnerships and operating model
Summary
Great Plains Greens, a hydroponic shipping‑container grower in West Fargo, told the commission it supplies restaurants and two school districts and is exploring educational partnerships with colleges. Company founder described modest water use, startup funding and product lines.
Dylan, founder of Great Plains Greens, told the commission the company grows leafy greens hydroponically in a shipping container in West Fargo and sells to restaurants, two school districts and through an online cooperative marketplace.
“We grow lettuce hydroponically in a shipping container over in West Fargo,” Dylan said, describing a year‑round production model that relies on LED lighting and small, monthly water use (he said the operation uses under about 150 gallons per month). The business supplies specialty salad greens and herbs to local chefs and to Dilworth‑Glyndon‑Felton and other school districts for farm‑to‑school programs.
Dylan said the startup received an initial round of funding (a reported $200,000 grant package that included grant, debt and equity components) and that fixed upfront costs for container installs are high, while operating costs (land rent, utilities, seeds, substrate) are modest enough that the unit can be run profitably once the capital cost is absorbed. He said the company is not yet at full production capacity but aims to expand sales as the market grows.
Commissioners asked about water usage, heat/ventilation and crop cycles. Dylan said the container is connected to city water and power, that LED lighting produces heat requiring cooling, and that a lettuce crop typically reaches maturity in about 45–49 days with options for cut‑and‑regrow harvesting.
Dylan invited commission members and steering‑committee members to tour the container and discussed interest in partnerships with universities and local education programs for workforce and demonstration purposes.
