Greeley farmer strengthens community roots through youth outreach, sustainable farming

Sean Short at Blooming Health Farms runs what he calls a working aquaponic chicken farm. First things first, what does that even mean?“It's a great question,” Short laughed. “I've put a few of those words together.”The farm uses aquaponics, “a fancy way of saying that we have some fish, and we use the fish water to grow plants.” In other words, aquaponics combines fish farming with hydroponics. Short is also using that fish water to grow chicken feed. He said that system helps him clean up wastewater from the messy process of producing the feed. All of this is connected to Short’s organic egg production, too — “really yummy eggs,” he said.Beyond sustainability — hydroponic farming conserves water and land, and reduces pesticide use — what is also notable about Farmer Sean’s operation is the people involved. He is bringing at-risk kids into the fold and helping them to learn new skills and carve paths away from the criminal justice system. In The NoCo’s Erin O’Toole sat down with Short to talk about this work and our increasing appetite for sustainable agriculture.