A Farm Grows in Newark

The staff writer Ian Frazier takes us to an industrial building in Newark, New Jersey, where a vertical farm is flourishing. A towering array of steel beds holds layer upon layer of baby salad greens growing aeroponically, that is, without soil; the nutrients are supplied by a computer-controlled misting system and the energy by L.E.D.s. While it may sound futuristic, AeroFarms aims to bring tons of produce to market with this system. Frazier speaks with Ed Harwood, the company’s chief science officer, who designed much of the equipment, about trial and error and the joys of inventing.

This segment originally aired on January 13, 2017.