Farming family hopes new Ak-Chin facility will launch ag into the future

by Joey Chenoweth | PinalCentral

On land and in a community that has deep, proud roots in agriculture, a family that also has farming in its blood has decided to build an operation with its eyes set firmly on the future.

Carlos Ibarra and Carlos Ibarra Jr. are the most recent generations of a long line of farmers both in the United States and Mexico. The elder Ibarra admits that he can’t ever sit still and be content with what he has, instead always trying to find the next big thing. He thinks he has found it and wants to bring it to the Ak-Chin Indian Community.

The vision is for a 16,128-square-foot greenhouse that would include, in the Ibarras’ estimation, size and technology unlike any other agricultural business in Arizona. It would be a hydroponic operation, meaning plants would be grown in nutrient-rich water instead of soil, with a retractable roof that would allow the greenhouse to be able to grow consistently throughout the year, 24/7.

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