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A Utah farmer is planning a geothermal farm in Midway, making it possible to one day eat a fresh-picked Utah tomato in January.
On Saturday, Dale Allred will break ground on a 1-acre geothermal-heated greenhouse. The public can attend the event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the farm, 260 E. 600 North. A short ceremony will take place at noon.
Allred will use the heated water bubbling from an underground spring on the property to warm the greenhouses and grow produce year-round.
"This really gives a boost to local food culture," said Allred, who already operates Jacob's Cove, an 8-acre farm in Orem. The farm supplies weekly produce to about 500 families and individuals through a Community Supported Agriculture program, or CSA. It also supplies produce to about 10 restaurants along the Wasatch Front and in Park City.
He said the biggest challenge for Utahns who want locally produced food is the cold weather and short growing season.
"Now we will be able to eat fresh vegetables year-round without using fossil fuels for heating," he said. "To be able to produce this with zero carbon footprint is really exciting."
Aluminum pipes will carry the 116-degree water to the plants in the hot house, he said. Right now he is planning to build only one greenhouse. But in the next five years, if there is enough demand, Allred hopes to add more. Most of the vegetables grown in the warmed buildings will be sold directly to consumers through a CSA, in which people buy "shares" and receive a weekly box of produce.
The small mountain town of Midway, about an hour's drive from Salt Lake City, is the perfect location for winter growing, Allred said. "It's close to where the population is, and it's above the inversion where you are going to get a lot of solar [energy] during the day."
Allred, who is a civil and agricultural engineer, said the geothermal spring bubbled up on the Midway property about four years ago, an accidental result of some test wells state researchers drilled in the 1970s to evaluate the geothermal potential in Wasatch County.
Allred had been looking for land that contained a geothermal spring for several years. A few months ago, he saw an advertisement for the land that mentioned geothermal water. The land, an old dairy farm, was owned by Roy Remund, whom Allred attended Utah State University with many years ago.
Until now, the heated water has been running into an irrigation ditch. But when harnessed correctly, it will be the perfect temperature for cultivating tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, eggplants, string beans, and even melons, Allred said.
Hot start
P Dale Allred will break ground on a geothermal farm.
When • Saturday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Short ceremony at noon
Where • 260 E. 600 North, Midway
Details • Public is invited. Chefs will serve food using produce from Allred's Orem farm.
Info • 888-880-8039 or http://www.jacobscove.net