"Gary Smith, corporate vice president of Modern Corp., stands where a hydroponic greenhouse is being built along a field off Pletcher Road in Lewiston." (photo by Vino Wong)

Produce to crop up at Modern

By Susan Mikula Campbell
Niagara Gazette Sunday Staff
Sunday, June 23, 2002

LEWISTON - Juicy, red tomatoes sliced on sandwiches and salads are not the image that comes to mind when Modern Corp. is mentioned.

Methane gas from rotting garbage in the landfill, however, provides the secret ingredient that will put those juicy tomatoes in Western New York grocery stores this winter as an alternative to those tasteless tomatoes that are shipped green and gas ripened during the cold months.

Gary Smith, Modern's corporate vice president, is overseeing a crop of eight hydroponic greenhouses that are sprouting across from Modern's main entrance at Pletcher and Harold roads. Grown without soil, the tomatoes and raspberries will be rooted in special tubs and fed with nutrient laden water. The computer-monitored greenhouses will use natural predators, and even have their own beehives.

"We have a tremendous resource in the methane gas coming off the landfill," Smith said, explaining that Modern has access to cheap power and heat for it's greenhouses, making winter growing feasible.

The gas allows a new power plant on the Modern site, owned by Innovative Energy, to produce electricity, part of which goes to Modern.

The cheap electricity will power some $60,000 worth of lights in the greenhouses. Special water jackets around the power plant's engines will collect heat.

"We could do 10 acres (of greenhouses); the heat is just being wasted right now," said Smith. "About one third of the cost of operating a greenhouse is energy. We think we can produce that energy at a very minimal cost."

Smith has been doing research on hydroponic growing for the pilot program with Cornell University, the state University at Buffalo and Bio-Economy Partners of Buffalo. Other ideas are a fish farm, mushrooms, herbs and other vegetables.

"We'll look at those possibilities. First we have to get this out and running," he said.

In addition to the immediate construction jobs, the greenhouses will provide about four full-time jobs.

The six tomato greenhouses are expected to produce 172,000 pounds of tomatoes in the first year. They will be sold to an area distributor and should begin appearing in local grocery stores by Thanksgiving.

The idea germinated from contract negotiations several years ago, where Town of Lewiston Councilman John Ceretto suggested Modern promise to develop other, "clean" businesses.

"All I know is garbage, but I'll look into it," Ceretto said Smith told him. He is happy with the result.

"This will live a lot longer than the garbage dumps," Ceretto said.

Copyright © 2003 Modern Corporation (716) 754.8226
Info@modern-corp.com

news archive
3/20/2003 Plantasia

8/15/2002 Erie County Fair

7/13/2002 Modern Open House

6/23/2002 Hydroponic Greenhouses

2/20/2001 Methane Power Plant