PANORA, Iowa — The way farmers in Iowa grow their greens, beans and potatoes has evolved for decades, but in Panora, Iowa, it's scaled to be a bit more unique.
Inside Early Morning Harvest's noisy, compact and colorful aquaponic greenhouse farm, you'll find owner Jeff Hafner, who runs the family farm with his father and at least a dozen others.
Upon first glance, looking upon Early Morning Harvest from Willow Avenue, at the end of the property's driveway, aquaponics wouldn't be the first thing you'd expect to hear. But for Hafner, it's colloquial.
"The fish, replace the fertilizer," Hafner explains. "The wastewater from the fish flows through the plants, providing nutrients for the plants to grow. In the same breath, those plants then clean the water for the fish."
A unique process you won't find at many Iowan farms, except for some, which are trying newer ways to share their crops with Iowans.
At Early Morning Harvest, they have four separate water tanks holding 7,500 gal. of water, and hundreds of tilapia fish.
In this closed growing circuit, set up by Hafner years ago, they harvest, fruits like strawberries, vegetables such as kale and swiss chard, and even edible flowers.
The greenhouse is semi-environmentally controlled, allowing farmers to plant, reseed and harvest crops year-round.
Once the produce is ready, the Panora family farm sends their crops to the Iowa co-op in Des Moines, chefs at local restaurants -- who generally use the flowers and herbs for garnishing dishes -- and to the Perry HyVee and Earlham Hometown Market.
If you're interested in checking out Early Morning Market, they do tours of their stone mill and aquaponic greenhouse, and also have a store with their produce from that greenhouse and from their outdoor farm.