Summer Internship Journals: Lorraine Byrne '17 at Freight Farms

Freight Farms is a company that creates hydroponic farms in refurbished cargo shipping containers. Seeing it from the street, you would never guess that inside seeds are germinating and growing into beautiful bunches of lettuce, kale, swiss chard, and herbs. After only three weeks into my internship, I am already able to identify some of the different varieties of lettuces and leafy greens. After a harvest, it is satisfying to make a big salad with the some of the freshest lettuce I have ever eaten.

During my first week, I really got acquainted with the Farm. Like all new Freight Farmers, I was walked through the ins and outs of the farm and the technology during Farm Camp. That first week, I got to seed, transplant, and harvest – a small taste of what I would be doing for the summer. Seeing everything in the farm was intimidating at first, but it is amazing how user friendly the technology is inside the Farm. Most of my days have been spent inside the Farm, completing all the day-to-day duties needed to keep the farm running smoothly. After a long and sticky commute, there is nothing better than getting to work in the cool air-conditioned farm amongst all the hanging heads of lettuce. Some of my tasks have included learning how to completely clean the Farm, doing some research about the effects of ethylene on fruiting crops, and checking data tables.

 

Click here to read the rest of Lorraine's journal on our Facebook page. Click here to see a timelapse video of the Freight Farms unit being delivered to Rivers.