About two years ago, founder Bill Job brought the Marshes on board to run Boterna with the goal of putting their experience with indoor farming to use on a commercial scale. Argyle residents, the Marshes brought the equipment here from Tennessee, setting up a 6,000-square-foot growing space in Denton. Focused mostly on leafy greens like lettuce, spinach, and herbs, Boterna's aeroponic system allows them to grow produce in any weather without the use of soil or pesticides.
"We're able to cut down the amount of growing time needed and get a harvest every ten days per unit instead of every 30 days, which means fresher produce to supply to grocery stores, to restaurants, or direct to consumer — that's the uniqueness of how our system works," Heather said.
The Marshes have put their time abroad to use in other ways, too: They employ refugees from South America and the Middle East, helping them navigate life in the U.S. The company also partners with The Cross Timbers Hope Center to donate crops that would otherwise go to waste.
Though leafy greens are the easiest to grow in an aeroponics system, Boterna hopes to eventually expand to include a range of produce. "The sky's the limit in a sense, especially when you're creating your own equipment because you can adjust and adapt things."
Source: Killeen Daily Herald