Ellis Jaxon Farms owner Sean Kumar and Executive Director Kim Davis Carlock are ready to help area students grow organic fruits and vegetables to feed them and their families. They invite the community to a groundbreaking celebration at the farm at the Tunnel Hill-Ringgold exit Friday, March 18 at 11 a.m.Glossary
Aeroponics: The process of growing plants in an air or mist environment without the use of soilAquaponics: A system of aquaculture (raising fish) in which the waste produced by farmed fish or other aquatic animals supplies nutrients for plants grown hydroponically, which in turn purify the waterHydroponics: A method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil
If you haven’t heard of Ellis Jaxon Farms, chances are you soon will.
“Ellis Jaxon Farms is more than a farm,” said Executive Director Kim Davis Carlock. “Ellis Jaxon Farms is a movement to eliminate hunger from the United States by partnering with our local schools, restaurants and the community to grow healthy vegetables and fruits. Fifteen million children a year are hungry in America. Our mission is to feed hungry families, whoever needs it.
“Our fruits and vegetables will never have a price. The motto is ‘Take what you need and pay what you can.'”
The operation is expanding with the opening of a 43-acre farm behind Brown’s Produce off the Tunnel Hill-Ringgold Exit 345 where organic fruits and vegetables will be grown.
The already existing facility under the farm’s banner, which encompasses 2 million square feet of growing space off Exit 348, will serve as a training center for teachers to learn the high-tech growing methods of aeroponics, hydroponics and aquaponics.
The farm is currently looking for community action partners and restaurants to partner with.
“To feed a lot of people, we create a big facility,” said Ellis Jaxon Farms owner Sean Kumar. “We will grow and supply food to schools. It is under a campaign called ‘Children Raising the Village.’ We are working with several school officials. We will provide organic and healthy food directly to our school system at no cost. Catoosa County School System spends approximately $100,000 a year on food, fruits and vegetables, so this will save them that much money.”
Kumar said the farm’s local expansion mirrors its ultimate goal: to grow to the point where it can feed everyone in need nationwide.
He estimates soon being able to feed 10,000 to 15,000 people locally. All food will be grown indoors.
“We planted food at Heritage High School already,” said Kumar, adding the school library has two aeroponics towers. “We set up their farm in two hours. It will start producing food in two weeks. They are growing herbs and lettuce. The city of Fort Oglethorpe is giving us space in the greenhouse behind City Hall. [Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Chattanooga] will get towers in early April.”
The Children Raising the Village campaign focuses on giving children the tools to “learn, eat, give and sustain,” he explained.
“I am teaching students to grow food,” said Kumar. “We have five schools. In Houston County [Ga.], we have Westside Elementary School, Northside High School, Thomson Middle School and Eagle Springs Elementary School. We just started expanding here and Heritage High School is the first school. We will expand to Tiger Creek Elementary School and Treasures Academy next.”
At the main farm at Exit 345, Kumar envisions welcoming people there who can’t afford food, to come pick their own.
In addition to fruits and vegetables, the farm could eventually have nine varieties of butterflies, 200 species of birds, alpacas, llamas, camels, zebras, kangaroos, donkeys, goats and sheep, if all goes according to plan. Blankets will be made from alpaca fiber for those in need in the area.
“We are bringing in major United States corporations for huge philanthropic funds,” said Kumar. “Our plan is to do partnerships with corporate America. It does not take much money to solve these issues. Just $500 produces over 40,000 salads over a 10-year period.”
He said everyone at Ellis Jaxon Farms will wear a suit because there is no soil, no tractors and no pesticides.
Before beginning this initiative, Kumar never imagined he would be in a barn in Ringgold now.
“The world has changed me into being someone I should have been a long time ago,” he said. “I’ve noticed our nation will collapse if we don’t do something. Child hunger can be solved. We will grow to eliminate the hunger.”
To learn more about Ellis Jaxon Farms, visit facebook.com/ellisjaxon. To partner with Ellis Jaxon Farms, contact Executive Director Kim Davis Carlock at kcarlock@ellisjaxonfarms.com.