By Tom Nordlie , UF / IFAS
“ We want to see if we can make a difference ,” Murrow said . “ This is a model showing how you can grow a large amount of food in a small amount of space . We want to set up the same kind of thing with fish ponds and incorporate it into Third World countries .”
Fort White High School students Tiffy Murrow , left , and Kaila Cheney toss feed pellets into a 750-gallon tank where they raise tilapia at the school . ( Photo courtesy of Marisol Amador , University of Florida / IFAS )
Tiffy Murrow has spent almost two years learning to feed the world , with help from the University of Florida ’ s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and her school ’ s agriculture adviser , Wayne Oelfke .
The Fort White High School junior started with glass aquaria and tropical fish , then she graduated to a 750-gallon tank housed in an equipment building on the school campus . It holds 140 tilapia destined for a soup kitchen in nearby Lake City once they reach the optimum size , about one pound .
Murrow and collaborator Kaila Cheney , a FWHS sophomore , will soon begin growing vegetables on floating platforms in another part of the system - a shallow pool where water circulates . The crops will include cucumber , tomato , lettuce and basil .
With roots dangling in the water , the plants will draw moisture and nutrients from the pool , reducing the need for fertilizer and helping maintain the ammonia and nitrogen levels tilapia need to stay healthy .
The technology is called aquaponics , a sustainable method for raising food where farmland is scarce . Increasingly common in Third World countries , aquaponics is still a novel concept for many U . S . residents . But Murrow has plans to spread the word by holding open house events and encouraging others to investigate aquaponics as a possible project , hobby or business opportunity .
That ’ s an ambitious goal , no doubt . But , as Oelfke points out , all of today ’ s successful agricultural technologies began as newfangled ideas in need of advocates .
“ Someone needs to be proactive and apply it and make it work ,” he said . “ That ’ s what Tiffy ’ s doing . And once she makes up her mind to do something , it will happen . She ’ s persistent .”
Already , Murrow ’ s persistence has helped the project earn awards at state and national Future Farmers of America science competitions . She ’ s also won a $ 2,500 FFA research grant , which has funded most of the equipment and supplies needed for that 750-gallon system .
It all started in January 2011 , when Murrow and a friend were enrolled in Oelfke ’ s Foundation of Agriscience class . Asked to develop and execute a project , the two settled on raising tropical fish and aquatic plants together .
Oelfke recognized early on that water quality and fish medicine would be important facets of the project , so he reached out to Chuck Cichra , a professor with the UF / IFAS fisheries and aquatic sciences program in Gainesville , part of the School of Forest Resources and Conservation .
Cichra helped Murrow and her friend secure tanks and filtration equipment and taught them the basics of water chemistry , fish care , statistics and record-keeping . The project moved forward and so did Murrow ’ s vision . Other UF / IFAS personnel also provided assistance .
Later , Cheney - a student with hydroponic vegetable production experience , who ’ d recently transferred to the school - volunteered to help with the project .
Murrow and Cheney did virtually all the construction themselves , even learning to weld . Both agree they ’ ve learned valuable skills from the project . Besides welding , the project requires persistence , ingenuity , leadership , communication and a suite of scientific knowledge and practical know-how .
Murrow hopes to pursue a career in nursing or veterinary medicine but wants to continue working in aquaponic production as a hobby . Cheney says her path may lead to a position in nursing or therapy .
Regardless of where they end up , both agree that this project has made them realize that few accomplishments are out of reach for those who work hard . •
March 2013 | FLORIDAGRICULTURE 15