June 8, 2011 | Robert Puro

We’re out in the field today interviewing sustainable producers, agvocates and ag startup CEOs, but in case you missed our story about sustainable mushroom growing in recyclable boxes filled with used coffee grounds or the other one about the open ocean sustainable fish farmer, we have provided links and summaries below to get you caught up.

Stimulating a Connection to Food through Recycled Coffee Grounds

In spring 2009 Nikhil Arora and Alex Velez were in their final semester at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business headed toward careers in consulting and banking when a remark made by a professor about the potential for growing mushrooms with used coffee grounds piqued their interest.

An Open Ocean Farm Where Fish Never See the Same Water Twice

Eight miles off the shores of Panama, past the horizon line in 220 feet of water where 15 – 20 foot seas are the norm, sits one of the most unique and sustainable open ocean aquaculture operations that Seedstock has ever come across.

From Performance Art to Local Food Systems Technology

Local Orbit, an Ann Arbor, MI-based tech startup that facilitates the distribution of local, sustainably farmed food, is the brainchild of Erika Block, a trained playwright, theater director and technology consultant whose interest in food systems traces it roots to a performance art piece that never was called A History of Eating.

Yellow Perch at Sea in the Cornfields of Indiana

Startup companies are beginning to emerge as the potential for aquaculture to meet growing seafood demand, help restore depleted freshwater and open ocean fisheries, increase food security and stimulate local economies becomes more apparent. Recent advances in aquaculture technology enable it to be done in a far more environmentally friendly manner using sustainable technologies and sustainable feed to produce the types of fish that the public demands.

Software Strengthens Bond Between Farm and Community

Farmigo is an internet based system that allows farmers and CSAs to more easily manage and track member orders and deliveries.  The system automatically produces individual packing lists and delivery routes, and also allows farmer to track harvest yields making it easier to match capacity with CSA demand. Check out the video below to see how the platform works.

A Sustainable Dairy in Full

From the Grade A milk products that its produces (including special cotton candy and root beer flavored milks) to the humane manner in which it treats its 1500 dairy cows to its involvement in the community and support for the local economy, Prairieland Dairy strives to embody the core tenets of sustainable agriculture.