Barry Adler

Barry Adler, GEO Operations Coordinator and RainFresh Harvests OwnerBarry works part-time in the GEO office to manage finances, budget and administrative tasks for the organization.He oversees the computer data base and office systems and responds to consumer inquiries.

He is also well-equipped to answer questions about renewable energy, since he is the owner/operator of RainFresh Harvests, LLC near Plain City where he growing specialty crops and culinary herbs on family farm.His farm operates an off-the-grid renewable energy greenhouse/barn called the RainFresh Bio-Integrated Greenhouse.It integrates a hybrid system featuring active solar PV (2.1 kW), a wind turbine (1.0 kW), and a solar thermal drain down system (3 Sun Earth collectors) with radiant

floor heating.The RainFresh Green Bioshelter is designed to maximize passive solar thermal storage, with a cement slab floor, reflective walls with soybean based rigid foam insulation, and a thermal curtain system to retain heat in winter months.Barry has a MS in Horticulture from Virginia Tech and BS in Agriculture from Berea College.He previously worked for over 20 years in the management and research at The Scotts Company in Marysville, Ohio.

Barry Adler feels now is the time to see if renewable energy sources can be efficiently utilized to compete with or replace older energy sources, whose rising cost makes such a course of action feasible.On nine acres of family farmland in Union County, Ohio, the former lawn and garden industry researcher, who has a Masters degree in horticulture from Virginia Tech, is making his case in impressive fashion.Adler is a member of Green Energy Ohio, for which he also works part time as coordinator of operations.The non-profit organization acts as a clearing house for renewable energy information, much of it utilized by Adler in his cutting edge facility completed slightly over a year ago, at a cost of about $80,000.Grants were obtained from the Ohio Department of Development Office (ODOD) of Energy Efficiency and the USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program.Innovative Farmers of Ohio helped coordinate the ODOD grant application.One problem that surfaced immediately was the water supply situation in central Ohio -very good except in times of drought, but also very hard.Thus the name given to the Adler farm operation: RainFresh Harvests, meaning rainwater is collected and used as a ,natural supply, for the herb greenhouse plantings, plus several outdoor small fruit plantings, Two 500 gallon cisterns collect the water, the amount used for rinsing is treated with ultraviolet light, the rest used for crop production is filtered through algae and gravel, then through a series of gutters onto 20 some herbal varieties, and eventually into fish tanks for the nourishment of Koi, supplied now by a contractor, though Adler may go into this business on his own.What's left over from the fish and plant feedings is channeled to a grass plot, which also acts as a filter, then finally back into the storage tank.Its not a perpetual motion machine, Adler says he loses about 20-25 gallons to evaporation and some of course is retained by the plants, but the cycle does continue.Grass is fed to red worms in another tub, who do a great job of providing compost for the herb potting material, provide fertilizer, and give off heat for the greenhouse.He's also thinking of using ducks, whose manure producing potential is legendary, to eat the grass, provide some greenhouse heat and lay eggs that can be sold for a premium.This seems to be the core idea here, a cycle of energy transfers, nothing going to waste, with each forward move in the cycle giving birth to another.Adler feels this type of technology can help small farmers remain in agriculture by concentrating on greenhouse production, or small outside acreage, using the alternative energy of wind and sun.The Renewable Energy Solar Greenhouse faces south to catch maximum sun heat through clear glazing, with radiant heat from water heated by the same source, then run through pipes in the floor.Solar panels, plus a single wind turbine, provide about three kilowatts of power.Adler says on sunny and windy days he has surplus power, while clouds and still air provide less, so the extra power collection is stored in batteries for use when neededThe 20 year trend toward organic production has not gone unnoticed by Adler-or by most other growers seeking profitable niche markets.Presumed health benefits, at least a 10 year trend toward more ,natural, production, plus the willingness of consumers to pay more for these attributes, more than make up for the increased cost of going organic.He's moving in this direction, uses biological controls and beneficial insects to replace chemical insecticides, stressing to customers they will get the freshest, safest and most environmentallyfriendly crop that can be grown.He focused on herbs for their relatively undemanding fertility needs, plus resistance to pests and disease.They can be planted once and harvested twice a week for a considerable length of time.Already Whole Foods of nearby Columbus and Northstar Cafe are steady buyers of fresh cut herbs and salad greens.Other specialties include tea mints, wheatgrass and micro-greens, and seasonal specialty vegetables, plus outdoor small fruit in season, including red raspberries, thornless blackberries, Heirloom tomatoes and peppers, plus Asian pears.Adler makes free delivery to restaurant and retail outlets, using bio plastic degradable containers for retail outlets, and reusable ones for restaurants.He feels he can become profitable from this now one of a kind high tech facility in 5 to 7 years.What he's learning now may be the template for future agricultural production, and he hopes eventually to market the system to other growers seeking a production map that will sustain and improve the environment by utilizing alternative energy from wind and sun.He is literally researching while testing three different production systems, any or all of which may meld into the future of agriculture: RainFresh Green BioShelter, BioIntensive field crops, and a Passive Solar Greenhouse.For the field crops, he is using high tunnel housing to help lengthen the growing season, hoping eventually to move berry production to late fall, and enable earlier spring planting.Adler's philosophy is that we need to develop better ways to preserve the soil by using already existing natural resources.He says there are limits to how long we can continue polluting soil and water and using up the energy supply.He is far from the only grower to feel that growing and selling agricultural produce will help preserve the family farm, by also supporting a viable local economy.The reasons he gives for making this a priority are simple -and feasible: reduce reliance on oil, factory farming pollution and pesticide usage; increase food safety and security; save energy and money; eat fresher, healthier, better tasting foods; and invest in a green future, In short, keep the money at home.From Northland Ohio Foodland Network he quotes this statistic - for every dollar spent shopping and eating locally, two to four dollars are generated for Ohio farms and businesses.

RainFresh Harvests during the 2005 season provided fresh cut herbs for Northstar Cafe and Whole Foods. Dried Stevia was also sold through Yutzy's Farm Market and Raisin Rack. For more information about our products and where to buy in 2006, contact Barry Adler at barry@rainfreshharvests.com or at 738-9559.
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For more information about our products and where to buy in 2006, contact Barry Adler at barry@rainfreshharvests.com or at 738-9559. rainfreshharvests > RainFresh Harvests during the 2005 season provided fresh cut herbs for Northstar Cafe and Whole Foods. Dried Stevia was also sold through Yutzy's Farm Market and Raisin Rack. For more information about our products and where to buy in 2006, contact Barry Adler at barry@rainfreshharvests.com or at 738-9559.RainFresh Harvests during the 2005 season provided fresh cut herbs for Northstar Cafe and Whole Foods.Dried Stevia was also sold through Yutzy's Farm Market and Raisin Rack.For more information about our products and where to buy in 2006, contact Barry Adler at barry@rainfreshharvests.com or at 738-9559.

RainFresh Harvests during the 2005 season provided fresh cut herbs for Northstar Cafe and Whole Foods. Dried Stevia was also sold through Yutzy's Farm Market and Raisin Rack. For more information about our products and where to buy in 2006, contact Barry Adler at barry@rainfreshharvests.com or at 738-9559.RainFresh Harvests during the 2005 season provided fresh cut herbs for Northstar Cafe and Whole Foods.Dried Stevia was also sold through Yutzy's Farm Market and Raisin Rack.For more information about our products and where to buy in 2006, contact Barry Adler at barry@rainfreshharvests.com or at 738-9559.

For more information about our products and where to buy in 2006, contact Barry Adler at barry@rainfreshharvests.com or at 738-9559. rainfreshharvests > RainFresh Harvests during the 2005 season provided fresh cut herbs for Northstar Cafe and Whole Foods. Dried Stevia was also sold through Yutzy's Farm Market and Raisin Rack. For more information about our products and where to buy in 2006, contact Barry Adler at barry@rainfreshharvests.com or at 738-9559.RainFresh Harvests during the 2005 season provided fresh cut herbs for Northstar Cafe and Whole Foods.Dried Stevia was also sold through Yutzy's Farm Market and Raisin Rack.For more information about our products and where to buy in 2006, contact Barry Adler at barry@rainfreshharvests.com or at 738-9559.

rainfreshharvests RainFresh Harvests during the 2005 season provided fresh cut herbs for Northstar Cafe and Whole Foods. Dried Stevia was also sold through Yutzy's Farm Market and Raisin Rack. For more information about our products and where to buy in 2006, contact Barry Adler at barry@rainfreshharvests.com or at 738-9559.
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For more information about our products and where to buy in 2006, contact Barry Adler at barry@rainfreshharvests.com or at 738-9559. rainfreshharvests > RainFresh Harvests during the 2005 season provided fresh cut herbs for Northstar Cafe and Whole Foods. Dried Stevia was also sold through Yutzy's Farm Market and Raisin Rack. For more information about our products and where to buy in 2006, contact Barry Adler at barry@rainfreshharvests.com or at 738-9559.RainFresh Harvests during the 2005 season provided fresh cut herbs for Northstar Cafe and Whole Foods.Dried Stevia was also sold through Yutzy's Farm Market and Raisin Rack.For more information about our products and where to buy in 2006, contact Barry Adler at barry@rainfreshharvests.com or at 738-9559.

Barry Adler, Operations Coordinator Barry works part-time to manage the finances, budget and administrative tasks for the organization. He oversees the computer database, office systems and clearinghouse responsibilities. Well-equiped to answer questions about renewable energy, Barry also works part-time as the owner/operator of RainFresh Harvets, LLC near Plain City, where he grows organic crops and culinary herbs on a family-owned farm. He operates an off-gird bio-integrated greenhouse featuring active solar PV (2.1 kW), a wind turbine (1.0 kW) and a solar thermal drain-down system (3 Sun Earth Collectors) with radiant floor heating. He holds a MS in Horticulture from Virginia Tech and BS in Agriculture from Berea College. He previously worked for over 20 years in the management and research at The Scotts Company in Marysville, Ohio.

Active GEO member and volunteer, Barry Adler, is in the process of building

Barry Adler works with the things nature provides to the RainFresh Green BioShelter that he designed to maximize production opportunities with renewable energy.

The energy for the facility will eventually be provided exclusively by renewable sources.The solar panels on the facility provide 2.1 kilowatts of power for the facility, and a single wind turbine provides 1 kilowatt of power.

While most of Ohio's farmers spend much of their time fighting with Mother Nature, most of Barry Adler's time is spent working with the things nature provides to the experimental greenhouse production system he developed.

The RainFresh Green BioShelter Adler designed maximizes Mother Nature's inputs for the purposes of producing marketable products from RainFresh Harvests, his 9-acre Union County farm just outside of Plain City.His system starts with the rain, capturing precipitation and storing it in two 500-gallon cisterns, one serving as an emergency backup for severe drought situations.

From there, the water used for rinsing is treated with UV light to kill bacteria, and the rest is circulated through his production facility.If used for crop production, the water is run through a series of three tubs (one with gravel, one with water lettuce and algae, and one with cattails) for natural filtration.Then the water runs through a series of gutters holding a variety of different herbs including basil, stevia, lavender and rosemary that are regularly cut and sold to customers including the Northstar Café and Whole Foods Market in Columbus.

The water that is not used by the plants falls through the gutters into tanks for raising potentially lucrative ornamental koi.

"The koi eat the algae in the water and have a great market potential," Adler said."Right now I'm just starting with them so I only have 20 or so in a tank, but I may be able to get as many as 100 per tank."

Barry AdlerFor now Adler is feeding out the fish for a contactor â€" he doesn't own the fish but gets them for a while and gets paid by size increases in the valuable koi.He may raise and market them on his own once he determines how well they will work with his system.

Any water that goes through the plants but doesn't make it to the fish goes to another tube where it is used to water grass, that again filters the water before it goes back into the storage tank.

"I use about 20 to 25 gallons per day and I lose some of it to the plants and some is lost through evaporation," Adler said."It takes about an inch of rainwater to fill up the 500-gallon tank."

The grass is then used to feed red worms that create a nice compost for the potting material for his herbs and a serve as a tasty snack for the ornamental koi.Adler is also planning on eventually adding ducks to his operation to eat the grass, provide fertilizer, create bio-heat for the greenhouse and lay eggs that can be sold for a premium in a niche market.

The power necessary for running this system, that will eventually be fully automated, is provided exclusively by wind and solar energy.

"I wanted to have the ability to automate things as much as possible so it will run itself when I get old and start to forget things," Adler said.

The off-the-grid energy is used as it is produced, and the excess is stored in batteries.

The facility is heated directly by the sun through south-facing clear glazing on the external surface of the house and with radiant heating from hot water run through pipes in the concrete floor.The solar panels on the facility provide 2.1 kilowatts of power for the facility, and a single wind turbine provides 1 kilowatt of power.

"The sun is only up half of the day, but the wind is not as consistent as the sun," Adler said.
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Adler also put in a generator hookup and has different circuits prioritized for emergency situations, though he has successfully run the facility on renewable energy for just about a year now.The $70,000 to $80,000 facility was completed in spring 2005.Matching grant funds from the Ohio Department of Development Office of Energy Efficiency, in cooperation with Innovative Farmers of Ohio and from the USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program helped to keep development costs down.Adler started the project after a career as a researcher and manager for a lawn and garden company.

"I looked around and I couldn't find another position I wanted, so I researched this project for almost two years," he said."This is a prototype growing facility.I'm doing things no one else is doing here."

In his research, Adler visited similar facilities and consulted a lot of experts.

"I looked at a lot of different options when I was designing this," he said."I think you have to get at least three ‘expert' opinions on things like this and then pick the expert you believe the most."

Through the planning and building process, Adler has encountered a number of challenges.First, his water supply was very hard, which prompted him to use the rainwater and the cistern.Then, he worked to make the facility and the system organic certification friendly, which he did for the most part with a few exceptions.The supplier he gets his plants from and the fish food he uses are not organically certified, though either can be changed in the future for compliance with organic requirements.He uses beneficial insects and nematodes along with soybean oil and cottonseed oil for pest control.He even uses some soybean-based materials where possible in his facility.

"Right now the market for fresh herbs is good enough that I don't have to be certified," he said."I tell my customers that I'm growing the freshest, safest and most environmentally friendly crop I can grow, and that's good enough for now."

He selected focusing much of his effort on herb production for marketability and ease of production within the confines of his system.The herbs require relatively low fertility levels, are generally pest and disease tolerant, and can be planted once and harvested twice a week for an extended time frame.

Adler carefully planned out every detail for every aspect of the facility and he is closely monitoring all of the inputs.

"I get real time wind, temperature and solar data, which is available on my Web site, so I can understand what is going on with the system," he said.
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Adler thinks he can break even and generate profits from the high-tech facility in five to seven years.All his costs were up front, but there were a lot of expenses.He also has put up a modified high tunnel house for extended season production (at about $5,000 to $7,000), and plants berries and other crops in raised beds outdoors beside the RainFresh Green BioShelter to compare the profitability of the three production systems.

"Like anything, there have been challenges and bumps in the road, but you have to choose your path and make the best of it.I'm pleased that I've had more successes with this than failures so far," he said.

Barry AdlerRainFresh Harvests"Off The Grid Gardens Year Round in Ohio"