Millgrove’s Singh Greenhouses has recently received provincial recognition for its agri-food innovation.
The Premier’s Award recognizes the innovative contributions of producers, processors, and agri-food organizations to rural communities in Ontario. Locally, Singh Greenhouses was honoured for its contribution to advances in Ontario’s agricultural sector.
According to a release, the Millgrove-based hydroponic cucumber grower was among 50 agri-food businesses from across the province to receive regional awards for innovation.
Since the groundwater on the Singh Greenhouses property is ill-suited for hydroponic systems, greenhouse manager and grower Dr. Ghulam Mustafa had to run it through a reverse osmosis system. The inefficient process generated nearly 160,000 litres of unusable, briny wastewater each day.
Deciding there had to be a better way, Mustafa developed a process to filter that wastewater and recapture useable water. As a result, he managed to cut the facility’s water intake by half. Less water, reads a release, means less energy needed for pumping. Moreover, he can now recycle the greenhouse’s nutrient-rich leachate, reducing fertilizer use.
Together, these improvements have created less waste, more profits, and water savings that will allow Singh Greenhouses to grow.
“We feel very good,” said Paramjit Singh, operator of the 12-acre greenhouse system, of the award and recognition. “We’re proud to be seen as innovative,” noted son Hardeep Singh. “It’s good that we can make our water use more efficient as well as help the environment.”
-with files from Shauna Deathe • Special
Millgrove’s Singh Greenhouses has recently received provincial recognition for its agri-food innovation.
The Premier’s Award recognizes the innovative contributions of producers, processors, and agri-food organizations to rural communities in Ontario. Locally, Singh Greenhouses was honoured for its contribution to advances in Ontario’s agricultural sector.
According to a release, the Millgrove-based hydroponic cucumber grower was among 50 agri-food businesses from across the province to receive regional awards for innovation.
Since the groundwater on the Singh Greenhouses property is ill-suited for hydroponic systems, greenhouse manager and grower Dr. Ghulam Mustafa had to run it through a reverse osmosis system. The inefficient process generated nearly 160,000 litres of unusable, briny wastewater each day.
Deciding there had to be a better way, Mustafa developed a process to filter that wastewater and recapture useable water. As a result, he managed to cut the facility’s water intake by half. Less water, reads a release, means less energy needed for pumping. Moreover, he can now recycle the greenhouse’s nutrient-rich leachate, reducing fertilizer use.
Together, these improvements have created less waste, more profits, and water savings that will allow Singh Greenhouses to grow.
“We feel very good,” said Paramjit Singh, operator of the 12-acre greenhouse system, of the award and recognition. “We’re proud to be seen as innovative,” noted son Hardeep Singh. “It’s good that we can make our water use more efficient as well as help the environment.”
-with files from Shauna Deathe • Special
Millgrove’s Singh Greenhouses has recently received provincial recognition for its agri-food innovation.
The Premier’s Award recognizes the innovative contributions of producers, processors, and agri-food organizations to rural communities in Ontario. Locally, Singh Greenhouses was honoured for its contribution to advances in Ontario’s agricultural sector.
According to a release, the Millgrove-based hydroponic cucumber grower was among 50 agri-food businesses from across the province to receive regional awards for innovation.
Since the groundwater on the Singh Greenhouses property is ill-suited for hydroponic systems, greenhouse manager and grower Dr. Ghulam Mustafa had to run it through a reverse osmosis system. The inefficient process generated nearly 160,000 litres of unusable, briny wastewater each day.
Deciding there had to be a better way, Mustafa developed a process to filter that wastewater and recapture useable water. As a result, he managed to cut the facility’s water intake by half. Less water, reads a release, means less energy needed for pumping. Moreover, he can now recycle the greenhouse’s nutrient-rich leachate, reducing fertilizer use.
Together, these improvements have created less waste, more profits, and water savings that will allow Singh Greenhouses to grow.
“We feel very good,” said Paramjit Singh, operator of the 12-acre greenhouse system, of the award and recognition. “We’re proud to be seen as innovative,” noted son Hardeep Singh. “It’s good that we can make our water use more efficient as well as help the environment.”
-with files from Shauna Deathe • Special