Category: Q&A

SNHU student recognized for civic leadership

Jonathan Weinberg, a Concord resident and student at Southern New Hampshire University, will be presented with the Civic Leader of the Year award at the 2021 Rising Stars Awards on Thursday, Oct. 21, at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester. The awards, an initiative of New Hampshire Public Radio and Stay Work Play, recognize New Hampshire young people who are working to make a positive impact in their communities. The ceremony starts at 5:30 p.m. and will be held in person with a limited capacity and broadcast live online; visit 2021rsa.eventbrite.

What does the Civic Leader of the Year award recognize?

It recognizes any type of political involvement or civic engagement [that is] helping to better one’s community or trying to get more people civically engaged, whether that’s in an elected position, or working with advocacy committees or groups that are trying to promote positive changes in the community.

What kinds of civic engagement have you been involved in?

Last year I decided to run for the school board in the Concord area. … I was involved with the gun violence prevention movement, helping to organize various marches. I helped with some Black Lives Matter protests. … I also have experience working in environmental advocacy, immigration, child care and affordable wages.

Are there any causes you’d like to get more involved in?

I’d love to expand my horizons. Mental health advocacy is something that’s been a growing passion of mine. As we saw during the past year, there were not enough beds available [at mental health facilities] for people who were waiting in the emergency room. … I’d love to get more involved in that, working to bring further investment to an underfunded system. … I’d also like to be more involved in reproductive rights advocacy.

Are any of these issues personal for you?

Immigration has some personal [significance] for me. As a Jewish person I’ve experienced anti-semitism. I’ve seen the kind of iniquitous, abhorrent behavior that people can show toward someone just because they’re from somewhere else, or because they look different. It motivates me to make sure that other people don’t have to feel the way that I have felt when I’ve [experienced] anti-semitic slurs. That’s also why I’ve been involved in advocating with equity and helping to promote Black Lives Matter protests. … I also have a personal connection with mental health. I’ve struggled with anxiety and depression for years but haven’t been very vocal about it. I want to make sure that we’re destigmatizing and raising awareness of mental health [issues] so that people feel safe in their communities to express what they’re going through.

How do you take care of yourself?

I use a lot of coping mechanisms. I try to run. I play piano. I try to do things that help me [maintain] a sense of equilibrium. When you’re dealing with all of these really challenging issues and something doesn’t go the way you hoped, you have to remind yourself that at least you’re doing something about it; don’t give up.

What is the biggest change you’d like to see in New Hampshire?

I think we need more investment in social programs, whether it’s [addressing] the opioid epidemic, homelessness, the mental health crisis, child care or the minimum wage. If we tackle one of those issues, it can help with the other issues as well, because they’re very interconnected. We also need to create programming that is more accessible, that [doesn’t require] filling out so much paperwork or going out of your way in order to receive [assistance].

What do you want to do after graduating from college?

I’ve thought about attending law school. I’d love to work … representing individuals who cannot afford representation or don’t have representation that’s adequate … and also work on immigration reformation.

What advice would you give to other young people looking to get more involved in their communities?

Sometimes, people are afraid to get involved because they don’t know what they’re going to do [to help], or they don’t feel like they have the right experience to speak on the matter. But there’s something powerful about getting involved in something just because you have that gut feeling that you should. Don’t let a lack of experience or a fear that you don’t know enough stop you from getting involved. Once you take that leap, you can learn more about it, and sometimes being new to something [allows you to] build a better foundation, which can be the most powerful agent of change in action.

Featured photo: Jonathan Weinberg. Courtesy photo.

BrightFarms to expand NH’s largest hydroponic farm

BrightFarms, a national indoor farming company that grows leafy greens, is partnering with lēf Farms in Loudon to build its first New England farm. The “megafarm” will eventually span 14 acres and produce 4 million pounds of leafy greens for retailers across the Northeast. Donald Grandmaison, the sales manager for lēf Farms, talked about the expansion and what it means for New Hampshire.

What brought lēf Farms and BrightFarms together?

Lēf Farms was started in 2016 and was the only hydroponic greenhouse of its size in New Hampshire — one acre, with the capacity [to expand to] 14 acres — and it still is. We started with the mission of bringing fresh, local baby greens to the market and getting it to the retailers within 24 hours of harvest. … That mission really parallels what BrightFarms does. … Ninety-six percent of baby greens are imported from California or Arizona … so it takes four to seven days for them [to get here]. BrightFarms is working to bring that product closer to the market. … One reason [they chose lēf Farms] is that we’re centrally located in New Hampshire and right in the middle of New England, so we’re only an hour to two hours away from every major distribution center for a lot of the Northeast retailers, [including] Hannaford, Market Basket and Shaw’s.

How does your hydroponic growing system work?

The type of growing we do is called NFT, [which stands for] nutrient film technique. We grow in 19-foot-long gutters and plant the seeds right on top of a soilless media that germinates the seeds. The roots penetrate down to the bottom of these gutters where water is run over the roof, so there’s a rich, dense nutrient solution that runs over the roots, and that’s [what makes it] hydroponic. … We use some really advanced technology [including] a completely automated system … with greenhouses that regulate temperature, humidity and light levels.

What do you grow?

We grow baby lettuces, like romaines and an iceberg hybrid; a crop called mizuna, which is a type of mustard green; and a red leaf and a green leaf. We have four products: a spice blend which has arugula and mustard in it; a smooth blend with a variety of soft, leafy lettuces; a red and green leaf blend; and a straight green leaf blend.

What does this partnership do for lēf farms?

BrightFarms is the leading indoor farming company in the country. They’ve been in the market much longer than we have, and they have resources and expertise that we simply didn’t have. They’re bringing a world-class model to our farm and expanding our farm from one acre to three acres within the year, which will impact the entire Northeast.

What does it do for New Hampshire as a whole?

One of the hardest things about living in New Hampshire is the limited growing season; you get to October and [don’t have many] options, but people want fresh local products year-round. We’re able to create a supply for that demand. … We [in the agriculture industry] are expecting that within the next five to 10 years 50 percent of all leafy greens that people buy at the retail level will be grown indoors, which is phenomenal. … There’s also the convenience factor: our products are in Hannaford, Whole Foods, Market Basket, Shaw’s and Star Market, which [adds up to] about 800 retailers … and we also work with more than 200 independent and local retailers, so if people are shopping at a retailer [rather than a farmers market], they can still get products from local manufacturers. That’s a huge win for New Hampshire residents.

What does it mean to you personally, to be a part of this project?

I’ve been working for lēf since the beginning. … Before that, I went to school for integrated agriculture and got degrees in plant physiology and growing, and I was the general manager of a farm in Concord for 13 years. I’ve always had an intense passion for growing food for locals. There’s nothing more rewarding than growing a crop and selling it right here in the region … especially when you think about how there are pockets of food insecurity throughout New England with limited access to healthy foods.

Featured photo: Donald Grandmaison. Courtesy photo.