From Argus Leader.
Until last week, Happy Hydros supplied 48 restaurants, hospitals and schools across South Dakota with pesticide-free produce. Now they are out of business for the foreseeable future after a storm blew across the plains during the early morning hours of June 21.
Four of the grower's bays and one hydroponic greenhouse were heavily damaged by strong winds, according to Teal Scholl, who co-owns Happy Hydros with her husband, Mark. The storm, with winds over 50 mph, also flattened the tomatoes, lettuce, greens and cucumbers growing at the business in Chamberlain.
"We donated 8,000 pounds of tomatoes and we had to throw away 7,000 to 8,000 pounds of lettuce," Teal Scholl said. "I probably lost 50,000 to 55,000 pounds of tomatoes."
The loss cost the business roughly $150,000 in merchandise, aside from the destruction of the $500,000 greenhouse.
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