DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) – Preliminary discussions have begun over a proposal to bring a hydroponic, vertical farming operation along the Davenport riverfront. The Quad-City Times reports that Friday’s Fresh Market operation is in a 40-foot, insulated shipping container. Local farm owner and manufacturing consultant Andrew Freitag says the container is one of the models his company uses to promote sustainable farming practices.

The company and the Davenport Levee Commission are discussing the proposal. Commission executive director Steve Ahrens says there are many details to be worked out before any plan could come to fruition. According to Freitag, the shipping container uses an LED lighting system as well as 90 percent less water and 50 percent less nutrients than traditional farming methods. Freitag says the operations could be a year-round source for the Food Hub and farmers market.