A greenhouse tucked away near the Midway at the State Fair of Texas has helped provide more than 2 million servings of fresh produce to the surrounding South Dallas community.<\/p>\n
Big Tex Urban Farms, which celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2026, grows food year-round using hydroponic technology and donates its entire harvest to local nonprofit organizations.<\/p>\n
Since launching in 2016, the program has grown from a small collection of planter boxes in a parking lot to an agricultural operation occupying the Errol McKoy Greenhouse near the Texas Star Ferris wheel.<\/p>\n
“A percentage of whatever you do you- your corny dog, your Ferris wheel rides,” Dremler explained, “A percentage of that funds the Big Tex Urban Farms program and others just like it.”<\/p>\n
But the program does more than teach people about how to grow food.<\/p>\n
“We also donate 100% of the food that we grow to different nonprofit groups here in Southern Dallas,” Demler said.<\/p>\n
The greenhouse uses hydroponic growing techniques, allowing plants to grow without soil. The systems can produce crops year-round and show how to grow food in smaller spaces.<\/p>\n
“We’re able to show people how you can do that indoors, in very limited areas,” he said.<\/p>\n
Visitors can explore different growing methods, from larger commercial hydroponic systems to smaller setups designed for homes and classrooms.<\/p>\n
The greenhouse also features microgreens, mushrooms and dragon fruit, along with demonstrations intended to introduce visitors to different approaches to growing food.<\/p>\n
Growing opportunities for Dallas students<\/p>\n
Beyond growing produce, Big Tex Urban Farms also introduces students to agriculture and related career opportunities.<\/p>\n
The program partners with CityLab High School in Dallas, bringing students into the greenhouse for semester-long experiences where they learn different aspects of its operations.<\/p>\n
“By the time they’re done, the students know how to do every job in the greenhouse,” Demler said.<\/p>\n
He said the program introduces many students to agriculture for the first time, including those whose interests may be more focused on technology than traditional farming.<\/p>\n
Some students who have completed the program have gone on to study horticulture or environmental sciences in college, Demler said.<\/p>\n
The greenhouse also offers tours and field trips for students of different ages throughout the year.<\/p>\n
For Demler, who said he grew up working in the green industry, introducing a new generation to agriculture is especially rewarding.<\/p>\n
“I still love to see the plants grow. But I also love to teach,” he said. “And I love to pass that passion on to the next generation, and see what they’re going to do with this stuff.”<\/p>\n
Visiting Big Tex Urban Farms<\/p>\n
Fairgoers can visit the McCoy greenhouse on the midway, near the Texas Star Ferris wheel and carousel.<\/p>\n
During the State Fair, Demler said staff are available from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. to answer questions and demonstrate growing techniques.<\/p>\n
The greenhouse features displays showing how hydroponic systems can be used commercially or in homes and classrooms, along with activities such as greenhouse trivia.<\/p>\n
The program operates beyond the fair’s annual run, educating students throughout the year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A greenhouse tucked away near the Midway at the State Fair of Texas has helped provide more than…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":463182,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[102,104,103,368],"class_list":["post-463181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-headlines","tag-dallas-news","tag-state-fair-of-texas"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/463181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=463181"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/463181\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/463182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=463181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=463181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=463181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}