Key Takeaways
- Interview explores how Joaquin Gonzalez Chilean ranch upbringing and agricultural engineering background led to a career focused on hydroponic fodder systems.
- Eleusis Feed is targeting drought-prone regions and larger livestock operations with industrial-scale fodder production using significantly less water than conventional systems.
- Gonzalez draws on prior container-based projects and work at FarmBox Foods to address long-standing mold and operational challenges in hydroponic fodder.
- The company’s systems are designed to retrofit existing barns, prioritize robust, low-maintenance hardware, and support feed security for ranchers.
- Expansion efforts are centered on North America, with emerging interest from the Middle East for regenerative and water-efficient livestock feeding solutions.
Background and Early Influences of Joaquin Gonzalez
In this episode of the Vertical Farming Podcast, host Harry Duran speaks with the Chief Expansion Officer at Eleusis Feed about his journey from a family ranch in Chile to leading expansion for an industrial fodder technology provider.
Growing up between Santiago and the family ranch, he spent most weekends around horses and cattle. That early experience, combined with a degree in agricultural engineering, sparked a long-term interest in feed systems and animal nutrition. A lifelong passion for horses also exposed him to the cost, logistics, and health implications of feed, including episodes of colic where fresh fodder proved beneficial for gut health.
Severe drought in northern Chile after his graduation pushed him to search for new ways to produce forage independent of climate. He imported his first hydroponic fodder unit from China, then iterated on containerized designs to improve yields and operations. Mold control proved a recurring challenge, despite rigorous cleaning protocols and experimentation with water treatment and environmental control.
These lessons informed his later move to the United States, where he joined FarmBox Foods in Colorado to develop a containerized fodder system. After extensive fine-tuning of temperature, irrigation, airflow, and water conditions, he achieved what he describes as a mold-free operation.
Transition to Industrial-Scale Systems with Joaquin Gonzalez
Container farms, however, could only support relatively small herds, making them impractical for many ranches. This led Joaquin Gonzalez to partner with Eleusis, a Spain-based company with roughly four decades of experience in hydroponic fodder.
Eleusis Feed’s systems use multi-shelf racks, gravity-fed irrigation, and tray-washing equipment to produce uniform fodder at scales ranging from about 500 pounds per day to large facilities measured in hundreds of tons per day. The systems can be installed in existing barns or warehouses, creating controlled environments that reuse most of the water and require only seed and potable water as inputs.
The layouts are adapted to each site: older barns can be enclosed with insulated panels and filled with racks, while larger projects can operate as centralized “fodder hubs” serving multiple ranches. A typical mid-sized system can produce several thousand pounds of fodder daily, with automated tray washing to reduce labor time and support consistent hygiene.
Eleusis Feed’s Expansion Strategy in North America
Operating from Austin, Texas, Gonzalez now focuses on bringing Eleusis Feed systems to drought-affected and water-stressed regions, particularly in the western United States and Canada. Ideal clients include ranchers and dairy operators seeking feed security and reduced dependence on volatile hay markets, as well as projects looking to cut water use by up to 95% compared with traditional forage production.
He emphasizes designing systems for real ranch conditions, favoring robust components and intuitive controls over complex, fragile automation. Interfaces are built so that faults are easy to spot visually, and the systems can be operated by typical ranch staff rather than specialist engineers.
Daily Operations, Challenges, and Outlook
As Chief Expansion Officer, he oversees sales, partnerships, marketing, and project development, while building a distributed team across the U.S. and Canada. He also engages with partners in Jordan, Qatar, and elsewhere on projects that combine regenerative agriculture with fodder production, freeing land for restoration while maintaining livestock productivity.
In the interview, Joaquin Gonzalez frames hydroponic fodder as a tool for feed security that can help ranchers withstand drought, labor shortages, and input price shocks. His broader objective is to keep livestock businesses viable by providing consistent, climate-resilient feed systems that use less land and water while supporting animal health and long-term farm stability.
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