Key Takeaways:
- Mike Smart is building a vertically integrated model combining indoor farming, children’s education, and shelf-stable food products.
- The Bucket Buddies series links characters to crops, with books, grow kits, and snacks teaching kids how food is grown.
- Smart Farms aims to scale hyperlocal indoor farms nationwide, supported by merchandising and digital revenue.
- Smart’s long-term strategy includes franchisable farm systems and curriculum-based brand licensing.
- “I want at least one farm in every state, but I prefer 80,000 farms over the United States,” said Mike Smart.
Mike Smart’s Vision: Local Food Meets Youth Education
Mike Smart, founder of Smart Farms and the creative mind behind Bucket Buddies, is taking a unique approach to reshaping food systems. Based in Colton, South Dakota, Smart combines vertical farming infrastructure with character-driven educational content to encourage self-sufficiency, starting with children.
His concept: build community-based farms that not only produce food but also teach kids where it comes from—using books, songs, grow kits, and shelf-stable snacks. “It just makes sense to start with educating the youth,” said Smart. “They’re getting addicted to quality things like… learning how to grow another vegetable.”
Scaling Smart Farms: A Hyperlocal, Off-Grid Model
Smart Farms is designed to be modular and scalable, with vertical tower systems for efficient crop output. Each location also features a surrounding food forest for agro-tourism and education.
“If enough people subscribe, you build a farm out there and start servicing that local community,” Mike Smart explained, outlining his plan for hyperlocal food independence. The system uses 95% less water and 90% less land than conventional farming, targeting both sustainability and food sovereignty.
The Bucket Buddies Brand: From Storybooks to Hot Sauce
At the core of the initiative is the Bucket Buddies universe—anthropomorphic characters like Pepper Pete and Minty Max, each linked to specific crops and products. The line includes:
- Illustrated children’s books (5 published, 4 Amazon bestsellers)
- Grow kits with seeds and tools
- Snacks and teas tied to each character
- Educational materials for schools and homeschoolers
Smart has won an International Impact Book Award and currently stocks items in libraries and retail outlets. “If you take that consumerism and build it around something that has long-term positive benefits, it just grows itself,” he said.
Mike Smart’s Multi-Revenue Approach to AgTech
Beyond food production, Smart Farms is structured to generate income through non-farm channels. Animated content, character licensing, and ecommerce play a vital role in the company’s scalability.
Mike Smart has already lined up a professional animation studio and is in talks with entertainment figures to voice characters. A USDA-backed loan and Dakota Resources are helping him pursue land acquisition to build the first full-scale Smart Farms site.
Looking Ahead: Smart Farms Expansion and Investment
Currently, Mike Smart is seeking strategic partners—particularly real estate investors and equity stakeholders—to help bring Smart Farms to more communities.
With a focus on decentralization and education, he believes this model can work in every U.S. state. “It’s not about waiting for the government to fix things,” Smart said. “It’s about doing what we can, where we are, to build resilient systems.”
