CSS Farms, headquartered in Watertown, has brought in NASA technology to help its work on Earth.

Based on NASA’s nutrient film technique used in a climate-controlled greenhouse in Colorado City, Colo., CSS Farms became a Colorado-certified seed potato grower. Certified seed potatoes are those that meet the standards of an official seed certification agency.

“The conservation of resources on the space station is a top priority, and the nutrient film growing technique also has advantages when it comes to water use. There is little to no water waste. The water is cycled through until the plant uses it. Then, additional water is added as needed,” Watertown Public Opinion wrote, adding that the nutrient film technology allows the grower to control disease and genetic defects.

The nutrient film technique uses hydroponics by continuously feeding nutrient-rich water to the roots of the crops. It is a low-volume, low-mass growing technique that does not have much standing water, an important aspect when growing food in space.

In the past, CSS Farms grew potatoes in pots using a mix of different soils. When the plant died, potatoes ranging in size were harvested. But by removing the plants from the soil and growing them within the nutrient film hydroponic system, the cultivars are harvested when they reach the desired size. A single plant can continuously produce, and all potatoes are uniformly sized.

CSS Farms started growing potatoes in fields near Watertown in 1986. It has since expanded operations to several states.

South Dakota potatoes grown at CSS Farms were initially meant for McCain Foodservice, a French fry factory in Clark. When the factory closed in 2002, CSS needed to find an alternative market for the spuds.

In 2004, CSS Farms chose Colorado City for its greenhouse location due to its ideal temperature and solar radiation combination. Production is tied to solar radiation, and the sunny Colorado days and climate that is neither too hot nor too cold means that potatoes are produced year-round.