Plastic Surgery in Aledo, TX

Hydroponics

Photos courtesy River Valley Farms

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Posted Monday, October 14, 2024 8:54 pm

By Christopher AmosThe Community News

Is the food we eat killing us?

Perhaps a better, and certainly more palatable, question would be is the food we eat harming us in ways in which most of us are unaware?

It's an interesting question and one that in recent decades has been explored ad nauseam due to an influx of highly-processed foods and chemically-treated produce.

For Aledo resident and hydroponic farmer Rees Atkins, there is no debate.

"A lot of the things we eat today, the lettuce, the greens and other vegetables are coated with pesticides,” Atkins said. “Grapes have almost 2 percent round up in them in some cases, and lettuce in particular is covered in things that are bad for you. We are trying to create something. First of all, lettuce that you can grow in Texas, which is not something you hear much about or was even possible until recent years without indoor growing. So we use beneficial insects to eat the bad bugs so that we're not covering the vegetables in pesticides.”

Dutch development

Co-owner of River Valley Farms, a family-built and operated facility using sustainable hydroponic agricultural methods, Atkins, 62, opened up shop about three years ago.

“The system we use was developed by the Dutch,” Atkins said. “They get about 90 percent of their produce from these kinds of systems. They also have about an 80 percent lower frequency of cancer than we do, so it's pretty obvious what the issue is."

Atkins, who grew up in Aledo and played football at Aledo High School, owns and runs the farm with his son and daughter-in-law and also works as a real estate agent with Rees Atkins Realty Group.

"That's what pays for my passion to create a better food product," Atkins said with a laugh.

Found in restaurants

The product certainly appears to be of high quality.

Several local restaurants, including Bonnell's, Ridglea Country Club (occasionally) and 61 Osteria buy some of their produce from River Valley Farms.

"The chefs that buy from us think the flavor of our food is better than what they might get from a bigger supplier because our product grows in the perfect PH, the perfect amount calcium, and organic nitrate from decomposing egg shells,” Atkins said. “We read about the levels of nutrients required on a regular basis so that we can create food that looks and tastes like it is supposed to."

Atkins put that theory to the test recently when he had a friend buy the same product from his farm and a grocery store.

"He purchased a cucumber from a local grocery store and took one of mine,” Atkins said. “He called me because I told him they would be different. He said he was sitting and having dinner with his family, and he cut the grocery store cucumber open and there was no aroma. They all take a bite of a pickle-sized cucumber that had very little flavor.

“They cut mine open and immediately it's aromatic, it's juicier. They take a bite and it tastes like a cucumber. It's amazing how we've slowly lost the reality of what things are supposed to taste like. So we doctor them up with all sorts of glazes and salts and things to try to get that flavor back out of them, but they actually have great flavors when they grow in the exact nutrients that they should."

Plenty of help

Atkins employs several full-time workers who help cultivate 14,000 heads of lettuce, a thousand pounds of cucumbers, and large quantities of tomatoes, micro-greens, and strawberries per month.

The facility offers tours, but only for groups.

“We do a number of schools,” Atkins said. “Different colleges and schools have been talking to us recently about doing classes inside our facility and working there as an internship, and just trying to develop a better growing system for today's hungry world.

Farm box

Atkins said River Valley Farms also offers a farm box available for purchase.

"Right now we just kind of got finished with the test phase and we have about 30 customers who are getting weekly greens or bi-weekly greens from us,” Atkins said.

According to Grand View Research, the U.S. accounted for approximately 10.1 percent of the global hydroponics market in 2023.

Atkins said the health benefits of hydroponic produce make it worth the extra effort involved.

"For truly just a few dollars more and a little bit of trouble, you can get a product that doesn't have pesticides on it," Atkins said. "You can't taste those pesticides, but you're eating them. They are in your body now. If they took a blood sample, they would find traces of those pesticides in you — in all of us. We're all doing it. So I think if you want to live a long life and get good nutrition it's worth trying."

River Valley Farms is located at 411 Koldin Drive in Aledo.

Tiger Woods is designing another golf course. He announced the project he soon be working on through his social media, just weeks after the update of his recent back surgery. While this sounds like really good news for the golfing community in Aledo, it sounds like a business travesty for the 15-time major champion and his partner.

According to Tiger Woods‘s post, his TGR Design is teaming up with the Blue Jack Nation and Mitchell Family to build a golfing community in the city of Aledo, Texas. Notably, his first steps in the US golf course architect world were with them as well. Considering he gave shape to one of the best golf courses in Texas, I am sure partnering with them once again wouldn’t have been a brainer. However, they chose the wrong locality this time.

Over a decade ago, I designed my first U.S. course at Bluejack National. I’m excited to announce that @tgrdesignbytw, @BluejackNation, and the Mitchell family are teaming up again to create @BluejackRanch, an exceptional new golf community in Aledo, Texas.… pic.twitter.com/k2nNCR82nB

— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) October 3, 2024

Expand Tweet

Let’s face it. While pro golf means all about the sport, recreational golf means fun. The enjoyment you get by playing a round with your buddies over a beer or two is irreplaceable. Even when fans plan to watch a Tour event always look for whether alcohol is banned on the particular golf course or not.

This might not look like a huge deal for an outsider or not that we’re promoting alcohol consumption, but an average golf-loving fan finds happiness in small things like these. What if the locality where you’re building the next dream golf course is a dry county?

Tiger Woods and his partners will face difficulty in getting the alcohol delivered.

Without any delay, I will brief you about what happened with the only other golf course in Aledo, the Split Rail Golf Course. “At the present time, we are selling alcohol in our clubhouse to our patrons,” said George Ripley, one of the owners of the establishment in the city council meeting conducted in March 2024. A local news outlet, The Community News, reported this.

“But the clubhouse is located in a dry county. What this means is that we can’t have the alcohol delivered by our suppliers,” he added. Bringing the alcohol by themselves, according to him, increases the costs. Mr. Ripley wanted to hold a vote to get the delivery of alcohol to their golf course approved.

With the change of management at the beginning of the year, and bringing new additions to the clubhouse… one can only assume the business is going well. However, their recent admission of this huge concern changed the scenario. This could potentially cause trouble in the future for Woods and his partners’ new project, Blue Jack Ranch.

If selling alcohol to their members and visitors is one of their business plans, the team should prepare for constant running to convince the council, requesting sanctions, etc. in order to make the business bloom.

Has Tiger Woods ever failed while choosing golf course design projects?

Success and failure are byproducts of business. Tiger Woods, of all people, will know that. After all, he and golfers like Jack Nicklaus have proved their expertise in the field and earned millions, apart from their pro-golf career earnings.

One of the recent mistakes, Woods has reportedly made was in his own Florida. NBC reported in August that Nicklaus’s attorney Eugene Stearns stated that Woods’s TGR Designs was supposed to design one of the courses in the Florida state park golf project. The project was put on hold earlier after some protested against it. Nicklaus was also put in the spotlight due to his involvement at the time. However, neither Woods nor his design company admitted any involvement in this.

Similar was the case when the Florida native tried to design a golf course for Donald Trump in Dubai. According to the reports from Bloomberg.com, the project that started in 2014 was scheduled to open in 2017. However, Trump’s official website still has it listed with a ‘coming soon’ label.

It is possible that the motion moved by Split Rail Golf Course may have eased the process of getting alcohol delivered for Woods and his partners. They can even opt to not serve alcohol at all in their establishment. Honestly, it depends on the club members, locals, and a lot of other factors. Or they can simply raise the prices charged to its members.

On that note, I have a question for you. What would you be more open to, an alcohol-free golf club with a low membership fee or unlimited booze with a high charge?

This story was updated to include information about Mark Brooks at the new club.

Tiger Woods announced on social media Thursday that his course architecture firm, TGR Design, has signed on to build a course at a new residential community underway near Fort Worth, Texas: Bluejack Ranch.

If that sounds familiar, it’s because the developers behind the project – Andy and Kristin Mitchell – also built Bluejack National north of Houston in 2016. That is the site of Woods’ first course design in the U.S., Bluejack National.

The name Bluejack, by the way, references a bluejack oak, a tree native to Texas with one present at Bluejack National.

Bluejack Ranch in Aledo will be about a 30-minute drive southwest of Fort Worth. It is planned to be a residential club on 914 acres of working cattle ranch, according to the club’s website. Plans call for it to open in 2026.

Over a decade ago, I designed my first U.S. course at Bluejack National. I’m excited to announce that @tgrdesignbytw, @BluejackNation, and the Mitchell family are teaming up again to create @BluejackRanch, an exceptional new golf community in Aledo, Texas.… pic.twitter.com/k2nNCR82nB

— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) October 3, 2024

Course details were not included in the social post, but Golf.com reported that the plans include a full-size course built by Woods and his design partner, Beau Welling. There also will be a lighted 10-hole, par-3 course.

Fort Worth native Mark Brooks, winner of the 1996 PGA Championship among his seven PGA Tour titles, confirmed to Golfweek that he is a senior advisor to the project and will transition into running the club’s player development programs. The club will include a full golf and fitness performance center.

Woods is also working on a course named Trout National in New Jersey in partnership with baseball star Mike Trout, another at Marcella Club in Utah as well as his second 18-hole course at Diamante Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, called The Legacy. His first 18-holer in Cabo was El Cardonal at Diamante. He also did Payne’s Valley at Big Cedar Lodge in Missouri.

Woods’ layout at Bluejack National near Houston is ranked by Golfweek’s Best as the No. 4 private course in Texas and ties for No. 75 among all modern courses in the U.S.

Woods wrote a letter to perspective members of Bluejack Ranch that is included on the club’s website:

Dear Members & Friends of Bluejack,

It’s hard to believe it’s been over ten years since we embarked on my first U.S. course design at Bluejack National in Houston. The response to that golf experience has been truly gratifying, and when I hear how much Bluejack means to people, I feel incredibly proud of the TGR Design team.

Now, we’re bringing that same Bluejack spirit and passion to Fort Worth- a city celebrated not only as Cowtown but also as a golf town. With legends like Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson, the love for the game here is genuine. I’m grateful for the encore opportunity to reteam with Bluejack National and home-towners Andy and Kristin Mitchell to design a course around this incredibly special property and community.

Bluejack National’s success has paved the way for this next chapter at Bluejack Ranch. Our shared vision of creating a space where families can enjoy the game and have fun inspires us all once again at The Ranch.

It’s extremely motivating for me to contribute to the golfing legacy of Fort Worth, and I’m excited to see what we’ll build together. We’ll share more after our next design meeting in Aledo.

All the best,

Tiger Woods

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The Aledo Bearcats have won 122 consecutive UIL high school football district games.

Former head coach Tim Buchanan orchestrated one of the most legendary streaks in high school sports history. Now, Robby Jones has played a pivotal role in protecting Aledo’s legendary reputation.

Aledo will face Denton Ryan at 7 p.m. Oct. 4 at Tim Buchanon Stadium in what is possibly the Texas high school football game of the year. The Raiders (4-0) are Dave Campbell’s Texas Football’s No. 1 ranked Class 5A Division I team in Texas, while Aledo holds the No. 2 spot.

Jones is in his second year as Aledo’s head coach, but he isn’t a stranger to the pressure. He has served as Aledo’s offensive coordinator since 2000, long before the historic district win streak began on October 12, 2007.

It’s been nearly 17 years since the start of the streak. Some of the players on Aledo’s varsity team weren’t born yet, and others were infants.

For these players, they’ve never seen anything but Aledo’s consistent dominance. The Bearcats haven’t won a state title every year, but the district win streak was a constant and a sign of the program’s greatness.

A win streak of this magnitude requires elite preparation and consistency; one bad day or a span of bad luck could ruin it. Obviously, no one wants to be on the team that loses the streak.

It comes with a lot of pressure, which Aledo is used to. No school in Texas has higher expectations than Aledo, which holds the UIL record with 12 state championships.

The upcoming matchup, however, has little to do with pressure and everything to do with football. Each team will bring their A-game. Here is the big question: Does Aledo have what it takes to defeat Denton Ryan?

The Raiders look better than ever and have earned every bit of their No. 1 ranking. The offensive line is packed with division-one recruits, such as five-star Alabama commit Ty Haywood, who has a 6-foot-5, 285-pound frame.

Defensively, Ryan has only allowed 55 points in four games, and the defensive line has been effective in all facets. The Raiders’ have been a force, but questions still need to be answered.

Head coach Dave Hengian, at the beginning of the season, spoke of the team needing to find an offensive identity. For a state-ranked powerhouse, that can be hard to answer without elite, high-quality competition.

Ryan certainly will have the highest quality Class 5A competition possible against Aledo. They’ll need to perform when it matters most.

Aledo has a few questions of its own that need answering.

Quarterback Gavin Beard is in his first year as the varsity starting quarterback and has missed two games due to injury. He has incredible talent, but is his limited experience enough to take down a team like Denton Ryan?

Hauss Hejny, now a TCU player and the Bearcat’s last quarterback, had championship experience and loads of playing time under his belt.

Aledo also lost Davhon Keys, an elite linebacker now at LSU. Depth has always been a strength, but surely Aledo misses the presence of two elite college prospects.

That is also part of the wonder of Aledo, and why they’ve been so great for so long. When one player leaves, another one steps up to the challenge. One player to watch is wide receiver Kaydon Finley, a junior with offers from Texas, Baylor, Georgia, SMU, TCU, Texas A&M and more.

Looking at the talent levels of both teams, it’s easy to see Friday’s game will be Aledo’s most formidable district challenge in quite some time.

Despite having a higher state ranking, it’s debatable whether or not Denton Ryan is the favorite on Friday. It’ll be a tough matchup on the road in Bearcat country.

Recent history shows that the Bearcats overcome these challenges.

Aledo, in 2022 and 2023, defeated Denton Ryan in 35-21 and secured a narrow 25-29 victory to keep the streak intact. The Bearcats went on to win a state championship in both seasons.

Before the streak began, Ryan got the best of Aledo in the 2002 and 2003 regional championships. In those seasons, Ryan won a state championship and finished as a state runner-up in 2002 and 2003, respectively.

For high schoolers, the early 2000s are more than a lifetime ago. All streaks must eventually come to an end. We’ll find out if that’s the case for Aledo.

The Star-Telegram has Aledo ranked No. 1 in the Class 5A rankings, with Denton Ryan taking the No. 2 spot despite the Bearcat’s loss to Denton Guyer.

The Bearcats, arguably the UIL’s most storied program, will be the undisputed kingpin of Class 5A teams until another beats them, whether it’s the playoffs or the regular season. They’ve earned that right.

This story was originally published October 2, 2024, 9:49 AM.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

(909)758-6249

Charles Baggarly is a high school sports editor and reporter for the Fort Worth Star Telegram. He graduated from TCU in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and served as TCU 360’s sports editor. Connect with Charles on Twitter or via email.