Articles and Information

"Who is Nelson and Pade, Inc"

In this new millennium, it is more important than ever to find means of cultivating food that do not  have a negative effect on our planet and its inhabitants. Hydroponics, organic culture, aquaculture, and the combination of these technologies, aquaponics, all can be used to produce large quantities of food in very small spaces in an environmentally friendly way. Whether applied in small backyard gardens or commercial operations, these technologies are the way of the future.  

Rebecca Nelson and John Pade, the owners of Nelson and Pade, Inc. have an intense interest in aquaculture, aquaponic, organic and hydroponic culture. In publishing the Aquaponics Journal, consulting on hydroponic and aquaponic and producing a variety of informational products on these subjects, they share experience, knowledge and information accumulated through many years of hands-on commercial hydroponic and aquaponic food production and research.

Currently, John and Rebecca publish the Aquaponics Journal, CD-Roms, videos, books and school curriculums on hydroponics, aquaponics and aquaculture plus, offer consulting services to people interested in getting into hydroponics or aquaponics on a commercial, educational or hobby scale.

Rebecca and John were involved in the video production industry from the early 80's through mid-90's, producing a wide range of videos, including informational and instructional videos on hydroponics, promotional videos for resort hotels, sailing, scuba diving and rain forest tours.  In the early 90's, it became apparent that multimedia and the internet were the ultimate means of delivering information. Nelson and Pade then began the transition into multimedia, CD-Rom publishing, video compression and web site development. Their experience in traditional video production and aptitude for multimedia development has allowed them to grow into a diverse, creative and very capable team.  Their greatest asset is their ability to produce user-friendly, understandable presentations using the latest technology and information.

Their first exposure to hydroponics was at Disney's Epcot the year it opened. A curiosity about agriculture and a passion for gardening led to their first hobby hydroponic gardens in the early 80's. In the process of researching hydroponics, they found much of the information to be highly technical, and proceeded to produce the video "Hydroponics: Set Up, Care and Maintenance." This video led to additional informational and educational projects on hydroponics and aquaculture.  In 1990, while producing a video on commercial hydroponics, they toured the country interviewing hydroponic growers and found the industry to be fascinating. With land that they wanted to develop and time in between video projects, Rebecca and John built two commercial greenhouses and established their sister company, Western Hydroponic Produce. Premium hydroponic tomatoes, marketed under the name "Grandpa's Garden®" were the primary crop in the greenhouses. Their greenhouses also served as a backdrop for video and multimedia projects relating to hydroponics and later served as a research area for experimental crops and aquaponic systems.

Rebecca and John spent 10 summers (from 1984-1993) teaching video production, scuba diving, underwater video and underwater photography to teenagers at  Caribbean summer camps on the islands of Antigua and St. Kitts.