Who We Are
MARSfarm was founded in 2020 by Peter Webb and Drew Thomas in St. Louis, Missouri. Peter brings his background in business development and expertise in controlled environment agriculture to the team. Drew brings his education in engineering, a career in manufacturing, and vocational education experiences.
What We Do
MARSfarm has inspired students to pursue careers in agriculture by enabling educators to provide modern farming experiences in the classroom. We design and manufacture our equipment in St. Louis, MO. Our products are being used by 600+ schools, all around the world.
Our Goal: Teaching the Next Generation
There is a technological revolution occurring in the agricultural industry to ensure that humans will be able to sustainably feed our growing population in a changing climate. The instructional materials available to the agricultural educators responsible for training the next generation of farmers have not kept pace with the latest technology that those future farmers will use in their careers.
MARSfarm brings ag-tech into the classroom by providing a solution for agricultural educators to give students early exposure to emerging industry practices and problems. Countertop-sized greenhouses designed for the classroom are the enabling hardware of this platform. Our software provides the ability to execute control sequences (called “recipes”) in these greenhouses and remotely monitor them. Consumable kits consisting of seeds, and fertilizer are paired with “recipes” designed in partnership with pioneers of emerging agricultural technologies. This combination of equipment, software, and consumables will ensure that educators are always teaching industry-relevant skills, leading to valuable career education.
MARSfarm in the Press
STL MADE
MARSfarm is an “optimistic way to get kids engaged about agriculture” by focusing on the possibilities of growing crops beyond earth
American Geographical Association
The topic of Geography runs deep connections with the implementation and use of the MARSfarm projects. As described by Mr. Webb, “Climate-based geographical data is pertinent to helping create valuable learning experiences for our student users."
GEOGRAPHY 2050 STL
Ag Tech hasn't made its way into Ag Ed and that's where we see a real opportunity... with small iterative versions of greenhouses
About the Co-Founders
Peter Webb (left) & Drew Thomas (right)
Peter Webb, CEO
Peter’s background STEMs from databases and DIY prototyping. Peter graduated from the University of Missouri St. Louis with a business degree in Information Systems. He has been practicing project-based learning all of his life. Peter believes that the best way to teach is to create an environment that is optimal to grow and learn, just like our kits!
Drew Thomas, COO
Drew’s background STEMs from technical design and manufacturing. Drew studied engineering at Missouri S&T and later went on to study scaled manufacturing at Ranken. He brings his love of space exploration and responsible agriculture to the team. Fun fact: in a typical romantic startup move, Drew converted his entire apartment to house and operate all of MARSfarm’s equipment.
