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US: NEW YORK: Wall-To-Fork Fresh Produce Comes To Monsey
The iconic Evergreen Market is debuting a revolutionary 20-foot high geoponic (soil-based) wall farm that lets customers not only choose clean, fresh-picked produce but also see exactly where it comes from
NEW VERTICAL FIELD URBAN FARM SYSTEM AT EVERGREEN MARKET MEANS TASTY, HEALTHY AND BUG-FREE SUSTAINABLE PRODUCE 365 DAYS A YEAR
[Monsey, NY, DEC 9, 2020] – The world of freshly harvested greens and herbs is looking up – literally – in Monsey, NY. The iconic Evergreen Market is debuting a revolutionary 20-foot high geoponic (soil-based) wall farm that lets customers not only choose clean, fresh-picked produce but also see exactly where it comes from.
The pesticide-free lettuce, kale, arugula, basil, and cilantro from Evergreen’s on-site farm are sold at competitive prices in individual pots, making the “buying local” experience more convenient than ever. Pesticide-free and grown in soil that is never exposed to bugs, all products are Star-K Kosher Certified for purity.
“We are gratified to be the first kosher supermarket in the country to introduce the Vertical farm,” said Malki Levine of Evergreen. “Our customers are very much looking forward to buying fresh produce that is grown in our own backyard rather than being transported on long hauls from farms across the country. They will also appreciate the significantly reduced level of infestation, a major concern of kosher consumers.”
Shoppers can visit the thriving vertical farm when they visit the store. The state-of-the-art system features a controlled, sterile environment with soil beds containing a proprietary mix of minerals and nutrients. Advanced sensors constantly monitor, irrigate, and fertilize the crops throughout every growth stage.
Evergreen’s wall farm is the latest installation from Vertical Field (www.verticalfield.com), an Israeli ag-tech company that produces innovative vertical agricultural solutions that help the environment, improve human health conditions, and make fresh, delicious produce available all year round.
Geoponic (soil-based) vertical farming yields a new crop every few days, ensuring that fresh greens and herbs will always be in season in Monsey. The sustainable and eco-friendly method produces cleaner, healthier, tastier veggies than those shipped from miles away. And, reduced soil-to-plate time means a longer shelf life and fewer hands involved – a welcome benefit in the age of Covid-19.
“We are extremely excited with the partnership with Evergreen,” said Guy Elitzur, the CEO of Vertical Field. “They are precisely the type of supermarket that has the right customer base and will successfully integrate the latest technological advances in geoponic farming.”
About Vertical Field: Vertical Field is a leading ag-tech provider of vertical farming and active landscaping solutions for urban environments and smart cities. The company is operated by professionals, agronomists, researchers, and a multi-disciplinary team, enabling the development of smart plant-based solutions that combine the best of design and manufacturing, smart computerized monitoring, soil-based technology, water and lighting technology, and more. Vertical Field delivers next-generation vertical farming systems for a global clientele, including Facebook, Intel, Apple, Isrotel, Microsoft, and many more. Vertical Field is currently also on-site at Farmers And Chefs Restaurant in Poughkeepsie, NY, supplying fresh greens for the Chef's creative, locally-sourced menu.
About Evergreen: Located in Town Square in the heart of Monsey, NY, Evergreen is 30,000 square feet of grocery, butcher, bakery, health food, fish, produce, sushi, full-service deli & prepared foods. The store provides wide aisles, huge product selection & competitive prices. Evergreen is a shopping destination that combines the friendliness of a neighborhood grocery with the value and convenience of a state-of-the-art specialty supermarket. Evergreen also has a similar store in Lakewood, NJ, and will soon be opening its third major market in Pomona NY.
A Look At Geoponic Technology For Vertical Farming
It involves growing plants within soil or an aggregate, which is probably the most familiar option to people who are not agriculture professionals
November 26, 2020
You’ve probably heard people talk about how vertical farms and their space-saving approaches to agriculture could help promote future food security and bring produce closer to those who consume it.
Many of today’s currently operating or planned vertical farms use hydroponic methods to grow the plants in water or aeroponic techniques where growers suspend the plants in the air and mist them. However, some vertical farms also use geoponic technology. It involves growing plants within soil or an aggregate, which is probably the most familiar option to people who are not agriculture professionals.
Here’s a glimpse at what’s possible when agricultural companies combine vertical farming with the latest options in geoponic technology.
Letting people pick their produce from the wall
When most shoppers visit the produce department in a grocery store, they pick items from shelves or bins. Such setups are still the most common across the world, but that could change due to geoponic technology that allows grocery stores to grow produce up their walls.
In New York, Evergreen Kosher Market introduced consumers to a 20-foot-high “wall farm,” where each offering sits in an individual pot. Shoppers can pick from a selection of arugula, basil, kale, lettuce, and cilantro. These products are pesticide-free and raised in soil free from bug exposure. Moreover, this type of farming yields a new crop every week, meaning the products are always in season for the people who want to buy them.
Getting optimal results with energy-efficient lights
Certain kinds of energy-efficient lights also cause positive effects for the crops. For example, the high-pressure sodium lights used in conventional horticultural lighting can get too hot and damage plants.
That’s why Canada’s GoodLeaf Community Farms used light-emitting diode (LED) options at its vertical farm. That way, the plants can grow as close as six inches from the light sources without encountering excessive warmth. The agricultural operation also uses a preset spectrum for the light output, specially chosen for providing an optimal level of brightness across the facility, which grows kale, broccoli, arugula, and peas in a peat-based medium.
Trying to solve the food crisis
People are increasingly concerned about the logistics associated with getting produce to individuals who live in urban areas or may otherwise have difficulty accessing nutritious foods. Many challenges exist.
For example, as produce travels to its destination, long routes can increase emissions that pollute the planet. Moreover, a shortage of available farmland could exacerbate food shortages for people everywhere.
One of the top advantages of vertical farming compared to other types is that it can happen in substantially smaller spaces than conventional agricultural efforts require. That feature makes it especially appropriate for the world’s sprawling areas that may not have expansive stretches of land to use for farming.
Statistics indicate that urban areas will likely contain 68% of the world’s population by 2050. People in some cities enjoy fresh produce through methods such as community-tended rooftop gardens. Geoponic vertical farms could offer another possibility.
One company sells shipping container-style gardens that can fit in parking lots and use geoponic technology. Destinations such as shopping centers and apartment complexes could start featuring those as competitive advantages. They’d give people quicker and more convenient access to produce than shopping in stores allows.
Sticking to soil-based methods while embracing new technologies
Most companies specializing in vertical farming mention their soil-free options. However, as the examples here show, geoponic-based methods can support non-horizontal agriculture methods, too. That reality could make some people more eager to get involved with this approach to growing food.
For example, many households have soil-based gardens in their backyards but are less familiar with hydroponic and aeroponic options that do not require dirt. If a person wants to get involved in vertical farming with a reduced learning curve, geoponic options could be their best bets.
All kinds of vertical farming approaches typically use sensors that ensure the crops get enough light, water, and nutrients. This lower-waste approach promotes a more sustainable future and could lead to higher yields throughout the year rather than in smaller seasonal windows.
For these reasons and others, vertical farming is worth following for the foreseeable future. It’ll undoubtedly be interesting to see the geoponic-specific use cases and companies that arrive on the market, too.
YouTube: Vertical Farming at NY Farm-to-Table Restaurant Amid COVID-19
Photo credit: The feature image is owned by Evergreen Kosher and Vertical Field. The plant close-up photo was taken by Kathleen Phillips for Texas A&M AgriLife Research. The photo showing a design engineer was prepared by This is Engineering.
Source: Evergreen Kosher press release on New Hope Network / Mark Halper (LEDs Magazine) / Aaron Reich (Jerusalem Post)