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OnePointOne And Sakata Seed America Aim To Accelerate The Quality And Variety In Vertical Farming
OnePointOne’s system consists of advanced aeroponics and a fleet of robotic growers to perform most of the day-to-day production functions – from planting, to watering, to harvesting
Industry-Leading Partnership Will Drive Data, Growth, and Consumer Options
SAN JOSE, CA — OnePointOne and Sakata Seed America announced today a game-changing collaboration in the acceleration of vertical farming. Together, the two leading entities will share intelligence and analysis focused on maximizing plant outputs while minimizing environmental impact.
The large-scale research program begins today at OnePointOne’s facility in San Jose, CA. Their 25-foot vertical structure uses LED lights to supplant the sun, a nutrient-rich mist to replace the soils, and a clean-room environment, akin to a computer lab, as the production field.
OnePointOne’s system consists of advanced aeroponics and a fleet of robotic growers to perform most of the day-to-day production functions – from planting, to watering, to harvesting.
Sakata’s wide array of state-of-the-art genetics coupled with OnePointOne’s industry-leading, proprietary tech promises to drive further innovations and discovery.
Dave Armstrong, President/CEO of Sakata adds, “We are taking the Controlled Environment Agriculture arena very seriously. By working with OnePointOne on product research and development, we aim to push the segment’s development in a real-world vertical production environment. Working together directly and fully sharing information enables both sides to capture data that might otherwise take years to generate.”
“Working with OnePointOne gives us the opportunity to test many of our varieties in a true vertical system and highly precise indoor environment. The performance data we’ll collect will help us continue to refine our varieties and fine-tune our breeding programs for the CEA space,” said Tracy Lee, Sakata’s Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Lead.
“We are on a mission to unleash the power of plants to feed, fuel and heal the world,” explains Sam Bertram, CEO, and Co-Founder of OnePointOne. “As we launch Willo, the world’s first personalized vertical farming experience, this Sakata partnership will help amplify our ability to bring an exciting list of cultivars to our members. Furthermore, it will drive the innovations and advances needed to bring a more sustainable growth platform to the market at scale.”
About Sakata Seed America, Inc.: Headquartered in Morgan Hill, CA, Sakata Seed America is a major research, seed production, and marketing-distribution subsidiary of Sakata Seed Corporation, established in 1913. Sakata Seed America, which recently celebrated its 40th anniversary, serves as the headquarters for the North American/Central American operations. Their mission is to quickly and efficiently meet industry expectations for quality seed, innovative genetics, and excellent greenhouse and field performance.
About OnePointOne: Founded in Silicon Valley, OnePointOne is revolutionizing vertical farming by building the most technologically advanced plant cultivation platform on the planet through innovations in automation, AI, and plant science. In 2020, OnePointOne launched Willo (www.willo.farm) the world’s first personalized vertical farming program designed to amplify human health.
Unfold Expands, Adds Research Facility For Vertical Farming
Unfold, a company that combines leading seed genetics with crop growing and agronomic expertise to advance the vertical farming industry welcomes Minos Athanassiadis as a company advisor and breaks ground on its new state-of-the-art R&D vertical farm facility in Davis, California
April 15, 2021
Unfold, a company that combines leading seed genetics with crop growing and agronomic expertise to advance the vertical farming industry welcomes Minos Athanassiadis as a company advisor and breaks ground on its new state-of-the-art R&D vertical farm facility in Davis, California.
Minos Athanassiadis, one of the foremost leaders in the produce space, working at brands such as Dole Fresh Vegetables, Underwood Ranches, and Fresh Link Group, will leverage his expertise to help Unfold develop products of value to produce retailers and consumers.
“Consumer demands are propelling changes in the food supply that are safe, transparent, personalized, and sustainable,” said Athanassiadis. “As an advisor to Unfold, I look forward to working with their fast-growing team to help them discover and develop products that will meet this criteria for retailers and consumers alike.”
Since launching, Unfold has doubled in size, bringing on diverse talent expertise from software engineers who will build digital agronomic services for vertical farm operators to the computational biology experts that will breed tomorrow’s seeds.
For vertical farms to have an impact on our food system, production can't begin and end with leafy greens. The industry’s success will require new products to be brought to market to supplement what can be produced by traditional farms and greenhouses. With the opening of their new R&D facility, Unfold will leverage expertise in AI, machine learning, and plant biology to test new varieties of fruits and vegetables faster and to develop the digital tools that will speed up plant optimization for Unfold’s customers.
“As we look to bring seeds to market in the next year, Minos’ rich history in the produce industry will be invaluable,” said John Purcell, Ph.D., President, and CEO of Unfold. “Another variable to this equation is finally being able to open the doors to our R&D facility in Davis where we’ll be able to push the boundaries of our plant breeding in controlled environments that leverage state-of-the-art digital tools.”
For additional information about Unfold or to hear about potential career opportunities, please visit our website at https://unfold.ag/.
Lead photo and logo courtesy Unfold
Startup of The Month: Unfold
The future of vertical farming begins on the genetic level. That’s the philosophy of Unfold, a Sacramento-based startup focused on innovating fruit and vegetable seeds to better serve indoor growing facilities
John Purcell is the president and CEO of Unfold. (Photo courtesy of John Purcell)
Breeding Seeds For Vertical Farms
December 3, 2020
By Russell Nichols
The future of vertical farming begins on the genetic level. That’s the philosophy of Unfold, a Sacramento-based startup focused on innovating fruit and vegetable seeds to better serve indoor growing facilities.
Vertical farms use artificial light and take up less space than traditional farms. They are automated to control factors such as light, temperature, and humidity. With a biochemistry background, John Purcell, president, and CEO of Unfold recognized a gap between open fields (and greenhouses) and controlled environments. He heard from many vertical farmers that seeds intended for outdoor use didn’t work as well indoors where plants are grown on shelves.
“They’ve made so many investments on lighting and mechanics, but they were trying to get by with seed varieties that were developed for other production systems,” Purcell says.
Unfold aims to fill that gap using seed genetics (germplasm) from vegetable crops to create new varieties best suited for vertical farms. The startup’s bimodal strategy begins with a screening phase, analyzing which germplasm yields optimal results, followed by a breeding phase to develop the varieties that thrive in a controlled environment.
With urban living and organic food becoming more popular, the vertical farming industry has been booming globally. In 2019, the market reached about $4.4 billion, according to Statista. By 2025, the market value is expected to hit $15.7 billion. Using vertical spaces increases the amount of yield per square foot or per acre while being able to grow food closer to the consumer. Because these farms are automated, they require less labor to run, which is also attractive, given the labor shortages in agriculture, Purcell says.
Purcell previously worked as senior vice president at Bayer and head of vegetables research and development for its Crop Science division. He also spent nearly 30 years at Monsanto Company, acquired by Bayer in 2018. His team will be exploring questions such as: How does a plant respond to artificial light? How fast does a plant grow with no disease or insect pressures? What kinds of varieties have proved to be successful already?
Lettuce greens will be the first crop tested because they are the biggest crop grown by indoor farmers — 57 percent of indoor farms, including vertical farms, produce leafy greens, according to the Agrilyst 2017 “State of Indoor Farming” report. In the future, Unfold also plans to examine other crops such as tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers.
But vertical farms aren’t all the same. They use similar core technology (lighting, temperature, humidity), but the setups vary. The lack of standardization in the market presented a challenge, which is why Unfold is also providing a crop model (a “digital recipe”) to growers to define how to set up the various parameters for optimal results.
Unfold launched with $30 million in initial funding and an agreement for certain rights to germplasm from Bayer’s vegetable portfolio. The funding is meant to help the startup fast-track tailor-made seeds to the vertical farming industry, says Derek Norman, vice president of venture investments for Leaps by Bayer, the company’s impact investment division.
“Everybody saw the sector as high potential but relatively small today compared to traditional vegetable growing,” Norman says. “Vertical farming hasn’t commanded the same resources.”
In 2021, Unfold plans to have its facility secured and the breeding program established. For Purcell, the initial investment plus the advantage of a license agreement to tap into Bayer Crop Science allows Unfold to “hit the ground running, providing solutions,” he says.
And what better ground for an agtech startup is there than Sacramento? Purcell chose the Capital Region because he recognized it as a center for agricultural innovation and a great hub for seed companies like Unfold. “Not a whole lot of better places, especially for horticulture and produce,” he says. “There’s such a robust ecosystem.”
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Seed Firm Bayer Invests In Vertical Farming Future
Vertical farming provides fresh produce to urban dwellers, uses less water, less chemical, and less of other crop inputs
Sales From Vertical Farming Are
Estimated To Grow To Just Over $12 Billion By 2028
10-04-20
By: Ron Walter
One of the world’s largest agricultural seed and chemical companies has invested in the development of vertical farming.
Bayer AG of Germany has teamed up with Singapore investment bank Temasek to raise $30 million USD in a fund called Unfold.
Unfold will focus on the development of seed varieties bred for the indoor conditions and artificial lightings used in vertical farms.
Most vertical farming research is based on infrastructure.
Unfold bought the rights to some seed germa-plasm from Bayer.
Vertical farming, or urban agriculture, as it is often called, has grown in recent years, Forbes Magazine estimated vertical farming sales at $2.13 billion US in 2018 and estimates sales will grow to just over $12 billion by 2028.
Vertical farming provides fresh produce to urban dwellers, uses less water, less chemical, and less of other crop inputs.
Ron Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net
Lead photo: (Getty Images)
Producing Seedlings In An Off-Grid LED Lit Vertical Farming Facility
Plant Raisers Ltd, the largest propagator of glasshouse salad crops in the UK, has in addition to a recent expansion of its conventional glasshouse facility, partnered with sister company IGrowing Ltd to develop a system to produce seedlings using an off-grid LED lit vertical farming facility
How Plant Raisers Ltd Are Taking Propagation ‘Off Grid’
Plant Raisers Ltd, the largest propagator of glasshouse salad crops in the UK, has in addition to a recent expansion of its conventional glasshouse facility, partnered with sister company IGrowing Ltd to develop a system to produce seedlings using an off-grid LED lit vertical farming facility.
Eliminating carbon footprint
The concept has been designed to eliminate the carbon footprint associated with vertical farming and maximize the yield of seedlings per unit of electricity. To achieve this, every aspect of power demand for urban farming systems was analyzed and optimized. A key focus in developing a sustainable and efficient vertical plant production system targeted the excess heat created by the inefficiency of existing systems. Eliminating this waste energy has allowed the parasitic loads associated with heat management to be negated saving energy and unnecessary capital cost and making off-grid operation a reality.
LED fixture and power infrastructure producing negligible heat
The first task for the designers was to produce an LED fixture and power infrastructure which produced negligible heat. Collaboration with Extreme Low Energy, a UK company with knowledge and expertise in DC infrastructures provided the electrical solution and the APP-based control system that delivered crop-specific lighting recipes. Several iterations of light unit design were required before the targeted level of energy efficiency and lighting performance was achieved. The end result is a bespoke fixture that has excellent light uniformity, full spectral and intensity control and emits virtually no waste heat. The control of spectral lighting recipe and duration allows for further energy gains building on Plant Raiser’s horticultural understanding of crop requirements at each stage of growth. Additionally, as the luminaires are only 8 mm thick there is an opportunity to maximize the number of growing levels in any given space maximizing space utilization.
With no surplus heat load from the installation, controlling the environment required a different approach to the conventional HVAC systems. Instead, environmental control is provided by fans and sensors. These are switched by the App-based program which allows for remote control at any time of day or night. The app also has the ability to continuously record data to aid management decisions on the most appropriate climate and lighting settings.
Container system with low energy demand
The total energy demand of the container system is now so low that it can support off-grid production with power provided by locally mounted solar panels and/or a small scale wind turbine with a stand by gas generator available as an optional extra. Battery technology allows storage and control of the power generation. These aspects are also controlled and monitored using the app-based program.
The resulting system is the culmination of over three years' research at Plant Raisers Ltd focussed on containerized growing seedlings with the minimum energy input. The project is now fully operational and will be further developed by iGrowing Ltd for customer-specific applications. The system components can also be fitted into larger vertical farm developments looking to take advantage of the energy savings and design methodology.
For more information:
Nick Denham
iGrowing Ltd
nick@igrowing.co.uk