Welcome to iGrow News, Your Source for the World of Indoor Vertical Farming

2021 Virtual Plant Lighting Short Course

In each sequential module, attendees will use interactive tools to define their specific lighting requirements, hear from industry experts about available horticultural lighting systems, and learn how to compare different lighting strategies

Now Open For Registration! 

Working in partnership, GLASE, OptimIA, and LAMP are excited to announce the first annual Plant Lighting Short Course! This 6-week modular short course is designed to provide participants the opportunity to learn about all aspects related to the selection, implementation, and benefits of plant lighting systems.

In each sequential module, attendees will use interactive tools to define their specific lighting requirements, hear from industry experts about available horticultural lighting systems, and learn how to compare different lighting strategies. By the end of the course, participants will be equipped to make informed decisions about the best options to meet their lighting needs.

More Info & Registration

Media Partners

Recordings Now Available

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GLASE Webinar Series

This short presentation will cover the history of research on photosynthetic responses to light spectrum, recent work on the importance of far-red photons, and a discussion of the implication of (not) extending the definition of PAR

The photosynthetic activity of far-red photons was discovered 70 years ago, but has largely been ignored since then. Recent research has drawn new attention to the importance of far-red photons.

This short presentation will cover the history of research on photosynthetic responses to light spectrum, recent work on the importance of far-red photons, and a discussion of the implication of (not) extending the definition of PAR. There will be ample time for discussion following the presentation.

Register Here - August 26 • 2-3 p.m. EST

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How To Maximize Resource Efficiency In Controlled Environment Ag Operations

Join Meena Sankara, KETOS CEO, and Tinia Pina, Re-Nuble CEO, for a discussion about the most significant challenges and opportunities facing Controlled Environment Agriculture operations

Tuesday, August 3 @ 12:30 pm ET / 9:30 am PT

Wednesday, August 4 @ 9:00 am ET / 1 pm GMT

Meena Sankara, KETOS CEO

Join Meena Sankara, KETOS CEO, and Tinia Pina, Re-Nuble CEO, for a discussion about the most significant challenges and opportunities facing Controlled Environment Agriculture operations. In this webinar you will learn:

Tinia Pina, Re-Nuble CEO

  • Why water management is important in the CEA industry

  • Challenges soilless/indoor farms face when improving water management efficiency

  • How soilless operations (including vertical farms and greenhouses) can be more resource-efficient

  • Strategies for the nutrient wastewater recovery

  • Which waste recovery solutions are best for your operation

    August 3rd Webinar Registration

    August 4th Webinar Registration

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"Precision Indoor Propagation For High Quality Transplants" - August 3rd Tuesday 11:00 AM Eastern Time

Indoor Ag Science Cafe is an open discussion forum, planned and organized by the OptimIA project team

August Indoor Ag Science Cafe

August 3rd Tuesday 11:00 AM Eastern Time

Please sign up, thank you!

by
Dr. Ricardo Hernandez
North Carolina State University

  • Please sign up to receive your Zoom link.

  • Indoor Ag Science Cafe is an open discussion forum, planned and organized by the OptimIA project team.

  • OptimIA (Optimizing Indoor Agriculture) is a project funded by the USDA Specialty Crop Research Initiative and supported by many of you receiving this email (thank you!).

Sign Up Here

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Optimizing Resource Use Efficiency In CEA System

An important factor affecting the profitability of vertical farming is a grower’s ability to consistently deliver a predictable product

Date: July 29, 2021
Time: 2 p.m. - 3 p.m. EDT
Presented by: Murat Kacira (The University of Arizona)

Click Here To Register

Webinar Description

An important factor affecting the profitability of vertical farming is a grower’s ability to consistently deliver a predictable product. To achieve this, growers must create an environment that supplies all the crop’s needs over its entire growth cycle by identifying and co-optimizing environmental variables such as CO2, light, humidity, airflow, and other parameters. This presentation will focus on real-time sensing, monitoring, and climate control strategies with system designs for environmental uniformity leading to enhanced resource use efficiency in CEA system.

Dr. Murat Kacira (Professor)

Murat Kacira is director of the Controlled Environment Agriculture Center and he is a professor in the Biosystems Engineering Department at the University of Arizona. He received his B.S. degree in Agricultural Engineering in Cukurova University in Turkey and M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering from The Ohio State University in USA. His research involves automation, environmental control, alternative energy integrated CEA systems and resource use optimization in controlled environment agriculture systems including greenhouses and vertical farming-based plant factories with artificial lighting. He is a member of American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE), American Society of Horticultural Sciences (ASHS), and International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS). He serves as Chair of the Division Precision Horticulture Engineering under ISHS.

Special thanks to our Industry partners

Join Today

If you have any questions or would like to know more about GLASE, please contact its executive director Erico Mattos at em796@cornell.edu

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Container Farming To Increase Food Security In The Caribbean

As part of our Grow Food Here series, join us for a live conversation with Freight Farmers, Lincoln Deal, and Latesha Gibson from Eeden Farms

Hear How Eeden Farms Is Bringing Fresh,

Local Produce To Their Island.

As part of our Grow Food Here series, join us for a live conversation with Freight Farmers, Lincoln Deal, and Latesha Gibson from Eeden Farms. Throughout the event, we’ll explore how they brought container farming to the Bahamas to reduce the island’s reliance on food imports and serve their local community with the freshest local food available. We’ll also discuss the challenges farmers face in the Bahamas, what they’re currently growing in their three container farms and their plans for the future.

At the end of the event, Lincoln and Latesha will answer your questions through the live q & a

Register Now

Wednesday, July 14th, 2021 12 PM EST

Interested In How To Start Farming?

We take you through the whole journey one step at a time. From finding customers to training to delivery logistics, we’ve got you covered.

Learn more

Get in touch!

Are you interested in learning more about how to become a Freight Farmer? Contact us for additional information on how to get started today.

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Whose Roundtable Will You Join At Indoor AgTech, June 24-25?

Are you ready to debate hyper-local food systems, optimizing plant traits and the best approaches to grower and buyer partnerships?

Are you ready to debate hyper-local food systems, optimizing plant traits and the best approaches to grower and buyer partnerships? Take your pick of 34 roundtable discussions hosted by international agtech leaders at this month’s Indoor AgTech Innovation Summit.

A hugely popular part of the program, the small group breakouts offer a great opportunity to expand your network and engage with the topics most critical to you and your business. You’ll benefit from different viewpoints and fresh thinking, leaving with a wealth of valuable new connections.

Whose discussion group will you join? Places are limited and tables fill quickly, so be sure to save your seat on the virtual platform.

ROUNDTABLE HOSTS & TOPICS

JOIN THEM - REGISTER NOW


Over 500 of your industry colleagues are already busy networking and booking their sessions on the virtual summit platform so don't miss out - join them now.

Remember, the platform will be available 24/7 for a full month after the summit, so you can continue to network with delegates and rewatch all the sessions on demand.


We are looking forward to welcoming you online.

Oscar Brennecke
Conference Producer
Indoor AgTech Innovation Summit
oscar.brennecke@rethinkevents.com
+44 (0)1273 789989

THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS

Marketing and Media Partners:

HOSTED ALONGSIDE

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Another Week, Another Webinar! You are Invited To Join Us on The 17th of June For The: ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ FTS Virtual Round Table Talks HR in CEA

Agriculture, as a whole, has a wide range of labor and HR challenges. How can CEA help the horticulture industry overcome these problems? Join FarmTech, Ponic Jobs, and more experts from the field in this webinar to find out

Agriculture, as a whole, has a wide range of labor and HR challenges. How can CEA help the horticulture industry overcome these problems? Join FarmTech, Ponic Jobs, and more experts from the field in this webinar to find out!

Register For The Webinar >>

The webinar will be interactive, hosted via Zoom, and there is time reserved for a Q&A directly with the experts. Can't join live? Register now and you'll be able to watch the recording of the webinar at your convenience.​​​​​​​

​​​​​​​Join us on Thursday 17 June!

FTS virtual round table talks HR in CEA

Thursday 17 June 15:00 – 16:30 (GMT +2)​​​​​​​

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Kyle BarnettFounder/Owner, Ponic Jobs​​​​​​​
Moderator

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Todd DowningManaging Partner, Best Human Capital & Advisory Group​​​​​​​
Table guest

Charlotte VisserCOO, Viscon Group
Table guest

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Lisanne MeulendijksSpecialist Vertical Farming, Delphy Improvement Center​​​​​​​
Table guest

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Kate BrunswickStrategic Relationship Manager, Innovation AgriTech Group​​​​​​​
Table guest

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Clement CardonAgriculture Policy Assistant, FarmTech Society
Table guest

See The Program>>

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Learn How To Sustainably Grow Food. Connect To The Earth

Growing is good for your health and the environment.

About this event

Urban Farming Institute's goal is to teach individuals and families how to grow their own food. In Series No. 1: Off To A Good Start, Seeds and Seedlings staff demonstrate creative options to sustainably grow food employing different methods and mediums. Be inspired. Growing is good for your health and the environment.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

Urban Farming Institute Of Boston

Organizer of The Grow More Food Series, Series No. 1: Growing Your Own

The Urban Farming Institute of Boston’s (UFI) mission is to contribute to healthy people and sustainable cities by promoting and creating self-sustaining urban farming enterprises and farming jobs. By enabling urban farming through farm creation, farmer training, public education and policy change, UFI brings people in urban neighborhoods closer to food production, nurtures a healthy local food system, promotes job creation and the industry of urban agriculture.

ags: Online Events Online Classes Online Health Classes #grow_your_own_food #growing_vegetables #growing_food #container_gardening #growing_herbs #containerplanting #growing_with_a_garden #growing_without_a_garden #growing_workshop

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Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) 4.0 - Conference & Exhibition Day 2 - Friday 4th June - Attendee Tickets Still Available - 522 Attendees Registered

By purchasing a ticket for Conference Day 2 you will receive access and instructions on how you can view recording of the below presentations from Conference Day 1

Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) 4.0

Day 2 Conference & Exhibition (Virtual)

Friday 4th June 2021

CEA 4.0 Conference & Exhibition Day 2 is this Friday the 4th of June. With 522 industry attendees officially registered, we still have a small number of attendee tickets that have been made available for Conference Day 2 on Friday

Attendee tickets range from £14.99 - £19.99 per attendee.

Day 2 Conference Presenters

Day 1 Conference Presenters

By purchasing a ticket for Conference Day 2 you will receive access and instructions on how you can view the recording of the below presentations from Conference Day 1.

  • AeroFarms - Roger Buelow, Chief Technology Officer

CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR ATTENDEE TICKET

Click Here To Meet The Current CEA 4.0 Sponsors,

Presenters, Exhibitors & Attendees

VIP Attendee Ticket Includes

  • Full event access provided to the conference, workshops, exhibition, etc

  • Personal event attendee profile

  • Company profile

  • Ability to arrange up to 36 one-to-one meetings with any attendee during the event

  • Ability to message and video chat with any attendee

  • Access to the presentation recordings from Conference Day 1

  • Company branding on the event website & at the event

CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR ATTENDEE TICKET NOW

BEFORE THEY ARE SOLD OUT

TECH 4.0 Ltd

info@tech40.net
https://www.tech40.net/

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RSVP - Indoor Ag Science Cafe June 1st

Indoor Ag Science Cafe is an open discussion forum, planned and organized by OptimIA project team supported by USDA SCRI grants

June Indoor Ag Science Cafe


June 1st Tuesday 11:00 AM Eastern

Please sign up, thank you!

"All Season Oishii Berry:

America's first vertical strawberry farm"

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by Hiroki Koga
Oishii

Please register to receive your Zoom link.

The recording will not be available for this cafe.

Indoor Ag Science Cafe is an open discussion forum, planned and organized by OptimIA

project team supported by USDA SCRI grants.

Register here

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[Upcoming Webinars] Communicating Sustainability, Financing Indoor Ag

This panel will explore the best practices for communicating and reporting on sustainability with the hopes of encouraging the industry to mature

Indoor Ag-Con

SUSTAINABILITY, FINANCING HEADLINE

MAY | JUNE INDOOR AG-CONVERSATIONS SCHEDULE  

MAY 26, 2021 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM EDT

 Indoor Ag-Con  & Agritecture invite you to join us for this important session.

Despite a decade of innovation and funding in vertical farming, many businesses do not communicate accurate information about the sustainability of their technology or operations. Whether it's unsubstantiated claims of water savings, carbon reduction, circularity, or overall sustainability, many companies do not avoid greenwashing in their marketing. This panel will explore the best practices for communicating and reporting on sustainability with the hopes of encouraging the industry to mature.

Moderator:


Henry Gordon-Smith, Founder & CEO, Agritecture

Panelists:


Sara Segergren, Project Portfolio Leader, Sustainability Innovation and Development,

Ingka Group | IKEA

Sam Norton, Founder, Heron Farms


Lisa Causarano, International Accounts Manager, Schneider Electric 

SAVE YOUR FREE SPOT!

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JUNE 8 & 9, 2021 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM EDT EACH DAY

Join Indoor Ag-Con, Brad McNamara & FarmTech Society for this
 2-day SPECIAL EDITION of Indoor Ag-Conversations.

DAY 1 | JUNE 8, 2021 -- 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM

SEED TO SERIES B

HOSTED BY BRAD MCNAMARA

During 3 in-depth panel discussions with successful entrepreneurs and their investors, host Brad McNamara will push for first-hand accounts of each round to pull back the curtain on what it takes to fund an idea and create an investment-grade business in CEA.

DAY 2 | JUNE 9, 2021 -- 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM

CROSSING THE CHASM

HOSTED BY FARMTECH SOCIETY

2020 was a big year for Controlled Environment Agriculture -- and the next two years are likely to see unprecedented growth and change in the sector.

On day 2 of our Indoor Ag-Conversations 'Seed to Scale' event, the host FarmTech Society will focus on the maturing of the industry as CEA "crosses the chasm" into mainstream adoption.

LEARN MORE & SAVE THE DATE

INDOOR AG-CON - IN PERSON! 

OCTOBER 4-5, 2021

We can't wait to see our industry colleagues again in October! We've got an incredible program lined up from you. Check out our expo hall floor, which is filling up quickly. And, explore our educational offerings, including keynotes from top indoor ag CEOS, panel discussions diving deep into 3 tracks - business & marketing; science & technology; alternative crops & growing methods.

And, of course, a full roster of networking opportunities, too!

JOIN US!

SPECIAL THANKS TO INDOOR AG-CON 2021 SPONSORS & MEDIA ALLIES

Indoor Ag-Con, 950 Scales Road, Building #200, Suwanee, GA 30024, United States


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Save The Date!

OptimIA (Optimizing Indoor Agriculture) is a USDA-funded Specialty Crop Research Initiative project to support indoor farming industry through critical research and extension activities

OptimIA Stakeholder Meeting

August 20th, 2021


10:00 AM - 3:00 PM Eastern

Plan to join our annual stakeholder meeting online to learn about our collaborative research update!

More information available on our website

OptimIA (Optimizing Indoor Agriculture) is a USDA-funded Specialty Crop Research Initiative project to support the indoor farming industry through critical research and extension activities.

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Unleashing The Potential of Seed Optimization | Indoor AgTech Innovation Summit, June 24-25

Join AeroFarms, Unfold, Sound Agriculture, VertiVegies, ASTA, and Vineland Research

Join AeroFarms, Unfold, Sound Agriculture, VertiVegies, ASTA, and Vineland Research

How and why are seed companies and growers investing in seed optimization for indoor environments? What is the potential impact on OPEX, and what opportunities will seed varieties tailored to indoor agriculture present for producers seeking to differentiate themselves?

Join the virtual Indoor AgTech Innovation Summit this June 24-25 to discover how international growers, seed companies and researchers are optimizing genetics for taste, texture, yield and nutritional value.

SEE FULL AGENDA

EXPERT PANEL SESSION

AEROFARMS VIEWPOINT
AeroFarms shares an update about its new farms in the USA and Abu Dhabi and the importance of optimizing seeds for indoor environments.

David Rosenberg, CEO & Co-Founder,
AEROFARMS

"The seed requirements of an indoor grower such as AeroFarms are very different from an outdoor producer. Resistance is not a trait of interest, as we scrupulously keep pests and pathogens out of production so that we can grow pesticide-free. As indoor produce is distributed to retail within a day of the harvest, shelf life is also less important. Instead, great flavor and quality are crucial."

READ ARTICLE WITH AEROFARMS

With just three weeks to go until our virtual platform goes live for pre-summit networking, book your place now for USD $395. ​​This gives you a high-value route to connect directly online with over 400 of the most influential names in the industry, via 1-1 video networking and live-streamed interactive content. Session recordings and messaging are available for one month after the summit, so you won't miss any of the action.

We look forward to seeing you online next month!

Best wishes,

Oscar Brennecke
Conference Producer
Indoor AgTech Innovation Summit
oscar.brennecke@rethinkevents.com
+44 (0)1273 789989

THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS
Platinum Partners:

Marketing and Media Partners:

HOSTED ALONGSIDE

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Indoor Ag Science Cafe May 18th

"Smart Sensors For Indoor Farming". Indoor Ag Science Cafe is an open discussion forum, planned and organized by OptimIA project team supported by USDA SCRI grants.

May Indoor Ag Science Cafe

May 18th Tuesday 11 AM Eastern Time

Please sign up!

"Smart Sensors For Indoor Farming"


by Dr. Krishna Nemali
Purdue University

  • Please sign up to receive the Zoom link.

  • Indoor Ag Science Cafe is an open discussion forum, planned and organized by OptimIA project team supported by USDA SCRI grants.

Sign Up Here

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[Webinar] How I Did It - Fireside Chat - Farmbox Greens

In 2010, Dan Albert began laying the groundwork for what would become Farmbox Greens, a Seattle-based vertical farm growing specialty produce for retail and foodservice customers

JOIN OUR NEXT CONVERSATION

APRIL 28, 2021 | 2-3 PM EDT

 In 2010, Dan Albert began laying the groundwork for what would become Farmbox Greens, a Seattle-based vertical farm growing specialty produce for retail and foodservice customers.

 In 2016, Farmbox was acquired by a regional produce company and Dan went on to scale Farmbox to serve customers in the Northwest and beyond.

Join us for a fun “Fireside Chat” as Indoor Ag-Con’s Content Chair Jim Pantaleo sits down with Dan to discuss this great success story—from the farm’s early days to those first meetings with potential restaurant customers to making the connection with Charlie’s Produce.

Jim and Dan will also talk about Dan’s

newest role as Vice President of

Plant Performance with Unfold.

LEARN MORE & SAVE YOUR FREE SPOT!

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Hybrid Event: Vertical Farming World Congress 2021 - September 20-22

There will be two days of conference sessions, where industry leaders, innovators, suppliers, advisers, and investors will share their insights through a series of presentations, interviews, and interactive panel discussions

Vertical Farming World Congress

Event: Vertical Farming World Congress 2021

Date: 20-22 September

Location: Hybrid event – London Heathrow, also online

Organizer: Zenith Global Ltd

Following the success of the inaugural 2020 event, attended by 180 delegates from 40 countries, Zenith Global is delighted to return with an expanded 2nd Vertical Farming World Congress.

Bringing together vertical farming operators, investors, suppliers, and customers, the event will again assemble key industry leaders from around the globe, to debate and advance the future’s sector.

There will be two days of conference sessions, where industry leaders, innovators, suppliers, advisers, and investors will share their insights through a series of presentations, interviews, and interactive panel discussions.

Extensive networking opportunities, from dedicated networking breaks and group workshops to welcome receptions, will enable all delegates to connect with other industry peers.

Attendees joining in person at London Heathrow will additionally have access to vertical farm tours, produce tasting, policy forums, and training courses.

For full event information and to register, visit: www.zenithglobal.com/events/vfwc2021

For information on sponsorship opportunities, visit www.zenithglobal.com/events/sponsorship,

or contact Maxine Harle on e mharle@zenithglobal.com t +44 (0)1225 327900

 

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May 18th, 9 am EST - Webinar On How To Invest In CEA With Confidence

Agritecture is hosting a series of webinars, starting with How to invest in CEA with confidence

Agritecture is hosting a series of webinars, starting with How to invest in CEA with confidenceThe CEA sector is heating up and is expected to grow 5x over the next 10 years. Investment in CEA has surpassed $2.0B across North America and Europe. Join Henry Gordon-Smith, Founder & CEO at Agritecture, for this 1-hour live webinar to learn more about how to invest confidently in the CEA industry.

How To invest In Controlled

Environment Agriculture With

Confidence

May 18 - 9 am EST

The lineup of speakers include:


Louisa Burwood Taylor, Head of Media & Research at AgFunder

Robert Glanville, Senior Advisor at REG Consulting LLC

Andrew Carter, Co-Founder & CEO at Smallhold

Darren Thompson, CFO at Bowery Farming

Djavid Amidi Abraham, Director Of Consulting at Agritecture

Click Here To Register!

For more information, you can check out our events listing here.

Agritecture
www.agritecture.com

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RSVP Reminder: April Indoor Ag Science Cafe - April 20th Tuesday 10:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Indoor Ag Science Cafe is an open discussion forum, planned and organized by OptimIA project team supported by USDA SCRI grants

April Indoor Ag Science Cafe


April 20th Tuesday 10:00 AM Eastern

Please Sign Up!

"Plant Factories and Indoor Farming

Innovations in Japan"

Eri Hayashi
Japan Plant Factory Association

Please sign up to receive Zoom link.

Indoor Ag Science Cafe is an open discussion forum, planned

and organized by OptimIA project team supported by USDA SCRI grants.

Sign up

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April Indoor Ag Science Cafe - April 20th Tuesday 10:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Indoor Ag Science Cafe is an open discussion forum, planned and organized by OptimIA project team supported by USDA SCRI grants

April Indoor Ag Science Cafe


April 20th Tuesday 10:00 AM Eastern

Please Sign Up!

"Plant Factories and Indoor Farming

Innovations in Japan"

Eri Hayashi
Japan Plant Factory Association

Please sign up to receive Zoom link.

Indoor Ag Science Cafe is an open discussion forum, planned

and organized by OptimIA project team supported by USDA SCRI grants.

Sign up

Read More