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Manage Only The Environment That Matters: The Canopy
AgricUltra is a Canadian company that designs and develops turnkey, multi-layer grow platforms that are engineered to optimize inter-canopy control and management. The company also conducts research and development related to UV lighting.
July 5, 2021
“We offer a completely integrated product and take all of the guesswork out, whether it relates to chillers, controls, air handling units, adjustable nozzles, etc.,” says Emil Breza, co-founder, president and CEO of AgricUltra Advancements.
AgricUltra is a Canadian company that designs and develops turnkey, multi-layer grow platforms that are engineered to optimize inter-canopy control and management. The company also conducts research and development related to UV lighting.
AgricUltra Advancements was officially incorporated in August 2018 and specializes in four keys areas: controlled environment agriculture, computational fluid dynamics analysis (CFD), systems design & engineering and photobiology. While the company designed its systems for medical cannabis production, AgricUltra believes that its system can be applied to any vertical farm and will be trialing berry production at its new research center and unit.
Decisions rooted in CFD analysis
As Emil explains, computational fluid dynamics modeling allows the company to accurately model airflow in an existing or proposed grow room. AgricUltra can visualize how heat, humidity and temperature interact to create humidity pockets, temperature stratifications or impeded airflow.
“At AgricUltra, we create a very accurate representation of the physical environment (from room level to canopy level) as well as the environmental setpoints (Temp, RH, CFM, heat inputs, etc) and let the software compute the complex interactions that result. Then we can identify problem areas and come up with viable solutions. That’s the power of CFD analysis. It helps you find mistakes that you can’t otherwise see,” says Emil.
Read the complete article at: Vertical Farm Daily
For more information:
Emil Breza, Co-Founder, President and CEO
AgricUltra Advancements
www.agricultra.com
yanna@agricultra.com
VIDEO: IGS Intelligent System Design – FTS Finds Out More
IGS has, as a company, focused from the outset on automation, intelligent system design, and the energy equation of CEA vertical farming
July 6, 2020
IGS has, as a company, focused from the outset on automation, intelligent system design, and the energy equation of CEA vertical farming. This has garnered them a reputation as one of the leading and most innovative companies in the industry. We took some time to have a chat with them and find out a bit more about how this all works in practice.
FTS: Hello and thanks for taking the time to talk with us. Can you briefly introduce IGS, its history as well as its outlook?
IGS: IGS was founded in 2013 bringing together decades of farming and engineering experience with a vision to revolutionize the indoor growing market. The two founders, farmer Henry Aykroyd and our CTO Dave Scott had an appetite for innovation and realized that there were significant gaps in the provision of scalable technology for the sector.
Henry knew how to grow and understood the challenges which faced traditional farming: Dave knew how to manage automation and power controls in an industrial environment. The opportunity to bring greater climate control to a growing environment was significant. The ability to manage power consumption was revolutionary. The simplicity of its implementation and use is pivotal.
We opened our first vertical farm demonstrator in Scotland in 2018. Artificial intelligence determines optimal nutritional input and the exact combination or ‘recipes’ of weather: lighting, watering, and ventilation. Data is collected continuously and machine learning used to make iterative adjustments, all of which is monitored through a web-based app. The whole Intelligent Growth platform is IOT-enabled to automate system control and management. Our degree of control is so fine that each 6m2 growth tray has its own microclimate. Technical simplicity is at the heart of our mechanical design.
Our commitment to innovation has continued apace and we have evolved the applications of our technology beyond agriculture to create solutions for a wide variety of indoor environments, developing the Intelligent Grid platform.
The Intelligent Grid uses the same IOT-enabled power and controls platform to manage and monitor lights, sensors, cameras, and communications for complete climate control and reporting. It too has a very simple, clean, and elegant design for application in any commercial building, greenhouse or livestock shed. In contrast to the vertical farm, we use our same core technology through the Intelligent Grid to create whole-space macroclimates.
Both IGS demonstrators are based at the James Hutton Institute, a world-renowned crop, and plant science research facility. IGS and the Hutton collaborate closely to help advance the understanding of plant science for indoor growing.
Until 2018 IGS had invested approximately £7m in R&D to ensure that its platforms offered the greatest levels of control and achieved levels of economic viability, scale, and minimal environmental impact compared to other systems on the market. In 2019 IGS raised £7 million in institutional capital to enter production and take its systems to global markets. We continue to invest over £1m per annum in R&D.
FTS: You have recently shared news of two reseller partnerships – one in the Middle East and one in the UK and Italy with TEP Renewables. Can you tell us briefly a bit more about them?
IGS: We have been talking to International Real Estate Partners (IREP), the international facilities management firm for some time in the Middle East, and we’re really pleased to recently sign this referral agreement which is specifically focused on indoor vertical farming for the UAE and Saudi Arabian markets.
We also have an opportunity to extend into Asian markets in the future. It gives us a greater capacity to service the Middle East market and secure and deploy vertical farming platforms across the region. IREP’s presence in this market is well established with many existing customers across agriculture, retail, and construction and it is a very positive development for both companies we believe.
The agreement with TEP Renewables is an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) or a reseller-type partnership if we identify customers who would like to operate solar-powered vertical farms in Italy or the United Kingdom that we will work with them.
FTS: Fantastic! In the end, any vertical farm (indeed any farm!) is only as environmentally sustainable as its energy equations. But it is also only as financially sustainable as its energy cost. You have focused quite intensely on this energy cost question. As we see this dramatic collapse of fossil fuel energy production return on investment, it seems that NOW is the time to have renewable energy options on hand for CEA. Do you believe that renewable energy can be cost-competitive – both in terms of installation, sustainable life-cycle and with regard to the price of the final product for the consumer?
IGS: We consider a variety of power distribution and supply methods. Renewables can have considerable benefits from an environmental perspective and also specific to grants and other financial support for utilizing renewable energy resources.
The “virtual power plant” capabilities of our systems indicate strong Demand Side Response (DSR) potential. We can manipulate our growth cycles to respond to power availability and respond to inherent instabilities in power networks. This is already having an influence on our engagement in circular energy projects to utilize spare energy for growing and allows for more renewable power sources to be adopted.
FTS: Labor cost is the other biggest outlay for any vertical farm. You have invested heavily in automation. Is the trade-off of increased capital expenditure for automation worth the reduction in operational expenditure for labor, in your experience?
IGS: Absolutely. Driving down the farm gate price is the ultimate goal and while labor costs vary from region to region, we believe that this investment in the automation (and indeed the associated patents) within our growing operations is imperative and differentiates our systems considerably.
FTS: You’ve set about designing modular and intelligent systems. Such a bespoke system offers advantages of course, as we’ve seen above. But it can also present challenges if it cannot be integrated with other equipment and systems later. Do you future-proof your systems to be able to accommodate such updates and integrations over time?
IGS: We have thought about this from the outset, and our systems are designed in a plug and play model, rather than being bespoke as such. Scalability is paramount for our customers and this has been a consideration throughout our R&D development. Rather than using proprietary systems for processes such as sowing and harvesting, we use off-the-shelf equipment and components. This means we can keep startup and maintenance costs down by providing items with which farmers are already familiar. If a section of the vertical farming system needs to be replaced or upgraded, such as a water filter, a lighting panel or a tray, it can be done with almost no interruption.
However, what is also imperative to think about in terms of future proofing, and a hugely important part of our approach, is how we work so closely with the science community to better understand plant light interactions. The level of control we have designed into our hardware systems allows us to flex and adapt as we need to deploy the most up to date plant light information through our software development, which is continuously evolving.
The approach of our software development has also involved maximising security of our systems and ensuring simplicity of operation. This will be continuously updated, but with seamless integration for our customers.
FTS: Along with FTS, you’ve joined a number of other associations and similar collaborative groups. Why is this important to you as a company, and how do you balance the proprietary needs of your company against this desire to cooperate?
IGS: Collaboration and cooperation across this sector is essential. Our vision is that sustainable change will only be delivered not only when we collaborate, but when we are all open and honest about the limitations, as well as the opportunities for this sector. We want to work alongside technology vendors with complementary products, and with growers and producers, supported by science and greater understanding of growing plants indoors, all backed by far-sighted investors.
We firmly believe that through innovation, collaboration and investment we can create an economically and environmentally sustainable global indoor food industry.
FTS: Thanks so much for taking the time to talk with us today. We wish you every success and look forward to working with you in the future.
IGS: Thanks very much indeed. We look forward very much to be part of Farmtech Society as we all move forward in the development and innovation of agricultural technology.
For IGS
David Farquhar
CEO
"Geothermal Energy Will Become Commonplace Sooner Than We Think"
Although geothermal energy, biomass power plants and other alternative energy sources have received a lot of attention since the recently concluded Climate Agreement, it has been the focus of attention within the horticultural sector for much longer
Léon Lankester, AAB:
Although geothermal energy, biomass power plants and other alternative energy sources have received a lot of attention since the recently concluded Climate Agreement, it has been the focus of attention within the horticultural sector for much longer. "Actually, for years growers have kept innovating for a license to produce and energy cost reduction," says Léon Lankester of AAB. "Geothermal energy, in particular, has been increasing greatly in the last ten years and that will only further increase in the coming years."
700 doublets
The national ambitions are considerable. In 2050, according to the Geothermal Energy Master Plan in the Netherlands, 700 doublets must provide nearly 4 million households with geothermal energy and a total of 6 million homes with heat (now there are only 375,000). In the year 2019, there are 20 doublets in the Netherlands, most of which can be found in greenhouse horticulture areas. "The use of geothermal energy started 12 years ago," says Léon. “Far more than the industry and the consumer, in the greenhouse horticulture sector they are looking for alternatives to fossil energy. That is also not surprising, since energy accounts for around a third of the total cost. This shows again that greenhouse horticulture is a creative sector. If you always think about the costs and continuity of your company, you will automatically innovate. That the sector can work together well, also helps. Cooperation is essential for the construction of heat networks."
Process guidance
AAB has been advising on sustainable energy options for more than 15 years. The company guides a grower through the entire process, from idea to realization. "Growers often already have an idea, but they come to us to work it out," Léon explains. “First we discuss why the grower wants to make a sustainability step. Then we look at who will join. Can he do it alone or can he collaborate with neighbors? It is a project that involves a lot of money, so it is important to form a team that is decisive enough to make choices together. Then the next step follows: what exactly are we going to do? Will it be geothermal energy, a biomass boiler/wood boiler or residual heat? A combination is also possible, as we see in Vierpolders. There are plans are ready to expand a geothermal heat project with a biomass installation. In response to the ‘where?’ a good location must be found. Increasingly it concerns combination solutions between the built environment and horticulture. The geothermal sources and the quality of that heat fit very well with the demand of a home when it comes to heat and tap water."
Paperwork
When the plan has been outlined, it is time for the ‘paperwork’. Applying for permits, describing environmental effects and possibly the request to change the zoning plan. Growers like to make considerations in the process, Léon notes. “One grower has more time available to sort things out than the other, so our advice differs per project. The calculation of the plan, the engineering and the construction supervision is almost always awarded to us. We make a business case with a financial plan. With this we try to make banks enthusiastic. In addition, subsidies are used to cover the unprofitable top."
Suitable in the surroundings
The plans regularly encounter resistance from the surrounding area. “Sometimes we have to deal with action groups. It is important to inform the local residents. We do this, for example, by organizing evening meetings for the neighborhood. Furthermore, we always take into account that the design fits in with the surroundings and meets the requirements from legislation and regulations, such as the PAS.”
For more information:
AAB
www.aabint.com
Publication date: 8/23/2019
© HortiDaily.com
How To Afford The Switch To A STEM Career
If you’re unsatisfied with your current career, changing to a career in STEM — which stands for science, technology, engineering and math — might be a solid option
BANKRATE STAFF JUNE 24, 2019
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If you’re unsatisfied with your current career, changing to a career in STEM — which stands for science, technology, engineering and math — might be a solid option.
Employment in STEM occupations has grown 79 percent since 1990, from 9.7 million to 17.3 million and has outpaced overall U.S. job growth. The thirst for STEM workers hasn’t subsided, either. The demand for STEM professionals creates a huge need for new entrants into the STEM workforce.
Transitioning to a STEM career can come with financial barriers, but it can be worth the initial investment in the long run. Personal loans, grants and other sources of funding can mitigate career-change expenses.
Interested in opting for a STEM career instead of your current nine-to-five? We’ll help you understand the financial benefits, obstacles and how to get around any barriers to your STEM-related future.
Why you should consider changing your career
There are several reasons you might change to a STEM career, and they include high salary potential, job satisfaction, positive impact on society and job flexibility.
High salaries
STEM jobs pay out about 70 percent more than the national average, says StratoStar, an education company. More specifically, data from Pew Research Center states that the typical full-time, year-round STEM worker earns $54,745 and a similarly educated non-STEM worker earns $40,505, or 26 percent less.
Though not an exhaustive list, here are the different STEM sectors and possible opportunities within those sectors:
Science: Physics, chemistry, life sciences, geoscience, astronomy, social sciences, environmental studies and biology.
Technology: Information technology, programming, web development, software development, IT architecture, database administration and security and systems analysis.
Engineering: Mechanical, chemical, civil, electrical, management and geotechnical engineer (and hundreds of subcategories as well).
Math: Applied and theoretical mathematics, statistics, calculus, finance and probability.
Growing field
STEM careers are some of the fastest growing, most in-demand career categories, partially because of technology’s constant evolution.
There’s high demand for diverse, talented individuals to seek careers in these well-paid, future-shaping STEM fields. “By far, the greatest labor shortages of women and minorities will be in information and communication technologies,” says Dani Gehm, who works for ChickTech, which engages women and girls of all ages in the technology industry.
STEM unemployment rate is low, and according to the U.S. Bureau of Statistics, STEM jobs are expected to grow almost twice as much as other jobs, at 21.4 percent. In addition, 80 percent of jobs will require technical skills within the next decade.
Job satisfaction
A Pew survey indicated that 66 percent of those working in a STEM profession or teaching felt their job gave them an identity. Only 43 percent of those working in manual or physical occupations and 37 percent of those working in retail or service jobs said the same.
Impact on society
STEM extends beyond petri dishes and coding on a computer. It includes food production, manufacturing and more than meets the initial eye. Its impact on society and current gaps in U.S. STEM jobs are two reasons why many schools so heavily push STEM education. In total, the Department of Education committed $279 million in STEM discretionary grant funds in 2018.
“You can make a material difference in humanity’s quest to increase our knowledge of the universe,” says Jason Gibson, an electrical engineer who worked for NASA then started an online tutoring company helping students in the STEM field. “Whether you work in a factory, a chemical plant, design computer chips or launch rockets, people who go into STEM fields in a tangible way increase the sum total knowledge of our species on this planet.”
Flexibility
Only 18 percent of Americans believe careers in STEM have more flexibility for balancing work and family compared to jobs in other industries, according to Pew.
From virtual physics teacher to technology marketing manager, there are more flexible STEM careers available than you might think. For example, many registered nurses such as case managers or hotline nurses (who answer patients’ questions over the phone) can telecommute.
Here are a few other ideas of flexible STEM sectors and/or jobs:
Software development
Some engineering careers
Medical science liaison
Technical support representative
Affording your career change
Once you’ve decided to make the leap to a new STEM career, figure out whether your new career will require you to go back to school. If so, can you get the degree online? Or will it require attaining an online certification?
Do your research
Research the salary potential and years of school needed for your anticipated career. This will help you with a financial budget and plan.
Any initial investment could be offset by your high-paying career down the road.
However, the costs depend on what stage of your career you’re in and what degrees you’re going after. Do the math to make sure the cost of an educational program or degree will be recouped in the increased salary you’ll earn.
Always look for any grants or scholarships you can find. Grants and scholarships are free money that you don’t have to pay back for college or career school. Grants are often need-based, while scholarships are usually merit-based. Grants and scholarships can come from the federal government, your state government, the college or career school you’re considering or an organization.
You can also consider getting a student loan. Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized loans are great options because interest rates are lower than private loans you could get from a student loan lender.
Finally, visit the schools you’re considering and ask for a full breakdown of all of your potential costs, from tuition to transportation to technology costs and more.
Online learning/certifications for specific skills
Not sure you want to fully go back to school or want to prepare before you do? Many classes and certifications are offered online. You can find both free and fee-based programs to advance your career and knowledge base.
You can find course materials, videos and lecture series through the following free and low-cost programs, some at highly-ranked colleges and universities.
You’ll need a blend of technical and professional skills to make a STEM career switch. In addition to training programs offered from colleges, universities, certificate programs, coding academies and more, take advantage of tech-focused meet-up groups and workshops. Networking is just as important as technical skills and can lead to a job, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.
Creating a new 529 or using leftover funds
A 529 plan is a tax-advantaged investment vehicle that encourages savings for future qualified higher education expenses such as tuition, fees, books, computers, computer software and other supplies and equipment. The advantage of a 529 plan is that while it’s not tax deductible at the federal level, it may be tax deductible at the state level or you may qualify for a tax credit. Check into your state-sponsored 529 plan.
You may still have money left over in a 529 plan if your child didn’t use it all or if he or she didn’t go to college. You can change the beneficiary to yourself by completing a form found on the plan’s website. Note that the beneficiary cannot be changed to a parent if the 529 plan is a custodial 529 plan.
You can also start a new 529 plan for yourself even though you may not have as much time on your side to build savings as you might have with a child’s account.
Grants and funding for going back to school
Don’t forget to see what educational opportunities your company currently offers — your company may pay for you to go back to school part-time. Visit your current company’s human resources office for more details on the particular back-to-school tuition reimbursement program your company offers.
Once you’ve done that, check out federal opportunities for STEM students based on various STEM sectors.
Minority and female resources
There are fewer females in traditionally white male-dominated STEM fields. The National Science Foundation reported that women’s lowest degree shares are in computer sciences and engineering (S&E).
When it comes to occupations, female and underrepresented minority scientists and engineers were more likely than their male counterparts to work in a non-S&E occupation.
Despite these numbers, female and minority numbers in STEM careers continues to increase each year. In addition to searching for grants and scholarships, it’s important to seek out women or minority mentors already in the STEM industry who can provide guidance on entering a STEM career.
Scholarship and grant opportunities for women include:
Society of Women Engineers Scholarships
Women Techmakers Scholar Program
National Physical Science Consortium’s Fellowships in the Physical Sciences
Women in Engineering and Computer and Information Science Awards
Regent’s Healthcare Scholarship for Medicine and Dentistry
Scholarship and grant opportunities for minorities include:
National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering
Xerox Technical Minority Program
Ford Foundation’s Pre-doctoral Fellowship for Minorities
National Black Nurses Association
National Physical Science Consortium’s Fellowships in the Physical Sciences
Regent’s Healthcare Scholarship for Medicine and Dentistry
Other ways to pay
If you can’t get the assistance or funding you need to go back to school, there are a few other possibilities. Look into the benefits of a personal loan over student loans. Personal loans can be used for any purpose and have less stringent requirements than student loans. You also won’t need to verify that you’re enrolled in college when you apply for a personal loan.
Consider a side hustle or an extra job while you’re going to school — or don’t quit your day job so you can pay for your education. Being a part-time student can be a great way to pay the bills.
University of Arizona Greenhouse Crop Production & Engineering Design March 2019 Short Course
By urbanagnews - January 25, 2019
Combine lectures with hands-on workshops at the Controlled Environment Agriculture Center of the University of Arizona on March 11-15, 2019.
Three days of lectures from prominent Controlled Environment Agriculture experts from Arizona and around the country.
A full day of hands-on workshops that focus on different aspects of Controlled Environment Agriculture.
Great Networking Opportunities with peers, industry experts, and educators from all over the world.
Like tending to the vine closest to the wet-wall on a hot day, CEAC’s Short Course may be exactly what your operation needs for relief! Get your questions answered and increase your hydroponic growing know-how at the Greenhouse Crop Production & Engineering Design Short Course – A four day conference, put on by the University of Arizona Controlled Environment Agriculture Center, including three full days of lecture, one day of hands-on training workshops at CEAC, and an optional commercial greenhouse tour at NatureSweet Tomatoes.
Hydroponic Crop Production
Greenhouse Structure & Design
Greenhouse Site Selection
Developing Urban Ag Systems
Medicinal Crops & CEA
Emerging Greenhouse Crops
Sole-source Electric Lighting
Energy Conservation
Environmental Controls
Greenhouse Plant Lighting
Plant Physiology & Nutrition
Crop Layout, Care & Maintenance
Integrated Pest Management
Greenhouse Structure & Design
Organic Hydroponics
Myco-culture & Mushrooms
Business Considerations