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Affinor Growers To Enter Aruban Market With Circular Farming Systems
Affinor Growers Inc. is nearly ready to plant its first seedlings and begin showcasing its vision of sustainable agriculture for a ten-year period
Green Cash Crop Funds
Leafy Greens Growth
Affinor Growers Inc. is nearly ready to plant its first seedlings and begin showcasing its vision of sustainable agriculture for a ten-year period. The company recently announced its lease agreement for a 15,000-square foot greenhouse.
The land is located in Abbotsford, British Columbia, and is reportedly divided between a 15,000-square foot greenhouse operation and a 12,000-square foot composting facility. With the Canadian spring beginning its transition into summer, Affinor Growers Inc. is looking forward to planting its first crops in the greenhouse by July 2021.
The new greenhouse site
Cannabis cuts profit margins differences
According to CEO and founder Nick Brusatore, the greenhouse will use vertical production techniques to maximize space efficiency in the greenhouse. The company currently plans to grow strawberries under one greenhouse bay, romaine lettuce under another bay, and eventually have a craft cannabis operation in another section. Affinor Growers is currently building out and getting ready to submit its craft cannabis license application to Health Canada but is content to begin with food crops for the time being. As Nick explains, his main goal in growing cannabis is to showcase sustainable production techniques and to increase the profitability of the entire system.
“We want to sustain our strawberry and romaine production, but food crops typically have lower margins. The high price of cannabis will allow us to grow even more strawberries and romaine lettuce by washing out the differences between profit margins. That way, we can deliver our products to the market at a good price and high quality.”
Greenhouse features
Continuing in its systems approach to agriculture, Affinor Growers Inc. also plans to reduce waste by composting organic materials and remediating its growing material. Altogether, the greenhouse and composting operation will allow the company to pursue its vision of high-quality, low-cost food production in a circular manner.
The greenhouse will also be completely automated, allowing the company to reduce labor costs by eliminating the need to move plants and materials manually. As Nick explains, the time between removing a crop from the greenhouse and replacing it with a new one takes a few minutes, as the plants are cut in the cooler and the soil replanted with new seedlings before being sent back into the greenhouse.
Vertically stacked cannabis
Entering Aruban market
While the 15,000-square foot greenhouse is located in British Columbia, the company is planning to take its vision into new markets and will begin with Aruba, according to Nick.
Nick explained that after having worked with the people and incorporating Vertical Designs Aruba VBA along with understanding the Country and Government needs after six years learning what is needed to mass-produce plant tissue, he has become attached to the country and has seen the need for circular farming systems. Affinor Growers Inc. will reportedly be building a farm near San Nicholas, in the southern region of Aruba.
Affinor Growers Inc. wants to work with Arubans to provide good jobs and economic benefits to the area. If all goes as Nick hopes, this project and others like it could increase tourism on Aruba’s southern side. Nick also explained that cannabis production is a possibility pending success in licensing application once the country’s laws and licensing are complete, this strategic move that will benefit agricultural capabilities in the long-term through the construction of infrastructure.
“We figured we would grow cannabis because the demand s high, so we can easily build-out. As the cannabis demand settles down globally over the next 5-10 years, the industry will have paid for massive food infrastructure without the government or taxpayers paying for it. In Aruba, we’re going to take a lot of that profit to create food infrastructure,” says Nick.
For more information:
Nick Brusatore, Founder and CEO
Affinor Growers
Publication date: Thu 22 Apr 2021
Author: Rebekka Boekhout
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WEBINAR: Learning Transfer From The Cannabis Industry To The Vertical Farming Industry
We are thrilled to organize a Webinar focusing on the technical aspects and experience of these experts
MARCH 3, 2021
AT 16:00 Central European Time
ONLINE
Register
Critical Lessons: Learning Transfer from the Cannabis Industry to the Vertical Farming Industry
We are thrilled to organize a Webinar focusing on the technical aspects and experience of these experts:
Our speaker Emil Breza is Co-Founder, President, and CEO of AgricUltra™ Advancements Inc. Bringing together his interdisciplinary technical expertise and many years of product development and innovation he introduced to AgricUltra a PlantFirst™ design approach to create one of the industries most advanced Turn-Key Vertical solutions for Controlled Environment Agriculture applications.
Prior to founding AgricUltra, Emil had years of experience in Process Engineering, the Automotive Industry, Professional consulting, and the Military where he honed his ability to identify the root cause of problems and develop solutions that are outside the box.
Our speaker Buck Young is co-founder and Executive Director at CannTx Life Sciences Inc, a Canadian LP focused on leveraging innovation and science to produce exceptional cannabis products and provide solutions to the industry. He is also the CEO of Saed Technologies Ltd, which develops and licenses technologies related to plant propagation, a Board member of Mary Agrotechnologies, and sits on the management committee for a cannabis botanical drug strategic alliance with Devonian Health Group. He is passionate about translating research findings into commercial outcomes, advancing the adoption of precision agriculture, and understanding nature’s pharmacopeia.
Emil Breza
Buck Young
Dr. Joel Cuello
Please register here, there is only a limited number of tickets available.
Register
TAGS: ADVANTAGES OF VERTICAL FARMING AFRICA AGRITECHNICA AGROSPACE AVF WORKSHOP BRAINSTORM THE ECOSYSTEM DESIGNING THE ECOSYSTEM DLG ECOLOGICALLY ECONOMICALLY EVENT FOOD SAFETY FOOD SECURITY FOOD SYSTEM FOODSYSTEM FOOD TRACEABILITY FRAUNHOFER FRAUNHOFER IME HOW VERTICAL FARMING WORKS HUNGER INFARM INFOGRAPHICS INSPIRATIONAL ITALY MOTIVATION OPPORTUNITIES OPPPORTUNITIES PARTNER EVENT REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT RETAIL ROME RZ SOCIALLY SOUTHAFRICA STORYTELLING SUBMISSION SUMMIT SUPERMARKET SUPPLYCHAIN SUSTAINABILITY THE SIX SESSIONS URBAN AG VERTICAL FARMING WORKSHOP WORKSHOP WARM UP
Combining Hydroponic And Aeroponic In Vertical Farming
Growers are finding new ways to drive the efficiency up and the cost down, and one of these solutions is vertical farming.
Generally speaking, horticulture operations can be quite expensive to operate; yet, growers can rely on hundreds of years of knowledge to improve the efficiency, so that those costs go down. At the same time, indoor farming cannot rely on such knowledge, and it is not uncommon to see cultivation facilities with huge bills at the end of the month. As the industry matures, growers are finding new ways to drive the efficiency up and the cost down, and one of these solutions is vertical farming.
LED technology
Nowadays, LED technology has made a huge leap forward, and Alvis Ma, the CEO of GrowSpec claims they are the industry standard. “Growers generally make the switch from HPS to LED for three reasons: increased yield, improved cannabinoid, and terpene content, and energy efficiency,” he explains. Thus, LEDs allow for vertical cultivation, which has a host of benefits, especially when it comes to space optimization.
“The VetriAero Planter system uses a mobile planting rack that reduces the ‘required’ indoor grow space area and extends the plant cultivation space by multiple tiers, maximizing growth space, increasing the yield and thus the profit,” Alvis Ma points out. “And if a grower wants to use one rack only initially, other tiers can be added later on: the helves can be connected to one another so that growers can modify the VetriAero Planter system length according to the size of the room.”
A very peculiar feature of this system is the integration of both aeroponic and hydroponic methods. “Instead of growing in soil, the roots are suspended in mid-air and surrounded by oxygen,” he adds. “The plant roots get misted directly with a nutrient-dense solution that gets sprayed to the roots every 3-5 minutes. At the same time, the remaining liquid at the bottom of our container ensures that, in the event of an emergency, there is still enough nutrient-dense liquid to sustain your plants for up to 48 hours.”
“Commercial indoor cultivation operations can be very expensive,” says Alvis Ma with GrowSpec. “And if you look at the cost of the real estate, added on top of substantial
power bills and staffing requirements, it becomes critical to find a way to increase profit and reduce overhead costs.” Exactly to respond to such a demand, GrowSpec has developed the VertiAero Planter system, a new vertical growing system. “One of the primary reasons why vertical farming is so attractive for growers is the improved performance of current LEDs,” Alvis Ma continues. “This is something that could not happen back in the day, as HPS has been the go-to lights for decades, and they produce a lot of heat; generally speaking, the plants have to be placed a couple of feet away from light to stay safe and healthy.”
Controlling the environment
Indoor growing, especially vertical growing, requires a particularly efficient airflow system to guarantee healthy growth for the plants. This has direct consequences on the growing environment. “Maintaining optimum temperature, humidity, and air circulation is challenging for all cannabis operations,” Alvis Ma remarks. “But in vertical growing, there is even more variability in macro and micro environmental conditions, because more plants make control more difficult.
That’s why the GrowSpec VertiAero’s multi-layer airflow solution improves the airflow rate in the micro-environment of the plant canopy by maintaining consistent plant canopy temperature and humidity, reducing the cultivation potential of harmful pathogens, and increasing the rate of photosynthesis by evenly distributing CO2 over the plant canopy. The system utilizes various sensors to detect crucial data points such as moisture change, for instance.”
Although such a system might sound complicated to use, user-friendliness and easiness of use are very well implemented. “The VertiAero Planter system integrates intelligent control and touchscreen control system so that your business can save up exponentially on overhead costs,” Alvis Ma points out. “At our core, we operate according to the highest standard, combining this with technology that respects our planet.”
For more information:
GrowSpec
Yuxin Industry Zone, Shishan Town, Nanhai, Foshan, Guangdong, China
+86-15914220731
Ontario's U-Bud "Solves Every Problem We've Seen Since Canada Legalized Cannabis"
Ontario Start-Up Solves Every Problem Dedia Has Reported On Since Oct 17th's (2018) Federal Cannabis Legalisation
Company poised to go national providing solutions to cannabis consumers, landlords and condo boards, patients, environmentalists, the budget conscious and others. Local big name media has covered this unique solution that will soon be available Canada wide.
WireService.ca Media Release (12/29/2018)
Hamilton, ON - Providing a unique solution for the many cannabis related problems the media has reported on since legalisation, one small Ontario company is predicting unlimited green - of both varieties - coming their way in the new year. Industry watchers are excited, too.
U-Bud Cannabis Services, a startup that begun in the basement in the small town of Canfield, Ontario - about forty minutes from Hamilton - is about to explode onto the national scene.
They only began operations ten weeks ago - on October 17th, the day the federal government legalised cannabis for adult use. The service is already available in several major cities across the country and is expected to go national by the end of 2019.
The company is the focus of recent stories by CTV News Kitchener, 570 News Radio Kitchener, and the local Metroland weekly newspaper to name just a few.
President & CEO David Kurth has a strong background in sales management working with some of Canada's biggest retailers and his wife, Andria, a nurse, is working as the company's Director of Client Services. Now working with Calgary based partner, COO Andy Buchanan, who brings with him three decades of experience in strategy, risk and operations management, U-Bud is able to present a unique solution to every cannabis problem. It is simple, and yet brilliant.
"We help people legally and safely grow their cannabis," explains Kurth. "We take care of it all. We do an extremely professional set up with all the right grow equipment that they can lease instead of a large initial equipment investment, walk our customers through every single step of growing, do regular follow ups and checkups with them, clients can even request that we come help them through key steps along the way - we literally take them from seed to curing - and then we take it all down, and take it away unless they want to grow again. We take all the learning and guesswork out of it, and we actually guarantee the grow. Our customer is left with typically eight to fourteen ounces of fine, clean, cannabis that they grew themselves."
With their self contained tent virtually eliminating smells that might bother neighbours and U-Bud's professional services removing any risks of fire, mould, and other oft expressed concerns, U-Bud Cannabis Services provide an attractive solution for landlords and condo boards navigating the new legal landscape, too.
Essentially, U-Bud Cannabis Services solves every problem you've heard of since legalisation.
Some of those problems, from different perspectives, that the media has reported on are as below.... U-Bud solves problems that have arisen for:
THE CANNABIS CONSUMER: With stories of long delivery delays, recalls that include mould and bugs in cannabis flower, a no return policy and other customer complaints, it's no secret that many Cannabis consumers in Ontario are dissatisfied with what, to date, is their only legal purchase option - the government run OCS (Ontario Cannabis Store) website.
THE ENVIRONMENTALIST: There are environmental issues, too - in fact, many who live by the mantra "reduce, reuse, recycle" say they can't in good conscience purchase what they call the heavily over-packaged product on offer.
THE BUDGET CONSCIOUS: Additionally, the high cost of cannabis offered for sale on the OCS site is a definite barrier to access for many. When asked to explain, one local said "When I go to a dispensary - or even a few years ago when I'd buy from my friend - they give me a better deal if I buy more."
THE PATIENT: A patient with a two gram a day prescription for serious neurological issues said, "My licensed producer site that I am supposed to use as a medical patient is priced like the OCS site - its the same gram by gram, no matter how much you buy. There's no way I can afford my prescription like that." (U-Bud's David Kurth can attest to that - at first he'd expected U-Bud would primarily be of interest to recreational cannabis consumers, but that he's been contacted by many people with prescriptions for cannabis, "because the price point is much lower.") His wife and business partner, Andria, who comes from a nursing background and works directly with most of the customers says her heart is with the medical patients who truly need an alternative. "It's really important for sick people especially to know how their cannabis was grown. When we help them grow it at home, they maintain control of their own medicine. They often tell me they find that therapeutic."
LANDLORDS AND CONDO BOARDS (AND THOSE WHO HAVE TO DEAL WITH THEM): U-Bud President David Kurth, in a recent interview with Metroland Media pointed out that people often associate cannabis grows with mould, water, and electrical issues that can damage buildings, "What we do is not causing any electrical or water harm or damage. It's all self-contained."
THE BUSY PROFESSIONAL: might be able to afford all the equipment but they can't afford the time to learn the many intricacies to grow their four plants well. With the limited plant count and their limited time, it's nice to have cannabis professionals come in, set it up, and keep an eye on the plants, with a guaranteed grow being the outcome.
Visit U-bud online at:
On Social Media:
https://www.instagram.com/u_budcannabis/
https://www.facebook.com/ubud2018/
Ontario based David and Andria Kurth and Calgary based Andy Buchanon of U-Bud Cannabis Services are all available to the media for interviews.
Media Contact:
Tracy Lamourie
Lamourie Public Relations
lamouriePR@gmail.com
289-788-5881