Danone Among Backers of French Urban Farming Start-Up Agricool

Posted By: Contributor on: December 07, 2018

French urban agriculture start-up Agricool has secured $28 million in its latest funding round, including an investment from Danone’s investment arm, Danone Manifesto Ventures.

In the past three years, Agricool has developed a technology to grow local fruits and vegetables more productively and within small and controlled spaces, known as ‘Cooltainers’ (recycled shipping containers transformed into urban farms).

The Paris-based business said it is responding to reports which suggest that by 2030 20% of products consumed worldwide will come from urban farming – compared to 5% today.

Other investors in the round – which adds to $13 million previously raised – include Bpifrance Large Venture Fund, Antoine Arnault via Marbeuf Capital, Solomon Hykes and a dozen other backers.

With the new funding, Agricool aims to position itself as a key player in the vertical farming sector. The start-up hopes to multiply its production by 100 by 2021, in Paris first, then internationally, starting in Dubai, where a container has already been installed in The Sustainable City.

Agricool said that its challenge, and that of urban farming, is to help develop the production of food for a growing urban population which wants to eat quality produce, while limiting the ecological impact of its consumption.

In a statement, the start-up said: “Agricool strawberries are harvested when perfectly ripe and contain on average 20% more sugar and 30% more vitamin C than supermarket strawberries.

“The production technique makes for strawberries which require 90% less water to grow compared to traditional agriculture, with zero pesticides, and a reduced transportation distance reduced to only a few kilometers between the place of production and point of sale.”

Agricool co-founder and CEO Guillaume Fourdinier said: “We are very excited about the idea of supporting urban farming towards massive development, and it will soon no longer be a luxury to eat exceptional fruits and vegetables in the city.”

Company Finds New Way to Grow Lettuce, Cut Risk of Foodborne Illness

Chris Welch

3:25 PM, Dec 5, 2018

4:16 PM, Dec 6, 2018

The romaine lettuce outbreak has many consumers thinking about where their crops are grown.

One rooftop greenhouse company in Chicago says their lettuce is safer and longer-lasting.

Jenn Frymark, the chief agriculture officer and manager of Gotham Greens, pulls out a head of lettuce and immediately starts to eat it.

"No, you don't need to wash it,” Frymark says. “We don't have that on our package, but there's no reason for me to wash it. I never wash any of our lettuce at home. It's amazing; nothing touches it; it’s so clean.”

Here at Gotham Greens, lettuce is grown differently.  

They do it hydroponically. That means it’s grown without soil, but in a nutrient-rich water. Instead of a traditional farm field, this lettuce is grown on rooftop greenhouses.

Their space on Chicago's south side is the largest rooftop greenhouse in the country.  Because of the controlled environment, crops can grow in a third of the time of a traditional field.

“We're giving this plant everything it wants: the right day temp, the right night temp, the nutrients, CO2 levels, air circulation, the water,” Frymark explains. “I mean, these are very coddled plants and they have everything they need, and they can just grow in this perfect environment and reach maturity very quickly.”

Gotham Greens sells to grocery stores in the Chicago and New York metro areas, as well as select Whole Foods stores. The product goes from the greenhouse directly to grocery shelves in a day and a half.

The company’s lettuce also lasts longer than the traditional grocery lettuce out here. Frymark says their product can last up to two to three weeks in the fridge. Additionally, Gotham Greens prices are comparable to other organic produce.

Frymark also says their method dramatically lowers the risk for foodborne illness.

“There [are] no manures, there’s no water sources that could be contaminants,” she says. “We don't have birds and animals getting into the field.”

She says the company is expanding and plans to open more rooftop greenhouses in the near future.

Indoor Ag Sci Cafe Discusses How Industry and Academia Can Work Together

By

urbanagnews -

October 19, 201801337

This month’s ‘Indoor Ag Science Café’ featured Robert Colangelo, Founder of Green Sense Farms, as a speaker. In his presentation ‘Growing the Vertical Farming Industry – How Industry and Academia can Work Together’, Colangelo discussed the current status of indoor farming industries, gaps and cultural differences between businesses and academia, as well as possible strategies to work together on R&D for common critical technologies. Indoor Ag Science Café is a monthly online forum organized by three scientists (Chieri Kubota, Ohio State U; Erik Runkle, Michigan State U; and Cary Mitchell, Purdue U).

Please contact kubota.10@osu.edu to join the café.

What Is The Best LED Light Recipe?

By urbanagnews -

November 15, 2018

As a result of his postdoctoral research tenure at NASA Kennedy Space Center, Mickens has published two manuscripts on the effect of light quality on ‘Outredgeous’ red romaine lettuce and “Rubi F1’ red pak choi, a Chinese cabbage.

It was found that various combination of colors, or “light recipes” could be used to manipulate plant morphology (shape), yield, and nutrient content of any crop species. It was also discovered that not all plants respond the same to the same recipe, but that each crop has an ideal lighting regime that can be identified, but it all depends on the needs of the grower. Some recipes are more effective only during certain points of the cycle, and some are more beneficial when provided over the entire cycle. We are only at the beginning of discovering the numerous strategies in which light can be used to optimize plant growth.

Abstract:

To optimize crop production/quality in space, we studied various “light recipes” that could be used in the Advanced Plant Habitat currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Lettuce (Lactuca sativa cv. ‘Outredgeous’) plants were grown for 28 days under seven treatments of white (W) LEDs (control), red (635 nm) and blue (460 nm) (RB) LEDs, W + blue (B) LEDs, W + green (520 nm) (G) LEDs, W + red (R) LEDs, W + far red (745 nm) (FR) LEDs, and RGB + FR LEDs with ratios similar to natural sunlight. Total PAR was maintained near 180 μmol m−2 s−1 with an 18 h photoperiod. Lettuce grown under RGB + FR produced the greatest leaf expansion and overall shoot biomass, while leaves from WB and RB showed the highest levels of pigmentation, secondary metabolites, and elemental nutrients.

All other supplemental treatments had varying impacts on morphology that were dependent on crop age. The WG treatment increased fresh mass early in the cycle, while WR increased biomass later in the cycle. The plants grown under WFR exhibited elongation of petioles, lower nutrient content, and similar shoot biomass to the W control. The findings suggest that supplementing a broad spectrum, white light background with discrete wavelengths can be used to manipulate total yield, morphology, and levels of phytonutrients in lettuce at various times during the crop cycle.

Indoor Ag Sci Cafe Discusses Lighting Strategies for Energy Savings

By urbanagnews

November 2, 2018

The second ‘Indoor Ag Science Café’ of this month had Dr. Cary Mitchell, as a speaker.

Funded by NASA and USDA SCRI, Cary has a long research history focusing on energy savings while maximizing crop productivities through his in-depth understanding of plant physiology under controlled environment. 

In his presentation ‘Lighting Strategies for Energy Savings’ introduced his innovative approach to optimize the lighting environment.

Indoor Ag Science Café is a monthly online forum organized by three scientists (Chieri Kubota, Ohio State U; Erik Runkle, Michigan State U; and Cary Mitchell, Purdue U). Please contact kubota.10@osu.edu to join the café.

Big Tex Urban Farms: The Huge Power of Microgreens

By PHILLIP MORALES | November 7, 2018

Posted in: Big Tex Urban Farms.

Have you heard about microgreens lately?  If you have, you’re not alone; they are very trendy right now and are taking the horticulture and culinary scenes by storm!  At the Big Tex Urban Farms we’ve started harnessing the power of microgreens in our greenhouse and during the Fair this year we had the humble opportunity to educate curious people about them.  So what’s the deal with microgreens and why are they all the rage?

WHAT IS A MICROGREEN?

In a nut shell, microgreens – sometimes just called “micros” – are plants that sprouted from seeds that are placed very close together, thus causing a super dense area of growth. Once sprouted, these plants are then only allowed to grow to a very small size and are harvested “young” compared to other plants.  With many varieties to choose from, microgreens come in many shapes, sizes, colors, and flavors.  This broad palette of shapes and colors make them very popular garnishes for chefs to use. They are also a very healthy addition to any diet.

WHAT PLANTS MAKE GOOD MICROGREENS?

Almost any edible plant can be grown as a microgreen but some plants allow for better growth than others.  Most farmers and home gardeners prefer to use leafy greens and herbs for microgreens; like lettuce.  Peas and certain varieties of beans are also popular.  Some of the most standard garden plants make great microgreens, including broccoli, collards, mustard, and basil.  The Big Tex Urban Farms soon plans to add pea shoots and fava beans to our microgreens but we’re already quickly growing collards, mustard, arugula, basil, and radish.  I love the spicy flavor of all of these varieties!

HOW WE GROW MICROGREENS: THE HYDROPONIC METHOD

In the Greenhouse on the Midway, the Big Tex Urban Farms grows micros on long, rectangular 10-inch by 20-inch trays using hydroponics and potting soil.  In the hydroponic method we use a product called a cress plate to start our seeds on.  Cress plates are thin sheets of rockwool (the sheets we use to start our hydroponic transplants with are made of this also!) that fit inside of our trays. Before placing anything on it, we first wet the cress plate then cover it with a thin even layer of seeds.  Seeds are then watered lightly.  If we’re planting several trays of micros, we stack the seeded and watered trays on top of each other, completing the stack with an empty tray on top.  Lastly, we place a small concrete block on top of the empty tray at the top of the stack!  This may sound crazy but it works and here’s why: the weight from the concrete block creates compression and causes the seeds to germinate faster.

After about three days the seeds will be germinated and will literally press upward and lift the top tray up – rock and all.  At this point the trays are spaced out on one of our grow racks and continue growing under LED grow lights until they’re ready to be harvested; usually seven to 10 days.

HOW WE GROW MICROGREENS: THE POTTING SOIL METHOD

Growing microgreens using the potting soil method is very similar to the hydroponic method.  We simply fill the 10-inch by 20-inch trays with potting soil instead of using a cress plate and then repeat the process above.  When all the trays have sprouted we uncover them and put them on a table rather than a grow rack like the cress plate sprouts. These soil based trays are not given artificial light and rely solely on the natural sunlight in our greenhouse to finish growing.  That being said, we do sometimes add supplemental lighting to our microgreens when the short days of winter approach. Potted soil microgreens are usually ready in harvest in about 14 days.

In my opinion, the potting soil method for growing micros is easy enough for anybody to use at home.  A bright sunny windowsill or a shady patio would be an ideal spot to grow micros.  The use of an LED grow light can also allow you to do this anywhere in the home and allow microgreen farming year round.  I particularly like the fact that the potting soil used in this method is compostable and reusable in time.

SMALL BUT POWERFUL

In addition to their flavor and cosmetic appeal micros pack a ton of nutritional value too!  They might be small when harvested but they are filled with vitamins and antioxidants. In fact, it’s said that you can get the same amount of nutritional content from a hand full of microgreens as you can get from a whole head of lettuce.  The Brassica family of plants, in particular, are thought to have strong regenerative and anti-carcinogenic properties so varieties like broccoli, cabbage, collards, and mustard make for super healthy micros.

Eating microgreens can be a quick and easy way to add necessary nutrients to your diet.  Think of micros as living multivitamins.  Consider adding them to your favorite sandwich, wrap, smoothie or juice to get your day started off right.  This time of year you can even use them to accent your favorite Thanksgiving dish!

IN OTHER PARTS OF THE GARDEN

Around the home garden don’t forget that fall is the best time to plant trees and hardy shrubs.  Even things like roses, irises, and berries can be planted now.  To add some color to your landscape, it’s time to start planting my favorite winter flower, pansies, (totally edible flowers by the way) as well as ornamental kale, cabbage, and violas.  Also, be sure to mulch your beds and get ready to winterize those sensitive plants you may be growing as cold weather will soon be here.

Agricool Is 'Growing Food In The Cities Where You Live'

Alex LedsomContributor

Agricool is a Parisian startup on a mission to grow delicious strawberries in inner city areas, at scale and for profit, which can be transported ‘from field to fork’ in just 20 km. What’s more, it’s a sustainable business that be replicated worldwide.

Agricool grows fruit in shipping containers in urban areasAGRICOOL

Agricool grows its strawberries in shipping containers using vertical farming methods; this is where food is grown in vertical shelves or on walls, to maximise the surface area used for cultivation. Founders Guillaume Fourdinier and Gonzague Gru are the sons of farmers from the north of France. As CEO Fourdinier explains, he arrived in Paris at age 20 and it wasn’t long before he was seriously missing ‘quality fruit and vegetables’ from the countryside. Strawberries are notoriously challenging to grow well, he says; they are fragile with a growing cycle and post-harvesting process which can be difficult to manage. Also, with increased urbanisation, more and more food is transported into city areas pumped with pollutants to ensure they survive the journey which usually means they are less tasty. He is convinced that ‘strawberries have got lost in the last 30 years’.

Founders Guillaume Fourdinier and Gonzague GruAGRICOOL

And so the two partners began to see if it was possible to find a way to harvest the highest quality strawberries under urban conditions. Fourdinier is keen to point out that this business didn’t start as a shipping container business — the idea to use containers was much more practical and organic. They had previously used containers on their families’ farms and once they had used up all the room in their apartment, it was ‘the easiest room to find’ and highly functional because the size is standardised, you can transport it easily, and you can scale up profitably.

The inside of a cooltainerAGRICOOL

Growing strawberries in containers is an incredibly technical process with an extraordinary amount of factors to control. The fruit has a three-month cycle; two months from the day of planting to the first harvest, and then there is one month where the fruit can be harvested every day. Climate-wise, the temperature, air humidity and carbon dioxide must all be varied in quantity over the course of the three-month cycle. Agricool uses a closed-loop water system, meaning that they fill a tank for three months and use the same water over that period, which uses 99% less water. When strawberries are grown in a field, they are planted in soil where the roots soak up moisture. Agricool uses aeroponics instead of a soil-based system, where the plants’ roots are directly exposed to the air, taking in moisture from mist sprays. Agricool doesn’t aim for having a completely bacteria-free environment — believing this to be impossible, it grows its own ‘friendly’ bacteria, putting ‘friendly fungi in the water and friendly insects into the containers’, to protect against the risk of damaging insects finding a way inside. In this sense, the containers grow their own antibodies. Finally, the lighting is key. Agricool uses LED lights, not just to regulate the intensity of light but also the spectrum of light that the strawberries receive. Fourdinier says that one of the biggest challenges for vertical farming is to get this intensity just right. And never mind the calculations for the number of bees in bee boxes required for pollination... The one drawback always levelled at vertical farming is the amount of energy it consumes but Agricool counter this argument by using renewable energy. They believe it is better to grow food locally in large cities with artificial lighting rather than transporting produce from far away, where it loses its taste and chalks up the food miles.

Harvesting strawberriesAGRICOOL

The business model is to sell directly to the customer, without a middleman and this strategy appears to be working; French customers have been abandoning poorer quality fruit and vegetables sold in some French supermarkets, and so chains have been very receptive to Agricool’s new agricultural model. The company produced its first box of strawberries in October 2015 and now have over 60 staff.

The strawberries look like artAGRICOOL

Funding came in two funding rounds from European venture capitalists. Its CEO adds that it isn’t possible to be profitable if you are not vertically integrated; that is to say, you must own and produce the products you use in your supply chain. And this has been where the real challenge lies, as to develop the best possible LED light for its containers, in the most profitable way, Agricool has had to develop its own technology. They now design and manufacture their own LEDs, which are three times more efficient for their lighting needs at the energy spectrum they require than other LEDs they could find.

A cooltainer in Bercy, ParisAGRICOOL

Urban vertical farming is incredibly on-trend. Just like like the mushroom farms in New York, people are turning to more sustainable farming in urban areas for the quality and ethos but also the urban aesthetic — under the luminous lights, this fruit looks more and more like art. The difference between Agricool and its competitors is that it believes it has the recipe to scale up. Fourdinier explains,

Indeed, Agricool already operates a container in Dubai from its French headquarters.

The end result AGRICOOL

The downsides are really the same as the upsides in that the opportunities are immense but the technology makes each stage a huge challenge. It isn’t a straightforward business; a truth highlighted by the fact that 70% of its staff are in R&D.

The harvest AGRICOOL

And the statistics are impressive for this startup aiming to ‘feed the cities of tomorrow’. Its strawberries have 30% more vitamins than conventional strawberries and contain 20% more sugar. Its containers can yield 10 times as much as a greenhouse and 120 times as much as a field. And while Agricool is keen to point out that farming today is mostly woods and rice, which are difficult to grow vertically at the moment, it believes in 30 years time, about 30% of what we grow will be farmed in cities, for cities. Today Agricool sells about 200kg of strawberries each week but in one years' time, they expect this to be 2,000kg, ten times as much. As Agricool begins to branch out into tomatoes, which are similar in complexity to strawberries, its slogan ‘we grow food where you live’ has never been more true or more deliciously tempting.

Turn Africa’s Cities into Vertical Farms

Esther Ngumbi 16 Nov 2018 00:00

Aerofarms in Newark, New Jersey, is the world’s largest high-tech vertical ‘farm’. It’s in a 9 144m2 warehouse, which has no sun or soil and uses less water

African cities, according to a World Bank report, are home to 472-million people — almost half of Africa’s total population. This number is expected to double by 2050.

One would expect these African cities to serve as hubs of productivity and hotspots of innovation where solutions to Africa’s problems, such as poverty, hunger and food insecurity, are born, incubated and implemented. One would also expect them to drive economic development and put the continent on a path towards achieving the United Nations’ sustainable development goals.

Yet residents of these rapidly urbanising cities face problems such as rising poverty, hunger, food insecurity and unemployment. 
Such difficulties generate stress for people, but also political, economic and environmental upheavals. These cities are ticking time bombs.

Nigeria, for example, was recently reported to have overtaken India as the country with the largest number of people living in extreme poverty. In another report, two of Nigeria’s cities, Abuja and Port Harcourt, were ranked high on a list of fragile cities. In Kenya, the people most vulnerable to food insecurity live in the cities, specifically in the slums. And the country’s growing unemployment, especially in cities has been described as a national disaster.

Although the problems are enormous, cities can also offer unique opportunities to reduce poverty, deliver prosperity and economic development and tackle other issues that affect agriculture, including climate change. But African cities can be turned into agricultural hubs.

Agriculture is the source of livelihood for many Africans and contributes on average 15% of Africa’s total gross domestic product. It is regarded as the sector that offers the greatest potential for reducing poverty and inequality.

African cites should consider the value of vertical farming. Conventional agriculture has driven many energetic, creative and tech-savvy young people away from the rural areas.

From Aerofarms in New Jersey in the United States and Sky Greens in Singapore to Grow Up in the United Kingdom, vertical farms are becoming part of the fabric of some of the world’s cities. These farms epitomise what innovation can produce.

Vertical farms use sophisticated technology and climate-controlled buildings to grow crops. Because it is a closed system, vertical farms use 95% less water than farming on land. Vertical farming in cities can help to deal with the problems of rapid urbanisation. It also offers urban residents pesticide-free food. And they can provide employment.

Of course, vertical farming also has its own set of unique problems, especially in Africa. These include unreliable sources of energy and water and startup costs are high. But establishing partnerships that include the government, the private sector, universities, research institutions and civil society can counteract these obstacles.

Some African cities are uniquely positioned to establish vertical farming. Take the case of Nairobi, home to Konza Technology City. The government set aside 2  00 hectares of land 64km south of Nairobi to develop this technology hub. Now, what if the city of Nairobi fills this space with skyscrapers that are growing fresh food for urban dwellers? It would be a place where families can go to have intimate encounters with the food they eat and where Nairobi’s unemployed youth would find meaningful work.

Through these partnerships, Nairobi could unlock the power of the city to deliver economic development for its residents and the continent. The city could set the pace for other African cities and put the continent on the path towards achieving sustainable development and prosperity for all.

Esther Ngumbi is a postdoctoral researcher in the department of entomology at the University of Illinois

How-To: Microgreen Growing

November 15, 2018
Nick Greens

Hydroponics

Photo courtesy of CropKing

Are you interested in growing microgreens indoor year round, or for the winter months? This post will help you make the right decisions while growing healthy and nutritional microgreens. Microgreens are most commonly harvested from leafy greens such as kale, arugula, radish greens and herbs. The taste of microgreens depends on the original vegetable. Microgreens have a very strong and concentrated taste of the original vegetable. This means that cilantro microgreens will still taste of cilantro, but with a stronger taste and condensed format.

Here are your instructions:

1. Get a 10 x 20 tray or container. 10 x 20 trays are the best, but my personal favorite are those clear plastic salad containers with a lid. It’s a little harder to harvest, and you may not get ideal air flow, but the lids are nice for keeping the seeds moist while in the germination stage.

2. Get a growing medium such as bio strate, burlap or soil. Pre-moisten your growing medium by soaking in a 5 gallon bucket or a big bowl. Keep the medium soaking for a couple of hours.

3. Place the growing medium in the tray and make sure to flatten the medium with your hands.

4. Sprinkle seeds over the top of the medium. Don’t worry about spacing. You’ll be harvesting so soon that a nice little carpet is what you’re going for. For best results use a spice shaker to spread the seeds evenly.

5. Spray your seeds with a spray bottle or water lightly and then spray the inside of your humidity dome. Cover your tray with the humidity dome and place in a dark location. Covering the tray helps keeps in the moisture, and the darkness helps the seeds to germinate.

6. Remove cover after seeds sprout, which should take a few days. Remove the cover and place in front of a sunny window sill.

7. Carefully water your microgreens. The best option is to bottom water, which is setting your tray with drainage holes in a sink of water and letting the microgreens soak it up. If you top water, be careful not to flatten the tiny greens.

8. Cut your microgreens with a sharp knife, most are delicious after they develop their second set of leaves, and are about 2 inches tall.

9. Eat your microgreens! You can eat them on sandwiches, in stir fry, on pizza, in green smoothies, in salads, or as a garnish or other ingredient.

These are simple and easy instructions for growing microgreens year-round. Microgreens can be a refreshing addition to your food in winter months when fresh produce isn’t always as available as it might be in the summer. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out.

The Indoor Farming Market Is Becoming Increasingly Diverse With A Huge Range of Variants Performing Industries

Mrudula.k October 25, 2018

Indoor Farming Market report gives statistical analysis on current trends, market size and shares, Revenue value and volume within the geographical regions and leading manufactures. Indoor Farming Report lets you to understand the key strategies to survive in the industry during forecast period.

The global Indoor Farming market is expected to register a CAGR of about 14.4 % during the forecast period of 2018-2023.

Indoor Farming Market report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Upstream raw materials, equipment and downstream consumer’s analysis is also carried out. What’s more, the Indoor Farming industry development trends and marketing channels are analysed. Major key players are given in the report are: Aerofarms , Bowery Farming , Contain Inc. , Freshbox Farms , Garden Fresh Farms ,Indoor Farms of America , Philips Lighting

In this Indoor Farming Report development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures. This report also states import/export, supply and consumption figures as well as cost, price, revenue and gross margin by regions and other regions can be added as follows: US, Canada, Germany, France, UK, China, India, Japan

For the sake of making you deeply understand the Indoor Farming industry and meeting you needs to the report contents, Global Indoor Farming Industry Situation and Prospects Research report will stand on the report reader’s perspective to provide you a deeply analysis report with the integrity of logic and the comprehensiveness of contents. Indoor Farming report will provide to the report reader a professional and in-depth industry analysis no matter you are the industry insider potential entrant or investor.

Indoor Farming Market Report Includes these important TOC points:

1. Introduction: Market Definition

2. Research Methodology: Indoor Farming Market size and forecast determination efforts

3. Executive Summary: Interviewing the key executives from the industry

4. Key Inferences: Sources like reference book, directories, and records

5. Indoor Farming Market Overview: Current Market Scenario, Porter’s Five Forces Analysis

6. Indoor Farming Market Dynamics: Drivers, Restraints, Opportunities, Key Challenges

7. Market Segmentation: By Device Type, By Application, By Geography

8. Competitive Landscape: Mergers & Acquisition Analysis, Agreements, Collaborations, and Partnerships, New Products Launches

9. Key Players

10. Future of the Market

Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and overall research conclusions are offered. At the end Indoor Farming report provides major statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the Indoor Farming market.

Worms, Fish Farms, Hydroponics, Aeroponics Help Fuel Oregon Hotel

Author: Nina Mehlhaf

November 19, 2018

PORTLAND, Ore. — Some believe that the future of food combines technology and transparency, so diners know where their food comes from, and that it shouldn't come from far away. A Portland hotel is experimenting with how to do it.

Jeff Brown, the general manager of food and beverage at The Nines Hotel, is leading the charge at his facility.

And he's doing it far from the hotel lobby, and deep underground from the restaurants and kitchens of The Nines hotel.

The Nines, a luxury hotel in downtown Portland, is growing much of its own food in hydroponic facilities in the basement of the hotel. Photos by Nina Mehlhaf, KGW 2018

"Let's go feed our fish," Brown says enthusiastically as he punches in the code to unlock the keypad to a food lab in the sub-basement of the hotel. "These are tilapia, they are about 8 months old," he says of a tank full of open-mouth fish eager for food.

They're part of the farm of the future. The goal for those who embrace food-based technology growing practices is to allow food to be produced even in outer space or catastrophic climate situations.

The fish poop provides nitrate which acts as a fertilizer and is filtered through into water for some small tomato plant and basil starts nearby. It's known as aquaponics.

And hydroponics grows plants without fish, just water, LED lights to mimic the sun and no soil. Lettuce and basil grown in the hydroponic tubs in the basement are being served on the menu at Urban Farmer restaurant, one of the hotel's two signature restaurants.

"This is what I'm most excited about," says Brown as he opens the double doors to a purple-hued lit cabinet, much taller than he is. A sophisticated setup that soon, hotel guests will get to see when it's moved up to a room near the lobby. This is the aeroponics garden.

The Nines, a luxury hotel in downtown Portland, is growing much of its own food in hydroponic facilities in the basement of the hotel. Photos by Nina Mehlhaf, KGW 2018

"So these are just misters and it's just misting the root." It's the same way Matt Damon survived on Mars in the movie "The Martian." Artificial light, mist, no soil. Brown and his chefs have beta-tested 102 types of vegetables, fruit and flowers in the past year, experimenting with which method works best.

"The chefs love that they can grow specific foods and grab it themselves and don't have to worry about foods being wilted or old and they can speak to it to customers, it's the transparency component," said Brown.

"If you think about it, it's simply, it's just seeds, light and water yet people are fascinated by it. We eliminate the carbon footprint this way. But the staff feel like they're part of something bigger. They can contribute to the guest's dining experience."

Another basement-level down, in the hotel's huge trash room, another hotel is humming along. Urban Farmer and Departure, the hotel's restaurants, compost salad scraps, coffee grounds and newspaper into a huge plastic bin for red wiggler worms. The worms eat the scraps and make a nitrate-rich soil that fertilizes the plants in the food lab. The tilapia also eat the worms.

Brown loves technology almost as much as he loves food. He has ideas for augmented reality at the restaurant dinner table as well that would get rid of the high cost and trees of printing menus every day.

"You would get your phone out and look at a marker, that's what they call it, on the table for instance. And the menu would pop up on their phone and you can move it around and learn more about things through other markers around the restaurant. What farm their steak comes from, or more about the process of how their vegetables were grown here in Oregon."

Many of the celebrities that stay at The Nines have requested tours of the food lab and their private chefs that travel with them are fascinated at what the restaurant is doing.

© 2018 KGW

We Are Proud To Be A Media Partner For The Rethink Agri-Food Innovation Week

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Already confirmed to attend Rethink Agri-Food Innovation Week in Singapore (November 27-29) is a powerful mix of regional and global agri-food leaders, investors and innovators.

They are focused on the rich potential for partnerships to accelerate technology innovation and investment across Southeast Asia's agri-food supply chain. Will you join them?

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The programme is designed to maximise your networking time, with themed days to focus your diary and a meeting tool to connect with other delegates in advance.

Book now for a two or three day pass to suit your interest: 

• Tuesday November 27: Crops, Farming and Supply Chain Technology

• Wednesday November 28: Indoor Farming and Sustainable Aquaculture

• Thursday November 29: Nutrition, Health, Protein and the Future of Food 

Roundtables on Wednesday November 28 will feature topics across the entire agri-food ecosystem, hosted by an industry leader. 

We look forward to welcoming you in Singapore.

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An Urban Farm Tower In France

 By DIAN ZHANG

Paris, France-based design firm ABF-lab has designed a highly productive urban farm building that blurs the lines between architecture and nature. Their recently unveiled project--the Agro-main-ville Food-Farm Tower--is going to be the first of its kind in the entire country.

The Food-Farm Tower is expected to break ground this year, and will be located in Romainville, an eastern suburb in Paris. The tower will span over 21,000 square feet, and will take an estimated cost of €3.4 million, or $3.78 million to build.

image via ABF-lab

To maximize agricultural productivity, the ABF-lab decided to eschew artificial light, and let the entire farm be fully immersed in the sun. By making the tower vertical, the designers were able to maximize plant exposure to sunlight, as well as situate the project on a limited plot of land in a dense area.

The Food-Farm Tower will contribute to the local environment by producing hyper-local food, cutting down carbon dioxide emissions, and improving air quality, and will also serve as a public garden for residents in the community,

Emerging as a first in France, a pilot and a conceptual reservoir will propose an infinity of scenarios to be developed with local associations and participate in radiation Romainville city. It will be one of the first neighborhoods to fully integrate the principles of urban agriculture as a catalyst for better living together.

Architects in the ABF-lab hope to raise awareness of urban agriculture with the innovative project, and inspire more people to make eco-friendly contributions. 

image via ABF-lab

image via ABF-lab

Dian Zhang is a data journalist with Hanley Wood's data studio team.

Follow her on twitter @dianzhang_.

What’s The Difference: Hydroponics Vs. Aquaponics Vs. Aeroponics

May 9, 2018

By Heather

Three distinct systems – all vying for the top spot in the niche of alternative growing systems.

What differentiates these three systems from one another? What makes them work? These are the areas that we will be tackling today.

Hydroponics vs. aquaponics vs. aeroponics – which one is the superior system?

Hydroponics

What Is It?

The principle of hydroponics is the oldest among the three because the use of soil-less setups has been around since the age of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

A hydroponics system has two main parts: the grow beds and the reservoir.

The reservoir contains the nutrient solution or the water mixed with various nutrients that plants need in order to grow successfully in the media bed. The grow beds, on the other hand, contain the media and the ‘cups’ that will hold the plants in place.

To clarify, growth media will replace soil in a hydroponics setup. There are many kinds of growth media to choose from: coconut coir, perlite, organic-polymer composites, rockwool, etc.

Among the beginning enthusiasts market, the most popular is coconut coir because it’s 100% organic, expands tremendously with water and can accommodate plants easily – with spectacular results.

Perlite, on the other hand, is hailed as a near-perfect medium for growing plants but it is particularly light, which makes it problematic for flood and drain systems as it can easily float away along with the small current of the water in the grow bed.

Organic-polymer combos/composites like Perfect Starts are becoming increasingly popular because they’re easy to use and are not deformed when germinating plants are transferred from the growth trays to the main growing beds.

And finally, we have rockwool. Rockwool is a type of reusable media as it can be sanitized with steam washing after every growing season.

Rockwool is actually melted rock spun into slabs and other shapes/sizes for the purpose of growing plants.

The main point of contention with rockwool is that it’s not very environmentally friendly and thus, it goes against the main principle of switching to a more environmentally friendly method of cultivating plants.

The type of media used in a hydroponic system is so important because it will dictate the efficiency in which plants will be able to absorb the nutrients from the solution.

One of the key problems with hydroponics is that roots sometimes succumb to low oxygen levels, which predisposes crops to premature death.

A solution that growers have found effective in dealing with poor aeration and oxygen zone issues is combining two kinds of media to get the best attributes of each one.

Our personal recommendation would be to combine 50% coconut coir with 50% perlite.

Perlite is amazing when it comes to absorbing and delivering moisture plus it also improves the overall aeration of the plant’s root area. Both are highly regarded in the hydroponics community and both are also widely available to growers everywhere.

Tip: Coconut coir can be made more effective with the addition of perlite.

Hydroponics Pros And Cons

The main advantage of hydroponics is it’s designed for long-term cultivation of almost any kind of crop.

Commercial hydroponic growers harvest hundreds of kilograms of crops easily using large rockwool slabs.

The system simply works and can be easily expanded if you want to make money off your hydroponics system.

The downside is that with the booming interest in hydroponics in recent years, the price of the chemical compounds needed to create a viable nutrient solution has been steadily rising due to the over-mining of these minerals.

Another problem with hydroponics is that it uses relatively more water because after a time the buildup of salts becomes too much for the system and water has to be replaced so as not to kill the plants.

Also, there is a need to check the electrical conductivity of the water every day to make sure that the pH of the water is just right. Fluctuations in the pH level of the water can damage plants and eventually cause a die-off.

Aquaponics

Aquaponics is a hybrid system that combines the best of aquaculture and hydroponics. System-wise, it looks like a hydroponic system, but instead of relying on a main reservoir that contains a nutrient solution, the source of nutrients will be a vat of live, swimming fish.

How does this work? When you feed fish, the fish will naturally excrete waste. The waste mixes with the water, increasing the ammonia levels.

Obviously, this waste has to be mediated and reduced, so as not to kill the fish. Normally, fish tanks are regulated by biological filters and other types of filters that neutralize ammonia and reduce the impact of feces on the fish.

In an aquaponics setup, water from the fish tank is recirculated throughout the system so that it passes through the grow beds, where crops are steadily being cultivated.

The plants absorb dissolved nutrients in the water and process ammonia, which is highly toxic to fish in increased levels.

Bacteria residing the in the roots of plants, as well as good bacteria from the gut of fish work together to establish a balanced ecosystem where both fish and plants will survive.

After about half a year, the mini-ecosystem formed by an aquaponics setup will begin to show signs of high-level, self-regulation.

This will be the time when both fish and plants will begin to truly flourish. There will be great increases in both fish yield and plant yield, and the maintenance of the system will become even easier.

Tip: Be sure to check the roots of plants for signs of rot.

Aquaponics Pros And Cons

The best thing about aquaponics is you will be essentially hitting two birds with one stone – you will be raising fish and growing crops at the same time.

Fish waste, which is something that is regulated in aquaculture, will no longer be considered a problem because it becomes a sought-after source of nutrition for the plants.

Without fish waste, plants wouldn’t have nutrients.

The plants, on the other hand, will serve as a 24/7 ammonia control center for the fish tank, reducing the ammonia load and preventing toxicity in the water.

Fish are sensitive to ammonia and even a small increase in the ammonia content in the water can cause stress, shock, and disease.

Additionally, aquaponics growers now add red worms to the grow beds to increase the efficiency of waste breakdown and subsequently, the distribution of nutrients to plants.

Red worms are first grown on soil and upon adulthood, they are then soaked/washed and then transferred to the growth bed of an aquaponics setup.

The process of breaking down physical waste into smaller particles through the digestive action of red worms is – you got it right, composting!

Yes, it is amazing to imagine that you can actually compost organic material on a grow bed, on stuff that isn’t actually soil.

But there you have it – red worms do the job quite splendidly.

In addition to helping improve the nutrient levels of the water being fed to the plants, there is another big reason why red worms are now being regularly included in aquaponics systems: e. coli.

E. coli is a common pathogen/bacteria found in fish feces. E. coli infections can bring down a full-grown, healthy adult and bring him to the hospital.

Imagine what a widespread e. coli outbreak can do to a tank full of fish, with no other place to hide from the swimming bacteria.

E. coli colonizes fish feces, so these need to be broken down more quickly to prevent an e. coli outbreak from taking over the system.

Red worms can do this perfectly because they need to eat fish feces to survive.

Is there a downside to an almost perfect system? One of the downsides of aquaponics culture is you have to be very specific with the design of the system so you won’t have to shut it down during the winter.

Obviously, you can’t move large equipment and vats indoors, unless you have a really big house (or garage) but all the same, it’s an issue since frozen water can easily kill fish and winter does the same to plants.

Another downside to the system is even if you only want to grow crops for consumption or sale, you still have to tend to your fish well enough so they don’t continually die off.

Fish care can be learned and if you are a natural hobbyist and if you don’t mind looking at another component in a system, then tending to your fish won’t be much of a problem.

Aeroponics

What is It?

Aeroponics is a variation of hydroponics, but instead of using a grow bed filled with media, the plants are instead suspended, with roots facing a sprinkler system connected to the main nutrient reservoir.

Depending on the plant and the design, aeroponics systems generally use little to no media at all.

Now, you may already be wondering – what is the point of all this?

Why not just use media like everyone else? Why do you have to install a sprinkler system that periodically sprays the roots of plants with the nutrient solution?

It all boils down to oxygen. Believe it or not, even if the roots of the plants are down there in the soil, these still need oxygenation in order to thrive.

One of the limitations of hydroponics is because the roots are also submerged in water and the media, there is often poor oxygenation, which hampers plant growth.

Aeroponics solves this problem by completely liberating the roots of the plants and allowing it to come into contact with pure air.

The results are astounding.

Crops grow two to three times their normal size and yields are simply amazing.

Root formations are also incredible. Normally, the taproot of plants only have a moderate amount of root hairs around them.

In plants grown using the aeroponics method, the roots flourish widely and the root hairs become really thick – a tangle of healthy root hairs just enjoying the exposure to oxygen.

Aeroponics Pros And Cons

As with any system, aeroponics has its own set of ups and downs. The main advantage of this system is crops grow incredibly quickly and the yields are high.

If you are after high yield and shorter growing periods, aeroponics is certainly something to think about, especially if you are already investing in equipment and space for this endeavor.

Aeroponics also uses the least amount of water over time and all excess water that isn’t used by the roots of the plants are simply drained back to the nutrient tank.

Tip: Always have backup power and an extra pump in an aeroponics setup.

The nutrient tank is checked daily, much like a conventional hydroponics system.

The pump and spray system is submerged in the water and through a simple timing mechanism, is able to deliver short mists of water to the roots of the plants.

And now for the downsides. Room air doesn’t store water, even if it’s really humid. Humidity is not enough to sustain the roots of plants at all.

Aeroponics is extremely dependent on the misting system. If something should happen to the misting system, then the plants can die easily as a result of dried up roots.

To avoid this, you have to plan ahead. The misting system needs to have backup power and you need to have a backup misting system too, in case the first one fails for some reason. This usually means having an identical pump waiting in store to replace the main once it breaks down.

The misting heads also need to be checked periodically for clogs. We recommend replacing these misting heads instead of just cleaning them to get optimum results.

Remember – your plants are at the mercy of the misting system. They’re not submerged in water and plants are like fish out of water when there’s periodic misting taking place.

Growing Crops that Demand a Lot of Light?

September 18, 2018
GIE Media Horticulture Group

If you’re growing crops that thrive under high light levels, then it’s time to consider the new Philips GreenPower LED Toplighting High Output. This new LED module offers photosynthetic photon efficacy 2.8 – 3.0 μmol/J-1   

The new Philips Toplighting High Output offers unique growth advantages for any crops that need high-intensity lighting either as a direct replacement for traditional lighting systems or as an energy-efficient supplement. 

• Improve color, shape and taste with crop-specific light spectrum
• Minimal heat radiation giving you greater control over grow climate
• Accelerates the growth cycle to enable more efficient use of grow space
• Maximize revenue opportunities with year-round growing
• Energy efficient reducing your energy and operational costs
• Lower maintenance costs compared to HPS
• Three spectral options
• UL/CSA approved

Propagating Floriculture Crops Under Sole-Source Lighting

September 18, 2018
Leontiene van Genuchten

In the last 10 years, many companies have sprung up to grow herbs and greens in climate-controlled vertical farm or city farm facilities which are daylight-free. As a plant specialist for floriculture with Signify(formerly known as Philips Lighting), I’ve watched these developments with great interest. But I have wondered if a vertical farm can also benefit cultivation of young plants from floriculture crops. 

Cultivating floriculture crops without daylight

Growing plants under daylight is the standard practice in conventional greenhouses. But as the popularity of vertical farms has increased, we as plant specialists have been asking ourselves if it is possible to grow floriculture crops without the influence of daylight. Why would growers want to do this? In a greenhouse, the sun affects both the amount of light that the plant receives as well as the temperature and humidity of the growing environment. A controlled environment removes the influence of daylight on the plant’s growth. This would allow growers to strictly control the growing climate to best meet the needs of each plant throughout the day.

Cultivating in a controlled environment also allows growers to optimize other factors, like plant quality and growth speed, and reduce water usage. Since fewer diseases and bacteria come into the controlled environment, vertical farming can also help stop the use of insecticides and fungicides.

Set-up of floriculture trial

These benefits prompted us to conduct a floriculture trial in our climate-controlled test facility at BrightBox in Venlo, The Netherlands. Most of the requests we receive are from growers of young plants, so we ran a trial on the propagation phase of flowers. We chose a wide range of annual and perennial plants, including begonias, petunias, calibrachoas, dianthus, gerberas, celosias, alternatheras and impatiens.

For this trial, we translated the cultivation conditions of a greenhouse to a climate-controlled environment and added the experience of our colleague City Farm plant specialists. Light levels were chosen based on the reference greenhouse environment with daylight, as well as scientific literature and the experience of growers. The light spectra used in the test were aligned with a number of growers to meet their quality standards for the different varieties of flowers. Growth speed is one requirement from growers, but good plant quality is the first priority. In this case, a plant is considered good if it has a compact shape, enough leaves and branches and a good root system. In addition, a good plant should be able to quickly establish roots and bloom as it moves to its next growth phases.

By drawing upon our experiences and the scientific literature we were able to extract enough insights to develop light recipes that would produce these plant characteristics. For example, many plants react to a higher amount of blue light by becoming more compact. The length of the internodes becomes shorter. Some plants benefit from far red light by germinating faster and developing stronger roots, while other react by bolting and drooping.

Read the results of our trial on the Philips horticulture blog

Leontiene van Genuchten is plant specialist at Signify (formerly known as Philips Lighting).

5 Steps For Setting Up A Valuable LED Lighting Trial

2018
Philips Lighting

76% of growers growing under LEDs agree that LEDs have improved the quality of crops at their location

If you’re thinking about taking the first step with LEDs, the process can seem daunting. There are so many claims and so much information being shared that you may find it difficult to wade through the information with confidence and true understanding. 

The reality is that LED technology is here, and regardless of the crops you grow, it’s time to begin seriously thinking about and preparing for the eventual transition to LEDs that will take place in your greenhouse operation. 

You can begin the transition by starting with a small trial area in your greenhouse operation. As with other processes in the greenhouse, it isn’t quite as intimidating when broken down into smaller, more manageable steps. Follow these five steps to set up this trial area.

Step 1: Identify your challenge.

Some crops have higher values, meaning they generate more revenue or higher margins, than others. It could be that there is a high demand for a specific crop or that a crop brings in higher margins but presents some unique challenges when growing. Consider the following factors when selecting the crop/cultivar for your trial:

• Production volume

• Economics of production

• Propagation challenges

Step 2: Determine a location to set up your trial.

Select a location in your greenhouse, ideally in a typical growing area. To get an appropriate sample size and maintain environmental conditions, it is recommended that the trial area for plug trays be approximately 1,000 to 1,500 square feet. If you’re conducting a lighting trial over potted plants, a larger space may be required.

Step 3. Set up comparative lighting scenarios.

You’ll want to work with a lighting supplier to determine the best way to set up a trial that allows you to compare your current lighting situation to a new lighting scenario.  

Start by measuring the inside light levels of your current lighting and compare them to the daily light integral (DLI) for optimal growth of the crop being grown in the trial. This will help you determine if part of the lighting trial is to track the results of delivering increased light levels, or if the trial is to see the results of growing under a different spectrum. You want to see the effect of more light as well as understand the crop response to the focused red and blue spectrum of LEDs.

Step 4. Track the results.

Plan to track the data to not only document the effect on crop growth but also to understand how other crop inputs are affected by the LED lighting. Note adjustments that are made. It is recommended that measurements or data be recorded once a week. (See chart.) Be sure to have the same person measure and record the data at the same time every week during the trial. 

Also, take side-by-side photographs of the crops to capture the difference in rooting, basal branching, coloration, speed of flowering, etc.

 Step 5. Review the trial results

Let the results inform your decision. Did you see an uptick in the fill rate? Did you note faster flowering? Were you able to decrease the application of PGRs? Once the improvement in crop growth is translated into quantitative and/or qualitative results, you can then calculate the true ROI of an LED installation. This information will help you develop a plan for converting to energy-efficient LED lighting. 

Check out this video of John Bonner, owner of Great Lakes Growers, explaining how he conducted a trial to compare and evaluate growing lettuce under HPS to growing under LEDs.

Ready to give LEDs a try? Contact a certified Philips LED horti partner to get started. Learn more about Philips horticulture products.

Container Farms: A New Type of Agriculture

August 20, 2018 6:00 AM, EDT

Innovators within the produce industry are breaking the boundaries of food production — by growing crops not in fields, but in recycled shipping containers.

This modern twist on farming is designed to bypass some of the challenges and restrictions that farmers traditionally have faced, such as extreme weather, pests and limited growing seasons.

By overcoming these limitations, farming operations are capable of producing more food and growing certain crops in regions that other­wise would have had to import them.

By growing this food locally, suppliers are able to cut out the long travel distances often necessary to transport these foods to certain markets.

According to Jeff Moore, vice president of sales at produce supplier Tom Lange Co., shorter ­travel distances provide numerous benefits, such as fresher product, reduced transportation costs, less waste and fewer empty shelves at markets.

The use of innovative farming methods also is being pushed in Canada. Grocery retailer Loblaw Companies Ltd. announced plans to spend $150 million more each year with Canadian farmers by 2025. As part of that effort, the company pledged to help farmers implement growing techniques that will enable them to produce fruits and vegetables in Canada that the country has traditionally imported.

Freight Farms and Tiger Corner Farms are two companies that are growing produce in shipping containers through the use of hydroponics and aeroponics — methods of growing plants without the use of soil.

Freight Farms is working with NASA to find ways to grow produce in space. (Freight Farms)

Both companies use nutrient-rich water as a substitute for soil, but beyond that, their container farms are quite different.

Tiger Corner Farms’ farming units consist of five shipping containers; four are used for farming and the fifth one is used as a working station where the plants germinate and as a post-harvest station.

Tiger Corner Farms, based out of Summerville, S.C., is a family company that began with the combined interest of Stefanie Swackhamer, the general manager, and her dad, Don Taylor.

Through Grow Food Carolina, a nonprofit organization focused on preserving farming in South Carolina, Tiger Corner Farms has partnered with two other companies: Vertical Roots and Boxcar Central. Tiger Corner Farms manufactures farming units from recycled shipping containers, Boxcar Central works on the automation of the hardware and software used for these container farms, and Vertical Roots deals with the production of the produce.

With Tiger Corner Farms’ shipping container farms, Vertical Roots can increase food production. Having 13 farms in total, Vertical Roots is able to produce about 40,000 heads of lettuce in about half the time it would take a traditional farm.

Vertical Roots sells its produce to grocery stores such as Whole Foods and Harris Teeter.

Vertical Roots says it can produce 40,000 heads of lettuce in about half the time of a traditional farm. (Tiger Corner Farms)

For Vertical Roots, founded by Andrew Hare and Matt Daniels, working with Tiger Corner Farms was a no-brainer.

“Providing cleaner, fresher, better access to food was something all four of us were wanting to do. They wanted to provide jobs and educate people on the importance of sustainable agriculture, and we wanted to do the same thing,” said Hare, Vertical Roots’ gen­eral manager. “We wanted to bring transparency and education and empowering our com­munity in knowing where their food comes from and how important the freshness and quality is.”

Meanwhile, Boston-based Freight Farms offers a hydroponic “farm in a box,” dubbed the Leafy Green Machine, built entirely inside a single 40-foot shipping container.

The company, founded in 2010 by Brad McNamara and Jon Friedman, also offers a farming service and mobile app, Farmhand, to aid farmers in monitoring their farms.

Freight Farms’ customers range from individual farmers to universities and corporations.

One of those customers is Kim Curren of Shaggy Bear Farm in Bozeman, Mont., which provides local restaurants with leafy greens that aren’t grown in the region.

Someday, hydroponic farming might even play a role in space exploration and colonization.

Freight Farms is working with NASA and Clemson University to improve the efficiency of its farming units in the hopes of eventually using them in space.

Joshua Summers is one of the professors at Clemson that worked on the project. Professors Cameron Turner and John Wagner and students Doug Chickarello, Malena Agyemang and Amaninder Singh Gill also worked on the project.

Lettuce grows inside a climate-controlled container farm from Tiger Corner Farms. (Tiger Corner Farms)

In order to enable the farming units to work in space, the Clemson team is focusing on making it a closed-loop system by looking at thermal and electrical loads of the LED lights as well as the heating, ventilation and air conditioning unit.

While working on this project, there is one major issue that Summers said needs to be taken into consideration.

“One of the major issues in moving into space is gravity. As you move away from gravity, a lot of their growing patterns are based on plants growing in a specific way,” Summers said. “Now you don’t know exactly how they are going to grow, so it’s going to be a bit more random, so we have to change some of the geometric layout to make it more efficient in terms of volume.”

Clemson, NASA and Freight Farms are working on a new proposal to continue this project.

Through its work with individual farmers as well as organizations such as NASA, Freight Farms is taking steps toward its goal of empowering anyone to grow food anywhere.

Farm in a Box

September 2018

WRITER: 

Stratton Lawrence

(Clockwise from top left) A lighting system nurtures infant greens; Tiger Corner Farms general manager Stefanie Swackhamer and her dad, AmplifiedAg CEO Don Taylor; green oak lettuce, nearly ready to harvest.

For conscientious eaters, the holy trinity of organic, local, and in-season can be difficult to come by. Leafy greens, in particular, are tricky to grow in the Lowcountry, and thus tough for the likes of schools and grocers to obtain. Local start-up Tiger Corner Farms has a solution: aeroponic farms built inside shipping containers, where humidity, light, nutrients, and carbon dioxide levels can all be controlled, yielding a year-round supply.

Controlled environmental agriculture is booming nationwide, but Tiger Corner has an edge: it’s part of a parent company called AmplifiedAg founded by former Benefitfocus CTO Don Taylor. AmplifiedAg’s two other divisions are Boxcar Central, an automation software platform that lets users dial in exact specifications for any plant, and Vertical Roots, whose growers operate farms in Summerville, off Clements Ferry Road, and outside Daniel Island eatery Dockery’s (which serves the greens).

“We have a continuous feedback loop that allows us to quickly make adjustments to our product to best serve the farmers,” says Tiger Corner general manager Stefanie Swackhamer about Vertical Roots, which sells to GrowFood Carolina and retailers like Whole Foods, Harris Teeter, and Earth Fare. They also supply greens to Dorchester District Two schools, and “This school year, we’re implementing a farm at Ashley Ridge High School to allow students to get involved in the growing process,” says Swackhamer.

Head Count

How many farms—and leafy green plants—is Tiger Corner Farms producing? Take a look at the numbers:

A full, turnkey farm—including 4 pods and a “clean room”—takes about 4 weeks to build and costs $550,000.

Each pod yields 3,800 to 7,000 plants (depending on variety) per month.

Tiger Corner has built 18 pods since 2016, making its very first sale to The Citadel.

Resources: 

Photographs by (4) Melissa Sommer

Whole Foods Supplier Embraces Robotic Farming

By PYMNTS

2018

To supply retailers such as Whole Foods and U.S. Foods with greens, 80 Acres Farms is constructing a “fully automated indoor farm.” The project’s reported cost is in the range of $10 million to $15 million, CNBC reported.

“With the … facility, we will achieve the next-generation of indoor vertical farming,” 80 Acres Farms’ CEO and co-founder, Mike Zelkind said. “This project will deliver our proof of concept that indoor farming can be fully automated, commercially scalable, higher-yielding, and profitable.”

The first phase of construction will bring grow centers that can make products such as kale, culinary herbs and microgreens. Then, three more phases could follow. In all, the facility could grow to over 150,000 square feet — or roughly 3.5 acres.

Another vertical farming company, Smallhold, works sort of like a nursery to expedite the growing process. The company grows the produce — mushrooms, at the moment — three-quarters of the way. Then it delivers the almost-grown produce to their customers, who finish growing the fungi in their vertical growing units. The company also helps customers create the right growing conditions with WiFi enabled units that allow Smallhold to monitor and control them remotely. As a result, customers simply have to pick and serve the produce.

Smallhold’s farms also reduce the environmental impact of growing produce. Their farming units reportedly create 40 times the output per square foot compared to a traditional farm, and use 96 percent less water, according to the company.

Smallhold is not the only urban farming concept in the U.S. Boston-based agricultural tech company Freight Farms grows produce inside of shipping containers. One freight farm can grow approximately two acres worth of produce, according to the company, and that can either be sold direct to consumers (D2C) or through partnerships with local distributors, restaurants and grocery stores.