How Can New York Meet the Challenges of Urban Agriculture?

How Can New York Meet the Challenges of Urban Agriculture?

SEPTEMBER 21, 2017 LOUISA BURWOOD-TAYLOR

On the final day of AgTech Week in New York City, a panel of local experts got together to think about how the city can embrace, promote and foster urban agriculture.

New York is one of the leading cities in the US for urban agriculture, with a plethora of initiatives from hobby community gardens to commercial rooftop farms to high-tech indoor vertical farms. But there is still a long way to go until the city provides wannabe urban growers with the support they need to make locally grown produce a permanent and significant part of the city’s food supply.

Before the panel commenced, Henry Gordon-Smith, a celebrity in New York’s urban agriculture scene and founder of consultancy and content businesses Agritecture and Blue Planet Consulting (now Agritecture Consulting), set the scene by offering some insights into how other cities in the world make a success of their urban agriculture initiatives.

In Cuba, for example, 3.2 tonnes of organic food was grown in urban farms in 2002. Individuals are incentivized economically to grow food, but there are also rules around what they can grow in each location, depending on what else is being grown nearby to ensure diversity in the food supply.

Japan’s weekend farming program brings families out of the city and into the surrounding countryside to help grow food, connecting them with the source of their food and providing them some often needed respite from city life. There are also programs to get their help at indoor grow operations too.

And in Canada, urban farmer Curtis Stone has borrowed or rented unused land to produce food at scale, making the most of untapped resources in the city, and rules around vacant real estate lots.

“How can we have our own brand and approach to urban agriculture in New York City?” he asked the audience.

What are the main challenges for urban agriculture in New York and what can the city do to alleviate them

1. Access to Land and Space

This can be a real inhibitor at the early days of a project, but also when the operator wants to scale, moving from 1,000 sq ft to 10,000 sq ft is very difficult, said Gordon-Smith.

The difficulties mainly lie in permitting and the delays inherent in the system. There is also lack of available information about the availability of space for urban farms.

Gordon-Smith and Tatiana Pawlowski, a law clerk at Braverman Greenspan and expert in zoning laws, blamed permitting challenges to a lack of understanding in the department of buildings about urban agriculture. “The department does not know how to handle an application for an urban farm. The zoning code itself is very hard to read and it’s very long. It hasn’t been updated since 1962 and the phrase urban agriculture doesn’t exist! There is some brief talk about raised truck beds and community gardens, but the law is very silent on what exactly can and can’t be done.”

Gordon-Smith added: “There is a lot of interpretation of code needed before permits can be awarded, but for operations, timing is critical to get investment as investors won’t support a project if you can’t secure a space.”

There is also a lack of concrete, and available data and information about where vacant spaces might be and how they’re utilized, or not.

“People might not know that technically farming is allowed in commercial and industrial districts,” Pawlowski said.

What Can NYC Do?

Create a well-organized, centralized place for all data and information about finding and securing space in New York that’s readily accessible.

“Modernize and organize the information available so it’s readily accessible for urban farmers, particularly small-scale scale community residents,” said Tatiana.

None of the panelists suggested this outright, but it sounds like the city could do with updating its zoning laws too!

Rafael Espinal, council member for Bushwick and East New York, agreed that urban farming initiatives were struggling to get seed funding they need because investors are afraid to invest in a city which has “not yet taken a leading role in recognizing the work that’s being done in this area.” He added that he has introduced a bill to “force the city to sit down and take a year to figure out what challenges we’re seeing for urban agriculture in terms of zoning or incentives as the city must get engaged at that level.”

2. Access to Basic Talent

Finding entry level talent, with some training in food safety and other relevant skills, is very challenging, according to all the panel members. It also represents a significant portion of an urban operation’s cost base.

What Can NYC Do?

Gordon Smith suggested that the city could develop a training program to help develop a diverse skillset among potential workers to strengthen the urban ag industry, but that there might need to be a financial incentive attached to it, particularly as labor is one of the leading operational costs of urban farming.

Alex Highstein, corporate development at AeroFarms, which is based in New Jersey, said New Jersey has some initiatives like this. “We work with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. They have a program called Grow NJ which gives us tax incentives for hiring, and we’re also working with the city of Newark to source labor from fantastic places like the veterans program, and the re-entry program. They help train them, particularly where there are big gaps in knowledge such as around food safety.”

3. Lack of Awareness About Benefits of Local Food

Governments do not put local food first, which limits the ability to promote urban agriculture among the population to bring new talent and expertise to the sector. 

Highstein agreed that people in New York “often lack a connection to what they’re eating; if we could spread the idea that this food was grown the next street over, those people would value their food more.”

What Can NYC Do?

Work with industry, incubators, and farms to spread those ideas around the importance and value of locally grown food.

“We need more carrot to get groups involved and excited about promoting urban agriculture to help it accelerate,” said Gordon-Smith.

4. Energy Costs and Carbon Footprint

There is a certain amount of resistance to indoor farming from some quarters of the city, namely around the high use of electricity to light and heat indoor farming facilities, and therefore the potential for added pollution. Developments in LED lighting are aiming to increase efficiency, but it’s a significant cost-base, economically and carbon emissions-wise.

Council member Espinal said: “We get lots of emails from people who are against expanding urban ag as they say it will require more power and create more plumes. There is not enough green energy produced, pushing reactors to create more power to feed indoor farm lighting.” 

What Can NYC Do?

“We need to continue pushing for ’80×50′, which is a New York pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050,” said Espinal. “But to do this the city needs to change the grids to accept solar and wind energy.”

Highstein also suggested incorporating hydroelectrical energy.

Panelists argued that protesters also need to be better educated about the environmental benefits of urban agriculture, something the local government could help with.

“People forget about the benefits of outdoor rooftop farming and the amazing effect it has on mitigating the heat island effect, where black tar rooftops create heat, requiring more energy to cool buildings down,” said Pawlowski. A green roof can bring temperatures down by a couple of degrees, which is significant, and not only fits with the 80×50 plan but is also good for air quality.”

Harrison Hillier, hydroponics manager at Teens For Food Justice said that just looking at energy consumption was only part of the broader picture, pointing to the food security indoor operations can bring in the face of natural disasters, and the reduction in the use of harmful chemicals and pollutants causing negative ecological impacts across the country.

Anonymous Donor Gives MCC $500,000 to Develop Urban Ag Degree

Anonymous Donor Gives MCC $500,000 to develop Urban Ag Degree

[Friday, August 25, 2017]

An anonymous donor has given McHenry County College $500,000, facilitated by the McHenry County Community

Foundation, toward the first phase of an effort designated to promote sustainable urban agriculture education in our community. The project "Transforming Sustainable Agriculture Enterprises in McHenry County through the Delivery of Innovative Education," will provide experiential learning related to intensive, organic food production, business management, and marketing.

During a two-year pilot program, the new funds will be used to research sustainable agricultural trends and practices, develop programming to support the needs of farmers, facilitate partnerships across the agricultural community, and promote the use of sustainable practices and food production in the region.

"This generous donation will help us expand our horticulture programming and facilities in the area of urban agriculture and local food crop production," said Bruce Spangenburg, horticulture instructor and department chairman. "We look forward to further developing the educational efforts of MCC related to growing local sustainable food crops to better serve residents throughout the area."

According to MCC President Clint Gabbard, Ph.D., the grant allows the college to continue its mission of providing new career opportunities.

"Our vision is to assist the region in continuing the transformation from industrialized farming to sustainable, innovative micro-agricultural enterprises that offer both career opportunities for individuals and families, as well as pathways to viable urban and rural food resourcing," Gabbard said.

A key component of this initiative is to strengthen educational and career pathways in food systems and sustainable agriculture. The goal is for students to learn small-scale organic food production in a farm setting, year-round; learn how to develop and apply sustainable, profitable models for processing and marketing food with area restaurants, grocers, distributors, and farmers' markets; apply economic, agronomic, environmental and social aspects of farming operations; and learn how to incorporate entrepreneurship principles and practices into sustainable food systems.

"I am excited that this grant will allow MCC to expand the Urban Agriculture program in a meaningful way," said Terri Berryman, executive dean of Workforce and Community Development at MCC. "As a community deeply rooted in agriculture, MCC will be positioned to help our future farmers sustain and grow this rich tradition. We are already offering cutting edge learning in the area of hydroponics and aquaponics and this will allow us to expand curricular offerings and facilities to include season extension methods and partner with our culinary department in the areas of food production and preservation."

MCC will promote partnerships with Loyola University’s Institute of Environmental Sustainability, McHenry County Farm Bureau, McHenry County Soil and Water Conservation District, the University of Illinois Extension, and other local organizations dedicated to agricultural and environmental sustainability. The project builds on the recommendations of recent local and regional planning efforts that highlight the need for investing in sustainable local food systems in Illinois. The McHenry County Food and Farmland Assessment Report, published in 2013, cited the importance of educational institutions providing training for current and future farmers and chefs, stating that such efforts are critical to promoting a sustainable local food system and the economy in the county.

According to a report published by the Community Food Security Coalition, sustainable and locally-generated food production are becoming increasingly viable alternatives to industrialized agriculture. Local, sustainable food production results in significant societal benefits, including promoting economic and community development, increasing food security, and improving public and environmental health. However, in the Chicago region, few opportunities currently exist for farmers to obtain the agricultural, business management, or marketing skills needed to be successful. There are even fewer opportunities to pursue either a two-year or a four-year degree in the field of sustainable agriculture. This initiative will respond to these challenges by promoting greater economic opportunities for current and aspiring farmers, and creating educational pathways for students in the burgeoning sustainable agriculture job market.

Enoch Ashley's Analysis of The Indoor AG Industry

Enoch Ashley's Analysis of The Indoor AG Industry

September 2017                                                   Volume 1    

Introduction

Following a summer of explosive growth, many investors, engineers, and farmers are asking themselves “What is next?” in the indoor ag industry. There is a predicted 31.6% compound annual growth rate for the vertical farming market for 2017-2025. Although there has been much speculation about the long-term industry growth, it is fitting to first look at what exactly unfolded during the summer of 2017, and why so many industry professionals are acknowledging that the momentum is irreversible.

Domestic Trends (US)

The story dominating most headlines was the massive $200 million investment into the commercial indoor farming startup, Plenty backed by the SoftBank Vision Fund and Amazon Founder, Jeff Bezos among others. Bezo’s investments didn’t stop with Plenty after Amazon purchased Whole foods for $13.7 billion. This is consistent with Bezo’s strategy of streamlining the monopolization of retail marketplaces in the United States by consolidating the supply chain infrastructure from indoor farms directly to the grocery stores to bring unbeatable prices to the market. This was made evident by Amazon reducing Whole Food’s prices by 43% on its first day. Food retailers and meal kit companies such as Blue Apron are expected to continue downsizing in response to Bezo’s aggressive entrance into a industry. Blue Apron’s fledgling IPO saw a stock drop of 12% after Amazon filed for a trademark application for meal kits. On the East Coast in Brooklyn, Kimbal Musk, brother of Elon Musk raised over $5 million seed funding for Square Roots, the Brooklyn-based indoor farmer training program and container farm.

International Trends

The indoor agricultural revolution continued to make waves around the world beyond the United States. China, recently approved new types of genetically modified corn to be imported into the country. This marks a major cultural shift as the population is slowly accepting these technologies to address their food needs of their growing population. This trend is expected to thrust investment funding into the Asian superpower as indoor agricultural is looked upon as a viable solution. The middle East felt shockwaves after the UAE banned much of the produce grown in their neighboring countries. Former US National Security Council Director for N. Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, and now consultant for Middle East governments, David Scott, commented, “In the event of a global food crisis, those kinds of locations would be just as likely to stop the export of food as any other." South Korea is now building a $10 billion agriculture city in Egypt. The countries investing in indoor agriculture now are not just being sustainable, but are making defensive investments as the water wars continue to ravage the Middle East.

Reflection

The Forbes Agtech summit in Salinas, California highlighted major trends in the agricultural industry. Computer vision startups utilizing machine learning and artificial intelligence are experiencing impressive funding rounds that automate the historically haphazard process of diagnosing plant health. Consumers have an insatiable desire for transparency after the recent exposure of fraudulent practices of business’ accredited as being USDA certified as Organic.

42nd Annual Acres Conference & Trade Show | 2017 Eco-Ag | Columbus, Ohio

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About  |  Agenda  |  Registration  |  Eco-Ag University  |  Speakers  |  Exhibitors  |  Lodging  |  FAQs  |  Sponsors  |  Sponsorship Opportunities  |  Volunteer

Registration Is Now Open!

The Acres U.S.A. Eco-Ag Conference & Trade Show is a one-of-a-kind event for commercial-scale sustainable and organic agriculture. Well over a thousand people from around the world gather together to tap the knowledge of some of agriculture’s brightest minds. Join us for the most useful event you’ll attend all year!

Come explore new on-farm strategies and tools while engaging with the leading minds in modern eco-agriculture. This year's event will feature all-day advanced learning workshops, a trade show full of innovative ideas and products you can apply to your operation, diverse expert sessions, consultant hours, book signings, film screenings, and much more. Don't miss this valuable opportunity to expand your eco-agriculture world!

Check back often for more information or sign up here to receive event updates in your inbox.

Interested in sponsoring? Learn more here. Interested in exhibiting? Download the Acres U.S.A. Eco-Ag Exhibitor and Sponsor Kit.

Agri Dynamics | Bay Shore Sales, LLC | Environotics Unlimited | Midwestern BioAg | MidWest Labs | Neptune's Harvest | Organic Consumers Association | Regeneration International | Tainio | Tunnel Vision Hoops

Aquaponics Farmers Band Together to Set Their Industry Apart

Aquaponics Farmers Band Together to Set Their Industry Apart

Growers that add fish to their vegetable mix say they're combining the benefits of an ecosystem with the resource-efficiency of an water-based operation.

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BY LELA NARGI  |  Agroecology, Climate, FARMING, Seafood
08.30.17

Kimberly Aney, a recent graduate of the agriculture program at SUNY Cobleskill in Upstate New York, has dreams of building a small farm that grows fish and lettuce in concert with one another. She says she sees the practice, known as aquaponics, as a cheap, clean, and compact alternative to the inefficiencies she observed on the dairy farm on which she grew up.

In southern Oregon, Michael Hasey extends the growing season of his 40-acre organic farm with an aquaponics system that produces greens and tilapia throughout the winter. It’s a way to squeak out an extra margin, rest his fields, and, he believes, improve both his own soil and the environment at large.

And, in New Orleans, Marianne Cufone uses her in-ground aquaponics system—in which ponds full of fish provide nutrients for the trays of herbs, cucumbers, and melons floating above them, and vice versa—partly as an educational tool. She wants more people to know about the myriad benefits she’s reaped while farming this way: about the hyper-local crops, the reliable fresh food in flood-prone regions, and the minimal waste inherent in the system.

Diagram courtesy of Aquaponics Phillipines. (Click image for a larger version.)

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Unlike modern hydroponic farms, which can feed plants regular quantities of synthetic fertilizers, aquaponics harks back to early growing methods developed in Asia and South America that blend aquaculture (or fish farming) with agriculture. The practice functions in an ecosystem in which the fish eat things like duckweed and, when they’re housed outside, insects; their waste feeds the plants; and the plants filter the water for the fish. Any remaining waste is composted and, as in the case of Hasey’s farm, added back to the soil in which he grows his row crops.

Cufone also has a larger goal. What began as a community-based mission has expanded into a national effort as she seeks to drum up awareness about aquaponic farming in her role as executive director of the Recirculating Farms Coalition (RFC), and to mobilize other farmers using the technology to become more vocal about its virtues and its future.

First, though, she has to find them.

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Marianne Cufone. (Photo by Dulce Fernandes)

“Even though [aquaponic farmers] have been operating in the U.S. for more than 30 years, we don’t have a good count,” Cufone says. That applies both to commercial operations such as Hasey’s that sell to regional supermarkets and also to backyard, or “recreational,” farms like the one Aney would like to set up. The latter are especially difficult to track. RFC wants to see aquaculture acknowledged as a positive addition to American agriculture and thereby boost its lobbying power. Haney, an RFC member, calls aquaponics, “the answer” to generating year-round income for farmers constrained by the seasons.

Cufone is currently working on a map of the larger outfits, and reaching out to organizations that keep track of the smaller ones. So far, estimates put the number of commercial aquafarms operating nationally at between 40 and 100, although Cufone says it’s likely higher if one includes backyard operations.

Cufone’s work comes at a critical juncture for American aquaculture. For over a decade, the USDA Organic label, through some third-party licensing organizations like Oregon Tilth, has been conferred upon compliant aquaponic and hydroponic farms. Recently, traditional “dirt first” organic farmers have been pushing the USDA’s National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) to make aquaponics and hydroponics ineligible for the Organic label.

Some opposed to the change, such as Maine farmer and author Eliot Coleman, say that food that isn’t grown in “biologically active, fertile soil” doesn’t deserve to use the moniker for which generations of farmers have built up a market.

One of the biggest targets of some dirt-first lobbyists is scaled-up operations that raise hydroponic produce in places like Mexico. They say these vast international operations siphon off revenue from American farmers as they drive down the price of organics. Aquaponic farmers, who claim to use best organic practices and challenge the assertion that their farms do not give back directly to the soil, may be caught in the crossfire of a bigger, thornier debate.

“Aquaponic farmers employ microbiology in their systems, in the same way dirt farmers do, and the waste [from it] builds beautiful topsoil,” says Hasey. In the process, “We grow copious amounts of food without taxing the land. It’s incredibly sustainable.” Sustainability is also Cufone’s virtue of choice when discussing aquaponics—both for lowering water and energy usage in produce growing as well as for raising fish. Cufone began her career in fisheries management and has seen aquaponics develop to the point where she thinks it now provides a viable, clean way for fishermen to grow some of the protein they can no longer catch in depleted oceans.

Stacy Tollefson is a professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering at the University of Arizona. Along with Cufone, she was part of the most recent task force advising NOSB on the organic certification of aquaponic and hydroponic farms. The way she sees it, what organics-seeking consumers want most of all is pesticide-free produce.

And water-based systems “open the doors to more people getting access to that,” she says. “The traditional agriculture approach says organics have to be grown in soil—but that was when there was no other way to do it. There are still old-school philosophical folks who say, ‘You’re not saving the soil!’ But I think we are doing a lot to not damage the earth.” (The dirt first response to this: That still doesn’t mean it fits the historical definition of organic; they’re contemplating changing their own labeling if hydroponic and aquaponic farmers continue to be able to earn “organic” status.)

Cufone agrees with Tollefson, and also cites what she sees as another overlooked benefit to aquaponics. “The U.S. Department of Agriculture is always talking about attracting new people to farming. Well, this is one part of the industry that’s growing,” she says. She hopes RFC will play a pivotal role in bringing aquaponics further into the mainstream. “When I first learned about recirculating systems, I brought a bunch of people together in a room and had a conversation about the viability of the industry. At the end of two days I asked, ‘If you had $1 million, what would you do?’ And every one of them said, ‘Start an organization that would advertise our industry, and help change policy about it.’”

In the six years since RFC was founded, Hasey has come to rely on it to represent him and his needs. “As a farmer, I spend all day with my head in the plants. I just don’t have time to go out and campaign and get involved in issues,” he says. Both he and Cufone hope the organization will provide their segment of the farm industry with the necessary traction to grow, and thrive.

Top photo courtesy of Recirculating Farms Coalition.

Achievements of the Ag Innovation Showcase Community

Achievements of the Ag Innovation Showcase Community

BY AG SHOWCASE • AUGUST 27, 2017 • SPEAKERS, UPDATES

As we approach this year’s Ag Innovation Showcase, we at Larta are proud to launch regular postings that celebrate and acknowledge the achievements of our community.

Here are several community members who will be speaking at this year’s Ag Innovation Showcase that you won’t want to miss: Nicola Kerslake, Pete Nelson, and Vonnie Estes.

The Ag Innovation Showcase will take place in St. Louis, MO at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center on September 11th-13th, 2017. Visit our website at www.AgShowcase.com

Nicola Kerslake, founder of Newbean Capital, Reno, Nevada and an Ag Innovation Showcase Advisory Committee member will be speaking on “Data and Machine Learning Inside the Bubble”.  Nicola and her colleagues at Newbean Capital focus on filling capital and technical gaps to accelerate the growth of indoor agriculture.  In late 2016, she co-founded an alternate finance business, Contain Inc., to improve access to capital for indoor growers, those farming in hydroponic, aquaponics, and aeroponic systems in warehouses, greenhouses, and containers.  Contain arranged their first lease of indoor agriculture equipment in May 2017. Read more

Pete Nelson, president and executive director of AgLaunch, Memphis Tennessee, will be moderating a disruptive dialogue (panel discussion) on “Soil Health and Input Management”.  Pete and his colleagues launched AgLaunch, as a vehicle to develop programs and investment deals to continue their development of a farmer-centric model for bringing agriculture solutions from innovation to full commercialization.  In Pete’s words: “We believe (that changing the) role for the farmer as a partner in innovation, not just a first customer will change the entire agricultural investment thesis.  (and).. bring forward solutions that more efficiently address real-world agricultural problems.”  Read more

Vonnie Estes, an ag biotech industry veteran, will be joining our closing keynote panel to “Showcase Highlights Trends to Watch”.  Vonnie has held leadership roles at big Ag companies along with startups and venture funds.  She was awarded the 2017 Rosalind Franklin Award for Leadership in Industrial Biotechnology.

As a member of the ag innovation community, if you have a recent achievement you would like to share through our Ag Innovation Showcase blog, we invite you to send them to ckinlaw@larta.org.

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly of Container Farms

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly of Container Farms

Chris MichaelFollow 

Chris is the CEO at Bright Agrotech — The global leaders in vertical farming equipment    design and technology. Creators of ZipGrow. www.zipgrow.com

It’s time to have an honest conversation about container farming.

There’s almost nothing that rouses more cheering here at the Bright Agrotech office than seeing new farmers make their first sale.

We love seeing photos of our farmers slinging salad at a farmers’ market or selfies with their cilantro.

At the end of the day, those moments are what power us to keep doing what we do. We love it. We revel in it.

And when it doesn’t work out, we mourn just as strongly as we cheered.

When a farmer decides to quit, or when they overestimate their market, or when their equipment fails — we feel that. It’s disheartening to see someone with so much passion give up their dream.

Over the last five years, we’ve seen a lot of new growers start farms of all kinds only to shut them down a few months or a few years later. Not only is this disappointing for the farmer, but it hampers the industry through the loss of valuable farms that were helping increase access to food.

An unfortunate trend we’ve seen recently is that too many of these losses are happening in one type of farming in particular: shipping container farms.

The common killer of container farms (or any modern farm that leverages technology) is unrealistic expectations about what the tech will do for them, how much their farms can produce, and what kind of labor is required to make it all work.

Don’t forget, even technologically advanced farming is still farming!

Leveraging the modularity of containerized farms can be a very powerful way to bring better food to local communities all around the world. There’s some serious potential here and it’s exciting stuff!

However, like any new venture, modern farmers need to know what goes into being successful and what challenges they need to prepare for in the process.

To help create realistic expectations, we need to talk honestly about the potential benefits and drawbacks of shipping container farms.

In this article, we’re going to cover the main pros and cons of the (used) container form factor.

By speaking honestly about the good, the bad, and the ugly of container farms, we can help more aspiring farmers start businesses that positively impact their communities, now and in the future.

The good: What are the benefits of shipping container farms?

As of this writing, there are several hundred container farms parked in cities and backyards, parking lots and warehouses around the world.

They’ve been featured on TV, in newspapers, and by the internet’s top bloggers. Without a doubt, this type of farming has captured the interest of millions of people enchanted by the transformation of discarded containers into futuristic farms.

But does this farming form factor makes sense for farmers — those starting businesses growing and selling food?

The biggest “pros” of repurposed container farms are:

1. They’re modular and easy to ship.
2. They’re compact and self-contained.
3. Used containers are cheap and available.
4. Prices will continue to be driven down as competition increases.

Let’s dig into more details on the good side of shipping container farms.

Container farms are easy to transport

Farms built from used shipping containers are — as the name implies — easy to ship. Ideal, in fact.

The primary benefit of easy shipping is that manufacturers can set up shop where it’s cheap, then ship them directly to the farm site fully loaded and ready to grow.

There’s some serious potential there for setting up your farm quickly and starting to grow without having to worry about building a greenhouse or finding warehouse space.

Most of the benefit, however, stays with the manufacturer.

After all, why would a farmer who is establishing a farm to serve a local market need to move their farm that often? You could technically hire a crew with a crane to put in on a semi and move it across town if you felt so inclined, but why would you want to do that?

While the container farm is technically easier to move due to its form factor, we don’t advise planning a farm to be moved often.

Container farmers have a compact footprint

One benefit of growing in a container farm is that you don’t need a lot of land or a dedicated building to start.

That means modern farmers or program directors can now drop one of these behind a restaurant or in a school parking lot. In the end, the compact form opens up a lot of doors for producing food closer to where it’s consumed.

Keep in mind, however, that most container farms require a perfectly level platform to function (drainage lines need to flow in the right direction after all) and can require a cement pad.

Being able to park a farm anywhere you need food is an amazing achievement and therefore a big benefit of this form factor.

Containers are readily available

Used shipping containers are everywhere. Shipping companies have been using them for decades to ship all sorts of goods overseas, so millions of them are made.

When containers like refrigeration shipping containers break, they are often easier (and less expensive) to “retire” than to fix.

This still represents a loss for the shipping company, however, so they’re usually eager to sell whatever retired containers they can. Altogether, this makes used containers very inexpensive.

The good part for farmers is that these types of containers are cheap and available! That means for a few thousand bucks you can get the shell of your new farm to build out.

Future container farmers gain through value-based competition

Because the cost of acquiring used shipping containers is very low, there are more and more value-added companies getting into the space. The more companies there are, the more the price will decrease over time.

Obviously, a lower price point helps more aspiring farmers launch new businesses which will help to increase the supply of locally grown food around the world, which is good for everyone.

That said, investing your life savings into an inexpensive container farm may be a poor decision if you haven’t examined all the variables.

(Read on for more about the potential drawbacks of growing in a container.)

These four exciting benefits have never combined so well as in container farming. They represent an exciting area of development and accessibility to farming for people that were limited before.

The bad: What are the drawbacks of shipping container farms?

But while there are a lot of benefits to growing in a container, there are just as many drawbacks that aspiring modern farmers need to be aware of before applying for a loan or risking their 401k.

The core problem behind every drawback below is that shipping containers were not designed to grow food. And this puts growers at a disadvantage.

Because the intended purpose is absent in the fundamental design, everything required to outfit a container is a compromise.

The biggest potential drawbacks of container farms are:

1. Environmental controls or lack thereof
2. Structural integrity
3. Antagonism between light, layout, and heat
4. People and workflow issues (ergonomics)
5. Misbalanced operational expense
6. Low comparative output

Controlling the growing environment can be difficult in repurposed shipping containers

If managed well, there are many benefits to a controlled environment (year-round growing, more control over pests, etc.).

However, if environmental control is difficult in the facility, the same benefits become curses; conditions get out of control, humidity and heat accumulate, and pests thrive.

At any given time in an indoor farm…

• lights are generating heat.
• water is evaporating.
• plants are transpiring.
• gasses are accumulating and being exchanged.
• crop populations are fluctuating.

All the heat, humidity, and pests that result from these processes are amplified in a denser growing environment.

To make sure that controlled environment ag remains a blessing instead of a curse, environmental control must be understood and prioritized in the design of the farm.

But many container farms underestimate the complexity of controlling a growing environment consistently enough to produce a healthy crop reliably.

We’ve helped support dozens of farmers growing in repurposed containers who struggle with low productivity caused by poor environmental controls.

One farmer in particular has two containers less than a year old but have yet to reach even close to full production potential, or at least what was promised, because of humidity issues.

Insufficient lighting (constrained by heat as you’ll see below) and high humidity have resulted in low growth rates and rotting issues that are hard to compensate in the cramped space.

He’s in a very tough situation and we hate seeing this happen. Even though he’s added three new dehumidification devices, he still struggles to lower his humidity. As a result, his farm is vulnerable to disease like root rot which in a more purposefully-designed farm wouldn’t have been a problem.

That’s why it’s crucial that container farms purposefully provide adequate airflow, temperature controls, dehumidification, CO2, etc. to their units.

That’s a challenge for most repurposed shipping container farms simply because of the extreme constraints the structure provides.

Repurposed shipping containers can have structural integrity issues

An often overlooked danger of repurposed containers is the limits of their structural lifespan.

Remember, these things have been around the world a few times and battered by corrosive salt water, high winds, and many a forklift operator.

That means they were worn out well before they were made into farms.

This limits the life of the farm significantly. In extreme cases, the quality of the container can be so low that we’ve known farmers whose farms were condemned by the city — an enormous and painful blow when you’ve spent tens of thousands to start a farm.

If you go this route, please be sure you carefully inspect the structural integrity of your container! This industry will not move forward if passionate, local farmers like yourself are investing in farms that fail to function in a year or two.

Light, heat, and layout must be balanced appropriately in any indoor farm

The relationship between light and heat is a largely antagonist one.

Because light and heat are “coupled”, supplying the quality (i.e. intensity of light) needed for plants to grow to their full potential also increases the amount of heat in the growing environment.

Simply put: when light goes up, heat goes up with it. The problem is that plants like light, but they don’t like heat.

As we saw in the previous section on the importance of environmental controls, this delicate balance between light and heat is amplified in dense environments.

Because of their tight spacing, container farms face an interesting conundrum when it comes to this messy triangle. They need high-intensity lighting to grow their crops but don’t often have the space required to install adequate HVAC units to deal with the heat created by these lights.

The result? Many container farms sacrifice productivity by being forced to use less than adequate LED lights to avoid adversely affecting their plants with heat and humidity.

Thankfully, there are some container farms out there mitigating this antagonistic relationship with intent-informed design.

By building a container that’s intentionally designed and equipped to grow plants, companies like Modular Farms in Canada and several Chinese and Japanese container farm companies can manage their growing environments effectively (among other things like moving around and inspecting plants easily).

When doing your due diligence on any future indoor farming equipment, be sure to carefully inspect how the system deals with the antagonistic relationship between light and heat. If you provide the plants the proper light intensity, you’re going to be producing heat and this heat can throw your system into a tailspin if not managed effectively. Make sure you have a way to deal with it!

Remember, if you want to produce high quality crops consistently, you need high quality light. You are replacing the sun after all.

Ignoring human workflows is never a good idea

Farm environments aren’t just designed for plants. They also need to be designed for people. The problem with shipping containers is that they’re not designed for people and that poses some real issues for farmers.

There are two reasons to keep your farm labor-friendly: the first is that labor is money, and the second is that there’s nothing worse than working in a cramped, confined space for dozens of hours each week. It can be enough to drive you insane, or at the very least make you dread coming to work.

Ergonomics — or how efficiently your workplace is set up for workers — is also important, yet this isn’t something you really think about when shopping around for a farm. Our advice? Don’t neglect it!

With those two goals in mind, container farmers must ask and answer important questions about how people will interact with the container farm.

Can I see all my crops easily?”

“Could I work in here happily for several hours each day?”

“Can more than one person work comfortably in this farm?”

These are all questions to answer before making such a large investment.

The most practical way to feel out the workflow in your future farm is to visit a variety of container farms before buying one and see how they feel.

Talk to other farmers who’ve been farming for a while and get their feedback. You won’t regret it!

OPEX and CAPEX should be appropriately balanced

When it comes to starting a business, ignoring your market research or failing to fully understand your financial projections is just rolling the dice.

If you want to stay in business, you have to know you can earn a profit. (That’s why it’s critical every aspiring farmer conducts a feasibility study to assess the financial potential of your farm!)

And a major part of this research phase is understanding the right balance of capital expense and operating expense. Unfortunately, this is also where many new farmers can fall prey to being a little too frugal.

With roots in farming ourselves, we know the temptation to do things on the cheap. There’s something so seductive about scrapping a farm together with inexpensive components. But we also know that skimping on your initial investment may actually come back to bite you when it comes to the cost of running the farm.

Just remember that most of the time when you pay less upfront (CAPEX), you end up having higher costs as you run the business (OPEX). Pay more upfront, and the investment will keep operating costs lower in the future. Again, this isn’t always the case, but 9 times out of 10 it holds true.

The same goes for container farms, or any indoor farming equipment for that matter.

Container farms can be less expensive to set up than many other farms like greenhouse or warehouse operations, but the constraints of the container can drastically increase the cost of running your farm. Especially when you have to add or replace equipment that fails, and your labor costs go up because of the increased time spent performing daily tasks like inspections and harvesting.

Don’t forget you’re starting a commercial farm here, not a backyard garden, and your goal is to grow and sell good food.

If you’re starting a system that hinders productivity (both for plants and workers) and requires upgrades or expensive maintenance to operate, you’re actually hurting your ability to accomplish your goals.

At the end of the day, cheap is not actually that cheap.

Beware vanity metrics

Farmers almost always make money by selling pounds (or ounces) of produce. Rarely do they sell a number of plants rather than a weight.

That’s why it’s so dangerous to measure a system’s economic potential with metrics like “plant sites.” You may be able to grow an incredible number of plants per square foot, but if they’re small and unsalable then it’s a metric that at best is useless, and at worst is intentionally misleading. An example of this could be a microgreen tray with “1000 plant sites in 1.5 square feet!”

This means that biomass is the only truthful and non-subjective metric.

Remember, vertical farming is not about how much production you can possibly cram into a space. It’s about growing better food closer to market and maximizing your production as a function of the resources you invest, such as capital, light, water, energy, and labor.

The best way to measure the productive and economic potential of your future farm is to compare the capital expense divided by the pounds of produce. That will not only give you an idea of how much your system will yield, but will also allow you to conduct appropriate market research based on weight, not plant sites.

Again, while it’s possible some chefs or farmers’ market customers may buy a head of lettuce, the majority of your markets will want to know your price per pound or your price per ounce.

Like the simplified example used in the video above, imagine that one farm offers 2,000 lb/year of greens and costs $90k in capital expenses (i.e the price you pay for the farm, delivery, installation, and any modifications needed for it to perform when you plug it all in).

Another offers 4,000 lb/year of greens but costs $135k. The second option might take a little longer to pay off, but will be more profitable in the long run. (This is overly simplified so please do a feasibility study to get specific numbers!)

Remember, vertical farming is not about how much production you can possibly cram into a space. It’s about growing better food closer to market and maximizing your production as a function of the resources you invest, such as capital, light, water, energy, and labor.

The bottom line: Container farms can play a significant role in the future of our food system.

The world is begging for better food.

People have lost faith in labels and they’re sick of low quality food they see at the grocery store. They’re demanding fresher food, but can only get it if they have local farmers near them to supply it.

Container farms can play a significant role in solving this supply problem by helping more local farmers get started growing food much closer to market.

But not all container farms are created equal.

Repurposed containers, while a prize of pop culture, require too much compromise to be truly productive modern farming machines in the long run.

We have much more faith in custom built containers that practice intent-informed design and take a ground-up approach to environmental controls, labor workflows, and much more. They’re just much more efficient and effective at helping farmers accomplish their goals.

So while container farms have the potential to fundamentally change the game when it comes to growing better food closer to the markets that want it, these farms must survive to be impactful.

Why did we write this?

Our goal with this piece, like most of the articles we write, is to move the industry forward. Everything we do here at Bright is about helping the local farmer succeed and it pains us to see the opposite happen.

We believe that by being honest about the benefits and challenges, more farmers will start sustainable businesses and help supply the increasing demand for better food.

Do you have experience growing in a container? Do you have questions for those who do?

Note: Repurposed shipping containers and containers designed specifically for growing crops are fundamentally different. In most cases, the latter have mitigated the majority of these issues in the design phase.

• Agriculture
• Agtech
• Vertical Farming
• Food Systems
• Indoor Farming

Logistics Industry Will See Improved Connectivity, Efficiency And Security With Blockchain

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Jody Cleworth - Marine Transport International

Logistics Industry Will See Improved Connectivity, Efficiency And Security With Blockchain

A successful pilot program delivered by logistics technology company Marine Transport International (MTI) has demonstrated that the logistics industry will see improved connectivity, efficiency and security thanks to blockchain.

MTI, in conjunction with Agility Sciences, have today released a white paper detailing the deployment of their Container Streams system in a supply chain environment. The results of the pilot have been verified by scientists at the University of Copenhagen and maritime technology leaders at Blockchain Labs for Open Collaboration (BLOC). 

Jody Cleworth, CEO of Marine Transport International, comments: “The results of this successful pilot demonstrate the strengths of blockchain technology when deployed to link the various actors in the supply chain. We are confident that firms throughout the logistics industry will see a broad spectrum of benefits stemming from blockchain deployment.

"We will need to be able to communicate between multiple block chains and work interoperatively. We have already created some work to do this so that we can communicate between multiple devices, blockchains and legacy systems so it would be one single version of communication between the blockchains.

“A blockchain-enabled supply chain is highly resilient to cyber attack – a copy of the essential shipping data is stored on each node on a decentralised network, meaning that even if one node is compromised, the data is safe nevertheless.

Karim Jabbar, from the Department of Computer Science at the University of Copenhagen, added: “This pilot demonstrates the great potential for distributed ledger technologies to be used in improving supply chain processes. The Container Streams system is unique in the fact that it does not require the complete replacement of existing systems - instead, MTI’s solution allows complete interoperability with existing legacy infrastructure. The logistics industry as a whole can expect better visibility, connectivity and cost savings as a result of distributed ledger adoption.”

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Cleworth goes on the say that the cost entry is quite low, it is more about having the right people with the right skills to get this done. 

"A conservative estimate is a cost saving of 90%. In the shipping and logistics industry we are very good with new regulations and milestones, putting in an end-perfect way of managing it: 'This is what it is going to cost me to manage a specific milestone'. 

The cost saving here comes through the automation of data, you have all these different data silos which have data locked in them or which is not being communicated in an effective way. Smart contact takes the data from those different points and processes it, removing the requirement for human beings to interact with it. We are able then to process that data and format it, whether is it a new system or an old system we can use a blockchain to do that work for us reducing admin costs."

"What people find difficult to get over is that you have your local sales force and internal reporting system to put in numbers and data and using that to augment the outcome or create a spreadsheet, blockchain will actually do this job based on existing parameters so the programmability of the technology. 

This can be applied in the food supply chain, firstly to guarantee provenance, "You know where the product has come from and where it is going to. Transactions become frictionless, we can remove the amount of paper work which is required in terms of moving that data between parties. There are a lot of certificates and regulations in terms of what gets exported to where. Regulatory bodies would normally only follow up regulations when it is necessary. With data entering the blockchain the regulators would be able to follow it up based on specific parameters, they would be able to read those contracts or certificates in real-time.

Effectively what we have done with our white paper is to pull in data as soon as that container starts loading, growers can record specific yields for each commodity and enter photos etc. along with all the weather data to attest to the quality of product which consumers are buying. This data entering process can continue along the chain whether it is to a coldstore or to be processed or straight to the retailer, you can follow the chain the whole way through. The management of that data would be automated based on data coming into the system from different points.

"When we have discussions with food producers they want to unlock that data source which is coming into the blockchain to prove the provenance and certification of those goods. This system would also take away inefficiencies in the supply chain and allow more 'just in time' deliveries, doing away with bulk delivery discounts.

For more information:
Jody Cleworth
Marine Transport International
jody@askmti.com

Publication date: 8/30/2017
Author: Nichola Watson
Copyright: www.freshplaza.com

Agrotechnology Prepares For its Arrival in Brazil And The US

Agrotechnology Prepares For its Arrival in Brazil And The US

The Alicante company Agrotechnology Group has accelerated its plans for international growth. The biofertilizer company is preparing its entry into Brazil and the US, two of the World's main markets.

With it the company plans to reach a turnover of 40 million euros in 2021, which means quadrupling its current size, according to Enrique Riquelme, CEO of the company. The group closed the first half of the year with a 40% growth in revenues.

The company has focused this growth on new markets. "In five years the international business has gone from 10% to 55% and the goal is to reach 80% at the end of the strategic plan in 2021," says Riquelme.

The company has committed its strategy to Latin America and North America, regions where a 40% growth is expected over the next three years in the biofertilizer business for organic crops. "There are no export tariff barriers, but there are phytosanitary ones, and being able to export to zero waste standards is what food companies are looking for to open new markets," explains the manager.

As for its expansion to the US, the company already has products registered for marketing. "It is a mature market but the legislation is simpler than in Europe", emphasizes Riquelme. He acknowledges that the competition is complicated, with giants of the sector such as Monsanto, but maintains that its segment of customers is different from that of the multinational.

Together with the US, the company plans to open offices in Brazil, Argentina, Poland, Germany and Italy, in addition to those already in Chile, Mexico and Peru. "Then China will arrive," he announced.

Riquelme argues that there is a shift in the sector towards more sustainable crops, with a growing demand for organic food. "Consumers are looking for products that are grown more naturally and distribution tends to offer more. It is the answer to this demand that gives meaning to our company," he argues. The Alicantino group was already focused on fertilizers of this type, which is why it is better positioned than the great companies that dominate the sector.

Source: cincodias.elpais.com

Bananas, Bananas Everywhere, But Not A One To Eat

Bananas, Bananas Everywhere, But Not A One To Eat

Kaveri Marathe  |  Interested in energy & environmental issues, entrepreneurship & startups. All views my own.

Nov 15, 2016

Eating Organic Isn’t Just For Hipsters

News has swirled in recent years that the banana industry is in crisis — a virus called Tropical Race 4 is, like its name suggests, rapidly spreading around the globe crippling the world’s banana plantations. How can a single viral strain be capable of wiping out all of the world’s bananas? The scary answer lies in our modern agricultural practices which focus on profit over sustainability. Ninety-nine percent of the bananas eaten in the developed world are of just one varietal called Cavendish, meaning it only takes one deadly illness to wipe out the whole lot.

What is monoculture?

Monoculture is the establishment of a single plant varietal on a, typically large, swathe of farmland. These varietals are grown season after season, without any crop rotation. Crop rotation, which was the standard method of farming for millennia along with the use of animal waste as fertilizer, ensured that countervailing nutrients passed into and out of the soil and interrupted the life cycles of harmful insects that were typically attracted to a certain plant. These natural processes have been replaced with the use of huge quantities of synthetic fertilizers for nutrients and pesticides to repel insects.

So what?

Ninety-two percent of the world’s water goes to agriculture, but more than half of it is wasted.

Proponents of monoculture claim it allows for greater yields of crops by isolating and selecting for certain qualities, like insect-repulsion, heartiness, beauty and increased flowering, through breeding. As our global population continues to grow, the production of sufficient quantities of food will be crucial to alleviating hunger and poverty. The drawbacks, however, could be even more damaging to our long-term ecology than the risk of not having enough food. (I will note also that humans globally waste 1/3 of the food we produce.)

The problems resulting from the widespread use of agricultural monocultures are numerous. I’ll break down the basics:

Pesticides: Genetically homogenous plants grown in monocultures do not have the natural defense system to fight off pests, so increasing quantities of pesticides are employed by farmers. Pesticide residue on fruits and vegetables has been shown to cause neurological problems in children and adults. Runoff can enter bodies of water and groundwater, impacting the quality of our drinking water and the health of the fish and birds that rely on those sources. Populations of beneficial microorganisms in soil also dwindle due to pesticides, as well as those of many non-target animals, such as bees, bats, spiders, fish and river dolphins.

Water: Agriculture accounts for 92% of the world’s water usage. Moreover, agriculture wastes 60% of the water it uses through leaky infrastructure, poor application techniques, and the cultivation of especially “thirsty” crops. Agricultural water use has certainly contributed to the current extreme drought California is facing.

Fertilizer: Excess fertilizer escapes fields as runoff into water sources and as gas into the atmosphere. In the water, these can cause eutrophication, which depletes oxygen from the water and kills the plants and fish living in it. It can also escape into the atmosphere as nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas that depletes the ozone layer. Furthermore, production of the primary elements in fertilizer — nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (NPK) — are expensive or limited. Nitrogen can be collected from the air, but only through a carbon-intensive production process. Phosphorous and potassium, meanwhile, only exist in limited quantities on Earth and they’re running out. Without them, food production is impossible.

Declining nutrient content: Crops of the past offered far more nutrients than crops do today, per calorie consumed. Modern agricultural methods, like close planting and the focus on yields, result in plants being unable to develop strong root systems and, in turn, being unable to absorb as many nutrients. Modern plants have between 10–25% fewer nutrients today than in the past. Not only that, but by investing in monoculture, we also eliminate variety in our diets, leading to illness and obesity.

Super weeds & superinsects: Modern agriculture attempts to subvert nature by biologically altering our plants to resist weeds and bugs, but nature is fighting back. Weeds and insects have begun to evolve to counteract the effects of pesticides and herbicides, creating a vicious cycle in which we are developing ever-more-toxic chemicals to ward off our agricultural foes.

This brings me back to the banana story. The irony is that this is not the first instance of the world’s bananas falling prey to a deadly virus. Beginning in 1903, the predecessor of the Cavendish, the Gros Michel, a sweeter, creamier banana, was wiped out by a cousin of the Tropical Race 4, the Race 1 virus. The Cavendish was one varietal (among many) that was resistant to the virus and, thus, chosen to replace it on plantations across the globe. Clearly the banana masterminds were not thinking long term and banana plantation owners are now having trouble finding a species that can replace the Cavendish. The reason? Tropical Race 4 came from “one of the ancient cradles of banana civilization,” Malaysia. There, it had the time to evolve into a super-virus, capable of tackling even the well-adapted native Malaysian bananas. Foreign bananas didn’t stand a chance. The current plight of the bananas is just one example of the dangers of monoculture — hopefully we’ll learn our lesson and shift back towards more sustainable forms of agriculture. In the meantime, it’s a good reason to buy local and organic.

Sustainable Agriculture Is The Best Way To Feed The World, New Research Confirms

CHEW NEWS

Sustainable Agriculture Is The Best Way To Feed The World, New Research Confirms

AUGUST 23, 2017 by EMILY MONACO

iStock/martinhosmart

Two new studies point to the importance of the continued development of sustainable agriculture around the world, both for the climate and for the world’s population.

One peer-reviewed paper authored by a researcher at Macalester College shows that sustainable agriculture is the best option for feeding the growing global population, despite the promises made by developers of genetically modified (GMO) crops. The other study, which comes from the Woods Hole Research Center in Massachusetts, shows that conventional agriculture has contributed nearly as much to climate change as deforestation over the last two centuries.

The latter study, appearing in PNAS, a journal published by the National Academy of Sciences, was the first to quantify soil carbon loss in this way. The researchers discovered that some 133 billion tons of carbon have been pulled from the top two meters of the earth’s soil over the last 200 years due to agriculture alone, and the rate of this carbon depletion is only increasing. By comparison, deforestation has contributed to the loss of 140 billion tons of soil carbon over the same period.

Soil naturally absorbs carbon in organic matter and sequesters it, which not only decreases the risk of the loss of other nutrients in the soil, but also keeps carbon out of the atmosphere, where it contributes to global warming in the form of CO2. Industrial agricultural methods like tilling and neglecting to plant cover crops have contributed to this massive loss of soil carbon.

“It’s alarming how much carbon has been lost from the soil,” Jonathan Sanderman, a soil scientist at the Center and one of the authors of the research told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “Small changes to the amount of carbon in the soil can have really big consequences for how much carbon is accumulating in the atmosphere.”

This is only one reason that sustainable agriculture may be the answer moving forward, as the second study released this week by Professor William G. Moseley notes that while GMO technology may provide tools for combatting food shortages, these techniques actually increase the cost of food production in developing countries, due to a prerequisite of standardized food production methods in environments where such standardization is difficult, if not impossible.

“[GMO] solutions are often aimed at maximizing production under ideal conditions, as opposed to minimizing risk in highly variable meteorological environments,” writes Mosley, noting that such technology “represents a significant financial risk” for small farmers living in variable rainfall environments.

These studies only confirm previous research on the topic, such as a report published in June of last year by the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems that indicated that sustainable agriculture was the key to solving the world’s hunger crisis. This information is also consistent with comments made by United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization Director, General Jose Graziano da Silva, at an International Forum on Agriculture and Climate Change in 2015. Graziano da Silva called for “a paradigm shift” toward “more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient” food systems in order to feed the growing world population.

In 2009, the United Nations wrote that food production would have to double to feed the projected world population of nine billion by 2050.

Related on Organic Authority
Can Sustainable Farming Really Feed the World’s Hungry?
7 Ways Chicago is Becoming the New Beacon of the Sustainable Food Movement
To Feed the Hungry, We Need to Change Our Farming System

Autogrow Launches Jelly - The First Indoor-Agricultural SDK

Autogrow Launches Jelly - The First Indoor-Agricultural SDK
 
31 August 2017, Auckland, New Zealand: 

Autogrow has launched the first indoor-agricultural SDK (Software Development Kit), opening the door for a new revolution in the industry.

Called Jelly, this first SDK will form part of a group of software Autogrow will provide publicly on the world leading development platform Github.
 
'Jelly is the first step in raising agtech to the next level. For us this is about building a community for a new generation of growers who love to grow and hack the tech,' says Darryn Keiller, CEO of Autogrow.
 
'We are opening the door for 3rd parties to access our technology programmatically which has never been done in our industry and is just the beginning as we work our way towards our open source initiative.'
 
Traditionally agricultural providers utilise proprietary products and services which leave little flexibility for the growers to create their own solutions or connect them with existing infrastructure. Autogrow's move will provide their customers access to the programmable layer of Autogrow's Intelli product range. Other future products will follow suit.
 
'Growing crops is no longer just about dirt and seeds - it's about tech and data. The most successful and sustainable growers embrace technology and utilise every opportunity to understand their growing environments,' explains Mr Keiller.
 
'Technology has a huge role to play in future food production but we can only really do that if we create an open environment where everyone is pushing hard to design better, more innovative solutions - regardless of who owns the IP.'

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Darryn Keiller - CEO (left), Jeffrey Law - Chief Technology Officer (right)

Autogrow's Chief Technology Officer, Jeffrey Law, is the driving force behind Jelly and the various solutions the research and development team are currently creating.
 
'We came up with the name Jelly as it reflects that early incubation stage where everything is flexible, you can mould it in any configuration, it comes in different variations, and of course it's quite tasty,' says Mr Law.
 
'For us it's like a play area where we get to experiment and come up with original ideas. The biggest difference here is that we are opening the door to the play room and welcoming in anyone who wants to revolutionise the agricultural industry.'
 
Autogrow will monitor the progress of their Jelly SDK with availability via Github from 6 September 2017 - https://github.com/AutogrowSystems/go-jelly

About Autogrow
Established in 1994, Autogrow (www.autogrow.com) is committed to creating original ideas for agriculture - and making them a reality.
With a global headquarters in Auckland, New Zealand, and growers and resellers in over 39 countries, Autogrow provides growers with affordable, accessible and easy-to-use innovation - 24/7, anywhere in the world. 
By leveraging the power of technology, data science and plant biology through a team of software designers, engineers and crop science experts - Autogrow continues to push innovation boundaries to gain the best result for the growers.
 
MEDIA QUERIES
Autogrow
Kylie Horomia, Communications Manager
(e) Kylie.horomia@autogrow.com
(m) +6421 733 025

Ready Pac Foods Sends 24,000 Salads to Texas

Ready Pac Foods Sends 24,000 Salads to Texas

Ready Pac Foods has prepared a truck with 24,000 Chicken Caesar Bistro Bowl salads for those in Texas who may be affected by Hurricane Harvey. The company is working closely with the Red Cross to get the salads to those in need quickly. 

Truck that is ready to leave from Irwindale, California plant.

Ready Pac Foods CEO, Tony Sarsam, helps with loading cases of Chicken Caesar Salad Bistro Bowl salads.

"Our front line associates in Irwindale, California really helped make this possible," says Alan Hilowitz with Ready Pac Foods. "We mobilized on Thursday and loaded the truck on Friday. The truck left Friday evening and arrived in Houston Sunday morning."

The Red Cross handles distribution. "We’ve been working closely with the Red Cross since the beginning to make sure the salads get to those in need quickly," mentioned Hilowitz.

Publication date: 8/28/2017

Israel Agritech Market Map: 400 Startups Putting The Tech in Agritech

Israel Agritech Market Map: 400 Startups Putting The Tech in Agritech

AUGUST 10, 2017 LOUISA BURWOOD-TAYLOR

For a young nation built on the collectivist agricultural ethos of the Kibbutz movement, it’s perhaps no surprise that Israel’s agricultural technology startup ecosystem is booming.

There are now more than 400 Israel agritech startups working on innovations for the global agriculture sector, according to new research from Start-Up Nation Central, an Israeli NGO and Greensoil Investments, a local agritech venture capital firm.

These agritech startups are innovating across a range of challenges such as drought and water efficiency, as well as crop productivity and waste. 

While Israel’s agritech funding footprint might look relatively small compared to other leading markets such as the US — according to AgFunder, Israeli agritech startups raised just 2% of funding dollars in 2016 ($51.7m), accounting for 3.3% of deal-flow (19 deals) in 2016, while US startups raised 58% of funding dollars and 48% of deal-flow — this is still impressive with a population of 8.5 million next to the US’s 323 million.

Israel is undoubtedly an innovation hub, and there are many serial entrepreneurs moving into agritech bringing experience, tech, methodologies, and connections from other sectors into the agritech vertical.

Companies like ATP Labs and Agritask were founded by people moving from military data analytics and sensor technology, respectively, into the peaceful and impactful area of agritech.

Israeli agritech is also growing in terms of incoming investments. Since the beginning of 2017, there have been many large investments such as Prospera’s $15 million Series B financing, Taranis’ $7.5 million Series A, a strategic $15 million investment in Hinoman, and others.

Currently, Start-Up Nation’s online, searchable startup database includes more than 5,500 profiles of active, innovative startups across all tech verticals, including agritech. 

Along with Greensoil Investments, Start-Up Nation Central has used the Start-Up Nation Finder platform to build a taxonomy that identifies different sub categories in agritech. This has been visualized in an Israeli agritech market map along with a representative, and non-exhaustive, selection of companies in each category.

Here is a description of each category according to Start-Up Nation and Greensoil, and some company examples.

• Biotech – Typically involves breeding of plants and bacteria with improved traits to help plant growth. Some companies use genetic technologies for that. These include companies such as Groundwork BioAg, Rootility, and Kaiima.

• Smart farming – Data-based technologies making use of big data and predictive analytics to help farmers make better decisions on daily farm issues (irrigation, pest management, risk management, etc). Some of the more known companies are Taranis, Phythech, Cropx, and Prospera

• Crop protection – Biological or chemical substances used for protecting the crops from pests & diseases, nontoxic and environmentally friendly. Companies like Biofeed which lures insects away or EdenShield.

• Machinery and Robotics – Companies that build all kinds of robotics, machinery, and equipment used primarily to automate farm work, harvest crops and to sort it. Metomotion is one example with a robotic system developed for greenhouses.

• Irrigation & water management – Israel is well known for water innovation, but there are new companies that are creating innovative irrigation methods and water efficiency, such as Neotop which covers water reservoirs and Emefcy which created an Energy-efficient Wastewater Treatment.

• Post-harvest – Technologies to reduce post-harvest losses in diverse ways (e.g. storage, packaging, treatments and climate management technologies). An example for these companies can be found in Amaizz which deals with drying produce or Valentis Nanotech, which produces polymeric films for coating.

• Farm to consumer – Companies that leverage new business models to shorten and simplify the supply chain by connecting the farm to the end consumer. Usually done through digital platforms. A good example would be Avenews-GT, which builds a digital trading platform connecting food wholesalers with producers.

• Novel farming systems – Innovative systems for growing plants, new types of greenhouses, urban farming, hydroponics, and aquaponics. It could be small scale growing in the case of Flux or lighting solutions for farmers such as FloraFotonica.

• Livestock – Companies that create technology for farm animals and pets. With mass vaccination companies such as adst Technologies and Eggxyt’s pre-hatch sex detection for chicks

• Waste technologies – Processing livestock manure, fertilizer run-off, harvest, and food waste to reduce harmful substances and reuse the materials. Companies like 3PLW and HomeBiogas which convert organic waste to bioplastic and cooking gas, respectively.

• Special crops – Companies which deal with medicinal plants from growing human tissue repair plants, such as Collplant to cannabis-based products, in the case of Corsica Innovations

• Aquaculture – These are companies that develop technologies to grow things in water – algae (e.g., Algalo), fish or sea food (e.g., BioFishency)

“The Israel agritech market map displays the wide variety of Israeli agritech innovation and the growth of this sector”, says Eitan Elkin, Start-Up Nation Central’s director of marketing, “The number of companies behind it and the fact that most of them were founded in recent years really brings to attention of the boom which this industry enjoys in Israel and the appeal it has to many entrepreneurs.”

Click here to download your own free copy of the Israel Agritech market map.

About Start-Up Nation Central

Start-Up Nation Central is an independent, nonprofit and nonrevenue organization committed to leveraging deep knowledge of the Israeli innovation ecosystem to connect business, government, and NGO leaders from around the world to people and technologies in Israel to help them solve their most pressing challenges while creating value for the Israeli innovation ecosystem.

Start-Up Nation Central has curated the largest and most up-to-date collection of Israeli innovators and entrepreneurs, providing critical information on over 6,000 companies across dozens of industries. To search Start-up Nation’s Finder, click here.

About Greensoil Investments

With offices in Raanana and Toronto, and $100m under management, GreenSoil Investments funds companies in the agro & food technologies and building innovation sectors. Founded in 2011, GreenSoil’s agro & food technologies fund has a portfolio of six promising companies and is the largest dedicated fund in this space in Israel.

INDOOR AG-CON PHILLY

INDOOR AG-CON PHILLY

ABOUT INDOOR AG-CON PHILLY

After two successful years in New York, Indoor Ag-Con is relocating its East coast event to Philadelphia for its inaugural Indoor Ag-Con Philly on October 16, 2017. Our venue is the modern gallery at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and our agenda will include 12 industry-leading keynotes covering topical “big picture” subjects such as the use of artificial intelligence in indoor agriculture.  As for other Indoor Ag-Con events, our agenda for Indoor Ag-Con Philly will be tech-focused and crop-agnostic.  With extended Q&A sessions and networking breaks, there will be plenty of opportunity to network with the growers, produce buyers, entrepreneurs, tech geeks and investors we expect to join us.  Participation will be capped at 120 to keep the conversation flowing and maximize networking opportunities.

On October 17, the day after Indoor Ag-Con Philly, our Nextbean Ambassador sponsors at Kennett Township, PA – one hour’s drive outside of Philadelphia – will be hosting tours, free to Indoor Ag-Con Philly participants, of the extensive indoor agriculture production and distribution facilities which support their world-class mushroom industry. Every day Kennett produces, packs and ships 1.5M lbs of fresh mushrooms, single-handedly supplying ~50% of the US market, an amazing feat that’s been going on year-round for over 100 years! This is a truly unusual opportunity to get an insider’s view of what’s involved in producing and distributing a large-scale agriculture commodity grown entirely indoors. In addition, the event will start from world-famous Longwood Gardens, home to more than 1,000 acres of formal gardens, conservatories, woodlands and meadows, and includes a custom tour of Longwood’s own indoor production horticultural facilities, plus a complimentary farm-to-table lunch and free admission to the public gardens. You’ll be asked if you would like to join the Kennett event – at no extra charge – as you purchase your Indoor Ag-Con Philly admission.

$8.8m Awarded To Support Innovation In US Strawberry Production

$8.8m Awarded To Support Innovation In US Strawberry Production

US Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded two research grants to help California strawberry farms manage soil disease. One grant for $4.5 million supports a national team of experts led by University of California (UC) Davis to identify strawberry plants naturally resistant to certain diseases.  

The other grant for $2.5 million supports another national team of experts led by UC Santa Cruz to continue research on bio-fumigation (a natural process that suppresses soil disease). 

“California strawberry farmers have a history of innovation and collaboration with scientists at UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz. We are optimistic that these two world-class research projects will identify new solutions to help our local farms through sustainable improvements to remain competitive in a global environment,” said Rick Tomlinson, president of the California Strawberry Commission.

Identifying Strawberry Plants with Natural Disease Resistance
The grant for $4.5 million will support a team of scientists from UC, Davis, UC, Riverside, UC, Santa Cruz, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, UC Agricultural and Natural Resources, and University of Florida, to identify genetic markers that are naturally present in some strawberry plants. This work will help plant breeders use plants with natural disease resistance to develop new strawberry varieties that can tolerate disease in the field, while still producing delicate and great tasting fruit for the consumer.

After a briefing with UC Davis researchers, strawberry farmers took action by adding another $1.8 million to the UC Davis Public Strawberry Breeding Program. These funds will augment the $4.5 million to support a collaborative research initiative to support the long-term sustainability of U.S. strawberry production.

“The California Strawberry Commission continues to be a key partner in advancing the work of the UC Davis Public Strawberry Breeding program, “ said Steve Knapp, director of the UC Davis Strawberry Breeding Program, who will head the collaborative team of scientists. “We look forward to another century of support from California’s strawberry growers to develop the world’s best strawberry varieties and production practices.”

Control for Organic and Conventional Farming
USDA also announced a $2.5 million grant to UC Santa Cruz, for further collaborative research integrating knowledge in anaerobic soil disinfestation, crop rotation and strawberry varieties to manage diseases in strawberry production.  

The core of the research focuses on adding a soil supplement such as rice hulls, and then adding water to cut-off the oxygen supply.  The microbes in the soil naturally shift to an anaerobic state, digesting the soil supplement to clean the soil of disease.  

In recent years, the California Strawberry Commission has funded UC Santa Cruz scientists, and introduced this natural process to strawberry farmers.  The additional USDA funding supports work to make bio-fumigation a more reliable process for a variety of different soil types and conditions, and for different diseases.

“These projects are a natural extension of the commission’s farming without fumigants initiative launched in 2008. This grant is key to crucial research addressing plant diseases in the soil as fumigants are phased out,” said Dan Legard, vice president of research and grower education at the commission.

“California continues to lead the world in agricultural innovations. These grants are good news, keeping our state’s strawberry farmers at the forefront of sustainable farming practices,” said Karen Ross, Secretary for California Department of Food and Agriculture.

“As a representative of the salad bowl of the world, I believe it is of the utmost importance to equip our researchers and farmers with the most effective tools possible to foster innovation and growth. These USDA grants will help our strawberry farmers thrive,” said Congressman Jimmy Panetta, representative of the central coast region of California, where the majority of the state’s strawberries are grown.

Both grants are funded by the USDA Specialty Crop Research Initiative.  This is a highly competitive program awarded only two grants to California projects.

A full summary of each project can be read here. 
 

Publication date: 8/29/2017

Hurricane Harvey Shuts Down Produce Companies, Retail Stores And Restaurants

Hurricane Harvey Shuts Down Produce Companies, Retail Stores And Restaurants

Since it made landfall in Corpus Christi, TX on Friday, hurricane Harvey has wreaked havoc across the gulf coast. Massive flooding unleashed by storm Harvey has left Houston – the 4th largest city in the US – increasingly isolated with its airports and highways shut down and many residents stranded in their homes.

20 inches more rain to come

"We received 20 inches of rain Saturday night and another 12 on Sunday," says Brent Erenwert with Brother's Produce. Erenwert's company is based in Houston and his personal residence is located in a suburb south of the city. "We are in 10-12 feet deep water and we will get another 20 inches of rain over the next three days," he added. 

The street in which Erenwert lives. His house is up a bit higher, so water didn't get in.

Busiest days in company history

Thursday and Friday were the busiest day in the history of Brother's Produce as 40,000 packages of produce were shipped. "The high demand was mainly driven by retailers who wanted to stock up before the storm hit," said Erenwert. "We were able to help them out as the schools, an important part of our business, were getting closed and didn't need the produce they normally receive." Retailers were asking for hearty items like potatoes, apples, avocados, squash and lots of bananas. "We were the only company that delivered produce on Saturday."

Shelters and food banks

Brother's Produce is closed today as Erenwert wants his employees to be safe. Since the company did not lose any power, produce that is left in the distribution center is in very good condition. "I already reached out to some shelters and will be personally delivering produce to them." Erenwert is encouraging people to make donations to shelters and food banks. If you have produce you would like to donate, please contact Brent directly.

"For us, the biggest impact is the loss of business and the loss of product," said Erenwert. He noticed that retailer HEB was closed and all chain restaurants he drove by were closed as well. "The only thing open was Water Burger," he mentioned. "It will be a slow process to go back to normal, but business will start going when schools open up again."

Little impact in Rio Grande Valley

Important fruit and vegetable growing regions in Texas seem to escape from the hurricane. "It missed the Rio Grande Valley this weekend, so we saw very little impact," said Dante Galeazzi with the Texas International Produce Association. 

Tropical Storm Harvey moves slowly towards Louisiana. "Over the next few days the storm is forecast to head back into the Gulf of Mexico, where it could pick up moisture before moving back over Galveston and into Houston again," CNN meteorologist Karen Maginnis said, meaning at least four more days of rain. 

Contact: Brent Erenwert

Brother's Produce - Tel: 281.830.6323

brent@brothersproduce.com    www.brothersproduce.com

Publication date: 8/28/2017
Author: Marieke Hemmes
Copyright: www.freshplaza.com

The Perils of Pesticide Drift

The Perils of Pesticide Drift

By Sara Novak on August 18, 2017

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Running an organic operation in a sea of conventional farms isn’t easy. One waft of pesticide from a neighbor, and tens of thousands of dollars—and your organic certification—is down the drain. But there’s hope in the air. PHOTO BY: Daniel Martin

`Chemical spraying misses its mark with alarming frequency, and neighboring farms—especially organic ones—often pay the price. Luckily, hope is in the air.

“It’s like riding down the highway and expecting to keep the exhaust from your car within the boundaries of the road.”

ANDREW AND MELISSA DUNHAM spent years transforming their farm, which has been in his family for five generations, from a conventional producer of corn, soy, and alfalfa into a diversified operation with 40 different kinds of fruits and vegetables, a herd of 20 grass-fed cattle, even a few beehives. Finally, in May 2009, the couple’s 80 acres in Grinnell, Iowa—now named Grinnell Heritage Farm—became certified organic.

Just two months later, the Dunhams’ pickers spotted a crop duster flying low over nearby seed-corn fields, then noticed a cloud creeping toward them. The crew got out of the way as a fog of fungicide descended on two acres of hay, effectively revoking the acreage’s organic certification for three years, the chemical-free transition period required by the USDA.

The Dunhams’ farm regained full certification in 2012, and the following year, trouble was in the air again. “I could smell it,” says Andrew. “A metallic smell, like a railroad tie.” On the back of a 15-mph wind, a plume of insecticide from a spraying rig began wafting onto the Dunhams’ asparagus. Andrew jumped in his car and rushed to the neighbors’ farm. “To their credit, they stopped spraying,” he says. But the damage had been done: The tainted acre cost the Dunhams tens of thousands of dollars during the three years the produce couldn’t be sold at premium organic prices.

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Andrew (left) and Melissa Dunham, both 37, operate an organic farm in Grinnell, IA, that has twice fallen victim to pesticide drift. PHOTO: Kathryn Gamble

Grinnell Heritage Farm is an island of sustainable agriculture in a sea of commodity crops. Iowa leads the nation in corn and soy production, with 13.8 million acres of corn and 9.5 million acres of soybeans that together generated $14.6 billion in revenue last year. The state is also a hotbed of chemical application. Most of its farm acreage is sprayed with herbicide twice a season. Roundup Ready seed remains the norm, but many producers don’t stop at glyphosate; they also apply other powerful weed killers, such as atrazine, and insecticides, including neonicotinoids.

The Dunhams attempted to mitigate their risk by posting “No Spraying” signs and installing a 30-foot-deep perimeter of buffer shrubs; both methods obviously proved inadequate. “Applications usually result in some deposition away from the targeted site,” accord- ing to an Environmental Protection Agency spokesperson.

Though neither the EPA nor various state agencies could provide reliable statistics on the total number of drift incidents, experts agree that reported cases represent the mere tip of the iceberg. “We don’t have a good count due to underreporting,” explains Linda Wells, the Midwest director of organizing for the nonprofit Pesticide Action Network. “Many people neglect to report or do not know who to report to.” In Iowa, it’s the state department of agriculture’s pesticide bureau, which offers no online information about reporting drift. Mark Hanna, an extension agricultural engineer with Iowa State University, says, “The state receives around 200 drift complaints per year, but it’s difficult to grasp the magnitude of the problem.”

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In one test, a plane retrofitted with 80 of these temporary vortex generators reduced chemical drift by 40 to 45 percent. PHOTO: Daniel Martin

Minimizing it, however, may be possible. Drones can hover close and spray with great precision, and electrostatic spraying uses an electric charge to attract pesticide droplets to target plants. Both technologies are still years away from widespread implementation, but a potential quick fix has emerged out of the USDA’s Aerial Application Technology Research Unit (AATRU) in College Station, Texas. Large-scale farms like the ones surrounding the Dunhams’ typically opt for aerial application over ground-rig spraying, because planes cover huge swaths faster, decreasing the time workers must be sidelined (per EPA regulations that prohibit them from reentering treated areas for up to 72 hours).

Starting in 2013, Daniel Martin, a research engineer at the AATRU, and his colleagues conducted a study to determine how small wing-mounted blades called vortex generators (VGs)—intended to increase pilot control of commercial and military airplanes—might affect the way agricultural aircraft spray chemicals. Martin’s team outfitted planes with VGs and used dye in place of pesticides. In one test, the VGs reduced the amount of drift by 40 to 45 percent.

Martin, 50, hypothesizes that the tiny vortexes created by VGs help pull pesticide spray down below the plane, thus preventing it from getting caught in the airflow coming off the wings, which can cause the droplets to drift off target (see “How Vortex Generators Work,” below left). He continues to test the concept, and hopes that aerial applicators will retrofit their planes with VGs (at a cost of only about $2,000 per plane).

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Illustration by Susan Huyse

David Eby, a veteran aerial applicator in Wakarusa, Indiana, believes that pesticide drift will persist as long as wind and human error remain factors. “It’s like riding down the highway and expecting to keep the exhaust from your car within the boundaries of the road,” he explains. Nevertheless, the 68-year-old is intrigued by the prospect of VGs. “Reducing drift is a win for everybody,” says Eby, whose firm received only one such com- plaint after spraying 375,000 acres in 2016. Already, he employs a digital service called FieldWatch, which allows farmers with vulnerable crops and livestock to register their properties online, alerting aerial applicators to sensitive zones.

Though the Dunhams listed Grinnell Heritage Farm on FieldWatch earlier this year, they’re not overly optimistic. The couple managed to recoup some of their drift-related losses after settling with the applicators’ insurance carriers—but only after producing years’ worth of records and receipts. “It was an all- consuming task,” Andrew explains. “I’d rather have been in the fields.”

Chinese Consumers Increasingly Seek Organic

Chinese Consumers Increasingly Seek Organic

As the Chinese pay more attention to food safety, customized farm produce, grown without using pesticides or fertilizers, is attracting growing interest from well-off urban consumers, especially the young.

The Internet is assisting supply-side reform in agriculture. Customers can rent a piece of land online and choose which varieties of vegetables they want to have grown there. Many farms have cameras so that customers can monitor the growth of their produce on their mobile phones or computers.

"This not only ensures green food, but also offers an opportunity for our family to enjoy pastoral scenery during our free time," said Xu Li, a Changchun resident.

"Our fruit and vegetables are all organic. We adopted a membership model for the sale and delivery of produce to our clients," Chen Zhao, general manager of Chunjiangyan farm in Nongan County, Changchun, said at the 16th China Changchun International Agriculture and Food Fair, which closed Sunday.

The farm has 47 vegetable and fruit greenhouses and 1,000 members. Each day, more than 100 Changchun residents receive vegetables delivered from the farm, according to Chen.

The Chinese government has required a deepening of supply-side structural reform in agriculture, improving of the sector's structure, the promoting of green production and innovation, and the extending of the sector's industrial and value chain.

According to a report released last year by Ali Research Institute affiliated to e-commerce giant Alibaba, China had 65 million "online green consumers" in 2015, 15 times as many as in 2011, showing a strong growth in demand for organic produce.

Read more at news.xinhuanet.com

LED Grow Lights Reshape Agriculture

LED Grow Lights Reshape Agriculture

by admin | Innovation, LED Light Fixture Innovation 

By Charlie Szoradi | Independence LED Lighting

For photosynthesis, plants use more red and blue wavelength light than green light within RGB full spectrum.  LED technology enables the delivery of only the wavelengths that are needed most, resulting in reduced electricity operating cost to “feed” the plants and increased ROI of plant harvests.

The next decade offers many opportunities for LED manufacturers, distributors, installers, and the whole host of energy professionals and solution providers. Saving energy and money is the key driver in the adoption of LED lights with high ROI and low Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). Low operating costs and low equipment costs move the needle.  For LED grow lights, the market is about making more of something vs less of something. More plant growth often trumps energy savings!

While LEDs can reduce the operating expense over metal halide and fluorescent grow lights, the real win is when the LED grow lights can shave 10 percent or more off of the grow time to harvest. As an example with lettuce or basil, the average grow time is about 30 days, and LED lights can accelerate the growth to deliver the same harvest weight in 27 days. Over a year, the farmer can deliver 13 harvest cycles vs just 12. One more harvest is meaningful. A 20,000 sq. ft. grow operation (about half an acre and half the size of a football field) can yield over $1.5 million in basil every year. Now, LED lights are about production vs reduction.

Here are some insights about the 21st century that provide perspective on why the LED Grow Light market is poised for dramatic market growth:

The Challenges:

• Global population has doubled to over 7 billion since the first Earth Day in 1970.
• Humankind may deplete fresh water resources before running out of fossil fuels.
• In America, food travels hundreds and thousands of miles to its destination in many areas.
• America faces increasing health challenges from childhood obesity and an overweight population.
• Low-income households are at the highest risk, given limited access to affordable fresh produce.
• The developing world faces increasing food challenges, given droughts and extreme weather.

The Solutions:

• Leverage the advantages of Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology to provide cost-effective, fresh and organic produce at local levels.

Results:

• Fresh and Cost-Effective Food for the World.

LED Grow Lights = $ Money. The available LED technology and “Smart Controls” enable next generation farmers to grow indoors during the day and at night. They also reduce shipping costs to increase net profit. LEDs will reshape agriculture, because a new generation of urban farmers will use abandoned and un-leased industrial buildings to grow organic food close to the communities that will eat it. This reduces the farm to table distance and cuts the pesticides out of the process.

Not all LED Grow Light are created equal.
If you are in the market to use LED grow lights or seek to expand your sales offerings through a strategic relationship, look for grow lights that meet certain standards. Specifically, look for LED Grow Lights with highest Photosynthetic Active Radiation (PAR) per dollar for vegetation and flowering.

In addition to LED vegetation and flowering fixtures, look for manufacturers that offer custom solutions to meet growers’ needs. Modular design can deliver Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density (PPFD) at varying wavelengths to give growers a competitive advantage.

Look for external driver technology with the ability to program, through smart controls, the cycles to optimize plant growth over multiple growth sessions within a 24 hour period, based on the different types of plants.

Look for fixtures with dimming capabilities to simulate sunrise and sunset and/or to optimize plant growth over multiple growth sessions.

Look for adjustable suspension systems so that the elevation of the light source above the plants is optimized for plant growth.

Look for opportunities to integrate hydroponic and also aquaponics systems into the LED grow operations.  A pound of feed may only yield an ounce of protein from livestock, while a pound of feed for fish will yield closer to a one-to-one pound of protein from a fish, such as tilapia.  Plus, vegetables such as kale are nutrient rich “superfoods” with numerous health benefits: http://advancingyourhealth.org/highlights/2013/09/17/health-benefits-of-kale/

Top Tip on LED Grow Lights:
Choose a commercial LED lighting manufacturer or solutions provider that has the highest Photosynthetic Active Radiation (PAR) per dollar of fixture cost. While higher watts are a negative in building illumination, they are typically a positive with grow lights (all things equal in the wavelengths), because more watts translate into more light for plant growth. The $/watt analysis is also relevant in comparing LED fixtures if the light of the different fixtures is distributed across the grow surface rather than creating hot spots. You can look at the cost per watt as a way to short list LED Grow Lights. Just divide the fixture cost by the wattage and this is a great first line of comparison.

About the Author
Charlie Szoradi is the Chairman and CEO of Independence LED Lighting, an award-winning US LED Manufacturer. He has taken a leadership role in sustainability and lighting for more than 20 years, dating back to his Master’s Thesis at the University of Pennsylvania on “Energy Intelligence” in 1993. He has multiple patents and is a sought after speaker for both industry and academic events. Szoradi is available by e-mail at Charlie@IndependenceLED.com.