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US: Texas Schools Tap Container Farms To Fill Cafeterias With Fresh Produce
Texas schools are using refrigerated freight containers converted into hydroponic farms as an extension of the classroom. At IDEA charter schools, students learn how to grow leafy greens and other vegetables, and deliver their harvests directly to the school cafeteria
Texas students are getting hands-on, high-tech experience growing fresh produce inside converted shipping containers. Photo: Freight Farms
by Eric Galatas
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Texas schools are using refrigerated freight containers converted into hydroponic farms as an extension of the classroom. At IDEA charter schools, students learn how to grow leafy greens and other vegetables, and deliver their harvests directly to the school cafeteria.
Caroline Katsiroubas – director of community relations at Freight Farms, the company that developed the technology – says schools are using the farms in part to shift traditional food culture and improve health by giving students nutritious options.
“In the San Antonio IDEA school’s campus, they don’t use salt or pepper in their cafeteria,” says Katsiroubas. “And they’re growing herbs specifically in their farm to make a seasoning.”
The University of North Texas also is using the container farms as a lab for a wide range of hands-on learning opportunities in biology, organic chemistry, nutrition, and culinary arts, as well as business, computer science, and marketing.
Many schools have developed certificate programs and majors around sustainable food production, which gives graduates a leg up on joining the growing ag-tech field or starting their own farm.
Because the climate is controlled inside the container, food can be grown all school year long with a predictable commercial-scale output. Greenery units can support 13,000 plants at a time, producing harvests of up to 900 heads of lettuce per week.
Katsiroubas says the technology is useful in a state such as Texas and notes Houston freight farmers played a critical role in providing food during Hurricane Harvey.
“These container farms act as a way to control the food supply chain, and make it resistant to shocks like extreme weather patterns or hurricanes or drought,” says Katsiroubas.
Katsiroubas says the container farms also are helping lower schools’ overall carbon footprint. Harvests happen just steps from the dining hall, which all but eliminates transportation emissions and packaging.
She says the farms use 99% less water than a traditional farm, running with as little as five gallons per day, less than the average dishwasher.
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Written by: admin on November 8, 2019.
US (MA): MIT Halts Work On The Controversial Open Agriculture Initiative Food Project
MIT has closed down much of its Open Agriculture Initiative following allegations of academic dishonesty and improper dumping of wastewater, according to an article published in the NY Times
MIT has closed down much of its Open Agriculture Initiative following allegations of academic dishonesty and improper dumping of wastewater, according to an article published in the NY Times. Late last week, MIT’s vice president of research, Maria Zuber, closed down all offsite work on the project, though she has allowed researchers to continue doing some design and document work.
The project, often simply referred to as “OpenAg,” is known for its food computers — small, high-tech containers meant to grow plants in controlled environments and without any soil. OpenAg also operated larger farms it called “food servers” in shipping containers housed outside the MIT campus in Middleton, Massachusetts.
Project leader Caleb Harper also had a vision that owners of these food computers would be able to share data on the perfect combinations of light, water, nutrient, and temperature levels with one another, creating a kind of open-source framework for high-tech indoor farming. “As an open-source project, we believe the more Food Computers we all build, the more data we all have to play with, and the more we can radically alter the future of food,” states a page on the Open Ag site.
Read the full article at The Spoon (Jennifer Marston)
Nova Scotia: Growing Local For A Greener Campus
Eating local is now easier and greener at Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. The Growcer is an out-of-the-box local food solution located steps away from the dining hall
Ilayda Coruk October 23, 2019
Out-of-The-Box Thinking Means
Fresh Produce For Campus And Community
Eating local is now easier and greener at Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. The Growcer is an out-of-the-box local food solution located steps away from the dining hall.
Acadia partnered with its food service provider Chartwells to bring the hydroponic, vertical growing system housed inside a repurposed shipping container to campus. It will produce greens and microgreens year-round and employ students. It's the first of its kind for post-secondary institutions in Atlantic Canada.
"This is just one example of out-of-the-box thinking at Acadia in support of our students and greening the campus," says Jodie Noiles, Acadia's Sustainability Coordinator. "This initiative builds on an existing commitment to purchase and use local produce in our food services."
The Growcer is part of an ambitious new Food Services Plan for the campus. Created by a committee of Acadia students, faculty, and staff along with public health experts, the plan focuses on healthy eating, sustainability, and affordability. "It is one of the most comprehensive and progressive plans for food services across Canada," says Noiles.
Green Ideas
Because of its sealed environment, The Growcer can produce 100 kgs of fresh greens each month year-round. It uses 95 percent less water than conventional farming and uses no herbicides or pesticides. By producing food with fewer resources, Acadia lowers greenhouse gas emissions associated with campus operations and there is fresh produce nearby year-round.
“I'm excited to grow a variety of greens to complement the ingredients we get from farms in the Annapolis Valley,” said Executive Chef Peter Welton. "I can’t wait for Acadia and the Wolfville community to try our Growcer harvest."
During official launch week from October 21st to October 25th, Acadia Dining Services will feature lunch specials made with Growcer greens and diners can learn more about the operation.
The mini-hydroponic farm builds on many campus initiatives like the Acadia Community Farm. At the farm, students operate a half-acre educational garden and grow vegetables for the dining hall and local foodbank. There is also a student group, Acadia Food, and Fork, that grows beans, lettuce, and tomatoes in the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre to share with students.
Supporting teaching and research is also an important part of the Acadia Food Services Plan. “Acadia students learn the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship as part of their studies, and The Growcer project is a new opportunity for them to put that learning into practice,” Noiles explains.
Acadia’s food service provider, Chartwells, is committed to delivering a student-first experience on campus. Each year, they plan to donate 10 percent of The Growcer crop to on-campus and local food banks. The initiative is part of Chartwells' Thinking Ahead Giving Back vision, which includes tackling food insecurity. The company will also provide volunteer hours for community support of mental health and social issues facing students and create 1,000 jobs through a more focused commitment to student employment.
Health Check Kids: Leafy Green Machine Planted At West Warwick High School
With permission and funding from the school district, a 40-foot climate-controlled container was planted just outside the cafeteria doors more than a year ago. And that's when the science department got on board
by BARBARA MORSE, NBC 10 NEWS
Thursday, October 31, 2019
A Leafy Green Machine planted at West Warwick High School. (WJAR)
To View The Video, Please Click Here
Sodexo — the school district’s food service company — seeing it in action at a University in Massachusetts.
"And we figured, gee, what a great idea. Local food, right on site. Why don't we just bring it in," said Donna Walker, general manager of Sodexo food services for the West Warwick School District.
With permission and funding from the school district, a 40-foot climate-controlled container was planted just outside the cafeteria doors more than a year ago. And that's when the science department got on board.
"We learned how to run the machine, how to seed and transplant and harvest the lettuce," said Gina Poulos, a science teacher at the high school.
Then they got students involved -- forming the leafy green club.
"I'm super interested in plants and all type of agriculture and it's a nice, relaxing thing to do after school or even in the middle of school when we have advisory and I can kind of just plant stuff and get to learn and talk to other people," said Joshua Dick, a junior at the high school.
"I love salads and I always thought plants were so cool. I always love going to botanical gardens and just thought it was so cool and was like why not," said Gabrielle Dascoli, a senior.
The plants, most leafy green lettuce, are grown -- chock full of nutrients -- vertically, which is a space saver. Special lights are programmed remotely. And the process uses minimal water and electricity.
Harvested and turned into salads within hours.
"I think it tastes amazing. you can taste the nutrients. You can tell it's really thought out. It's great," said Gascoli.
"We're trying different things,” said Walker. "We've done tomatoes, we've done some herbs, we've done kale for soups and stuff."
The leafy green machine can produce up to two acres' worth of greens. The modified shipping containers are re-purposed into green machines by Freight Farms in Boston.
VIDEO: Boys & Girls Club Introduces Kids To Hydroponic Farming
The Freight Farm will allow students to learn about science and agriculture. It will also act as revenue for the BGCCA
by: Justina Latimer
October 30, 2019
TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Capital Area are introducing kids to high-tech hydroponic farming.
The Freight Farm will allow students to learn about science and agriculture. It will also act as revenue for the BGCCA.
The farm was donated by SEFCU with CDPHP and Brown’s Brewing Company also partnering to support the cause.
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Western Dakota Tech Saves The Agriculture Industry By Working Indoors
USDA grants $50,000 to Western Dakota Tech to expand their aquaponics project from a small closet to a bigger facility. With agriculture being one of the leading industries in the state and frequent weather changes, Bryan Mitchell said indoor methods can help preserve the agriculture industry
October 23, 2019
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA TV) - Western Dakota Tech is saving the agriculture industry with controlled environment agriculture indoors. The school receives thousands of dollars in grant money to expand their project.
USDA grants $50,000 to Western Dakota Tech to expand their aquaponics project from a small closet to a bigger facility.
With agriculture being one of the leading industries in the state and frequent weather changes, Bryan Mitchell said indoor methods can help preserve the agriculture industry.
"I think this year we've only had 140 days without snow. Well, that leaves quite a few other days where we can be controlling the environment and still producing at least something," Bryan Mitchell, program director of electrical trades at Western Dakota Tech, said.
The school produces specialty crops like tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce. The goal is to produce 36 heads of romaine lettuce a week.
About 200 fish, 150 tilapia and the rest being fish for aesthetics, are in a tank ready to start the process.
The students and staff built a pipe system that circulates 800 gallons of water and filters out the nitrogen from the fish's waste. The nitrogen passes through the pipes and nourishes the seeds that lay on the floating rafts.
With pink and blue lights, underwater cameras and an intricate technical system, it's a hands-off method way to produce food.
"It is really impressive and it really shows how capable Western Dakota Tech's faculty and students are in helping to have a big impact in the future of the state," Western Dakota Tech President Ann Bolman said.
The future of putting a fresh salad on every person's plate.
"Ultimately, we want people to be eating healthy. We want to be apart of providing a solution to food insecurity in our community," Mitchell said.
The food will be donated to the Fork Real Cafe and the student food bank on campus.
US: Texas Schools Tap ‘Container Farms’ To Fill Cafeterias With Fresh Produce
Texas schools are using refrigerated freight containers converted into hydroponic farms as an extension of the classroom
Texas students are getting hands-on, high-tech experience growing fresh produce inside converted shipping containers. (Freight Farms)
Texas News Service October 25, 2019
SAN ANTONIO – Texas schools are using refrigerated freight containers converted into hydroponic farms as an extension of the classroom.
At IDEA charter schools, students learn how to grow leafy greens and other vegetables, and deliver their harvests directly to the school cafeteria.
Caroline Katsiroubas – director of community relations at Freight Farms, the company that developed the technology – says schools are using the farms in part to shift traditional food culture and improve health by giving students nutritious options.
“In the San Antonio IDEA school’s campus, they don’t use salt or pepper in their cafeteria,” says Katsiroubas. “And they’re growing herbs specifically in their farm to make a seasoning.”
The University of North Texas also is using the container farms as a lab for a wide range of hands-on learning opportunities in biology, organic chemistry, nutrition, and culinary arts, as well as business, computer science, and marketing.
Many schools have developed certificate programs and majors around sustainable food production, which gives graduates a leg up on joining the growing ag-tech field or starting their own farm.
Because the climate is controlled inside the container, food can be grown all school year long with a predictable commercial-scale output. Greenery units can support 13,000 plants at a time, producing harvests of up to 900 heads of lettuce per week.
Katsiroubas says the technology is useful in a state such as Texas and notes Houston freight farmers played a critical role in providing food during Hurricane Harvey.
“These container farms act as a way to control the food supply chain, and make it resistant to shocks like extreme weather patterns or hurricanes or drought,” says Katsiroubas.
Katsiroubas says the container farms also are helping lower schools’ overall carbon footprint. Harvests happen just steps from the dining hall, which all but eliminates transportation emissions and packaging.
She says the farms use 99% less water than a traditional farm, running with as little as five gallons per day, less than the average dishwasher.
Author: Eric Galatas, Public News Service (TX)
US: New York State - Youths Get Hands-On Lessons In Food Production
The equivalent of a 2-acre farm that grows 500 heads of lettuce a week hides inside a 40-foot-long metal box in a parking lot near the police station in downtown Troy
Boys And Girls Club Gets Indoor Hydroponic Farm
Steve Barnes October 23, 2019
The equivalent of a 2-acre farm that grows 500 heads of lettuce a week hides inside a 40-foot-long metal box in a parking lot near the police station in downtown Troy.
The container farm, as it's called, or Freight Farm, after the Boston-based company that first introduced hydroponic growing systems in repurposed shipping containers, is a project of the Boy & Girls Clubs of the Capital Area. The $90,000 container farm was a gift from the SEFCU credit union, which for the past two years has operated a similar container farm at its offices near the Harriman state office campus in Albany.
Launched over the summer and overseen by two adult staffers, the farm gives young people who participate in the Troy club's after-school programs hands-on experience planting, growing, harvesting and selling fresh produce. Although the farm now grows only greens, including two types of lettuce plus kale and Swiss chard, seeds are available for a variety of items, from radishes and beets to herbs and flowers. They are being considered for future crops, according to the club.
"It's sustainable, year-round and ideally will generate income while giving our teens good experience with fresh produce," said Justin Reuter, CEO of the BGCCA. The organization, formed earlier this year by a merger of clubs in Albany and Troy, serves 5,200 young people annually and recently opened facilities in Cohoes and Green Island.
The unexpected gift of the container farm came out of a conversation early this year, during what SEFCU's president and CEO, Michael Castellana, described as a "good news/bad news meeting" with club leaders, who had asked for a $50,000 donation to pay for a summer program.
"I closed the folder and said, 'Absolutely not,' " Castellana said, a response that was startling because, he said, "We hardly ever say to no them." Instead, aware of the hit SEFCU's own container farm had become among employees and the food pantries its produce was donated to, Castellana proposed giving one to the BGCCA. The offer, he said, initially left club representatives slack-jawed.
"Once they closed their mouths, they said, 'Absolutely yes,' " he said.
Hydroponic growing is hardly new, having been used commercially at least since the 1930s when Pan American Airways established a hydroponic growing operation for vegetables on a Pacific atoll that was used as a refueling station for flights from the U.S. to Asia. But container farms like the one run by the boys and girls club are less than a decade old. Freight Farms, which started manufacturing in 2013, has installed about 200 worldwide.
The only three Freight Farms in the Capital Region, according to a company spokeswoman, are owned by SEFCU, the BGCCA, and Carioto Produce and Seafood in Green Island, which acquired one almost three years ago.
The lettuces raised in the boys and girls club's container farm — butterhead, or Boston, and a red-leaf variety called Lollo Rosso — and the other greens take eight weeks to grow from seed to harvest. Seeds are planted in trays in a soil-like medium of ground coconut shells, where they are watered for three weeks. The small seedlings, with a pyramid-shaped plug of growing medium around their roots, are then transplanted into one of 256 foam-lined vertical columns, each 7 feet tall, that hang in facing rows along the sides of the container farm, 10 heads to a column. Nutrient-laden water, fed from the top by a computerized system, trickles down the columns, and, overnight, LEDs shine specially calibrated light on the plants. With staggered planting, the farm, in theory, can produce more than 600 heads a week, though production hasn't yet ramped up to that volume.
The greens become part of the approximately 1,100 meals a day the BGCCA serves at its locations, and club staffer Patricia Doyle, who manages the farm, said the fact the food is home-grown seems to have generated more receptivity among members than preteens and adolescents might otherwise grant leafy produce.
"When you grow something, you're more apt to eat it," she said. "They're proud of it."
The 10 to 12 club members who work on the farm put their initials on the columns they've planted, following their heads through to harvest.
"I was interested because I like science and nature, and it attracted me because I wanted to do something for my community," said club member Kelyse Bell. The 13-year-old moved to Lansingburgh earlier this year from North Carolina, where she learned gardening from her grandmother.
"This is better for the environment, too — you grow more in a faster time than you would on land on a normal farm," said Bell.
The club sells its lettuces, for $2 per head, at the Troy farmers market on Wednesday afternoon, and, in its first of a hoped-for list of restaurant customers, to Brown's Brewing, for use in its taprooms in Troy and North Hoosick. Much of the approximately 200 heads Brown's buys each week is the base for salads for private events in its Revolution Hall banquet facility, adjacent to the brewpub on River Street in downtown Troy.
"The taste is amazing, the leaves are all intact, there's no dirt, insects, chemicals or anything like that," said Paul Minbiole, operations director for Brown's Brewing and one of those involved in the decision to start purchasing the club's lettuce. He said, "It's processed and delivered to us the same day. You can't get much fresher than that without picking it yourself."
Being able to give a social-services nonprofit for youth the opportunity to expose its members to farming is part of SEFCU's larger mission of offering nontraditional growth opportunities and benefits for the communities it serves, said Castellana.
"SEFCU is committed to trying to change lives by trying to minimize obstacles that people have in their life," he said. "Hunger is one of the most significant and overlooked obstacles that people have, and this is one way to start to address that."
Bell said she is pleased by what she's learned about one of the futures of farming in just a few months since she started coming to the Troy club.
Demonstrating her new knowledge, Bell said the container farm operates at 60 degrees, with 55 to 60 percent humidity, and a higher level of carbon dioxide than in outside air.
"We're only supposed to be in here for about 45 minutes at a time," she said. "The air is good for plants, but people need more oxygen."
sbarnes@timesunion.com - 518-454-5489 - blog.timesunion.com/tablehopping - @Tablehopping - facebook.com/SteveBarnesFoodCritic
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Steve Barnes has worked at the Times Union since 1996, served as arts editor for six years, and since 2005 has been a senior writer.
Since 2006, Steve has passed along his knowledge, or at least his opinions, to young writers as a journalism instructor at the University at Albany.
Contact him at (518) 454-5489
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Indoor-Farming Company Square Roots Expands Into Michigan
Square Roots, an indoor seed-to-sales urban farm headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, will open its newest indoor farm at the Gordon Food Service headquarters in Wyoming, Michigan
September 30, 2019
An artist's rendering of the new Square Roots' indoor farm at Gordon Food Service, Wyoming, Mich. ( Courtesy Square Roots )
Today, Square Roots, an indoor seed-to-sales urban farm headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, will open its newest indoor farm at the Gordon Food Service headquarters in Wyoming, Michigan. This is the beginning of a strategic partnership that will see Square Roots’ high-tech farms built on or near Gordon Food Service locations across the continent, helping to bring hyper-local produce to customers year-round.
Link To Facebook Video - Opening of Square Roots New Michigan Farm Campus
The fact that so much has happened in just six months is credited to Square Roots’ modular, scalable farm-tech platform. The company can bring this model to any city in the world, and it can be done fast.
“As the network of farms gets larger, it gets smarter,” the company said. “Cloud-connected farms and data-empowered farmers learn from each other, enabling Square Roots to replicate success from one location to another, seamlessly. Opening the Michigan farm brings us closer to the vision of a distributed network of indoor farms, built across the world, to bring real food to people in cities while empowering thousands of next-gen leaders in urban farming.”
The opening of the new facility in Michigan has also opened up a new pool of applications for Square Roots’ Next-Gen Farmer Training Program — half of the newest applicants are from the Michigan area.
Staff for the Michigan site is already in place: Brian Mitchell, the new Farm Manager, is coming from an 87,000 square-foot indoor aquaponics facility, and the Assistant Farm Managers are Lauren Niergarth, a horticulture major from Michigan State University, and Eli Zimmer, a former Next-Gen Farmer from Brooklyn.
US: Colorado - Students At Mountain Vista High School Were Ready To Start The Year By Getting Their Hands Dirty Via The Agricultural Business Course
For the past two years classes and interns have operated the Mountain Vista Farm, which utilizes a hydroponic growing system called the Leafy Green Machine
By James Conlan / Ag Journal
October 16, 2019
Students at Mountain Vista High School were ready to start the year by getting their hands dirty via the Agricultural Business course taught by David Larsen.
“As part of the program, students are responsible for all aspects of the Mountain View Farms business,” Larsen said.
After being introduced to the different business principles, students are tasked with integrating them into running a successful business. Some of these tasks include marketing, social media/website, communications, graphic design, printed literature, handling of money/accounting, customer service, food safety, and business plan development.
“Agriculturally, they have to figure out all of the elements including environment, nutrient, tech, engineering, and automation to keep the plants alive and healthy for sale,” he said.
For the past two years classes and interns have operated the Mountain Vista Farm, which utilizes a hydroponic growing system called the Leafy Green Machine.
“I think hydroponics is far more sustainable and reliable than traditional farming for the crops we can grow,” he added. “This technology produces absolutely delicious products that are fresh and last multiple times longer than what is sold in stores.”
He said utilizing this machine involves more people in the local production of food, potentially builds community and is a great educational tool for life skills. For students of his Agricultural Business class he said they gain soft skills in terms of being a good employee including punctuality, engagement, responsibility, as well as a good representation of the business to the public.
Another added element to the Leafy Green Machine is the ability of students to use the app Farmhand App.
“When we first started Freight Farms, we considered ourselves a hardware platform – but our views quickly expanded for two reasons,” Freight Farms CEO, Brad McNamara said.
The first reason was when he and co-founder Jon Freidman realized their clients needed a way to stay in contact with their farms remotely. The second reason was that they wanted to address a historical challenge in the farming world. Which they said was the lack of reliable and transferable data between farms to increase overall agricultural efficiencies.
“At the time, there wasn’t a turnkey hub for industrial-scale IoT, few if any climate-control apps for hydroponic indoor growers, nor a sophisticated way to bridge the gap between emerging IoT technology and old programming control language,” he said.
So building from the ground up, he said that they developed an integrated software platform called Farmhand. Which would enable its users to monitor and manage farm components remotely, automate tasks and analyze growing data.
“As IoT technology has evolved over the years, we’ve continuously integrated new updates and advancements to help our customers operate increasingly efficient farms with the touch of a button,” he said.
Consumers of Freight Farms products don’t just include schools, according to McNamara their tech has been used at restaurants, nonprofits, retail establishments, hospitality organizations and corporate employee benefit programs.
“We’ve been focused on taking the most advanced hydroponic technology and making it approachable. Enabling people of varying ages, experience levels, and industries to become successful food growers,” he said.
Students In Medical Schools Across The Country Spend Less Than 1 Percent of Lecture Time Learning About Diet
Poor diet continues to be one of the biggest contributors to chronic disease and mortality in the U.S., killing one in five Americans every year
The New Food Economy
October 14th, 2019
by Jessica Fu
Earlier this year, Mount Sinai, the biggest hospital network in New York City, invested in a meal delivery service. Though it seemed like an unusual move at the time, the network’s decision makes sense if you consider the intrinsic relationship between food and health—a connection underscored by countless other recent examples of healthcare initiatives that harness diet as a tool to improve well-being.
At a California rehabilitation facility, for instance, doctors use the rituals of eating to help people recover from trauma. And over the past decade, cities across the country have launched “food prescription” programs that incentivize participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to buy fresh fruits and vegetables at farmers’ markets. A number of nonprofit organizations have launched medically-tailored meal services for people suffering from diet-related diseases.
Culturally and politically, we’re increasingly acknowledging that what we eat plays a major role in our health. Which is why it’s especially strange that healthcare providers know so little about it.
Medical curriculums have been developed historically, foregrounding disciplines like biology, behavior, and disease to the detriment of food and nutrition.
In a new report published by the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic, researchers write that, on average, students in medical schools across the country spend less than 1 percent of lecture time learning about diet, falling short of the National Research Council’s recommendation for baseline nutrition curriculum. Neither the federal government, which provides a significant chunk of funding to medical schools nor accreditation groups—which validate them—enforce any minimum level of diet instruction.
And it shows: While you and I might show up for our annual physicals expecting feedback on our what and how much we should be eating, just 14 percent of doctors feel qualified to offer that nutrition advice.
How did the gap get this wide? Much of it can be explained by the way medical curriculums have been developed historically, foregrounding disciplines like biology, behavior, and disease to the detriment of food and nutrition. Today, the legacy of this framework makes it hard for medical schools to retroactively integrate nutrition into their curriculums.
“Because [nutrition] wasn’t prioritized for so long, there aren’t a lot of faculty and medical schools that have any knowledge about nutrition and diet,” says Emily Broad Leib, the report’s lead author. “To build it into schools now requires real investment in hiring and training.”
“People believe that nutrition is easy when in reality, nutrition is most of medicine—and then a lot more.”
The report recommends a wide range of policy changes that could function as carrots and sticks in getting nutrition onto course outlines. They range from making federal funding contingent on nutrition training to performance-based incentives that encourage schools to include diet-related subjects in curriculums.
“Why are we spending so much government money to educate physicians and residents, and yet we’re not getting any impact in terms of these this large set of [diet-related] diseases?” Broad Leib asks.
The recommendations also implicate other players in the world of medicine, like accreditation organizations and licensing boards, for not requiring a baseline level of dietary expertise from schools and doctors, respectively. Part of the reason that maybe is the prevailing attitude society has toward food as a soft science.
“People believe that nutrition is easy, when in reality, nutrition is most of medicine—and then a lot more,” says Martin Kohlmeier, a professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. “You have cultural, food production, and food safety issues. It is a challenge for physicians to learn enough.”
Doctors with expertise in nutrition are more likely to spot diet-related issues earlier in a patient’s prognosis.
Kohlmeier leads the Nutrition in Medicine Project, a free, online nutrition curriculum tailored to medical students and doctors. Kohlmeier estimates that 150,000 students have participated in some aspect of the program since its launch in 1995. Nevertheless, he stresses, voluntary education is only a temporary fix for a systemic problem.
“A lot of institutions have electives, all kinds of nice things that maybe 1 to 5 percent of their students use. And I’m always saying: ‘You are going to be treated by the physician who skipped those classes.’”
But why teach doctors nutrition and diet when there already exists a specialty in those fields? Nutritionists and dieticians are experts in the way our individual biologies are affected by what we eat. What role will they play if our general practitioners develop that same expertise?
Shoring up what doctors know about food won’t render nutritionists moot, says Carol DeNysschen, a registered dietician and chair of the health, nutrition, and dietetics program at the State University of New York-Buffalo.
“The more that [doctors] know, the more they realize what they don’t know, and the more they realize how complicated it can be to develop an individualized nutrition plan for people and to get them the support they need to monitor or manage [issues like] their weight, their diabetes,” DeNysschen says.
DeNysschen characterizes the relationship between doctors and nutritionists as a symbiotic one. Doctors with expertise in nutrition are more likely to spot diet-related issues earlier in a patient’s prognosis, and that could mean more referrals to diet experts. “The more nutrition knowledge they have, the more they’re aware of looking for those areas where a nutritionist or dietitian could interject,” she says.
Beyond the healthcare implications, the Harvard report also makes an economic case for teaching doctors about food. Taxpayer dollars fund most physician residencies in the United States through Medicare. (Medical school graduates train to become doctors via residency in a hospital.) Simultaneously, Medicare serves as the national insurance program for aging Americans, and thus, incurs the costs of diet-related diseases during that stage of our lives. Therefore, the report argues, requiring nutrition education in medical residencies is another way for Congress to trim its own bills.
That’s one element of the case that Broad Leib will likely make next week at a Congressional hearing. Though the report largely focuses on federal policy changes, some local lawmakers are introducing legislation that would require nutrition education among doctors within their jurisdictions. In New York, for example, state legislators recently proposed a bill that would require practicing physicians to receive six hours of nutrition coursework or training every two years. In Washington, D.C., municipal lawmakers introduced a bill that would require continuing education for doctors to be expanded to include nutrition coursework.
Poor diet continues to be one of the biggest contributors to chronic disease and mortality in the U.S., killing one in five Americans every year. That’s a higher rate than three other risk factors—pollution, lack of exercise, alcohol and drug use—combined. As the tide continues to rise in favor of ideas and policies that combine food and healthcare, medical schools maybe next to center nutrition in their work. Someone’s just got to prescribe it.
VIDEO: Vertical Microgreens Farmer Interviews Nick Greens
Hello everyone! Visiting Vertical Farm On The West Side Of Chicago And Getting Interviewed By Shanquell The Grower
Hello everyone! Visiting Vertical Farm On The West Side Of Chicago And Getting Interviewed By Shanquell The Grower.
US - Alabama: Auburn University Commercial Aquaponics Workshop - November 11-13, 2019
The Workshop will be held November 11-13, 2019 at the Auburn University E.W. Shell Fisheries Station located at AL-147, Auburn, Al 36830
Auburn University’s Aquaculture and Fisheries Business Institute and School of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Science is proud to announce their newest workshop series, which focuses on commercial aquaponics.
Our team of highly successful presenters are planning a jam-packed 3-day schedule of practical information that can be used to implement a successful addition to your existing aquaculture facility or create a completely new operation.
The Workshop will be held November 11-13, 2019 at the Auburn University E.W. Shell Fisheries Station located at AL-147, Auburn, Al 36830.
Registration is limited to the first 30 people so secure your spot early! The registration fee is $1,000 and includes a notebook with speaker presentations, hands-on activities, snack breaks and a USB drive with additional digital content.
The deadline to register is midnight on Oct 31st.
Don’t delay, register today!!!!
https://sfaas.auburn.edu/afbi/aquaponics-workshops/
Auburn University Aquaculture & Fisheries Business Institute | Aquaponics – Workshops
Aquaponic Workshops are offered as a response to the community’s overwhelming interest in aquaponics. Participants will receive detailed instruction on the basics of aquaponics, a tour of the school’s fish and plant greenhouses and guidance on designing and constructing aquaponics systems.
US - Massachusetts: Hydroponic Farm Grows At Framingham High School
Via a mobile app, staff can monitor the crops, adjust the pink ultraviolet light, and prompt a light rain without setting foot inside the farm. A webcam even snaps a photo every three minutes, so they can see changes as they happen. If any crop’s reading falls outside of the target range, the app will send a notification
By Zane Razzaq
Daily News staff
October 11, 2019
Via a mobile app, staff can monitor the crops, adjust the pink ultraviolet light, and prompt a light rain without setting foot inside the farm. A webcam even snaps a photo every three minutes, so they can see changes as they happen. If any crop’s reading falls outside of the target range, the app will send a notification.
FRAMINGHAM – In an old shipping container behind the high school, towers of lettuce enjoy springtime.
Walls of kale and other greens stretch down an aisle the length of the trailer, fed by ropes of LED lights that mimic sunlight. A wall-mounted keyboard that serves as the 320-square-foot hydroponic farm’s brain keeps the temperature at a steady 70 degrees. Every hour, a fan clicks on to distribute a spurt of carbon dioxide for a minute, helping the plants grow.
Later in the day, members of the Food Service Department will pluck leafy greens such as red romaine or wasabi arugula from about 35 grow towers. Then, produce is packed in crates and distributed to city schools to feed thousands of students.
“They might never see lettuce like this in their lifetime,” said Brendan Ryan, the foodservice department administrator for Framingham schools, holding up a particularly delicate lettuce. “You would be hard-pressed to buy this lettuce on the open market because it’s so hard to maintain.”
This will be the department’s first full year using the $104,000 product, which was first installed in April. It can grow the equivalent of two acres worth of vegetables inside without soil year-round.
Purchased from Boston-based Freight Farms with money from the department, it’s an example of the urban farming trend that the schools are now embracing. The indoor farm uses the technology of hydroponics: a technique where plants are grown with a nutrient solution and the same water recirculates repeatedly. Soil is not used.
For Ryan and his staff, it’s the latest “marketing tool” to promote the department, which previously started an outdoor garden to grow sunflowers, potatoes, corn and more.
“We’re trying to be as cutting-edge as we can and make sure that we’re serving these kids the best freshest product possible,” said Ryan. “This is one way for parents to see we’re making the lettuce right outside.”
Via a mobile app, staff can monitor the crops, adjust the pink ultraviolet light, and prompt a light rain without setting foot inside the farm. A webcam even snaps a photo every three minutes, so they can see changes as they happen. If any crop’s reading falls outside of the target range, the app will send a notification.
Containers of nutrient-infused water – chock-full of minerals found in healthy soil such as nitrogen, potassium, phosphorous – pump through tubes to the crops growing in polymer mesh.
Getting the hang of the technology posed some learning curves, said Raquel Vazquez, director of foodservice operations. For example, it takes more than an hour to calibrate the water tank filters to make sure every nutrient is properly dispensed into seedlings.
“If we don’t, then it improperly imbalanced and then our crops won’t yield as well,” said Vazquez.
The inside of the freight container also needs to be kept extremely clean to avoid problems like algae growth.
Ryan likened the “new endeavor” to going from “being a butcher to a brain surgeon.”
A head of lettuce that would normally take 14 to 16 weeks to grow in a field takes about eight weeks inside the trailer, 365 days a year. Another advantage: Crops are not exposed to any contaminants and are “beyond 100% organic,” said Ryan.
And it produces lettuce and other vegetables that would be too expensive for the district to buy from vendors, like the delicate lettuce that outside vendors would likely not risk shipping.
“They’re not going to be taking packed very well, they don’t take the exposure to extreme temperatures very well,” said Ryan, of the fine leaves. “You pack these in a shipping truck, stacked 30, 40 cases high – they flatten. Here, this crate goes right to the school.”
Vazquez said it also poses a learning opportunity for students, saying some have already toured the unit. Eventually, the biology department hopes to incorporate it into the curriculum.
“While our staff serves pizza on Fridays, they’re really teaching them about what hydroponic greens are, where this came from, all the way down to kindergarten. They’re starting to eat it and try it and taste it,” said Vazquez.
Ryan and Vasquez hope the high-tech aspect of the farm will get teens interested in farming as a career.
“A lot of kids think of agriculture as some lone farmer covered in mud in the middle of a field with a tractor. And it’s not anymore,” said Ryan.
Zane Razzaq writes about education. Reach her at 508-626-3919 or zrazzaq@wickedlocal.com. Follow her on Twitter @zanerazz.
Farming Food In A Freight Container
An old shipping container arrived on campus last fall. From the outside, it was an innocuous-looking, beige structure that might have fallen out of the sky. The inside, however, contains one of the most innovative farming systems in the world
An old shipping container arrived on campus last fall. From the outside, it was an innocuous-looking, beige structure that might have fallen out of the sky. The inside, however, contains one of the most innovative farming systems in the world.
The shipping container is what is called a freight farm. Produced by Freight Farms, a company founded in 2010 and headquartered in Boston, the container is 320 square feet and contains an advanced hydroponic growing system, meaning that its plants are grown in a mineral nutrient mix instead of soil. The King’s freight farm was installed behind Atair House in November and subsequently painted by students from the Middle School.
The goal of the freight farm is to maximize food production while minimizing water use and the distance between the farm and the site of consumption. At capacity, the freight farm can grow 3,000-5,000 maturing plants simultaneously — the same amount of food that could be grown on two acres of farmland. Yet the farm uses fewer than 10 gallons of water per day, a reduction of about 90 percent, according to Freight Farms Client Services Director David Harris.
Called the Leafy Green Machine by Freight Farms, the unit produces greens for the Dining Hall. “Right now, it’s producing spinach, kale, chard, and romaine,” says Director of Operations Ola Bseiso. While capable of growing other types of vegetables, the Leafy Green Machine is designed specifically to produce greens. And thanks to a staggered schedule, the farm will yield fresh greens every day.
Seeds are first placed under light for two weeks until they become sprouts. Then, during the seedling stage, the plants grow deep roots and begin to show leaves, taking three weeks to fully mature.
When mature, the vegetables are harvested in the morning and placed in the Dining Hall for consumption in the afternoon.
The freight farm’s lettuce will pair nicely with the surrounding crops. “On one side of the freight farm, there is a large fruit tree section — apples, peaches, and other fruits,” says Bseiso. “And to the left are around 25 soil beds with various plants. And the best part is: it’s all organic!”
Beyond its beneficial nutritional and environmental effects, the freight farm offers ample opportunities for learning.
“You can see the entire process of plant growth happening, from the seedling all the way to harvest,” says Harris.
Dima Kayed, head of the Physical and Life Sciences, says that teachers of chemistry and biology intend to incorporate the freight farm into their classes, including looking at the dynamics of plant growth, types of plants, lighting, testing water quality, and other elements.
In addition, the trajectory of Freight Farms offers a case study for entrepreneurial students: eight years ago, the freight farm was only an idea, and now it is a full-fledged, successful product with a presence in nearly 20 countries.
Harris is hopeful that King’s students will gravitate to the freight farm. “You should care where your food comes from, as it doesn’t just appear on your table or plate,” he says. “There’s an entire industry built around it. Students can now understand the food system from a sheltered, air-conditioned box.”
But it’s not just about looking at the food; it’s about eating it. So if you find yourself in the Dining Hall, grab some lettuce from the salad bar, because odds are it’s the freshest salad you will ever eat.
VIEDO: How To Make Cupcake Microgreens At Home With A Cupcake Container And Lid
How to make cupcake microgreens at home with a cupcake container and lid.
Bootstrap Farmer Announces The Urban Farm Academy in NYC
Online Platform for Business & Workforce
Development is Evolving Local Food & Agriculture
New York, NY, September 23, 2019 -- Bootstrap Farmer, a company known for supplying small and medium-sized farms, announced the launch of the Urban Farm Academy during the NYC Agtech Week, a collaboration with entrepreneurs across food and agriculture.
The collaboration consists of entrepreneurs, teachers, and farmers rebuilding local food systems through the business they’ve created. The classes teach frameworks for developing, running & scaling a business or career inside of the hyperlocal food economy using their own businesses as the proof of concept.
“We’re people who came from other careers,” said Brandon Youst, a co-founder. “But we didn’t want to be commodity farmers. We wanted to leverage our past experiences to do something different within food & ag.”
This isn’t a typical academy with a typical curriculum. “These are self-guided courses for creating within a hyperlocal food economy. That means zero-waste supply chains, businesses built on relationships and lean-startup principles” said Youst.
There are future classes in development for addressing food deserts, teaching STEM through aquaponics and urban farm manager training.
The goal of this collaboration is to provide a low-cost education option outside of the traditional educational system. With higher education becoming increasingly expensive and less relevant in many areas, the Urban Farm Academy looks to provide an online option for those not needing a degree for the business they want to start, or the job they seek to get.
“As a business owner, I’d rather see what someone has accomplished rather than seeing what school they went to before I work with them. It’s just a better filter” said Jeff Bednar, co-founder, and owner of Profound Microfarms. “Through this academy, we want to help those who want to join the local food movement in a more practical way, and it doesn’t involve sitting in a classroom.”
The first courses are available through the website
www.urbanfarmacademy.com.
For all inquiries, please contact admin@urbanfarmacademy.com.
Rochester Institute of Technology: New "AgTech" Cropping Up On Campus
RIT recently hired its first-ever farmer, David Brault. Brault, a native of Irondequoit, New York and a University of Vermont graduate in Horticulture, is now taking care of leafy greens and herbs grown on-site in RIT’s new hydroponic container farm. The farm is located in a 40-by-8-by-9.5-foot up-cycled shipping container just behind the Campus Center
by Catherine Rafferty | published Oct. 8th, 2019
RIT recently hired its first-ever farmer, David Brault. Brault, a native of Irondequoit, New York and a University of Vermont graduate in Horticulture, is now taking care of leafy greens and herbs grown on-site in RIT’s new hydroponic container farm. The farm is located in a 40-by-8-by-9.5-foot up-cycled shipping container just behind the Campus Center.
“Alright, close your eyes and picture a farm. You'll see a field, maybe someone on a tractor and there's dirt and all that," Brault described. "Then you go a step removed, and you put in a greenhouse. And then you take a step farther and now you've got a hydroponic greenhouse. And you remove the greenhouse and you've got hydroponics inside this container. So it's different.”
The farm was installed on June 10, 2019. Kory Samuels, executive director of RIT Dining Services, said the project made sense with the recent renovation of Gracie’s as just another way to “up our game” in the quality of food on campus. RIT is just one of two universities in the state to have a hydroponic farm on campus, the other being Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, N.Y.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Hydroponics is defined as growing plants with nutrients and water but without soil. The plants are rooted either in water or an artificial medium which can include substances like sand, gravel, perlite, peat moss, sawdust, coir or Rockwool.
Some crops are better to grow hydroponically than others. Brault said he started by growing lettuce and herbs because of their size and quick turnover rate. Crops like corn are a less practical option because of the lower yields and the space needed to grow it. The container is lit by LEDs that use special bulbs emitting only red and blue light spectra, the most beneficial lighting for optimizing plant growth.
RIT’s farm is a vertical farming system created by Freight Farms, which has provided shipping container farms to many other college campuses. The container is insulated so crops can be grown year-round. Brault can control lighting, temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide levels, concentration of fertilizer and pH levels in the farm all from his smartphone. It operates as a closed system, meaning the water used to feed the plants is recycled for the next crops.
"This is an offering that I think distinguishes us versus other campus dining programs."
WHY HYDRO?
Samuels first saw a shipping container farm at a National Association for College and University Food Service conference back in 2016. Samuels had noticed an interest in seasonal menus and locally sourced produce at other universities. RIT doesn't have an agriculture school, so Samuels saw the hydroponic farm as the perfect solution for RIT's tech-oriented community.
“It was an idea that was kind of put on our roadmap that it'd be cool to eventually get to the point where we are not just sourcing our food as local as possible, but potentially actually being a part of the food system," Samuels said.
In terms of food safety, it's safer for RIT Dining to produce their own product because they can control everything, including the cleanliness of the space, the fertilizer they grow with, the water they use and who touches the product.
In terms of sustainability, Brault explained, you don't have to worry about fertilizer runoff — a major concern in conventional agriculture. It's also hyperlocal, so any emissions that would have been produced in processing and transporting the product are eliminated.
“This requires capital investment, but once it’s operational, it is lower maintenance. Also you get more yield, so you can grow a lot more in a smaller space and you can grow crops faster and you get a better quality and quantity of crop — and you can do it all year,” Brault stated.
The farm is also an appealing addition to RIT's dining resume. RIT Dining can make decisions about its offerings since it's all in-house owned and operated. Samuels and Brault see this program as a new way to draw in prospective students. Campus life is an important part of the college experience, and food is just one aspect of that. Brault thinks that students' expectations are setting the bar high.
“They [students] are starting to expect a different level of experience in dining. This is an offering that I think distinguishes us versus other campus dining programs,” Brault said.
IMPACT
The first container is just a small seed in a larger plan for RIT Dining and its farm. Both Brault and Samuels would like to see the program expand, in growing more crops and potentially adding more containers to campus. They also see the farm becoming a teaching tool for students. Samuels suggested farming could become a new wellness or sustainability course offering in the future for students to learn more about the agriculture industry.
"I look at the farm as a way to connect our department and students in just another way."
Brault was hired to jump-start the program, but there's talk of bringing in student employees to assist with planting and harvesting. There's the potential for co-op and research opportunities collaborating with programs in the academic departments or Student Affairs. Collaboration could also extend out into the greater Rochester community through programs like FoodLink and Recover Rochester, said Samuels.
Overall, Samuels wants students to use the farm to connect and gain a new perspective.
"I look at the farm as a way to connect our department and students in just another way," he said.
RIT Dining will not be able to provide all the food on campus solely from the farm as they serve over 14,000 meals per day between all of their dining locations, concessions and catering. However, the farm will produce 10 to 15 percent of the produce on campus.
The farm is currently growing bibb lettuce, salanova lettuce, basil, cilantro, parsley, kale, swiss chard, tatsoi, mizuna and arugula. Next time you are at an RIT-catered event and you see some salad, know that it’s freshly grown — right from the container.
Square Roots & Gordon Food Service Open Michigan Indoor Farm
The modular indoor farm, sited on less than two acres of the Gordon Food Service headquarters property, was almost immediately in production following construction completion earlier this month
September 30, 2019 - General News
(PHOTO: Square Roots) Meet the Square Roots Michigan Cohort (left to right): Rebekah Box, Winn Hermanski, Katie LaRue, Savie Sonsynath, Jacob Smaby, Jarad Jaent, Joshua Van Kleeck, Alyssa Patton, Amal Jennings.
PRESS RELEASE: Wyoming, MI, September 30, 2019
Gordon Food Service® BB #:100172, North America’s largest privately held and family-managed foodservice distributor, and Square Roots, the technology leader in urban indoor farming, today celebrated the opening of their strategic partnership’s first co-located farm at a ribbon-cutting event on the campus of Gordon Food Service’s headquarters in Wyoming, Michigan. In addition to executives and staff from both companies, guests included customers and local, state, and federal government officials. Attendees learned more about the facility, the first of its kind hosted by a broadline foodservice distributor, including a tour of the indoor farm’s operations.
In his remarks, Rich Wolowski, President and CEO, Gordon Food Service said, “We’re building exciting relationships with change agents that are helping to reshape how food is produced, prepared, and served – and Square Roots is a great example of leading-edge thinking and technology driving new solutions. We know it’s imperative that we participate in the future, today, to ensure we are relevant tomorrow, and this is a model that could help revolutionize our food systems. And it’s great that we can prove the concept in our own backyard.”
The modular indoor farm, sited on less than two acres of the Gordon Food Service headquarters property, was almost immediately in production following construction completion earlier this month. The ten cloud-connected growing units, employing sophisticated, digitally-controlled hydroponics and LED lighting systems, are projected to produce more than 50,000 lbs. of premium herbs and greens annually, or roughly the equivalent production of a traditional 50-acre farm. However, unlike more typical agriculture, the Square Roots produce will be non-GMO, pesticide-free, and harvested all year long. Initial crops will include basil, chives, and mint. The herbs will be sold to local foodservice customers in Grand Rapids as well as throughout Michigan, northern Indiana, and Ohio.
The companies noted that this first farm installation serves as a template, with ambitions to see additional indoor farms on or near Gordon Food Service’s more than two dozen distribution centers across Canada and the eastern U.S.
Tobias Peggs, Square Roots Co-founder and CEO, noted, “This partnership reflects our shared commitment to local, real food and at a scale that will serve people and communities across North America. But it’s also Square Roots’ mission to empower the next generation of leaders in urban farming. Through our Next-Gen Farmer Training Program, we train future farmers in all aspects of local food systems—from seed to shelf. And with each new Square Roots farm, the Next-Gen Farmer Training Program opens doors for more young people to start exciting careers in the agriculture industry.”
The new farm is tended by a cohort of Next-Gen Farmers selected by Square Roots as part of their unique Next-Gen Farmer Training Program. The paid, full-time and year-long commitment has attracted thousands of diverse applicants eager to be change-makers at the forefront of urban agriculture and contributing to the local, real food movement. Half of the Michigan team hails from in-state while others come from as far away as Texas and New York.
Rich Wolowski, North American President and CEO of Gordon Food Service, stated, “We are excited to be the first broadline foodservice distributor to host an urban farm, with the ability to bring fresh, hyper-local produce to our customers year-round. It’s an important example of our pursuit of innovation to better serve our foodservice customers, and our customers’ customers while answering the growing demand for fresh, nutritious and local food.”
About Gordon Food Service
Since 1897, we have delivered uncompromising quality and heartfelt service for our customers. We began as a simple butter-and-egg delivery service, and have grown to become the largest family business in the foodservice industry by upholding the same approach for over 120 years—remaining passionately committed to the people we serve. Today we serve foodservice operators in the Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest regions of the United States and coast-to-coast in Canada. We also operate more than 175 Gordon Food Service Store® locations in the U.S., which are open to the public and provide restaurant-quality products and friendly, knowledgeable service without a membership fee. By partnering with organizations from across industries—healthcare to education, independent and chain restaurants, and event planners—we help our customers create food experiences that people choose, enjoy and remember. To learn more about Gordon Food Service visit gfs.com.
About Square Roots
Square Roots is the technology leader in urban indoor farming. Its scalable “farmer first” technology platform brings fresh, healthy food to urban areas year-round, while simultaneously training future generations of farmers. Founded in 2016 by serial entrepreneurs Tobias Peggs and Kimbal Musk, Square Roots has a mission to bring local, real food to people in cities across the world while empowering the next generation of leaders in urban farming.
Central to the Square Roots mission is a “Next-Gen Farmer Training Program”—a year-long program that puts participants at the forefront of the indoor urban farming industry while they are growing food as part of the Square Roots farm team. Using a unique and scalable technology platform, these young farmers are armed with intuitive tools, enabling them to quickly learn how to grow food that is delicious, responsible, healthy, and profitable. During their year at Square Roots, they’re also educated on plant science, food entrepreneurship frameworks, and engaging local communities—preparing them for successful subsequent leadership roles in urban agriculture. To learn more about Square Roots visit squarerootsgrow.com.
Tagged container farm, indoor farming