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UK: Sheffield Scientists Are Growing Food Ten Times Faster Without Soil At An Urban Farm in Tinsley
Jacob Nickles at the urban farm in Tinsley where scientists are using pioneering hydroponics techniques to grow food without soil. Picture by Chris Etchells.
By BEN BARNETT
05-19-19
“It is estimated that 35 Mount Everest’s
worth of soil a year is lost to erosion.”
Ceaseless world population growth and worrying levels of soil erosion mean new ways of producing food perhaps matches mitigating climate change as the biggest global challenge of our time.
Some 24 billion tons of fertile soil is being lost globally to erosion every year and such is the mounting crisis that academics at the University of Sheffield predict the UK has fewer than 100 harvests left.
Enter hydroponics, the science of growing plants using nutrient solutions in a controlled unit without using soil. It is a ground-breaking technique that is now gaining greater traction internationally as scientists explore ways of ensuring the world does not go hungry in the future.
An attempt to harness the potential of hydroponics is underway on the border of Sheffield and Rotherham, where a team of scientists are using a disused building at the former Tinsley Infant School to grow a range of fresh produce, from salad to tomatoes, using specialist foams that chemically, physically and biologically resemble soil - a product developed by University of Sheffield PhD student Harry Wright.
Such has been the so-called “urban farm” project to date that scientists have found that they can grow plants up to 10 times faster than in soil.
A public open day at the facility was held on Saturday, where project leader Jacob Nickles, a knowledge exchange associate from Sheffield University’s new Institute for Sustainable Food, explained how the system worked.
“This technology is the way forward,” Mr Nickles said.
“By 2050, we are facing having to feed 10bn people worldwide and we don’t have the space or resources to do so. Both hydroponics - and aquaponics to raise fish - solve a number of issues in one go.
“For example, you can build these units upwards rather than outwards.”
He said there was “absolutely” still a place for traditional farming methods but it was important globally to help soils recover.
“The whole purpose of using synthetic soil is an attempt to move away from conventional soils,” the scientist explained.
“It is estimated that 35 Mount Everests worth of soil a year is lost to erosion. We need to give our soil time to recover by pulling some of the growth away from traditional technology.”
Mr Nickles has grand hopes for the technology.
“The unit we have here is small at the moment but an ambition for the future is to repurpose an derelict urban building, like a warehouse, so that people can use it for hydroponic growing.”
He anticipated a mixed reaction to soil-free food production from the public.
“Most people mistrust something foreign to them but we have done a lot of analysis and this system can produce food that is just as healthy, if not more so. It’s about getting the knowledge out there.”
UAE: Architects Reimagine Dubai Road With Urban Farm
Machou Architects has designed the world's longest urban agricultural park for Dubai, transforming the city's vital Sheikh Zayed Road into an eco-valley.
Developed to increase the city's public space and improve its connectivity, the project proposes to sink the highway underground and convert the above-ground land into 25km of "prime urban agricultural land". The park, called 'Super Park', would be a catalyst for social capital development, said the architects, generating economic value and sustainable growth.
"Recent developments in Dubai are proving that well-designed spaces can offer a viable outdoor leisure option for people, despite the city's notoriously high summer temperatures," the architects said.
They added, "Heat can be controlled with good urban design elements and vegetation placement."
Read more at Middle East Architect (Rima Alsammarae)
Sheffield Scientists Launch Soil-Free Urban Farm
May 13, 2019
Posted by: Joanna Jones
A team of scientists have transformed an abandoned school building into a soil-free farm.
The abandoned school in Tinsley has been fitted with hydroponics systems by Jacob Nickles, a Knowledge Exchange Associate from the new Institute for Sustainable Food at the University of Sheffield.
Using a network of pipes, nutrient solutions, controlled growing environments and polyurethane foams, Jacob is growing everything from salad to tomatoes using a soil-free technique.
With 24bn tons of fertile soil lost globally to erosion every year and University of Sheffield experts predicting the UK has fewer than 100 harvests left, PhD student Harry Wright has developed specialist foams that chemically, physically and biologically resemble soil. So far, Harry and Jacob have found that plants in this controlled urban setting grow two to ten times faster than they do in soil.
After an open day this Saturday, the farm will provide fruit and vegetables to the community in Tinsley, as well as training for local unemployed or low-skilled workers and an educational environment for schools.
Involving the local community is a crucial aspect of the project, which was inspired by an initiative to install hydroponics systems at a refugee camp in Jordan, led by Professor Tony Ryan and Professor Duncan Cameron at the Institute for Sustainable Food.
Jacob Nickles said: “The Urban Farm is a physical manifestation of some of the groundbreaking work that happens at the University of Sheffield. Rather than speaking about it and publishing papers, we’ve actually built a working system for growing food.
“This Saturday is a chance for us to start engaging with our local community – learning from them about what food they want to see the farm grow, and talking about how members of the public can get involved.”
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Village Farms Says Cannabis Planting On Track At Pure Sunfarms
The Canadian vegetable grower owns 50% of
Pure Sunfarms, a 1.03 million square foot cannabis growing space
April 23, 2019
Village Farms International announced that its 50%-owned joint venture for large-scale, low-cost, high-quality cannabis production, Pure Sunfarms, has, on schedule, completed planting of Quadrants 1 and 4 of its 1.1 million square foot Delta 3 greenhouse operation in Delta, BC. As a result, the entire 1.03 million square feet of growing area at the Delta 3 facility (composed of 16 individual grow rooms) is now in production. Pure Sunfarms remains on track to achieve full run rate annual production of 75,000 kilograms at the Delta 3 greenhouse operation by mid-2019.
"With the support of Village Farms' decades of experience developing and ramping up large-scale growing operations, the Pure Sunfarms team continues to execute on plan," said Michael DeGiglio, Chief Executive Officer, Village Farms. "We have great confidence in the team's ability to replicate the success of the Delta 3 cannabis operation with the nearly identical 1.1 million square foot Delta 2 'sister' facility, which will double Pure Sunfarms' annual production to 150,000 kilograms and support its goal to be the high-quality, low-cost producer in Canada."
As previously announced, Pure Sunfarms is targeting to complete its first harvest at the Delta 2 facility by mid-2020 and achieve full run-rate production at the Delta 2 facility in the fourth quarter of 2020. All targeted production timelines for the Delta 2 facility are subject to the timing and receipt of requisite Health Canada licenses.
This Solar-Powered Cannabis Facility Is Biggest In U.S.
Written by Peter McCusker
The first commercial-scale solar-powered cannabis farm is a “green” template for the industry to follow, says the company behind its creation.
Californian cultivator Canndescent spent $3.75 million retrofitting its 11,000-square-foot growing warehouse in Desert Hot Springs. The commercial-scale solar cannabis project uses 734 solar modules, on seven different carport structures, and can now produce enough power to charge an estimated 20% of U.S. smartphones for a day.
Canndescent founder and CEO, Adrian Sedlin, said in a press statement: “We commissioned the solar project because the modern cannabis consumer deserves and demands that we create exceptional products using exceptional practices.”
“As an industry coming of age right now, it’s natural and appropriate for the cannabis industry and Canndescent to lead the business community in addressing some of the world’s pressing challenges,” he continued.
Desert Hot Springs, CA
The state-of-the-art, clean energy system has a capacity of 283 kilowatts and will reduce the facility’s annual carbon emissions by 365 tons. Two-thirds of U.S. commercial cannabis production facilities are indoor operations, while a further 20% are at least partially indoors. Indoor cannabis facilities require large amounts of energy for lighting, heating, air-conditioning, and dehumidification systems, said the press release.
Indoor cannabis greenhouses are said to consume around 1% of US electricity, according to industry experts. Whilst outdoor growers tax local water resources. As the first cannabis company to use renewable power at a large-scale production facility, Canndescent says it has “created a ground-breaking template for sustainability… uniting water efficiency, energy efficiency and pesticide-free growing in an indoor format.”
Canndescent constructed the project in eight weeks after a two-year struggle to win approval and financing. The project consists of custom carport structures since solar could not be installed on the facility roof due to fire codes, reports Solar Power World.
Canndescent’s Chief Compliance Officer Tom DiGiovanni said: “Given the restrictions around cannabis banking and lending and the complexities of energy projects and California civil construction in general, this was extraordinarily difficult to pull off. Nevertheless, we got it done and have established a template for the ‘green industry’ to go greener.”
Canndescent was set up by Harvard Business School graduate Adrian Sedlin and opened the first municipally-permitted facility in California in 2016. Desert Hot Springs, where Canndescent is based, went bankrupt in 2001 and almost did again in 2014. The town then decided to become the first place in California to allow indoor cannabis farming on an industrial scale, and has experienced a renaissance since.
California legalized the sale and use of marijuana for recreational purposes in 2018.
New York City’s Best Urban Farms
When most people think of urban farming in New York City, they picture a bearded Brooklynite picking kale from atop a warehouse while drinking a home-brewed beer. And while that person does exist, there are a lot of other farms in this city that don’t fit the stereotype
From Bushwick to the Bronx, these 17 urban farms provide fresh food and green space for their communities
By Jessica Dailey and Amy Plitt
April 19, 2019
Eagle Street Rooftop Farm | UIG via Getty Images
When most people think of urban farming in New York City, they picture a bearded Brooklynite picking kale from atop a warehouse while drinking a home-brewed beer. And while that person does exist, there are a lot of other farms in this city that don’t fit the stereotype.
From a 19-year-old garden in East New York to a cooperative farm on a formerly vacant South Bronx lot, every borough plays host to at least one urban farm, and we’ve mapped 17 of the most notable ones here.
GrowNYC Teaching Garden
Governors Island
New York, NY 11231
Governors Island has partnered with GrowNYC on this 21,000-square-foot urban garden, which is filled with vegetable beds made from recycled materials. The garden is open for visitors to check out on weekends, and hosts occasional workshops and events.
Iwan Baan/Courtesy West8
The Battery Urban Farm
State St &, Battery Pl
New York, NY 10004
At the tip of Manhattan, one acre in the 25-acre Battery Park is dedicated to growing more than 100 types of vegetables. All of the food is harvest by NYC students, and donated to school cafeterias and food pantries, and resident turkey Zelda keeps everyone in line.
Shutterstock
Riverpark
450 E 29th St
New York, NY 10016
Many restaurants in New York City get their produce from the local Greenmarkets, but few grow it themselves. Riverpark, however, does. Located in the Alexandria Center, the farm uses 7,000 milk crates as grow beds. The farm provides food to Riverpark from spring until fall and grows more than 100 types of vegetables.
John Lamparski / Getty Images
Harlem Grown
118 W 134th St
New York, NY 10030
This urban farm, founded in 2011, aims to educate Harlem’s kids about agriculture, and does so through a variety of programs—there are volunteer opportunities, internships, and a summer camp. The farm has two locations: one on West 127th Street, and one on West 134th Street.
La Finca del Sur Community Garden
110 E 138th St
The Bronx, NY 10451
A group of Latina and black women living in the South Bronx banded together to turn an empty, abandoned lot on 138th Street into a farm in late 2009, and La Finca del Sur was born. The farming cooperative is an official nonprofit, and in 2014, the farm—where owners grow vegetables for personal use—helped launch the South Bronx Farmers Market.
Randall's Island Urban Farm
Wards Meadow Loop
New York, NY 10035
On Randall’s Island in the middle of the East River, 40,000 square feet of land hosts hundreds of plants in 80 raised beds. The farm, which has a great view of the Hell Gate Bridge, is maintained by GrowNYC and the Randall’s Island Park Alliance.
Brooklyn Grange, Long Island City
37-18 Northern Blvd
Long Island City, NY 11101
Brooklyn Grange’s flagship farm is not located, as one would assume, in Brooklyn. It sits on top of a 1919 Long Island City warehouse, and at 43,000 square feet, it’s one of the city’s largest rooftop farms. This commercial organic farm opened in 2010 and grows tens of thousands of pounds of produce every year, but it also hosts events, like tours and yoga classes.
Photo by Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Eagle Street Rooftop Farm
44 Eagle St
Brooklyn, NY 11222
Before building behemoth farms, Brooklyn Grange founder Ben Flanner co-founded the Eagle Street farm, the first rooftop soil farm in New York City. Today, his co-founder Annie Novak still runs the 6,000-square-foot farm, which is located atop a Greenpoint warehouse owned by Broadway Stages. The farm sells its produce at an on-site market, and delivers to local restaurants.
North Brooklyn Farms
320 Kent Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11249
North Brooklyn Farms was previously located on the Domino Refinery development site, but moved to a more permanent space on Kent Avenue and South 4th Street once construction on that mega project began. The farm hosts community dinners, educational programs, and sells the produce at a farm stand.
Oko Farms
104 Moore St
Brooklyn, NY 11206
Located in Bushwick, Oko Farms is an aquaponic farm, meaning that in addition to fruits and vegetables, its owners also cultivate freshwater fish. (Curious about how this works? They host workshops on aquaponics.) Oko recently partnered with Dabar Development Partners and Thorobird Real Estate, in partnership with the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development to bring fresh food and urban farms to a low-income housing project that’s in the works in Bed-Stuy.
Brooklyn Grange, Brooklyn Navy Yard
63 Flushing Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11205
Two years after opening its first farm, Brooklyn Grange more than doubled its growing power by expanding with a 65,000-square-foot farm in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, moving the title of the world’s largest rooftop farm from Queens to Brooklyn. Together, the two farms produce tens of thousands of pounds of vegetables every year.
Phoenix Community Garden
2037 Fulton St
Brooklyn, NY 11233
Many community gardens dedicate space for produce, but the Phoenix Garden in Brownsville fills its entire 20,000-square-foot plot with edible plants. There’s a grape arbor, a large gazebo, and a rainwater harvesting system, and the garden produces about 2,000 pounds of vegetables every season. A portion of the output goes to a local soup kitchen across the street.
East New York Farms
613 New Lots Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11207
East New York was one of the first neighborhoods in New York City to experiment with urban farming. The first seed for the idea was planted in 1995, and three years later, the first actual seed was planted in the ground. Today, the community-run farm provides produce to 17,000 people each year.
The Youth Farm
600 Kingston Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11203
A one-acre youth farm run by the High School for Public Service grows vegetables and flowers for the community while teaching students about agriculture and food justice.
Whole Foods Market
214 3rd St
Brooklyn, NY 11215
Gotham Greens runs the 20,000-square-foot garden atop the Gowanus Whole Foods, in which they grow 200 tons of organic, non-GMO produce with hydroponic techniques. Much of the produce is sold right downstairs in the supermarket.
Shutterstock
Red Hook Farms
560 Columbia St
Brooklyn, NY 11231
Formerly known as Added Value, this community farm in Red Hook is one of New York City’s older urban farms. It started in 2001, and every year, the 2.5-acre plot produces enough vegetables for a neighborhood CSA.
Snug Harbor Heritage Farm
1000 Richmond Terrace
Staten Island, NY 10301
A century ago, the area where Snug Harbor, Staten Island’s Cultural Center and Botanical Garden, sits was farmland, and the center pays homage to that history with a farm of their own. All of the fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs that the farm grows are sold at the Snug Harbor Farm Stand.
Fusion Farms In Puerto Rico An Investment Opportunity With Brains, Heart, And Guts
It's an intelligent investment opportunity with a social conscious and serious punch and it's opened its arms to investors to go from start-up to success.
Apr. 15, 2019 / PRZen / MAYAGüEZ, Puerto Rico -- It's an intelligent IMPACT investment opportunity with a socially conscious and serious punch and it's opened its arms to investors who want to own a piece of a Hurricane-Protected Aquaponics Vertical Farm.
For the past year, husband-and-wife business partners Kendell Lang and Lisa Jander have worked tirelessly through government bureaucracy, the language barrier, and the tendency of things to grind along at "island time" in Puerto Rico to get their start-up to germinate and put down roots. Now, with milestone after milestone under their belts, Kendell and Lisa are presenting investors with a unique opportunity to contribute positively to the environment and help Puerto Rico rebuild itself after the devastating landfall of Hurricane Maria in September 2017, all the while benefiting from fund capital gains reduction and deferrals.
It's called Fusion Farms, a hurricane-protected, indoor, controlled environment aquaponics farm model that leverages the natural relationship between fish and vegetation to grow a quality, fresh, and reliable source of non-GMO, pesticide-free, all natural proteins and greens. This is particularly needed in Puerto Rico because it is estimated that the island imports upwards of 95% of their fresh produce, which, after weeks of travel, is not-so-fresh and not very nutritious when it arrives.
Learn more about Controlled Environment Aquaponics
Hurricane-protected agriculture
Read: Hurricane Protected Farming in Puerto Rico
The model can be applied anywhere, but Fusion Farms' "secret sauce" is its location inside one of the many unused Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company (PRIDCO) buildings that pepper the Island. The Pilot Project is in the Mayagüez district of Western Puerto Rico. These steel-reinforced concrete structures have withstood the ravages of hurricane season in the Caribbean, making them the perfect facility to house an indoor farming operation. And with farming encouraged in Puerto Rico – farming that is sheltered from even the most wrathful of storms – Fusion Farms aims to establish the island's food sovereignty, vastly reduce its reliance on imports, encourage local commerce and agriculture, and restore fresh, healthy, locally-grown produce to grocery store shelves.
"Importing is expensive and the final product lacks the labelled nutrient value," says Lisa Jander. "All those food miles also contribute immensely to the condition of the produce when it arrives. There are thousands of farmers and ancillary service providers that have taken a hit or even lost their jobs due to hurricane damage. Fusion Farms is here to contribute to Puerto Rico's food sovereignty, to give the people back their jobs, and to encourage prosperity on the island."
This is an IMPACT investment with a socially conscious, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture focus, and a heart.
A unique investment opportunity
And now: the brains. The start-up is offering investors a smart investment opportunity with a bevvy of attractive benefits, many of which stem from the start-up being in a Qualified Opportunity Zone and a Qualified Small Business Stock:
"We are a Qualified Opportunity Zone investment, as well as a Qualified Small Business Stock, both of which have tremendous capital gains tax benefits for investors," says Kendell Lang. "Additionally, investors can work directly with us without having to deal with a third party administrator, which gives them the benefit of the capital gains reduction and deferrals without the overhead/management fees that fund managers charge.
"In other words, investor dollars go further with us than with non-self qualified investments."
Another attractive aspect of Fusion Farms' equity investment opportunity is that it is being presented through an Online Public Offering. This eliminates the middleman and the pressures and costs associated with having an investment banker or broker sell and manage the opportunity for investors. Everything potential investors need to see is presented on Fusion Farms' Campaign Page and if they like it, they can go right ahead and invest. But this also means that investors have to take action so they don't miss out when offering closes.
The demand for what Fusion Farms is setting out to do is enormous and has been confirmed by several local food distributors and hospitality businesses. Lisa Jander provides an example of just one agricultural product that's in demand:
"We have upscale hotels, bars, and restaurants on the island begging for fresh mint because Puerto Rico's iconic drink is the mojito; you cannot make a mojito without mint," says Lisa. "What's currently available is expensive or wild grown, limited in supply, and isn't great quality, yet these establishments don't have much of a choice. If we can supply a dependable, fresh, local source of mint, we could support a large part of the tourism market."
Read: How a Holiday in Puerto Rico Became a Calling to Change its Future
Fusion Farms' outlook on fresh produce
Fusion Farms' choice of agricultural products reflects the need for crops that are in high in local demand, grow easily and prolifically, and are considered valuable, such as basil, butter lettuce, microgreens, cilantro, mint, and whole Tilapia fish. Year two would provide the opportunity for Fusion Farms to reconfirm market demand for its existing agricultural products while exploring the feasibility of expanding this portfolio. This could happen initially with the planting of fruit trees. Year three could see the introduction of strawberries, green beans, Swiss chard, peppers, and tomatoes.
"Our diversification is attractive to investors who might otherwise worry about their investment if anything were to go wrong with, for example, the lettuce crop," explains Kendell Lang. "Our plan offers diversity, stability and market flexibility."
Tax-free exports
A specific strategy and interesting twist to Fusion Farms' ultimate business plan is Kendell and Lisa's intention to apply for a Value Added Producer Grant for the purchase of equipment to extract essential oils from herbs such as basil and mint as an additional revenue stream. These oils are not only considered a highly valuable commodity but, more important to investors, they also qualify Fusion Farms as an Act 20 company under the Export Services Act.
Act 20 provides tax incentives for companies that establish and expand their export services businesses in Puerto Rico. Under Act 20, income from eligible services rendered for the benefit of non-resident individuals or foreign entities (Export Services Income, or EIS) is taxed at a reduced tax rate of 4%. Moreover, dividends or benefits distributed out of EIS are 100% exempt from Puerto Rico taxation.
This means that all of Fusion Farms' revenues derived from export sales would be tax-free.
"If there's uncertainty or price fluctuation in the local markets for basil or mint, we have a multi-tiered alternate plan model," says Kendell. "We can sell fresh farm-to-table leafy green vegetables, turn excess basil into pesto, excess mint into mint jelly, and both into essential oils."
The whole package
With its keen environmental awareness, warm social conscious, sharp and comprehensive business plan, and numerous investment benefits, it's clear that Fusion Farms presents the investment community with an opportunity with brains and heart, while Kendell and Lisa's fierce determination and ambition prove they have guts!
Learn more about this investment opportunity.
About Fusion Farms
Fusion Farms PR is CEA farming which allows crops to grow faster, all year round in a hurricane-protected, climate-controlled indoor facility, using less water and minimal labor while eliminating crop failures. Fusion Farms, in the beautiful Mayagüez district of Western Puerto Rico, is the ideal location to use an existing PRIDCO facility to grow mint, basil, cilantro, heirloom tomatoes, and leafy green vegetables, which are in high local and organic demand.
For more information about Fusion Farms and to become an investor in this opportunity, go to www.fusionfarmspr.com or email: Info@FusionFarmsPR.com
Media Contact
Kendell Lang
7604453315
Follow the full story here: https://przen.com/pr/33294020
Read more:http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/4256802#ixzz5lFYOERki
Rhode Island Governor Raimondo And Providence Mayor Elorza Welcome Gotham Greens To Providence, R.I.
From lamps to leaves: leading indoor agriculture company expands to New England with 110,000 square foot high-tech greenhouse facility at historic GE Providence Base Works site
NEWS PROVIDED BY Gotham Greens
March 28, 2019
PROVIDENCE, R.I and BROOKLYN, N.Y., March 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Link to additional Gotham Greens media resources
Pictured is a rendering of Gotham Greens' forthcoming 110,000 square foot high-tech greenhouse farm. Located on the banks of Providence’s Woonasquatucket River, the project will create approximately 60 permanent and 100 construction jobs.
On the banks of Providence's Woonasquatucket River, Rhode Island Governor Gina M. Raimondo, Providence Mayor Jorge O. Elorza, Rhode Island Commerce Secretary Stefan Pryor, and community leaders joined Viraj Puri, co-founder and CEO of Gotham Greens, to officially announce and preview construction progress on the company's 110,000 square foot state-of-the-art greenhouse farm that will create approximately 60 permanent and 100 construction jobs. The facility is slated to open in early fall 2019 and will operate year-round to supply residents, restaurants, and foodservice customers of Providence and the greater New England region with 10 million heads annually of delicious farm-fresh lettuce and leafy greens grown with minimal environmental impact to preserve our natural resources.
Located at 555 Harris Avenue, the site, which had been vacant for two decades, was once home to Providence Base Works—a bustling General Electric facility that employed hundreds of workers to manufacture lamp bases. "Gotham Greens is a shining example of the type of innovative, sustainable, and community-minded businesses we envision will help to reinvigorate the Woonasquatucket River Corridor," said Providence Mayor Jorge O. Elorza. "By supplying fresh, healthy produce and well-paying jobs for Providence residents, Gotham Greens will serve as a driver of economic growth in the capital city while generating a creative source of energy that will help better connect the neighborhoods along the River." "We are excited by the tremendous progress Gotham Greens has made on this project, as well as the potential this project holds for Rhode Island," said Rhode Island Commerce Secretary Stefan Pryor. "Beyond the creation of jobs in its construction and ongoing operations, this project will further strengthen the state's already strong food sector, a vitally important industry in Rhode Island."
The $12.5 million project is a collaborative community effort, bringing in diverse stakeholders from local and state government agencies including the Office of the Governor, Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM), the Office of Providence Mayor Jorge O. Elorza, Providence Redevelopment Agency (PRA), Providence Office of Economic Opportunity, as well as many other City of Providence staff and community members. Gotham Greens has deeded a portion of its property to the City and is collaborating with the PRA in order to create a publicly accessible bike path along the Woonasquatucket River that will connect riverbank communities to downtown Providence. Gotham Greens will partner with community organizations to increase access to healthy foods and support wellness and nutrition education, ag-tech research, and environmental education programs across the region.
In support of this project, the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation has committed up to $2.3 million in tax credits, payable over a 10-year period contingent on actual job creation. In addition, DEM has awarded $250,000 as part of their Brownfield Remediation and Economic Development 2016 Green Economy Bond program, and the Providence Department of Economic Opportunity has committed $200,000 for job creation and training.
Using advanced growing methods that include recirculating hydroponics, big data-driven climate control intelligence, and renewable energy, the facility is expected to produce approximately 30 times the yield of conventional agriculture per acre, while using 90 percent less water. "Gotham Greens is an exciting, innovative company, and I'm thrilled to welcome them to Rhode Island," said Governor Gina M. Raimondo. "Rhode Island's green economy is growing, and we're emerging as a national leader in sustainability. Gotham Greens' commitment to reducing their environmental impact makes them a perfect fit for our state."
With this project, Gotham Greens is continuing its rapid growth of building high-tech indoor greenhouse farms across the U.S. Since its pioneering greenhouse launch in 2011, Gotham Greens has grown from a single urban rooftop greenhouse in Brooklyn to a multi-state indoor farming leader and one of the largest hydroponic leafy greens producers in North America. Gotham Greens currently operates more than 180,000 square feet of greenhouse in New York and Chicago and has an additional 500,000 square feet of development underway across five U.S. states, including previously announced projects in Chicago, Ill. and Baltimore, Md.
"We are thrilled to partner with the City of Providence and State of Rhode Island on this project," remarked Gotham Greens Co-Founder and CEO Viraj Puri. "Providence is the perfect location for us, strategically located at the gateway to New England, the city has a rich legacy of manufacturing, world-class institutes of higher education, and a thriving local food culture. Geographically, New England is farthest from the West Coast, where the majority of leafy greens distributed across the U.S. today are grown. Once we're operational, Gotham Greens will be able to supply this region's supermarket retailers and foodservice operators with a consistent and reliable supply of fresh produce grown right here in New England year-round. Furthermore, using our proprietary indoor growing methods, we can implement rigorous health, safety, and traceability measures—from seed to harvest—that far exceed those of conventional commodity agribusiness to ensure that we are growing the highest quality, safest products on the market today."
About Gotham Greens
Gotham Greens is a global pioneer in urban greenhouse agriculture and a leading consumer brand of premium-quality local produce and fresh food products. The company grows its produce using ecologically sustainable methods in technologically sophisticated, climate-controlled, urban greenhouses. Gotham Greens provides its diverse retail, restaurant, and foodservice customers with a local, reliable, year-round supply of salad greens, herbs, and fresh food products grown under the highest standards of food safety and environmental sustainability. The company operates more than 180,000 square feet of greenhouse across five facilities in New York and Chicago and currently has 500,000 square feet of greenhouse under development in five U.S. states. Gotham Greens was founded in 2009 in Brooklyn, New York, and currently employs over 160 full-time team members and is growing.
For more information, visit www.gothamgreens.com
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Qatar's Hydroponic Farms To Cover 100 Hectares By 2021
Qatar’s local hydroponic farms aim to further expand their operations in the next two years to reach 100 hectares in order to meet the growing demand for organic vegetables
A colourful display of fresh local vegetables at AgriteQ 2019. PICTURE: Joey Aguilar
March 22, 2019
Qatar’s local hydroponic farms aim to further expand their operations in the next two years to reach 100 hectares in order to meet the growing demand for organic vegetables.
"We are hoping to achieve this target by 2021 under our operations, management, and distribution,” prominent Qatari agriculturist and Agrico managing director Nasser Ahmed al-Khalaf told Gulf Times.
Agrico, a private Qatari agricultural development company established in 2011, is helping the country achieve self-sufficiency in food. It is currently developing other local farms and involved in a number of agri projects in Qatar.
Nasser Ahmed al-Khalaf at Agriteq 2019
AgriteQ 2019 attracted a large number of visitors. PICTURE: Shaji Kayamkulam
"We are now focusing on improving efficiency and increasing yields by building more greenhouses for farm investors with the use of modern technology," he explained on the sidelines of the Qatar International Agricultural Exhibition 2019, which concluded yesterday at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre.
The event, dubbed as ‘AgriteQ and EnviroteQ 2019’, brought together 90 local farms and more than 50 international companies under one roof, highlighting the importance of innovation in agricultural techniques, in addition to showcasing an array of new equipment and technologies.
“There is nothing to improve on our system (made in Qatar) but we want to increase the density per square metre, utilising the fertilisers and nutrients in a more efficient way to increase our production,” al-Khalaf said.
The Qatari agriculturist pointed out that the demand for organic fresh produce in Qatar rose dramatically due to people’s “high level of awareness” on the health benefits of organic foods.
Agrico currently exports products to Kuwait (1.5 tonne weekly by plane) and Oman, and it is also eyeing European markets.
“People might see Agrico in European markets this year. Why Europe? Because in the winter, they cannot produce vegetables and they cannot have this type of quality and not organic,” al-Khalaf said.
He added that the company received its US Department of Agriculture certification recently and it is on the process of applying for Global Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification to be able to export to Europe.
Agrico produces at least 10,000 tonnes of various vegetables such as cucumber, tomatoes, and mushrooms, among others, per day, according to al-Khalaf.
The company has also invested in aquaponics farming and will start raising organic chickens in Qatar early next year, he added.
Last updated: March 23 2019 12:32 PM
First Aquaponic Farm Warehouse Set To Launch Soon In Brownsville`
Grow Brownsville is a unique new project designed to bring locally grown food to underserved communities by way of aquaponic farming
The aquaponic farm prototype. Rendering courtesy Alexis Mena of Grow Brownsville
The Farm Will Serve As A Sustainable Local
Food Source For Brownsville Residents
by Gabriella Thalassites March 13, 2019
in Brownsville, Business & Innovation, Featured News
Grow Brownsville is a unique new project designed to bring locally grown food to underserved communities by way of aquaponic farming.
Aquaponics is a form of agriculture that combines raising fish in tanks with soilless plant culture (hydroponics). In aquaponics, the nutrient-rich water from raising fish provides a natural fertilizer for the plants while the plants help purify the water for the fish. Aquaponics can be used to sustainably raise fresh fish and vegetables to generate profit in a commercial farming venture, year-round, in any climate.
Aquaponic farming can be done anywhere, providing fresh local food that is free of pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers.
Set to launch in May, the Grow Brownsville aquaponic farming project is a shared vision of co-founders Jill Mellovin, brothers Frank and Alexis Mena, and Brittany Markowitz. It first took shape in 2017, when Brittany and Jill met Alexis while he was working on a different project for ARTs East NY.
A prototype of an aquaponic farm, created by Grow Brownsville co-founder Frank Mena. Photo courtesy Grow Brownsville.
Jill and Brittany mentioned the idea for an aquaponic farm to Alexis and the ideal space to hold it in Brownsville, and Alexis was immediately on board.
“My brother called me and said, ‘Hey, these two girls talked to me about having a warehouse, and I need your help!” Frank laughs, as he recalls the urgency in his brother’s voice.
Frank finished out his last year of teaching to fully dedicate himself to the cause, and the project officially began in August 2017.
Brownsville, notorious for its limited access to quality food, is often described as a “food desert,” with mostly fast food options. The warehouse at 234 Glenmore Ave will house an aquaponic farm, growing in-demand fruits, vegetables, fish, prawns and herbs for the community.
The farm is a true community effort. Outreach by the founders has gained support from Oko Farms and Eden Works, among others, to lend resources and assist with the build out.
Currently, the warehouse is a production venue serving local artists who rent out studios for anything from runway shows, to music videos, photoshoots or recording booths. Artists membership profits fund “Grow Brownsville.”
Grow Brownsville co-founder Frank Mena. Photo credit: G. Thalassites for BK Reader
The warehouse is swarming with creatives partnering on the project and renting out studio space. Ultimately, the warehouse will continue as a studio space for local artists, as well as serve as a hub for the aquaponic farm.
Going through the warehouse there are several different rooms of different themes, all inspired by chakras; all decorated beautifully and designed with the purpose of invoking unique inspiration for the artists using them.
After touring the space and meeting with not only the founders, but also some of the key partners of the project, the energy is invigorating. While the project is still underway, the progress it has made in such a short amount of time is impressive.
“We all had a dream and it was like, it came together. It is still coming together every single day,” says Don McCoy, Grow Brownsville brand ambassador and studio director.
Grow Brownsville will launch May 18, 2019. For more information, visit ioby.org.
Tags: aquaponic farmbk readerBrooklyn urban farmsBrownsville.food desertgrow brownsville
Rhode Island Governor To Welcome New Urban Greenhouse Farm In Providence
Event on Thursday March 28
Rhode Island Governor Gina M. Raimondo, Providence Mayor Jorge O. Elorza, Rhode Island Secretary of Commerce Stefan Pryor, and other members of the community will join Viraj Puri, co-founder and CEO of Gotham Greens, for an official announcement and construction preview at its first urban greenhouse farm in New England, located at the site of the former General Electric Base Works facility in Providence, R.I.
The 110,000 square foot farm is slated to open in early fall 2019 and will create approximately 60 permanent and 100 construction jobs, the company said. The facility will operate year-round to supply residents, restaurants, and foodservice customers of Providence and the greater New England region with 10 million heads annually of lettuce and leafy greens.
When: Thursday, March 28 2019
10:45am - Noon
11:00am speaking program
RSVP to jackie@gothamgreens.com
Who: Confirmed speakers include:
• Rhode Island Governor Gina M. Raimondo
• Providence Mayor Jorge O. Elorza
• Rhode Island Secretary of Commerce Stefan Pryor
• Co-Founder & CEO of Gotham Greens Viraj Puri
• Providence Director of Long-Range Planning Bonnie Nickerson
Where: 555 Harris Ave. Providence, RI 02909
Please consider appropriate footwear, as this is an active construction site
For more information:
Nicole Baum
Gotham Greens
Ph: +1 (718) 935-0600
media@gothamgreens.com
www.gothamgreens.com
VIDEO: New York Restaurant Basement Farm to Table
Underneath two-star Michelin restaurant Atera in Lower Manhattan is an actual working farm. Using LED lighting and hydroponics, Farm.One grows rare herbs and greens for some of New York City’s top restaurants. We talk to the founder Rob Laing about his venture and get a taste of what he’s growing.
FRI, MAR 15 2019 • 1:02 PM EDT
Here’s What’s Driving Energy Storage Markets — And How to Benefit
Energy storage markets are growing quickly, driven by regulations, demand charges, plus utilities’ need to integrate solar into the grid and avoid building new peaking power plants
March 1, 2019
By Lisa Cohn
Energy storage markets are growing quickly, driven by regulations, demand charges, plus utilities’ need to integrate solar into the grid and avoid building new peaking power plants.
By SergeyIT/Shutterstock.com
In fact, innovative utility-scale energy storage projects are popping up across the nation, with utilities and cities using storage to avoid building underground transmission, escape high demand charges from independent system operators and integrate more renewable power into the grid.
What’s more, used electric vehicle (EV) batteries are expected to drive battery prices down in the future, further boosting the market, said Peter Kelly-Detwiler, Northbridge Energy Partners principal. He was summarizing the messages from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Enterprise Forum’s event Feb. 27, “Energy Storage: New Business Models Fuel Rapid Growth.”
The forum aimed to advise startups about how best to thrive in the growing markets. One warning, Kelly-Detwiler said: Companies shouldn’t be too enamored of their technologies. They need to find markets for their products and be prepared to flex as markets change.
“They need to focus on where to play, how to work the markets and who wants to buy their products and services,” said Kelly-Detwiler, who moderated the event.
Role of states, FERC
Understanding the bigger picture means keeping up with leading state legislation, including efforts in California, Massachusetts, Maryland and New York.
Massachusetts, for example, recently committed to boosting solar-plus-battery energy storage for the grid in two decisions. The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities focused on net metering for solar-plus-storage projects and also on the capacity ownership rights of projects.
The Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) is now accepting applications for its 2019 Energy Storage Tax Credit program, which aims to boost the use of storage by homes and businesses in the state. It was the first state to pass a bill allowing taxpayers to claim an income tax credit on energy storage.
Andin an important move, the California Public Utilities Commission on Jan 11 approved proposed rules allowing “stacking” of energy storage — using energy storage to provide multiple benefits and services. Resources can be compensated for their full economic value.
In addition, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), in Order 841 directed all grid operators to propose models for the participation of storage as a wholesale generation asset, said Kelly-Detwiler.
But these regulations — only a few examples of what’s happening across the country — aren’t the only market drivers.
Another opportunity is addressing the “duck curves” created by high solar production — in California, Massachusetts and elsewhere.
Many facility operators need increased resiliency, efficiently, and sustainability. Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) like wind, PV and energy storage can address these needs. Yet also introduce many other challenges. To learn how microgrids can help you optimize the integration of these assets, download this white paper.
“One April in Massachusetts, demand was higher in the night than in the middle of the middle of day,” said Kelly-Detwiler. “There are pretty good opportunities in these cases for storage to mitigate the intermittency of solar.”
In addition, utilities are beginning to embrace storage to help manage their grids, he said.
For example, both the municipal utility in Princeton, Mass. and Vermont’s Green Mountain Power use storage to mitigate demand charges from ISO New England, he said.
Martha’s Vineyard, an island off the coast of Massachusetts, is turning to storage to help reduce carbon emissions and avoid building or upgrading expensive underwater transmission lines, said Kelly-Detwiler. Eversource has proposed an energy storage project on the island that aims to reduce emissions from five diesel generators and help meet demand for electricity.
Energy storage is helping utilities in other areas of the country avoid building expensive peak power plants, Kelly-Detwiler said.
For example, Arizona Public Service has contracted with AES for a 10-MW/40-MWh storage system that will provide peaking capacity. Arizona utilities are grappling with changing peaks due to high solar penetration.
MIT Enterprise Forum Event, Photo Courtesy Chris Carleton, Chen PR
How rates drive energy storage markets
High demand charges are also boosting demand for energy storage.
In California, up to 50 percent of utility bills can come from demand charges, said Kelly-Detwiler.
Storage provider Stem is aggregating behind-the-meter energy storage to lower these charges, he added. Stem says it now has hundreds of systems up and running, many in California, where the high demand charges along with state incentives have created a large market for behind-the-meter storage. Stem is also building a 235-kWh energy storage system for the City of Huntington Beach’s Civic Center to help the city avoid demand charges. The system will work alongside 2 MW of solar.
Changing time-of-use rates are also boosting the market for storage, said Kelly-Detwiler. San Diego Gas & Electric has implemented time-of-use rates with peak prices as high as 50 cents/kWh, he said.
“The prices are so high, people are using storage to shift away from those hours,” he said. As a result, companies like Sunrun are adding storage to their solar offerings. During Sunrun’s third quarter of 2018, the company installed a record number of solar energy and home batteries, the company said.
“Demand charges and time-of-use rates are driving this,” said Kelly-Detwiler.
Used batteries to flood market, drive down prices
Used EV batteries are expected to start playing an important role in energy storage markets, driving down the price of batteries.
In Amsterdam, the Johan Cruijff Arena, a football stadium, employs used and new EV batteries to store up to 3 MW of solar power. The battery system also provides power to the grid.
“Used EV batteries still have 80 percent of their value when they come out of cars,” said Kelly-Detwiler. “Within a few years, we’re going to be flooded with cheap, useful batteries.”
With all these developments in energy storage markets across the country, startups need to keep their eyes open and adapt quickly as new markets open up, Kelly-Detwiler said.
“Startups need to understand the bigger picture, the context,” he said. “They need to pay attention to what’s happening across the country.”
BIGH, The Biggest Aquaponic Urban Farm in Europe!
BIGH, the biggest aquaponic urban farm in Europe!BIGH won the prize of the year for the people of Brussels in the “economy” category.
27.02.2019
In the heart of Brussels, 4 00m2 is to be used for urban agriculture divided between glasshouses, pisciculture and outside gardens under the roofs of Foodmet.
The universe of aquaponics according to the BIGH (Building Integrated GreenHouses) is quite a programme which links vegetal culture to fish farming and collecting the energy lost from the building.
2.000m2 of horticultural and fish farming greenhouses, 2.000m2 of productive vegetable gardens make up the largest urban farm under the roofs of Europe. An urban aquaponic farm which provides fish farming and the production of fruit, vegetables and herbs, 100% natural and without any chemical product added under one and the same roof !
For some years now, consumers have demanded more healthy food, local and traceable.
BIGH’s aim is to create a network of farms in the heart of the main European cities, making the places in town accessible, inspirational and innovative, so that the consumer will want to find tasty and local products of quality, while improving the environmental performances of their neighbourhood.
Different tours are designed for group, companies, professionals.
An incredible 1 hour tour of Ferme Abattoir including the outdoor garden, the greenhouse, and the fish farm, all with a fantastic view of Brussels is available in English, French, German and Dutch.
BIGH Website
Do Plants Have Senses?
Yes, kind of. To make things interesting let us invoke the five traditional senses we normally think about when talking about people: Sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. How do plants compare?
The Bowery Source
A destination dedicated to educating and connecting with our community.
Feb 2019
Do plants have senses?
Yes, kind of. To make things interesting let us invoke the five traditional senses we normally think about when talking about people: Sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. How do plants compare?
While plants can sense their environment, it is still quite different than how people and animals perceive the world. According to the American Psychology Association, sensation is defined as “The process by which stimulation of a sensory receptor gives rise to neural impulses that result in an experience, or awareness of, conditions inside or outside the body.” Plants do not have neurons and therefore do not experience the world as we and other animals do. Instead, plants have evolved rudimentary sensing mechanisms that in some ways are similar to how animals sense the environment. Here, we will explore some of those similarities.
Sight
We see light in the form of a small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum (image below) as a result of radiation from the sun and space coming in contact to the surface of the earth. The visible spectrum, one tiny portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that our eyes can see, is composed of wavelengths that range from about 400-700 nm (Figure 1). Wavelengths in the visible spectrum range from about 400-700 nm. As it turns out, plants use light in the visible spectrum for photosynthesis and can detect slightly higher wavelengths in the 710-740 nm range.
Humans and other animals can see because of an organ that is sensitive to light. In our case, the eye is incredibly complex and can perceive a multitude of colors. The lens in our eyes focuses light to the back of the eye where the wavelengths of light in the visible spectrum are perceived by specialized cells called rods and cones. These rods and cones contain protein pigments which absorb certain wavelengths (colors) and eventually transmit this information to the brain.
Obviously plants don’t have eyes. However, they are able to “sense” and physiologically respond specifically to the ratio of red light and far-red light, and blue light. Plants can sense these colors because they themselves have protein pigments, called photoreceptors, that are sensitive to the wavelengths that correspond to those colors. These photoreceptors transmit information about the light quality of the environment surrounding the plant and elicit a change in growth habit or development.
Plants can “see” their neighbors because light reflected or transmitted from nearby plants has a lower ratio of red light to far-red light. The ability of plants to detect red light, far-red light, and their changing closeness to their surroundings is probably one of the most important ways in which plants can sense.
Plant can also sense blue light. One of the most commonly studied blue light responses of plants is the directional growth that is seen in response to the direction of a light source.
There are other important blue light responses of plants. For example, circadian rhythms requires both phytochromes and blue light receptors. This means plants can sense day and night cycles. Another critical role of photoreceptors is in the flowering of plants which exhibit photoperiodism. Plants that exhibit photoperiodism are sensitive to the duration of night length and begin flowering when the nighttime is short or when the nighttime is long depending on the species.
Hearing
Have plants evolved tiny ears that allow them to hear you? It was often said that plants grow “better” if you talk or sing to them. Does this mean plants are listening? Should we be concerned they know all our secrets? Well, carbon dioxide is the carbon source plants use to form sugars via photosynthesis. When we talk or sing to plants we are doubling or tripling the concentration of carbon dioxide around the leaves of a plant so in some cases they can grow “better.” Don’t worry, they do not have tiny ears or any sort of auditory sensory mechanism and therefore cannot hear us.
Smell
Nope.
Taste
They cannot.
Feel
Some plants can actually detect when they are being touched. This might be most obvious in the Venus’ flytrap. Hairs on the trap lobes can detect the movement of an insect. When an insect moves within a window of time and activates the trigger hairs, the trap rapidly closes ensnaring the insect.
Sense of Balance
We don’t often think of balance as a sense, but we actually have an entire organ called the vestibular system in the inner ear that helps us stay balanced. Plants don’t necessarily need to balance themselves because they are anchored to the ground by their root system. But how do roots “know” to grow downward into the soil and not up? The tip of roots contains specialized cells with a gravity-sensing mechanism. Amyloplasts, parts of those specialized cells, are organelles which function to synthesize and store starch. When a root is oriented horizontally, the amyloplasts in these cells settle to the bottom of the cells by gravity. A hormonal signal is sent to the growing points of the root where the hormone is asymmetrically distributed causing differential growth resulting in a downward bend.
So while plants aren’t listening in on our private conversations, they are certainly more perceptive beings than previously considered.
This piece was written by Pablo Rosas-Anderson, an agricultural scientist at Bowery Farming.
Sources:
Ballare, C.L., Scopel, A.L. and Sanchez, R.A., 1990. Far-red radiation reflected from adjacent leaves: an early signal of competition in plant canopies. Science, 247(4940), p.329.
Glossary of psychological terms. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/research/action/glossary.aspx
Kasperbauer, M.J., 1971. Spectral distribution of light in a tobacco canopy and effects of end-of-day light quality on growth and development. Plant physiology, 47(6), pp.775-778.
Simons, P.J., 1981. The role of electricity in plant movements. New Phytologist, 87(1), pp.11-37.
Swarup, R., Kramer, E.M., Perry, P., Knox, K., Leyser, H.O., Haseloff, J., Beemster, G.T., Bhalerao, R. and Bennett, M.J., 2005. Root gravitropism requires lateral root cap and epidermal cells for transport and response to a mobile auxin signal. Nature cell biology, 7(11), pp.1057-1065.
Detecting and Understanding Stray Voltage
Spark Your Electrical Vocabulary
All stray voltage is unintentional and undesirable, yet it is extremely common. In fact, it would be rare to find a farm or home without it, usually not in a good location. The main culprit, even though there are several variations of causation, is that with all standard 120 volt wiring we only have one hot wire, one neutral wire and a ground wire.
If the neutral wire is inadequate or if there is a weak or failed connection, the electrical current arriving on the hot wire must return to the source in some manner, which means it will try to go through any and all other objects that will conduct electricity. This undesirable flow of electrons can be via the earth, metal buildings, metal stanchions, fences or other objects.
The motor on a center pivot irrigation tower had been experiencing a tiny short in the wiring recently on a Midwestern farm. It had been this way for several weeks, but it was still working, and as you know there’s never enough time to do everything on the farm. However, the sand filter on the irrigator was also full, and this function needed emptying. The farmer was up on a metal ladder opening the overflowing trap to clean it out. It was safe, because all the pumps were switched off — except for what he did next, which was to instruct his wife to turn on the pump in order to flush the sand. It was a fatal mistake, as 480 volts surged through the system, instantly killing the farmer.
Another farmer had a grinder in the shop with a minor short in the motor; when it was turned on, it would give out a little shock. He “cured” the problem by turning on the grinder switch with a wooden broomstick. Who hasn’t done something like that?
On another farm there was a series of five livestock water fountains all connected to the electrical line. The first four fountains seemed normal, and the cattle were approaching them casually and drinking water normally. However, the cattle seemed to sense something was wrong with the fifth fountain, and they avoided it. Thirsty, two young heifers approached the fifth fountain, which was also overflowing slightly and creating a small puddle they were standing in. Within seconds after touching the water in the fountain, both heifers were instantly killed.
I heard many stories like this from Jerry Lush, a professional stray voltage consultant and ag engineer from Sioux Falls. After decades in the field of electrical energy, Lush can recount many horror stories of the abundant, and usually safe, power supply that we can’t seem to live without. Even folks who do not allow commercial electricity on their farm can encounter problems. I’m talking about stray voltage, a potential evader that can sneak onto any farm or barn.
What is Stray Voltage?
This is a very aptly named problem, in that it applies to any two objects that have electrical potential between them that ideally should not have any voltage difference between them. How much does it take? In general, we are always hoping for zero voltage, however, almost any animal can easily feel anything at 0.5 volts or higher. We could feel it too, but we usually have shoes or boots on and sometimes gloves. Lush says he finds this all too often and has even seen it run as high as 9 volts of current. Just imagine touching your tongue to a 9 volt battery.
Spark Your Electrical Vocabulary
Amperage: A measurement of the amount (strength) of current that is flowing through a wire.
Current: As stated above, current (flow of electricity) is measured in amps.
Induced voltage: A form of stray voltage that comes from other nearby circuits. This is more difficult to diagnose, but commonly runs through head stanchions or milk lines. It can be diagnosed and cured by a professional.
Resistance: This is something like a heater or light bulb; it is anything that holds back the current. It is measured in ohms.
Single-phase wiring: Brings 120-240 volts via one to two hot wires.
Three-phase wiring: (High voltage for large motors) brings in three hot lines.
Voltage: A unit of measurement of the pressure that pushes the amps through the wire.
Wattage: The sum of volts X amps and equal to power, as in the horsepower of an electric motor, for example. High voltage lines can adjust current flow by vastly increasing the voltage, which simultaneously lowers the flow of current and reduces line loss. Many transmission lines carry 7200 volts (this is what linemen work with) whereas coast-to-coast lines can carry 35,000 volts or more.
Potentially dangerous stray voltage was just diagnosed in our own home because the neutral wire coming from some “professionally installed” wiring, which had been put into our house by licensed electricians during remodeling, had actually been spliced into the ancient knob-and-tube neutral wire that runs through most of the walls and ceilings.
Jerry Lush has nearly 40 years of experience in the field of electrical energy.
Lush states that a big part of the problem is that electricians and linemen may see electricity in a different way than engineers trained in electricity (I’m generalizing here; there are some very knowledgeable technicians, likewise engineers are frequently so specialized they just don’t know everything, some engineers have no electrical training at all). But typically, the linemen have not been trained in household or farm wiring. Sometimes they can barely visualize the flow at all; their job is to get the power to the site.
Electrical engineers, including agricultural engineers, are trained to see electrical current wherever it is, quite like the rest of us might see water flowing. We could hardly expect to see water flowing into a structure without knowing where and how this water will exit. With voltage, if the neutral wire is not fat enough, or if the distance is too far, there’s no way it can keep up with electrical flow so that current “spills” into other areas in order for it to eventually get back to the source.
Stray voltage can come from any electrical device that is malfunctioning. Even properly installed wiring or devices can be damaged by moisture, lightning, or mice, squirrels and rats. Most commonly afflicted are barn fans in the summer and water tank heaters in the winter. Lastly, there can often be problems coming onto your farm from the utility service. Wherever the source, proper diagnosis is a critical starting point.
Symptoms of Stray Voltage
The key word is mysterious. Many farmers think they must be bad farmers or bad managers, or that they must have poor-quality livestock, not realizing there is a hidden cause. Electricity is essentially invisible, and we are usually focused on visible issues. Every single farm, ranch barn, garage or home can have stray voltage problems — we have seen it with dairy, beef, swine, sheep, goats, poultry or horses, but most often electrical problems are most clear in a dairy. In general, dairy animals drink more (to make milk), and they are quite often indoors and being handled, in a place where we can watch them.
Animals that are plagued with stray voltage will most frequently manifest specific problems such as mastitis, or high somatic cell count (pus in the milk), or they are jumpy when they come in to be milked. In many cases they just will not let down their milk flow. Watch your animals when they drink; they will tell you. Frequently they will only drink just enough to satisfy their thirst but not enough to maintain adequate production, which soon falls off even worse. Instead of taking a steady intake of water, they merely lap at the water, bobbing their heads.
Humans are more likely to feel the voltage themselves when walking barefoot on wet concrete, even more so when touching plumbing or metal when they are somewhat grounded by being wet. People have even been known to keep a dry rag around so that they can shut off their shower faucet without getting a mild shock.
Diagnosing Stray Voltage
Ideally, hire a pro! Lush is one of several in the United States. He comes by his skills honestly with two degrees in ag engineering and years of service working for rural electric utilities and co-op extension services. He has focused exclusively on stray voltage problems since 2007. Having worked both for the utility and for the farmer, he understands both sources of problems. He says his main tool of the trade is a simple volt meter, one that can measure micro voltage. At times he will hold a metal rod in one hand as he explores with the leads from a volt meter. He also uses a device that converts electrical current into an audible signal which emits a buzz if there is current flow. Quite often he can instantly spot wiring design errors or find loose connections. By the use of all these devices he can pinpoint sources of the problem.
Electric fencing is rarely a problem, in general, but if wired wrong it can be devastating. Lush says that it is of utmost importance to create a grounding system that is as good as or better than that of the rest of the farm. The fence should have its own individual ground and it should never be attached to any other ground. Place the ground far away from barns or other electrical systems.
Can Stray Voltage Be Cured?
Absolutely! However, Lush admits there are a few mysterious challenges over a lifetime of work. He recalls a few farms that defy logic such as an Amish farm he once investigated that haunts him. They were having barn issues of serious stray voltage in the metal stanchions yet were hundreds of yards from power lines, buried lines, transformers or substations. In some of these cases, even though no source can be detected, the professionals can build a circular passageway around the farm buildings using highly conductive materials.
Most of the time however, he says he can diagnose and cure almost every farm within four hours’ time, and most diagnoses come in the first half hour. Even if the problem is coming from the utility, a power pole/transformer neutral isolator can be installed. Since many problems come from inadequate grounding, this is a cure that can be rewired in a proper manner and without much cost. With 240 volt wiring there are fewer problems because there are two hot wires, and the current will arrive via one hot line and go back to the source via the other hot wire.
However, it’s not always that easy to settle disputes if questions arise with regard to the sources of the problem. If the utility will not accept responsibility for causing the problem or for the cost of fixing it, many farmers can feel left in the lurch. In fact, many institutions practically deny the existence of the problem, some even insinuating that the farmer must either be crazy or just a whiner.
Here in my state of Minnesota alone there are currently at least six pending lawsuits between farmers and the utilities with little hope of resolution in sight. However, the tide is slowly beginning to shift toward more accountability and more willingness to admit that the problem exists. Is it worth fighting? One dairy farmer in Minnesota suing the power utility estimates the voltage running through his dairy cost him over $700,000 in lost production, last year alone. Another Minnesota suit was settled, awarding $3 million to the damaged parties.
Urban Farmers Forced Off Land Find New Ground To Grow
With land access threatened, urban farmers find new ways to grow sustainably while being sensitive to concerns of colonization.
With land access threatened, urban farmers find new ways to grow sustainably while being sensitive to concerns of colonization.
By Louisa Chu Contact Reporter Chicago Tribune
The wind-whipped rooftop of a converted warehouse in the Kinzie Industrial Corridor might be the last place you’d expect to find fertile farmland, unless you’re Jen Rosenthal, founder and owner of Planted Chicago.
“I got my start in farming on the rooftop at Uncommon Ground, the restaurant up in Edgewater,” said Rosenthal. It was the first certified organic rooftop farm in the nation.
These days, urban farming is increasingly common, but the burgeoning business sector is not without its challenges, namely space and literal room to grow.
From her rooftop endeavors, Rosenthal began her own business installing and maintaining on-site gardens for chefs and restaurants across the city, including Lula Cafe in Logan Square.
“Three years ago, I took advantage of an opportunity on a little plot of land on the South Side to start also growing crops outright for some of the chefs that were looking for really specific niche ingredients,” she added.
What were among the custom crops she’s grown?
“One of my favorites and unusual were crosnes,” said Rosenthal. “They look like little tiny grubs, but they’re tubers.
“They’re amazing and have this really crunchy, juicy texture, kind of like a raw almond meets a water chestnut.”
But this growing season she’s back on rooftops as a consultant and not on her own farm in North Kenwood.
Jen Rosenthal, owner of Planted. Rosenthal lost her three-year-old plots when her time in an incubator program came to an end.
(Kristen Norman / Chicago Tribune)
“I lost the lease,” said Rosenthal. “It was an incubator system, and I aged out. I think there’s this notion that people think urban farming is so easy. There’s so many empty lots. Like how difficult can it be?”
“It’s not quite as straightforward as one might think.” she added. “And I have been looking for good alternative land access for the three years.”
“It’s an interesting time in urban ag,” said Rosenthal. “It’s important work, and it’s meaningful work.”
“And I know I’m not one of the original pioneers. There are the Ken Dunns and the Erika Allens who are going on nearly two decades of this work.”
I think there’s this notion that people think urban farming is so easy. There’s so many empty lots. Like how difficult can it be?”— Jen Rosenthal, owner of Planted
Erika Allen is the co-founder and CEO of Urban Growers Collective, previously Growing Power.
Allen’s father, Will Allen, is the retired professional basketball player turned urban farmer who founded the original organization in Milwaukee. He won a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant” in 2008. In November 2017, Growing Power closed.
“My dad was retiring, and the organization in Milwaukee had been financially challenged for a while,” said Erika Allen. “It had shifted to less programming and more urban farming, which is very difficult to do without capital.”
Urban Growers Collective is a not-for-profit that works to develop urban farms, but not just for food, though crops include a number of mustard green varieties, as well as herbs for culinary, aromatic and medicinal use.
“We use urban farming as a way to heal communities in terms of trauma and the violence that a lot of our youth and their families experience,” said Allen. “Also as a recovery from the historic impact of structural racism that manifested through the agriculture system.”
“So we’re taking this really broken system of agriculture that exploited labor first through slavery and then through sharecropping and then migrant workers. Now we’re taking that and reclaiming that and using it to create sustainable communities.”
Erika Allen, co-founder and CEO of Urban Growers Collective at the South Chicago Farm in Schafer Park. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
“We’re highly productive as an urban farm, but really we couldn’t do the healing and infrastructure development that we do without philanthropic support.”
“Our goal with this new entity is to really support entrepreneurs, so they’re able to build farms that meet their financial goals and for us not to be in that business of trying to meet our budget with farm sales. We can’t do both.”
But even a pioneer like Erika Allen faces land access issues.
“Our primary farm is our South Chicago farm, 90th (Street) and Lake Shore Drive, right across from the old U.S. Steel site. That’s a 7-acre farm that replaced Iron Street, which used to be our biggest, but we lost that farm.”
“The owner wanted $14 million for the site, and we could not afford that.”
“Luckily we had a funder who’s incredibly generous and believes in us, so we had the resources to do it, but it was really emotional, after 10 years of building, taking an industrial site to a prosperous farm, to have to walk away from that.”
“We were able to relocate all the soil, animals and hoop houses to South Chicago. Now it’s on public land.”
The public land is critical to each farmers' permanence, but new administrations can change policy, perhaps forcing them off land as Rosenthal experienced with Planted Chicago.
“The South Chicago farm is an important model because it’s publicly held land. The farmers we are ‘incubating’ — our incubator is not a two-year incubator, it’s a permanent incubator, meaning those farmers never have to leave the site — they’re in a training program. Once the training wheels are off, they maintain and continue to grow on the farm.”
“It’s our job to replicate the program on other land.”
From hundreds of growing farmers to the other end of the urban farm spectrum you get a one-woman operation, The Pie Patch, a half-acre strawberry farm in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. “I think it’s the only pick-your-own farm in the county,” said owner and farmer Breanne Heath. “It’s definitely one of the only certified organic fruit farms in Cook County.”
“I am a for-profit, but I’ve never actually made a profit,” said Heath. “I don’t think any for-profit farm in the city has yet.”
Like most urban farmers in Chicago, she does not own the land.
“I currently only have a lease that goes until the end of this year. Really for a farmer to really plan, it really should be five to 10 years,” she said.
Heath previously worked the land when it was a Growing Home garden (not to be confused with Growing Power).
“I feel comfortable being in the area because I’m already familiar with it.” she said. “But I am aware of conversations around colonization of the neighborhood. I’m sensitive to that.”
“There is a lot of vacant land, and it should be used for growing food, but I don’t know if it all needs to (solely) be these urban farms,” she added. “That should be decided by the communities themselves.”
The city of Chicago also suggests plazas, landscapes, athletic fields, playgrounds or dog friendly areas too.
“There’s a lot of assumptions like, ‘Oh, everyone wants to grow their own food’ but not everyone wants that. It’s a huge amount of work.”
Back on the rooftop, Rosenthal, a friend of Heath’s, agreed. “It’s hard. People sometimes have a romantic notion.”
“But people connect with farming too. And the more they can and the more they can see a future with it, whether in an urban space or not, means everything right now.”
Despite her experience and expertise, rooftops are not her favorite place.
“It’s more the getting up,” said Rosenthal. “There are a couple where it’s straight up a wall on rung ladders and up through a hatch that you have to open and then climb out of. On some, I have to harness in.”
“I feel a little more comfortable with my two feet planted firmly on the earth.”
The Pie Patch, 5045 S. Laflin St., 773-340-2048, www.thepiepatchfarm.com
Planted Chicago, 773-398-2146, www.plantedchicago.com
Urban Growers Collective; main office (1200 W. 35th St., 773-376-8882, www.urbangrowerscollective.org); 61st Street Farmers Market (6100 S. Blackstone Ave., 773 241-6044, www.experimentalstation.org/market); Sunday City Market Bridgeport (1000 W. 35th St., 773-823-9410, www.sundaycitymarket.com)
lchu@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @louisachu
Urban Farm Coming To Former Sparrows Point Steel Mill Site In Baltimore County
Gotham Greens, a Chicago-based urban farm operation, is opening a large greenhouse at Sparrows Point. (Gotham Greens/Julie McMahon)
A former Baltimore County steel mill is going green, as a New York-based urban farming operation looks to transform a portion of Sparrows Point into a large greenhouse.
Gotham Greens is opening a 100,000-square-foot hydroponic greenhouse at Tradepoint Atlantic, the massive redevelopment project planned for Sparrows Point, according to a news release.
Using recycled water and renewable energy sources, the climate-controlled facility will grow produce for restaurants, grocers, and other food services throughout the Mid-Atlantic.
Baltimore County will become the third market for Gotham Greens, which also has greenhouses in Chicago and New York.
The Sparrows Point urban farm is expected to open early next year and generate 60 full-time jobs. It’s part of Tradepoint Atlantic’s efforts to create 17,000 jobs in the area.
“Urban agriculture, at its core, is about reconnecting with the community through food, jobs and economic development,” Viraj Puri, co-founder, and CEO of Gotham Greens said in a statement. “To that end, we’ve found a great partner and are proud to be part of the American industrial turnaround story taking place at Tradepoint Atlantic.”
Under Tradepoint Atlantic, the former steel mill site aims to become a hub for shipping, manufacturing, and distribution. A joint venture of the local investment firm Redwood Capital Investments and Chicago-based Hilco bought the property in 2014. Since then, FedEx, Under Armour and Pasha Automotive have moved in to Sparrows Point. Amazon is also building* a distribution warehouse there.
The county has been focused on developing the site for distribution and retail, but Gotham Greens will add diversity to the site, said Will Anderson, Baltimore County’s director of economic and workforce development.
”Something this creative and adaptive in really difficult industrial development is just one more piece in a diverse set of solutions,” Anderson said. “These products that are going to come out of land that was once a challenge for us are now ending up at AmazonFresh and Whole Foods and Target.”
Anderson said the hydroponic greenhouse will build on Baltimore County’s tech strength.
“It’s kind of a home run on a number of different levels that would be unexpected at a former [Bethlehem] Steel site,” he said.
The Sparrows Point steel mill, once owned by Bethlehem Steel, closed in 2012, and its facilities have fallen into disrepair.
Tradepoint Atlantic recently received $20 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation to upgrade the property. The project will include upgrades to the site’s port, such as dredging to allow larger ships to use Tradepoint’s berths. The $20 million grant will only cover a portion of the work at the 3,100-acre property; Tradepoint will foot the bill for an additional $30 million.
Baltimore Sun reporter Pamela Wood contributed to this story.
Baldor Foods Sourcing Ugly Produce From Local Farms
August 08, 2018
Baldor Specialty Foods, the premier ingredient source for NYC’s top chefs and one of the largest produce distributors in the Northeast, is working with two local farms, Hepworth Farms of Milton, NY, and Satur Farms of Cutchogue, NY, to bring second cuts and aesthetically imperfect produce to market. Baldor plans to expand the service to additional farms in the near future.
Launched as the Imperfect Produce Program, the initiative creates a market for the perfectly good and nutritious, locally grown produce that would otherwise go to waste.
“Virtually a third of a farmer’s crop never makes it to market because of oddly shaped or cosmetically blemished items that the food service industry routinely rejects,” said Thomas McQuillan, Baldor’s vice president of strategy, culture and sustainability. “With this new program, we’re working with two local farms, Hepworth and Satur, to sell their surplus, irregular — but perfectly nutritious and delicious — select produce items to our customers.”
Currently, Hepworth Farms is supplying freshly picked, but aesthetically imperfect, zucchini, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers and tomatoes to the new program. Satur Farms is supplying second-cut kale and a kale spinach mix. Baldor makes this completely safe, usable and locally grown produce available to its network of restaurant owners, top chefs and institutional food suppliers.
“Baldor’s Imperfect Produce Program is a win-win for everyone,” said TJ Murphy, Baldor’s chief executive officer. “Our farming partners will waste less and sell more and by doing this we’ll build a stronger regional food system
Curated From:
Foreign Beef Can Legally be Labeled “Product of U.S.A.” It’s Killing America’s Grass-Fed Industry.
How rampant mislabeling puts America's grass-based cattle producers out of business.
How rampant mislabeling puts America's grass-based cattle producers out of business.
July 16th, 2018
by Joe Fassler
CULTURE ENVIRONMENT FARM POLICY SYSTEMS
Last month, in a petition formally filed with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), two advocacy groups made a stunning claim: Your American grass-fed beef might actually come from overseas, even if it’s labeled “Product of U.S.A.”
Those two groups—the American Grassfed Association (AGA), which offers the country’s leading “grass-fed” certification, and the Organization for Competitive Markets, a watchdog group that fights corporate consolidation in the food industry—point out that a massive regulatory loophole allows companies to falsely, and yet legally, claim their imported beef comes from our pastures.
The trouble began in 2015, when the Obama administration’s USDA rolled back Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) for beef and pork products, allowing meat to be sold without disclosing its home country on the label. But that decision, which angered many American ranchers, has further muddied the waters in a way no one quite anticipated. Under the current rules, beef and pork products that are shipped to the United States and processed further here, can be labeled “product of U.S.A.,” even if the animal was raised a continent away. That means a steer slaughtered in Uruguay and broken down into steaks at a meatpacking plant in Colorado is technically American meat—even if it isn’t.
Photograph by simarik (iStock), graphic by NFE
That’s a huge issue for American grass-fed producers, who are now finding themselves undercut by foreign competition. Allen Williams, a 6th-generation rancher and founding partner of Grass Fed Insights, a leading consulting group on grass-fed beef, says U.S. producers owned more than 60 percent of the domestic grass-fed market in 2014. Then came COOL repeal. By 2017, American ranchers’ share had plunged to just 20 to 25 percent, according to an industry analysis by the Stone Barns Center for Agriculture. Today, Williams, who consulted on the Stone Barns report, says American producers claim only about 15 percent of the grass-fed market—and that share is rapidly shrinking.
Ranchers attribute the decline directly to COOL repeal. The fact that foreign companies can pass their imported beef off as American, they say, has made fair competition impossible.
“The very idea of labeling beef in a grocery store ‘product of U.S.A.,’ when the animal never drew a breath of air on this continent, is just horrible,” says Will Harris, owner of White Oak Pastures, which produces its branded line of grass-fed beef in Bluffton, Georgia. (Harris is also on AGA’s board of directors.) “I don’t begrudge importers or producers from other countries selling to knowing consumers that want to buy that imported product. But I’m appalled at what the deception has done to the economies of our membership. It has moved the needle from grass-fed beef producers being profitable, to being a very break-even—or, if you’re not careful, a losing—proposition.”
But though pastured beef often isn’t as American as it looks, a question remains: How much does it actually matter? I found myself wondering how much we mean to prioritize domestic purchasing when we spend a little more to buy grass-fed, and whether the product’s country of origin makes a meaningful difference. Are grass-fed steaks from Australia all that different from those raised on a ranch outside Austin, Texas? I wanted to know whether we we should stop handwringing about geography—or if misleading labels somehow betray the grass-fed ethos, and amount to a profound abuse of consumer trust.
Grazed and confused
If Williams is right that only 15 percent of the grass-fed beef is raised domestically, you wouldn’t necessarily know it just by strolling through the grocery store. On a recent trip to Trader Joe’s, I inspected a package of “100 percent grass-fed organic ground beef,” looking for clues about its origins. The casual observer could be forgiven for mistaking that product for American meat. The splashy consumer-facing label features a USDA organic seal, a USDA inspection sticker, and, in smaller print, the phrase “processed in USA” alongside Trader Joe’s corporate address in Monrovia, California. Of course, foreign beef can still be certified USDA organic and all imported meat goes through USDA inspection. But this product features not one but four allusions to the U.S. on its label. The average shopper wouldn’t be crazy to assume it’s coming from here.
Flip the package over, though—to the side few people read up close—and the label tells a different story. In small, no-frills font, below the freeze-by date and above the safe handling instructions, are the words “Product of USA, Australia, and Uruguay.” That phrasing would seem to suggest that Trader Joe’s ground beef is a blend of beef from American, Australian, and Uruguayan cows—an arrangement that might surprise some customers, given what the front of the package says. But even thatreasonable assumption may not be accurate. Trader Joe’s may only be buying Australian and Uruguayan meat that’s then ground at a facility in the U.S.—enough to qualify as American in the eyes of regulators. It isn’t really possible to tell.
Joe Fassler
If Trader Joe’s and other grocery brands were really selling meat from cows raised in this country, you’d think they’d make a bigger deal of it.
Trader Joe’s organic grass-fed ribeye steak also prominently features USDA’s organic and inspection seals on the front—as well as the phrase “Product of USA” in small font on the back, by the nutrition facts. But are the company’s grass-fed ribeyes really produced here? Or are they just processed here? It’s impossible to tell from the label alone, and Trader Joe’s had not responded to my requests for clarification by press time.
The Trader Joe’s scenario is a good example of how products can follow the letter of the labeling law and still be misleading. But other brands have done more to take advantage of this legal ambiguity—and some are downright deceptive.
Bubba Burger
Bubba Foods’ marketing would suggest that its beef is born and raised in the U.S. A look at its affidavit to the USDA suggest otherwise
Bubba Foods, a Jacksonville, Florida-based company whose products are sold by major retailers like Walmart, Kroger, and Wegman’s, puts its American-made claims front and center. The label on the company’s grass-fed ground beef displays a prominent “Product of USA” banner, complete with an American flag—and, if that wasn’t enough, the proud phrase “Born & Raised in the USA.” But paperwork filed with USDA, obtained by the American Grassfed Association and shared with me, suggests the product may not be American at all—at least, not in the conventional sense most shoppers would understand.
Any producer who wants to sell a commercial grass-fed beef product has to file an affidavit with USDA’s Food Standards Inspection Service (FSIS), laying out the agricultural practices it will use and submitting an example of their product label. Bubba’s affidavit includes several details that caught my attention, considering the aggressive nationalism of its label. A nutritional analysis describes the product as “import grass-fed” beef. It also includes an import record from Australia, noting that an “Australian National Vendor Declaration” will certify the product’s grass-feeding regime. The final 20 pages of the document lay out the specifics of Australia’s Pasture-Fed Cattle Assurance Standard, a program that isn’t available in other countries.
Bubba Foods initially assured me the company would answer my questions about the discrepancy, but did not provide more information after multiple follow-ups. At this point, the opacity only furthers my suspicion that the company is passing off its Australian grass-fed beef as a “born and raised” U.S. product—with the U.S. government’s blessing. (Bubba’s affidavit also contains a copy of its product label, which regulators presumably viewed in all its chest-thumping patriotism.) No wonder eaters are confused.
By now, it should be obvious that misleading—and, in some cases, overtly deceptive—labels are out there. But we still haven’t established whether any of this is a meaningful deception, materially speaking. Does anyone really care if their grass-fed beef comes from America or Australia—and, if not, should they?
Eating American
In his work as a consultant, Allen Williams and his clients have spent millions of dollars trying to pin down exactly what compels shoppers to buy grass-fed beef. His findings suggest that (relative) locality is a huge selling point: A desire to support America’s rural economies is one major reason people spend more to buy grass-fed. The preference is so clear that Williams believes virtually all of the products with fine-print “Product of USA” claims are really imported. If Trader Joe’s and other grocery brands were really making the effort to buy meat from cows raised in this country, you’d think they’d make a much bigger deal of it.
Charlie Bradbury runs Grass Run Farms, an American-raised, grass-fed beef brand owned by JBS, the world’s largest multinational meatpacker. He tells me that JBS—which has long sold grass-fed products from Australia and elsewhere, and marketed them as such—acquired Grass Run Farms because so many customers asked for specifically domestic grass-fed beef.
“The fact that the cattle are born and processed in the U.S. is an important reason people buy this product,” he says. “These cattle generally do come from smaller, family-farm operations. They [shoppers] believe the animal welfare is improved [in that context] and so, since our job is to sell beef, we’re trying to produce a system that fits in with those concepts.”
Will Harris offers some insight into why demand for American grass-fed is so strong. Over the years, he’s learned that customers buy White Oaks beef for three primary reasons: environmental sustainability, animal welfare, and to support rural economies, in that order. (Health considerations are a factor, too, but not in the top three.)
Each of these main drivers has a strong local emphasis, he tells me. If someone wants to help improve the environment, they’re likely to want to do so in their own backyard first. Those worried about animal welfare are more likely to feel assured by local products, with a farmer they know by name and a ranch they can visit, than by a product from a continent away. Finally, anyone buying grass-fed to support the local farm economy is certainly going to privilege domestic product. In Harris’s view, it couldn’t be any clearer—when buying grass-fed, Americans explicitly prefer that it be American.
But say you’re the kind of ethically minded meat eater who just wants to do what’s best for the planet in general. Does it really matter whether your burger comes from your local farmers’ market versus a ranch in Australia or Uruguay?
That’s harder to say.
Photograph by dustypixel (iStock), graphic by NFE
“If we are comfortable with the assumption that grass-fed beef is indeed more environmentally friendly than CAFO beef—and this depends quite a bit on your method for calculating environmental costs—then the real environmental impacts of grass-fed beef products have much more to do with how they are produced than where they are shipped from,” Caitlin Peterson, a PhD student in ecology at the University of California, Davis, told me by email. That’s because shipping beef across the ocean in a storage container is an incredibly cheap and efficient transportation method that doesn’t require much energy use or generate much pollution, even if it does rack up so-called “food miles.” Agricultural methods, she says, matter far more in general than transportation distances.
The trouble is that it’s very hard to get information about a given grass-fed producer’s practices. No government I could find legally defines a “grass-fed” standard. (The U.S. did, beginning in 2007—but ultimately revoked its standard in 2016, citing USDA’s inability to properly enforce it.) Though a few respected third-party certifications exist—the American Grassfed Association’s “Certified Grassfed” label is considered the gold standard by producers—ranchers can claim their product is grass-fed without independent verification. To use the term on products sold in the U.S., meat companies must only file an affidavit with USDA explaining how their grass-feeding program will operate. They can use an existing certification, or define their own protocols. As a result, practices vary widely, and quality control is difficult.
“Grass-fed is all over the map,” says Rick Machen, a professor and livestock specialist with Texas A&M University. “It could be a 700-pound calf right off the cow up to a 14-year-old cow that’s lived out its productive life. And within those there are all kinds—some are supplemented, some are 100-percent grass-finished. There’s a wide, wide, wide array of pre-harvest production systems, and technically they’re all within the bounds of what can technically qualify as grass-fed.”
Considering that, it’s hard to compare the environmental impact of domestic versus imported grass-fed beef in general. But if sustainability concerns are a wash, the domestic product really does fare better by one all-important metric: economics.
The price of grass
There’s a reason that imported grass-fed beef has come to dominate the American marketplace. It’s not because it’s a better product, necessarily. It’s simply cheaper.
Take Australia, for instance—the country that by far exports the most grass-fed beef to the U.S.—where virtually all beef production is pasture-based. Since cattle can graze year-round on the country’s naturally lush pastures, it makes far less sense to fatten them on grain. That makes the cost of bringing a steer to weight a much cheaper proposition—especially compares to many regions of the U.S., where grassland must be irrigated, or where cattle must be fed dried forage during the winter.
Though severe drought in Australia has complicated this picture in recent years, bringing the price of imported grass-fed beef closer to its domestic competition, the country has built-in advantages that have allowed it to undercut U.S. producers on price.
But Australia has an additional, and perhaps more significant, advantage. Grass finishing has been the standard for so long that it’s big business, and has been for decades. Cargill and JBS, two of the biggest meatpackers in the world, process a combined 49 percent of the country’s grass-fed beef.
A company like Greeley, Colorado-based JBS, which owns farms, slaughterhouses, and transportation infrastructure on multiple continents, and has accounts with major retailers and foodservice providers, benefits from economies of scale unheard of in U.S. grass-fed beef production. In the U.S., where grass-fed claims just 1.5 percent of the overall market, it’s mostly small producers working with small, independent processors and marketing their products themselves. More than half of America’s grass-fed producers sell twenty or fewer cattle a year, according to the Stone Barns report, and most of them are too small to access the country’s hyperproductive slaughterhouses.
This distinction marks perhaps the fundamental difference between U.S. and imported grass-fed beef. In America, grass-based production is an alternative vision supported by individual innovators and rooted in local economies. In Australia, New Zealand, Uruguay, and other countries, it’s an established industry controlled by powerful global players.
“It’s a commodity product,” says Williams, speaking of imported grass-fed beef. “It’s produced off many different ranches, then harvested by the big packers. They’re the same guys that are the big packers over here in the U.S. It’s all aggregated together and shipped over here.”
If Americans are buying grass-fed as a way to support local foodways and bring dollars back to rural communities—and many of them seem to want to—that’s not happening when they’re fooled into buying imported beef.
For U.S. ranchers, switching to grass-fed can completely transform the economics of production. Williams says that the average American cattle rancher, someone who sells live animals to the big meatpackers churning out commodity beef, makes only about 14 cents of the retail dollar. “That way,” he tells me, “you’re working on razor-thin margins and any little economic hit can take you out of the game.”
Photo by gerenme (iStock), graphic by NFE
.But grass-fed producers selling directly via farmers’ markets can keep up to 85 percent of the retail dollar, according to Williams. And ranchers who run branded programs—paying a smaller, custom packer to process their animals, then selling that signature line of beef with the help of various retail partners—can reach thousands of customers while still keeping 25 to 50 percent of the retail dollar.
There are challenges, of course. Greenmarkets are a low-volume business—it’s hard to reach that many customers, even if the margins are significantly higher. And branded programs are a more expensive way to do business, with added costs related to marketing, distribution, and slaughter. Still, the margins improve enough to double or triple the income earned on every animal—giving ranchers a chance to make up for the increased costs of grass-fed production, mitigate their risk, and earn a sustainable living.
But now that the market’s been flooded with cheap imports, America’s grass-based ranchers aren’t thriving the way they’d hoped to. Though retail sales of grass-fed beef have soared—from $17 million in 2012 to more than 16 times that, $272 million, in 2016—American ranchers aren’t the ones reaping the benefit of all that increased demand. Harris and other ranchers attribute this directly to consumer confusion over labels. If we can’t tell the difference between Australian and American grass-fed beef—if both are labeled “Product of USA”—even a locally minded shopper is more likely to go with the cheaper product. The result, for ranchers who have spent heavily to transition or grow their herds, may be economic devastation.
Let’s go back to the petition that the American Grassfed Association filed with USDA for a moment. The organization believes that, if labeling law can be changed, ensuring that only truly American-raised beef is labeled that way, shoppers will start buying domestic grass-fed again, even if it costs more. If the choice between domestic and imported is made more apparent, grass-fed proponents like Carrie Balkcom and Will Harris think American grass-fed beef will have a fightning chance—that our rural communities will finally see the economic benefits of the standard they helped to build.
The fact that USDA is taking public comments on the issue suggests that the agency may be reconsidering things. And that could be a sign that significant change is on the horizon.
“As a U.S. grass-fed beef producer, I believe it is imperative that honest, transparent labeling is required for grass-fed beef sold in America,” writes Kay Allen, a Texas rancher, one of many producers who has commented publicly on the petition. “Not only does honest labeling protect American beef producers economically, it insures that WE, American citizens, control our own food supply.”
For those who want to see rural economies revitalized, the stakes are high. Labeled grass-fed beef is only about a $1 billion market in the U.S., tiny compared to the nation’s $105-billion conventional beef industry. But Williams points out that if the U.S. producers took back only 50 percent of the market—still down from more than 60 percent market share they enjoyed in 2014—it could send hundreds of millions of dollars into local communities each year. That would be a major departure from the current system, where profits from grain-finished domestic and grass-fed imported cattle flow primarily to large corporations.
“Instead of requiring just a handful of mega-feedlots to finish all this beef, we would need tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of smaller farmers and ranchers,” Williams says. “So instead of having one mega business, one major corporation, we’d be allowing thousands of small businesses, vibrant small businesses, to thrive. It would be a major boon not just to ranchers, but to local processors, and cold storage, and everyone who has a finger in this pie. Why would we not want to do that?”
The USDA is currently asking itself that same question. The agency will take public comments until August 17.