Welcome to iGrow News, Your Source for the World of Indoor Vertical Farming
How Vertical Farms Could Be Ready To Take-Off
Carried out by the John Innes Centre, the University of Bristol, and the aeroponic technology provider LettUs Grow, the study identifies future research areas needed to accelerate the sustainable growth of vertical farming using aeroponic systems
12-01-2021 | LettUsGROW
Vertical farms with their soil-free, computer-controlled environments may sound like sci-fi, but there is a growing environmental and economic case for them, according to new research laying out radical ways of putting food on our plates.
The interdisciplinary study combining biology and engineering sets down steps towards accelerating the growth of this branch of precision agriculture, including the use of aeroponics which uses nutrient-enriched aerosols in place of soil.
Carried out by the John Innes Centre, the University of Bristol, and the aeroponic technology provider LettUs Grow, the study identifies future research areas needed to accelerate the sustainable growth of vertical farming using aeroponic systems.
Dr. Antony Dodd, a Group Leader at the John Innes Centre and senior author of the study, says: “By bringing fundamental biological insights into the context of the physics of growing plants in an aerosol, we can help the vertical farming business become more productive more quickly while producing healthier food with less environmental impact.”
Jack Farmer, Chief Scientific Officer at LettUs Grow and one of the authors of the study, adds: “Climate change is only going to increase the demand for this technology. Projected changes in regional weather patterns and water availability are likely to impact agricultural productivity soon. Vertical farming offers the ability to grow high-value nutritious crops in a climate-resilient manner all year round, proving a reliable income stream for growers.”
Vertical farming is a type of indoor agriculture where crops are cultivated in stacked systems with water, lighting and nutrient sources carefully controlled.
It is part of a rapidly growing sector supported by artificial intelligence in which machines are taught to manage day to day horticultural tasks. The industry is set to grow annually by 21% by 2025 according to one commercial forecast (Grand View Research, 2019).
Green benefits include better use of space because vertical farms can be sited in urban locations, fewer food miles, isolation from pathogens, reduction in soil degradation and nutrient and water recapturing and recycling.
Vertical farms also allow product consistency, price stabilization, and cultivation at latitudes incompatible with certain crops such as the desert or arctic.
“Vertical systems allow us to extend the latitude range on which crops can be grown on the planet, from the deserts of Dubai to the 4-hour winter days of Iceland. In fact, if you were growing crops on Mars you would need to use this kind of technology because there is no soil,” says Dr Dodd.
The study, which appears in the journal New Phytologist, lays out seven steps – strategic areas of future research needed to underpin increased productivity and sustainability of aeroponic vertical farms.
These seek to understand:
Why aeroponic cultivation can be more productive than hydroponic or soil cultivation
The relationship between aeroponic cultivation and 24-hour circadian rhythms of plants
Root development of a range of crops in aeroponic conditions
The relationship between aerosol droplet size and deposition and plant performance
How we can establish frameworks for comparing vertical farming technologies for a range of crops
How aeroponic methods affect microbial interactions with plant roots
The nature of recycling of root exudates (fluids secreted by the roots of plants) within the nutrient solutions of closed aeroponic systems
The report argues that a driver of technological innovation in vertical farms is minimising operation costs whilst maximising productivity – and that investment in fundamental biological research has a significant role.
Dr. Dodd’s research area covers circadian rhythms – biological clocks that align plant physiology and molecular processes to the day to day cycle of light and dark. He recently completed a year-long Royal Society Industry Fellowship with LettUs Grow.
This involved combining Dr Dodd’s expertise in circadian rhythms and plant physiology with the work of LettUs Grow’s team of biologists and engineers to design optimal aeroponic cultivation regimens. This is a key area of investigation as these molecular internal timers will perform differently in vertical farms.
Aeroponic platforms are often used to grow high-value crops such as salads, pak choi, herbs, small brassica crops, pea shoots, and bean shoots. LettUs Grow are also working on growth regimens for fruiting and rooting crops such as strawberries and carrots, as well as aeroponic propagation of trees for both fruit and forestry.
John Innes Centre researchers have bred a line of broccoli adapted to grow indoors for a major supermarket and one of the aims of research will be to test how we can genetically tune more crops to grow in the controlled space of vertical farms.
Bethany Eldridge, a researcher at the University of Bristol studying root-environment interactions and first author of the study adds: “Given that 80% of agricultural land worldwide is reported to have moderate or severe erosion, the ability to grow crops in a soilless system with minimal fertilizers and pesticides is advantageous because it provides an opportunity to grow crops in areas facing soil erosion or other environmental issues such as algal blooms in local water bodies that may have been driven by traditional, soil-based, agriculture.”
Lilly Manzoni, Head of Research and Development at LettUs Grow and one of the authors of the study says, “This paper is unique because it is broader than a typical plant research paper, it combines the expertise of engineers, aerosol scientists, plant biologists, and horticulturalists. The wonderful thing about controlled environment agriculture and aeroponics is that it is truly interdisciplinary”
The study ‘Getting to the Roots of Aeroponic Indoor Farming‘ appears in the New Phytologist journal.
Source and Photo Courtesy of LettUsGROW
Japan: Operating Rate of 99% In Large-Scale Automated Farm
Stable production at a large-scale automated vertical farm, with a production capacity of 30,000 heads of lettuce per day, and running at full strength, is an achievement yet to be demonstrated at any other facility worldwide
Spread Reaches High Operating Rate At Techno Farm Keihanna
Spread Co., Ltd. has reached the operating rate of 99% at Techno Farm Keihanna, a large-scale automated vertical farm. This percentage is based on the number of harvested heads compared to the maximum capacity of the farm. Stable production at a large-scale automated vertical farm, with a production capacity of 30,000 heads of lettuce per day, and running at full strength, is an achievement yet to be demonstrated at any other facility worldwide. This will further support Spread’s expansion, as it strives to establish a model for sustainable agriculture.
The challenge of large-scale vertical farming
Stable production at a large-scale is considered one of the toughest challenges in vertical farming. Spread’s Kameoka Plant claims to achieve profitability and an operating rate of 97% within 6 years. Techno Farm Keihanna started operating in November 2018. It has now achieved a stable operating rate of 99% and has delivered a monthly average product weight of over 3 tons since October 2020.
Stable production and environmentally sustainable
Spread’s Technologies are implemented at the Techno Farm Keihanna, which is a high-level synergy of automated cultivation and human operations. Accordingly, Spread succeeded in automating most of the labor-intensive processes, to make the whole process inside the farm more efficient and cost-saving. Next to that, they make use of precise environmental control technology for large spaces Spread’s technology ensures there is little variation in temperature and humidity, even at a large scale. Analysis of the actual cultivation environment allows for stable production and consistent high quality.
Furthermore, the farm has a Techno Farm Cloud implemented. Meaning, a unified IoT-based management system for all farm operations. The visualization of cultivation data has brought efficiency improvements to farm management. Through analysis of the cultivation and post-harvest data, Spread maximizes cultivation efficiency and achieves truly smart agriculture.
The Techno Farm Keihanna
The environmentally sustainable factors used are water recycling technology and LED lights, optimized for vertical farming. Techno Farm Keihanna recycles over 90% of the water used in cultivation, allowing for savings of 16,000 liters/day. (This is equal to more than 10 million 500ml water bottles saved every year). Spread’s unique LED lights allow for a reduction in energy consumption by 30% compared to conventional LED lights. Implemented at both Kameoka Plant and Techno Farm Keihanna.
Sales performance
According to the Spread team, the demand for vertically farmed vegetables among consumers and the foodservice industry has been rising. Spread has been steadily increasing shipment volume since the start of operations at its Techno Farm Keihanna. Together with the utilization of an in-house logistics system, this has helped Spread to expand its presence among major Japanese retailers. At the moment, Spread supplies 3,600 stores across Japan.
Future developments
Using the validated technology of the Techno Farm TM, Spread is pursuing further business opportunities through technological innovation and collaboration with stakeholders, both in
Japan and overseas. Spread aims to provide solutions for the global problems of climate change and food security, and to deliver the SDGs through the creation of a truly sustainable society.
For more information:
Spread Co., Ltd.
www.spread.co.jp/en
VIDEO: Israeli Agtech Firm Offers A Vertical Solution To A Lateral Problem
Undoubtedly, one of the biggest global challenges we face is feeding a rapidly growing population over the next several decades
The ongoing pandemic threatens to disrupt global food chains. Food shortages might have moved from fear to future. This Israeli startup aims to bring vegetable farming a little closer to home...
Dor Schwartz / 10 Jan 2021
Undoubtedly, one of the biggest global challenges we face is feeding a rapidly growing population over the next several decades. It is estimated that in 50 years, the world is expected to find at least two billion new residents added to the global population numbers. Urbanization is a big blame for this, bringing on a major lack of accessible and arable farming land, creating even further food scarcity.
Since becoming a global pandemic, COVID-19 has impacted global food systems, disrupting regional agricultural value chains, and threatening the household food security of even working families. As a result, producers, businesses, governments, and consumers today have a heightened awareness of food safety. With borders closed and quarantines in full effect again, supply chain and trade disruptions could restrict people’s access to sufficient and nutritious sources of food.
From Israel to Ukraine
Vertical agriculture and farming have become one of the hottest trends aiming to solve the potential food shortage scare. Israeli Agtech company Vertical Field has developed vertical urban farms and active living walls, which provide crucial solutions for smart cities and how they support the ever-growing population of hungry mouths.
“In times when most of the world’s population is aware of what they are eating, with increasing demand for healthier, more sustainable, and safer foods, agriculture needs to reinvent itself to be fit for purpose,” emphasizes Guy Elitzur, the company's CEO.
Last year, the company piloted urban farms next to several branches of the Rami Levy supermarkets in Israel, as well as EverGreen supermarkets and several restaurants in New York. In those branches, the supermarket grows, harvests, and sells leafy greens and herbs. This was just the start, as Rami Levy supermarkets took the pilot one step further and signed a multi-million dollar deal to implement the Vertical Field growing technique at dozens of the supermarket chain's locations.
After securing the Rami Levy deal, Vertical Field also announced that it would initiate a similar deployment of vertical farms, this time in the Ukraine. By teaming up with Moderntrendo S.R.O, which is one of the country's largest agricultural distributors, Vertical Field will begin an initial pilot with Varus - a Ukrainian supermarket chain with over 95 stores. The in-house farm pilot will begin early this year before expanding to other supermarket chains.
“We are extremely excited about our partnership with Moderntrendo S.R.O which has led to the project with Varus and will lead to more projects in the near future with more chains in Ukraine. One of the realizations that have surfaced during the COVID-19 crisis is the need to develop solutions that allow urban residents access to healthy food, with minimal human handling and without depending on transportation and shipping from remote locations. We are delighted to be able to provide- and expand access to- healthy, and high-quality vegetables grown right outside the consumer’s door," said Guy Elitzur, the CEO of Vertical Field.
The Vertical Field platform allows maximum yield from a small growing area. Its fast plant growth cycle provides a consistent and frequent supply of agricultural products to the supermarket’s customers, who can walk up to the vertical wall and purchase ultra fresh produce that is ready to eat.
Vertical Field's green solution provides customers a direct "farm-to-table" channel that not only helps lower prices, but also helps eliminate what has become a source for many environmental concerns along the process. Just imagine living in an apartment building that not only adds a more pleasant visual aspect to the urban landscape, but a wall where residents can literally reap the benefits, in form of fresh nutritional veggies.
Source: Allan Chapelski
"One of our main goals is to provide supermarkets, restaurants, hospitals or any other institution with the ability to grow their own produce and to provide it onsite right where it’s consumed,” notes Elitzur. "We see supermarkets struggling with the high costs of the supply chain and longer growing cycles dependent upon unpredictable weather conditions. With our solution, they never have to worry about the weather or external conditions. They can get a consistent in-house supply and reduce and monitor their inventory waste. We are offering a completely new business model in which they will not have distribution costs and at the same time create a unique shopping experience for their customers. The real challenge is to show corporations the economic and health benefits so they will be motivated to change the way they are operating."
The Israeli agtech startup has developed a number of vertical soil-based solutions that help cities and institutions worldwide green-up their spaces. The company's main product is a vertical, soil-based system for urban farming for both indoor and outdoor use. Vertical Field’s geoponic growing method produced a unique platform comprised of a container with built-in sensors, irrigation, and lighting, as well as in-house monitoring software that automatically manages crop growth cycles. By significantly minimizing human intervention, the system's AI farmers optimize the plant's growth cycle from seed to pick. It also ensures a sterile and kosher environment for fresh and healthy produce to grow pesticide-free all year long.
Vertical Field was founded in 2006 by VP Product & Project Design Guy Bar-Ness, who claims to be motivated by a green thumb, and ambition to bring sustainable nature-based solutions into the urban lifestyle.
Vertical Field Prepares To Launch its Topsy-Turvy Farms In Ukraine
Agtech company Vertical Field, which specializes in vertical farming, has signed an agreement with one of Ukraine’s largest agricultural distributors Moderntrendo S.R.O to deploy its vertical farms
The country’s national distributor, Moderntrendo SRO, will promote the fields to more than 260,000 daily customers
James Spiro | 01-06-21
Agtech company Vertical Field, which specializes in vertical farming, has signed an agreement with one of Ukraine’s largest agricultural distributors Moderntrendo S.R.O to deploy its vertical farms. The initial pilot will be conducted at Varus, one of Ukraine’s largest supermarket chains, which currently serves more than 260,000 customers from its 95 stores in 25 cities.
“We are extremely excited about our partnership with Moderntrendo S.R.O which has led to the project with Varus and will lead to more projects in the near future with more chains in Ukraine,” said Guy Elitzur, the CEO of Vertical Field. “One of the realizations that have surfaced during the Covid-19 crisis is the need to develop solutions that allow urban residents access to healthy food, with minimal human handling and without depending on transportation and shipping from remote locations. We are delighted to be able to provide- and expand access to- healthy, and high-quality vegetables grown right outside the consumer’s door."
An inside look at the vertical farms. Photo: Vertical Field
Vertical Field produces commercialized, soil-based vertical farms in containers that produce locally sourced vegetables. The indoor ‘farms’ can grow a variety of greens such as lettuce, basil, parsley, kale, and mint all year round, making them ideal for supermarkets, outdoor markets, and distribution centers.
Related Stories:
Israeli supermarket chain to feature in-store vertical farms
“It’s about making the world a better place,” says multilateral investor in Israel’s SeeTre
“Today, we are creating a pilot project together with Vertical Field, which in the future will only benefit society, because the introduction of innovative and proprietary technologies for vertical cultivation of products for the urban ecosystem by Vertical Field is a new level in the Ukrainian market,” added Bondar Denis, Director of Moderntrend S.R.O.
Last month, Vertical Field signed an agreement with Rami Levy, Israel’s largest supermarket chain, to install its farms at multiple locations across the country. The company was formed in 2006 by Guy Barness who serves as its VP of Product.
What 8 Indoor Farming Companies Plan For 2021
By Jesse Klein
January 6, 2021
When the pandemic exposed major issues with our lengthy food supply chain — in the form of shipment delays and inadequate demand forecasting — local vertical farms and indoor growing organizations were called upon to fill in the gaps in a way that was unprecedented.
With 2020 in the history books and hopes for an end to the COVID-19 pandemic rising, these companies seek to build on their newfound momentum in 2021. With revenue for vertical farming alone estimated at just $212.4 million in 2019, one forecast calls for the industry to hit $1.38 billion by 2027, a compound annual growth rate of 26.2 percent from 2021 to 2027.
Here are what eight indoor-growing leaders are planning in the year ahead. The list is presented alphabetically and represents a slice of the marketplace activity cropping up in late 2020.
AeroFarms
The Aerofarms facility in Jersey City, New Jersey. Photo courtesy of Aerofarms
AeroFarms’ four New Jersey vertical farms produced 2 million pounds of produce in 2020. And this year that number likely will skyrocket with the company’s April announcement of construction on a 90,000-square-foot indoor vertical farm in Abu Dhabi, the world’s largest vertical farm.
In 2021, Aerofarms is taking on the issue of food waste more explicitly. It invested in Precision Indoor Plants (PIP) to help understand and prevent lettuce discoloration, experiment with ways to increase lettuce yield, and level up leaf quality.
AppHarvest
AppHarvest's farm in Morehead, Kentucky. Photo courtesy of AppHarvest
Appalachian company AppHarvest has launched three indoor farms in Kentucky. It chose the state specifically because it’s within a day's drive of 70 percent of the U.S. population.
In early 2021, AppHarvest will harvest its first crop of tomatoes, a move meant to help reduce reliance and emissions from imported tomatoes. In 2019, 60 percent of America’s tomatoes were imported. The farms use a closed-loop system that runs entirely off recycled rainwater to eliminate agricultural runoff and reduce water usage.
Bowery Farming
Bowery Farming's second farm in Kearny, New Jersey. Photo courtesy of Bowery Farming
Bowery Farming, based in New York City, plans to invest its 600 percent increase in sales last year into a new vertical farm in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in 2021.
By working with the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and the Governor’s Action Team, Bowery is turning an arid industrial site into 8.7 acres of modern farmland that also should help the economic recovery of the area. Bethlehem once was a thriving steel town with Bethlehem Steel Corporation once employing around 60 percent of the local workforce at its peak before shutting down in 1998.
Since then, the city has had to transition into different sectors. Bowery Farming hopes to be part of that evolution. Its farm will create 70 jobs and feature LED lighting, recapture water from the plants using a water transpiration system, and collect data on a massive scale to inform future farming choices.
BrightFarms
This BrightFarms greenhouse produces more than two million pounds of leafy salad greens per year. Photo courtesy of BrightFarms
With $100 million in new funding raised in 2020, BrightFarms plans to construct indoor farms in every major market by 2025. This year marks the start of that journey with the construction of two new facilities in North Carolina and Massachusetts.
Both farms will be six to seven acres, or almost double the company’s current facilities in Ohio, Illinois and Virginia. In 2021, BrightFarm, which makes its headquarters in Irvington, New York, also plans to roll out its proprietary AI System, Bright OS, which will use machine learning and analytics to make operations from seed to shelf more efficient.
Gotham Greens
Gotham Greens operates a network of greenhouses across the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, New England, Mountain West, and beyond. Photo courtesy of Gotham Greens
Gotham Greens has been at the forefront of urban farming for over a decade. After starting in New York and expanding across the northeast, 2021 will be the year Gotham tries to take over the rest of the country.
As the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered so many businesses, Gotham Greens was able to expand into Aurora, Colorado, just outside of Denver. The Colorado location is Gotham’s eighth indoor farm. It also expanded to Baltimore.
Finally, in December, the company announced an $87 million funding round. The funding will support Gotham Greens products in Whole Foods Market, Albertsons Companies, Meijer, Target, King Soopers, Harris Teeter, ShopRite, and Sprouts.
Infarm
An Infarm installation at French retailer, Metro. Photo courtesy of Infarm
In 2021, Infarm is hopping on a hot industry trend — bringing the vertical farm to the grocery store.
In late December, the Berlin-based company announced a partnership with Sumitomo, a Japanese company that owns Summit Store, one of Tokyo’s leading supermarket chains. The partnership will bring Infarm’s modular vertical farm directly to grocery stores.
With this move, Infarm is expanding on its in-store strategy first experimented with Kroger in Berlin in 2020. Brick Street Farms also partnered last year with Publix to bring its vertical farms closer to the consumer.
Infarm will install its first farm at Summit’s Gotanno location and products are scheduled to be ready for sale at the end of January.
Kalera
Kalera's new farm in Houston will be the largest such facility in Texas. Photo courtesy of Kalera
Kalera also plans a rapid expansion in 2021. The Orlando-based vertical farm company is pushing into Atlanta, Denver and Houston this year. This will be the company's third, fourth and fifth farms and the first ones outside Florida.
The Houston facilities will be the largest vertical farm in Texas while the Atlanta location will be the highest production volume vertical farm in the Southeast. The Atlanta one will be more than double the size of the company's Orlando facilities — able to produce 11 million heads of lettuce.
And in December Kalera announced it is expanding into the Pacific Northwest in Seattle. These new facilities will help Kalera support partnerships with grocers and restaurants in the area.
Plenty
Most vertical farms, including Plenty, have initially focused on leafy greens like kale. Photo courtesy of Plenty
Plenty, based in San Francisco, had an eventful final quarter of 2020 and is riding that momentum into 2021.
In August, the indoor farming company announced a partnership with Albertsons to expand into more than 430 stores in Southern California. It followed up that move in October with a $140 million funding round led by Softbank and a historic partnership with Driscoll's to give consumers fresh sweet strawberries year-round.
This year, Plenty plans to begin construction on the world's largest output vertical farm in Compton, California. Upon completion, the farm will be the size of a big box retail store and will grow over 700 acres of leafy green crops.
Share this article Twitter Facebook Linkedin
Jesse Klein
Contributor
Indoor Ag Fintech Startup Contain Raises Investment Round, Adds Industry Veteran To Team
We have plans to introduce new ways to support the burgeoning indoor agriculture industry in 2021, and this funding round will allow us to do just that.”— Nicola Kerslake, Founder, Contain Inc
NEWS PROVIDED BY Newbean Capital
January 04, 2021
Image from Contain Inc
A Techstars graduate, Contain Inc works with industry vendors and more than 20 lenders to facilitate access to capital for North American indoor growers.
We have plans to introduce new ways to support the burgeoning indoor agriculture industry in 2021, and this funding round will allow us to do just that.”— Nicola Kerslake, Founder, Contain Inc
Image from Rooted Global
RENO, NV, UNITED STATES, January 4, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Contain Inc, a fintech platform dedicated to indoor agriculture, today announced that it has closed a round of funding from investors in the US and Europe. They represent investments from indoor agriculture, food and beverage, entertainment, and financial industries. The funds will enable further technology development as well as new initiatives that support indoor agriculture. The industry has become ever more relevant in the time of COVID as consumers and produce buyers alike recognize the benefits of local secure produce supply.
Image from Contain Inc
A Techstars graduate, Contain Inc works with industry vendors and a pool of more than 20 lenders to facilitate access to capital for North American indoor growers of all sizes. In 2020, Contain collaborated with Singapore family office ID Capital to introduce a microlearning platform, Rooted Global, that enables corporate employees to grow a little of their own food at home. Its clients include tech and food majors, such as Danone and Dole. Nicola Kerslake, founder of Contain Inc, added: “We have plans to introduce new ways to support the burgeoning indoor agriculture industry in 2021, and this funding round will allow us to do just that.”
In addition, Chris Alonzo, President, and CEO of Pietro Mushrooms, will join Contain Inc to provide consulting services to future leasing clients. Chris brings a wealth of experience in planning, constructing and managing indoor farms across two continents. He is a third-generation mushroom farmer in Kennett Township, PA, an area that supplies half of the US’s mushroom supply. Nicola Kerslake said: “we’re frequently approached by indoor farmers planning large new projects and are delighted to be able to offer the services of such an experienced grower to those looking to bolster their plans before seeking financing.” Chris Alonzo added: “I’m excited to bring my expertise to Contain Inc’s fast-growing team and to engage with a startup that has long supported indoor farmers”.
The Company will also be expanding its team in business development, marketing and product development over the coming weeks, and encourages those seeking roles in this exciting space to visit its website at contain.ag for more details.
About Contain, Inc.
Contain Inc is a US-based fintech platform dedicated to indoor agriculture, growing crops in warehouses, greenhouses, and container farms. The Company works with leading equipment vendors and with an expanding pool of lenders to aid indoor growers in finding funding for their farms. It is also home to microlearning platform Rooted Global, which works with majors such as Danone and Dole to enable employees to grow a little of their own food at home. The Company graduated from the 2019 Techstars Farm to Fork program, backed by Cargill and Ecolab.
More information: https://contain.ag, https://rooted.global
Nicola Kerslake
Contain Inc.
+1 7756237116
email us here
Visit us on social media:
Twitter
LinkedIn
Welcome To The Future of Food!
A unique form of farming is ‘taking rise’ in the UK with fresh food and other crops being grown indoors on special towers using light, hi-tech food production equipment, and hot water
A unique form of farming is ‘taking rise’ in the UK with fresh food and other crops being grown indoors on special towers using light, hi-tech food production equipment, and hot water.
“We construct energy-efficient buildings and create vertical farms inside of them,” said Dr Paul Hilton, CTO of Solar 2 Food Ltd. “With Brexit and also the current crisis we are living through, people understand the value of hyper-local food production and also the benefits of a secure food supply for our communities. Now we have methods, thanks to advances in horticulture lighting, to be able to grow food within buildings in this way.”
But the key difference with other vertical farming operations elsewhere is the inclusion of solar, and in particularly ‘hybrid solar’ i.e. solar panels that produce both electricity and heat. Solar 2 Food parent company Advanced Solar Technologies Ltd are the developers of the technology and their business model is quite simple: capture the heat energy (as hot water) from the hybrid solar panels and use that to help power the vertical farm units.
Partners
“The solar panels produce the hot water really cheaply, so why not use it to help produce food for our communities at a lower cost?” said Solar 2 Food Chairman, Antos Glogowski. “Our vertical farming units are entirely hydroponic, using no soil whatsoever, so the system is effectively ‘plug and play’ with little waste. Our tech partner is Sananbio, part of one of the largest LED lamp manufacturers in the World and they have developed special LED lamps that give plants exactly the types of light they need to grow, and no more i.e. no wasted energy”.
The vertical farm units allow multiple crops to grow in a small space. And rather than one annual harvest each year, the controlled indoor environment of the Solar 2 Food facilities produce fresh food all year round without worrying about changes in the climate outdoors. “The technology also allows us to grow food locally that may usually grow in only certain parts of the world like Asia or Africa”, said Dr Hilton. “You get hyper-local, fresh produce that doesn’t have to travel halfway around the World to arrive on your dinner table, so we are making our own significant contribution towards sustainable, carbon-neutral societies that use only clean, green energy. Surely every business should operate this way?"
Urban Crop Solutions Solidifies Presence In North America With The Appointment of Douglas Gamble As Sales Manager
He joins UCS from the more traditional side of agriculture – having been raised on a dairy farm, which later transitioned into a large-scale Greenhouse operation
Urban Crop Solutions (UCS) is pleased to announce the appointment of Doug Gamble as their North American Sales Manager. Doug has spent over 25 years in management, sales, and business development roles; and brings his own entrepreneurial experiences and spirit to the position. He joins UCS from the more traditional side of agriculture – having been raised on a dairy farm, which later transitioned into a large-scale Greenhouse operation.
As the company’s first North American Sales Manager, Doug will lead the supply and delivery of UCS’s latest solution – the ModuleX plant factory; and ramp up the export of the company’s technology and environmentally beneficial solutions to urban farming in Canada and the United States. Doug will lead the operation from the small town of Sackville, New Brunswick in Canada – where his office, home, and family are located.
Urban Crop Solutions is a Belgium based pioneer in the fast-emerging technology of indoor vertical farming. It has developed over the past five years, 220 plant growth recipes, for which all drivers for healthy plant growth – such as optimal LED spectrum and intensity, nutrient mix, irrigation strategy, and climate settings – are tested and validated daily in its Indoor Farming Research Lab in Waregem (Belgium). To date, UCS has delivered over 25 projects for clients throughout Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific. Its commercial farms are being operated for vegetables, herbs, micro-greens for food retail, foodservice, and industrial use. Research institutions are also operating UCS’s grow infrastructure for scientific research on banana seedlings, flowers, and hemp.
For more information:
Urban Crop Solutions: www.urbancropsolutions.com
For more information on this press release, or on Urban Crop Solutions and their products and services, you may contact Doug Gable, Sales Manager - North America; or Brecht Stubbe, Global Sales Director.
Doug Gamble, Sales Manager doga@urbancropsolutions.com
Brecht Stubbe, Global Sales Director brst@urbancropsolutions.com
European headquarters: Regional headquarters:
Grote Heerweg 67 800 Brickell Avenue, 1100 Suite
8791 Beveren-Leie (Waregem) Miami, FL, 33131
Belgium USA
(+32) 56 96 03 06 +1 (786) 408-6027
Facebook: www.facebook.com/urbancropsolutions
Twitter: www.twitter.com/U_C_Solutions
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/urbancropsolutions
YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/c/UrbanCropSolutions
Did You Miss Our Q&A With Our first Farmer? Here Is The Recording!
Catch up on the recording of their conversation below and learn firsthand how the CNSC achieved their milestone of 40,000 Rocket Greens sold in just three years of operation
Reaching 40,000 Leafy Greens Sold - Watch Now To
See How This Farmer Got There!
We’re sorry we missed you! Last week during the Q&A, Carley Basler, sustainability coordinator at The Churchill Northern Studies Centre (CNSC), and Corey Ellis, co-founder, and CEO of The Growcer, chatted about:
Lessons learned in distribution
Crafting the Rocket Greens brand
Carley’s experience growing in The Growcer system
Adopting to seasonality
Catch up on the recording of their conversation below and learn firsthand how the CNSC achieved their milestone of 40,000 Rocket Greens sold in just three years of operation.
The recording should open in another tab and the passcode to access it is: Growcer@1
If you have any follow up questions about how you can also start your own container farming project, reach out to Growcer's Project Consultant, Nick Halverson, at nick@thegrowcer.ca.
VIDEO: Reviving Urban Life - An Innovative Soil-Based Indoor Vertical Farm That Brings The Production of Food to The Place It Is Consumed
One revolutionary agro-tech company, Vertical Field (www.verticalfield.com), is harnessing the power of geoponic technology, agricultural expertise, and smart design to tackle all of these issues and more
VERTICAL FIELD’S NEW PORTABLE FARMS ARE MAKING
THE WORLD MORE SUSTAINABLE – AND BETTER FED
Consistent Supply
Reduces Inventory Waste
Less Human Handling
More Sterile Environment
[DEC 9, 2020, New York/Rana’na, Israel] – Urban areas contain more than half the world’s population and contribute to some 70% of the planet’s energy emissions. Cities guzzle the bulk of Earth’s resources and produce more waste. Many residents live in “urban food deserts.” And buildings are literally making their occupants sick.
Vertical Field’s Urban Crops offers an ideal alternative to traditional agriculture. The soil-based platform can grow hundreds of types of crops – pesticide-free, indoors or outdoors – and requires no training to operate.
Our planet is home to some 7.7 billion people. In many places, hunger is a reality. Unpredictable climate patterns are threatening the availability and stability of fresh produce. Yet the global population is rising. How will we feed the world by the mid-21st century, when an expected 10 billion of us need food? And now in-light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the food supply chain is in jeopardy more than ever before -- the need to bring food easier and faster directly to consumers is more important than ever.
One revolutionary agro-tech company, Vertical Field (www.verticalfield.com), is harnessing the power of geoponic technology, agricultural expertise, and smart design to tackle all of these issues and more. The Israeli startup – cited by Silicon Review as a “50 Innovative Companies to Watch in 2019” and named by World Smart City in 2019 as “Best Startup” – produces vertical agricultural solutions that help the environment, improve human health conditions, cut down on human handling, reduce waste, and make fresh, delicious and more produce available 365 days a year locally and directly to consumers and other end users.
“Vertical Fields offers a revolutionary way to eat the freshest greens and herbs, by producing soil based indoor vertical farms grown at the very location where food is consumed,” said Vertical Field’s Chief Executive Officer, Guy Elitzur of Ra’anana, Israel who is hoping to place his ‘vertical farms’ in retail chains and restaurants establishments in cities throughout the US.
“Not only do our products facilitate and promote sustainable life and make a positive impact on the environment, we offer an easy to use real alternative to traditional agriculture. Our Urban farms give new meaning to the term ‘farm-to-table,’ because one can virtually pick their own greens and herbs at supermarkets, restaurants or other retail sites,” he adds.
Vertical Field’s Urban Crops offers an ideal alternative to traditional agriculture, especially in urban settings where space is scarce. The soil-based platform can grow hundreds of types of crops – pesticide-free, indoors or outdoors – and requires no training to operate.
From Wall to Fork
Vertical farming in cities is an energy-efficient, space-saving, farming alternative to traditional crops grown in acres and fields. Thanks to Vertical Field, everyone from city planners and architects to restaurants, supermarkets, hotels are using vertical farming to create lush, green edible spaces in congested areas around the world.
Portable Urban Farm
An alternative to the living wall is Vertical Field’s unique Vertical Field®, which can be placed in either a 20-ft or 40-ft. container equipped with advanced sensors that provide a controlled environment. This technology constantly monitors, irrigates, and fertilizes crops throughout every growth stage. Healthy, high-quality fruits and vegetables flourish in soil beds that contain a proprietary mix of minerals and nutrients.
Advantages of Vertical Field’s Vertical Farm:
Bug-free and pesticide-free – healthy, fresh, and clean produce
Less waste – uses 90% less water
Shorter growing cycles, longer shelf life
Plants are “in season” 365 days/year - grow whatever you want, no matter the weather or climate conditions of the geography
Consistent quality
Modular, expandable, and moveable farm
Automated crop management
More Sterile Environment
Less Human Contact
Creating a more sustainable way of life in cities across the globe has never been more urgent. Vertical Field is responding to the challenge today. Green cities will enrich life in urban areas, provide healthier and better food, and shorten the distance between consumers and their food.
About Vertical Field: Vertical Field is a leading agro-tech provider of vertical farming and living green wall solutions for urban environments and smart cities. The company is operated by professionals, agronomists, researchers, and a multi-disciplinary team, enabling the development of smart walls that combine the best of design and manufacturing, smart computerized monitoring, soil-based technology, water and lighting technology, and more. Vertical Field delivers next-generation vertical farming systems for a global clientele, including Facebook, Intel, Apple, Isrotel, Microsoft, and many more.
New Partnership Brings Clean Energy To Indoor Farming
The benefits of indoor farming–including chemical-free food production unrestricted by seasonality, climate change and water scarcity–have been recognized globally and are driving rapid industry growth
Hydroponic vertical container farming company Freight Farms and Arcadia, a monthly subscription service connecting renters and homeowners across the U.S. to clean energy, have partnered to provide Freight Farms’ U.S. customers with access to clean energy for their everyday operations. With this partnership, Freight Farms and Arcadia are taking the first critical stride to align their respective industries, moving indoor farming into a more sustainable future.
The benefits of indoor farming–including chemical-free food production unrestricted by seasonality, climate change and water scarcity–have been recognized globally and are driving rapid industry growth. While it has made significant advancements in resource efficiency, the industry continues to struggle with the sustainability of electrical power use.
Together, these two companies are moving towards addressing this limitation by connecting Freight Farmers to affordable clean power at a time when the nation’s grid is dominated by fossil fuel. With an Arcadia membership, Freight Farmers can choose to match their electrical use with wind and solar energy, which will also help create more demand for clean energy providers overall.
Without changing anything in their day-to-day operations. Freight Farms’ customers can now connect the utility for their container farm to Arcadia to match 100% of the farm’s electrical usage with clean energy.
Clean energy accessibility
“Our farmers are passionate about sustainability by nature of their efforts to grow healthy food hyper-locally. But many are unable to adopt clean energy directly based on cost and availability of options in their location,” said Rick Vanzura, Freight Farms’ CEO. “With Arcadia, our farmers are able to further reduce their business’ carbon footprint while simultaneously increasing demand for more clean energy in the market.”
“Arcadia was built so that anyone anywhere can use our platform to access clean energy,” added Alexa Minerva, senior director of partnerships at Arcadia. “We’re excited about partnering with Freight Farms to make it possible for farmers to reap the benefits of renewables, potentially save money and combat the effects of climate change.”
Freight Farms’ modular container model makes this partnership uniquely possible within the indoor farming industry, as large agricultural enterprises use too much energy for community solar projects, which are capped at a relatively small size by state law.
Connecting to clean energy
Without changing anything in their day-to-day farm operations, Freight Farms’ customers can now connect their utility through Arcadia in two minutes. Upon connection, Arcadia will begin matching 100 percent of the Freight Farm’s electricity by purchasing an equivalent amount of wind and solar energy in the form of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). The result reduces Freight Farmers’ carbon footprint to one-quarter of industrial farming operations. Based on location and other factors, Arcadia can also help farmers save on their electricity bills.
Memberships are available in two options:
As enabled by state law, farmers located in MA, RI, NY, IL, CO, MD and ME can sign up to access the community solar power market and will see a reduction in their electricity bills.
All other U.S. Freight Farmers can sign up for $5/month to access clean energy.
Innovation in sustainability
The partnership with Arcadia is the latest initiative in Freight Farms’ history. Freight Farms’ Greenery has been involved with technological advances driving greater sustainability within the sector. The Greenery uses 98.9 percent less water than industrial farming--even achieving water-positive operations in certain locations. The Greenery’s proprietary fixed lighting arrays also leverage LED market technology to triple light energy output without an increased corresponding energy draw. The result is a growing platform that pairs the highest potential yields with resource efficiency.
Freight Farms’ pioneering modular design enables hyper-local farming anywhere, including harsh climates and urban areas lacking land access, reducing food production carbon impact in other ways as well. Transportation missions are reduced or eliminated and irrigation isn’t necessary. Hyper-local farming also reduces food waste by providing consumers just-picked produce with freshness, flavor and shelf life, says the company.
15 Dec 2020
Mario Saw Container Farming As A Chance To Become His Own Boss
In order to understand the indoor farming industry better, Mario enrolled in an online course of hydroponics which gave him the basics of the farming process
Mario from New Age Provisions Farms left his 9-5 to start his own container farming company. It hasn’t always been easy, but Mario loves his new independent lifestyle.
The team with Freight Farms recently sat down for a chat with what they call an amazing Freight Farmer–Mario Vitalis! Mario’s journey to start farming wasn’t the smoothest, but Mario applied his incredible work effort, perseverance, and general positive attitude towards launching New Age Provisions Farms in August 2020. All the hard work paid off–Mario is already expecting to receive his second Greenery container farm in December 2020!
Be Your Own Boss
Before August, Mario had no experience with farming. He spent the majority of his professional life in the business and corporate world, getting his first taste of freedom when he decided to go into real estate as a side business. That side business showed Mario the huge potential that he could have as an entrepreneur. It was in an effort to expand his real estate business by monetizing empty lots that Mario first stumbled upon container farming.
Originally, Mario was thinking of using the lots for container homes, but the regulations around residential projects were far too complicated. With agriculture, however, Mario found that there was a much greater opportunity. Today, Mario has left his corporate job to pursue farming and real estate full time and he loves it.
“Farming allows me to be my own boss. One thing I’ve always wanted to do is own a business. That is what will set you apart from being a thousandaire to a millionaire.”
In order to understand the indoor farming industry better, Mario enrolled in an online course of hydroponics which gave him the basics of the farming process. He then started doing some research about the available technology, eventually choosing the Freight Farms Greenery as the container farm that was the easiest to use and produced the greatest yields. Mario signed a purchase agreement the same day that he saw the Greenery, knowing that it was the right technology for his plans.
But before he could start, Mario had to overcome a few hurdles.
Container Farm Financing
The first was financing. In August 2019, Mario applied to the USDA Farm Service Agency for a $50,000 loan to put down a deposit for the Greenery, with plans to supplement the rest with a private loan. In spite of providing the Agency with a thorough and well-reasoned business plan and yield projection, he was informed that the application was ‘incomplete’, and in December 2019 was denied without any explanation. Mario was shocked–in his eyes, the application had been bulletproof.
It was only after a great deal of prodding that Mario was able to get some clarity into his denial. Due to a lack of experience with hydroponic container farming, the FSA had re-run all of Mario’s calculations within the scope of traditional linear farming and determined that he could not possibly reach the yields–and therefore the profit that he was projecting. This, plus Mario’s lack of farming experience earned him a denial.
Initially, Mario was devastated. When he turned to his family for support, he received some pivotal words of wisdom from his grandfather: “They don’t want you to own the land. They want you to work the land.” Mario’s grandfather was referring to the huge dearth of Black farmers in America–only 2% of the national farming population–which is a direct result of long-standing discrimination within organizations like the USDA that makes it difficult for minority farmers to receive crucial financing. So Mario decided to fight.
The first step was to appeal the decision. Mario wrote a letter to the USDA requesting an appeal, which the USDA denied by backing the original decision. Mario then appealed again, and this time he went to court against the USDA FSA. In court, Freight Farms was able to support all of Mario’s initial claims about the Greenery’s yield potential, allowing Mario to prove without a doubt that his farm was the right candidate for the loan. The judge ruled in Mario’s favor and shortly thereafter, he received a call from the FSA with an offer for the original $50,000 loan. Mario looked at it all and said:
“I don’t want $50,000… I want $250,000. I want you to pay for the container that I have–plus buy me a new container.”
Farm Site & Zoning
With the fight with the USDA behind him and the money in his pocket, Mario turned his attention into getting his business started. This is where he encountered his next hurdle: zoning. Mario initially intended to put his farms on a property he owned, but then found out that the land was zoned residential. As a piece of agricultural machinery, Mario would need to secure a variance (i.e. an exception) from the municipality–a long and expensive process. This time, instead of fighting, Mario turned his resourcefulness towards his personal network. He reconnected with a friend from high school who owned a used car lot and offered it as a place for Mario to keep his farm.
Farm Business Plan & Customers
Unfortunately, Mario’s trials were not quite over. Just as Mario was finalizing all of his financing and zoning, the COVID-19 pandemic struck, effectively turning Mario’s original business plan on its head. Mario had originally planned to sell to restaurants in the area, but as the local establishments shuttered, he was forced to pivot quickly. He found his footing with an online marketplace called Market Wagon, which aggregates dozens of local farmers and craftsmen on one platform. For the shopper, it’s a simple way to shop from multiple small local businesses on one platform–for the businesses it’s great exposure and easy logistics.
“The Greenery allows you more flexibility, more longevity…it’s fresher, it looks great… and it tastes great! It hits all five senses.”
Since Mario’s first harvest in August, Market Wagon has brought a steady stream of success. In using the platform, he’s been able to fine tune his crop menu to the best sellers (lettuce and basil) and to find the right price point. He’s also able to leverage the Greenery to his advantage, reacting faster to market changes than his competitors. The most recent example was a November 2020 outbreak of E.coli in the romaine lettuce supply–within a week Mario already had romaine seedlings in production.
Plus, the shoppers love Mario’s greens, recognizing it as a superior product that’s worth a higher price point.
“You grow art…
…if [customers] want regular vegetables, [they] can go to a store. What you’re growing here is artisan.”
Hydroponic Cannabis
Mario also grows a variety of experimental crops, including tomatoes, strawberries, and… cannabis! In 2020, Mario became the first Freight Farmer to grow commercial cannabis in our container farms. His growing operations are strictly monitored in accordance with the 2018 Farm Bill, which mandates that his plants have a THC level at or below 0.3%. Mario uses clones to ensure he only gets female (flowering) plants, which grow about 12 inches high at maturity and produce 7-10 grams of flower each.
While the cannabis market is still young in Indianapolis, Mario sees it as a huge business potential as medical and recreational marijuana becomes more common. Although he’s only just starting to experiment with the cannabis crop, he’s excited to use the Greenery’s intricate climate control settings to adjust the taste, smell, color, and potency. He believes this will allow him to stand out in the market as a premium product that is fresher and completely safe from pesticide exposure.
Connecting the past with the future
While there have been challenges along the way, Mario loves his new Freight Farmer lifestyle. His container is a second home–complete with armchairs and a TV–and a symbol of his independence and success in overcoming the odds. With personal mantras like “never give up”, “live life to the fullest”, and “against all odds”, Mario is not only a great inspiration for the future, but also a testimony about how we can overcome our past.
“I’ve always known the city life… but there’s always been a desire to get back to, and discover, my roots.”
Mario speaks candidly about a life and family history full of adversity. He is able to trace his family lineage all the way back to West Africa: his great-great-grandparents were Southern slaves, his great-grandparents were sharecroppers who escaped the south in the 1930s to come to San Francisco. So, in many ways, farming has allowed Mario to reconnect with his past, and to redefine what it means to be a Black farmer for his young daughters and other members of this community.
“Having this type of farm allows me to connect to a history that I have forgotten. I am a descendent of the slaves… this farm enables me to... get back to the type of living where our people once lived off the land.”
As Mario awaits the arrival of his second farm, he’s beyond excited about growing his business. Not only does he see it as a crucial step in developing his own business, but he wants to maximize his impact in his community. With few grocery stores and little access to fresh food, Mario’s neighborhood is one of many food deserts that exist in cities around the country. He hopes to help change the community from within with an infusion of healthy and affordable produce. You can follow along with Mario through his website, Facebook, and Instagram.
For more information:
www.freightfarms.com
Growing Crops Onsite Through Technology, While Fostering Holistic Wellness
Feeding America projects more than 50 million Americans will have faced hunger in 2020 – up from 35 million before the coronavirus pandemic. That is 1 in 6 people experiencing food insecurity this year, and food banks are struggling to keep up with demand
Feeding America projects more than 50 million Americans will have faced hunger in 2020 – up from 35 million before the coronavirus pandemic. That is 1 in 6 people experiencing food insecurity this year, and food banks are struggling to keep up with demand.
While dry goods can be extremely important at food banks, fresh produce like greens and vegetables are frequently lacking in the mix because they can be quick to spoil between long transport/donation times in getting to the pantry, often need refrigeration, and can be expensive.
Growing crops onsite
Below are 5 examples of nonprofits that are using hydroponic vertical container farms from Boston-based Freight Farms to grow fresh leafy greens and vegetables onsite to support the nutritional needs of their communities and supplement other pantry staples with just-harvested crops. Despite the cooling winter weather, these organizations are able to continue growing year-round. Crops are also produced with 0-5 gallons of water per day and are herbicide and pesticide-free.
Growing food to nurture bodies has also provided these organizations with the additional ability to unify communities and empower individuals through integrated therapeutic programming, hands-on skill-building, and nutritional education.
Lotus House: Miami, FL
Lotus House is a holistic women’s shelter that uses its Freight Farm to grow fresh, healthy greens for its community kitchen, which serves an average of 500 women and children every day. As of July 2020, Lotus estimates about $40,000 worth of fresh vegetables and greens have been produced in the farm.
The farm has also been an innovative after-school program for children, many of whom are accompanied by their mothers. This gives the staff the chance to teach nutrition while residents connect with the process of growing their own food. Prior to COVID, Lotus had also begun the development of a new job training program to teach teen and adult residents basic farming skills for paid jobs with local container farming community partners, like Hammock Greens, another Freight Farmer in Miami. It plans to turn its attention back to this when it is safe to do so.
San Antonio Clubhouse: San Antonio, TX
The Clubhouse supports adults with mental health conditions, giving more than 2,000 members a place where they can learn and grow through meaningful work. The Clubhouse also offers job training and helps members build a resume, search for employment, and advocate to potential employers.
The Clubhouses’ Freight Farm not only provides healthy greens for the facility year-round, but it is one of the ways members can volunteer to gain job experience. Any produce not used by San Antonio Clubhouse is donated to local nonprofits.
Boys & Girls Club of the Capital Region: Troy, NY
Last year, the greens from BGCCA’s Freight Farm became part of ~1,100 meals served per day at its locations. In safe times, the farm gives young people hands-on experience planting, growing, harvesting and selling fresh crops as part of the club's after-school programs.
Metro Caring: Denver, CO
Metro Caring meets people’s immediate need for nutritious food while building a movement to address the root causes of hunger. It is well-known for its free fresh food market.
Regarding the launch of its Freight Farm in collaboration with St. Joseph Hospital, Metro Caring’s chief gardener Jess Harper said, “Being able to grow fresh produce all year round, providing healthy local access to fresh greens and teaching people how to farm hydroponically, I think we’ve got a win all the way around.” The organization believes hunger is about more than lack of food, designing programs to include job training and to connect people to other support services and utility assistance.
Cass Community Social Services: Detroit, MI
Cass uses its Freight Farm to bring fresh food access and nutritional education to Detroit residents. The container farm enables them to grow crops year-round to supplement the community kitchen.
Additionally, the produce from the farm is sold locally to neighborhood restaurants to create a revenue stream that supports other initiatives.
“The greatest feature for us is the ability to have fresh, free, organic food all year long. Our food choices are as critical as our exercise habits in terms of health.”— Reverend Faith Fowler, Executive Director of Cass Community Social Services
For more information:
Freight Farms
www.freightfarms.com
December 1, 2020
Colorado Students Become Virtual Farmers During Pandemic
Students at a Douglas County high school are learning COVID-era business skills using a freight container converted into a high-tech hydroponic vertical farm as their virtual classroom
December 3, 2020
HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. -- Students at a Douglas County high school are learning COVID-era business skills using a freight container converted into a high-tech hydroponic vertical farm as their virtual classroom.
After Mountain Vista High School recently switched to remote learning, students and teachers had to completely reorganize the farm's workflows and lesson plans.
David Larsen, agriculture business teacher and farms manager at Mountain Vista High School, said while some students may go on to pursue biology or horticulture, skills learned during the pandemic should transfer to any field.
"Most of these kids are not going to actually be farmers," Larsen admitted. "But they all will have jobs in which they have to troubleshoot, scheduling, logistics, it all comes into play. And the goal I always have with students is to, as much as possible, involve them in that decision-making."
With kids unable to be physically inside the farm to seed, plant, tend, harvest, package and sell crops, Larsen live streams, and records every lesson.
Supply-chain disruption during the pandemic drove up sales, and Larsen saw an opportunity for a business lesson in supply and demand. Crops typically sold during two-day markets have been selling out within two to three hours.
Larsen noted the Greenery unit created by Massachusetts-based company Freight Farms is resistant to pandemics, but also extreme weather and drought.
The unit uses nearly 99% less water than a traditional farm, running on less than the average dishwasher uses.
While most food consumed in the U.S. travels hundreds or even thousands of miles, Larsen observed the Mountain Vista operation is as close to zero food-production miles as you can get.
"So we are literally harvesting and putting into bags as the customer is standing right there," Larsen explained. "So they are living plants. People love lettuce; it's definitely delicious and very clean."
Larsen added students still are able to interact with local shoppers via live video streaming, learning important customer-service lessons.
Because the climate is controlled inside the container, Larsen said food can be grown all school year long with a predictable commercial-scale output.
A Greenery unit can support 13,000 plants at a time, producing harvests of up to 900 heads of lettuce per week.
Lead photo: Crops produced by students at Mountain Vista High School in Douglas County usually are sold during two-day market sales, but post-COVID, customer volume has shot up, selling out within two to three hours. (Mountain Vista High School)
Will you help us reach our goal of $10,000? Starting December 1, @CO.mediaproject will match contributions of up to $1,000 dollar-for-dollar, up to $5,000 total, for our newsroom - meaning your support goes twice as far! Give now and invest in homegrown journalism that puts people first. This is #newsCOneeds: https://www.publicnewsservice.org/dn1.php/
Eric Galatas, Public News Service - CO
Hamill Has Moved Into Agritecture
Canadian farmers are relying on indoor farming than greenhouse farming for growing microgreens because of the electricity needed for lighting and also growing indoors eliminates many of the pest and disease problems of outdoor production”
When COVID-19 hit Canada in February 2020, the Hamill Group of Companies was in its early inception. “We weren’t quite sure how things were going to play out, but we knew that whatever challenges were, we could tackle them head on!” said CEO Bob Benner. As a leader in manufacturing services and having carved out a niche for microgreens harvesting equipment, Hamill quickly realized it would need to do more to support their growers.
The company took the step forward and moved to Agritecture. Vertical, hydroponic, and aquaponic farms are taking hold in many major cities throughout the world. With the help of enhanced indoor and vertical farming practices, the US growers have been able to produce microgreens on a large scale.
Canadian farmers are relying on indoor farming than greenhouse farming for growing microgreens because of the electricity needed for lighting and also growing indoors eliminates many of the pest and disease problems of outdoor production” [1].
One of the major crops that they grow are microgreens but these farming environments presented new challenges in and of themselves. As growers looked to establish their systems, they realized they needed the Hamill Group of Companies to propel them forward. This was due to Hamill's superior experience in 3D engineering, manufacturing, prototyping, electrical. For Hamill, they had to rapidly shift their focus from just harvesting equipment to innovating and designing farms, and full production facilities being an end-to-end provider.
Hamill’s ability to adapt and pivot meant that the Hamill Group of Companies could foster new partnerships throughout Canada and the US. They have undertaken projects such as with AquaGreens in Toronto, Intravision Group in Welland, as well as are in the preliminary stages of planning with InCity Farms in the United States.
For more information:
Hamill Agricultural Processing Solutions
contactus@hamillaps.com
www.hamillaps.com
Publication date: Thu 3 Dec 2020
‘Salad As A Service’: Retailers’ Interest In Vertical Farming Grows
Retailers are waking up to the potential of vertical farming, with technology-enabled agriculture a core part of supply chain bosses’ and food buyers’ plans
By Ben Sillitoe
07 Dec 2020
Retailers will be aware of software as a service (SaaS) – and they may have noticed the emergence of the shopping-centre-as-a-service model, described by Computer Weekly in 2019 – but what about ‘salad as a service’, the latest SaaS opportunity?
If they haven’t yet, they soon might. For food retailers, it could revolutionize supply chains, boost companies’ environmental credentials, and drive new customer experiences.
The concept is related to the evolution of vertical farming, also known as controlled environment agriculture. Vertical farming allows food to be grown independently from climate conditions and other outside elements.
Typically, in aeroponic system vertical farming, plants are grown vertically, with their roots suspended, soil-free, in cylinders where they are nourished with nutrients. LED lighting is increasingly being used in the process to influence how plants grow and taste.
Although the vertical farming term was first coined over a century ago, interest and investment in it has ramped up in recent times for several core reasons, not least enhancements in technology and a renewed focus by businesses on their eco-credentials.
Reflecting on a Mintel 2019 study, Mintel analyst Armando Falcao says vertical farming “can reduce wastage and preserve available resources”.
“Food wastage is a key concern of grocery shoppers, and Mintel research shows that 83% of consumers think it’s important to cut back on the amount of food that is wasted,” he adds.
Supply chain bosses at several large UK retailers are increasingly looking at how they can incorporate this technology-enabled agribusiness into their operations for the reasons Falcao suggests.
But by launching these facilities in urban areas, nearer to the end consumer, there is a chance to significantly reduce the time it takes for fresh produce to get from ‘farm’ to fork, which comes with other obvious environmental benefits.
Mini in-store ‘farms’
Marks & Spencer, Selfridges and Amazon-owned Whole Foods are among the first burst of UK retailers to bring food production even closer to customers by introducing in-store herb-growing pods, from which shoppers can pick the produce themselves.
Those three businesses are using units from urban farming company Infarm, which works with multiple food retailers across Europe. In Whole Foods’ London stores, for example, produce grown includes coriander, parsley, basil, and mint.
Selfridges announced its partnership with Infarm in August, with several leafy greens grown within an in-store unit at the company’s flagship Oxford Street location in London. The first in-store harvest was in September. Prior to that, Selfridges’ customers could order directly from Infarm’s London plant hub for collection in store.
Maria Trapani, Selfridges’ food buyer, says vertical farming provides customers with “hyper-local, extremely fresh and naturally flavourful produce”.
“We are constantly looking for new and more sustainable ways to source food, and this allows us to reduce our carbon footprint, as well as being chemical-free and using 95% less water,” she says. “The range we are offering, which is exclusive to us, is proving popular with customers and we’ve had some great feedback.”
Infarm says its growing environments connect to “a central cloud-based farm-brain”, combining big data, the internet of things (IoT), and cloud analytics technology to gather tens of thousands of data points throughout a plant’s lifetime. The vertical farm provider argues its platform can “learn, adapt, and improve itself constantly” to optimize plant growth.
The modular ‘farms’ provide consumers with something new to explore in-store, but there is much deeper disruption vertical farming could bring to the retail supply chain.
Salad as a service?
Adam Waterman, chief software architect at LettUs Grow, a vertical farming company comprising tech experts and plant scientists, uses the phrase “salad as a service” to describe how his business can aid retailers and food industry suppliers.
Those using LettUs Grow’s vertical farming systems have the option to tap into the company’s experienced in-house experts for recommendations and improvements related to their yields, described by Waterman as “a rapid feedback loop”.
For Waterman, in-store growing units, like Infarm’s, are a “starting point” for vertical farming’s wider use in retail. He believes the discipline will become much more influential.
“I see it moving towards larger food production warehouses in the outer areas of urban centers, in industrial parks, for example, where consistently produced food in large quantities is produced for cities, taking the pressure off the land use around the city,” he says.
UK retailers are very much in the learning phase of what vertical farming could do for their businesses. Online grocer and tech provider Ocado Group has arguably taken a more significant step forward, having formed a joint venture (JV), Infinite Acres, with Priva and 80 Acres, which both operate in the vertical farming industry.
Ocado also has a majority stake in Jones Food, a vertical farm based in Scunthorpe, UK, which when combined with the 2019 JV took its overall investment in the sector to £17m.
CEO Tim Steiner says the plan is to co-locate vertical farms within or next to Ocado’s distribution centers and its rapid food delivery arm Ocado Zoom's micro-fulfillment sites, enabling fresh produce to reach customers within an hour of purchase.
Waterman, who says LettUs Grow is in talks with salad producers and major retailers in the UK about how they might want to use vertical farming, adds: “It’s got the potential to have quite a large impact on the overall food supply chain.”
The main selling points, he says, are consistency and reliability of production, and year-round output that is not affected by weather or seasonality.
LettUs Grow’s vertical farm systems operate on a minimum scale of 24m2. They often cover a container-sized footprint, although the company also builds facilities inside buildings.
Software developed in-house controls, monitors, and manages the farm, taking care of lighting, irrigation, fertigation, and the overall environment such as air temperature and humidity to help plants grow. Users can develop a “gross plan for a crop, and projected yield”, notes Waterman.
Although the main focus of production via vertical farming is currently on leafy vegetables and herbs, the variety of crops that can be grown successfully in this manner continues to broaden.
A vertical farming structure in Wyoming in the US, called Vertical Harvest, for example, has operated with a capacity to produce more than 20 tonnes of tomatoes per year since 2015.
“Expanding vertical farming into a wider variety of produce is completely feasible,” Falcao says.
Future yield
Beth Eldridge, a plant scientist at the University of Bristol, who specializes in soil erosion, heralds the lack of pesticide used in most vertical farms, but she says “so much fundamental plant science is required” to understand this approach’s impact on crops.
“What’s interesting is how we might automate the systems to get feedback on plant growth and energy input,” she says. “Are there clever ways we can measure plant growth indicators, and can computers sense this and feed it back into the system to adjust conditions accordingly?”
She predicts vertical farming will be one part of the supply chain, supplementing already-in-use huge greenhouses and traditional farms.
“I see a niche for it in leafy greens and herbs because there is so much wastage in the transportation of those types of vegetables that I can see a real benefit of having them in the store, picking them fresh and increasing longevity.”
Eldridge also says there is an opportunity for retailers to connect people with the food they purchase by using the smaller in-store units.
When you go in store and pick food yourself, you become a lot more engaged in where it comes from
Beth Eldridge, University of Bristol
“People can become very disconnected on where the food comes from when they buy in packets, but when you go in-store and pick it yourself, you become a lot more engaged in where the food is coming from.”
Trapani suggests there will be multiple uses for the units in Selfridges’ stores, adding: “For now, we are selling from the stacks in the food hall, but the longer-term plan is to also use the salads within our restaurants.”
Vertical farming technology continues to evolve. LettUs Grow, specifically, is aiming to create a general control system, where the software can help predict yields and improve reporting of food provenance information.
“Having effective traceability is an industry must, and we plan to build out in that direction,” Waterman says.
A report from market research group IDTechEx, published this year, acknowledges vertical farming has caught the imagination of entrepreneurs and investors alike. It forecasts the market value to rise from $709m now to $1.5bn by 2030, but highlights potential obstacles to growth, such as electricity costs for lighting.
Michael Dent, analyst at IDTechEx, says: “Rather than focusing on mass-produced, wholesale crops, where vertical farms will always struggle to compete on price with traditional farms and greenhouses, it may make more sense for vertical farm operators to focus on high-value crops that command a price premium, perhaps within niche markets or specialized applications. The debate over the best size for a vertical farm is still ongoing.”
Brexit and any potential disruption in the transportation of goods at the UK border may further influence British companies to invest in vertical farming as part of local sourcing strategies. One thing seems certain, though – food retailers will continue to assess their options as this new technology-enabled agriculture market establishes itself in the UK.
Staying On Track When The Path Keeps Zigzagging
On January 6, 2020, when I pulled the trigger to turn this dream of mine called “Second Chances Farm” into reality by hiring the first cohort of returning citizens who were formerly incarcerated, I had no idea how challenging 2020 would be
A Second Chances Farms Blog
by Ajit Mathew George
Sir Richard Branson is often credited with the saying, “If dreams don’t scare you, they are too small.” As the year 2020 draws to an end, I admit to you that my dreams for Second Chances Farm have scared me far more often than I want to admit. What a ride it has been.
On January 6, 2020, when I pulled the trigger to turn this dream of mine called “Second Chances Farm” into reality by hiring the first cohort of returning citizens who were formerly incarcerated, I had no idea how challenging 2020 would be. All startups are nerve-racking, but as a veteran entrepreneur, I thought I knew what I was getting into. But COVID scattered my best-laid plans like a tropical hurricane. We had to learn how to pivot to stay alive in these trying circumstances – to carve out a track when the path continued to zigzag.
It often seems that planning beyond the Coronavirus is an exercise in futility, especially in communities that are disparately devastated by the pandemic. Yet, our plans for Second Chances Farm in Opportunity Zones in Wilmington, North Philadelphia, Chicago and Las Vegas, all of which are in fresh-food deserts, will hopefully upend neighborhoods plagued by economic inequities and innovate in a way that transforms lives and social outcomes while addressing urban blight and economic decline.
Second Chances Farm hopes to jumpstart the lives of formerly incarcerated persons by providing a path of hope for the hopeless and by becoming a model for compassionate capitalism. We believe the best way to stop people from re-offending and returning to prison is to help them see a future worth working toward.
Fulfilling my dream depends upon that concept of “compassionate capitalism.” At Second Chances Farm, we’ve established a for-profit business model that is sustainable long-term because it is profitable. That’s the capitalism part.
But inextricably interwoven in the model is compassion – for our returning citizens, our disadvantaged neighbors, and local people living in food deserts. That’s why we’re located in an Opportunity Zone in the poorest area of Wilmington. That’s why we invest time developing partnerships that support the delivery food to Riverside, Wilmington, New Castle, and other forgotten neighborhoods. That’s why we’re investing in educating children and their parents on ways to eat healthy.
Of course, I strongly support non-profits in their mission and work to help people in crisis. But our business model is different: we want to give people the tools to become entrepreneurs in their own right – again, capitalists – to be successful in the future. And we hope, in turn, they may take on that mission to reach out to help nurture and train others going forward.
If there is any reason why we continue to be disrupters for good with our social impact project, please read this letter — published with permission — that I received this past weekend from someone I don’t know.
November 28, 2020
Dear Mr. George:
I am writing to you in hopes I can gather information regarding Second Chances Farm.
My nephew is presently in Pauling County Jail. His life’s story you most likely have heard and seen time and again. He got into a wrong group; trying to find acceptance by someone. Liam got himself in trouble with stealing, drugs took them) while he was dreaming for help inside... some direction... abusive home life starting at a very young age.
Liam is 19; had no childhood, as you and I may have known it. He is a good good soul. Just a rotten home life.
Liam almost graduated from high school but all the above was instrumental in why he didn’t. While in school he found agriculture very interesting and was going to further that education after graduation. He went from getting student of the month(s) to where he is... It’s a long painful life story.
His grandmother (my sister) he adores... he talks with her often (every day). I have been trying to help her deal with this crisis in her life mostly because she is battling breast cancer during all of Liam’s problems.
While looking for an agricultural future for him once released, my sister and I came across Second Chances Farm! We have been so excited about your wonderful program and I decided I’d write to you get more information on top of the very informative info on your site. Starting with the first step to completing what has to be done... I imagine an application to start. Would you be so kind as to provide me with this info and anything else to start the process of getting accepted into your stellar program.
Mr. George, this young man’s life. I know with the proper mentoring and guidance, can change and he can be a stellar human being if given the chance... he needs to know he belongs, self-worth and love.
I am hopeful with your help; giving Liam a second chance would be the beginning of a life yet to be lived. Thank you for any and all considerations. I will continue to pray that my prayers are being heard.
Sincerely, with thankfulness for your continued success in making this world a better place.
Susie Fricano
Greensboro, Georgia
This poignant letter embodies the compelling reasons why Second Chances Farm is needed in communities throughout the United States.
Today, less than a year after we opened our doors at 3030 Bowers Street, Second Chances Farm, LLC is the first commercial indoor hydroponic vertical farm in Delaware and one of the leading “smart farms” in the United States. More than 40 returning citizens have come to work, and some have come to stay. We’re a business, a support system, and a family. We are a public benefit corporation, certified minority business enterprise, a qualified opportunity fund and a Foreign Trade Zone. Our compassionate capitalism has created something entirely new: a for-profit solution to a non-profit problem.
For more information:
Second Chances Farm
www.secondchancesfarm.com
4 Dec 2020
CANADA - VIDEO: Agritech Startup Reimagines Hydroponic Farming
Dunya Habitats is developing modular “tiny farms” that stand about two metres high that can be combined in clusters
BY: OBJ staff
Dec 2, 2020
A team of entrepreneurs incubating their early-stage company in Kingston is hoping its modular hydroponic farming solution will help reduce food insecurity around the world – particularly in places acutely affected by climate change and shortages of arable land.
Dunya Habitats is developing modular “tiny farms” that stand about two metres high that can be combined in clusters. They allow farmers to grow produce year-round in any climate, ranging from freezing locales in the Canadian Arctic to drought-prone regions of sub-Saharan Africa, and are currently being tested in Kingston, Atlantic Canada, and Alberta.
“Hydroponics is a proven method. We’ve helped to optimize it,” says Sumi Shanmuganathan, chief strategy officer at Dunya Habitats.
Hear more of Shanmuganathan’s conversation with OBJ’s Mark Van Dusen by watching the video above
TAGS: Hydroponics.
AppHarvest And Save The Children Team Up To Provide East Kentucky Kids Hands-On Education in Growing Food, Eating Healthy
Through the Grow Green Eat Green project, AppHarvest is working with Save the Children to create and provide indoor hydroponic grow kits to more than 1,600 children and their families in six Eastern Kentucky counties
1,600 Children Receive Hydroponic Grow Kits
As Part of Grow Green Eat Green Project
NOVEMBER 24, 2020 — BEREA, Ky. — Save the Children today announced a new partnership with AgTech leader AppHarvest to help educate children across Eastern Kentucky on how to grow their own nutritious food and the importance of healthy eating. Through the Grow Green Eat Green project, AppHarvest is working with Save the Children to create and provide indoor hydroponic grow kits to more than 1,600 children and their families in six Eastern Kentucky counties.
Participating children – who live in some of the state’s most impoverished counties, including Floyd, Harlan, Knott, Leslie, Owsley, and Perry – are receiving everything they need to help start their own indoor gardens, such as seeds, growing nutrients, and supplies, pots and instructions to help them get growing. They can also receive live instruction via video conference on how to grow their own food from AppHarvest’s farming experts, as well as learn the benefits of hydroponic farming.
“During a time when COVID-19 is having significant, detrimental impacts on children across Eastern Kentucky — including the alarming increase of child hunger across our region — Save the Children is proud to partner with AppHarvest to educate children and families about ways to help end this vicious cycle of food insecurity in the future,” said Alissa Taylor, Save the Children’s Kentucky State Director.
“AppHarvest was founded as a benefit corporation and is also a certified B Corp because we believe companies should be in the business of doing good,” said Amy Samples, Director of Community Outreach and People Programs. “We’re building America’s AgTech capital from within Appalachia and know that education is core to achieving that.”
Virtual instruction for the children will take place with their teachers in the coming days.
Committed to combatting child hunger across Kentucky and rural America, Save the Children has helped prepare and deliver more than 9 million meals as part of its coronavirus response efforts since March. In rural Kentucky alone, Save the Children staff have helped distribute more than 2.5 million nutritious meals to children in some of the state’s most impoverished communities since COVID-19 impacted the region this spring.
Prior to starting operations at its 2.76-million-square-foot indoor farm in Morehead, Ky., AppHarvest invested more than $150,000 in starting a high-tech container farm educational program. The program retrofits shipping containers with high-tech farming equipment to teach students to grow healthy leafy greens. The program started at Shelby Valley High School in Pike County in 2018 and has since expanded to Rowan County with additional units planned.
###
AppHarvest is an applied technology company building some of the world’s largest indoor farms in Appalachia. The Company combines conventional agricultural techniques with cutting-edge technology and is addressing key issues including improving access for all to nutritious food, farming more sustainably, building a home-grown food supply, and increasing investment in Appalachia. The Company’s 60-acre Morehead, KY facility is among the largest indoor farms in the U.S. For more information, visit https://www.appharvest.com/.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements included in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “should,” “would,” “plan,” “predict,” “potential,” “seem,” “seek,” “future,” “outlook,” and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. All statements, other than statements of present or historical fact included in this press release, regarding Novus Capital’s proposed acquisition of AppHarvest, Novus Capital’s ability to consummate the transaction, the benefits of the transaction and the combined company’s future financial performance, as well as the combined company’s growth plans and strategy, future operations, timing of first crop harvest, estimated financial position, estimated revenues and losses, timing of expected revenues, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this press release, and on the current expectations of AppHarvest’s management and are not predictions of actual performance. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as, and must not be relied on as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction, or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of AppHarvest. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those discussed in Novus Capital’s registration statement on Form S-4, filed with the SEC on October 9, 2020 and as amended to date (the “Registration Statement”), under the heading “Risk Factors,” and other documents Novus Capital has filed, or will file, with the SEC. If any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect AppHarvest’s expectations, plans, or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this press release. AppHarvest anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause its assessments to change. However, while AppHarvest may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, AppHarvest specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing AppHarvest’s assessments of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements.
Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. Since our founding 100 years ago, we’ve changed the lives of more than 1 billion children. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn, and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Important Information for Investors and Stockholders
In connection with the proposed transaction, Novus Capital has filed the Registration Statement with the SEC, which includes a preliminary proxy statement to be distributed to holders of Novus Capital’s common stock in connection with Novus Capital’s solicitation of proxies for the vote by Novus Capital’s stockholders with respect to the proposed transaction and other matters as described in the Registration Statement, as well as the prospectus relating to the offer of securities to be issued to AppHarvest’s stockholders in connection with the proposed transaction. After the Registration Statement has been declared effective, Novus Capital will mail a definitive proxy statement, when available, to its stockholders. Investors and security holders and other interested parties are urged to read the proxy statement/prospectus, any amendments thereto and any other documents filed with the SEC carefully and in their entirety when they become available because they will contain important information about Novus Capital, AppHarvest and the proposed transaction. Investors and security holders may obtain free copies of the preliminary proxy statement/prospectus and definitive proxy statement/prospectus (when available) and other documents filed with the SEC by Novus Capital through the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov, or by directing a request to: Novus Capital Corporation, 8556 Oakmont Lane, Indianapolis, IN 46260. The information contained on, or that may be accessed through, the websites referenced in this press release is not incorporated by reference into, and is not a part of, this press release.
Participants in the Solicitation
Novus Capital and its directors and officers may be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies of Novus Capital’s shareholders in connection with the proposed business combination. Security holders may obtain more detailed information regarding the names, affiliations and interests of certain of Novus Capital’s executive officers and directors in the solicitation by reading the Registration Statement and other relevant materials filed with the SEC in connection with the business combination when they become available. Information concerning the interests of Novus Capital’s participants in the solicitation, which may, in some cases, be different than those of their stockholders generally, is set forth in the Registration Statement.
New Modular Scalable Indoor Vertical Farm Design
In addition to our 20,000 sq. ft. farm, we now offer a modular scalable farm system that can “start small and grow big” to meet increased demand
Green Sense Farms has been an early adopter and pioneer when it comes to indoor vertical farming. We built our first 20,000 sq. ft. indoor vertical farm in 2012 in Portage, IN. Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) has changed greatly since that first farm and so has our company. We started our journey focused on operating our indoor vegetable farm, selling lettuce, baby greens, herbs, and microgreens to grocery stores and produce companies in IN, IL, and MI. Since that time, we have leveraged our operating experience and evolved the company to provide contract research and farm design & build services on a global basis.
One of our recent innovations is the development of a modular scalable growing system using our proven grow technology. We found that our standard 20,000 sq. ft. farm can be cost-prohibitive in many parts of the world. We have also seen that many vertical farm companies “start big and grow small” making right-sizing a farm the key to being profitable.
In addition to our 20,000 sq. ft. farm, we now offer a modular scalable farm system that can “start small and grow big” to meet increased demand. After spending a year studying container farms to objectively understand their strengths and weakness, we came up with a better indoor grow design that includes:
• Touchless conveyance
• Improved IPM and automated sanitization
• Higher crop density and improved economics
• Can be operated with 2 employees plus a packing team
• Computer delivery of growing inputs and climate control with improved air circulation
• Can be housed in functionally obsolete industrial buildings with minimal tenant improvements.
Our modular scalable custom farms use shipping containers as a prefabricated low-cost structure to install the individual farm components. Components can be sold separately or as a system and include:
• Seeding line
• Germ / Nursery Room
• Grow Room
• Packing / Cooler
• Equipment Room, with CO2, fertigator, water treatment, water storage, and recirculation, HVAC, data collection, sensors, and automation controls.
It’s an honor and privileged to be part of CEA and watch it evolve from an idea into an industry. For more information on contract research or design and build services contact:
Robert Colangelo, Founding Farmer