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How To Put The Youth Back In Agriculture
How To Put The Youth Back In Agriculture
26 FEB 2018 | BY: CARI COETZEE
Misconceptions about working in agriculture have long bogged down the number of young people opting for a career in this industry. Africa's young population is often discouraged by the image of punishing work and poor, weather-beaten farmers, so attracting youth to agriculture is no small feat. However, new technologies, methods, and thinking have started to change the minds of many. Howard blight
We chat with Howard Blight, founder of Agricolleges International (ACI) which aims to prove to young people that agriculture can be fun and profitable and is aimed at inspiring youth from all walks of life to pursue agribusiness entrepreneurship.
©julief514 via 123RF
What are some of the major misconceptions entertained by the youth regarding the agriculture industry and how can this be addressed?
One of the major misconceptions we have come across is that the youth believe agriculture is still an old-fashioned industry. In reality, access to technology, information, and better communication, along with vastly improved equipment are enabling farmers and agri-experts around the world to change the way we think and improve how things are done.
Another misconception is that farming has high barriers to entry, particularly when it comes to the capital needed to set up and operate large tracts of farming land. The exciting thing is that, as technology evolves, it is also reducing these barriers. Vertical farming, for example, is enabling young agripreneurs to build sustainable businesses in warehouses in the middle of town. Technology has also brought us drones for crop assessments, smartphones to set irrigation systems and the computers in planters for precision row-crop soil preparation, planting and harvesting.
We need to address these misconceptions through education and building awareness among the youth, as well as through training and skills development in the areas where the industry currently has large gaps. It is important that agricultural schools and colleges, which provide the major pipeline of potential entrants into the agri-economy, to keep their curriculums up to date and are able to teach students about the incredible tools that are now available, the use of technology and the growing connectedness among farmers.
Why is it essential that we engage with and encourage our youth to consider careers in agriculture?
Food security in Africa and the rest of the world is a growing issue. Food demand in Africa is expected to rise by over 70% by 2050 due to population growth, and agricultural land and water are scarce commodities in many parts of the world. The result is that many farmers are growing their businesses vertically and using the latest technological practices. This, in turn, requires more skilled people who are capable of working in this environment.
At the same time, there is a huge need for small and emerging farmers to build sustainable businesses, but to do this they too need to improve the way they work and build their knowledge and skills. What this means for the youth is that at almost every level there is both opportunity to build skills and find exciting, relevant work in agriculture, while also making a difference to the food security concerns that are looming over the next two decades.
To compound on this, the commercial farming sector of our agri-economy must participate in the agri-transformation philosophy of the sharing of knowledge with the emerging farmers. This is Ubuntu. I am because we are. This is part and parcel of the Agricolleges way of thinking.
What are the main barriers for agripreneurs?
As mentioned above, one of the biggest barriers to entry is the capital and knowledge required, to set-up and operate large tracts of farming land. Another barrier has been the cost of the education needed to build agri-skills. E-learning makes education much more accessible and affordable to the youth, emerging farmers and existing farm workers, who want to build on their current knowledge. We are looking for investors to help develop a sustainable bursary system that can support highly motivated and ambitious students from disadvantaged backgrounds, to obtain reputable agricultural qualifications.
Our President, Cyril Ramaphosa, in his SONA, has made it clear that both agriculture and skills development are among the key areas that government will be focusing on in the coming months and years. Our hope is that this will help to support ACI’s drive to bring more people into the industry.
While the youth flee to the cities to escape rural or agriculture-related careers – a fact lamented by many – should we not place equal emphasis on encouraging and enabling urban agriculture startups?
Absolutely, yes! As this migration towards cities takes place, an increasing number of urban gardens and farms have taken root already. This growth in urban agriculture is helping poor people cope with food scarcity and hunger. It also offers many people a viable income as they are able to find markets for their produce as well as feed themselves. So much is being achieved through sheer necessity - imagine what could be achieved with additional support, knowledge and resources?
Roadside traders could be transformed into the farmers of the future as community vegetable gardens, roadsides and rivers converted into city farms, vertical window food gardens, and horizontal pipe or water gardens. Teaching young people to implement urban agriculture through a variety of modern methods and practices would not only improve their yields and income potential but also give them a sense of achievement and the self-confidence that they may be struggling to achieve through meaningful employment elsewhere.
ACI is able to educate people to implement urban agriculture with health and sustainability in mind, and this is a great step towards creating a more sustainable future in all countries throughout the African continent.
Technology and a new way of thinking has seen agriculture and agribusiness change a lot over the past decade, but how friendly is agriculture in SA and Africa to tech-savvy youth?
There can be no doubt that the technology explosion, and access to cellular phones, in particular, has reached even the most remote parts of Africa. Farmers are also steadily changing their methods, through the use of more technology and adding skills and efficiencies to their operations. This all bodes very well for a tech-savvy youth population that wants to be connected and to work in an exciting, modern environment.
It is also true, however, that we still have a long way to go in terms of catching up to the rest of the world in this regard. We need to build skills and knowledge that are appropriate to our situation and conditions, and we need to be able to modernize and change our courses and curriculums when and where necessary so that we stay relevant and up-to-date.
We are in the fascinating position, where we need to grow emerging, small-scale farmers and teach them how to use traditional methods more effectively and sustainably, while also developing a young and vibrant group of agripreneurs who are looking further into the future, where their more advanced skills and understanding of technology will provide them with a wealth of exciting and dynamic careers in this industry.
Rules For Growing Microgreens Indoors
Rules For Growing Microgreens Indoors
February 23, 2018
Next winter you'll most likely want to grow microgreens outdoors(kidding). Or you might already know how to grow but need a little help (or you just don't want to admit why your microgreens died); either way we will be giving you some rules to follow, while you walk on the road towards success.
Equipment & System Needs
The Heating System hoophouse is passive solar heated, which works fine for starting plants in earliest spring, but for growing a consistent crop of microgreens during cold and low solar months of winter, it needs to be supplemented. After research that was done, it was determined that heat mats were the most efficient direct heat option. There are several options to heat the water, electric, gas but also solar and biogas.
Water is essential for microgreens, they need to be constantly kept at ideal moisture levels so water must be accessible in the growing area. Watering equipment for our system remained pretty simple: long hoses that run the length of the tables with long neck spray nozzles that release a gentle shower. These happened to be the most flexible performers and provided good coverage.
Ventilation by large fans is essential to prevent fungus in winter and keep microgreens cool in summer. They act to keep the growing area at even temperature and moisture levels, which the farmer can manage. They are essential to the success of the growing operation.
Working towards developing a system for your clients based on climate, farm setup and prospective buyers
To keep track of all the crop varieties in trials, you should develop a simple log to track all the pertinent information for each trial. Document the date of the seeding, the media used, tray size if used, quantity of trays, whether you applied heat or not, quantity of seed used per unit, harvest yield and harvest date. With solid note-taking, you will be better able to track the successes and failures and troubleshoot to minimize the latter, so we recommend this as a practice. Documentation was important not only in trialing seeds, media, and growing conditions, but during later steady commercial production as well. Keeping good notes, not just numbers on all the variables, was key to seeing what types of systems worked best in our setup.
Growing Medium
You'll have to decide what you want to use for soil. Whether it'd be Coir or potting soil. You will have to decide which is best for you and figure out the ratio that best suits your growing needs. Be sure to always experiment in this stage. Mark from Vertical veg says, "using old compost will help because of the nitrogen that aids leafy vegetables."
Harvesting
You can experiment with microgreens to find the stage you like best – either when the first pair of leaves appear, or later, when a few leaves have grown. One exception is sunflower shoots. These need to be eaten before their second pair of leaves appear, as these are bitter. The easiest way to harvest most microgreens is with a sharp pair of kitchen scissors. Some microgreens – like pea shoots – may regrow, particularly if you chop them just above the lowest leaf.
This blog post touches on basic guidelines to follow while you grow microgreens. There are many specifics that need to be followed on your journey. We hope you try to impress your peers with some the information you just read. Thanks for reading.
If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy these post:
"Facts about the microgreens grow system"
"Supercharge your hydroponics setup"
Tags:
growsystem microgreensgrowsystem microgreens leafygreens hydroponicsystem
This Startup Is Building The Techiest Indoor Farm In The World
This Startup Is Building The Techiest Indoor Farm In The World
Vertical farming startup Bowery says it's building the most technologically sophisticated indoor farm in the world. Courtesy of Bowery
By BETH KOWITT
February 28, 2018
Indoor vertical farming startup Bowery is in the process of building a second facility which it claims will be the most technologically sophisticated indoor farm in the world.
The operation will be in Kearny, N.J., and grow 30 times more produce than its current indoor farm that’s located nearby, and supply 100 types of leafy greens and herbs for customers like Whole Foods and Foragers.
In May, the New York City-based startup raised a $20 million Series A from investors including General Catalyst, GGV, and GV (formerly Google Ventures), with capital from the round going toward building the new farm.
Bowery is applying robotics, machine learning, and predictive analytics to the agriculture sector, a segment of the economy that has been slow to adopt technology and digital advancements.
The company has developed what is says is a proprietary software system, complete with a robust network of sensors that takes in data in real time to determine outcomes like the quality, texture, color, and yield of its plants. “The software is the brains of the farm,” says Bowery CEO and founder Irving Fain.
Small adjustments—water flow, light intensity, temperature, humidity—can then be made in response to data inputs to impact outcomes like taste and flavor, such as growing a mustard green that’s got a spicier pick.
“These changes get pushed out automatically into our system,” says Fain. “The precision and level of control is unparalleled.”
Fain says that Bowery is more than 100 times more efficient than a square foot of farmland, in large part because the startup can grow 365 days a year independent of season in a completely controlled environment. Bowery doesn’t use any pesticides or agri-chemicals. Normally out in a field that would lead to reduction in yield, but Bowery has more crop cycles per year, grows twice as fast as a field, and has higher yield per crop cycle, says Fain.
The Bowery model is also predicated on a growing demand for local food. Since the farm is located in New Jersey, its produce goes out to the tri-state area. “We see very strong demand nationally and internationally right now for high quality locally produced consistent produce,” Fain says.
Because the produce is grown close to the point of consumption, “not as many players sit between us and the final consumers.” That level of efficiency helps keep costs down, Fain explains.
The National Organic Standards Board recently voted on whether hydroponics—essentially crops not grown in soil—could be certified as organic. While the board voted yes, Fain says that Bowery wasn’t involved in those conversations and isn’t focused on the organic certification.
“We’re growing post-organic produce,” he says. “It’s the next evolution.” Organic, he explains, still allows for pesticides—something his operation does not use
“It’s a better product for us and better way of growing and less destructive to the earth,” says Fain. “We’re using technology to grow the purest food possible.”
Indoor Vertical Farming: Digging Deep in Data
Indoor Vertical Farming: Digging Deep in Data
Geoff Spencer | Microsoft Writer
February 27, 2018
When it comes to farming, Ken Tran digs deep – not in dirt, but in data. He doesn’t drive a tractor and he doesn’t pull a plow. But he is helping to sow the seeds of a new type of agriculture – one that is nurtured by machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Ken is a Principal Research Engineer with Microsoft Research and his mission is to help perfect new ways of growing food and feeding the world scientifically, sustainably, and profitably.
In its way, digital technology is writing a new chapter in the story of agriculture. Once upon a time, about 12,000 years ago, humans began to give up hunter and gatherer lifestyles for farming. Across the ages, more secure food supplies saw the number of the people on the planet grow from maybe a few million people in Neolithic times to more than 7 billion today.
And through all those millennia, farmers have literally battled the elements. They have read the seasons and bred new crop types largely through trial and error. By the late 20th century we had increased food production with mechanization, fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, irrigation and a lot more. Today, humankind is growing more food than ever. But, here’s a crucial question: How long can we keep farming like this?
Ken Tran, Principal Research Engineer, Microsoft Research
Ken has his doubts. “The planet’s population is growing, and the amount of arable land is diminishing. There are threats from climate change and pressure on resources, like water,” he explains. “At the same time, our cities are expanding. More and more consumers want food that is fresh, safe, nutritious, varied and available.”
In short, agriculture is being squeezed at one end by pressure on finite resources, and at the other by never-ending demand.
Moreover, there is so still a lot we don’t know about the vagaries of the environment, and even about plants themselves. We still “hope” for good harvests. We still “pray” for rain, and we still “worry” about early frosts, late snow, unexpected floods, prolonged droughts, tenacious weeds, and hungry pests. The natural world is full of uncertainty and lot of farming is still based on good luck and guesswork.
The game-changing component here is the ability to collect high-quality data and very quickly.
When we are confronted with big issues like this, science and knowledge often offer a better way. And for Ken, and technologists like him, that better way lies in digital transformation. Agriculture, he argues, is one of many sectors of human endeavor that is falling under the spell of the 4th Industrial Revolution. Like so much else in the modern world, farming is being disrupted by data that can supply answers and produce solutions.
In many locations around the world, new data-driven techniques anchored in the cloud are being introduced to farm life. Microsoft is leading the movement through its Farm Beats program. For instance, small plot farmers in India rely on digital tools to work out when best to sow their crops and so enjoy more bountiful harvests. In New Zealand, farmers are using the Internet of Things to best deploy spraying to best irrigate their fields.
Ken, who is originally from Vietnam and is now based at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond in the U.S. state of Washington, is part of this overall effort. But he occupies a different place: His research is indoors.He is focused on improving the output and efficiency of “indoor vertical farms”. These are enclosed spaces where everything that is required to grow crops – light, atmosphere, temperature, water, and nutrients – is supplied, controlled and constantly monitored to produce data that in turn is used to develop better techniques and better results.
Indoor vertical farms, which are sometimes called “plant factories”, rely on hydroponics. This soil-less water-based way of growing plants has been around for decades. What is different now is the arrival of cloud computing, which has given rise to data-based techniques aimed at producing better yields and better food at cheaper cost and in sustainable ways.
“The game-changing component here is the ability to collect high-quality data and very quickly,” he said on the sidelines of an international conference on indoor agriculture that was recently held in Singapore. “With big data, we use machine learning in the cloud to analyze and produce models with optimal configurations – say for the intensity of light to create better yields, or lower electricity costs, or what is the best ratio of nutrients that we should provide the plant to produce good food and higher yield.”
Indoor vertical farm technology is still being perfected and there are many variations. In theory, all crops could be grown this way. But the greatest potential is for leafy green vegetables, along with some fruits and herbs. High-calorie foods, including cereals, like rice and wheat, and vegetables, like potatoes, are probably best grown in the field – albeit under more optimal, data-driven conditions.
Eri Hayashi from the Japan Plant Factory Association
Eri Hayashi, of the Japan Plant Factory Association, specializes in airtight and thermally insulated rooms where “control” is a crucial factor. And, it is here that data comes into its own.
“On a traditional outdoor farm, environmental factors control how plants grow,” she explains. “In a plant factory, we can control the environmental factors – so we control how plants grow rather than the other way around. And, a closed environment is a great way to collect data quickly. We call the needs of a plant ‘a plant recipe’. The plant needs light, carbon dioxide, nutrients, and water. There are so many combinations. Until now we have only been able to find set points on some of the combinations. So, we need AI’s help to find more combinations for numerous plant recipes.”
Both Ken and Eri see opportunities to trial new ways of doing things. For example, “in a closed plant factory, we can pump in extra carbon dioxide to promote faster plant growth with oxygen produced as a byproduct. That might mean using a greenhouse gas for good,” says Ken.
Closed environments also mean better control of pests and disease – and the elimination of chemical pesticides and herbicides. Water, which is largely lost to the soil and atmosphere on a conventional farm, can be used sparingly in a closed continuous cycle.
“We can reduce water usage by 99 percent or more compared with land farms. We can also reduce the use of nutrients and waste by minimizing input and maximizing out,” Ken says.
AI-controlled indoor vertical farming also opens up the prospect of farms in urban and industrial areas that can be productive in all seasons and in cost-controlled ways in all sorts of building and spaces. And, that could significantly change the way cities source food and feed themselves. By way of example, let’s look at a supermarket not far from where Ken and Eri were being interviewed in Singapore, a city-state with virtually no space for conventional farming of its own. Its shelves were stocked with produce from around the world, like lettuce from Australia, strawberries from South Korea, beans from the European Union, and grapes from Peru. Local indoor farms potentially could reduce that dependence on imports that are now constantly flown or shipped in.
Acknowledging the advantages, Asian cities, particularly in China and Japan, are fast-adopting this technology with hundreds of indoor vertical farms – and Ken only sees this trend growing there as well as across North America and Europe.
READ: AI for Earth can be a game-changer for our planet
Automation – through AI, machine learning, and robotics – promises to bring down the cost of labor and other operations at a time when the age of farmers is climbing around the world and the economics of agriculture is fluctuating. This will allow smaller entrepreneurial farmers, as well as big operators, to establish niche on-demand services for customers. It could be lifestyle-changing.
“In 10 years it is very possible that many apartment buildings in cities will have their own indoor farms,” Ken says. “In a few years’ time, there will be a lot more online delivery companies. So, you can grow indoors and package at your farm. Your customers will just go online and order a delivery. The time from farm to your fridge could be around two hours or so – just like a pizza delivery now.
“It means fresh, locally available, cheaper and healthier food for potentially millions of people.”
- Additional images featured in this report are of indoor vertical farming activities conducted by SananBio in Xiamen, China.
VH Hydroponics Pilots New Line of Hydroponic Growing Cabinets in Student Union
VH Hydroponics Pilots New Line of Hydroponic Growing Cabinets in Student Union
February 21, 2018
A demo unit of Vertical Harvest Hydroponics’ new indoor gardening cabinets is located in UAA’s Student Union. The university is one of only two places that the hydroponic growing cabinets are located in Anchorage, along with the Anchorage Museum.
VH Hydroponics is an agricultural technology company headquartered in Anchorage. The company, founded in 2014, has a mission to “provide an alternate way to source fresh, locally grown and sustainable produce in remote communities, year-round,” as stated on their website.
Hydroponics is the process of growing plants in a nutrient dissolved solution rather than in soil. This method offers many advantages, notably location flexibility and ability to produce crops year round. Other pros include no weather dependency, little to no bugs or weeds, less water consumption than typical farms and the ability to grow a large variety of crops.
The idea for installing a hydroponic cabinet in the university was presented by a group of students to the Green Fee Board. Many other hydroponic-based proposals have been brought to the board in the past, but according to Heather Jesse, chair for the Green Fee Board, this idea rose above the rest.
“Hydroponics is one of the most popular student ideas and one that is frequently presented to the board via grant proposals,” Jesse said. “This was the most feasible hydroponics proposal we’ve ever received, financially and physically. We were more than happy to fund it.”
After the efforts of the Green Fee Board, partnered with Student Activities and Commuter Programs, the hydroponic cabinet is now up and running in the Student Union. It is currently growing chard, kale, lettuce, chamomile, mint and strawberries.
Produce grown in the cabinet will help support the Daily Den. The program offers free food and beverages to students twice a day, Monday through Thursday. Vegetables produced in the cabinet will be introduced into the meals made at the Daily Den.
Jesse found the decision to install the cabinet extremely beneficial to students who take advantage of the Daily Den. She also believes it is a good use of the Green Fee, a $3 fee collected from every UAA student taking at least three credits on campus.
“As a student who frequently eats at the Daily Den, I think the benefits are very clear. Almost all of the meals I’ve had there have been carbs, frozen or both,” Jesse said. “Being able to provide students with proper nutrition, fresh vegetables and fruit is a priceless opportunity, especially since the Daily Den serves so many students each year.”
The growing cabinets are a new and smaller alternative to VH Hydroponics’ main product, the Containerized Growing System. These 40-foot units function relatively the same as the cabinets, although much larger. They are used in grocery stores, restaurants and hospitals.
Joe Selmont, a member of the Green Fee Board, sees the current cabinet system as an investment that could continue to grow in the future.
“In the long term, our little experiment with hydroponics holds potential to inspire confidence for the university to purchase a larger system that could eventually make us more self-sufficient, while simultaneously providing much needed nourishment to food-insecure students,” Selmont said.
If the cabinet proves successful, Kojin Tranberg, Commuter Programs coordinator within the Student Life and Leadership office, hopes to invest in one of the larger, commercial hydroponic units. This investment would also involve the organization’s campus partners, Seawolf Dining and the UAA Culinary Arts program.
One of Tranberg’s main focuses is food insecurity on-campus. This topic is one of the motivations behind the installation of the hydroponic cabinet. Tranberg believes the new growing unit will initiate student conversations about the topic.
“I personally have the ambition to stamp out hunger on campus,” Tranberg said. “This hydroponic garden is a key part in bringing awareness to the issue of food insecurity.”
Menasha's Fork Farms is Changing The Face of Farming -- And Helping Schools, Pantries
Menasha's Fork Farms is Changing The Face of Farming -- And Helping Schools, Pantries
February 21, 2018
What's opening now, and in the coming months, in the Fox Cities? (Maureen Wallenfang/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin.) Wochit
MENASHA - This isn’t your father’s farm.
Or anyone’s vision of a farm, really, outside of a science fiction novel.
This “farm” of indoor plastic growing modules looks like it came off a spaceship.
Fork Farms is a small, young, agriculture technology company that manufactures plastic hydroponic growing modules.
Inside each one, ruffled rows of lettuce grow vertically without a speck of soil or sunlight.
Fork Farms grows lettuce around LED lights inside a module. (Photo: Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)
Fork Farms moved into its current home at 1101 W. Midway Road this spring and has 16 indoor growing machines. It's in a former flooring store just west of Appleton Road near Piggly Wiggly in Menasha.
Prior to this, inventor Alex Tyink operated out of his apartment and garage. He’s spent eight years working on the modules while holding down a day job. He's never taken a dime from the company and has operated on a slim investment of less than $20,000 gathered from family and friends.
“I believe in food. I know that sounds corny,” said Tyink, 30. “I felt better when I started eating good food instead of burgers and fries. A simple thing can make so much of a difference in our lives.”
He went to school to become an opera singer, not an engineer, so he said the years tinkering were spent learning, evolving and experimenting to get the system right.
Since 2009, he has made 28 different prototypes and invested thousands of hours into the venture.
Social service
Working on the growing machines satisfied his desire to create something that mattered, he said.
Growing fresh produce this way can make healthy food more accessible and create a connection between kids and food.
“Our mission is to put these in food deserts and low-income schools,” he said. “The social service side is very important to me. I never want to lose that.”
Tyink co-founded the company with his father, Steve Tyink, who is vice president of business innovation at Miron Construction, and John Brogan, CEO of Bank of Kaukauna.
His two employees have taken equity before paychecks. Commercial Horizons gave him a sweet lease on the building.
Fork Farms is a limited liability company owned by a group of 14 people, including employees Gil Shaw and Stewart McLain.
Shaw was formerly hydroponics manager at Riverview Gardens and is now farm manager here. McLain, formerly a music teacher in Seattle, is operations manager.
Shaw said the opportunity to join Fork Farms was too good to pass up.
“It’s one of the most innovative systems out there. It’s in a class of its own,” Shaw said.
“This is a real game changer because of its water use, efficiency and space. The potential of this is extraordinary. It can revolutionize arid land growing.”
Fork Farms' growing system already has one patent and two more pending.
Growing modules
The company's first 20 growing modules have been sold to schools, food pantries and individuals.
Local schools include Mount Olive Lutheran School, Fox Valley Lutheran High School, Appleton North High School and New Directions Learning Community in Kaukauna.
At North, the machine was purchased with a grant from the Appleton Education Foundation.
"We love having our machine in the classroom," said Matt Hechel, North's alternative education coordinator. "We have a few students who have taken charge of being our main gardeners."
"I like learning about the hydroponic system and am really surprised how easy it is to grow our produce right in our classroom," said J.T. Zubich, one of the students in charge of the module. "It would be cool if every classroom was able to do this."
Students have eaten salads in the classroom from their harvest. Students and staff have taken lettuce home.
“It’s an improvement on the traditional school garden model,” Tyink said. “It’s highly productive in growing food and makes a nutritional difference in schools. We’re improving the quality of lunch lines.”
Besides making and selling the growing modules, Fork Farms grows lettuce in its Menasha headquarters and sells it to several hotels and a caterer. Its first and largest buyer has been the Best Western Premier Bridgewood Resort Hotel in Neenah.
"We use their Fox Valley blend of lettuces for lunch buffets and catering, and their buttterhead lettuce for weddings and corporate events," said Ryan Batley, food and beverage director. "What's so great about it is that it's local. It stays fresher than anything else we're getting. It's very clean and crisp. A great product. The cost is a little higher, but we think it's money well-spent."
Batley said they use whole butterhead lettuce heads on each plate for weddings.
"One bride called us back and said her guests were still commenting on it weeks later. She said 'I never thought people would remember the salad,'" Batley said.
For-profit/nonprofit partnership
Tyink’s day job is director of programming at Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin. He previously field tested his growing machines while working at Goodwill Industries of North Central Wisconsin.
Feeding America now provides ancillary support to Fork Farms in what Tyink calls a “for-profit/nonprofit partnership.”
While Fork Farms is a for-profit business, he said it’s “mission-driven” to educate and feed people.
Growing modules cost $3,500. Feeding America provides education, training and a year’s worth of supplies for an additional $1,500.
Each vertical module can grow 288 plants in a four-by-four-foot space, Shaw said. Each machine can grow 15 to 20 pounds of lettuce in three to four weeks.
Indoor farming has been in the national news recently with the large-scale Plenty operation, a Jeff Bezos-backed indoor farm now expanding into the Seattle area.
But at the same time, some indoor farms have struggled.
FarmedHere, for example, closed its indoor hydroponic growing operation near Chicago earlier this year, reportedly because of high labor and energy costs.
At Fork Farms, Tyink keeps a watchful eye on costs and is in the gener8tor’s gBETA accelerator coaching program for startups.
He said it’s self-sustaining and he hasn’t taken a bank loan.
One of the keys, he said, was keeping energy costs low with LED growing lights.
“All of my research started with energy efficiencies," he said. “We’re running at a higher resource efficiency rate.”
“We kept small and kept capitalization small. We haven’t gone after venture capital because we wanted to know what we had before we made promises.”
German Startup Leads The Way In Urban Farming
German Startup Leads The Way In Urban Farming
Nadja Beschetnikova
February 22, 2018
Living in a big city has its advantages, but there’re still a lot of controversies when it comes to the food market.
Many city residents are unsatisfied with the quality of food products and worry about the source of the produce. With the increasing interest in healthy food and growing concerns about food allergies, many consumers look for fresh and artisan produce. There are a lot of supermarkets in the city but if you are looking for clean organic products, you should either pay the extra money or get in with a farmer.
Infarm, a Berlin-based startup, spotted this gap between consumers and producers and developed vertical farming tech for grocery stores, restaurants, and local distribution centers.
Infarm builds in-store farming units and software to manage the growth of crops. The farms are operated by Infarm’s own platform for monitoring thousands of different data points and personalizing the farm to respective needs, which ensures that the produce is being grown as near to perfect as possible. Each module has its own ecosystem that tailors light spectrum, temperature, pH levels, and nutrients to ensure the maximum expression of each plant.
The glass-walled farm serves basically as an incubator for herbs, lettuce, or other vegetables. With a new technology it becomes possible to have a 365 days a year harvest with any varieties you only wish. The modular system makes the farm very flexible. You can adjust it by adding more modules or customize it, according to your requirements. So the technology is very user-friendly and can be useful for a wide range of customers.
Infarm says, they are the new generation of farmers, and the city is their farm.
Infarm states that one farm can have an output of 1,200 plants a month.
The start-up currently has more than 50 farms running around Berlin in supermarkets, restaurants, and warehouses. The startup has already placed its farm in German supermarket chains METRO and EDEKA, two of Germany’s largest food retailers.
The start-up was founded in 2013 by Osnat Michaeli, and brothers Erez and Guy Galonska. Since then the company has grown from a mobile vertical farm in an old 1955 Airstream trailer to a team of over 100 INFARMers.
“Behind our farms is a robust hardware and software platform for precision farming,” explainedOsnat Michaeli. “Each farming unit is its own individual ecosystem, creating the exact environment our plants need to flourish. We are able to develop growing recipes that tailor the light spectrums, temperature, pH, and nutrients to ensure the maximum natural expression of each plant in terms of flavor, color, and nutritional quality”.
Innovation in agricultural segment seem to be very attractive for the investors. Recently Infarm has secured a $25 million Series A funding round led by Balderton Capital, with other names such as Mons Investments, Cherry Ventures, and LocalGlobe. Additionally the startup won a €2.5 million grant awarded by the European Commission. Totally the Berlin-based company raised to date $35 million.
With this financial support Infarm plans to bring their farms to other German cities and establish an international network, offering their (r)evolutionary taste for customers in Paris, Copenhagen, London.
The goal: 1,000 Infarm vertical farms in operation globally by 2019’s end.
Infarm declares its mission to redefine what it means to eat well, reshape the landscape of cities, re-introduce forgotten or rare varieties, and re-empower the people to take ownership of their food.
The startup targets not only the European market. They want to introduce their healthy food for affordable prices around the world.
“Our ambition is to reach cities as far as Seattle in the United States or Seoul, South Korea with our urban farming network”, said Erez Galonska.
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Independence LED Lighting Ready With Program To Back Changes To SNAP
Independence LED Lighting Ready With Program To Back Changes To SNAP
20 February 2018
Greater Philadelphia
Independence LED Lighting stated that it was shovel ready for a pilot program in Philadelphia to support proposed changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme (SNAP), included in the President’s Budget for Financial Year 2019.
The White House recently unveiled the updated Budget, which had a path to include American-grown foods provided directly to households.
Mick Mulvaney, director, White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), said that the administration’s plan would not only save the government money but also provide people with more nutritious food than they have now.
The concept of an America’s Harvest Box, delivered each month as part of the SNAP, is based on volume purchasing to reduce unit costs. Over 16 million American households currently receive some form of assistance through SNAP.
Individually, they do not have the buying power that would come with government volume purchases. The logistics of the proposed programme are naturally very complicated and detractors should not dismiss the idea outright. With economies of scale, SNAP recipients could receive more nutritious food at lower costs.
“Cost-effective change involves challenging the status quo, and we are pleased to leverage our American-made technology to launch a pilot project that will demonstrate the benefits of next-generation future food for SNAP recipients,” said Charlie Szoradi, chairman and chief executive officer, Independence LED Lighting.
American innovation
Independence LED Lighting is one of the first authentic Buy American Act- (BAA) compliant LED lighting manufacturers.
Since moving its production from China to southeastern Pennsylvania in 2010, the company has provided its United States-made light-emitting diode (LED) technology across the public and private sectors.
Building owners and managers typically save 50 percent or more on electricity, and Independence LED Lighting also has developed advanced LED grow lights to optimize indoor farming.
In conjunction with indoor farm partners, the company produces vegetables at lower costs than Americans pay at grocery stores.
By adjusting the light wavelengths of its LEDs, the company can enhance growth by plant type and optimize photosynthetic photon flux density (PPDF).
After more than two years of research and development (R&D), the first consumer received, via overnight mail, the first delivery of live microgreens in November 2017 at 20 percent below the grocery store cost, including the shipping cost.
Microgreens are an excellent addition to any diet, because they often have 40 times more nutrients than their mature counterparts.
The live aspect is important in this example because the vegetables last over two weeks in home refrigerators and retain more of their nutrients than harvested produce.
Local delivery would replace overnight shipping for the majority of the SNAP programme, given that one or more indoor farms would be in or near each major US city.
In addition to the food and cost advantages for the government and SNAP recipients, American manufacturing, indoor farming and produce delivery all help create more job opportunities for SNAP recipients.
Domestic job creation is naturally the top aspect of US president Donald Trump’s Buy American and Hire American Executive Order, signed in April 2017.
Pilot concept
Imagine that there is not necessarily just one American Harvest Box for each family each month, but multiple drop-shipments from a coalition of private sector companies.
The participating companies provide farm-direct and factory-direct food to the families.
Perishable vegetables are not referenced as part of the box concept in the budget, but many SNAP families live in neighborhoods with limited access to fresh produce.
These food deserts are a health challenge for Americans. Independence LED Lighting envisions starting with an indoor farm pilot programme in Philadelphia and then rolling out to each major metropolitan market.
Local indoor farms reduce transportation costs. Currently, California produces over 90 percent of the vegetables in the United States, so reducing 2,000 miles down to under 20 miles is one of the very real ways to generate savings.
Plus, indoor farming is weather-proof for year-round harvesting that is fresh versus truck-ripened.
The reduced transportation also reduces carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, for cleaner air and environmental sustainability.
For the pilot programme, Independence LED Lighting will use veggie drop-off days as opportunities to share health tips and recipes.
The programme will also train SNAP recipients for new jobs, build a youth mentor programme for next-generation ambassadors of healthy living, and provide reports on performance metrics.
The intended outcome is lower-cost food, healthier food, engaged members of the community and measurable results.
Startup Community Brainstorms To Save A Nonprofit ‘Vertical’ Farm In Midtown Anchorage
Startup Community Brainstorms To Save A Nonprofit ‘Vertical’ Farm In Midtown Anchorage
Author: Naomi Klouda, Alaska Journal of Commerce
February 22, 2018
Greenhouse manager Ryan Witten checks plants growing in vertical hydroponic towers while wearing sunglasses to protect his eyes from bright LED grow lights at Alaska Seeds of Change on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017, in Midtown Anchorage. (Erik Hill / Alaska Dispatch News)
Managers of an Anchorage hydroponic farm at risk of shutting down in March made an unusual move to save their operation.
Seeds of Change, near Arctic Boulevard and 26th Avenue, occupies a 10,000-square-foot warehouse designed for high-tech agriculture. During its first year of operation, it served 18 young employees through a program for at-risk youth at the Anchorage Community Mental Health Service.
They've sold their first produce at farmers markets and to local restaurants: a dozen varieties of lettuce, chives, mint, kale, and bok choy.
"Our program has not generated enough revenue to be self-supporting," said Ryan Witten, the community development manager at Seeds of Change. "We were told we have funding through the end of March, by the ACMHS board.
Unless we have a plan for the future, they would be forced to shut down. That is absolutely not what the board wants to do."
[How an indoor farm in Midtown Anchorage could help at-risk youth]
They reached out to the University of Alaska Business Enterprise Institute for ideas on saving Seeds of Change.
That led to calling on Nigel Sharp, the University of Alaska Anchorage Global Entrepreneur in Residence.
Sharp, the university's first GEIR and one of only a handful in the nation, has held startup weekends, technology sprints and other events to guide tech-savvy startups since arriving in Alaska last June. But this was the first chance to put together a think tank of expertise moving from theory to a hands-on rescue of a distressed business.
Sharp got the pieces in motion to launch the first Growspace Social Business Catalyzer event Feb. 16 that began at the Seeds of Change warehouse. He invited the entrepreneurship community, including BEI staff, Alyse Daunis of Launch Alaska and Rachel Miller, Alaska Pacific University's School of Business' Walter Hickel Endowed Professor.
Peer outreach worker Quavon Bracken, 19, places plant seedlings on a strip of wicking material as he loads a hydroponic tower at Alaska Seeds of Change on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017, in Midtown. (Erik Hill / Alaska Dispatch News)
Eight youth from Seeds of Change also attended, as did officials from ACMHS.
"The project is short on both time and money and yet serves an incredibly important mission for our community," Sharp wrote in his invitation. "Join us for the Growspace program where we'll deep dive into developing new sustainable business models which will end with a presentation to their board of directors for implementation."
A "catalyzer" works with participating organizations that includes social enterprises and nonprofits, to rapidly develop business models, customer validation and funding source strategies.
About 32 professionals turned out for the 10-hour catalyzer at the Anchorage Communications Center the morning of Feb. 17. Sharp said he started from a list of about 160 entrepreneurial resource people. The kickoff event the day before brought out about 100 of them, he said.
The main goal was to come up with a transition plan to present to the board by the end of March. Then the board will make a decision about whether to proceed or shut down, Sharp said.
"We came up with three major elements: fundraising, functioning as an educational business model and outsourcing Seeds of Change staff and facilities to partner organizations," Sharp said. "A fourth element is to do agricultural tourism. It's a novel opportunity to visit an indoor hydroponic farm."
Chervil, also known as French parsley, awaits thinning at Alaska Seeds of Change on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017, in Midtown. (Erik Hill / Alaska Dispatch News)
The managers of Seeds of Change, Witten and Sundance Visser, were energized by the ideas.
"We split into six work groups," Witten said. "First we did team building, then talked about challenges with the existing structure. We looked at other organizations that do social impact work working with youth. We all did work ahead of time, researching. Then we came up with ideas in the work groups."
The four action plan ideas they ended up with are all credible, workable ideas that link well together, Witten said.
The first one focuses on fundraising and marketing.
"A lot of people still don't know about Seeds of Change. Since the community is still becoming aware of it, it's important to raise awareness and do fundraising, to give a longer runway training and education programs for more youth," Witten said.
The plan calls for providing educational tours and classes on how to grow year-round indoors.
"It's a pretty new thing to do. If we can help other people shorten their learning curve, that's a good opportunity for us," Witten said.
A second plan involves opportunities for leasing space. Far North Fungi, a mushroom growing business, is looking for more space and showed up at the meeting.
"They need a place that gives more heat for the mushrooms to grow and we need more CO2 for our plants, which the mushrooms give off," Witten said. "In the coming weeks, we will be talking about leasing space."
A third idea is to develop tourism opportunities inside Seeds of Change.
A fourth idea is to sublease with a partner business such as a software developer who can create farm-planning software. They can also partner with other growers for food distribution from the location.
Seeds of Change features 1,500 growing "towers," vertical columns containing thousands of plants. Though the first seeds were planted before Christmas in 2016, the dream dates back a decade of planning by Dr. Michael Sobocinski, the chief operating officer of ACMHS.
Hundreds of vertical hydroponic grow towers at Alaska Seeds of Change. (Erik Hill / Alaska Dispatch News/File)
Seeds is part of the ACMHS Transition Age Youth Continuum of Services. Staff are 16 to 26 years old, and generally are coming out of foster care, mental health treatment, the juvenile justice system or were formerly homeless or Alaska Youth Advocates who use the space as a healthy drop-in center. Sobocinski's dream was to give them a transition point or seeds for changing their own lives through the nurturing environment of planting.
ACMHS bought the building in 2014 and renovated it at a cost of about $2.9 million, including the purchase of equipment from the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services from the "Bring the Kids Home Fund," said Jessica Cochran, the executive coordinator at ANCMS. An Alaska Mental Health Trust grant paid for the staffing and startup.
Seeds of Change's growing operation is energy efficient thanks to the investment in the latest technology: low energy usage even with dozens of grow lights, maximum use of space due to the vertical towers and an irrigation system that recirculates water. Even soil costs are reduced since the plants grow in a "beds" made of recycled-plastic wicking material.
The goal is to produce 70 tons of produce per year. But the expense of operating the business has far exceeded any profits, Witten said.
"There's been a shift in the way that nonprofits have operated in the past. We have been doing our best and we recognize we need more support, working with Nigel Sharp and the UAA Business Enterprise Institute," Witten added. "I was really impressed at the caliber of people in the room. It was tens of thousands of dollars donated in time to us, especially over the last weekend."
Sharp said social-impact businesses — enterprises that combine a social cause in either a for-profit or nonprofit structure — are becoming a new vehicle for philanthropy in the U.S. They also represent a $310 billion US industry sector that is expected to grow to $500 billion over the next 10 years.
"This represents a huge opportunity for building impactful businesses," Sharp said. The consequence is that more resources will be shared among entrepreneurs to create working business models.
Local Entrepreneurs Weigh In: Tech Isn’t Just For Tycoons
Sweet Peas Urban Gardens offers hydroponic microgreens grown from organic seeds in a custom CropBox.
Local Entrepreneurs Weigh In: Tech Isn’t Just For Tycoons
by Latisha Catchatoorian — February 20, 2018
This article was written for our sponsor, Wake Technical Community College.
RALEIGH — What do spinach, sewing machines, and social media have in common? Not a whole lot – except technology!
According to entrepreneurs and small business owners, technology plays a role in everything from urban farming and custom tailoring, to personal branding and business coaching.
Technology doesn’t just encompass Elon Musk’s latest Tesla or cancer breakthroughs; it’s your coffee maker, your shower, the stoplight on the corner, and the passkey that gets you into your building. Everyone uses it, and entrepreneurs and small businesses are integrating it in ways that are innovative and even revolutionary.
Keeping up can be overwhelming, said Martin Brossman, director of Martin Brossman & Associates and a leader in networking and small business training in North Carolina. While we wait impatiently behind someone who’s writing a check, tech-savvy consumers may feel the same way about debit cards as things like Apple Pay become commonplace.
Brossman said entrepreneurs don’t have to be on the cutting edge, but they do need to know what will help them.
“It’s OK to resist new technology,” he said, “but not if it will benefit you and your business.”
It’s also OK to hire an expert who can do it better and faster than you, he said.
Brossman teaches community college classes through The Small Business Center Network. When he started teaching in 2006, people were markedly averse to being on Facebook. Fast forward to 2018, when Facebook has more than 65 million local business pages.
Businesses are getting rid of paper and opting for cloud storage instead. Small businesses are taking advantage of new tools and software to optimize best practices.
Larry Harvey, owner, and operator of Larry’s Tailor Shop, can relate.
“Technology has been a challenge for me,” he admitted. “Everything has become lightning fast in recent years. New technology is something you have to keep up with, along with maintaining customers and trying to stay relevant.”
Harvey recently started a Facebook page for his business, something he said he “wasn’t keen on.”
“I had a class at Wake Tech that showed me its importance,” Harvey said.
Harvey was in the first cohort of the Launch RALEIGH program, a collaborative community economic development initiative of which the Wake Technical Community College/Wells Fargo Center for Entrepreneurship is the training partner. He said the eight-week class reiterated the basics of building a business and helped him get up-to-date on “the multimedia aspects of promoting your business.”
Harvey will soon hire someone to handle the digital aspects of his business and manage his social media so he can focus on his “art form.”
While Harvey has seen technology as necessary but burdensome, small-business owner Tami Purdue has embraced it to ramp up her indoor urban farm, Sweet Peas Urban Gardens.
Sweet Peas Urban Gardens offers hydroponic microgreens grown from organic seeds in a custom CropBox.
Purdue grows hydroponic microgreens from organic seeds in her custom CropBox, a shipping container that has been technologically adapted for indoor urban agriculture.
“It has software that regulates temperature, monitors humidity, the pH in the water, and when to turn on lights and watering pumps,” Purdue explained.
Perdue has an app on her phone that can run everything in the CropBox remotely. She can grow 20 tons of “teeny, tiny veggies” annually – no small feat, especially given the size of the crops.
“When I first saw that I could monitor every aspect of the growing environment and track it from year to year and season to season, I loved it,” said Purdue, who has come a long way from monitoring soil in spreadsheets.
Another way technology is transforming indoor agriculture is with LED lights that help crops grow more efficiently. “These lights simulate the sun so precisely, they give the plants everything they need,” she said.
When investors took an interest in Purdue’s business, she turned to Wake Tech’s Small Business Center for help writing a compelling one-pager showcasing the value of her enterprise.
Brossman said technology is extremely important because it helps him maximize what he does best. And while it can be tempting to keep up with Joneses, he said, “we don’t have to have every new toy.”
“There are plenty of ways brick and mortar businesses can use new-age technology to their advantage, to monitor and manage their business on site,” he said. “Tools that help businesses understand their customers better are always a good thing to look into.”
If you’re an entrepreneur or small business owner looking to drive your business forward, the Wake Tech Small Business Center and the Wake Tech/Wells Fargo Center for Entrepreneurship can help, along with networking groups like the Business Alliance of North Carolina, and the many business-oriented meet-ups around the Triangle.
This article was written for our sponsor, Wake Technical Community College.
LAUNCH RALEIGH WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT WAKE TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP CROPBOX INNOVATOR PARTNER
Ikea’s Teaching You How to Use a Hydroponic Vertical Farm
Ikea’s Teaching You How to Use a Hydroponic Vertical Farm
IKEA‘s innovation lab Space10 created a pop-up hydroponic vertical farm during this year’s London Design Festival. The space was created to showcase Space10’s Lokal project, where microgreens are grown indoors, locally and vertically, aims to provide a space-saving and sustainable way for people to grow their own food, as well as testing how Londoners felt about food grown hydroponically and, more importantly, whether they liked the taste of the microgreens.
Aeroponics Farm Near New London, Minnesota Will Produce Leafy Greens Year-Round
Aeroponics Farm Near New London, Minnesota Will Produce Leafy Greens Year-Round
By Carolyn Lange / Forum News Service | February 13, 2018
NEW LONDON, Minn. — What had been a large, empty pole barn on a farm in rural New London last year is now becoming a climate-controlled maze of computer-operated, high-powered lights and a water misting system housed on a dozen massive stainless steel frames.
By early spring, the building will be filled with lush, fresh lettuce and other leafy greens.
Grown without soil, pesticides or herbicides, the greens will taste "like a treat," said Kevin Ortenblad, who along with his wife, Julie, and daughter and son-in-law, Brian and Melody Dengler, are launching Lettuce Abound Farms LLC.
It will be the region's first large-scale, commercial indoor aeroponics growing system that will produce fresh greens year-round.
They intend to market the high-end produce to restaurants and other outlets, like food co-ops.
"Our goal is to be able to supply this part of the state with all of the leafy green products," Ortenblad said.
Because plants are grown in numerous trays that are stacked vertically in rows that are 8 feet high and 32 feet long, the growing capacity of the building is the equivalent of 180 acres of cropland, Ortenblad said.
Fed with a nutrient-rich mist that's continually sprayed on the roots by a trolley system that traverses back and forth along the rows, the aeroponics method will use about 5 percent of the water used in conventional farming, he said.
The science of farming
Ortenblad is no stranger to farming.
For more than 30 years he farmed in Priam, near Willmar, and found a niche market of selling organic soybeans to Japan.
The family then moved to Colorado, where he and his wife were involved with Christian ministries. They moved back to Minnesota a year ago to be closer to family and began looking for a business venture.
That's when they heard about a Faribault company, called Living Greens Farm, that developed the technology to grow aeroponic greens on a commercial level.
"I thought, 'I can do that,'" said Ortenblad, 62, who confesses the learning curve has been steep, especially when it comes to the computer programming of the automated systems.
Ortenblad and Dengler worked at the Faribault facility for six weeks learning the ropes.
"They shared a lot of secrets with us," said Ortenblad, adding that they have a "sister farm" relationship with Living Greens Farm.
"They've been very helpful," he said of the crew at Living Greens, which includes New London-Spicer graduate Dana Anderson, who is president and chairman of the Faribault company.
After purchasing the equipment and patented technology from Living Greens Farm, Ortenblad and Dengler began assembling the system at their farm in New London.
"It's been an enormous amount of work," Ortenblad said.
The investment of up-front time and money has been more than what he had initially expected, but Ortenblad said the complex system is nearly complete and seeds will be planted this month.
When seedlings are moved from the nursery into the vertical trays, they will be anchored with a product called "rock wool" but the roots will dangle in the air and be spritzed with a mist every five or six minutes.
Computers programmed with exactly what nutritional balance plants need at each phase of the growing season will spoon feed liquid fertilizer, micronutrients, macronutrients and filtered water into tubes and sprayers that will glide along on tracks to steadily mist the roots of the plants.
Any excess water that drips down will be returned to the tanks in the closed-loop system.
"This is not farming. This is science," Ortenblad said. "This is science and computer automation is what this is, with farming a cool side part of it."
With a constant temperature of 70-72 degrees and humidity of 60-65 percent, he said farming indoors will have its advantages.
"No hail, no dust, no wind, no cold," he said. "That's the environment I'll get to farm in."
There is about four pounds of pressure in the building, which will help prevent dust and bugs from entering the environment, he said. If aphids do enter, beetles will be released to eat them.
Fans will be used to replicate air flow to help strengthen plants and the system also includes 126,000 watts of light bulbs that will replace the sunshine.
"The power company is going to be our best friend," Ortenblad said.
To augment the science, Ortenblad said he intends to play Christian music in the indoor garden to help inspire the plants to grow. He also said there are hundreds of handwritten Bible verses inside the walls in a nod to the family's core values for their new business.
Year-round greens
The variety of greens that will be grown at Lettuce Abound Farms, like oak leaf lettuce, arugula, and butter lettuce, will be harvested about four weeks after germination.
Microgreens — young, tender plants with intense flavor — will be harvested about two weeks after germination.
Because they are herbicide- and pesticide-free, Ortenblad said the greens don't need to be washed before being put on the table, which he said also extends their shelf life.
"I've never tasted lettuce as good as what Living Greens gave us and what we will be growing," he said.
Ortenblad said he hopes others will also appreciate the flavor and having year-round, locally grown produce raised without pesticides or herbicides.
The cost of the fresh greens will likely be more than typical grocery store prices, but Ortenblad said it will be worth it.
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Business, Agriculture, Agriculture, Aeroponics, Minnesota, leafy greens, New London
TriBeCa's Hydroponic Wonderland of Herbs and Spices, Farm.One
There's one window into TriBeCa's Farm.One, a series of hydroponic vertical gardens producing greens for some of NYC's best restaurants.
TriBeCa's Hydroponic Wonderland of Herbs and Spices, Farm.One
There's one window into TriBeCa's Farm.One, a series of hydroponic vertical gardens producing greens for some of NYC's best restaurants. That window, however, faces into the building and walking by it gives reason to pause. There, just beyond the glass, is tier upon tier of rolling racks with rare herbs and spices and even edible flowers. There's no natural light, only the power of regulated LEDs. Several water-based nutrient systems cycle through—moderated by about five of the 11 or so employees at the company. Ultimately, it's a pesticide-free destination focusing on about 100 ingredients at a time, all of which have unexpectedly pronounced flavors.
"Pretty much everything here starts from seed," Robert Laing, the founder and CEO of Farm.One explains to CH. "Though, sometimes we will bring in a cutting from outside," he adds. Laing's catalog spans from the obscure to the necessary, including everything from tangerine gem marigolds to nepitella, an herb from Tuscany that delivers an odor of mint and oregano. Both are pungent. "We like to grow things that are small and delicate but have a really powerful impact. They are not just on a plate for appearance. They carry tremendous flavor," he says. Walking through the racks reveals so much: micro arugula, red Russian kale, green sorrel, Miz America, mint flowers and even blue spice basil. If you haven't heard of some of these, that's entirely understandable. Farm.One takes requests from chefs. Some of the most acclaimed establishments, Ai Fiori and Jungsik included, reach out in search of not only specific greens but even shapes and sizes.
"Chefs tell us exactly what they want. It's grown to order for their recipes. We even know the leaf size the chef wants so we work backward from that," Laing explains. "We developed a software to have that in the growing recipe. It guides where the plant batches go in the system." And while this maximizes space, much of their space and resource has been used for experimentation. "We always try to grow new stuff. A year and a half ago we were growing 20 products. Now we've grown close to 600. It becomes this nice library of flavor," he notes. It's clearly also a catalog of experience and knowledge.
Touring the garden with Laing, one is quick to observe a few unexpected elements. Some burgeoning plants extends from brown clumps. "That's coconut husk that's been recycled and turned into plant plugs," Laing explains. They also plant into sun treated stone that's been spun like cotton candy. It's also a reusable planter. "Everything we use can either be composted or reused. We have a zero waste approach here. It's the same with our packaging. Chefs either give their packaging back to us, or reuse it." There are also bugs flitting about. "We control the negative bugs by bringing in populations of other bugs," he continues. "The most visible are the lady bugs. Those will eat aphids, for instance. Then we've got other much smaller ones, hatching in sacks and emerging to eat insects." One of those is a type of parasitic wasp. While it sounds dramatic, they're quite tiny and really only tear the insides out of aphids and spider mites.
"We do not use any pesticides at all and while that's great for the people eating them, it's also great for us working here," says Laing. This means that anyone can pick absolutely anything off of a plant and it's ready to eat. As for how they grow and fertilize, "We don't use chemicals," he begins. "We used plant-based fertilizers, biodigestive materials and fish waste. There's some bat poo, too." This means that the environment is an ecosystem that must be maintained in order for bacteria and beneficial fungi to thrive. Their care must be modified constantly. It's more than just flipping on the app-controlled fanning system.
Laing says one plant brought him into this business: papalo. He tried some at the farmer's market in Santa Monica. "I was like, 'Wow, you can only get this at a certain time in California.' I starting thinking about how anyone could get it in New York in the middle of winter. it spurred me on this quest." His interest in hydroponics was countered by a reduction in LED costs. In 2016 Laing opened a small prototype farm inside of NYC's Institute of Culinary Education. Clients flocked to him. Fundraising brought in an opportunity for expansion and product development. The months-old TriBeCa space marked a materialization of dreams.
The team at Farm.One delivers to clients every weekday. They do so by bike or subway, without the use of cold storage. This means they can grow varieties of herbs and spices that have a lot of upfront flavor, rather than modified version that need to be hearty for transport and consumption later. Freshness is a result, because everything is harvested and delivered within a couple hours. As Laing concludes, "it's farm to table to the extreme." He's got expansion plans, as well—and not just for high end herbs but for more accessible vegetables in underused urban spaces.
There are a few opportunities to enter. First, there's a three hour class ($130). Here one learns about hydroponics, LEDs and indoor farming. Second, there's a 55-minute sensory farm tour ($50) where guests taste dozen of herbs—many of which are likely to be unfamiliar. It comes with a glass of prosecco and ends with a bang (well, an "electric button"). Anyone can also shop for produce. Farm.One is located at 77 Worth Street, TriBeCa.
Hero image courtesy of Farm.One, all other images by Cool Hunting
Farmwall® Is First To Launch Innovative Vertical Farming In Two Iconic Melbourne Venues.
Farmwall® Is First To Launch Innovative Vertical Farming In Two Iconic Melbourne Venues.
MELBOURNE, 21 February 2018
Farmwall is the new Melbourne-based startup that is building vertical, edible farms that will live and grow inside some of the city’s most iconic cafes and restaurants. The team just installed the first two Farmwalls into two of Nathan Toleman’s award-winning cafes—Higher Ground on Little Bourke Street and Top Paddock in Richmond.
Founded by Geert Hendrix and Serena Lee, Farmwall is looking to demonstrate how we can live more in line with nature while enjoying a unique dining experience. Supported by Katie Parker, David Saunders, Matthew Manning, John Servinis, Aiden Colla, Thomas Paterson and Vaughan Elis—the team covers a wide range of skills including industrial design, sustainable architecture, software development, engineering and urban farming. While the team is diverse in skills, they have one thing in common—passion for sustainable food production.
“Cafes spend a fortune on herbs, which often come in plastic packets. We thought we could firstly save money and secondly save waste.” —Nathan Toleman, owner of Higher Ground and Top Paddock
Grappling with infinite population growth and finite farming land, awareness around sustainable food practices can be found in urban farming, a growing trend across major cities all over the world. Farmwalls demonstrate a natural approach to growing fresh produce, providing a unique dining experience patrons won’t forget. In the size a bookshelf, these vertical farms provide a consistent supply of herbs and microgreens, at the fingertips of the chef. By growing to produce on-site, Farmwalls reduce packaging waste and high food miles while delivering quality, freshness, and variety in Melbourne’s world-renowned hospitality scene.
The small-scale farms use aquaponic principles—meaning a beautifully designed fish tank recirculates nutrient-rich water to each layer, creating a closed loop natural ecosystem. Urban farmers make weekly visits with new trays of sprouted seeds, allowing them to finish their growth cycle inside the Farmwall, on display to the patrons as well as the chefs.
To bring sustainable food production even closer, Farmwall is building an urban farm just
8 kms North East of the Melbourne’s CBD—welcoming visits from restaurateurs to test and trial produce. Farmwall aims to use chefs as mediators and food as the communication tool, to inspire a city to “stop eating our planet, and start feeding it.”
For further press information contact Serena Lee
0412 271 833 media@farmwall.com.au
Facts About The Microgreens Grow System
The microgreens grow system utilizing complete bio-hydroponic nutrients, plant-based growing media, and virtually no pest control (10-day growth cycles eliminate most pest problems).
Facts About The Microgreens Grow System
February 20, 2018
How’d you like to learn facts about microgreens grow system built out of plastic and metal, it runs on a couple of small water pumps and a timer.
The microgreens grow system utilizing complete bio-hydroponic nutrients, plant-based growing media, and virtually no pest control (10-day growth cycles eliminate most pest problems). The system is comprised of PVC grow ‘channels’ arranged on the steel frame or ‘rack’. Each shelf is four or five channels wide by eight channels high. This vertical, stacked system makes the most efficient use of your indoor space, increasing your production capacity over traditional microgreens, growers using soil-filled trays on benches.
Microgreens are grown on a plant-based mat to hold the seeds in place and keep them from washing away before they germinate. Made of all natural untreated materials, the mat is placed inside the channel, acting as a root anchor for the plants while distributing the nutrient solution evenly to the plants and retaining the moisture between feeding cycles.
The feeding is accomplished through a plumbing system of feed lines and PVC running from the nutrient tank up to each channel to the microgreens. Microvalves(4) are located on each channel so that flow can be adjusted and feeding can be adjusted at the front of each channel. The nutrient solution drains via gravity from the top feed end of the channel down to the bottom drain end of the channel, then is recirculated back to the nutrient tank, creating a closed system. This reduces waste and keeps the environment unadulterated from runoff. The nutrient tank is emptied 4 times a year for cleaning and remixing fresh nutrients. The nutrient levels are maintained by the grower between cleanings by adding water, nutrient and pH adjustment materials to the tank as needed. More details on this process are going to be discussed in a later post.
Traditional microgreens growers using soil-filled trays harvest their crops by hand using scissors to manually cut a handful at a time. They then place the harvested greens into a tub, rinse away the excess dirt or other grow media (perlite or peat), and finally dry the microgreens. This method is incredibly laborious.
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Need For Modern Technology Use In Agriculture Stressed
Use of modern techniques and technologies in Agriculture is the need of the hour which carries equal significance for both the businessmen and the men of science and technology.
Need For Modern Technology Use In Agriculture Stressed
Rukhshan Mir (@rukhshanmirpk) February 14, 2018
Use of modern techniques and technologies in Agriculture is the need of the hour which carries equal significance for both the businessmen and the men of science and technology
LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News
Use of modern techniques and technologies in Agriculture is the need of the hour which carries equal significance for both the businessmen and the men of science and technology.
It was the upshot of the speeches delivered at a seminar on 'High-Value Agriculture' held here at Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry on Wednesday. The LCCI President Malik Tahir Javaid, Ceo Yuksel Seeds, Turkey Yaqub Yuksel, Convener LCCI Standing Committee on Mechanized & High Value Agriculture Mian Shafqat Ali, Ex-vice Chancellor Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi Dr Rai Niaz Ahmed, Dr Khawaja Asif, Mian Shaukat Ali, Faisal Iqbal Sheikh and Naeem Hanif also spoke on the occasion.
The experts said that there was a dire need for reforms in the agriculture sector and addition in the cropped area as a country could not afford to stay where it was today in terms of cropped areas and per hectare yield, because it was already running well short of per capita food availability.
They said that yield gap in the four major crops of Pakistan was three times from the best producers in the world such as China and Egypt.
They said that low yield had contributed to the poverty in rural areas besides forcing the country to import agriculture produces to feed its population.
Malik Tahir Javaid said the agriculture sector of Pakistan continued to be the single largest and dominant driving force for growth which contributed almost 19.5 percent in Gross Domestic Product.
It was the main source of livelihood for 42.3 percent of total labour force despite the fact that agriculture mechanization in Pakistan was very limited. He said that area under cultivation for important crops accounted for 23.85 percent of the value added in overall agriculture.
Wheat accounted for 9.6 percent of the total value added in agriculture and cotton production was 10.67 million bales. For the sake of increasing the share of agriculture sector in GDP, the existing area of cultivation had to be increased on war-footing.
Malik Tahir Javaid said that due to lack of technology usage in the agriculture sector, we face the problem of crops yields gaps. The average yields production in the agriculture sector of Pakistan was far below the level of those countries that used the technology in their agriculture sector, he said, citing that level of yields of different crops was 50 to 83 percent lower than the average of other countries of the world.
He said the prospects of Pakistan's economic prosperity heavily depended on the performance of agriculture sector. It had to be evaluated that government was giving subsidy to farmers at various stages of purchasing fertilizers, pesticides, seeds as well as selling their output at support prices but still this sector had not succeeded in enhancing the level of productivity.
He said that in the present scenario of water scarcity, the sustainable food security of Pakistan had to be ensured by way of adopting new techniques. "There are many developing countries like Pakistan which are encouraging corporate farming and in parallel to that, they are fostering high-value agriculture that includes vertical farming, hydroponics farming, aquaponics farming and arctic farming etc.
If government helps the farmers in acquiring these technologies at affordable prices then it is highly likely that new employment opportunities will be created and the productivity will also increase." Mian Shaukat Ali said that Chamber of Commerce and Industry played an important role to promote agriculture sector of any country.
All Chambers of Commerce and industry of Pakistan should pay attention to agriculture so that they could highly contribute to the development of this sector. He said that another problem of the agricultural sector was lack of agricultural graduates or their non-seriousness towards agricultural developments, adding that had they worked for the development of this sector seriously it would be beneficial for the country.
For New Breed of Local Farmers, The Sky’s The Limit
For New Breed of Local Farmers, The Sky’s The Limit
Lettuce (left) and tomatoes (right) being farmed at Meod's one-hectare plot at the D’Kranji Farm Resort. The four-year-old firm snapped up a 6ha plot last week in the AVA’s first tender that featured a fixed price upfront, for companies to compete solely on the concept. Photos: Meod
17 FEBRUARY, 2018
SINGAPORE — In less than two years, green shoots sprouting from swathes of flat land may no longer be the image that best represents local vegetable farming.
If the proposals picked by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) in a recent tender are any indication, the future of farming will consist of mid-rise “apartment blocks” for vegetables, as well as towering rows of leafy greens in next-generation greenhouses.
The winning companies said they are raring to place Singapore on the map for urban farming.
Backed by public-listed company Edition, a four-year-old firm called Meod snapped up the biggest number of plots – three – last week in the AVA’s first tender that featured a fixed price upfront, for companies to compete solely on the concept.
The seven other successful tenderers each secured one plot in Lim Chu Kang.
With each plot spanning about two hectares, Meod’s three plots, which cost S$836,000, will significantly boost its existing operations, which started in January last year.
It currently farms on a one-hectare plot at the D’Kranji Farm Resort with an aim to produce about 500 to 550kg a day.
Fruiting vegetables like tomatoes and melons are planted there using trellis lines that allow farmers to string up crops and grow them to a maximum height of 4.5m. The method was inspired by practices in Israel and gleaned from Dutch consultants the firm engaged, said Meod director Jeremy Chua, 38.
In the new plots, Meod plans to grow only leafy greens using its proprietary hydroponics system, which features modular plant beds that can be stacked to heights of three to four metres.
Meod will also be making use of the data they have collected in its current farm – where they planted a mix of lettuce, Asian greens, herbs and Swiss chards – in a big way. Besides the temperature, humidity and light within the greenhouses, the company tracked the growth of seedlings and crops using various methods, as well as the time needed for each plant to reach a certain weight and stage of growth.
Such a science-based approach provided “a solid base to work with our consultants for the six hectares, to design and build the greenhouse and growing structures that can cater specifically to our local and regional tropical climate”, said Mr Chua.
He expects the newly secured plots to be operational in 12 to 18 months’ time.
Asked about its relative lack of large-scale farming experience, Mr Chua said: “We do have a team of consultants, both local and abroad to help with the size and scale. Two of our partners had also been heavily involved in the urban farming movement in Singapore since 2011 and 2012.”
Mr Chua said Meod hopes to write the chapter in Singapore’s farming story and “scale (the technology) beyond Singapore, specifically into South-east Asia”.
“We have to look at how to implement large and tangible improvements in harvest and yield with the help of technology, while still keeping costs realistic in the regional context,” he said.
NO SUN, NO PROBLEM
At least two of the successful tenderers are taking their farming indoors, growing crops on tiered racks with light emitting diodes (LEDs) replacing sunlight.
Sunpower Grand Holdings was set up by Taiwanese academic Wu Yu-Chien.
Dr. Wu holds a patent in LED technology that allows brightness to be adjusted with a computer, without the use of bulky magnetic components like transformers and inductors.
Partnering Ms. Jean Ee, a Johor-based former banker, Dr Wu will be rolling out his invention for growing hydroponics fruits and vegetables in a real farm setting for the first time.
The technology will enable vegetables like kailan and xiao bai cai, which typically require 45 days to grow, to be harvested in 15 days, said Ms. Ee, 45.
The yield from their three planned buildings is expected to be 900 tonnes a year. One building will hold up to 15 tiers of plants.
“If you leave it to nature, sometimes the weather varies,” said Ms Ee, whose mother is a traditional caixin and herb farmer in Johor.
She and Dr. Wu also intend to build an education centre on their premises.
Another company, Farm deLight, will use its two-hectare plot to expand its 600sqm operation in Boon Lay.
It currently farms herbs and microgreens using red and blue LED lights, while smart controls regulate air-conditioning and the amount of carbon dioxide.
It intends to farm “common leafy greens” like xiao bai cai and kale going forward.
Meanwhile, Cameron Highlands farm operator Vegeasia has joined hands with beansprout farmer Tan Teck Tiang, 51, to set up an outdoor hydroponics system that uses PVC panels, as well as pumps and pipes to supply the crops with nutrients and water.
Vegeasia currently uses the technology in Malaysia, where it has more than 100 hectares of farmland that yields 40 to 50 tonnes of vegetables such as lettuce, caixin, kailan, and tomatoes a day.
Mr. Tan said the S$1 million partnership aims to bring Vegeasia’s “tried, tested and proven” technology to the Republic.
“We (will) save a lot on trial and error,” said Mr. Tan, who has about 15 years’ experience at his uncle’s company, Chiam Joo Seng Towgay Growers. The latter supplies about four tonnes of bean sprouts a day to supermarkets here.
The AVA has high hopes for the eight companies. “We look forward to the contributions of these companies in transforming the local farming sector into one that is productive, innovative and sustainable,” Mr. Melvin Chow, its group director of food supply resilience, said last week.
Its tender launched last August attracted 28 parties.
Among the unsuccessful tenderers was veteran farmer Wong Kok Fah, 56, who wanted to secure more land for high-tech farming “for my next generation” – his nephew Dave Huang, 33.
Mr Wong’s Kok Fah Technology Farm currently operates seven plots spanning nine hectares in Sungei Tengah.
The plots’ leases are renewed on a three-year basis and he produces about 100 tonnes of leafy vegetables like bayam (a variety of spinach), kailan and xiao bai cai monthly through a mix of soil cultivation and hydroponics.
Mr Huang, who joined the business straight out of university, said the unsuccessful attempt is not the end of the road.
It will give him “more time to perfect the system” before the next tender, he declared.
Colorado Offers Incentives For I-25 Pedestrian Bridge, Indoor Farm Proposals
Colorado Economic Development Commission members (L to R) Tara Marshall, Denise Brown and Tom Clark listen Thursday to a presentation on a company seeking incentives to grow in the state.
Colorado Offers Incentives For I-25 Pedestrian Bridge, Indoor Farm Proposals
By Ed Sealover – Reporter, Denver Business Journal
Feb 15, 2018
The Colorado Economic Development Commission on Thursday offered job growth incentive money to a large firm proposing to build a pedestrian bridge across Interstate 25 and another newer business that reported just $300,000 in revenue last year but $185 million cash on hand.
The joint offerings — part of a trio of decisions made by the EDC that involved a combined $8.6 million in incentives aimed at bringing 1,498 new positions to the Denver and Boulder areas — demonstrated an increased willingness to bet on new technologies and companies. EDC members also agreed to give $104,215 to a new documentary film being shot by former Colorado Public Radio arts reporter Corey Jones.
The biggest deal of the three offered Thursday involves an unnamed publicly traded provider of information technology products calling itself “Project 5760” — most proposals get pseudonyms as they are being considered — that is looking to add some 1,300 workers to an existing facility in Arapahoe County.
Those jobs would add to 1,500 employees the company already has in Colorado as part of its 18,000-person global workforce and would pay an average of $79,150 annually, said Rebecca Gillis, a global business manager for the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade.
In addition to growing its local worker base substantially, the company said it would construct a $10 million pedestrian bridge across I-25 near Dry Creek Road to allow its workers to park and cross the highway. EDC member Tom Clark, the former executive director of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp., said such an offer by a company was “extraordinary.”
Still, EDC members Tara Marshall and Denise Brown balked at the proposed offering of $4.55 million in strategic-fund money to the company. The two said the total represents most of the $5 million OEDIT receives annually from the Colorado Legislature for that specific fund and would mean that the office would have to curtail its pipeline of other opportunities.
Marshall’s counter-proposal to offer just $3.25 million instead — a figure representing $2,500 per job — was rejected by the commission. Instead, the commission OK'd the $4.55 million in incentives after company officials at the meeting hinted that any reduction in funding likely would mean they would expand instead in Nevada.
“This company has been a strong job creator in the past,” argued Sam Bailey, vice president of the Metro Denver EDC. “This is a highly competitive project, and the competing state is highly skilled competition with the resources to secure a project like this.”
The commission was unanimous in offering $1.02 million in job-growth incentive tax credits to a five-year-old agricultural technology company headquartered in San Francisco company behind “Project Peach.” The unidentified company is looking to build its first full-scale indoor farm where it would harvest food year-round largely for the local market and would hire 43 people at an average annual wage of $84,167.
It did not identify where along the Front Range it would locate the facility, as it continues to scout several possible locations, but acknowledged that the Denver area is competing with the Chicago and Atlanta areas.
Commission members stumbled over the fact that the nascent company reported just $300,000 in revenues last year, far less than would be needed normally to secure such a big incentive from the state. But it has a significant amount of deep-pocketed investors and has raised $185 million in private-equity funding already, calming any fears about the state’s investment.
The commission adding a caveat that OEDIT leaders must be allowed to see the company’s full financial statements in the near future.
“If they had a limited amount of cash in the bank, we would not bring this to you with the financials the way they are,” said Jeff Kraft, OEDIT director of business planning and incentives.
Commissioners also unanimously approved the offering of as much as $3.04 million in job-growth incentive tax credits for “Project Destiny,” a publicly traded company headquartered in Louisville that offers a global video subscription service and wants to launch an in-house film studio to generate original content.
The company, which now has 122 workers in Colorado, would hire 155 more at an average annual wage of $101,903 and also is looking at Arizona and Florida as possible locations for the studio, Gillis said.
Searching For Profits With Fish, Vegetables And A Greenhouse
Searching For Profits With Fish, Vegetables And A Greenhouse
- BARRY ADAMS badams@madison.com
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- February 18, 2018 | 5 min to read
Mike Knight, co-founder of Clean Fresh Food near Paoli shows off some of the nearly full-grown lettuce grown in his greenhouse that is part of an aquaponics system located on a former dairy farm. The system, which holds 55,000 gallons of heated well water, uses the waste from tilapia, growing in an adjacent building, to fertilize the crops in the greenhouse. Knight, who founded and later sold Third Wave Research Group and now owns Customer Analytics, is working with his wife, Dagny, and a small staff to determine the best way to profitably grow leafy greens and microgreens year round.
STEVE APPS, STATE JOURNAL
Town of Primrose, Wisconsin — The farmland along Sun Valley Parkway east of Paoli is still fertile soil for corn, soybeans, alfalfa and other traditional crops.
But a 120-acre farm established in the 1800s along a rail line that is now the Badger State Trail is trying to make a year-round business out of lettuce, herbs and micro greens, thanks to a greenhouse, tanks of tilapia and the entrepreneurial drive of its owners and small staff.
Clean Fresh Foods is the creation of Mike and Dagny Knight, who are skipping the dirt. Instead, their aquaponics farm uses tanks and troughs of well water in an attempt to reach profitability, capitalize on the local food movement and provide fresh greens to restaurants, grocery stores and institutions, even when their Dane County property is smothered in February snow.
Jo-Ann O'Brien-Schorr, a former nurse who lives near Farm Fresh Foods in the town of Primrose, transfers young lettuce plants to a raft that will float in a trough of water fertilized by the waste of tilapia. The farm harvests about 12,000 head of lettuce a month, which is sold to grocery stores and restaurants.
STEVE APPS, STATE JOURNAL
“I think we’re just on the edge of profitability,” said Dagny Knight, a former nurse. “If we can figure out this micro greens piece and get into the farmers market niche, that would be a good step in the right direction. We’re just so close to breaking through that profitability mark.”
Aquaponics is a combination of hydroponics and aquaculture in which fish waste from the aquaculture system is broken down by bacteria into dissolved nutrients that is then fed into a hydroponics system to grow vegetables or other plants. The nutrient removal improves water quality for the fish but also decreases overall water consumption by limiting the amount released as effluent, according to a 2017 report by D. Allen Porttillo, an extension and outreach fisheries specialist at Iowa State University.
Like hydroponics, aquaponics systems require less land and water than conventional crop production methods, increase growth rates and allow for year- round production.
Aquaponics is a combination of hydroponics and aquaculture in which fish waste from the aquaculture system is broken down by bacteria into dissolved nutrients that is then fed into a hydroponics system to grow vegetables or other plants. The nutrient removal improves water quality for the fish but also decreases overall water consumption by limiting the amount released as effluent.
STEVE APPS, STATE JOURNAL
Aquaponics farms across Wisconsin
Aquaponics farms are dotted throughout the state. They include Lake Orchard Farm Aquaponics near Sheboygan, which harvests 1,100 heads of lettuce a week and also sells tilapia. Floating Gardens Aquaponics near the La Crosse County community of Mindoro opened in 2017 and sells lettuce, kale, basil, chive, lavender, cilantro and other greens to grocery stores and other retailers in western Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota.
In nearby Jackson County, Superior Fresh has one of the largest aquaponics systems in the world. The massive facility in Northfield, just south of the intersection of Interstate 94 and Highway 121, has a 1.3 million-gallon system, a 123,000-square-foot greenhouse designed to produce 1.8 million pounds of leafy greens annually and a 40,000-square-foot fish house that is home to thousands of Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout.
Clean Fresh Food near Paoli isn't a fish farm but needs fish, like this tilapia, to grow vegetables in the adjacent greenhouse. The tilapia are raised in 1,200-gallon tanks, and the nutrient-rich water from the tanks is circulated into troughs where vegetables are grown year-round.
STEVE APPS, STATE JOURNAL
The first commercial aquaponics farm in the state opened in 2009 near North Freedom in Sauk County.
Donna Meunier has a 9,000-square-foot greenhouse that is fed by 10 1,200-gallon tanks brimming with tilapia. Her KP Simply Fresh facility grows 15 to 20 varieties of lettuce for area nursing homes and hospitals and, over the past few years, she’s been experimenting with growing cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, kale and radishes.
She battles aphids from nearby alfalfa fields, has lost crops due to cold and early on had to replace her copper pipes leading from the well with PVC because copper is toxic to fish.
“We’ve expanded twice to meet the needs of what people are asking for,” said Meunier, who for years had run with her husband one of the largest amusement game companies in the state. “I know we will get to the point were we will make a consistent profit each month, but we’re just not there yet. This entire business is very expensive. I know of several people who have gone into it and are now out of it because it’s too much work.”
‘Entrepreneurial ADD’
The Knights are well aware of the challenges but are determined to find the right system and business model.
They purchased the farm in 2011 and a year later started construction on their $250,000 aquaponics operation, which includes a 7,200-square-foot greenhouse and 2,700-square-foot fish building. They began growing fish in four 50-gallon tanks in an old milk house in October 2012, harvested their first vegetables in summer 2013 and harvested their first fish around Thanksgiving of that year, Dagny Knight said.
Mike Knight holds the root and a grow-plug made of rock wool from a recently harvested lettuce plant that was grown on a floating raft.
STEVE APPS, STATE JOURNAL
The farm now produces about 12,000 head of lettuce a month. But other crops like mustard and carrot greens, basil and arugula are also being grown in the system that uses six troughs, each 8 feet wide, 100 feet long and about a foot deep, each with 100 floating Styrofoam mats.
The water in the 55,000-gallon system is fertilized naturally by the tilapia who swim in 12 1,200-gallon plastic tanks in a building adjacent to the greenhouse. The water, the vast majority of which is recycled through the system, comes from the well and is warmed with an outdoor furnace that in 2017 went through 40 cords of wood harvested from the farm.
“This is the result of entrepreneurial ADD,” Mike Knight said. “I didn’t grow up on a farm. I grew up on military bases. My whole thing is trying to make this sustainable on its own. If we can do this in this climate, growing these fresh green vegetables, what’s it mean to remote locations around the world and further northern climates?”
Knight, 62, who grew up in Utah and is a graduate of Utah State, has a drive for entrepreneurial ventures and has a deep business background. He is the former director of the Applied Population Lab at UW-Madison and in 1993 founded Third Wave Research Group, a company that provides insights from customers for other businesses, customer-based marketing strategies and behavior-based marketing services. He sold the company in 2010 and now heads Customer Analytics, a company with 365 employees that provides data-mining services for non-health care companies looking to expand their business.
Zak Buell plants arugula, a micro green that could help turn a better profit for Clean Fresh Food, an aquaponics farm in southwestern Dane County.
STEVE APPS STATE JOURNAL
Lettuce, micro greens sold in Madison
The lettuce and micro greens grown at Clean Fresh Foods are sold to the two Metcalfe’s Markets in Madison, restaurants at Memorial Union and the business school at UW-Madison and to the Downtown Madison restaurants Lucille and Merchant. The tilapia, prolific at fish counters and one of the most consumed foods in the world, are not part of the business plan and are periodically harvested and either composted or given away to family and friends every 12 to 18 months.
But the Knights, who have received guidance from UW-Stevens Point and Roth Fresh Farms in Boscobel, a company that uses tilapia to grow lettuce, micro greens, and edible flowers, may switch to bluegill. The beloved panfish would still provide the needed fertilizer but could be more marketable to Wisconsin restaurants known for their fish fries and customers with an appetite for the sweet-tasting fish.
Mike Knight explains his tank farm that hold hundreds of tilapia. The fish are given away to family and friends once they are mature since their is little profit in selling the fish. But Knight is considering switching to blue gill, which could be more desirable for area restuarants, grocery stores and fish markets.
STEVE APPS STATE JOURNAL
The Knights are also looking at ways to increase profits with the vegetables, which could mean focusing more on herbs and microgreens, which could bring in higher prices and generate more revenue. Each 2-foot-by-4-foot floating raft can grow about $45 worth of lettuce but about $56 worth of microgreens. They also want to grow food without government subsidies, are considering adding more troughs and would like to partner with a company to create a brand of herbs. They also want to explore dedicating some troughs to specific businesses that could customize their crops.
“I’m not sure what the exact model is, but I know it’s not just delivering lettuce to restaurants,” Mike Knight said. “At some point, we’re going to go back to more of a regional model. We’ve already done it with beer and whiskey. Just look at all the distillers and breweries. I think it’s the right trend.”
Growtainers Expands With Central Market, Looks to New Crops
For just about a year now, Central Market in Dallas has tested out offering produce that was grown on-site in a Growtainer. Evidently, that partnership has gone so well that Central Market is making the relationship more permanent and expanding it with the addition of another Growtainer.
Growtainers Expands With Central Market, Looks to New Crops
By Chris Albrecht | The Spoon
February 17, 2018
For just about a year now, Central Market in Dallas has tested out offering produce that was grown on-site in a Growtainer. Evidently, that partnership has gone so well that Central Market is making the relationship more permanent and expanding it with the addition of another Growtainer.
Growtainers are modified shipping containers that provide a food-safe indoor growing environment. Each one contains a vertical rack system for holding crops, crop-specific LED lighting fixtures, and a proprietary irrigation system. Growtainers come in 40, 45 and 53-foot sizes and are customized for each customer, costing anywhere from $75,000 – $125,000 a piece. The amount a Growtainer can produce depends on the crop.
The Growtainer at Central Market offers leafy greens and herbs grown on-site in a 53-foot container. While he couldn’t provide specific numbers, Growtainer Founder and President Glenn Behrman told me by phone that “demand outpaces supply” for the market’s store-grown produce. “We’ve proven the concept,” he said.
Central Market expanding its relationship with Growtainer helps push the idea of produce grown on-site more into the mainstream. Other players in this sector include Inafarm, which has been installing indoor vertical farming systems at food wholesalers in Berlin. And here at home, indoor farming startup Plenty raised $200 million last year from investors including Jeff Bezos (who happens to run Amazon, which owns Whole Foods).
As on-site farming technology improves and gets cheaper and easier to use, it’s not hard to imagine more stores opting to grow their own fresh produce in-house instead of having it transported across the country.
Behrman says that there are Growtainers all over the world for a variety of agricultural and pharmaceutical customers. He built two Growtainers for the Community Foodbank of Eastern Oklahoma so they could grow their own produce, and he’s talked with both the military and the United Nations about installing Growatiners for them in more remote (and volatile) areas.
One group Behrman hasn’t chatted with is venture capitalists. He laughed when I asked him about funding. “We have no investors, and we’re profitable,” said Behrman. But in the next breath, he said he realizes that his current go-it-alone approach won’t scale. “I think once this Central Market project expands and becomes more mainstream, I will have to look for some funding.”
Until that time, Behrman wants to have Growtainers produce more high value crops. “Lettuce and leafy greens are not that challenging,” he said. Behrman, who’s been in horticulture since 1971, believes Growtainers could be excellent for growing exotic mushrooms that have short shelf lives, or fungi that historically could only grow in particular seasons.
Perhaps after another year or so you’ll see truffles and porcinis grown on-site and offered at Central Market (and elsewhere).