Controlled Environment Agriculture Open Data (CEAOD) Project

Date: August 4, 2020
Time: 2 p.m. - 3 p.m. EDT
Presented by: Erico Mattos, GLASE Director, and Kenneth Tran, Koidra

Click Here to Register

Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) is a data-driven scientific discipline. In CEA operations all the environmental parameters are monitored and controlled to provide optimal conditions for crop growth. Recent technological advancements made the use of sensors and controls more accessible to CEA growers allowing them to precisely adjust these parameters.

The use of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence techniques could provide CEA researchers and commercial growers an opportunity to optimize crop production efficiency and unveil new methods to improve production yield. However, there is a lack of a centralized repository and a standard methodology for data sharing. 

Join GLASE Director Erico Mattos and Koidra CEO Kenneth Tran on this GLASE Webinar to learn about the Controlled Environment Agriculture Open Data (CEAOD) project. This initiative aims to promote data sharing to accelerate Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) research through the establishment of a free centralized platform for the CEA community. Researchers and commercial growers are welcome to join and learn more about it.

Kenneth Tran was part of the winning team at the first International Autonomous Greenhouse Challenge held at Wageningen University in 2018. The team defeated four other international teams, consisting of experts in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and horticulture. Erico Mattos is working with Cornell University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Researchers to develop a guideline for data collection and upload to the CEAOD project.

Indian Grower Capitalizes On Market Opportunities With AI

Sachin Darbarwar, Simply Fresh

Things are looking up for the greenhouse produce market in India. "We see an increase in demand in the Indian market, especially in many cities where we supply", says Sachin Darbarwar, founder of Simply Fresh. Last year, the grower invested $30 million in expanding the greenhouse operation, and that investment appears to be paying off.

"With more awareness on hydroponic farming and more emphasis on food safety, consumers today are selective in their buying and prefer produce, which is clean, safe, and traceable", Sachin tells us. "With the current global scenario and special focus on health and immunity, we only see this demand increasing in future."

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Sachin and Shweta Darbarwar, founders of Simply Fresh

Simply Fresh not only supplies its produce to the local market, however: "We have exported our produce to the UAE, and will shortly resume our exports to countries like the UK, USA, and South East Asia."

So they look across the border, and not just when it comes to exporting their produce. "Our greenhouse structure was designed and delivered to us by Cravo, a Canadian company that specializes in retractable greenhouses", Sachin tells us. They source their seeds from various domestic and international suppliers as well, like Rijk Zwaan. "Depending on crop type we reach out to different vendors to get the best variety of seeds to have high-quality produce for our consumers."

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Nutraceuticals
Under their nutraceutical vertical, Simply Fresh grows varieties of medicinal plants. "These have three times more alkaloid content than field grown plants, and serve as raw material for nutraceutical companies", Sachin explains. "The choice to grow these has been a successful move as we are able to provide medicinal plants which are traceable and with higher alkaloid content, which reduces the cost of extraction. Also, all our fresh produce and medicinal plants are safe, traceable and grown using sustainable farming techniques without any use of pesticides."

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It's been a bit of a pioneering project to grow those "non-traditional" greenhouse crops: "They are very challenging as globally there are not many growers who have grown this and can share best practices/knowledge on how to grow them and how they behave without soil", Sachin tells us.

Farm in A Box
Like any modern grower, Simply Fresh also makes use of AI, having implemented it in creating data points and making decisions on data points. "For example, we use AI in forecasting yield, predicting seeding charts, space utilisation, traceability, managing crop workflows and knowledge line."

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The Farm in A Box (FiAB) platform, developed by the grower, plays a central role in this strategy. "It helps us track everything from the very initial stage of sending, plant profiling, monitoring plant health and nutrient level requirement at each stage of the plant growth.

"We also use the same FiAB platform to plan and forecast the yield required for future and for our internal CRM management, to collect and process orders received from different vendors from various cities."

The company is constantly developing the platform, and in future FiAB may become available for other growers to use as well.

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That's not the only thing they have in store for the future: Simply Fresh will be further expanding, growing to 40 acres on their current site in Phase 2 of the expansion.

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For more information:
Simply Fresh
www.simplyfresh.co.in

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Publication date: Wed 22 Jul 2020
Author: Jan Jacob Mekes
© HortiDaily.com

BARBADOS: Future of Farming: Push For Aquaponics

From left: Member of Parliament for St Thomas and Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, Cynthia Forde; Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy, Kirk Humphrey; Daledrey Barrow receiving her Certificate of Completion in Aquaponics from Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Indar Weir. The first training of ten participants at the Aquaponics Demonstration Farm took place pre-COVID .

07/25/20

Barbados can boast of having its own Aquaponics Demonstration Farm at Adams Aquafarm in Hopewell, St. Thomas.

This has been made possible through the collaborative efforts of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy and The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

As part of the FAO’s Blue Revolution Project, Adams Aquafarm, owned by Kristina Adams, received funding and training to develop the demonstration farm.

The funding also supports the training of 30 entrepreneurs who are interested in developing an aquaponics small or medium-sized business in Barbados, as well as the training of ten schoolteachers. Aquaponics is the integration of land-based fish farming (aquaculture) and soil-less plant production (hydroponics) with the fish waste providing nutrients for the plants, while the bacteria and plants help to clean the water for the fish.

During the official launch yesterday, Adams said that the funding has allowed her to showcase a farming system that is 100% suited to Barbados while utilizing local supplies and advanced technology to grow local products.

“It is a great opportunity for farmers and young people who wish to move forward with an innovative and productive form of agriculture,” she expressed, also revealing that the farm currently produces tilapia, specialty lettuce, sweet peppers, tomatoes and a wide range of herbs.

Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy, Kirk Humphrey said that the project provides great benefits to the country as it supports new and innovative farming opportunities for small-scale and medium-sized businesses.

“In aquaponics, you have the opportunity to have multiple sources of income – your vegetables and fish. You can grow more in smaller spaces, so in a constituency like St. Michael South where I don’t have a lot of space, my people could have the opportunity to make multiple sources of income in a small space. And I understand that the products grow faster and they are organic and uses less energy,” he pointed out.

“Everything about this project excites me and everything about this project is transformative and it puts power back into the hands of ordinary people.”

Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Indar Weir said that he was impressed, and recalled that when he launched the Farmers’ Empowerment and Enfranchisement Drive (FEED) that he made it clear that many of the young farmers coming into agriculture would have an opportunity to get involved in aquaponics.

“I strongly believe that with the limited land resources that we have in Barbados it is important that we start to understand that the conversation in agriculture is changing. And so therefore when I see a project like this it demonstrates to me that people are out there doing things and not sitting waiting for them to happen.”

Member of Parliament for St Thomas and Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, Cynthia Forde said that she is extremely proud of what Adams has been able to accomplish.

“I am so proud to see that she has sought to do training. Sometimes we have our ideas and we hold on to them. And I want to say that there is nobody prouder than I am this morning to see a woman at the helm of this initiative. And we really need to let women in agriculture and other aspects of development get the exposure and the credit they deserve,” she stressed.

This Blue Revolution Project is part of a larger effort of FAO to support aquaculture development in the Caribbean. Under the project and the Climate Change Adaptation of the Eastern Caribbean Fisheries Sector Project (CC4FISH), FAO is funding demonstration farms across the Caribbean and continues to promote the adoption of aquaponics techniques and capacity building exercises in the region.

Regional Project Coordinator at FAO - CC4FISH, Iris Monnereau, further emphasized that the agriculture sector in the region needs to be more resilient, more innovative, and more diverse to attract youth and create employment.

“This was already very important before the challenges of COVID-19, but it is especially important now. We are therefore very happy that this project makes a tiny contribution in creating more resilient, diverse and innovative livelihoods in Barbados,” she expressed.(TL)

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Vertical Farms Fill a Tall Order by Emeritus Professor of Public Health and Microbiology at Columbia University, Dr Dickson Despommier

Indoor crops grown by high-tech methods are on the rise as the Covid-19 pandemic spurs interest in food security for cities. 

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Stacked trays of greens growing at the Newark, N.J., facility of AeroFarms.

PHOTO: BRYAN ANSELM FOR THE WALL STREET

By Dickson Despommier

July 25, 2020

The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted agricultural production and supply chains around the world. Farmers have often struggled to get their food to distant markets, and sharp shifts in demand have repeatedly forced them to dump crops. Avoiding such logistical problems is one of the chief advantages of vertical farms, a new approach to agriculture that aims to grow food closer to population centers.

Over the past 10 years, hundreds of such indoor farms have sprouted up around the globe, mostly in the larger cities of industrialized countries. They occupy multistory buildings in which crops are grown in water or in misted air instead of soil, with LED lights in place of sunlight, in a controlled and largely automated environment. 

Building more vertical farms in cities is especially timely because of the expected effects of the pandemic on urban office towers. Moody’s Analytics REIS now projects office vacancies to rise to 19.3% in the 82 largest metropolitan areas by the end of the year, up from 16.8% last year, and then to continue rising. In June, 82% of employers surveyed by market-research firm Gartner, Inc. said that they would allow employees to work from home permanently. Indoor farms can occupy some of the abandoned or underused office space created by these trends.

So far, vertical farms have mostly grown and sold leafy greens and herbs—the easiest food crops to grow indoors and to harvest year-round. They are competitive against conventional farms because their crops don’t have to travel far and are free of pesticides and other soil contaminants.

Strictly controlled conditions enable vertical farms to bypass the unpredictable variations of weather and soil. 

As demand rises, however, vertical farms are poised to add a number of other crops that can be grown effectively indoors. These include root vegetables (potatoes, radishes, carrots, celery), vine vegetables (green beans, tomatoes, peppers), and bush fruits (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries). Such an expansion could eventually result in a significant shift of agriculture to cities, where 60% of the world’s population now lives. 

Vertical farms are no longer some futuristic fantasy. Well-established, efficient hydroponic and aeroponic methods have been paired with newer technology such as high-performance LED grow lights. Artificial intelligence now often controls the instruments that automatically deliver nutrients and provide optimal lighting for each crop. 

The strictly controlled conditions inside vertical farms enable them to bypass the unpredictable variations of weather and soil and to exclude the heavy metals and other elements so common in traditional agriculture. Such control also allows endless experimentation to develop the best-tasting produce and most efficient ways of growing. And when pollination is required, bumblebees do the job quite nicely, just as they do outdoors. 

Creating and maintaining that environment takes big startup costs for technology and ongoing costs for energy. But the efficiency of such farms allows nearly 95% of indoor seedlings to be grown to maturity and harvested, according to Gene Giacomelli, professor of biosystems engineering at the University of Arizona. By contrast, the survival rate for outdoor crops, from planting to harvest, vary from 90% in good years to 70% or less in drought or flood years. The latter have been increasing because of climate change, with record-high temperatures often accompanied by extreme weather patterns. 

On multiple floors of a single building, layers of vertical fields can be harvested in phases to provide year-round crops. Since the farms are close to their target consumers, spoilage and damage from shipping are greatly reduced. Eventually, such farms could provide healthier produce options in under-served neighborhoods that have been described as “food deserts.” 

One of the largest and earliest commercial outfits, AeroFarms of Newark, N.J., was started by an agronomist in a defunct paintball arena in 2004. After several false starts, it flourished in 2014 with the help of $200 million in startup funding from the city and private firms. AeroFarms relocated to 70,000 square feet in Newark’s Ironbound district and won contracts with local restaurants, supermarkets and school lunch programs. It has since added larger facilities of 150,000 square feet in Danville, Va., and 90,000 in Abu Dhabi. The company supplements its 72 staff with local personnel trained to work in various phases of crop production. 

Infarm, founded in Israel in 2013 and now based in Berlin, operates differently, exporting its model directly to supermarkets. (I serve, without pay, on its science advisory board and as a paid advisory board member for another firm.) It provides in-store, automated hydroponic growing systems. Each store selects its own mix of greens and herbs, and consumers are encouraged to choose, taste, and harvest from a menu growing right in front of them. The original startup employed a retrofitted 1955 Airstream trailer as its mobile crop production vehicle. Now it employs more than 400 people in 40 countries, mostly in Europe. It sells through, among others, Kroger grocery stores on the West Coast and Marks and Spencer in London. 

There are many other vertical-farm startups backed by venture capital and expanding in Europe and the U.S., as well as on the Arabian peninsula, where they can provide an alternative to hot, arid conditions. But other firms have failed, or have canceled expansion plans, as they struggle to manage their costs and compete in local markets. And vertical farms aren’t likely to gain a competitive advantage over conventional farming when it comes to important commodities such as fruits grown in orchards or grains grown in vast fields. Both are possible to raise in vertical indoor settings, but so far, their yields are too low and seasonal to be economical. 

Would more food crops grown indoors in cities be a helpful trend in agriculture, or not? Join the conversation below.

The pandemic has sparked new demand for the industry. San Francisco-based vertical farm Plenty says that a significant increase in shipments has sped up its effort to diversify crops. The company has already experimented with strategies to add items such as tomatoes and strawberries.

Covid-19 has been a harbinger of longer-term problems in food security for our cities. One answer may come from growing more of our food just down the street.

—Dr. Despommier is emeritus professor of public health and microbiology at Columbia University and the author of “The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century.”

UAE - iFarm, Palm Co. Win 'The CovHack Virtual Innovation Challenge' on Circular Food Economy

(MENAFN - Emirates News Agency (WAM))

DUBAI, 21st July 2020

Innovate4Good, I4G, a purpose-driven sourcing, networking, and innovation platform for the impact start-up and entrepreneurship ecosystem, has announced the winners of "The CovHack Virtual Innovation Challenge" that took place under the theme "Circular Economy for Food".

iFarm, from Finland, topped the Start-ups category, while Palm Co. from the UAE dominated the Teams category.

iFarm is an indoor farming solutions provider of plug-and-play automated vertical farms that can be set up anywhere from stores, restaurants, and warehouses to people's homes and enable people to grow healthy food sustainably. Meanwhile, Palm Co. has developed sustainable, affordable, and compostable food packaging using palm fibers as the main component.

The runner-up in the Start-ups category was Xilinat, an award-winning company from Mexico that makes low-calorie natural sweetener from agricultural residue, while Circa Biotech from the UAE that upcycles food waste into animal feed using insect farming came second in the Teams category.

The challenge ran in collaboration with UN75, the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, MoCCAE, Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, Khalifa Fund, Masdar (A Mubadala Company), Catalyst (A Masdar BP Initiative), Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park, SRTI Park, StartLife, Wageningen University & Research, WUR, and STRATECIS.

Corresponding to the UN's Sustainable Development Goal, SDG, 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, the theme encompassed eight focus areas: Water Efficiency and Alternative Resources; Energy Efficiency in Agriculture; Innovation in Sustainable Growing Media; Sustainable Greenhouse Technologies and Smart Farming; Food Loss and Waste Management; Distribution Channels and Delivery; Sustainable Packaging; and Urban and Indoor Farming.

The challenge received 339 entries. A total of 112 applications 43 in the Teams category and 69 in the Start-ups category from 44 countries qualified for the challenge. A panel of 10 judges selected 12 teams from eight countries and 20 start-ups from 15 countries to proceed to the next round. The UAE had the strongest representation with four teams and four start-ups, followed by Lebanon with two teams and one start-up, and Canada with three start-ups.

The event culminated in The CovHack Virtual Demo Day on 20th and 21st July that saw the finalists present their solutions to the judges on Zoom.

Sheikh Dr. Majid Sultan Al Qassimi, Advisor to the Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said, "The journey food takes is one few of us know but are all affected by. Today, we have become more aware of and sensitized to the origin and journey of our food. The circular food economy is more relevant than ever, and the more these circular principles can be implemented, the stronger our future and economy will be."

Mouza Obaid Al Nasri, Acting CEO of Khalifa Fund, said, "Since its inception, Khalifa Fund has been committed to working in cross-sectoral collaborations with government entities and industry-leading partners to produce initiatives and programs that positively contribute to the UAE and its entrepreneurial ecosystem."

Ara Fernezian, Founder and CEO of STRATECIS and Chief Innovation and Experience Officer at I4G, said, "Today's entrepreneurs, especially the younger generation, are taking environmental and social issues into account more seriously, starting at the ideation stage of their offer and aligning them with their long-term business goals. This is becoming a growing trend and standard business practice."

The winners will benefit from incubation, mentorship, and acceleration support from MoCCAE, Khalifa Fund, and SRTI Park. The winner and runner-up in the Start-ups category iFarm and Xilinat will also have the chance to participate in Catalyst's and SRTI Park's acceleration programs with up to US$240,000 of funding opportunity, subject to eligibility.

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FREE WEBINAR: CEO Panelists To Discuss "How To Get Indoor Farm Up and Running" on July 22, 2020 @ 2 PM EST

Leaders From Kalera, Vertical Harvest, Artesian Farms, & Danforth Plant Science Center Join Indoor Ag-Conversations Webinar Series

LAS VEGAS (July 13, 2020) –Whether just starting out or looking for fresh new ideas to bolster a current operation, the CEO panelists joining the July 22, 2020, Indoor Ag-Conversations free webinar series from Indoor Ag-Con will offer participants a wealth of business-building ideas to get a farm going and growing.  Moderated by Claire Kinlaw, Director of Innovation Commercialization, The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, "How To Get An Indoor Farm Up & Running" webinar panelists include Daniel Malechuk, CEO, Kalera; Nona Yehia, CEO & Co-Founder, Vertical Harvest; and Milan Kluko, CEO, Artesian Farms LLC.

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During the 60-minute session, the panel will cover a number of topics and issues like:

• Crops: types, traits, sourcing

• Customers: profiles, targets, buying interests

• Selling: direct to consumer, distributors, grocery chains

• Technology: what’s best suited for geography, crop, scales of production

• Founding Team Skills: technical, agronomic, sales/marketing, biology/genetics

• CapEx – How and where to access funds to get established

Indoor Ag-Conversation webinars are free to industry members. To register for the upcoming July 22, 2020 session, visit www.indoor.ag/webinar. Indoor Ag-Conversations presenters include:

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Claire Kinlaw, Director of Innovation Commercialization, Danforth Plant Science Center --Claire combines science research and business knowledge along with experience with startup companies to support commercialization of innovative technologies in agriculture. She began work at the Danforth Center in February of 2019. She promotes the commercial impact of the Center’s intellectual property through such activities as patent filing, license agreements, and oversite for an innovation incubation program (IN2, funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation). IN2 accelerates early-stage agriculture technologies into the market through the execution of validating research for companies in collaboration with the Danforth Center.

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Daniel Malechuk, CEO, Kalera -- A food industry veteran, Daniel Malechuk has spent his career managing and growing several of the world’s leading food, grocery, and produce companies. As a leader in the industry, Daniel has worked in both sales and supply chain optimization and has built sustainability programs for companies such as Shamrock Foods, Kalera HyCube, Keysource Foods, and ALDI. While at Shamrock Foods, Malechuk led the retail division and drove explosive revenue and profitability growth and expansion across the Southwest. Daniel also served as Vice President at Keysource Foods, where he led company strategy and sales operations and negotiated contracts with some of the world’s largest food companies, including ConAgra, Carnival Corporation, PF Chang’s, ALDI, and Sysco.

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Nona Yehia, Co-Founder & CEO, Vertical Harvest  -- Nona Yehia is uniquely positioned in the vertical farming sphere. She is at once a practicing Architect and the Co-Founder and CEO of the 1st vertical hydroponic greenhouse in the United States. Vertical Harvest of Jackson Hole is a cutting-edge commercial-scale greenhouse that not only grows food for communities, in communities~ but futures for those who need it most.

Following her passion for local food and experiences growing up with a brother with developmental disabilities, Nona conceived of a three-story hydroponic greenhouse that employs people with developmental disabilities while producing local food for the community year-round.  In 2016 Vertical Harvest opened its doors.

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Milan Kluko, CEO & Co-Founder, Artesian Farms LLC & Berrien Processing Solutions (BPS) -- Milan Kluko has been in the environmental engineering, alternative energy, agriculture, and solid waste industry as an engineering consultant, developer, vendor, and technology supplier for 38 years. For nearly four decades he has worked on developing recycling and solid waste reduction programs, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, and low impact development projects worldwide. From 2001-2015 Mr. Kluko worked on worldwide projects as a sustainability consultant for the Coca Cola Company. During the past several decades his focus has been primarily on “project-based” assignments gaining significant expertise with a wide variety of environmental, agriculture, alternative energy, and recycling systems starting in 1982.

Indoor Ag-Con LLC created the new Indoor Ag-Conversations series to share content originally planned for its May 2020 in-person annual conference that was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. More details on the upcoming and future sessions, as well as recordings of previous webinars, are available at  www.indoor.ag/webinar. 

ABOUT INDOOR AG-CON LLC
Founded in 2013, Indoor Ag-Con touches all sectors of the business, covering produce, legal cannabis, hemp, alternate protein, and non-food crops. In December 2018, three event industry professionals – Nancy Hallberg, Kris Sieradzki, and Brian Sullivan – purchased Indoor Ag-Con LLC, setting the stage for further expansion of the events globally. For more information, visit: www.indoor.ag

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US: Vacant For Five Years, A Former Target in Calumet City Gets New Life As An Indoor Vertical Farm Growing Greens For The Chicago Area

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By ALEXIA ELEJALDE-RUIZ

CHICAGO TRIBUNE | JUL 15, 2020

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Jake Counne, founder of Wilder Fields, is seen July 14, 2020, inside an empty Target he plans to convert to an indoor farm, in Calumet City. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

A former Target that’s been sitting vacant in Calumet City for five years will be reborn as an indoor vertical farm producing locally grown greens for the Chicago area.

The 135,000-square-foot building in the River Oaks shopping center will house stacks of trays growing kale, arugula and other leafy greens under artificial lights. A retail shop on-site will sell the produce to the community and invite people in to learn about how indoor farming works.

Once at full capacity, Wilder Fields will employ 80 people and produce 25 million heads of lettuce a year that will be available in grocery stores across the region, said founder Jake Counne. Wilder Fields is the new name of the company, which previously was called Backyard Fresh Farms.

The property was exactly what Counne envisioned when he set out to repurpose existing buildings as indoor farms to supply fresh produce to cities far from the growing fields of California and Arizona.

An empty Target that Jake Counne, founder of Wilder Fields, plans to convert to an indoor farm in Calumet City. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

As retail giants close stores, a trend that’s been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, Counne hopes to put the buildings they leave behind to sustainable use.

“We think this is very repeatable,” said Counne, who was a real estate investor before he became an agricultural entrepreneur. “There is a huge amount of vacant anchor retail space.”

Calumet City, which borders Chicago’s southern edge, acquired the building from Target and will lease it to Wilder Fields for 12 months, Counne said. After that, he plans to purchase the property from the city.

Counne expects to break ground by the end of this year and have the first phase of the redevelopment completed by early next year. After operating at a smaller scale to work out the kinks, Counne plans to finish developing the site by 2023. A group of investors is funding the first phase of the project. He declined to say how much funding he has received.

Produce grown locally indoors has gained popularity with consumers in recent years for environmental and quality reasons. It uses less land and water than traditional agriculture and travels far shorter distances, so the product is fresher and lasts longer when it gets into consumers’ hands. Growing year-round in controlled environments also cuts down on waste and contamination and avoids the challenges of unpredictable weather.

The Chicago area is home to several greenhouses that sell greens commercially, including Gotham Greens in Chicago’s Pullman neighborhood and BrightFarms in Rochelle, both of which have recently expanded. But vertical farms, which use artificial light rather than sunlight, have struggled to succeed at a large scale.

Counne believes he can make it profitable with lower-cost automation, which he has been testing at a small pilot facility at The Plant, a food business incubator in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood.

He’s developed robotics to reduce the amount of time workers spend climbing ladders to tend to plants. For example, an automated lift collects trays of ready plants and brings them to an assembly line of workers for harvest. He’s also developed a system of cameras and artificial intelligence software that prompts the environment to automatically adjust to optimize growing conditions.

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Jake Counne, founder of Wilder Fields, on July 14, 2020. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

Wilder Fields’ pricing will be in line with greenhouse-grown lettuces, which typically retail at $2.99 to $3.99 for a clamshell.

Though its first products will be standards like spring mix, spinach and basil, the plan is to also sell more unique varieties that people may not have tasted before. Among those Counne tested during his pilot were spicy wasabi arugula, tart red sorrel and horseradish-tinged red mizuna.

Counne is proud that his first farm is bringing fresh vegetables and jobs to an area that needs both. Parts of Calumet City are in a food desert.

Counne will be hiring for a variety of positions, from harvesters to software engineers to executives. He plans to implement a training program that will allow people to move from entry-level roles to positions managing the computer algorithms.

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Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz

Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz covers the food industry for the Chicago Tribune's business section. Prior beats include workplace issues, the retail sector and lifestyle features, plus stints at RedEye, the Daily Herald and the City News Service. Alexia grew up in Washington, D.C., and has her degree in international relations from Brown University.

WEBINAR: July 23, 2020 - 1 PM EDT - Stakeholder Needs Relevant To Indoor Propagation

Date: July 23, 2020
Time: 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. EDT
Presented by: Celina Gómez

Click Here to Register

There are economic and knowledge-based challenges that must be addressed for indoor farms to be viable in the United States despite their potential benefits.

A mixed-methods approach was used to identify the needs of specialty crop growers and stakeholders interested in or currently using indoor environments to grow seedlings, cuttings, and tissue-cultured plants. An online survey evaluated specialty crop growers’ experience with indoor plant propagation and assessed their needs related to improving propagation processes.

A focus group with 19 participants was then conducted to further understand the needs for indoor plant propagation by stakeholders. Our findings suggest that industry stakeholders are largely motivated to adopt indoor propagation environments to reduce crop losses (“shrinkage”), increase productivity per unit of land area, ensure faster germination or rooting, improve plant quality, and profit from anticipated economic benefits.

Research and education priority areas identified by stakeholders included economic costs and benefits (including capital investment and energy costs), improved crop quality, production time, uniformity, reduced shrinkage, and strategies to improve light management indoors.

As suggested by the results of this project, a strategic plan encompassing stakeholder needs must be implemented to maximize the benefits and enable adoption of indoor plant propagation environments. A discussion about ongoing efforts to identify stakeholder perceptions with indoor plant propagation environments will be presented.

Special Thanks To Our Industry Partners

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Join Today

If you have any questions or would like to know more about GLASE, please contact its executive director Erico Mattos at em796@cornell.edu

Why Locate In Appalachia?

Kentucky native Jonathan Webb is turning his dream of a high-tech farming hub in Appalachia into reality with AppHarvest.

The company is building some of the largest indoor farms in the world, combining conventional agricultural techniques with today’s technology to grow non- GMO, chemical-free produce. The company’s first greenhouse will span 60 acres and open in the second half of 2020 in Morehead, Ky.

Collaboration Overview - AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY ECOSYSTEM IN KENTUCKY by Herb on Scribd

• Like many Kentuckians, Jonathan grew up knowing of the devastating job losses in the region. His grandmother was raised in Whitley County, where a coal mining accident killed his great-grandfather. Jonathan strives to work alongside the hard-working men and women of Eastern Kentucky and build a resilient economy for the future.

  Before founding AppHarvest, Jonathan worked with the U.S. Department of Defense on what was then the largest solar project in the Southeastern United States. The project aimed to help achieve a White House goal of ensuring the military receives 20% of their electricity from renewable sources by 2025.

• -  Kentucky native and University of Kentucky graduate

• -  Before starting AppHarvest, Jonathan helped build some of the largest solar projects in the Southeast, seeking to help the military generate 20% of their electricity from renewable sources.

• -  While working on renewable energy farms, Jonathan discovered the high-tech controlled environment agriculture farms of the Netherlands and returned home to Kentucky in 2017 with the dream of building AppHarvest and creating America’s AgTech capital in Eastern Kentucky.

• -  Named Emerging Entrepreneur by the Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame in 2019

• -  Selected to be a member by worldwide entrepreneurship network Endeavor.

• The organization seeks out the best high-impact entrepreneurs around the world, and, to date, has screened more than 60,000 individuals and selected around 2,000.

• Talking points for agreement

• -  17 organizations signed an agreement committing to create America’s AgTech capital in Eastern Kentucky

• -  Calls for opening a Dutch representative office in Kentucky, creation of a series of research programs at universities, construction of a center of excellence, and the building of additional controlled environment agriculture farms like AppHarvest’s, which is under construction in Morehead.

• -  Dutch are widely recognized as the world’s leaders in AgTech. Even with a landmass just roughly the size of Eastern Kentucky, the Netherlands has become the world’s second-largest agricultural exporter. How? They utilize controlled environment agriculture facilities to grow up to 30 times more fruits and vegetables on an indoor acre compared to a traditionally farmed outdoor acre. And they do it using 90% less water.

• -  Why Kentucky? Our central geographic location, which has attracted the likes of Amazon and UPS, allows fresh fruits and vegetables to reach nearly 70% of Americans in a day's drive. That means fresher food and far less food waste as grocers benefit from the extended shelf life. Eastern Kentucky is also home to a strong workforce that long powered the country and exhibits the faith and grit needed to build a more resilient economy.

Florida Indoor Farming Firm Turns Pandemic Disruption Into Opportunity

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U.S. NEWS 

JULY 9, 2020

By Paul Brinkmann 

A large greenhouse operated by Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Gotham Greens helped produce food as the coronavirus pandemic cut supply chains in March.

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Photo courtesy of Gotham Greens

ORLANDO, Fla., July 9 (UPI) -- A Florida company that grows lettuce in greenhouses turned a desperate situation during the coronavirus pandemic into new opportunities, thanks to a nationwide upswing in produce purchases from indoor farms.

Orlando, Fla.-based Kalera had to give away an entire harvest in March when the company's commercial customers closed amid stay-at-home orders. But, like some other greenhouse operations around the country, Kalera found other customers and avoided layoffs or going out of business. Indoor farms like Kalera produce food close to their customers, in clean, hygienic facilities. The process also is called vertical farming because produce is grown on racks, using hydroponics -- raising crops with water and nutrients, but without soil.

Good hygiene and a local supply are more important than ever during supply chain disruptions and waves of panic buying during the pandemic, said Daniel Malechuk, Kalera's chief executive officer.

RELATED NASA advances food-in-space technology"

It was literally the day of our first harvest at a new facility when the state announced stay-at-home orders and many of our food-service customers closed overnight," Malechuk said about what the company faced in March."

My reaction at first was massive disappointment. That would be an understatement. But we rolled up our sleeves and were determined to make the best of it," he said.

Kalera has developed its farm technology over the past 10 years and had built a demonstration farm and production facility in Orlando. To the CEO's dismay, the crops in the new greenhouse became ready for harvest just as Gov. Ron Desantis ordered all restaurants closed to indoor dining.

RELATED USDA announces another $470 million in purchases for food banks

That meant Kalera -- and other farmers who faced similar closures around the nation -- had nowhere to sell their crops. Some growers buried their produce rather than shoulder the expense of harvesting crops without having buyers waiting.

Among the customers Kalera lost were Marriott Orlando World Center, the Orlando Magic basketball team, and area theme parks, Malechuk said.

Kalera had built a large grow house on the grounds of the Marriott resort to supply fresh lettuce and micro-greens to the kitchens there. But the resort has been closed for months and does not plan to reopen until Aug. 1.

RELATED Florida team studies hydroponic hemp as toxic algae remedy

Instead of destroying the food, Malechuk donated his crop directly to local residents and food banks. That's also when he reached out to Florida-based Publix, one of the nation's largest grocery chains with more than 1,200 stores in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.

At first, Publix paid Kalera for some crops and donated the produce to food banks.

Worried about possibly laying off his workforce of about 100, Malechuk wrote a heartfelt email to a Publix executive with whom he previously corresponded. His subject line was "Humble Plea."

The email asked Publix to make Kalera a permanent supplier. It worked, and Kalera produce now is sold in hundreds of Publix stores."

I knew Publix wasn't accepting new suppliers at that point, and I didn't think it would work," Malechuk said. "But I had to try, and I told Publix that.

"Unexpectedly, Publix expedited its process for accepting new products because of Kalera's crisis, said Curt Epperson, the company's business development manager for produce and floral.

“We were not only able to help their business -- and all the people who depend on them -- but our customers and our community," Epperson said in an email to UPI.

Kalera was not alone in turning a dismal outlook to a brighter future. Other indoor farm companies overcame difficulties during the pandemic and saw new opportunities.

Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Gotham Greens opened new greenhouses in several states as the pandemic spread around the world, CEO and co-founder Viraj Puri said.

His employees already had been wearing masks in growing areas before the pandemic struck. As coronavirus advanced, management added more levels of safety. "We started detailed health screening calls, temperature checks, increased distancing. It was a hard time for everyone. We all knew people who tested positive, and we saw people lose their jobs," Puri said.

Gotham Greens soon saw increased demand from retail merchants for its greenhouse produce as other farmers around the country struggled to find labor for harvests and had difficulties shipping food across the country during the pandemic, the CEO said."

The pandemic altered life around us, unfortunately, but it also showed that we can help ensure food security with indoor farming in controlled environments," Puri said. "These local supplies for growing produce are going to be important."

A number of other indoor farming operations found new customers -- and appreciation for their products -- during the pandemic, said Joel Cuello, a professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering at the University of Arizona and vice-chair of the Association for Vertical Farming, based in Munich, Germany.

“In the future, customers want to make sure they have reliable access to food nearby. Vertical farming can be hyper-local, with a facility next to your restaurant or inside your grocery market if wanted," Cuello said.

As people value their health more during a global pandemic, nutrient-packed leafy greens are the most likely food that will be produced indoors, especially in remote areas with harsh environments, said Krishna Nemali, assistant professor of controlled environment agriculture at Purdue University in Indiana. "In northern places, like Iceland or Alaska, or in desert regions, like the Middle East, they struggle to grow food outdoors, so they are turning more to hydroponics," Nemali said. "That's where we will see more demand."

Another vertical farm company, Indiana-based Green Sense Farms, also reported an increase in calls and inquiries to its sales staff from potential customers about its technology, said Robert Colangelo, a founder, and CEO.

Colangelo's company provides contract research, design, and construction of indoor, controlled-environment agriculture facilities. Green Sense charges a little under $1 million to provide a system that includes an automated germination room, grow room, equipment room, and cooled packinghouse room."

What we found is the COVID virus caused people to look at the length of their supply chains. Long complex supply chains can really be disrupted," Colangelo said.

He said he has spoken to officials in various cities who want to learn more about setting up vertical farms."

If you have a food desert [an area with few grocery stores] or a school or hospital in a remote area, you could produce greens right on your property or right next door for that," he said.

Ground Broken on New Hydroponic Facility To Serve The Marginalized Communities in Torrington CT.

Published on July 6, 2020

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Joe Swartz

Vice President/Lead Horticulturalist at AmHydro - 36 years as Controlled Environment Ag Consultant and Commercial Grower

June 30, 2020, was an exciting day for the local Connecticut organization, New Opportunities. http://www.newoppinc.org/ After years of planning, the ground was broken on a new hydroponic farm project called "CT Food4Thought" that is going to bring fresh, nutritious, pesticide-free food to local food banks, shelters, soup kitchens, and schools to communities throughout Connecticut. In addition to that, the farm will also supply retail grocery stores and co-ops with fresh produce as a way to generate income for programs through selling the produce grown. New Opportunities partnered with industry-leading Controlled Environment Agriculture Technology company AmHydro of Arcata, CA. (https://amhydro.com/ )

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The groundbreaking marked the start of three greenhouses, containing AmHydro’s soilless hydroponic growing systems, being constructed in partner with Borghesi Engineering with plans to expand up to 12 greenhouses in the future. AmHydro VP Joe Swartz and the Commercial Growing Team at AmHydro will provide on-going support and grower training to ensure a successful project and economic sustainability.

New Opportunities is a social service organization that serves marginalized and low-income communities throughout Connecticut. The mission of the farm is to provide entry-level, safe, clean “green jobs” to members of the community. Specifically, CT Food4Thought wants to offer these job opportunities to those with developmental disabilities, those who have been previously incarcerated, and those who are unemployed as a way to provide a path to higher-level employment opportunities in both this industry and others, such as: the field of nutrition, food safety, environmental management, and horticulture.

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Dr. James H. Gatling, Ph.D., CEO of New Opportunities, speaks prior to breaking ground.

New Opportunities Foundation had a vision and worked directly with hydroponic industry leader AmHydro to develop the most optimum growing system and production methods available. This hydroponic farm will use 90% less water than conventional field agriculture and will be able to produce more than 10 times the amount of produce that traditional growing methods yield. The farm will also be able to operate year-round due to the environmental controls inside the greenhouse that can simulate the perfect growing conditions for plants even in the dead of winter. This will allow people in Connecticut to have access to fresh, local produce all year in comparison to the normal outdoor growing season in the area that lasts approximately 120 days.

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Bill Rybczyk, New Opportunities, Joe Swartz, AmHydro, Jon Jensen, the Corporate Advisory at the project site this Spring.

AmHydro is proud to partner with New Opportunities on their new project CT Food4Thought and is excited to continue to be a part of and support the project through providing training to members of New Opportunities and members of the community.

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Quote, from Bill Rybczyk, Director of Research, Planning, and Development for New Opportunities Inc : “We’re planting seeds for lettuce and other herbs, but we’re also planting seeds into people’s lives, and they can then take that, and they begin to grow….and that impacts not only their lives but their children’s lives and their grandchildren’s lives into the future…..and that’s what this project is all about."

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For more information, please contact Joe Swartz, VP, AmHydro at Joe@AmHydro.com

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Joe Swartz

Vice President/Lead Horticulturalist at AmHydro - 36 years as Controlled Environment Ag Consultant and Commercial Grower

Please check out this amazing project that American Hydroponics is proud to be a part of. New Opportunities will be producing fresh, pesticide-free food, local "green jobs," and economic empowerment to marginalized communities.

Truly wonderful. hashtag#LocalFood hashtag#LocalFarms hashtag#WeGotThis hashtag#HelpingOthers hashtag#SustainableFarming

VIDEO: Indoor Farming Emerges As A Reliable Source For Fresh Food As Coronavirus Wreaks Havoc On Traditional Food Supply Chains

Clima - Digital Publication and Podcast Launched by Agritech Specialist, IGS

Indoor agritech specialist IGS has launched Clima, its new digital publication and accompanying podcast series. Through Clima, IGS will welcome industry-leading interviewees and share thought pieces on some of the most fundamental issues facing the world, including supply chains, agricultural innovation, and indoor growing.

About IGS:

Founded in 2013, IGS brought together decades of farming and engineering experience to create an agritech business with a vision to revolutionize the indoor growing market. Its commitment to innovation has continued apace and it has evolved the applications of its technology beyond agriculture to create solutions for a wide variety of indoor environments that enhance life for people, plants, and animals.

IGS launched its first vertical farming demonstration facility in August 2018, based at the James Hutton Institute in Invergowrie.

To subscribe to Clima and to access the first edition, please visit www.igsclima.io.

For more information visit www.intelligentgrowthsolutions.com or connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

JPFA Webinar June 30 - The Challenges And Impact of COVID-19

Japan Plant Factory Association / JPFA

Japan Plant Factory Association (JPFA) is a non-profit organization founded in 2010 and is devoted to academic and business advancements in the global industry of plant factory/controlled environment agriculture. Our mission is to develop and disseminate sustainable systems that can address global challenges: food, environment, energy, resource and people's health. With international industry-academia collaborations, we manage around 20 R&D projects, workshops, training courses, etc. based in a Chiba University campus in Kashiwanoha, a smart city in Japan.

Monthly workshops are one of our important education/knowledge sharing activities with JPFA members and others. We have been organizing workshops since 2010 on a wide variety of topics, including plant physiology, new technologies towards next generation, cultivation methodology on multiple crops, business case studies of commercial plant factory operations, to name just a few.

The Japan Plant Factory Association (JPFA) is organizing its 138th online workshop. The workshop is free of charge.

Some sessions include the presentation of 80 Acres Farms on tomato production in indoor farms, a survey report on the impact of COVID-19 by JPFA and a lively panel discussion with leading plant factory companies from Japan and China. Such as, 808 Factory, Greenland, Saladbowl, and Future Agro-Tech, all together with researchers on plant factory and indoor breeding from JPFA and Chiba University. 

Date

Scheduled to be released on June 30, 2020.
Free viewing will be available from 13:00 (JST) on June 30 to 13:00 (JST) July 15, 2020.

Theme

As the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) creates challenges worldwide, we feel concerted effort is crucial to our sector more than ever before.

The global challenges/impacts of COVID-19 in the sector, the future role, possibilities and direction of plant factory will be discussed to rethink about what we can do together for our future.   

Outline

I. Keynote: “beyond leafy greens: tomato crop production in indoor farms” by Mike Zelkind, 80 Acres Farms + Q & A Session

II. “Report on COVID-19 survey by JPFA” Eri Hayashi (JPFA)

III. Panel discussion: “the challenges and impact of COVID-19, future role and direction of Plant Factory”

*Please kindly note that some contents might be only in Japanese.

Panelists:

• Bai Baosuo (Future Agro-Tech (Beijing)

• Katashi Kai (Shinnippou, 808 Factory)

• Susumu Tanaka (Saladbowl)

• Toyoki Kozai (JPFA)

• Toru Maruo (Chiba University)

• Yuhei Shimada (greenLand)

• Moderator: Eri Hayashi (JPFA)

Fee Free of charge

How to watch

Advanced registration is required.
Registration deadline: 13:00 (JST) on July 14, 2020
Please register at https://select-type.com/e/?id=n2duYvX-Gas

After the registration, you will receive the link with access to the workshop videos a day before the release. Please apply one by one. If you cannot access the registration website, please send us the email with your "name", "organization", "country" and "questions to the webinar speaker/panelists (optional)" to info.english@npoplantfactory.org

For more information on the workshop:
JPFA Workshop website 
https://select-type.com/s/JPFA-Training
https://npoplantfactory.org/information/1499/

If you have not joined the survey yet, please take the survey, Urgent Survey on the Impact of COVID-19 (Vol.1) before the workshop/online viewing starts. 

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For more information:
Japan Plant Factory Association (JPFA) International Relations & Consulting
Nozomi Hiramatsu, Eri Hayashi
info.english@npoplantfactory.org

Babylon Micro-Farms On Why Controlled Environmental Agriculture Will Revolutionize Food Security

Indoor Farming Will Drive

A Post-Pandemic Food Supply Reset

ALEXANDER OLESEN

JUNE 12, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic is shining a harsh and revealing spotlight on the fragility of our food supply. We can thank a globalized and fragile food supply chain for the empty grocery shelves, rising food prices, desperate farmers, and ominous indications of future food disruptions. The coronavirus pandemic is a historic anomaly we have not experienced in our living history and its effect on our food supply cannot be dismissed. It has taken what had been warnings and made them a reality. But, there is a silver lining in the chaos of our new food reality. Consumer and institutional interest in sustainable food production were growing by leaps and bounds before COVID-19. In the pandemic, we are primed to make real, significant changes. The controlled environment agriculture industry -- solutions as wide-ranging as solar-powered greenhouse growing; hydroponics and aeroponics; vertical farms have grown under LED lights in warehouses; and freight containers or refrigerator-size growing units -- will be an essential part of the sustainable food economy of the future. 

Complicated Supply Chains and Food Waste Threaten Our Food Sovereignty

Watching the videos of farmers dumping mountains of zucchini, truckloads of milk and fruit and crops rotting in fields while desperate Americans line up for miles at food banks has been heartbreaking and unsettling. But as shocking as that is, food waste is by no means a new problem. Over ninety-five percent of our leafy greens are grown in California and Arizona. From this drought-threatened region, fragile leafy greens are shipped to multiple distribution points across the U.S., before they finally reach consumers' fridges and then – maybe – their plate. Even once fresh food purchases make it to our homes, consumers alone experience up to 50 percent spoilage. Combine that with unexpected distribution disruptions – as COVID 19 has so recently amplified and we have experienced many times before via foodborne illness outbreaks or climate-change-related weather events – what you get is a highly inefficient process, wasting food that consumers desperately need, and highly vulnerable to food security disruptions that have a nationwide impact.

Reducing transportation miles eliminates a lot of production problems. The more areas growing more food closer to the end consumer results in a more resilient system. It also means a wider selection of fragile fresh greens become viable commercial crops because they can be harvested and consumed quickly. Many biodiverse crop varieties with unique flavors, textures, and nutritional profiles don’t hold up to the long transport miles and processing techniques of industrial agriculture, but with local production, these varieties can become available to consumers again.

Efficient Indoor farming requires a controlled environment. That means we can control insects, diseases and pathogens in a way that simply isn’t possible in large-scale outdoor production methods. This gives us more variability in varieties we can grow — including non-GMO and heirloom cultivars grown without human and earth-damaging pesticides — to produce the freshest and more nutritional food we can. And it puts us incredibly close to the consumer.

In the case of Babylon Micro-Farms, our ‘food miles” are literally as far as it takes to harvest it from one of our on-site micro-farms, plate it up and sit down to eat. The fewer food miles we have to worry about, the more flexibility we have in what can be grown and eaten locally. And the more we can spend our resources working to grow healthy, locally abundant food rather than transportation costs growing crops that were bred to be shipped, not necessarily eaten. 

The 21st Century Needs a “Digital Victory Garden” Renaissance 

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When things really go south, basic needs remain. Food is a big one. That’s why — after the toilet paper panic resided — so many rushed to buy seeds, plant a garden and grow their own food. It is reminiscent of the “Victory Gardens,” the backyard home kitchen gardens, of our last food crises — WWI, the Depression, and WWII — when Americans produced as much as 40 percent of our fresh fruits and vegetables from their own gardens. But today’s world is vastly different from the Victory Garden era of our grandparents. Fifty-five percent of the world’s population currently live in an urban area. That figure is expected to grow to nearly two-thirds over the next thirty years. People in the 21st century don’t have access to a plot of land like their grandparents had. Nor do they have the knowledge or the time to grow food in the traditional ways.

Food is consumed in different ways as well. Once the ‘shelter-in-place’ orders are lifted, we can assume that eating outside of one’s home — in lunch-room business cafeterias, on-the-go, in restaurants, and even when at home, via prepared meals or food kits — will resume, as will financial pressures. Very few families will be able to afford to have a ‘homemaker’ sitting at home making the daily bread from scratch and canning the bumper crop of green beans. Yet, we still need a way to have more control over our own food. And we need to shorten our supply chains to build up resilient, localized foodsheds for our urban populations. But we won’t be able to do it the same way our grandparents did. Luckily, we do have advantages they didn’t — technology, data collection, and analysis. That’s where indoor, controlled environment vertical farms come into play. We are the “Digital Victory Gardens” of the future.

It Will Take Baby Steps, and Many Innovative Solutions, to Reframe our Food Supply 

Just a few years ago indoor hydroponic or aeroponic farming under LED lights was perceived as an impractical solution for food production, cost-prohibitive, and unable to produce significant yields. That didn’t stop those of us who saw the potential to develop technology to improve efficiency, increase yields, and ultimately transform this fringe method of crop cultivation into a mainstream industry that future generations can rely on for their fresh produce.

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As our technology and expertise evolves, the cost of production is falling and the knowledge and ability to grow more crops more efficiently in indoor environments is increasing. We are also finding different ways to serve different market sectors with a year-round supply of fresh produce, all via indoor farming solutions. The AeroFarms, Plenty, and Bowerys of the world, with their impressively large warehouses stacked sky-high with leafy greens, are serving the wholesale grocery market needs of their local foodsheds. Whereas here at Babylon Micro-Farms we focus on hyper-local vertical ‘micro-farms.’ We are the vertical farm equivalent of locally controlled, small-scale food production. Only we do it via a remotely managed, data-driven, resource-efficient core technology platform. 

Babylon was founded on the principles of developing integrated technology to address the missing link that makes vertical farming inaccessible to most communities and organizations. Our belief is that there is a significant untapped opportunity in creating smaller-scale modular indoor farming solutions that can “plug in” to existing food supply chains. However, in order for these solutions to work, they needed to be powered by a comprehensive operating system that enables all of the technical and operational expertise to be outsourced and controlled remotely through the cloud with a meal-prep style subscription of growing supplies delivered as needed to each farm installation. Our modular controlled environment farms can be placed in almost any business lunchroom, healthcare or educational cafeteria or group-living situation like retirement communities. The service is designed to allow anyone to successfully ‘grow their own food’ indoors by supporting them with on-demand delivery of supplies, a Guided Growing app and a remote-managed system. The operating system we have developed is designed to support a range of modular systems and the data we collect allows us to continually refine the user experience, improve yields, and make this kind of crop cultivation accessible to those who need it most.

The point is vertical indoor controlled environment farming is not a one size fits all solution. That’s the beauty of it. There are countless ways this new technology can (and will be) adapted to fit the many needs of our world’s food system. But it’s not just indoor farming innovations that will revolutionize our food system. We are part of a bigger ecosystem that includes innovations like plant-based protein, advances in solar and wind power, robotics, AI technology and carbon-based, and regenerative farming techniques. Together, we are already disrupting the food system as we currently know it. After the COVID 19 coronavirus pandemic recedes, we will completely reshape it.

Don’t Dismiss the Power of Being Involved in Food Production

At Babylon Micro-Farms our ‘micro-farm’ indoor growing technology puts units right in front of the consumers that have the novel experience of watching and monitoring the food they will eat being grown in real-time. This has given us a unique perspective on the psychological power of keeping people involved in the process of growing their own food, like those old Victory Gardens of old. But in new, novel ways. Our technology takes what had seemed strange and novel and makes it accessible to people without the need for horticulture experience. Our customers have responded with immense excitement, pride, and, most notably, strong interest in more sustainable solutions.

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This feedback has made it obvious to us just how important it is that we include consumers in the food-growing technology of the future. Removing the people from the process of growing the food they consume was a massive mistake that our current food system made and has paid for. The ‘digital’ food solutions of the future must involve consumers, businesses, and institutions as much as possible in the process of growing their own food. Babylon Micro-Farms technology is uniquely positioned to do just this. But other solutions can find similar opportunities. 

It is crucial that we begin giving businesses and their consumers more control over, and more experiences with, how their food is grown. This exposure will lead to people embracing even more sustainable food innovations. We must not leave the end consumer out of the equation.

If we look back in human history there are obvious inflection points. Culturally, economically and psychologically, humans reached a point where they were primed to make giant leaps forward as a society. Among these major shifts are the transition from fragmented hunter-gatherer paradigms to agriculture-based societies, the industrial revolution and the creation of a factory-based economy, and the technological revolution with its modus operandi of data-based solutions.

We are at the precipice of a food renaissance that will completely change how we produce food over the next few decades. Here at Babylon Micro-Farms, we strive to be a leader in this imminent revolution.

https://www.babylonmicrofarms.com/

BioLumic Appoints Steve Sibulkin as CEO

Proven Ag and Tech Leader to Drive Photogenics Company’s Continued Product Development Efforts and Global Growth

New York, NY and Palmerston North, New Zealand — June 8, 2020 —BioLumic Ltd. (“BioLumic”), the leader in using plant photogenics to unlock the genetic potential of seeds and seedlings, today announced the appointment of Steve Sibulkin as Chief Executive Officer. Based on decades of experience in the agriculture and technology industries, Sibulkin will lead the company’s global expansion and accelerate its UV light treatment innovation based on the groundbreaking BioLumic photogenics platform. 

“An exceptionally sustainable agriculture innovator tackling complex farming challenges, BioLumic is at a critical juncture as it prepares for the immense opportunities ahead and the rigors of global commercialization,” noted Dr. Adrian Percy, BioLumic Chairman of the Board and CTO of UPLLtd. “With a proven track record building industry-leading ag and tech companies, Steve will help BioLumic move faster and deepen relationships with key partners while accelerating the company’s ability to bring its innovations to the market.”

Sibulkin joins BioLumic from Yara International, where he led enterprise sustainability, partnership, and digital initiatives after the company acquired the precision agriculture company he co-founded, Agronomic Technology Corp (ATC), in 2017.  As the CEO of ATC, Sibulkin commercialized and grew the Adapt-N nitrogen recommendation solution, which was originally developed by a team at Cornell University. Under his leadership, ATC conducted over one billion simulations, expanded its product portfolio, signed enterprise partners, and became an industry-standard with growers, agriculture industry leaders, and sustainably focused organizations. Before joining Yara, Sibulkin was a multi-time CEO, entrepreneur, and strategic advisor, and held leadership positions at Sapient, Ogilvy & Mather, and Mainspring.

“BioLumic’s discoveries around plant signaling responses harness the natural genetic potential of seeds and seedlings for yield improvement, disease resistance, and the ability to withstand environmental stress — all without requiring additional inputs or genetic modification. This is a huge win for farmer profitability, the food, and agriculture supply chain and the environment,” said Sibulkin. “BioLumic perfectly aligns with the movement toward more resilient and productive agriculture, and the opportunity to accelerate the growth of this transformative technology is one I couldn’t resist.”

Rooted in more than a decade of research into UV light treatments in plants and spun out from Massey University in New Zealand, BioLumic’s proven technology offers seed producers and growers new opportunities to grow more valuable and sustainable crops. Its scientifically validated photogenics platform uses a combination of artificial intelligence and precise light treatments to activate the natural plant signaling response to UV light, triggering plant growth that enhances crop yield, crop quality, drought tolerance, and natural disease and pest resistance. 

“Our proprietary technology cultivates stronger, healthier plants to meet rising food demands, and we are ready to focus on commercialization and building a global footprint,” added Dr. Jason Wargent, founder and chief science officer. ”A respected leader in sustainable agriculture, Steve’s wealth of experience leading cross-disciplinary teams around new categories of product innovation will help drive the adoption of our novel light treatments in the global ag marketplace.” 

Positive outcomes from produce such as broccoli, lettuce, strawberries, and tomatoes have accelerated the development of BioLumic’s high-quality seed and plant treatment innovations for indoor farming, row crops like soybeans, and high-value crops like cannabis.  BioLumic is actively growing its team to support the acceleration and expansion of its UV light treatment initiatives.   

“With recent trials showing the extensibility of this novel technology across crops, we know growers around the globe will see improved profit from their seed and seedling investments,” added Sibulkin.  “Our next step involves deepening our partnerships with seed companies, seed dealers, sustainability-focused organizations, and enterprises that have aligned interest in utilizing and expanding this technology.”

Sibulkin earned a B.A. in political science from UCLA and an MBA from Kellogg Graduate School of Management, where he graduated with Beta Gamma Sigma distinction and co-founded the Net Impact Chapter. He currently resides in New York City.  

About BioLumic

BioLumic harnesses the power of ultraviolet (UV) light to empower growers and seed producers around the globe. BioLumic’s pioneering technology activates natural mechanisms in seeds and seedlings that increase plant growth, vigor, and natural defense mechanisms — resulting in increased yields at harvest without the use of chemical input or genetic modification. Backed by top Ag investors, BioLumic is headquartered in New Zealand and is actively growing its presence in North America.

To learn more, visit www.biolumic.com. 

Online Course: Wednesday, June 17 - Plant Response to CEA Variables - 3 PM CST

Learn how plants respond to different environmental variables and how to apply this knowledge to improve your indoor system management and crop production!

Instructor: M.S. Karla Garcia
- Hort Americas Technical Service
- Master in Plant Sciences from The University of Arizona
- Recognition by ISHS in strawberry hydroponic research
- Editor: Book Roadmap to Growing Leafy Greens and Herbs
- CEO at Microgreens FLN

DATE: Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Schedule: 3 pm to 5 pm (Central Standard Time)

Platform: ZOOM US

Price: $50 US

Once you have registered, we will make contact to provide access to our LIVE session.

Course Content

-Advantages of controlled environment agriculture
-Energy balance

-Light

a) Solar radiation

b) Artificial lighting

c) How improve net photosynthetic rate

-Wind

a) Fans/ Air circulation

-Humidity

a) Plant transpiration

-Temperature

a) Effect in plant metabolism

b) How plants respond to temperature?

c) Treatments

-CO2

-Nutrients

a) Nutrient function and uptake

-Oxygen in root zone

-Water and root zone temperature

USA: Indoor Growers Wanted For CEA Survey

A Cornell team is leading a new project to investigate how Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) compares to conventional field agriculture in terms of energy, carbon and water footprints, profitability, workforce development and scalability. Strategic FEW (food, energy, water) and Workforce Investments to Enhance Viability of Controlled Environment Agriculture in Metropolitan Areas is funded by a three-year, $2.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation, through its new funding initiative called Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy and Water Systems.

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The workforce development research, led by Professor Anu Rangarajan (Director, Small Farms Program), consisted in 2018 and early 2019 of interviews and an intensive two-day workshop with industry experts. During that workshop, a focus group of indoor farm operations managers produced this chart detailing the duties (responsibilities) and tasks (activities, skills) that describe their work.

Survey
"The current step in our research plan is to verify the details of this chart with peer growers worldwide via a survey", explains research associate Wythe Marschall. "It invites indoor farm managers to tell us how important each skill is, and how frequently it is conducted. The survey can be completed anonymously, or growers can provide us with their names and emails to receive a $25 Amazon gift card as a token of our appreciation."

To take this survey, register here. The Cornell team will send a survey link directly from Qualtrics. Respondents may provide their names and emails to receive a $25 Amazon gift card as a token of appreciation.

Online workshops
"We are also interested to ask growers if they would be interested in a series of upcoming online workshops to help us detail what specific, teachable steps (activities) are contained within each important skill needed by indoor farm operations managers", Wythe adds. "For example, we'll ask growers to dive into the specific skill, 'Manage crop fertigation (e.g., mixing nutrients, monitoring pH, monitoring water temp),' breaking this down into teachable, specific components.

"This series of workshops will be compensated, and we are beginning to schedule it now. Any CEA farm manager is invited to participate, regardless of location or modality."

For more information about this study regarding the future of the CEA workforce, please contact project lead Anu Rangarajan (ar47@cornell.edu) or research associate Wythe Marschall (wmarschall@fas.harvard.edu).

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Publication date: Tue 9 Jun 2020

USA: Nebullam Launches Farm-To-Door Program For Central Iowa Residents

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NEWS By JAKE SLOBE

JUNE 1, 2020

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Screenshot from the shop section of Nebullam's website.

Nebullam, an emerging indoor farming company based in Ames, has launched a delivery service of its fresh food products to Central Iowa residents, to ensure that Iowans have access to locally grown lettuce, herbs, and microgreens during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as year-round. 

“In the span of six days we decided to pivot from selling to restaurants to going from farm-to-door, offering fresh lettuce and microgreens direct to consumers weekly or bi-weekly,” said Clayton Mooney, co-founder of Nebullam. “We put up an e-commerce site, got everything set up, and launched.”

Since pivoting, Nebullam has had its best month of revenue to date and is growing at almost ten percent month over month, Mooney told Clay & Milk.

“In some ways, the change has really been a blessing in disguise for our business model,” said Mooney.

Nebullam was founded in 2017 with a primary focus of improving indoor farming technologies to help indoor farm owners and operators become profitable, faster. Today, Nebullam owns and operates its own indoor farm within the Iowa State University Research Park. 

“Prior to COVID, about 3/4 of Nebullam’s produce was going to Central Iowa restaurants with the remain 1/4 going to grocery stores,” said Mooney. “In early March, we began talking to friends on the west coast who are indoor farmers about restaurants shutting down there and felt like it was inevitably going to happen here as well.”

Nebullam’s indoor farm produces red butterhead lettuce and microgreens such as broccoli sprouts and micro radish. Through Nebullam’s site residents from Ames, Boone, Nevada, Ankeny, and Des Moines can subscribe to have fresh produce delivered directly to their door, every week or every other week. In addition to Nebullam’s website options, you can always find fresh Nebullam lettuce and broccoli sprouts at Wheatsfield Co-op in Ames. 

“We do have two restaurant partners that have come back online. When our other restaurant partners are able to get back up and going again, we’ll have the production to meet their weekly needs,” said Mooney. “As for the direct-to-consumer, we’re pretty excited to continue to pursue that.”

COVID-19 INDOOR FARMING NEBULLAM

VIDEO: May 2020 - Indoor Science Cafe Recording is Now Available - How to Fund Your Indoor Farm

This presentation 'How to Fund Your Indoor Farm' was given by Nicola Kerslake (Contain Inc.) during our 19th cafe forum on May 26th, 2020. Indoor Ag Science Cafe is organized by the OptimIA project team funded by USDA SCRI grant program.