Welcome to iGrow News, Your Source for the World of Indoor Vertical Farming

PODCAST: Vertical Farming Podcast - Season 3 Episode 29 - Nicholas Dyner. Nick Is The CEO of Moleaer

In this episode, Harry and Nick discuss Nick’s extensive background working in the water treatment industry

Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show Nicholas Dyner. Nick is the CEO of Moleaer, an organization that produces commercial nanobubble generators to deliver sustainable, chemical-free water quality improvement for agriculture, reservoirs, lakes, ponds, and more.

In this episode, Harry and Nick discuss Nick’s extensive background working in the water treatment industry. Nick expounds on nanobubble technology, what it is and how it can be used to improve vertical farming and the agricultural industry as a whole. Finally, Harry and Nick talk about the ongoing struggle for universal access to safe water and how advancements in technology can help restore and improve the quality of sea life.

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PODCAST: Vertical Farming Podcast - Season 3 Episode 28 - Robert Laing. Rob Is The Founder And CEO At Farm.One

Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show founder, leader, and author, Robert Laing. Rob is the Founder and CEO at Farm.One, an organization that has reinvented specialty farming, and now supplies some of the best chefs in New York. 

In this episode, Harry and Rob discuss Rob’s background in design and how Rob’s entrepreneurial drive led him to launch Farm.One. Rob talks about how the pandemic impacted his business and how he was able to pivot to different business models to combat those challenges. Rob shares the work he and his organization are doing to help underrepresented groups as well as the work they’re doing with Google to address sustainability.

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Season 3 Title Sponsor

If you are starting a vertical farm and don't know where to begin, or which technology would suit your needs, Cultivatd can help. As indoor farm brokers, they help connect you to the right technology and ensure your project is successful. Best of all, their service is free. They work on behalf of their partners.

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Polygreens Podcast Episode: 19 Grahame Dunling - WorldWide Local Salads

Grahame Dunling, together with son Matthew, has launched WorldWide Local Salads, bringing vertical farming to the city where the rich rural hinterlands served his family well for more than 100 years

Joe Swartz & Nick Greens | 3/26/2021

In this episode Joe and Nick interview Grahame Dunling about his extensive career in vertical farming. Vertical farming allows us to grow healthy, accessible foods within a few acres of land, close to home.

Grahame Dunling, together with son Matthew, has launched WorldWide Local Salads, bringing vertical farming to the city where the rich rural hinterlands saw the family well for more than 100 years.

More about Grahame Dunling:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grahame-dunling

More about Joe Swartz:
Website: https://amhydro.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HydroConsultant

More about Nick Greens:
Website: https://www.nickgreens.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/InfoGreens

Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/nickgreens)

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PODCAST: Vertical Farming Podcast - Season 3 Episode 27 - Allison Kopf - Founder and CEO of Artemis

Hosted by Harry Duran

The Vertical Farming Podcast is the #1 show dedicated to the Vertical Farming market. Tune in every week for fascinating conversations with CEOs, Founders, and luminaries from the exciting and fast-growing world of Vertical Farming. Vertical farming is a revolutionary approach used to produce food and medicinal plants in vertically stacked layers such as in a skyscraper, used warehouse, or shipping container. It facilitates production of huge quantities of nutritious and quality fresh food without relying on favorable weather, high water usage, skilled labor, and high soil fertility.

This ensures reliable yield and consistency in crop production year-round with climate control, and no effects of external environment factors such as diseases, pests, or predator attacks.

The Vertical Farming industry is projected to generate $12.77 Billion, Globally, by 2026 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24.6%.

Subscribe and learn more by visiting Vertical Farming Podcast

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Polygreens Podcast Episode: 18 Jamey Agathen - Grow Strong Industries

Grow Strong Industries’ mission is to help humanity thrive by enabling all people to grow indoors effortlessly.
Since they founded in 2002, Grow Strong Industries has grown by leaps and bounds

Grow Strong Industries’ mission is to help humanity thrive by enabling all people to grow indoors effortlessly.
Since they founded in 2002, Grow Strong Industries has grown by leaps and bounds.

From offering a single product, now offer multiple products - including grow tents, LED lighting, hydroponics systems, and nutrients - all suitable for indoor growing. Starting from three lifelong friends in their garage, they now have an army of employees and an office to call their own.

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PODCAST: What Do Saltwater Vertical Farming And Sustainable Coastlines Have In Common?

In the podcast, Heron Farms, a sea beans cultivator, is featured. Heron Farms uses its vertical farm and is also restoring marshland from their home base in Charleston, South Carolina

A podcast by Evolve.ag

Recently Evolve.ag held a podcast on 'What do saltwater vertical farming and sustainable coastlines have in common?'. Their series focuses on what's trending in food and food tech.

In the podcast, Heron Farms, a sea beans cultivator, is featured. Heron Farms uses its vertical farm and is also restoring marshland from their home base in Charleston, South Carolina.

In this episode, Wendy Yared, a food anthropologist, speaks with Sam Norton, the founder of Heron Farms. Inspired by the marsh he grew up playing in, he started the first saltwater vertical farm in the US. Heron Farms grows a type of Salicornia, also known as a sea bean. This plant provides high levels of nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin C, and, not surprisingly, sodium chloride. Chefs sometimes use it as a replacement for salt on fish dishes, like Crudo or ceviche. Beyond the farm, they're also using Salicornia to remediate salt marshes.

They talk about the ecological benefits of Salicornia and how marshland restoration can help turn seawater into a resource instead of a concern for people living in coastal areas. During the podcast, they also dive into the challenges of starting a vertical farm. And how important it is to balance the negative aspects of controlled environment agriculture, like expensive lighting and plastic, with activities that support the ecosystem.

Click here to access the podcast.

For more information:

Evolve Ag

Wendy Yared, food anthropologist

wendy@evolve.ag

www.evolve.ag

26 Feb 2021

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PODCAST: Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show speaker, futurist, and Chief Sustainability Officer at SweGreen, Sepehr Mousavi

Season 2 Episode 26


Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show speaker, futurist, and Chief Sustainability Officer at SweGreen, Sepehr Mousavi. Sepehr is a sustainability strategist, innovation catalyst, and a passionate futurist with an international and multicultural background. His organization, SweGreen, is the number one AgTech company in Sweden and is revolutionizing the vertical farming industry by providing futuristic, smart, and circular solutions for controlled-environment growing systems.

In this episode, Harry and Sepehr discuss Sepehr’s unique background and vertical farming origin story. They delve deep into the concepts of symbiosis, smart real estate solutions, and the importance of Research and Development. Finally, Sepehr speaks to the importance of educating the world on vertical farming and what excites him the most about the future of SweGreen and the AgTech industry.

VERTIC​​​​AL F​​​​ARMING PO​​​DCAST

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This Week On Green Sense Radio Show: FEEDING A RAPIDLY GROWING Global POPULATION!

The world’s population is predicted to reach 10 billion people in the next 30 years. How we feed them using less land and water has led to a lot of exciting developments in high-tech, indoor agriculture

To listen to the entire interview, visit https://www.greensensefarms.com/radio-show

The world’s population is predicted to reach 10 billion people in the next 30 years. How we feed them using less land and water has led to a lot of exciting developments in high-tech, indoor agriculture. Chris Higgins is co-owner of Hort Americas and founder of Urban Ag News. He shares his insight about controlled environment agriculture (CEA) and talks about the challenges and opportunities facing greenhouse and vertical farms during these uncertain times.


This week on Green Sense Radio Show:

FEEDING A RAPIDLY GROWING Global POPULATION!  

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Join Harry Duran, Host of Vertical Farming Podcast, As He Welcomes To The Show Founder of Heron Farms, Sam Norton

It is the mission of Heron Farms to create a sustainable agricultural system and restore the marsh using earth’s most abundant resource: seawater

Season 2 Episode 25 Description

Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show Founder of Heron Farms, Sam Norton. It is the mission of Heron Farms to create a sustainable agricultural system and restore the marsh using earth’s most abundant resource: seawater.

In this episode, Harry and Sam talk all about sea beans, Sam’s fact-finding mission to Bangladesh to learn more about how seawater crops are grown, and the work Heron Farms is doing with other brands to help rebuild salt marshes across the globe.

VERTIC​​​​AL F​​​​ARMING PO​​​DCAST

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The Top 5 Hydroponic Growing Mediums You Should Use

Hydroponics is a farming method that doesn’t require soil to grow plants or foods. Soil is not used in this form of farming

Hydroponics is a farming method that doesn’t require soil to grow plants or foods. Soil is not used in this form of farming. Other hydroponic growing mediums are used instead. This article is going to cover the five best hydroponic growing mediums to use for your garden.

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Selecting The Right Growing Medium

In this episode, Joe and Nick will discuss the right growing medium for greenhouse and indoor hydroponic farming.

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PODCAST: Season 2 Episode 22

In this episode, Harry and Kyle discuss the varying facets of ponics, from deep water culture and NFTs to vertical farming and aquaponics

Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show founder of Ponic Jobs and co-host of the CropTalk Podcast, Kyle Barnett. Kyle is currently serving as Account Manager in the horticulture division at WestRock, focusing on helping growers create superior packaging, labels, and merchandising solutions.

In this episode, Harry and Kyle discuss the varying facets of ponics, from deep water culture and NFTs to vertical farming and aquaponics. They talk about the vital role distribution plays in the AgTech industry, what inspired Kyle to create the Ponic Jobs website, as well as his collaboration with CropTalk Media. His podcast segment, Kyle Talks AgTech, focuses on CEA, vertical farms, greenhouse technology as well as industry leaders.

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PODCAST: Season 2 Episode 21 - Chief Science Officer (CSO) of AeroFarms, Ed Harwood

In this episode, Harry and Ed share a discussion on the difference between hydroponics and aeroponics, the merits and disadvantages of both, and Ed’s never-ending quest to change the world for the better through education, technology, and science

Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show Chief Science Officer (CSO) of AeroFarms, Ed Harwood. It is the mission of AeroFarms to grow the best plants possible for the betterment of humanity. With over forty years of agricultural and engineering experience, Ed founded GreatVeggies before transitioning to AeroFarms.

In this episode, Harry and Ed share a discussion on the difference between hydroponics and aeroponics, the merits and disadvantages of both, and Ed’s never-ending quest to change the world for the better through education, technology, and science.

VERTIC​​​​AL F​​​​ARMING PO​​​DCAST

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Greenhouse, Farming, Podcast, Vertical Farming, Video IGrow PreOwned Greenhouse, Farming, Podcast, Vertical Farming, Video IGrow PreOwned

Polygreens Podcast Episode: 010 - Hydroponic Nutrient Solution

In this podcast, we’re going to discuss watering plants so that you can apply the technique to your own crops

When it comes to hydroponic nutrient solution, there are various opinions saying it’s better to use carbon filter water while others claim it’s best to use reverse osmosis water. When it comes to feeding plants, the main goal is to avoid any chances of root rot.  In this podcast, we’re going to discuss watering plants  so that you can apply the technique to your own crops.

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Nick Greens The Nick Greens Grow Team has participated in many changes since they started developing indoor controlled agricultural environments in 2010. Our goal is to expand the vertical farming industry by helping ag-entrepreneurs manage their businesses better, avoid common mistakes, and improve crop yields based on what we have observed and developed over the past decade.

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Agri Matters Podcast: Interview With AquaFarms Africa Co-Founder On Empowering Women With Aquaponics

In the latest episode of the Agri Matters Podcast, we spoke to Wiatta Thomas, co-founder of ‍AquaFarms Africa, an agritech startup based in Conakry, Guinea

In the latest episode of the Agri Matters Podcast, we spoke to Wiatta Thomas, co-founder of ‍AquaFarms Africaan agritech startup based in Conakry, Guinea. She told us about implementing aquaponics technology, a combination of fish farming and soilless vegetable growing, in Africa.

In this ecosystem, the fish excrete waste that is converted by beneficial bacteria to nutrients for the plants, which purify the water in return.
 
"The focus of AquaFarms Africa was to locally produce fruits and vegetables that normally are imported because they're not able to be produced in Guinea," said Thomas. The produce would be sold to high-end restaurants and hotels that offer higher margins.
 
Aquaponics is also generally considered more efficient than conventional farming. It is more productive on a per square meter basis and requires 95% less water than traditional agriculture. It is also completely organic.
 
For the last nine years, Thomas has lived in Guinea and worked across West Africa in youth economic development, giving her a deep understanding of entrepreneurial ecosystems and promising agricultural value chains. She has also built a business incubator called Dare-to-Innovate. She actively promotes economic development and African diaspora investment in the continent, with agriculture being a priority sector.

To Listen To The Podcast, Please Click Here


Here are some of the highlights from the interview:
 
Pinduoduo: How did the idea of AquaFarms Africa come about?
 
Thomas: What I found is that it's very, very difficult on the continent for young people especially to start agribusinesses, for several reasons. One is that there's a lack of capital. So the idea was that rather than just start an aquaponics farm ourselves, what we would do is create or design a franchise system. 
 
Pinduoduo: Why did you or your partner choose aquaponics?
 
Thomas: The main reason was that we needed a way to have a closed system that would allow us to control the temperature in order to produce some things that wouldn't normally grow in a tropical climate or very intense weather conditions. So aquaponics gave us a way to control the entire environment in which we're growing our produce.
 
(In the aquaponics system,) you can't put chemicals because it'll kill the fish. So automatically, you're going to have organic produce. And so it's really an all-natural system. We really wanted to recreate an environment inside of our greenhouses.
 
Pinduoduo: What kind of yield can we expect?
 
Thomas: One farm (12 by 12 foot) will produce somewhere around one ton of vegetable and fruit product that doesn't include fish product. We haven't included that yet in our total revenue system — it's more just to keep the system going. But we will be selling fruit shrimp and tilapia fish later on.
 
Pinduoduo: Do you work with local lending partners to provide loans to franchisees?
 
Thomas: Part of the loan system is provided by investments from the diaspora. Some of it is with partnerships with local banking systems that we've already started forging. So it's a combination of all of that. Because it's very, very hard for a young person to come off the bat and be able to get loans in Guinea. 
 
Pinduoduo: What are the training and technical support provided?
 
Thomas: We are building an app that we haven't deployed yet. But in 2021, we're going to be deploying it that will allow our franchisees to be able to monitor their system so all of the indicators, such as the nutrient levels, or the temperature in the system, through IoT devices that will be placed in their systems, and will be able to monitor or to track growing schedules, harvesting and planting with an app. 
 
Pinduoduo
: Does this technology gives women more opportunities than traditional farming?
 
Thomas: It's actually more geared toward women. And the great thing is that because it's not as strenuous of work, and because it's in urban areas, we can give a lot more opportunities to women who are in urban areas and who are unemployed.

In case you missed our end-of-year newsletter, here's the link where you can find the best of Agri Matters podcasts of 2020. 
 
Agri Matters is a podcast about cutting-edge technology and innovation in agriculture. From scientists, venture capitalists to startup founders, we talk to the people responsible for bringing food from farm to table. Subscribe to Agri Matters on SpotifyApple PodcastsGoogle Podcasts, and other major podcast platforms.
 
For more stories about the latest in agriculture and technology, visit us at https://stories.pinduoduo-global.com/category/agriculture. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on TwitterLinkedIn and Facebook.
 


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Polygreens Podcast Episode: 009 - Hydroponic Consultant

Hydroponics is a growing method for beginners and experts alike

Hydroponics is a growing method for beginners and experts alike. This innovative farming system provides users with more controlled environments to grow their crops all-year-round. In this podcast, you will learn about hydroponics consulting, and we’ll cover the basics to get you started. 

Nick GreensThe Nick Greens Grow Team has participated in many changes since they started developing indoor controlled agricultural environments in 2010. Our goal is to expand the vertical farming industry by helping ag-entrepreneurs manage their businesses better, avoid common mistakes, and improve crop yields based on what we have observed and developed over the past decade.

YouTube

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PODCAST: Season 2 Episode 20 - Founder And Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Ceres Greenhouse Solutions, Marc Plinke

Ceres designs and builds advanced, energy-efficient greenhouses that grow year-round while saving energy and water

Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show Founder and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Ceres Greenhouse Solutions, Marc Plinke. Ceres designs and builds advanced, energy-efficient greenhouses that grow year-round while saving energy and water.


In this episode, Harry and Marc dissect Marc’s career trajectory, from his time at Synergistic Building Technologies to his current role with Ceres. Marc breaks down his passion for bringing about positive change in the world, the inspiring work he’s doing with Ceres, and the state of food in our society.

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PODCAST: Season 2 Episode 19 - Nate Storey - Co-Founder & Chief Science Officer of Plenty

Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show co-founder and Chief Science Officer (CSO) of Plenty, Nate Storey

Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show co-founder and Chief Science Officer (CSO) of Plenty, Nate Storey. Plenty is on a mission to bring fresh, local produce to communities everywhere in a way that’s better for the environment.

In this episode, Harry and Nate discuss Plenty’s local field-scale indoor farms, the importance of having supportive infrastructure for vertical farming, and the work Nate is doing at Plenty to promote social responsibility and better food for all.

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PODCAST: An Interview With Henry Sztul - Chief Science Officer At Bowery Farming

In this episode, Harry and Henry discuss the promise that vertical farming provides to the world and why it resonated so soundly with Henry

Season 2 Episode 18

Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show physicist, entrepreneur, and self-proclaimed tinkerer, Henry Sztul. Henry is the Chief Science Officer at Bowery Farming, a modern farming company on an ambitious mission to transform the future of food and change the face of agriculture.


In this episode, Harry and Henry discuss the promise that vertical farming provides to the world and why it resonated so soundly with Henry. Henry shares his personal career journey, his thoughts on the current state of agriculture, and what excites him most about the future of hydroponics and the AgTech industry in general.

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Polygreens Podcast Episode: 007 - Jim Pantaleo

In mid-2014, Jim made a move away from a 20-year career in technology to indoor vertical farming for food and non-traditional crop production

POLYGREENS PODCAST EPISODE 007

JIM PANTALEO

In mid-2014, Jim made a move away from a 20-year career in technology to indoor vertical farming for food and non-traditional crop production.

Indoor farming (growing plants for food consumption in totally enclosed environments using only LED lights for photosynthesis) plays a part in directly addressing water, land, population, and natural ecosystem challenges borne from current, large-scale (unsustainable and harmful) agricultural practices.

In order to move from tech to indoor farming, He took a full year to immerse himself in the subject, learning as much as he possibly could while directly engaging with the industry's credible difference-makers and organizations.

Over the past six years, he has been a large-scale, commercial operator/indoor farmer, speaker, writer, business developer, investigative C-level start-up team member, plant science nerd, and conference organizer/MC. Jim seeks to create positive change, shift the paradigm of sustainable indoor plant production, and disrupt (and enhance) supply chains to meet the challenges of modern, large-scale agriculture.

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