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Indoor Farm Urban Till Suspends Deliveries 'Until Further Notice'
Urban Till, a Chicago-based indoor farming company delivering herbs and microgreens to local restaurants, has suspended its service.
In an email, the company said it was suspending deliveries until further notice “due to constraints that severely handicap our daily operations.” Urban Till CEO Brock Leach said the company stopped deliveries weeks ago, and that it’s pursuing other opportunities to continue providing produce to customers.
In late 2015, Urban Till said it worked with more than 200 local clients and employed about 20. At the time, the company was planning a more than 100,000-square-foot facility in Las Vegas and said it was negotiating to do an indoor vertical orchard in San Bernardino, Calif.
The company, founded by Leach in 2011, has said it offers produce and herbs including arugula, chives and rosemary grown using hydroponics — meaning without soil using mineral nutrient solutions in water. Urban Till's facility is housed in the former Sunbeam factory on the Far West Side.
mgraham@tribpub.com
Twitter @megancgraham
‘Insurgent Architecture’ Students Built a Mobile Greenhouse to Overcome Urban Farming Challenges
‘Insurgent Architecture’ Students Built a Mobile Greenhouse to Overcome Urban Farming Challenges
December 7, 2016 | Karen Briner
It is believed to be a world first: a fully functioning greenhouse on wheels that plugs in much like an RV and that could offer up solutions to some of urban farming’s biggest challenges. The mobile greenhouse prototype, which goes by the name GrOwING GREEN, was born of a collaboration between architecture students at Ball State University and Butler University’s Center for Urban Ecology (CUE). It has already been recognized by the American Institute of Architects with a state award for excellence in architecture.
Timothy Gray, a professor of Architecture at Ball State, whose fourth year students designed and constructed the mobile greenhouse, points out that the mobility aspect opens up a world of possibilities, including the idea of bringing the farm to the people. As stated on their website, the prototype, “lends itself to the shifting and temporal nature of the urban farm.”
Tim and his students, who have worked on four other projects in support of urban farming, had previously created a classroom using a shipping container and recycled components for the CUE Farm in Indianapolis. When CUE received a grant to do some improvements to the farm, they turned once again to the architecture professor and his students.
Why a mobile greenhouse, one may ask? It turns out necessity is often the mother of invention and the CUE farming site happens to be on a floodplain. For this reason the law doesn’t allow permanent structures on the site. So, Tim explains, the initial incentive for mobility was part of figuring out a way to build a facility that was not permanent. The structure is legal because it is mobile and therefore viewed as a temporary structure, falling into a different category in terms of the restrictions imposed by the building department.
The mobility aspect enabled Timothy and his students to stage the project at Ball State University, in Muncie, Indiana and then deliver it to the site at Butler University – about an hour and 15 minute drive away. He points out how mobility would allow the greenhouse facilities to be shared between small urban farms. Another potential benefit is its use as a teaching tool to create awareness of healthy eating and lifestyle. The community is invited to the farm where the facilities they’ve built serve as demonstration projects to extend the discussion of sustainable farming and architecture. The mobile greenhouse could make community engagement more robust as you can literally take the farm out into the community.
The greenhouse cost $40,000 to build, with some materials being donated by community and industry partners and students donating their labor. A professional electrician installed the electrical systems and Butler University provided facilities for installation of the irrigation system. Tim says that if it were to be produced in quantity, costs could be kept down once manufacture was centralized and the mobility would allow transportation and delivery to sites throughout the region.
With many urban farms situated on marginal properties that may have easements and power lines running through them, and where code restrictions makes building permanent facilities difficult or impossible, the mobility allows the structures to fall under a different area and code, making them legal. “I call that building between the seams of the building code,” says Timothy.
Another advantage is that if the farm must move – a prospect that is not uncommon for those farming on borrowed urban land and temporary sites – the facilities can then move with the farm and all is not lost.
“I’ve called these projects that we’ve done – all five of them – ‘insurgent architectures’ because they’re small interventions that can make a big difference and they sort of nest in the seams between these building codes.” He points out that building codes can create hurdles that make it very difficult, if not impossible, for small farmers to get any traction, adding that farming is hard enough work without farmers having to deal with all the intricacies of the building codes. The temporary structure offers them a way to do things legally while avoiding restrictive red tape.
The greenhouse, which is built on a custom-made trailer, measures 32 feet long by eight feet wide, is about 10 feet high and tapers down to about 8 feet at the low side. It has an irrigation system just like a conventional greenhouse. “You just have to unhook it – it sort of plugs in like an RV,” says Timothy, who hauled it the 60 or so miles between Muncie and Indianapolis with his Ford F150, demonstrating that it doesn’t take a special truck to transport it.
In building the greenhouse they minimized the use of any material that would deteriorate over time. The steel frame is powder-coated and they decked the trailer with a composite recycled wood product that is designed to hold up well when it’s wet and the demisting system is operating. Instead of chemically treated wood, they used naturally resistant cedar, as well as wood from a local Indiana business that uses a heat process to make it decay-resistant.
The irrigation system runs on a hose hook-up and a pressure regulator on the inside of the greenhouse limits the hose pressure to 40 PSI. The irrigation system doesn’t have any pumps, running entirely off the hose pressure. There are four different irrigation zones throughout the greenhouse that can deliver more or less water, depending on the needs of the plants. For passive ventilation there are two big south-facing windows and four high windows that face north. The windows are heat sensitive, opening and closing on their own with no assistance. There is a heat thermostat so that when it gets too hot, the fans will kick in. For added temperature regulation, there is also an air conditioner and heater that run off electricity.
Designed for flexibility, Tim says that just about anything can be grown in the greenhouse. For this reason the shelving system is easily adjustable; shelves can be moved up and down, or even be removed for plant starts that need to grow a little taller.
CUE farm manager, Tim Dorsey, grows a large diversity of crops on the farm and starts are grown almost all year round. For most of the crops, when plants reach a certain point, they are taken outside for a few hours a day and then brought back in. This is done until the root system is a little bit more established, before planting them in the ground. To facilitate this process, a ramp off the back allows plants to be easily wheeled out in a cart. The exterior is made of polycarbonate panels that are a mix of clear and milky-white, making a variety of lighting combinations available to the grower.
The project has been generating interest from as far afield as Liverpool, England, and a local university here is trying to raise money to do a similar project. Tim feels it would be pretty easy to replicate and do a second generation, possibly making a few changes and tailoring it to the needs of a specific user. He hopes the mobile greenhouse will offer some solutions to urban farming, or at least start a discussion about generating more grassroots innovation in terms of facilities that support urban farming.
Minneapolis Kids Rap About Urban Agriculture — And We’re Into It
Minneapolis Kids Rap About Urban Agriculture — And We’re Into It
By Dan Nosowitz on December 7, 2016
via Appetite for Change
Remember that "Hot Cheetos & Takis" video featuring those cute Minneapolis kids from back in 2012, which got more than 14 million views on YouTube? From that same studio comes something a bit more grown up.
Appetite For Change, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit dedicated to using food as a means for economic and social growth, recently released a new video with a slightly different message—but some familiar faces.
The nonprofit teamed up with Beats & Rhymes, a program also based in Minneapolis that allows kids to write and produce music in a professional setting, to create a the song and video for “Grow Food.” Using the same familiar touchstones—808 beats, Atlanta-style spooky bass lines, an array Grantland described as “a banger”—Beats & Rhymes has come up with a song that’s somehow both a plea to fight against food deserts and also pretty…good. Here’s the video.
“Grow Food” rails against the proliferation of processed food, unhealthy school lunches, and bad eating habits while promoting gardening, urban farming, and eating your veggies. A sample line: “I get the C from the oranges, I get the B from the broccoli, I get the A from the milk, I get my vitamins properly. My food be packed with them minerals, I hope you taking this literal!”
You can learn more about Appetite For Change over at their website.
Indoor Farms of America Delivers First Vertical Indoor Aeroponic Farms to Native American Communities
Indoor Farms of America Delivers First Vertical Indoor Aeroponic Farms to Native American Communities
NEWS PROVIDED BY
Dec 06, 2016, 12:01 E
LAS VEGAS, Dec. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Indoor Farms of America is pleased to announce today the delivery of the first vertical aeroponic farms to two different Native American Communities in the U.S.
"Our staff is very excited about these two farms, sold to Native American tribal interests and members, one in the western New Yorkregion of Salamanca, south of Buffalo, and one in Mayetta, Kansas, serving the people of the Prairie Band of the Potawatomi Nation," said Ron Evans, President of Indoor Farms of America.
Evans noted, "We had the folks from the PB Nation visit our Las Vegasfacility for training, and it was a great day. We learned about their plans to use the vertical aeroponic equipment for education within their community, and for interaction experiences between tribal elders and the young people, who are the future."
These two farms represent the first two vertical aeroponic farms sold for use and operation by tribal people in the U.S. "As we expand our introduction of our crop growing equipment to the Native community, through our subsidiary, Native Indoor Farms, we are grateful to those folks with the vision to see the real benefits of having such a farm," stated David Martin, CEO of Indoor Farms of America.
Martin added: "Not only will the residents have immediate access to fresh and naturally grown produce on a year round basis, but they now have access to an economic model that, based on our discussions with tribal members, speaks to their cultural needs as a people. Growing high quality fresh food, in a clean, controlled environment all year long, first for themselves, and secondly for sale into their local communities, has many tangible attributes that the tribes recognize."
One example is the patented method of introduction of natural minerals into the watering system of the aeroponic equipment. "Tribes can introduce the real elements of nature directly from their own lands into the farming operation in a manner that will enhance the nutritional value of the food, as well as ensure the food grown tastes, quite simply, amazing," according to Martin.
For more information, visit the company website at indoorfarmsamerica.com
CONTACT:
David W. Martin, CEO • 136855@email4pr.com • IndoorFarmsAmerica.com
4000 W. Ali Baba Lane, Ste. F Las Vegas, NV 89118
(702) 664-1236or (702) 606-2691
SOURCE Indoor Farms of America
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Arizona Urban Farming Startup Embraces Aquaponics to Increase Access to Healthy Food
Arizona Urban Farming Startup Embraces Aquaponics to Increase Access to Healthy Food
December 6, 2016 | Vanessa Caceres
Farmers need to be good at a little bit of everything—from growing and marketing to strategic planning. Chaz Shelton of Merchant’s Garden in Tucson, Arizona, approaches farming from a slightly different angle. He earned his MBA at Indiana University-Bloomington and is using that broad business knowledge to manage his hydroponic and aquaponics operation with co-founder Bill Shriver.
Shelton’s interest in farming began more out of an interest in public health. While working with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health in Pennsylvania several years ago, he often saw how poor eating led to adverse health outcomes. He solidified his idea that instead of shipping food from faraway farms into urban environments, he could bring farming into the city.
That led two years ago to the formation of Merchant’s Garden, an urban farming enterprise whose mission, according to the company website, is to “make fresh food accessible and affordable to everyone using the science of aquaponics and hydroponics.” The farm was started with the help of investors and the business accelerator organization Startup Tucson. It launched just as Shelton was finishing up his MBA. Shelton and his co-founders initially had trouble finding land for their urban farm, but they were eventually approached by the local school district, which had space available in a closed down school about 1½ miles from town.
Merchant’s Garden now operates a 10,000-square-foot greenhouse; Shelton thinks of the founders as “agropreneurs,” who are creating technology today to feed people tomorrow.
Utilizing an aquaponics system, Merchant’s Garden grows lettuce, various other leafy greens, basils, and a Mexican mint marigold (it’s an edible flower with pedals that are mint). The farm supplies products to about 20 area restaurants, an area food bank, and to the Tucson school district. Produce is selected and delivered within the same day, to ensure freshness.
Starting Merchant’s Garden in Tucson versus another urban area had several advantages. “We have a robust knowledge capital with the University of Arizona, which is only a mile away from us,” Shelton says. “They are a leading university for controlled environment agriculture and hydroponics and aquaponics.” With the state’s desert climate, the ability to grow produce year-round, as Merchant’s Garden is doing, appeals to many.
The city of Tuscon was also named in 2015 a World City of Gastronomy by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. “There’s been a lot of attention and buzz around food here,” he says.
To increase margins and plot a path toward profitability Merchant’s Garden has remained a lean start up. The operation grows, harvests, and delivers produce on its own, with only three full-time employees and one part-timer. “We didn’t want to work with distributors because we want open channels of communication, so someone could tell us ‘This lettuce tastes weird’ or ‘This item is hot right now,’” Shelton says. “The person making the delivery is the farmer.”
The lean, direct approach puts Merchant’s Garden on the right track to profitability, notes Shelton. “We should be cash positive within a year,” he says. “That’s pretty fast for the investment made.”
Eventually, the founders of Merchant’s Garden hope to expand their business concept of urban farming to cities around the nation, including through rooftop farming; they are in early talks to start another location in Phoenix. “We want better access to this kind of food than to McDonalds,” Shelton says.
Shelton also would like to have the farm serve as a place where the public and customers can come and see how their food is grown and engage in the harvesting process.
Shelton advises other sustainable farmers to get market data about their area, test new ideas, and learn from successes and failures. And while farming is not usually a cash cow, pun intended, he does recommend one green (as in money) tip: “Don’t be afraid of capital,” he says.
Financing Options Announced For Indoor Farms of America Equipment
Financing Options Announced For Indoor Farms of America Equipmen
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - Indoor Farms of America has announced the immediate availability of multiple sources of financing for the robust product line of Container Farms and fully scalable vertical aeroponic growing equipment, according to a press release.
"These financing options for our products opens doors to many folks who want the best equipment available for indoor farming on the market, but may lack sufficient cash or capital structure to pursue the purchase of one of our farms," said David Martin, the CEO of Indoor Farms of America.
Indoor Farms of America spent nearly two years in research and development developing what now has multiple U.S. patents awarded: high yield vertical aeroponic crop growing equipment.
The company has also tested growing larger plants, such as heirloom tomatoes, squash, and cucumbers. This line of aeroponic equipment is nearing readiness for release as well.
News From The Open Agriculture Initiative
The Food Computer is a controlled-environment agriculture technology platform that uses robotic systems to control and monitor climate, energy, and plant growth inside of a specialized growing chamber
The Food Computer is a controlled-environment agriculture technology platform that uses robotic systems to control and monitor climate, energy, and plant growth inside of a specialized growing chamber. Climate variables such as carbon dioxide, air temperature, humidity, dissolved oxygen, potential hydrogen, electrical conductivity, and root-zone temperature are among the many conditions that can be controlled and monitored within the growing chamber. Operational energy, water, and mineral consumption are monitored (and adjusted) through electrical meters, flow sensors, and controllable chemical dosers throughout the growth period.
Each specific set of conditions can be thought of as a climate recipe, and each recipe produces unique results in the phenotypes of the plants. Plants grown under different conditions may vary in color, size, texture growth rate, yield, flavor, and nutrient density. Food Computers can even program biotic and abiotic stresses, such as an induced drought, to create desired plant-based expressions.
Food Computers can be made in a variety of sizes, for production and experimentation on a wide range of scales.
Personal Food Computer – this tabletop-sized unit will draw makers, hobbyists, and schools that are interested in learning and teaching about food production. These small-scale environments are great for experimentation and for learning about biology, botany, environment, programming, engineering, and more.
Food Server – the size of a standard shipping container, these mid-sized units will appeal to interdisciplinary researchers and small-scale cafeterias, restaurants, and boutique operators. They will allow small scale producers to grown on-site and offer some of the freshest food options possible.
Food Datacenter – while still in the development phase, we hope to expand our technology to control the environments within warehouse sized units capable of industrial production. These units will likely be subdivided in order to grow many different types of crops, all under their ideal growing conditions.
The technology for controlling the environments inside of different sized units may vary, but once the hardware is established, the internal environments, or climate recipes, can be scaled up instantly.
The Global Food Innovation Summit
Eat Better, Eat Less, Food For All: Barilla Center International Forum
Eat Better, Eat Less, Food For All: Barilla Center International Forum
At the 2016 BCFN Forum, the conversation will focus on developing a food model that protects the health of individuals, communities, and the planet.
Greetings from Milan!
The Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition's (BCFN) Seventh International Forum on Food and Nutrition takes place in Milan December 1st. The Forum will focus on the major global themes and challenges included in the Milan Protocol, established in 2013.
Watch live now from Milan on www.foodtank.com and join the conversation on Twitter and Facebook using #BCFNForum.
The Milan Protocol sets three objectives: to promote healthy lifestyles and fight obesity, to promote sustainable agriculture, and to reduce food waste by 50 percent by the year 2050. And BCFN invites experts, opinion makers, and young researchers to come together for this interdisciplinary event to share findings, scientific data, and best practices to meet the United Nations Global Goals for food and agriculture-related issues.
The theme of the Forum is “Eat Better, Eat Less, Food For All,” and will bring together researchers, civil society, and policymakers to discuss the future of the food system. The conversation will focus on developing a food model that protects the health of individuals, communities, and the planet through practical proposals and effective measures to tackle hunger and obesity, the use of natural resources, food waste, the environmental impact of agricultural production, and climate change.
The Forum will also include a ceremony to announce the winners of the BCFN YES! Award. The BCFN Young Earth Solutions! (YES!) program was established in 2012 to encourage young people—specifically, university students under the age of 35—to develop innovative solutions to problems within the global food system. This year’s finalists hail from eleven different countries around the world, including Colombia, Cuba, Brazil, Taiwan, Mexico, Uganda, Jamaica, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Benin, and cover topics ranging from electronic management of beehives to the potential of edible insects to control food production.
Last year, the award went two projects. Nadia Ndum Foy and Oko Archibong Ukeme won for their work empowering minority Mbororo women in Cameroon through developing eco-friendly gardening systems. “With firsthand understanding of the plights of the deprived, we are driven by a belief that nobody, regardless of social status needs to suffer food deprivation.” Francesca Recanati of Milan, Italy also won for her work on strategies for productive conservation to fight deforestation and support local farmers.
Luca Virginio, Director of External Relations at BCFN said of BCFN YES! program, "To me, food heroes are all the young researchers and activists who are working hard to build a better food system—and there are many out there! We need to celebrate and encourage their commitment and energy."
The 2016 Forum is open to the public, and visitors can attend the daylong event and listen in on debates and round tables for free. BCFN will also live stream the event on its website, the BCFN Facebook page, as well as the Food Tank website.
The Forum will also introduce the Food Sustainability Index and report, "Fixing Food." The Index, written in partnership with the Economist Intelligence Unit provides a ranking of 25 countries across the three pillars of the Milan Protocol: sustainable agriculture, nutrition, and food waste. “Fixing Food” analyzes the findings of the Index and features interviews with experts and leaders from across the food system.
Speakers and panelists include Food Tank Advisory Group Members David Katz, Founding Director, Yale University Prevention Research Center and Hans Herren, President and CEO of the Millennium Institute.
The Forum also features the following speakers and panels:
- Stefano Zamagni, Adjunct Professor, Johns Hopkins University, SAIS Europe and Member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences delivers the opening keynote address, “The call for an integral ecology and food systems sustainability: suggestions for action.”
- Livia Pomodoro, Chairman Milan Center for Food Law & Policy will dive into “Food & Rules.”
- Kanayo F. Nwanze, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) President, will discuss “Sustainable Food Systems: What needs to change.”
- Jeffrey Sachs, Director, Earth Institute, Columbia University and Director, Sustainable Development Solutions Network, will outline a “2017 Outlook in the framework of Sustainable Development Goals.”
- David Eisenberg, Adjunct Associate Professor of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan. School of Public Health – Director Culinary Nutrition, will discuss “Teaching kitchens as catalysts of personal and social change.”
- Elizabeth Rasmusson, Assistant Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme
For more information please visit The Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition website.
How Machine Learning And Big Data Are Driving Progress In Indoor Agriculture
How Machine Learning and Big Data Are Driving Progress in Indoor Agriculture
DECEMBER 5, 2016 MALIKA CANTOR AND MICKI SEIBEL
Editor’s Note: Malika Cantor is a partner at Comet Labs, a venture capital firm and research lab focused on artificial intelligence, and Micki Seibel is head of product at Orange Silicon Valley, part of French telecommunications giant Orange. The two organizations recently partnered on the publication of a report entitled: Bringing Digital Intelligence to Indoor Farming — urban agriculture in the age of AI.
Here Cantor and Seibel write about some of the report’s key takeaways and data points.
Since 2013, the number of new indoor agriculture facilities in the United States and Canada has risen sharply as the cost to build and operate them has decreased. These operations are not your father’s greenhouse. This indoor ag is highly automated and data intensive. It is more akin to manufacturing than farming, and it has an important role to play in our food system. Growing more nutritious food closer to the point of consumption is something for which most consumers are willing to pay a premium. With global warming, it’s imperative.
Consumers want it. The environment needs it. So our teams at Orange Silicon Valley and Comet Labs have set out to investigate the technology stack for next generation Indoor Agriculture.
The ability to move crops into controlled indoor environments means that food can be grown independent of arable land. Around 90% of leafy greens in North America are grown in California and Arizona, but 75% of the North American population lives east of the Rocky Mountains. In the United States and Canada, the average leafy green travels more than 2,000 miles (3,200km) before it is consumed.
The advantages that indoor agriculture brings to food production are enormous:
- Uses less water
- Uses fewer pesticides or none at all
- Year-round production
- Ability to move production closer to the point of consumption
- Opportunity to drop genetic traits focused on outdoors — pest resistance, drought tolerance, etc. — in favor of traits for nutrient density and flavor.
- Higher nutrient density and less food spoilage due to shorter distance traveled
- Opportunity to broaden the crop portfolio as economies of scale are reached with current crops -(mostly leafy greens, cannabis, and vine crops like tomatoes).
To make indoor agriculture economically viable, technological innovation is needed. We developed an 8-part technology stack to identify opportunities. It spans the type of structure at the bottom (i.e. greenhouses that uses some ambient light from an outside or fully enclosed structure, such as a building) to the intelligence layer gleaned from massive data sets at the top. We divided the stack into CAPEX (the one-time capital expenditures) and OPEX (the ongoing operating costs).
Advances in intelligent machine infrastructure –- namely the development of cheaper electronics and sensors collecting new data sets, as well as faster computing power and new algorithms –- have laid the foundation for a supplementary source of agriculture. In the indoor controlled context, the farmer works with all sorts of autonomous systems to optimize for nutrition, flavor, and yield given the smaller, more isolated environment. Robots assist with many functions like planting, optimizing fertilizer distribution, identifying and eliminating seedlings that need to be terminated, and the picking, cleaning, packaging, and transportation of crops. These autonomous systems are particularly efficient because they act on data and insights derived from the sensors deployed in the indoor environment that are more effective than in an unpredictable outdoor setting.
How does it work? First, distinct sensors collect different data sets. For instance, a camera collects high-quality pictures of the crop over time that are fed to computer vision analysis software to collect information about the color, shape, and size of the crop. In parallel, a sensor measures relative humidity levels around the crop over time. Finally, a machine learning model is built by fusing the separate datasets (even including external datasets of consumer preferences collected by a retailer) with time as the primary variable. All of these “events” are logged by the model that begins to learn the optimal conditions under which to grow a certain type of crop that the farmer can use. For example, the farmer might learn that when the crop turned a certain color, the humidity levels were particularly low, so a specific amount of water is added to yield a more healthy, dark green, and tasty head of lettuce.
We should emphasize that machine learning does not result in the automation of the farmer’s job. On the contrary, the farmer spends less time guessing things that are best assessed by an intelligent machine and more time identifying new ways to produce cost-effective, nutritious, and sustainable crops.
While all of these advances have enabled us to get this far, there is still a long way to go. At Orange Silicon Valley and Comet Labs we are particularly excited about entrepreneurial developments around cheaper artificial lighting. We are also looking forward to the increased modularity and adaptability of indoor agriculture systems, with the view of empowering more people to grow more nutritious and sustainable food.
On a global scale, the indoor growing industry is developing at a revolutionary pace. Following Japan and The Netherlands that have well developed indoor growing industries, a nascent industry is forming in North America. The CAPEX and OPEX of growing indoors is decreasing, and opportunities exist along the entirety of the technology stack. Although growing indoors may never meet cost parity with outdoor growing and will surely never replace it, we don’t think those are the objectives. Rather, in a world of global warming, moving some crops indoors decreases pressure from ever shrinking arable land, allowing the opportunity to grow more nutritious food and create jobs closer to where consumers live: in urban environments.
To read the full report, click here.
AGLANTA '17: Where Growing Opportunity Meets Thriving Community
Where Growing Opportunity Meets Thriving Community:
There is no better time to invest in urban agriculture in Atlanta. The alignment of City leadership, opportunities for entrepreneurs, and industry partners make establishing agtech opportunities in Atlanta sustainable on every level. The inaugural AGLANTA conference will focus on Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) workshops that will help you plan your new urban agriculture business or scale your current operations. City leaders and industry advocates will speak, young entrepreneurs will pitch their ideas, and a curated exhibit of technologies will inspire and inform participants.
Lettuce Learn About Vertical Farming
Lettuce Learn About Vertical Farming
Posted: Thursday, December 1, 2016 12:00 AM
The Coeur d’Alene Press is teaming up with Coeur Greens this weekend to raise donations for the Community Action Partnership Food Bank and to bring awareness to the importance of fresh, local food.
Coeur Greens, an ag-tech startup, will be showcasing “Leafy 1,” the first of many vertical farms the company will use to use to grow fresh greens year round in Coeur d’Alene. Leafy 1, once it’s up and running in January, will be able to produce 1,000 heads of lettuce per week.
Leafy 1 will be set up in the Coeur d'Alene Public Library parking lot Saturday, Dec. 3 and in the parking lot next to Hayden City Hall Sunday, Dec. 4, both days from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Bring your kids down with a non-perishable food item and have them sign Leafy 1 before she goes to work next week. Everyone can have fun learning about vertical farming and Coeur Green’s participation in the Farm to School program — a program that encourages schools to get produce from local sources and brings education and farming together for the betterment of the community as a whole.
For every non-perishable food item donated, Coeur Greens will donate one head of butter lettuce produced by Leafy 1 — up to 800 lettuce heads — to St. Vincent de Paul to be used in free meals for the city’s homeless population.
For more information, contact Tom McNabb with Coeur Greens at tom@coeurgreens.com.
Grant Awarded To Study Sustainable Practices For Urban Agriculture
Grant Awarded To Study Sustainable Practices For Urban Agriculture
By Melissa De Witte, UC Santa CruzThursday, December 1, 2016
Credit: UC Santa Cruz
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded Stacy Philpott, associate professor in environmental studies and holder of the Ruth and Alfred Heller Chair in Agroecology at UC Santa Cruz, a $439,676 grant to research sustainable agricultural practices in urban environments.
“As the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Subcommittee overseeing USDA’s budget, I’m really pleased to support this research and help bring this grant home for UCSC,” said U.S. Rep. Sam Farr (D-Carmel) about the award. “Not only is the Central Coast a leading producer of fresh produce for tables across the nation and abroad, we’re also leaders in agriculture research.”
Thanks to support from the USDA and Rep. Farr, Philpott will be able to help urban farmers and gardeners better understand the relationships between vegetation management, landscape composition, sociocultural diversity and biodiversity. She will study 25 urban gardens on the California central coast, including spaces in San Jose, Sunnyvale, Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Salinas and Monterey.
Over recent years, American urban areas have experienced a boost in small-scale, local food production. Urban farms and gardens have provided residents — especially those living in underserved communities — with the fresh produce and nutrition lacking in these areas.
“Many urban gardeners lack regionally appropriate agricultural knowledge regarding pest control, pollination, water storage and garden sustainability,” says Philpott. She has been studying insect biodiversity in urban gardens to better understand the ecological roles that natural enemies of pests and pollinators provide in these green spaces.
“This missing knowledge is especially concerning given increasing food demands, increased climate-induced ecosystem stress and the increasing importance of urban agriculture for providing for food security, especially in communities where food access is quite limited.”
As Philpott points out, ecosystem services like pest control and pollination are a necessary function of biodiversity and a critical factor to a successful crop yield.
“Despite the known importance of ecosystem services for crop yields in urban farms, there is a gap in our understanding of ecosystem services for urban agriculture,” Philpott says.
Philpott and her research team will look at what production practices are essential to promoting pest control, pollination, and water conservation in urban gardens—essential to providing food for urban gardeners.
Throughout his tenure in political office, Rep. Farr has advocated for organic agriculture for California and the country.
“During my 40-plus years in elected office, I’ve been a champion for increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables and for improving sustainable agriculture practices,” he says.
Rep. Farr also has been a strong supporter of the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, UC Santa Cruz’s farm and garden program. In 2012 he presented a $665,000 USDA grant to the school for its organic farming training program.
Why Grocery Retailers Are Embracing Rooftop Gardens
FEATURE
Why Grocery Retailers Are Embracing Rooftop Gardens
Stores redefine hyperlocal by growing produce on the premises
AUTHOR: Keith Loria
PUBLISHED: Dec. 1, 2016
The food industry as a whole is in the midst of a shift from unhealthy processed foods to organic, local and all natural foods. Buying local is one of the biggest trends, as more consumers want to ensure that the produce they are purchasing and feeding to their families is grown nearby.
This consumer behavior has led to an influx of urban greenhouses, rooftop gardens and hydroponic operations. Businesses and retailers are getting the message loud and clear: people prefer to buy foods from their own communities — even if it means spending a little more.
Daniel Levine, director of consumer trends consultancy Avant-Guide Institute, noted the trend is so pervasive that edible gardens are sprouting up at baseball fields like AT&T Park in San Francisco. Beehives are also being placed on roofs of hotels and other buildings in cities around the world, and urban rooftop algae farms in Bangkok are experimenting with growing edible items like spirulina seaweed.
“The trend for all things ‘hyper local’ is heating up. Consumers perceive that food grown locally is fresher, healthier and better for the environment,” Levine told Food Dive in an email. “People view it as healthier because they can actually see where it was grown. Fresher because, well, it can literally be consumed the day it was picked. And better for the environment because it doesn't require excessive transportation or packaging to get from farm to table.”
Store to table?
Ken VandeVrede, chief operating officer of Edible Garden, a family of co-op local growers across the United States whose farmers specialize in fresh, hydroponic produce and offer consumers safe, nutrient-rich herbs and leafy greens directly in the supermarket, noted local is getting closer and closer to home.
“Edible Garden grows fresh and local produce for supermarkets, and we find that a major component to our success is the fact that our produce is grown just a short distance from the stores that we ship to,” VandeVrede told Food Dive. “Local produce has nothing but benefits for consumers. Produce grown locally guarantees that the product is fresh, it wasn’t grown in a different country, and that it hasn’t been sitting on a truck for a week. Would you rather buy produce shipped in from Mexico, or produce that was grown at or near the location you are buying it?”
Some innovative grocery retailers are taking things one step further and are growing produce in their own stores— or in the case of Whole Foods Market and its Gowanus Brooklyn store, growing it on the roof.
Designed and operated by Gotham Greens in 2013, the store's rooftop greenhouse features more than 20,000 square feet of space and grows approximately 250,000 pounds of fresh leafy greens, herbs and tomatoes each year.
A spokesperson for Gotham Greens said the partnership with Whole Foods Market was a perfect match for the company based on the retailer's unparalleled leadership and commitment to promoting local, healthy and sustainably produced food.
Levine said rooftop gardens are shining in their moment in the sun, and that retailers need to be on-trend to attract customers and keep a step ahead of their competition.
“Today’s grocers, once again led by Whole Foods, are enthusiastically embracing the hyper-local trend as a point of differentiation,” he said. “At the same time, the best ones are solidifying their position as integral members of their communities by inviting customers to learn about the how’s and why’s of urban farming.”
Considering the long journey that most fresh produce has to get to the store and the high level of spoilage, shrinkage and waste in retail produce departments, growing at least some of the food right on the sales floor might be a better option for both the store and its customers.
Recently, Target announced it was researching the idea of vertical farming for some of its stores as part of its current food innovation efforts. Business Insider reported that Target hopes to grow plants and vegetables indoors in climatized conditions and sell the food from the in-store gardens to customers as early as next spring.
“We need to be able to see more effectively around corners in terms of where is the overall food and agriculture industries going domestically and globally,” Casey Carl, Target’s chief strategy and innovation officer, told Business Insider.
What transportation costs?
By utilizing this sustainable and environmentally friendly technology, things like transportation, storage and refrigeration are no longer challenges in getting fresh produce quickly to consumers.
Whole Foods was not the first grocery store to experiment with growing produce in-store. Rouses Supermarkets' Thibodaux, LA store began a Roots on the Rooftop program in May 2012. It offered fresh-grown herbs to its customers and foodservice production areas — and also grew profits.
Rouses also appears to be the first U.S. grocer to have developed its own aeroponic urban farm on its rooftop. The vertical aeroponic tower garden utilizes water rather than soil, and allows the crops to grow up instead of out. It was developed by a former Disney greenhouse manager, and the same system is used at Disney World, Chicago O’Hare Airport and on the Manhattan rooftop of Bell Book & Candle restaurant.
The store originally employed a local agriculture consultant to get everything set up properly. Now the store’s staff — headed up by an experienced horticulture professional and a team of associates — handle the rooftop garden. According to a company spokesperson, the Rouses team plans the farm management process from germination of the upcoming crop, planting, daily monitoring and logging of the crops progress through to the harvest cycle.
Rouses currently has alliances with a handful of other nearby hydroponic farmers who grow lettuce and herbs, saving on transportation costs.
Earlier this year the Metro Supermarket in Berlin, Germany introduced The Infarm, a miniature greenhouse in its store that grows herbs and greens like wasabi mustard greens and mizuna. A story in Fast Co.Exist reported that the thought behind the idea was to make vertical farming and fresh produce accessible to the public by allowing shoppers to grab vegetables straight from the source. The vegetables live their entire growth cycle within the greenhouse, from seed to harvest
It’s expected that the program will expand and can be adjusted at each store to grow a variety of items, including chilis, eggplants and tomatoes.
Mary Holmes, who teaches a course called “The Future of Food” at Case Western Reserve University, located in Cleveland, Ohio, said one challenge is that many of the greenhouses and rooftop gardens won’t have enough supply to keep the large grocery stores stocked with food. However, she does feel more retailers will begin offering these products in the years ahead.
AeroFarms Finalist For Multiple Honors In Environmental, Business Leadership
AeroFarms Finalist For Multiple Honors In Environmental, Business Leadership
Newark, New Jersey
December 1, 2016
After a year of unprecedented growth, AeroFarms, the world leader in indoor vertical farming, is a finalist for both the New Jersey Governor’s Environmental Excellence Awards and NJBiz.com’s Business of the Year Award.
The Governor’s Environmental Excellence Awards recognizes documented environmental benefit made by New Jersey businesses as well as leadership, innovation, education and outreach.
AeroFarms unique, patented growing system uses 95 percent less water than traditional field farming and a fraction of the fertilizers. AeroFarms fully-controlled growing environment requires no pesticides, eliminating the harmful runoff from traditional agriculture, with no harm to our already depleted soil. Plus, these innovative vertical farms bring healthy food to New Jersey neighborhoods that need it most while transforming underutilized warehouse space into productive farms.
“Because our stakeholders share our mission of transformative environmental impact, the sustained health of our environment is at the heart of everything we do,” said AeroFarms CEO David Rosenberg. David is an active member of the World Economic Forum (WEF) and its annual meeting in Davos. David is also a member of the B20 SME Taskforce, which advises the G20. AeroFarms is an Ellen MacArthur Foundation Circular Economy 100 company.
AeroFarms is also a finalist for NJBiz’s business of the year for the category of (51-100) employees. And AeroFarms is continuing to grow with additional roles at both the corporate level and in operations.
The Business of the Year awards recognizes New Jersey’s most dynamic businesses and business leaders who share a commitment to professional excellence, business growth and the community.
After a year of fast-paced growth, AeroFarms is honored to be recognized for its leadership in New Jersey and most importantly to have the support of the local community in Newark.
About AeroFarms
Founded in 2004, AeroFarms® is on a mission to fundamentally change the way the world thinks about agriculture by building, owning, and operating indoor, vertical farms that grow flavorful, safe, healthy food in a sustainable and socially responsible way. AeroFarms patented growing systems make year-round harvests with peak flavor possible while disrupting the traditional distribution channels that lead to massive carbon emissions and food waste. AeroFarms is able to bring the farm to the consumer while mitigating the food safety and environmental risk of commercial field farming.
Tags: Governor, new jersey, NJBiz, Press Release, Sustainability, vertical farm
These Aeroponic Gardens Are Transforming Schools and Homeless Shelters In Los Angeles
These Aeroponic Gardens Are Transforming Schools and Homeless Shelters In Los Angeles
November 30, 201
“Growing your food is a lot better than buying it from a market because they spray it with pesticides or something that could harm us or harm the plant and not make it grow as well,” Sierra Madre Middle School student Elizabeth Nazaros says.
The rest of the class, filled with kids who are barely teenagers, nod in agreement.
“I think it’s more sustainable this way,” student Sarah Vance chimes in.
These kids are part of the gardening club at Sierra Madre Middle School, an elective that manages an outdoor soil garden and two aeroponics systems. Today is the day right before school lets off for Thanksgiving break, and while the rest of the school is out in the courtyard screaming for pie, these kids are waiting patiently so they can harvest their greens and eat their hard-earned salads.
It’s amazing to see how excited they get when they see the plants grow,” Gina Davis, the teacher, says. “Especially over a weekend or long weekend and they see the difference. They get so excited to see something that they’ve produced grow.”
The salad is grown in an indoor aeroponics growing system called a Tower Garden. It’s a four foot structure that automatically waters the plants every 15 minutes. A water reservoir is at the base of the garden, which only needs to be refilled every two months. According to Sue Clark, owner of a Tower Garden franchise in Los Angeles, this system uses 90% less water than conventional gardening methods and produces 30% more food. A single harvest can be ready in three weeks. A basic system costs $500.
Note that aeroponic farming is different than hydroponic farming. In hydroponics, the plants still need to be grown in a material, usually a soil substitute. Aeroponics requires no growing medium and the plants are fed through the air with a steady supply of carbon dioxide, water, and nutrients. It’s a more efficient system and as these students have proven, completely kid-friendly.
Clark helped the local school district apply for $6,000 worth of grants for the gardens and today, there are seven of them scattered across the school district.
“[Pasadena Unifed] school district is committed to using ten percent of what’s growing in the garden and putting it into the cafeteria,” Clark says. The Tower Garden makes it especially easy; kids can eat straight off the system without having to wash the leaves.
It’s an astonishingly simple structure that’s making its rounds in Los Angeles. In 2013, Step up on Vine, a 34-room permanent housing facility for the homeless in Hollywood, installed a rooftop worth of gardens so that residents could have year-round access to produce. Franchises like Tender Greens have Tower Gardens scattered throughout their restaurants. While these systems are no doubt a growing trend, the impact they have in schools is immeasurable.
“You can grow any organic, non-GMO seed and the kids grow the plants straight from seed,” Clark says.
At Sierra Madre Middle School, the children are learning about the food system as a whole and what it means to plant seasonally. In their soil garden, natural pesticides and crop rotation is a regular part of their curriculum. The best part of the Tower Gardens, they say, is that they can harvest all year round. They each go around listing their favorite vegetable. Arugula, it seems, is the class favorite.
When I am done interviewing them, the excitement is palatable. They gather around the structures and pick off their favorite vegetables for salad. It’s like watching kids in a candy store – except everything is green.
“Knowing exactly what goes into our food is a good thing,” student Isabel Eisenberg says. “It’s more work, but it’s worth it.”
Indoor Harvest Corp Appoints New CEO As Company Growth Accelerates
Indoor Harvest Corp (OTCQB:INQD), through its brand name Indoor Harvest®, is a solutions provider to the vertical farming and indoor agriculture industry. The Company is pleased to announce that its Board of Directors has appointed John Choo
Indoor Harvest Corp Appoints New CEO As Company Growth Accelerates
By GlobeNewswire, November 30, 2016, 02:50:00 PM EDT
HOUSTON, Nov. 30, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Indoor Harvest Corp (OTCQB:INQD), through its brand name Indoor Harvest®, is a solutions provider to the vertical farming and indoor agriculture industry. The Company is pleased to announce that its Board of Directors has appointed John Choo as Chief Executive Officer/President effective January 1, 2017. Chad Sykes Founder and current CEO will assume the role of Chief Innovation Officer and will continue to serve as Chairman of Indoor Harvest's Board of Directors.
"There is no better time for John, our co-founder, to become Indoor Harvest's next Chief Executive Officer. Since joining the team he has been instrumental in developing our partnerships and building our sales pipeline. He quickly learned and identified many of the operational challenges our industry faces and drove our rebranding efforts to address those challenges. John taking on the role of CEO will free me to focus on the technology side of our industry, where my true strengths lie. In my new role as CINO, I will be charged with driving research and development through change management, innovating new platforms in-house while simultaneously working with current and new partners at deploying effective, transparent, and efficient innovation process," stated Chad Sykes
founder and CEO of Indoor Harvest Corp.
"Indoor agriculture has moved at an exponential pace of change over the last five years, it reminds me of the early days of the mobile software industry," stated John Choo
, President and co-founder of Indoor Harvest Corp. "Over the last twelve months we have accelerated what was working well and disrupted portions of our business that needed to improve. The results have kept us deeply vested across North America and Europe in supporting strategies for commercial scale cultivators including our pharmaceutical and academic relationships," stated John Choo, Co-founder and President of Indoor Harvest Corp.
"As the company moves into execution on some of our planning, we have begun working with a multinational accounting firm on tax strategies to ensure our activities in Canada, The United States and Europe are standing on a strong foundation. We are expanding our executive and operations team as well, the excitement around the industry growth across the globe is infectious, we're seeing pools of investment and executive talents moving in quickly," further stated Mr. Choo.
Indoor Harvest has evolved as a commercial cultivation hardware designer to a single trusted source providing engineering, facilities construction centrally designed to support indoor agriculture including development financing for clients. The company has an extensive R&D and partnership network with some of the world's most recognized names in Academia and technology leaders in the space.
Management will host a conference call tomorrow, Thursday, December 1, 2016, at 2:00 PM EST, to discuss third quarter results, provide guidance and conduct a Q&A session for investors and analysts. Individuals interested in participating may dial in using the information below:
Dial In: (855) 551-1031
Conference ID: 23475012
A recording will be made available to investors who cannot attend shortly after the call and will be posted to the Company Facebook and Twitter pages.
Consistent with the SEC's April 2013 guidance on using social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter to make corporate disclosures and announce key information in compliance with Regulation FD, Indoor Harvest is alerting investors and other members of the general public that Indoor Harvest will provide weekly updates on operations and progress through its social media on Facebook and Twitter. Investors, potential investors and individuals interested in our company are encouraged to keep informed by following us on Twitter or Facebook.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/indoorharvest
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/indoorharvest
ABOUT INDOOR HARVEST CORP
Indoor Harvest Corp, through its brand name Indoor Harvest®, is a full service, state of the art design-build engineering firm for the indoor farming industry. Providing production platforms and complete custom designed build outs for both greenhouse and building integrated agriculture (BIA) grows, tailored to the specific needs of virtually any cultivar. Our patent pending aeroponic fixtures are based upon a modular concept in which primary components are interchangeable. Visit our website at http://www.indoorharvest.com for more information about our Company.
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This release contains certain "forward-looking statements" relating to the business of Indoor Harvest and its subsidiary companies, which can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "estimates," "believes," "anticipates," "intends," "expects" and similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to be materially different from those described herein as anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Certain of these risks and uncertainties are or will be described in greater detail in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements are based on Indoor Harvest's current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on Indoor Harvest. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting Indoor Harvest will be those anticipated by Indoor Harvest. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond the control of the Company) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Indoor Harvest undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.
Contacts: Indoor Harvest Corp CEO, Mr. Chad Sykes 713-410-7903 ccsykes@indoorharvest.com
Elected Officials Tour Indoor Farming in Poughkeepsie
A non-descript building on Main Street that used to house an insurance agency now houses the Organic Gardens of Poughkeepsie
Elected Officials Tour Indoor Farming in Poughkeepsie
POUGHKEEPSIE – State Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R, East Shore) was in Dutchess County on Tuesday getting a firsthand look at agriculture in the county.
She spent time on a fact-finding mission at Fishkill Farms in Hopewell Junction and Indoor Organic Gardens in Poughkeepsie.
“I don’t have any farms in my district; I represent Staten Island and Brooklyn, but yet I am still voting on legislation that affects the agricultural industry – farmers – and I think it is important for those legislators that are not from areas that have farms to go and learn about what they are doing and we can do as a state to encourage them because we vote on legislation that affects everybody,” Malliotakis said.
Area Assemblyman Frank Skartados joined with County Executive Marcus Molinaro in Poughkeepsie to tour the organic gardening facility.
A non-descript building on Main Street that used to house an insurance agency now houses the Organic Gardens of Poughkeepsie. This startup business, owned by Brud Hodgkins, has attracted the interest of Malliotakis as she attempts to learn more about farming and organic growing taking place throughout the state.
Using organic sterilized compost and very little water, Hodgkins is currently growing approximately 120 pounds of microgreens per week. The distribution of his product is blossoming and is now serving customers as far away as Miami and Key West, Florida through the assistance of an overnight carrier.
Malliotakis, who serves on the Assembly's Ways and Means Committee, has been researching incentives that could possibly aid businesses such as indoor organic gardens and has visited several farms and grow facilities, including a medical marijuana facility in New Jersey. The assemblywoman credits Molinaro with bringing her to Dutchess to show off a variety of organic farms and facilities.
Indoor Farms of America Announces Financing Options
Indoor Farms of America Announces Financing Options
Wisconsin State Farmer
9:50 a.m. CST November 29, 2016
Las Vegas
— Indoor Farms of America is pleased to announce the immediate availability of multiple sources of financing for the robust product line of Container Farms and fully scalable vertical aeroponic growing equipment.
"These financing options for our products opens doors to many folks who want the best equipment available for indoor farming on the market, but may lack sufficient cash or capital structure to pursue the purchase of one of our farms," according to David Martin, CEO of Indoor Farms of America.
"We are very pleased to have funded our equipment already with our new lending source, Direct Capital. This institution understands the needs of small business people, as well as tailoring the right financing for each customer," states Martin. "They took a very close look at the potential our equipment has for creating a financial success story for the owner of the farm, and we have established a lending relationship with them to continue to grow sales at a rapid pace of our equipment."
"When compared to other indoor crop growing equipment, the vertical aeroponic equipment produced by Indoor Farms of America is clearly the market leader in terms of what that equipment can produce in plant growing capacity and yields in any given space, and I have been involved with indoor growing, in aquaponics and hydroponics, and made use of every other style of equipment for over 15 years," says Ron Evans, company President.
According to Martin, "A recent visitor from Japan, considering a distributorship for that region, simply could not stop talking about how amazed he was at the amount of produce we are growing in such a small space. He went on to tell us he believes our container farm, with the substantially higher yield per square foot than anything else, can transform the market in Japan, and that is pretty nice to hear."
Back from a recent visit to Northern California where one of the company's sold Container Farms, a Model 6825, has recently been installed, Evans recalled, "I was fortunate enough to ride along with our farmer to a presentation of his first crop harvest to a local high end Italian restaurant in the Sierra foothills. The owner of the restaurant told us it was the best tasting Basil he had ever tasted, and the leaves were the most beautiful he had ever seen. That says a bit about how well our equipment works, and keeps me humble."
Indoor Farms of America spent nearly 2 years in R&D developing what now has multiple U.S. patents awarded - truly affordable, economically viable high yield vertical aeroponic crop growing equipment.
Martin adds: "We really nailed about 30 different leafy green products early on in test growing, so we know you can operate a container farm that can service a special niche market, or the local grocery, and have financial success with it. But indoor growing needs to be about much more, so what we have focused on for the past number of months is proving out viable growing of other crops such as cherry tomatoes, strawberries, many smaller pepper varieties, and beans. Our farm equipment grows all of these amazingly well."
The company has also tested growing larger plants, such as heirloom tomatoes, squash, and cucumbers. This line of aeroponic equipment is nearing readiness for release as well.
"Ron and I are greatly appreciative of the response to our equipment," states Martin, "and we are focused on enhancements to our system to bring it to an even broader range of growers, including large scale greenhouse operators, which stand to benefit dramatically by the increase in growing capacity in the same space, over older methods. We are finalizing automation of the equipment to track the sun movement for use in such applications, and will announce that when it is ready."
Local Roots Discloses Its Global Sustainable Indoor Farming Initiative
Local Roots Farms, the LA–based indoor farming company, will now build indoor farming projects across the country to serve its commercial customers.
Not only did we spend years trialing our technology and perfecting our growing practices but we built an actual produce business. This cross section of experience makes developing farming projects a natural advancement.”
LOS ANGELES, CA (PRWEB) NOVEMBER 29, 2016
Local Roots Farms, the LA–based indoor farming company respected for its high-quality leafy greens and innovative approach to farming, announced completion of a TerraFarm network, ready for commercial deployment in Q1 2017. After a dramatic increase in demand for their scalable indoor farming solutions, Local Roots will now build indoor farming projects across the country to serve its commercial customers.
Despite an increased desire nationwide for locally-sourced produce programs, no indoor farm has yet been able to offer the consistency, quality, and affordable price points demanded by the nation’s largest buyers. Local Roots is primed to solve these exact challenges.
“We realized that we were in a unique position,” says CEO Eric Ellestad, “Not only did we spend years trialing our technology and perfecting our growing practices but we built an actual produce business. This cross section of experience makes developing farming projects a natural advancement.”
Local Roots designs, builds, deploys, and operates controlled environment farms that yield the highest quality, locally-grown produce using breakthrough technologies. Those farms, called TerraFarms, grow with up to 99% less water, 365 days a year, pesticide and herbicide free, and with absolute consistency in production. Their plug and play form provides a novel solution to the retail and foodservice sectors by greatly reducing supply-chain risks such as price volatility and food safety exposure.
Featuring a uniquely elegant design engineered to increase environmental control and process efficiencies, each TerraFarm is capable of growing 5-10x more produce than other leading shipping container farms available on the market.
“Rather than depend on anecdotal stories of success and failure from fellow farmers,” says Ellestad, “Our growing practices and standardized operating procedures are rooted in sophisticated data analytics.”
The Local Roots Research and Development team, comprised of plant science, botany, agronomy, design and engineering specialists, capitalizes on this growing body of data to grow more nutrient rich, better tasting produce with guaranteed harvests and yields. Moreover, TerraFarms are PrimusGFS certified and operated according to strict food safety procedures. Taken together these approaches makes Local Roots produce the first of its kind.
Follow Local Roots Farms and its commitment to feeding the global population in the most sustainable way possible. For more information, please visit http://www.localrootsfarms.com or contact Allison Towle at a.towle(at)localrootsfarms(dot)com.
10 Exciting Developments Fusing Food And Real Estate
10 Exciting Developments Fusing Food And Real Estate
A new report, Cultivating Development, shows how culinary innovation and foodie culture can help build community
BY PATRICK SISSON NOV 29, 2016, 2:15PM EST
There’s no question that attitudes towards food and healthy living have evolved over the last few decades. Cuisine and food culture have undergone dramatic shifts, from the proliferation of celebrity chefs to ever-more sophisticated palettes; since 1994, the number of farmers markets in the country have increased fivefold. It only makes sense that developers, always on the lookout for the next standout residential and commercial development, would start factoring these trends into their new projects.
In a new report, Cultivating Development, the Urban Land Institute examines how the real estate industry has begun to embrace culinary sophistication and foodie culture, positioning shared gardens and upscale food halls as must-have amenities and retail anchors. These additions not only fuel commerce and community, but can lead to more sustainable, equitable development that legitimately improves the health of residents. Here are 10 of the projects highlighted in the report, from healthy residential developments to indoor farming centers, that both help the bottom line and add value to the community.
Refresh Project (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Turning a food desert into an oasis, this community development project located between the Treme and Mid-City neighborhoods goes beyond adding a healthy grocery option to assembling the resources for healthier lifestyles. Spearheaded by the local group Broad Community Connections, this developmet replaced a vacant supermarket with a Whole Foods Market and a variety of healthy nonprofits, such as the Tulane University Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine, a first-of-its-kind program that teaches healthy eating and cooking in a clinical setting, the ReFresh Community Farm, and Liberty’s Kitchen, an on-site food service and life skills training center. The project didn’t just encourage better eating habits, but offered more holistic health and wellness assistance as well as career opportunities.
Arbor House (Bronx, New York)
This new housing development seeks to provide not just affordable housing, but a healthy diet, to a community that’s been disproportionately affected by diabetes and heart disease. A 10,000-square-foot hydroponic rooftop farm atop the 124-unit property will grow fruits, vegetables, and herbs, which will then be sold in a neighborhood lacking a surfeit of healthy options.
The Pinehills (Plymouth, Massachusetts)
This new village center models itself after more a traditional layout and design, meaning extensive open space (only 30 percent of the land is developed) and a large two-acre village green as a centerpiece. The retail area, anchored by The Market, the state’s first “healthy market,” is linked to nearby homes via a network of walking paths.
Mariposa (Denver, Colorado)
Built by the city housing authority, this 800-unit mixed-income development utilizes clever design and an array of public programming to encourage healthy living, including a weekly farmer’s market, the on-site Osage Cafe, and a community bike-share program.
Mercado La Paloma (Los Angeles, California)
Established nearly 15 years ago, this former garment factory-turned-food industry incubator has been a celebrated success, earning plaudits from the U.S. Congress. Nearly 200 locals, from social service workers and artists to immigrant entrepreneurs, are employed at this complex, which helps provide startup capital, a health center, as well as conference rooms and performance spaces. An in-house initiative to provide nutrition information, La Salud Tiene Sabor, has spread to local restaurants and markets.
Summers Corner (Summerville, South Carolina)
A “community in a garden” near Charleston, this planned development includes a bike trail system, demonstration gardens, and an outdoor market. The main garden houses the Clemson University master gardener program, which gives residents the opportunity to sharped their skills in the company of experts. Produce from the garden are also used at the nearby Corner House cafe.
Aerofarms (Newark, New Jersey)
This recently opened indoor farm, set inside a former steel mill, will eventually grow two million pounds of produce annually, and serve as an anchor for the RBH Group’s Makers Village project, a three-acre sustainable production district set to activate the local job market.
Eco Modern Flats (Fayetteville, Arkansas)
Using healthy lifestyles as a selling point, a local developer turned these blocks of ‘60s-era apartments into greener, more sustainable homes, featuring a landscape redesigned to include native plants, rainwater harvesting, and rooftop gardens. Parking was also moved to help create a massive communal garden, one of many community features that helps build relationships among tenants.
Aria Denver (Denver, Colorado)
Set to open in 2018, this infill community on the site of a former convent will knit together 450 homes and a variety of gardening and health amenities, including a pay-what-you-can farm stand, a permaculture pocket gardens, a 1.25-acre production garden, shared kitchens, as well as access to healthy cooking classes. The developers believe “giving up” land for these amenities ends up raising the value of the project as a whole, both making it more attractive and bringing in more community partners.
Rancho Mission Viejo (Orange County, California)
A massive series of planned developments intertwined with farms and ranches, this residential and retail project offers a more sustainable and community-oriented model for homebuilding. The first village, Sendero, includes two communal farms amid 941 homes, and when finished, the entire development will include schools, parks, clubhouses, and other recreational facilities. .