Controlled Environment Agriculture Funding Breeds Optimism For Post-Pandemic Growth

Carrie Meadows

July 9, 2021

Back in 2019, LEDs Magazine published a feature on investment pacing and market prospects for horticultural solid-state lighting (SSL) and products and systems for controlled environment agriculture (CEA) operations. We were really just beginning to see how venture capital funds and research grants were being distributed among CEA growers themselves in a wave hot investment for advanced farming methods. Indeed, as chief editor Maury Wright wrote regarding the early planning days of the former Horticultural Lighting Conference, “We suspected the primary interest would be investment in the companies supplying technology that could be deployed in vertical farms around the globe. Instead, the sector would soon witness huge investment in the farms themselves.”

Although the pace of announcements slowed slightly amid the coronavirus pandemic, we have covered quite a bit of research on plant science, optimization studies for horticultural lighting, and capital investment alike. And I am pleased to see prospects are growing for companies working toward technology integration in this sector.

For example, the Wells Fargo Foundation’s Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2), which is co-administered by the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), just announced the latest cohort of startups that will benefit from its funding and partnerships with NREL and an independent research institute, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, MO. All of the companies in this phase are focused on enabling sustainable indoor agriculture.

GrowFlux CEO Eric Eisele was kind enough to point me to the program news, which you can read in the linked release on our site. For background, GrowFlux is a 2021 LEDs Magazine Sapphire Awards finalist for its GrowFlux Dimmer lighting controller. That product is designed with ease of use in mind to allow an end customer to easily deploy intelligent controls without programming experience or a technician to set up.

“With the growing complexity and evolving practices around horticultural lighting control, our user-friendly setup experience and app eliminates a lot of the frustration,” said Eisele. “We've been building out compatibility for all of the major manufacturers of horticultural lighting to make this energy-saving control technology as accessible as possible, especially for the many small and medium-sized businesses in the controlled environment agriculture industry.”

Each participating company in the IN2 cohort will receive $250,000 and will work at NREL and the Danforth center on R&D. When asked what GrowFlux plans to do with its funding, Eisele said that the company will partner with a sensor manufacturer to combine wireless controls and PAR sensors to determine real-time PAR levels in the indoor environment. The idea is to analyze the PAR data and program the lighting control system to evaluate and manage a Daily Light Integral (DLI) target.

The word “automation” came up. GrowFlux is not the first organization to explore the concept of bringing software intelligence, lighting, and systems controls together in a way that delivers both streamlined and adaptable operations to reduce energy consumption in a greenhouse or other CEA setting (refer to the Automatoes challenge and a presentation from AgEye in our past HortiCann Light + Tech insights). However, Eisele explained, the GrowFlux wireless dimmer is compatible with offerings from many well-known horticultural lighting providers (e.g., Fluence, GE Current, BIOS, Heliospectra, and more), and the company intends to maintain out-of-the-box installation and interoperability with the next generation of technology development, rather than pursue customized designs.

Funding placements like this will propel advances for CEA and AgTech, increase technology uptake, and prove out the return on investment for integrated horticultural systems.

Lead Photo: It’s an exciting time to watch engineers, scientists, and horticultural experts in the field receive the support and resources to collaborate and put new knowledge and technologies into action.

European And Asian Expansion For Equilibrium

July 9, 2021

Equilibrium, the company that this week closed the industry’s largest Controlled Environment Agriculture Fund at $1.022 billion, has established an office in Singapore and has Dutch master grower Godfried Dol and former Rabobank Asia & career agricultural investor John Baker manning it. Currently, the company is trying to develop the first high-tech glass greenhouse in Singapore. And there’s more. In the next year, Equilibrium is expecting to get several European greenhouse companies onboard.

“As the industry grows, capital and expertise are what’s needed. We’re in a great position to aggregate and consolidate as this industry matures,” Dave says. “In many countries in South East Asia, it is about food safety. In Singapore for example it is about food security: a small island nation that has little agricultural space. Yet, if it is safety, security, consistency, quality or the ability to manage climate volatility that is in demand and regardless of the order, they all contribute to the same demand for CEA facilities.”

David explains that he believes there to be plenty of opportunities in Asia – something that hasn’t developed at all since the industry grew out of Holland, and the current greenhouse crops mainly reflect the European diet. “Or as one policymaker said ‘We do not eat a lot of kale here.’ But they do eat a lot of vegetables. Bitter ones, different ones. There’s plenty of room to grow and innovate and that’s exciting.”

European market
And there’s more. Also in markets where the CEA industry has matured, Equilibrium sees opportunities. Earlier Dave shared his belief that access to capital is a competitive advantage and with this in mind, the company is also for operators in Europe. “We’re setting the tone for the Dutch industry,” Dave confirms. “When AppHarvest went public, we jokingly said that we listed a farm. When that happens, the family business balance sheet being the support for growth is likely no longer to be adequate. By now several companies have announced their listing, often through De-SPAC (Special Purpose Acquisition Company), and have seen also a significant rise of private capital. This will happen in Northern Europe in 2021 and 2022.”

Dutch greenhouse suppliers
Over the last couple of years, private equity found its way towards the Dutch greenhouse suppliers, yet with some exceptions in place, still, growers mainly relied on Rabobank as their capital plan. “It’s also evidence of the fact that many of the growers in the Netherlands are coops, and coops are tough strategic vehicles,” David says. “Then again, before the expansion was measured in 5 hectares or 10 hectares. What we see now in the North American projects are routinely 25 hectares or 50 hectares expansions. We polled the Dutch venture industry and asked them if they were able to meet the capital industry in the growth of construction in North America. Only a year ago all of them said, without hesitation, that it wasn’t a problem. If you would poll them today, they would look at each other and say there’s no manpower.”

Equilibrium has, David, adds, and confirms that the company is on the lookout to work with Dutch growers. “We’ve been working on long-term relationships with Dutch suppliers for a longer period by now – but we’re their clients. That’s not the case for the operators. Over the course of the next year, you’ll see us increasing our exposure working with European operators and operators in the Netherlands that have a desire to expand their footprint.”

He is assured that the company’s reputation as a collaborative, dedicated, and a domain-o-where investment firm will help them gain ground in the European industry. “Vendors know that when we commit to a project, it is fully capitalized and that they can play with security and certainty. We always came with capital, we weren’t developers that were raising capital for each project – we’ve committed capital to each project. People want to work with us because they know that. Then there is our team with Nick (Houshower), Gave, and also with Marco and Godfried. They are either experts in the industry or in construction or in the case of our team, have taken the humility to learn and learn again. Vendors know that we’re not the company to make crazy requests. We may push hard, but nothing crazy.”

So why does the company want to invest in the Dutch industry? David explains he continues to see opportunities there, despite the coops. “The Netherlands, and to some degree Israel, have built these industries out of necessity. Innovation took place to solve very practical problems, and got to grow these industries. Where it was a curiosity for the rest of the world, it was practical for the Netherlands. Under the radar, the Dutch grew expertise and dominance and while everybody looked at in the broad daylight, there wasn’t much invested in it. 2020 / 2021 made the ‘Americanisation’ of the Dutch industry visible. And now that Silicon Valley technology and the capital industry has started to look at the industry like mainstream agriculture, funny things happen.” He explains how larger operators like AppHarvest have a Chief Technology Officer for example. “Continuous absorption of technology platforms for productivity is a way of life. If you do not have the dollars to afford a technology operation, you are at a competitive disadvantage.”

Will it result in further upscaling and eating or being eaten in the Dutch greenhouse industry? David adds a third option. “Increasingly we’re seeing small farms not being the eater and being too small to be eaten. Stranded assets,” he says. “Not just in the Netherlands. Some of the small ones will have to decide: will they focus on a niche, or will proximity be their unique point – something that enables them to thrive in that scale and differentiate. Otherwise, a number of small-scale facilities are to question their future.”

1200% Increase In Production At ENOGROW In Times of A Pandemic!

July 11, 2021

One step closer to food sovereignty in New Brunswick Canada. 1200% increase in production at ENOGROW in times of a pandemic!

Thanks to an equipment investment upgrade valued at nearly $250,000. ENOGROW, an indoor vertical hydroponic farm, located in Saint-Léolin NB, will see a production increase of leafy vegetables from 7,500 to
nearly 100,000 heads grown per year by the end of 2021. Due to the owners Chantal and Daniel Ratté hard work, perseverance and imagination, this amazing production surge occurs after less than 18 months of operation and in the midst of a worldwide pandemic.

Cultivation in a controlled environment takes place inside the former Le Maillon school, a 2280sqm building on 4 acres of land 12 month a year! ENOGROW currently offers their products to grocery stores, restaurants and on-site to the local population. With the above upgrades, along with a new refrigerated truck, the company will expand its customer’s network to Miramichi and Campbellton areas, and soon to southern New Brunswick as well.

Due to climate change, supply issues and the ever-growing demand for fresh local produce, this indoor hydroponic farm takes NB residents one step closer to food sovereignty year long!

This innovative indoor hydroponic farm grows nearly 20 different products year round, including 4 kinds of lettuce, various herbs and microgreens from organic seeds. All of this healthy produce is grown without soil, pesticides, herbicides or chemical residue, using 90% less water in only 10% of the space required by conventional cultivation.

The company is already working on their new goal for 2022, with expectations of 200,000 heads produced, a step closer to the final goal of 750,000 heads annually by 2025. This would create nearly 20 permanent jobs and serve New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland with fresh and local leafy vegetables 12 months per year.

This is quite a challenge for Chantal and Daniel, whose company began their operations in November 2019, less than 3 months before the start of the pandemic. They work almost 80 hours a week. “We never thought
we had the ability to work this hard, especially me at 62 years old, says Dan. Advice to anyone thinking of beginning this kind of agricultural that request a high production volume to be profitable. This is real farm work, and it is year round, Dan explains!

The final commissioning of the new equipment is scheduled for end of July.

Daniel Ratté Pres.
Enogrow Inc.
916 Boul. Saint-Joseph,
Saint-Léolin, NB E8N 2P8
danielr@enogrow.com
Off: 506-604-4400 Cell:506-720-2007 FB: Enogrow

FRANÇAIS

06 Juillet 2021

Plus près de la souveraineté alimentaire au NB. Augmentation de 1200% de la production de légumes à feuilles chez Enogrow en temps de pandémie!

Grace à un investissement en équipements d’une valeur de près de $250,000, la ferme hydroponique verticale intérieure ENOGROW de Saint-Léolin verra sa production de légumes à feuilles passer de 7500
à près de 100,000 têtes cultivées par année d’ici la fin de 2021. C’est grâce au travail acharné, persévérance et imagination, des deux propriétaires Chantal et Daniel Ratté que cette incroyable augmentation de production se produit après moins de 18 mois d'exploitation et au milieu d'une pandémie mondiale.

Dû au changement climatique, problèmes en approvisionnement et ses coûts, ainsi qu’à la forte demande en produits frais local sans cesse grandissante, cette ferme hydroponique intérieure permet aux résidents du NB de franchir un pas de plus vers la souveraineté alimentaire.

La culture sous environnement contrôlée, se fait à l’intérieur de l’ancienne école Le Maillon, un bâtiment de 2280mc sur 4 acres. Ils offrent présentement leurs produits aux marchés d'alimentation, restaurants et sur place pour la population locale. Par cet ajout d’équipement et d’un camion réfrigéré, l’entreprise peux maintenant étendre son réseau de clients vers Miramichi et Campbellton et bientôt le sud du nouveau Brunswick.

La ferme hydroponique intérieure d’avant garde cultive près de 20 produits différents, dont 4 sortes de laitue incluant la romaine, fines herbes et micro-pousses à partir de graine graines organiques, sans terre, insecticides, herbicides ou résidus de produits chimique, en utilisant 90% moins d'eau en utilisant seulement 10% de l’espace requis par la culture conventionnelle et ce 12 mois par année!.

L'entreprise travaille déjà sur leur nouvel objectif pour 2022 qui devrait être près des 200,000 têtes produites en route vers son but final de 750,000 produites annuellement d'ici 2025. Ceci créera près de 20 emploies permanents et pourra servir le Nouveau Brunswick, Ile du Prince Edward, la Nouvelle-Écosse et Terre neuve en légumes à feuilles frais et local.

C’est tout un défi à relever pour Chantal et Daniel dont l’entreprise a démarré ses opérations en novembre 2019, soit moins de 3 moins de mois avant le début de la pandémie. Ils y travaillent près de 80 heures par semaine. ‘’ On ne pensait jamais avoir à travailler autant spécialement moi à 62 ans. C’est un pensez y bien avant, pour ceux et celles qui désirent se lancer dans ce genre d’agriculture qui demande un haut volume pour atteindre la rentabilité. C’est un travail de ferme mais à longueur d’année explique t-il!

La mise en service des nouveaux équipements est prévue fin juillet.

Daniel Ratté Prés.
Enogrow Inc.
916 Boul. Saint-Joseph,
Saint-Léolin, NB E8N 2P8
danielr@enogrow.com
Off: 506-604-4400 Cell:506-720-2007 FB: Enogrow

It’s All In The Mix – ams-Osram Presents White LED For Highly Efficient Horticulture Lighting

June 24, 2021

Premstaetten, Austria — ams-OSRAM (SIX: AMS), a global leader in optical solutions, is expanding its comprehensive horticulture portfolio with the Osconiq S 5050. There is an ideal light recipe for each plant that includes "ingredients" such as the required wavelengths, intensity, average illumination duration and much more. Operators of greenhouses and so-called indoor farms naturally want to be as energy-efficient as possible in addition to maximizing yields. ams-Osram’s Osconiq S 5050 addresses a key problem of often used white LEDs resulting in lower energy costs and more efficient lighting to luminaire manufacturers and indoor farmers.

In indoor farming, red and blue or alternatively red and white LEDs are the predominate combinations found today. Standard white LEDs used to grow plants also emit light in the red wavelength range, which could be covered by direct emitting red LEDs in the lighting system instead. In addition, classic white LEDs require considerably more energy than a directly red-emitting LED would for a comparable number of red photons. “Our new Osconiq S 5050 now enables a higher system efficacy of red-white spectra by reducing the share of phosphor converted red photons. With this concept, growers are now able to save energy costs significantly,” explains Thomas Grebner, Marketing Manager at ams-Osram. The special phosphor used in the Osconiq S 5050 cuts the red part of the spectrum, so to speak. The red component in the white light of the LED is therefore considerably lower.

The Osconiq S 5050 enables compact luminaire designs for manufacturers thanks to its space-saving dimensions of just 5.0 mm x 5.0 mm x 0.7 mm. The mid-power LED also boasts an efficiency of 2.86 µmol/J and an optical output of 630 mW. In addition, the device, which can be operated in a range of 180 to 1050 mA depending on the target application, is protected against overvoltages of up to 8 kV.

Horticulture technologies from ams-Osram not only help to produce food independently of location, in a space-saving manner and without the addition of pesticides, they also make it easy for consumers in urban areas to obtain fresh and healthy food quickly.

Further information about horticulture lighting can be found on our website.

The Osconiq S 5050 expands ams-Osram's comprehensive horticulture lighting portfolio and significantly increases the energy efficiency of lighting solutions thanks to a new type of phosphor. Image: Osram

Combined with red LEDs for horticulture lighting, white LEDs provide the right spectrum for the growth of various plants. 

About ams-OSRAM

The ams-OSRAM Group, including the listed companies ams AG as parent company and OSRAM Licht AG, is a global leader in optical solutions. By adding intelligence to light and passion to innovation, we enrich people’s lives. This is what we mean by Sensing is Life. 

 With over 110 years of combined history, our core is defined by imagination, deep engineering expertise and the ability to provide global industrial capacity in sensor and light technologies. We create exciting innovations that enable our customers in the consumer, automotive, healthcare and industrial sectors maintain their competitive edge. We thereby drive innovation that meaningfully improves the quality of life in terms of health, safety and convenience, while reducing impact on the environment. 

Our around 30,000 employees worldwide focus on innovation across sensing, illumination and visualization to make journeys safer, medical diagnosis more accurate and daily moments in communication a richer experience. Our work creates technology for breakthrough applications, which is reflected in over 15,000 patents granted and applied. Headquartered in Premstaetten/Graz (Austria) with a co-headquarter in Munich (Germany), the group achieved well over USD 5 billion combined revenues in 2020 (pro-forma). 

 ams AG is a listed company on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ISIN: AT0000A18XM4). OSRAM Licht AG remains a listed company on the XETRA market in Germany (ISIN: DE000LED4000). 

To find out more about us on https://ams-osram.com

ams is a registered trademark of ams AG. In addition many of our products and services are registered or filed trademarks of ams Group. All other company or product names mentioned herein may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Information provided in this press release is accurate at time of publication and is subject to change without advance notice.

Please note: The ams brand is owned by ams AG, the OSRAM brand is owned by OSRAM GmbH. ams group and OSRAM group are in the process of integration. The combination of the ams and OSRAM brand is not representing a new brand. This is a visual symbol of the two companies coming together, representing the aspiration of our future joined group.

Manage Only The Environment That Matters: The Canopy

July 5, 2021

“We offer a completely integrated product and take all of the guesswork out, whether it relates to chillers, controls, air handling units, adjustable nozzles, etc.,” says Emil Breza, co-founder, president and CEO of AgricUltra Advancements.

AgricUltra is a Canadian company that designs and develops turnkey, multi-layer grow platforms that are engineered to optimize inter-canopy control and management. The company also conducts research and development related to UV lighting.

AgricUltra Advancements was officially incorporated in August 2018 and specializes in four keys areas: controlled environment agriculture, computational fluid dynamics analysis (CFD), systems design & engineering and photobiology. While the company designed its systems for medical cannabis production, AgricUltra believes that its system can be applied to any vertical farm and will be trialing berry production at its new research center and unit.

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Decisions rooted in CFD analysis
As Emil explains, computational fluid dynamics modeling allows the company to accurately model airflow in an existing or proposed grow room. AgricUltra can visualize how heat, humidity and temperature interact to create humidity pockets, temperature stratifications or impeded airflow.

“At AgricUltra, we create a very accurate representation of the physical environment (from room level to canopy level) as well as the environmental setpoints (Temp, RH, CFM, heat inputs, etc) and let the software compute the complex interactions that result. Then we can identify problem areas and come up with viable solutions. That’s the power of CFD analysis. It helps you find mistakes that you can’t otherwise see,” says Emil.

Read the complete article at: Vertical Farm Daily

For more information:
Emil Breza, Co-Founder, President and CEO
AgricUltra Advancements
www.agricultra.com
yanna@agricultra.com

Bucolic Kailash, An Agritech Startup, Brings “Computerized Farms” From The Future!

July 6, 2021

At the futuristic and smart agritech start-up “Bucolic Kailash”, a mission is becoming more real every day; the vision that soon in the very near future, starting and running farms profitably, will be as easy as downloading an app.

Bucolic Kailash researches, manufactures and markets user-friendly life-growing computers. These computers are meant to enable economic and nutritional autonomy for its users. For example, one of the patented life-growing computers at Bucolic testing labs grows as much as Rs. 25 lakh worth of healthy produce annually in just 100 sq ft space with operational expenses of under Rs. 50,000/month for the user. Systems like these can be started with as low as 3 sq ft of space and scaled up with time.

Bucolic Kailash’s Vertical Garden and Vertical Farm System series are made to deliver super intensive and sustainable cultivation that is 100% organic, without soil and achieves more than 90% of water and energy saving. The smart agritech company has developed and acquired multiple patents on products and technologies that have shown promising results in the scope of personal, organized, and organic aquaponics farms. Their hydroponics computers grow up to 84 plants, vegetables, and salads in 1 sq ft. Their mushroom farming computers grow 50 Kgs of mushrooms in 3 sq ft every 45 days. Their fish-farming computer designs yield up to 800 Kgs of shrimps in just 10 sq mt every 150 days. All of this is achieved with IT, IoT and their custom developed life-growing AI. The Systems are engineered by closely working with its early customers and focusing on ease of use, AI & IoT powered automation and distribution. Engineering, Manufacturing, and IT has been the most guiding product shaper for the company’s early success.

Bucolic Kailash has unlocked a huge market for vertical farming, fish farming and hydroponic personal gardens.Their use of technological intervention empowers people to cultivate and harvest every day and in the comfort of their own homes through most efficient and effective ways. The company’s new offering under Vertical Garden system series ‘Tree of Wisdom – Eleganté’ is by far the most groundbreaking vertical hydroponics system the world has ever seen before. The product complies with ISO 9001:2015 for best in grade Quality Management and has been tested to meet the required hydroponics system parameter controls, as well as the state-of-art features. Tree of Wisdom - Eleganté has been doing well since its launch on 11th May 2021 at amazon.in.

The Company was founded by Mr. Utkarsh Sinha in March 2020 and now the company is a community of 18 carefully selected and nurtured members. During our interview with the founder, we found him very engaged and excited about the road ahead. Utkarsh graduated in MCIT-Computing from The University of Melbourne and B. Tech from MIT, Manipal. According to him, having worked with Godrej's R&D, Honeywell Aero HTS, Fagerhult OR Tech teams in India and Australia, helped him manage the company’s departments, processes, and make shipments possible from concept-to-product, even during the pandemic. The company runs its fully functional aquaponic devices manufacturing facility in Manipal on lean manufacturing and quality control principles.

On further talking with the founder, we found that the company’s mission with its life-growing computers is to ultimately enable community empowerment and economic development. The company believes that such life-changing science and technology should be available as user-friendly products. In the founder’s words, “It was a contrasting journey that I took back home to India in 2019 while having employment opportunities from companies in Australia that made me reflect upon my priorities and self-actualization needs. I wish to make communities exchange value through healthy food and money that can make coexistence wholesome.” We believe that Bucolic Kailash is a futuristic company that understands the needs of today's communities and a fast-changing world. They develop and market environmentally friendly agritech computers. The company has raised partial seed-funding after a year of setting up its manufacturing factory and distribution channels and they plan to expand their life-growing computers reach to a wider niche and the tap global market in the next 6 months.

Visit www.bucolic.ltd for more inspiration and information

There is No Soil. There Is No Growth Period. Just Add Water and Technology.

Scott Krantz

July 10, 2021

Morehead, Kentucky — In this beautiful town on the edge of the coal country, a high-tech greenhouse large enough to cover 50 soccer fields glows pink and yellow with 30,600 LEDs and high-pressure sodium lamps.

Inside, nearly £3 million of beefsteak tomatoes grow on 45-foot-high vines without a teaspoon of soil, and their roots are submerged in nutrient-rich rainwater. Other vines hold thousands of small, juicy snack tomatoes with enough pepper to impress Martha Stewart on the board. AppHarvest, a start-up company that harvests its first crop here in January and plans to open 11 more indoor farms in Appalachia by 2025.

In a much more industrial environment near the Hackensack River in Kearny, NJ, trays filled with sweet baby butterhead lettuce and sorrel flavored with lemon and green apple are piled up in a windowless warehouse. This is known as vertical farming. Bowery, The largest vertical farming company in the United States, manipulates light, humidity, temperature and other conditions to grow produce and is funded by investors such as: Justin Timberlake, Natalie Portman, chefs Jose Andre and Tom Colicchio.

“If you taste arugula, it’s sold,” said Koricchio, who has turned to people who claim to grow delicious hydroponic produce for years. “It was very spicy and lively and surprised me.”

The two operations use technological advances such as machine learning algorithms, data analysis, and proprietary software systems to create accurate growing conditions and bring out customized flavors and textures from fruits and vegetables in a new generation of hydroponics. It is part of a cultivation farm. And they can do it almost anywhere.

These farms arrive at crucial moments. The country’s strips have withered due to the heat and drought of climate change, partly supported by certain forms of agriculture. Demand for locally sourced foods is higher than ever, and pandemics have shown that many people are not as resilient as their food supply chains may have been.

However, not everyone is participating. These huge farms grow their produce in nutrient-rich water, rather than in healthy soil, which many believe is central to both deliciousness and nutrition. They can be consumed A huge amount of electricity. Their most ardent opponents say that the claims made to hydroponics are misleading and even dangerous.

“At this point, I think the bad guys are winning,” said a Vermont farmer. Real organic project.. “Hydroponics isn’t growing because it produces healthier foods. It’s growing thanks to money. Anyone who sees this as food for people or the environment is lying. I’m just there. “

The jargon of hydroponics is controlled environmental farming, but business people call it indoor farming. What used to be simply called a farm is now called an onshore farm or field farming.

“We have perfected Mother Nature indoors by combining science and technology with agriculture,” said Daniel Malechuk, CEO of. Carrera, A company that sells whole lettuce in plastic clamshells, leaving the roots intact, at about the same price as other washed lettuce.

In March, the company opened a 77,000-square-foot facility south of Atlanta, capable of producing more than 10 million lettuce annually. Similar indoor farms in Houston, Denver, Seattle, Honolulu St. Paul, Minnesota.

According to Malechuk and other executives, the beauty of this process is not limited by the seasons. You can accurately predict the cost and growth period of your crops and build farms wherever people need fresh produce.

“We can grow in Antarctica,” he said. “We can be on the island. We can be on the moon or on the space station.”

It’s easy to imagine. There are new breeds of young farmers on the farm who wear lab coats instead of overalls and prefer computers to tractors.

Today, more than 2,300 farms growing hydroponic crops in the United States make up just part of the country’s $ 5.2 billion fruit and vegetable market. But investors who are crazy about smart farming are betting big on them.

In 2020, $ 929 million was invested in US indoor farming ventures, more than double the investment in 2019. PitchBook data. The grocery chain and California’s largest berry producer Alliance with vertical farming, also.

“There is no doubt that we are reinventing agriculture, but what we are doing is reinventing the fresh food supply chain,” said Manhattan-based indoor farm in New Jersey. Irving Fain, founder and chief executive officer of Bowery, said. One is under construction in Maryland and the other in Pennsylvania, and two research farms are in New Jersey.

Mr. Fine said his farm is 100 times more productive than traditional farms and uses 95% less water. Other companies claim that one acre can grow as much food as a traditional farm can grow at 390.

Vertical farming can be built next to the city center, so lettuce, for example, doesn’t have to sit in a truck for days when heading from California to the east coast, losing both quality and quality. Nutritional value. Vegetables are grown for flavor, not storage and yield.

The new system was designed to produce pesticide-free sanitary crops in computer-monitored sanitary buildings, forcing a major recall of Romain Lettuce in 2019 and 2020. There is little risk of contamination by bacteria such as E. coli.

Still, many farmers and scientists remain unconvincing. Chapman of the Real Organic Project was engaged in hydroponics at the US Department of Agriculture Taskforce. Five years ago, he led an effort to encourage distributors not to allow hydroponics farmers to certify their produce as organic produce. According to him and others, the very definition of organic farming depends on creating healthy soil. May, Food Safety Center, Environmental groups, led Appeal of Federal Court Decision. It upheld the policy of government agencies.

The nutritional profile of hydroponics continues to improve, but no one yet knows what long-term health implications for fruits and vegetables grown without soil. No matter how many nutrients an indoor farmer puts in water, critics say that an indoor farmer can rival the taste and nutritional value that comes from a combination of sun, healthy soil microbes, and common phytobiology. They can’t and claim they can’t offer environmental benefits-run an organic farm.

“What are the health consequences of the second generation?” Chapman asked. “This is a huge live experiment and we are mice.”

The gap between soil lovers and ag-tech futurists has spread on a much closer scale between two influential brothers, Dan and David Barber, who found and own organic farms. Masu Blue Hill Restaurants in Greenwich Village and Stoneburn, Pocantico Hills, NY

Created by David Barber in 2018 Investment fund To support new food technology companies, including Bowery. But the 2014 book “Third plate: Field notes on the future of food” dedicates the entire section to the soil and believes that truly delicious food can only come from Earth.

“I haven’t bought it,” said Dan Barber about the heat of hydroponics.

It is virtually impossible to try to fortify water with nutrients to mimic what the soil does, he said.

“We know more about the stars and the sky than the soil,” he said. “In fact, we don’t know much about nutrition.”

There are also cultural costs. For centuries, he said, cooking has been developed based on what the land and plants demand. The Mexican diet in the corn and bean-based region was born out of farmers’ awareness that corn grows better in the presence of beans that fix nitrogen in the soil.

“The technological agricultural revolution is changing this equation head-on,” Barber said. It helps efficiency in the name of feeding more people but divorces food from nature.

His brother, David, was also skeptical of hydroponics for a long time. “Most of my career has been that good soil leads to good agriculture, good systems, and ultimately good flavors,” said David Barber.

But the environmental benefits of next-generation hydroponics cannot be ignored, he said. It also does not taste better than previous hydroponic produce. “They combine outdoor and indoor thinking, and science and history to create something special,” he said. “There aren’t many winners in this area, but they will be part of our food system.”

Indoor farmers see competition as a large industrial producer producing fruits and vegetables grown to withstand processing and shipping, rather than small farmers using more natural cultivation techniques. They say the fight is against monoculture, not the farmers who maintain healthy soil and feed the community. Hydroponic farms can help develop new and more diverse plants and reduce the overall use of pesticides.

“All we’re trying to do is be as good as a farmer 100 years ago,” said hydroponic lettuce grower Malechuk.

Kentucky-born founder and CEO of App Harvest, Jonathan Webb, said indoor farming is a bet on national farming.

“American farmers are already out of date,” he said, noting that the United States imports £ 4 billion of tomatoes from Mexico each year. “Our hope is to be able to bring farmers back to US shelves.”

Coriccio also leads the campaign opposed to genetically modified foods and long advocate for smallholders, he said the two farming styles could coexist. “The toolbox needs a lot of tools,” he said.

Uita Michel Kentucky chef App Harvest likes App Harvest because the company creates jobs and grows tomatoes that they are happy to use in restaurants.

But technology will never beat the magic of the soil, she said. “There is no substitute for my summer Kentucky tomatoes.”

There is no soil. There is no growth period. Just add water and technology.

"Resilience Is Going To Become A Key Element of Food Security"

July 5, 2021

When it comes to rethinking agriculture to create better products with much less impact 365 days a year on a large scale, Cristián Sjögren and Pablo Bunster, two professionals from the renewable energy sector, left their jobs behind to bring sustainable farming to cities.

A little over two years ago they formed AgroUrbana, a startup dedicated to vertical agriculture, which consists of producing food in vertically stacked layers, in their case using LED lights and hydroponic cultivation, to provide the light and water necessary to harvest vegetables with nutrition. very accurate in spaces with controlled climates. 

In 2020, despite the fact that its creators consider that much more work needs to be done to advance in a country where traditional agriculture prevails, they have managed to expand their distribution channels. “Our investors and clients are excited. We have seen a very positive reception from the markets ”explains Bunster, who points out that last August they began to sell their vegetables in Jumbo, and since last week they have been in the North American multinational Walmart. 

“The new generations read the label in the supermarket more than any other. The sophistication of the consumer is demanding more from the producers, and the way agriculture has been done until today has not been able to cope with these consumption conditions. This is part of the value of bringing vertical agriculture to Chile ”, says Pablo Bunster, who sees in the startup a possible solution by automating food production.

In March 2020, AgroUrbana closed its second round of financing, which was led by the CLIN fund of ChileGlobal Ventures, the Venture Capital area of ​​Fundación Chile. To date, the startup adds USD 1.5 million in financing, in which funds from Venture Capital, Family Offices, and individuals have participated, which has allowed them to reach an advanced stage of the AgroUrbana Series A round for USD $ 4 million, to finance the construction of a much larger scale vertical farm. 

Read the complete article at: Vertical Farm Daily

Vertical Farming Method To Produce UK Strawberries ‘Nine Months A Year’

By Ben Mitchell

July 4, 2021

Strawberries grown in Britain could be on supermarket shelves nine months of the year using a new vertical-growing technique that is also better for the environment.

The system, which is being pioneered by a fruit-grower in Arundel, West Sussex, England, uses 50% less water and has a 90% lower carbon footprint but has yields five times higher than normal production methods.

Staff at Wickes Farm in Ford, West Sussex, UK, harvest strawberries at the state-of-the-art farm (Ben Stevens/Parsons Media/PA)

Direct Produce Supplies (DPS) is stacking up 1,000 tonnes of strawberries and will be supplying Tesco using the method, which should guarantee supplies whatever the weather during the British summer.

The strawberries are produced in vertically stacked beds under fully controlled conditions, with plants watered using a hydroponic feed instead of in the soil, which DPS says helps improve the nutrition value of the fruit.

Chief executive Paul Beynon said: “Vertical farming offers growers a protected environment that requires significantly less land, water and energy to produce excellent quality crops.

“We chose our farm location near Chichester on the south coast because this region gives the highest natural levels of light and heat in the UK and so maximises the potential.

“We are still at a relatively early stage in vertical growing and in the future we believe that we can make even further advances in sustainable strawberry production and that other fruit crops could take to the system in a similar way.”

Tesco fruit technical manager Sabina Wyant said: “Vertical crop production is a giant step for fresh produce growers in helping reduce their carbon footprint and use less water, at the same time boosting their yields.

“For shoppers there is also a clear benefit, with consistent quality fruit and availability for up to nine months of the year, regardless of the weather conditions.

“By example, right now during Wimbledon fortnight, the UK sees the highest demand of the year for strawberries but sometimes adverse weather conditions can challenge production at this time, leaving retailers with a shortfall.

“Vertical farming will put an end to that uncertainty and ensure perfect growing conditions during an extended nine-month season.”

Lead Photo: The strawberries are produced in vertically stacked beds under fully controlled conditions, with plants watered using a hydroponic feed instead of in the soil.

Farm.One Cuts The Ribbon on New Urban Farm In Prospect Heights

By Jackson Ferrari Ibelle

June 29, 2021

Farm.One, a pioneer in New York City’s urban farming scene, opened the doors on its first neighborhood farm in Prospect Heights last Thursday.

Located in a 10,000 square foot warehouse space on Bergen Street, the new farm will grow a wide variety of species including many microgreens, herbs and flowers available for purchase.

The crops are grown using vertical farming techniques, where plants grow indoors, under artificial light, using water-based methods such as hydroponics. These practices allow for a controlled environment conducive to an urban setting, and have skyrocketed in popularity in recent years.

Scenes from Thursday’s ribbon cutting. Photos: Farm.One.

“When we started, vertical farming was really new,” Rob Laing, founder of Farm.One told BK Reader. “Nobody really knew if it was going to actually be a thing.”

Still, he isn’t all that surprised by the industry’s growth. “New York has acres of rooftop space, thousands of unused basement spaces. We have a lot of resources here and a lot of smart people — I think it’s inevitable that we have become a hub for urban agriculture,” he said.

In addition to the new farm, there is also an event space with a glass wall, allowing for a full viewing experience of the crops. This space will be used for tasting tours where over 100 unique plants can be sampled, as well as lectures on food and agriculture. There are also talks of a cocktail menu and daytime cafe service.

This ambitious undertaking was born out of changes made within Farm.One out of necessity during COVID-19. Originally founded in 2016 to grow rare and unusual plants for chefs at high end restaurants looking to locally source their menus, Farm.One saw its operations slow when the restaurant industry shut down in March 2020. As a result, last summer it began growing for consumers. 

“Obviously it’s more difficult and time consuming, but it was something we really believed in,” Laing said. 

He was particularly concerned about making operations even more sustainable than they already were. In October the team began selling plant products in reusable containers, which were delivered by bike and then picked up to be repackaged again. They sold out before the end of the month.

Greens are now being sold in reusable containers. Photo: Farm.One.

This left Laing and his team with a growing waitlist and a need for new farm space. They settled in Prospect Heights where they hope to establish themselves in the community and offer good paying jobs to people interested in careers in agriculture. Farm.One even recently hired a young person who had been trained by Teens for Food Justice (TFFJ), an organization that teaches kids hydroponic farming techniques in local schools.

Laing said he hoped to continue these types of connections with Brooklyn organizations, perhaps even formalizing the connection between TFFJ and Farm.One.

A rendering of the new farm. Image: Farm.One.

And TFFJ is right there for it.

“TFFJ looks forward to its continuing partnership with Farm.One as it brings good food and good urban agriculture jobs to New York City’s residents and creates a workforce pipeline for students who complete the TFFJ program at their schools,” Katherine Soll, founder of TFFJ, said.

Soll, along with Latoya Meaders, CEO of Brownsville’s Collective Fare, spoke at Thursday’s ribbon cutting, signalling the communal nature of urban farming.

“We are trying to make New York City a place where urban agriculture is really happening and is thriving and is helping people get access to good food,” Laing said. “It’s obviously not just one organization that can do that. It takes a bunch of different voices.”

Farm.One will begin planting seeds at the Brooklyn farm in the coming weeks, with the first deliveries going out in August.

Lead Photo: The 10,000 square foot Bergen Street farm marks another addition to Brooklyn's growing urban agriculture scene.

VB Ready To Double Capacity For Little Leaf Farms Again

July 5, 2021

Devens, Massachusetts-based Little Leaf Farms' mission is to provide fresh, locally grown lettuce grown sustainably all year round to their New England consumers. To be able to achieve this goal, it is extremely important to grow and supply products in a sustainable way all year round.

This is why Little Leaf Farms asked VB again to build the most modern and innovative greenhouse to date to grow leafy greens. A system that provides the smallest possible chance of disease, an optimal growing climate, and no need for human hands to be involved in the cultivation process. After three consecutive phases for LLF realizing an ultramodern greenhouse is a challenge that VB knows how to handle. 

Inside the Little Leaf greenhouse

The climate on the US East Coast is a challenge: winters during which -25 C is no exception, and summers during which the mercury rises to +38 C. A considerable amount of energy is required to be able to cope with these extremes. The solution had to be more sustainable than transporting the lettuce by truck from the West Coast to the New England area.

With an advanced automatic cultivation system that systematically moves through the greenhouse, the sustainability challenge has been overcome. In collaboration with a team of specialists, as well as the customer, VB was able to take an in-depth look during the design process at what was needed to create an optimal growing climate inside the greenhouse.

The Little Leaf Farms greenhouse in Devens

Active cooling system
VB has integrated a unique active cooling system, with which the inside of the greenhouse can not only be kept cool during the winter through the use of outside air, but also stays cool during the hot summers. LED lighting helps compensate for the shortage of natural light during the winter. With the use of sun protection screens, excess sunlight is blocked during the summer.

The result? The climate conditions can be optimized for the cultivation process, the growth process is accelerated, there is more control over the nutrition the plants receive, available cultivation space is used in the most efficient manner, and virtually nobody needs to enter the greenhouse.

Edward Verbakel (VB) & Paul Sellew (Little Leaf Farms)

Doubling and doubling again
The first greenhouse in Devens MA was completed in 2016 and shortly after two additional phases were built by VB for Little Leaf Farms to reach 10 acres of modern growing space.

In the course of 2021 LLF and VB were able to agree again on the construction of the new Little Leaf Farms greenhouse facility in McAdoo Pennsylvania. With this expansion Little Leaf is doubling its capacity to 20 acres. Construction will start this summer and completion is expected for early Spring 2022.

 McAdoo facility, Pennsylvania

For more information:
Edward Verbakel
VB Group
info@vb.nl
www.vb.nl

Feds To Spend $4.95M On Vertical Farming Project, Research In Northern Manitoba

By Marissa Turton

July 6, 2021

The federal government says it will spend nearly $5 million on a partnership that will see food growing smarter in several communities.

The funding will see the University of Manitoba partner with Opaskwayak Cree Nation to develop a smart vertical farming initiative for the First Nation.

The $4.95 million, to be doled out over the next six years, will support programs at the U of M, the University of Guelph, and McGill University, as well as seven additional institutions.

As part of her project, U of M professor Miyoung Suh will collaborate with Glenn Ross, executive director of OCN Health Authority, on developing real-world solutions to food and nutrition security in the community, according to the U of M.

This project began when Ross introduced a vertical smart farm concept, complete with real-time automation, to the community. From there, he began working with Suh and others in the faculty of agricultural and food sciences at the U of M.

The first step of the project was successful, and now the pair will collaborate with other communities in the area that struggle with easily accessible fresh food, especially in the winter.

Click to View Video: Fighting Food Insecurity

“Of particular concern is the high incidences of gestational diabetes and spontaneous abortions in pregnant mothers” in areas where there is little fresh food, said the U of M.

“The researchers will test if fresh vegetables from the vertical farms, eaten during pregnancy, decreases these incidences.”

“Food is a basic entry point for building healthy communities,” Suh said in a press release. “The availability of fresh produce up north is limited, but smart technology involving local food production could be a simple solution in transforming those communities.”

Ross added that the “SMART cities project and concept is the way of the future.”

“The world is now changing faster than we have ever seen and we are just starting to see how bad climate change can be and the threat it has on our grandchildren.

“The high quality of foods from the smart farm program will eliminate many diseases and help make health care sustainable in Canada. It will also help us sustain the earth for many generations to come without destroying our planet. This is our ultimate goal.”

The funding announced Monday comes from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

Lead photo: Miyoung Suh's new project will continue to research food insecurity in northern Manitoba. ST. BONIFACE HOSPITAL RESEARCH MEDIA SERVICES

Crowdfunding Developers of Herb Tower Succeed

July 6, 2021

In recent weeks, the entrepreneurs of Local Indoor Farming (LIF) ran a crowdfunding campaign to bring their innovative herb tower to the market. Successfully so, because thanks to the support of 88 investors, the herb tower can now be taken into production. The first specimens are expected in September.

The entrepreneurs, Harm, Marnix, and Ard-Jan from LIF, want to make high-quality fresh herbs available to everyone. They developed a herbal tower based on the principle of 'Local Indoor Farming'. This tower ensures that herbs can grow under ideal conditions. Because of the flexible design, the tower fits in any interior.

Minimum start-up capital exceeded
The required start capital to take the herbal tower into production was raised through a crowdfunding campaign. A total of 108,000 Euro was raised from 88 investors. The minimum amount of 80,000 Euro has thus been amply exceeded.

Even more important than the initial capital, according to the entrepreneurs, was the attention that they could draw to the herbal tower in this way. Quite a few towers have already been sold and there is also a great deal of interest from the catering and business sectors. This ensures a flying start for the young company.

First units
In the coming weeks, the finishing touches will be added to the production of the first units. They will be delivered from September onwards. The herb tower is offered in combination with a subscription for fresh herbs, so that the customer always has sufficient choice from a diverse range of herbs.

The entrepreneurs have developed a care package for the hotel and catering industry, so that companies do not have to worry about the maintenance of the tower. Customers can also order individual herbs and accessories via their webshop www.lifkruiden.nl.

The entrepreneurs want to stimulate the use of fresh herbs and combat waste. They inform about the use and maintenance of herbs by means of a herbal information package, which can be requested for free via www.lifgroup.nl/kruideninfopakket.

For more information:
Harm Keurhorst
LIF Group
hkeurhorst@lifgroup.nl
www.lifgroup.nl

Agrify Enters Into Multi-Year Vertical Farming Research And Development Partnership With Curaleaf

Partnership To Study Impact

of Cultivation Environment on

Plant Health And Harvest Yields

July 06, 2021

BILLERICA, Mass

Agrify Corporation (NasdaqCM:AGFY) (“Agrify” or the “Company”), a developer of highly advanced and proprietary precision hardware and software cultivation solutions for the indoor agriculture marketplace, today announced that it has signed a definitive Collaboration Agreement (“the Agreement”) forming a long-term research and development (“R&D”) partnership with Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. (“Curaleaf”). Curaleaf is one of the largest multi-state operators (“MSOs”) in the United States and the largest vertically integrated cannabis company in Europe as Curaleaf International.

The research will be focused on evaluating the impact of certain environmental conditions created and controlled by Agrify’s Vertical Farming Units (“VFUs”) and Agrify Insights™ software platform on harvest yields, plant terpene profiles, and flavonoid concentrations. It will also explore and analyze techniques to enhance the aesthetic appeal, aroma, and overall chemical profile of cannabis flower. In addition, the joint research team plans to study the effect of regulated environments on the overall health and longevity of cannabis plants, including research on the maturation of the chemical profile of the plants over their lifecycle.

“We are thrilled to announce our first MSO collaboration and honored to partner with Curaleaf to advance this important research,” said Raymond Chang, Chief Executive Officer of Agrify. “Curaleaf is a cannabis industry leader, and our shared research will demonstrate the critical importance that an optimally controlled environment can play on the cultivator's ability to consistently produce high-quality flower. I am proud to showcase our cutting-edge indoor vertical farming grow cultivation technology and assist Curaleaf in growing the high-quality, consistent cannabis they are known for in the most cost-effective manner possible.”

“Since our inception, we have been committed to providing our customers with premier and innovative cannabis products and experiences, with a relentless drive for quality,” said Joseph Bayern, Chief Executive Officer of Curaleaf. “The cultivation environment plays a critical role in the plant’s chemical composition, and we believe this research will help to further increase understanding of the conditions required to optimize a plant's genetic potential.”

Under the terms of the Agreement, Agrify will supply its VFUs and provide use of the Company’s Agrify Insights™ software platform for a period of three years at Curaleaf's primary R&D facility located in Massachusetts, with an option to extend another three years. The collaboration combines Agrify’s technology and expertise in creating optimized cultivation environments with Agrify Insights™-based data and Curaleaf’s expertise in cultivation and production of quality cannabis products. All test data collected by Agrify Insights™ will be jointly owned.

About Curaleaf Holdings, Inc.

Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. (CSE: CURA) (OTCQX: CURLF) ("Curaleaf") is a leading international provider of consumer products in cannabis with a mission to improve lives by providing clarity around cannabis and confidence around consumption. As a high-growth cannabis company known for quality, expertise and reliability, the company and its brands, including Curaleaf and Select, provide industry-leading service, product selection and accessibility across the medical and adult-use markets. In the United States, Curaleaf currently operates in 23 states with 107 dispensaries, 22 cultivation sites and over 30 processing sites, and employs over 5,000 team members. Curaleaf International is the largest vertically integrated cannabis company in Europe with a unique supply and distribution network throughout the European market, bringing together pioneering science and research with cutting-edge cultivation, extraction and production. Curaleaf is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol CURA and trades on the OTCQX market under the symbol CURLF. For more information, please visit https://ir.curaleaf.com.

About Agrify (NasdaqCM:AGFY)

Agrify is a developer of premium grow solutions for the indoor agriculture marketplace. The Company uses data, science, and technology to empower its customers to be more efficient, more productive, and more intelligent about how they run their businesses. Agrify’s highly advanced and proprietary hardware and software solutions have been designed to help its customers achieve the highest quality, consistency, and yield, all at the lowest possible cost. For more information, please visit Agrify’s website at www.agrify.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 concerning Agrify and other matters. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding the research to be performed under the Agreement. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as "may," "will," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "could," "intends," "targets," "projects," "contemplates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "potential" or "continue" or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. The forward-looking statements in this press release are only predictions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events that we believe may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties that affect our business, including those described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including under the caption “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 with the SEC, which can be obtained on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this communication. Except as required by applicable law, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of any new information, future events or otherwise. You are advised, however, to consult any further disclosures we make on related subjects in our public announcements and filings with the SEC.

Agrify
Niv Krikov
Chief Financial Officer
niv.krikov@agrify.com
(617) 896-5240

Investor Relations
Rob Kelly
ir@mattio.com
(416) 992-4539

Media Contact
Renee Cotsis
renee@mattio.com

Singapore: Mega-Farm, Research Center To Open By December 2021

&ever

“We’re really happy to have launched in Munich and consumers really like our harvest-on-demand concept,” says Franz Drack, Chief Marketing Officer at &ever. "We just need to see how to increase the accessibility of our solutions. I’d love to see 200 vertical farms in Europe with this technology in the next five years."

Although it all started in Hamburg, &ever is currently headquartered in Munich which is also where the grow tower showroom is located. In 2020, &ever opened its first commercial farm in Kuwait, spanning 3,400 m2 and with a daily output capacity of 550 kg. The farm provides its leafy greens to Kuwaiti restaurants and retailers. The company also recently launched a grow tower in an EDEKA Stadler+Honner “Die Frisch-Nachbarn” supermarket in Unterfôhring near Munich. 

Mega-farm and research center 
&ever is currently building a mega-farm in Singapore with support from the Singapore Food Agency, SFA, and the Economic Development Board, EDB, and will be launched by the end of 2021. The mega-farm will be 15m high and have an annual production capacity of up to 500,000 kg of leafy greens.

In addition to the mega-farm, &ever will be establishing Singapore as its global R&D center to accelerate knowledge development and transfer to the mega-farm. The R&D center will focus on improving energy use efficiency through optimized lighting strategies and improving crop quality by evaluating different seed and substrate combinations. Moreover, &ever will be working to develop non-invasive crop monitoring processes through vision systems.

“We’re getting tremendous support from our local partners EDB, SFA and A*Star; everyone is keen to get this farm online. This farm is what we are most excited about this year,” Franz notes. To better address consumer demand, &ever conducted market research in Singapore by speaking with potential consumers and foodservice providers. This research has allowed &ever to explore the balance between western and eastern leafy green species to be grown in the mega-farm.

“Our team under the lead of our country manager, Kerstin Köhler, have worked with food service providers who are very good at telling us what products are needed and wanted. Some products are very interesting for certain segments of the value chain, so we try to talk to a lot of different people,” says Franz.

&ever is continuing to focus on leafy greens, microgreens and herbs for the time being. While there is a lot of interest in fruits (like strawberries), Franz explains that the company is focused on keeping its product range simple to perfect the growing process. 

&ever's growing tower 

Rebranding efforts 
In recent months, the vertical farming industry has seen major players taking a new approach to product branding by using brightly colored packaging. &ever is also focused on bright, enticing packaging designed to represent the company’s values and production process.

“We will start using colors that represent what we’re actually doing. Yellow for the light, blue for the water and green for our greens. It allows the brand to stand out and visually signals to consumers that things are changing. This shows that we are a new type of agricultural company. Stay tuned for that in the second half of 2021.” explains Franz.

Franz also notes that &ever’s products are also sold living, whereas many indoor farms sell cut greens, packaged in clamshells or other packaging materials. Moreover, &ever is also looking into direct-to-consumer sales of leafy greens. 

In building its mega-farm, putting its products on European shelves and rebranding, &ever is eager to continue growing by getting consumers excited and developing more farm projects across the world.

&ever is a German agtech company offering three growing solutions, each addressing a different level of production. The &ever grow box is a small-scale system that allows growers to produce 15-30 kg of leafy greens per day in a small footprint. The company’s medium-sized solution is the &ever grow tower which is a small room containing a circular cultivation module.

Young plants are first transplanted in the inner circle and are gradually pushed further to the outer circles as new plants are introduced to the system. In pushing the plants further, the older plants receive more available space to continue growing without crowding neighboring plants. The grow towers provide a customizable output of 20-50 kg of leafy greens per day. Finally, &ever also develops large-scaled production system which it calls mega-farms.

For more information:
Franz Drack, CMO
&ever 
local@andever.de 
www.and-ever.com 

Publication date: Tue 8 Jun 2021
Author: Rebekka Boekhout
© VerticalFarmDaily.com

New Vertical Farm In Oshawa Will Harvest Fresh Greens Year-Round

By Jillian Follert

May 22, 2021

A new vertical farm is open in Oshawa with plans to harvest local greens year-round.

Mighty Harvest Produce, located at 871 Wilson Rd. S., is growing leafy greens and herbs hydroponically, which means without the use of soil.

Founder Derrik Stevenson started the business as a way to follow his passions after being laid off from an office job as a result of the pandemic.

“I decided, I’m not going to look for a job. I’m going to create my own job,” says Stevenson, who is vegan and has an interest in sustainability and fresh food.

Right now you can find greens like kale and salad blends growing at Mighty Harvest as well as herbs such as parsley, marjoram, and anise basil. 

Stevenson says growing greens indoors has benefits for the environment as well as the people who eat them.

“The ultra freshness is what sets us apart from the grocery store,” he says, explaining how greens sold in Ontario often make a long journey from California or Arizona. “I can harvest on a Wednesday night and be selling the product on Thursday.”

Vertical farming uses 90 per cent less water than conventional agriculture and Mighty Harvest does not use pesticides or herbicides.

Stevenson says customers may be surprised to learn Mighty Harvest Greens are not certified organic — it’s because Canadian regulations don’t allow certification for produce that’s not grown in soil.

Mighty Harvest is open Thursday and Friday from 1 to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and can be found at the Whitby's Farmers Market on Wednesdays.

AppHarvest Hopes To Build A Garden Of Eden In America's Appalachia

May 15, 2021

AppHarvest, Inc. (APPH)

Summary

• AppHarvest is building out commercial indoor farms in Appalachia.

• APPH, which recently went public via a special purpose acquisition company, has seen its stock price collapse on the back of the flight of capital from growth to value.

• With revenue growth increasing, the company's next challenge is growing into its valuation profitably.

Photo by IP Galanternik D.U./E+ via Getty Images

AppHarvest (NASDAQ:APPH) is building large commercial greenhouses in Kentucky to primarily grow tomatoes indoors. The benefits of this approach would see the company use up to 90% less water than traditional farms, have the ability to attain harvests year-round, use no chemical pesticides, and attain at least 30x more food per acre than conventional farming methods. Essentially, indoor farms allow modern farmers to carefully control the environment to indefinitely allow for near-perfect growing conditions.

This has brought the future of farming forward, a critical need in a world still facing significant population growth rates while beset by the uncertainties of climate change.

However, while AppHarvest's ESG credentials are undoubtedly strong with the company using recycled rainwater for its circular irrigation system, there remains uncertainty over whether its business will be able to profitably grow commodity fruit and vegetable produce. This would be against a domestic market increasingly dominated by Mexico. Imports of tomatoes from Mexico to the USA grew by 125% from 1.6 billion pounds to 3.6 billion pounds between 2002 and 2017. This subsequent decline in US production of tomatoes is a trend AppHarvest hopes to reverse with its indoor farm in Kentucky. This is able to reach 70% of the US population within a day's drive.

This means produce should not only arrive at grocery stores fresher, but they would also do so with a lower carbon footprint. AppHarvest longs would consider this an important point as consumers become increasingly aware of the importance of the food chain to managing climate change and the damaging impact of pesticide use on the natural environment. For example, surface runoff from farms into lakes and rivers have potentially damaging effects on aquatic ecosystems.

AppHarvest September 2020 Investor Presentation (Source)

While AppHarvest inaugural 60-acre Morehead facility primarily grows tomatoes, the company expects to be able to produce leafy greens and cucumbers in the near future with two new facilities planned for 2022.

Strong Geographic Reach And Improved Revenue Visibility

AppHarvest expects revenue to ramp up materially over the next four fiscal years from 2021 on the back of an expansion of its indoor greenhouses. The company has guided revenue to reach $376 million in 2025, a four-year compound annual growth rate from 2021 of 97%. To achieve this, AppHarvest expects to hit 12 active facilities across Appalachia by 2025. The company also expects to attain greater diversification by expanding into growing other fruits and vegetables.

AppHarvest September 2020 Investor Presentation (Source)

Of course, the main barrier to an investment in AppHarvest would be its ability to scale revenue growth profitably. Capital expenditure in new greenhouses should very well see the company increase total acreage and annual production, but its ability to do this profitably would be challenged by the unique costs of indoor growing. From increased electricity consumption to the use of more skilled and variable labour.

Hence, AppHarvest's focus on robotic harvesting emphasised with its recent acquisition of artificial intelligence startup Root AI points to a potentially profitable scale-up.

Virgo, Root AI's Tomato Picking Robot (Source)

AppHarvest does not expect Virgo to entirely eliminate its use of labour. However, the robot can evaluate crop health, precisely predict yield and optimise overall operations by handpicking tomatoes. This will be a material factor in efficient and profitable operations especially if it can work without a high degree of human intervention.

Indeed, the company expects to reach EBITDA profitability in its fiscal 2023, generating positive free cash flow during the same year. With its shares currently trading at $11.91, AppHarvest holds a $1.12 billion valuation. This would place its forward 1-year market cap to sales at 45x. While still high for a farming company, it is down from 162x when it reached all-time highs in February. Further, this multiple drops to 19x using revenue guided for its fiscal 2022. Investors would be right to be wary about paying almost 20 times revenue for a greenhouse farming company so might be prudent to wait for any further potential pullback in shares.

Turning Appalachia Into America's Own Modern Farm

AppHarvest will not be immune to the gyrations of selling a commodity product to a domestic market that has tilted towards cheaper imports over the last decade. The company will not only have to compete adequately on price with traditional farmed fruits and vegetables, but it would also have to do so with a high-tech setup that while big on ESG credentials offers up avenues for increased costs that could eat into any potential profits.

AppHarvest is a long-term somewhat speculative play on a better more modern method of farming. Hence, just as the green revolution of the mid 20th century saw increased agricultural production worldwide. This more modern ESG-focused method of farming promises to usurp the old order.

This article was written by

Winds Research

Continuing Education: Urban Agriculture

View fullsize

April 1, 2021

Katharine Logan

It’s been 10,000 years since the agricultural revolution gave rise to cities. Agriculture now covers more than half of the world’s habitable land and is spreading at a rate of about 15 million acres annually. Cities, meanwhile, now comprise more than half the global population (over 80 percent in developed countries), and the numbers are rising. Using current farming methods to feed a global population expected to hit 10 billion by midcentury would require adding new farmland equal in size to the continental United States.

This alarming situation is not even factoring in the impact of the climate crisis, which is expected to alter growing seasons and disrupt the phenological cycles that keep plants and their pollinators in sync. What’s more, new agricultural land mostly comes from felling biodiverse, carbon-sequestering forests to make room for mono-crops that stash very few greenhouse gases and for livestock that actually generate them. That makes the climate crisis worse and farming more difficult.

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In addition to land consumption, agriculture guzzles three-quarters of the fresh water used globally each year, while runoff from fields treated with herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers contaminates significant amounts of the water that’s left. Then there’s transportation. As farms extend farther and farther from the cities they supply, food is trucked, shipped, and flown vast distances: farm to plate, the ingredients in a typical American meal travel an average of 1,500 miles. From a security perspective, the fact that most of the world’s food production is controlled by just a handful of corporations is unnerving. And from a public health perspective, the emergence of Covid-19 and other new diseases offers yet another indicator of ecological imbalance. It’s time to rethink the way we farm.

Food security, as defined by the United Nations, means that all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that serves their food preferences and dietary needs for an active and healthy life. Key to achieving food security in a way that’s more sustainable than current practices is urban agriculture—not as an outright replacement for rural farming, but as a crucial component in a balanced system.

Urban agriculture can take many forms: rooftop greenhouses, raised beds, and community-farming initiatives such as the City of Atlanta’s “Aglanta” program, which turns underused parcels in utility rights-of-way into farm plots eligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture certificates and associated loans. Ultimately, though, horizontal strategies are not productive enough to make a real dent in the food needs of a city. (If raised beds covered every rooftop in Manhattan, the produce grown would feed only about 2 percent of the borough’s population.) Just as cities grow vertically, so too must urban agriculture, and that means bringing it indoors.

“Controlled environments have been used for many years,” says Chieri Kubota, a professor of controlled environment agriculture (CEA) in the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science at Ohio State University. “Now that multiple issues are making conventional production outdoors more difficult, putting controlled environments in and near cities brings food production closer to potential markets—and also to younger generations of potential farmers who want to live in urban centers.”

Vertical agriculture is a type of CEA that—like high-rise buildings—stacks layers to provide usable area many times the footprint of the site. Instead of growing in soil, which is a heavy way to deliver nutrients, plants in vertical farms are grown hydroponically, aquaponically, or aeroponically. In hydroponics, plants are cultivated in nutrient-enriched water, which is captured and reused so that the system uses as little as a tenth of the water conventional agriculture needs. An aquaponic system pairs hydroponics with fish production, circulating the nutrients in the fish waste to feed the vegetables, and using the plants as a biofiltration system that returns clean water to the fish. Reducing water consumption even further—by as much as 98 percent, compared to field growing—aeroponic systems deliver nutrients in a fine mist to plant roots that are just hanging in the air. And because controlled environments exclude the weeds and pests that trouble field-grown produce, the use of herbicides and pesticides is all but eliminated.

Stacked plants may need to be rotated to make the most of available sunlight, which can be supplemented (or even substituted altogether) with LED grow lights. These can be calibrated to provide blue and red light in optimal doses for each type of plant, and timed to increase plant growth with extended days and growing seasons. (While it’s technically possible to grow any type of crop this way, for now it’s mainly leafy greens and tomatoes that are economically viable.) Cool enough to be strung right in among the plants without burning them, LEDs reduce site electricity consumption (and costs) per square foot of grow area by about a third compared to older technologies, such as high-pressure sodium. “Energy is a game-changer,” says Dickson Despommier, an emeritus professor of microbiology and public health at Columbia University, whose seminal 2010 book, The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century, is widely credited with kick-starting vertical agriculture in North America. Cost-effective LED lighting opens up the possibility of converting urban and urban-adjacent building types such as parking garages, big-box stores, and shopping malls into productive local farms, he says.

With productivity rates that are orders of magnitude greater than conventional farming, high-rise growing is gaining traction worldwide. The world’s first such system began operations in 2012 in Singapore. The land-strapped city-state, which imports about 90 percent of its food, aims to grow a third of its produce locally by 2030. Indoor vertical farms in the country now produce about 80 tons of greens a year, and the Singapore Food Agency is supporting research into and development of the method as its main bet on the future.

In China, great swaths of arable land have been lost to development (more than 30 million acres between 1997 and 2008) and 20 percent of what’s left is contaminated. At the same time, the country has a strong tradition of urban-adjacent farming. When a 247-acre agricultural site, midway between Shanghai’s main international airport and the megacity’s center, recently came up for redevelopment, global design firm Sasaki proposed that, rather than create yet another tech park, the client take its agricultural mission to the next level. As a result, the Sunqiao Urban Agricultural District is slated to become one of China’s first comprehensive national agricultural zones. Sasaki’s master plan, which has received approval from the Pudong District and is now proceeding for formal approval from the City of Shanghai, expands the district’s role in Shanghai’s food network, integrating vertical agricultural production, research, and education into a dynamic public domain. In addition to research and development facilities and an agriculture production zone, the plan provides for a civic plaza showcasing productive landscapes, a science museum, an interactive greenhouse, an aquaponics display, and a destination market. “It’s urban agriculture on steroids,” says Michael Grove, chair of landscape architecture, civil engineering, and ecology at Sasaki.

The Sunqiao project will include a civic plaza with productive landscapes (top), a science museum, and an interactive greenhouse (above), among other elements. Image courtesy Sasaki, click to enlarge.

Grove identifies three primary drivers for prioritizing urban agriculture globally: the need to curtail agricultural sprawl and thereby protect ecosystems, to reclaim economic agency by diversifying control of food production, and to build community: “Food brings us together,” he says. Behind Asia’s early adoption of urban agriculture, he sees a historic understanding among the region’s societies that the well-being of the population requires systemic support. That may also be a factor in Europe, where the Netherlands is a global leader in controlled-environment technology, and Denmark is home to the world’s latest and largest vertical farm, a partnership between a Taiwanese CEA tech company and a local start-up: with growing shelves stacked 14 deep, the 75,000-square-foot wind-powered facility has the capacity to produce 1,000 metric tons of greens a year.

A hub for teaching, research, and community engagement, located within sight of downtown Columbus and designed by Erdy McHenry Architecture, supports Ohio State’s CEA efforts. Brad Feinknopf

North America has been slower to adopt vertical farming, a lag that Ohio State’s Kubota attributes in large part to the year-round, nationwide availability of produce from California, Arizona, and Florida. But now, she says, climate disruptions and shortages of viable farmland in those states, along with the increasing urbanization of the workforce, strengthen the rationale for controlled environment agriculture. To support Ohio State University’s multidisciplinary research into CEA, a one-acre vertical greenhouse is under construction within sight of downtown Columbus. As part of the facility, the recently completed Kunz-Brundige Franklin County Extension Office serves as a hub for teaching, research, and community engagement around food, health, agricultural production, and sustainability. Both buildings are designed by Philadelphia-based Erdy McHenry Architecture.

Although still tiny, vertical farming is the fastest-growing sector in U.S. agriculture. A projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 20 percent from 2020 to 2026 is expected to bring sales to around $10 billion a year. And while significant numbers of start-ups in the capital-intensive sector have failed—as indicated by the track record of several initiatives profiled in this magazine eight years ago —experts say that’s an inevitable aspect of an emerging technology.

Among the growing number of enterprises going strong, however, is Vertical Harvest, the first vertical hydroponic greenhouse in North America. Cofounded by architect Nona Yehia, principal at GYDE Architects, the company began operations in 2016 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Jackson is a rural town, but it performs like a city in relevant ways: 97 percent of its developable land is already in use, and, with a four-month growing season, 98 percent of its food is imported. Inspired by Despommier’s work, the need for a local food supply, and the opportunity to provide meaningful work for community members with intellectual and physical challenges, Yehia designed a three-story greenhouse for a 30-by-100-foot municipally owned lot next to a parking garage. “The town councilor who showed us the property thought we’d put up a plastic hoop structure to extend the growing season a couple of months, employ a few people, and call it a day,” recalls Yehia. But she and her business partners wanted to grow as much food as possible, to employ as many people as possible, and to do both year-round. “That’s where the idea to grow up came from,” she says.

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Vertical Harvest’s three-story CEA facility in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, produces as much food on a tenth of an acre as on a 10-acre conventional farm. Photos © Vertical Harvest (1), Hannah Hardaway (2 & 3)

With a footprint of a tenth of an acre, the greenhouse produces as much food as would a 10-acre conventional farm. It employs 30 people, more than half of whom have a disability. And it’s profitable. “It would have been easier as a nonprofit,” Yehia says, “but we were committed to creating a replicable model that is not about charity: it’s about empowerment.”

After five years of operation, Vertical Harvest is ready to expand. Construction is scheduled to start this year on a second location that incorporates affordable housing and municipal parking in Westbrooke, Maine. The new 70,000-square-foot greenhouse is expected to provide the equivalent of 50 full-time jobs and to produce 1.3 million pounds of produce a year, supplying hospitals, corporate cafeterias, schools, chefs, restaurants, and caterers, as well as individual customers. “These ecosystems can put out a lot of food,” says Yehia. “Making sure you have customers who can buy at scale is as essential to success as growing plans.”

Vertical Harvest intends to build up to 15 farms in the next five years, with agreements already in place for projects in Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Chicago, and discussion is underway for five other locations. Like the Wyoming and Maine projects, they will integrate social value and community engagement with their agricultural mission. “It’s the perfect intersection to show what architecture can achieve in its social role in our communities,” Yehia says. And while she has run Vertical Harvest as designer, entrepreneur, and urban farmer, it’s entirely possible for architects to advocate for urban agriculture in their more usual role as prime consultants, coordinating the work of other experts.

As CEA picks up speed, the time may not be far off when every municipality will incorporate vertical farming into its civic infrastructure, valued the way public libraries and recreation centers are. “It should be something that we all expect to see when we go to cities,” Yehia says: “infrastructure that grows food and futures, and bolsters the sustainability of the community.”

Continuing Education

To earn one AIA learning unit (LU), including one hour of health, safety, and welfare (HSW) credit, read the article above and watch this video.

Then complete the quiz. Upon passing the test, you will receive a certificate of completion, and your credit will be automatically reported to the AIA. Additional information regarding credit-reporting and continuing-education requirements can be found at continuingeducation.bnpmedia.com

Learning Objectives

1. Explain how conventional agricultural methods contribute to climate change.

2. Define terms such as urban agriculture, controlled environment agriculture (CEA), and vertical agriculture.

3. Describe technologies relevant to CEA, such as hydroponics, aeroponics, and aquaponics.

4. Discuss how CEA can enhance food security and bring social value to underserved communities.

AIA/CES Course #K2104A

Lead photo: Sunqiao Urban Agricultural District has been designed by Sasaki for a site midway between Shanghai’s city center. Image courtesy Sasaki

KEYWORDS cities / climate change / urban planning

Architectural TechnologyArchitect Continuing Education

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In 2010, Dan Albert began laying the groundwork for what would become Farmbox Greens, a Seattle-based vertical farm growing specialty produce for retail and foodservice customers.

 In 2016, Farmbox was acquired by a regional produce company and Dan went on to scale Farmbox to serve customers in the Northwest and beyond.

Join us for a fun “Fireside Chat” as Indoor Ag-Con’s Content Chair Jim Pantaleo sits down with Dan to discuss this great success story—from the farm’s early days to those first meetings with potential restaurant customers to making the connection with Charlie’s Produce.

Jim and Dan will also talk about Dan’s newest role as Vice President of Plant Performance with Unfold.

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Ikea’s Hydroponic System Allows You To Grow Vegetables All Year Round Without A Garden…

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Ikea’s indoor garden system is the perfect option for those who wish to grow their own food all year round but don’t have the garden space to be able to do it.  Ikea’s indoor hydroponic garden allows anyone to grow fresh produce at home without the need for soil or any previous gardening experience.

The hydroponic system of the garden means that adequate light and water are everything that is needed to grow the plants successfully, meaning that there is no need for soil. Many of the vegetables that are widely available today are grown using this method.

The absorbent foam plugs that come with the Ikea system enable the seeds to sprout and then proceed to keep the seeds moist without over-watering them. Following the germination of the seeds, all that needs to be done is to transfer the entire foam plug into its own separate small pot and fill it with pumice stones, which can retain a lot of water…

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The pots can then be transferred to a growing tray that is equipped with a solar lamp, which will provide the plants with enough nourishment to last all year round. The system is so efficient that it can even be successful in rooms without any sunlight, although they can be placed on a windowsill that gets a lot of sun if it is convenient.

The growing tray is additionally equipped with a built-in water sensor, which ensures that the plants are given the perfect amount of water. Helena Karlén, from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, said, “The challenge was to make growing plants in a hydroponic system simple, so that anyone could succeed…”

Named in the KRYDDA/VÄXER series, the design was born out of a collaboration with agricultural scientists in Sweden, with a target audience of those who live in apartments or don’t have a garden, as well as people who want completely fresh produce even during the cold winter months.

Whilst the system is not the first indoor hydroponic system, it is a more affordable option than most, and ideal for those with minimal space. It also fits with Ikea’s notably forward-thinking over the past few years, as they follow an eco-friendly trend towards sustainability (via TruthTheory).

If you like this idea, be sure to share it with your friends and inspire someone you know. Anything becomes possible with just a little inspiration…