Welcome to iGrow News, Your Source for the World of Indoor Vertical Farming
Indoor Farming Is Revolutionizing The Food Chain
In an endeavor to ensure citizens’ health, the vertical farming company &ever is committed to sustainably grow pesticides-free green products
Does eating salad really contribute to a healthy lifestyle? Not when 5.6 billion pounds of pesticides are used worldwide to produce fresh greens. According to the World Health Organization, residues from those pesticides are linked to cancer and other serious health problems. In an endeavor to ensure citizens’ health, the vertical farming company &ever is committed to sustainably grow pesticides-free green products.
Vertical farms – the future of agriculture
&ever (formerly Farmers Cut), is a Hamburg-based farming company, which cultivates high-quality plants indoors while saving on natural resources. The farms have a vertical structure and are easily scalable in form and size, which allows them to be run in any climate conditions in any location around the globe.
For &ever, it is all about the freshness and nutritional value of the food. Mark Korzilius, Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of &ever, says that green leaves can lose most of their nutritional value after being washed in chlorine, chilled, packed, stored in warehouses over longer periods of time and then sent on the road for transportation. &ever solves that problem and provides citizens with fresh products by using the so called ‘harvest on demand’ or ‘farm to fork’ model, which leaves the roots intact even when the produce reaches the customer.
The newly opened farm in Kuwait
The first commercial &ever farm is the newly opened vertical indoor farm in Kuwait City. The facility will soon produce fresh salad all-year-round in the middle of the Kuwaiti desert. The farm can grow up to 550 kilos of fresh greens and herbs a day and has faster growth cycles than traditional outdoor farms, which are dependent on the weather conditions.
&ever’s indoor farms are also fostering new cultivation technologies. “We have invented the system ‘dryponics’, which is a unique method of growing salad indoors,” said Dr. Henner Schwarz, Co-CEO of &ever. Did you know that even food labeled as ‘organic’ can contain a lot of different pesticides? &ever’s project engineer in Kuwait Rami Safareni says that their products are “better than organic,” because the company can produce over 250 different types of plants using:
90 percent less water
60 percent less fertilizer
zero pesticides
Thanks to the controlled atmosphere in the farm, the fresh greens don’t require washing and are harvested immediately before they are eaten, ensuring high nutritional quality. To demonstrate the purity of the plants, Korzilius and his team, taste the salad directly from the growing trays. “
It is a common misconception that plants come from the field,” Korzilius explained, pointing out that nowadays plants are mostly grown in greenhouses. Using these growing techniques, &ever is transforming metropolises like Kuwait City into farms and allowing citizens to taste green salad as if they had just harvested it from their own garden.
Farm to Fork
Kuwait’s unique fusion of local flavors and international dishes make it one of the most interesting food scenes worldwide. The first restaurant chain in Kuwait to benefit from the fresh green products will be the local Japanese restaurant Ora, owned by NOX Management. Faisal AlMeshal, Managing Director at NOX, points out that for the first time the restaurants will be supplied locally.
“We used to import all our greens mainly from Europe, but now we have a local solution that is tastier and fresher,” said AlMeshal. “The local supply saves money on logistics, minimizes waste and makes better choices for the planet.”
The technology behind it
Advanced technology provides &ever’s vertical farms with fully digital control over the whole production process. “Our production planning is based entirely on SAP Business Technology Platform, which allows us to optimize production according to the needs and capacities of the farm,” said Dr. Jan-Gerd Frerichs, Chief Technology Officer at &ever.
IoT sensors and edge computing devices are collecting data at several hundred data points throughout the farmhouse – monitoring seeding and germination, as well as crucial parameters such as carbon dioxide levels, temperature, humidity and airflow. To support the project with software implementation and development, &ever chose IBsolution — a trusted SAP strategic partner.
“We have contributed to &ever's goals by delivering innovative solutions on the SAP cloud platform to make their farmhouses being manageable with few people at maximum utilization,” said Loren Heilig, managing director at IBsolution. “It is great to see the first results of our partnership here in Kuwait.”
Data collected from the IoT sensors is stored within SAP’s in-memory database SAP HANA and analyzed with the help of SAP Cloud Platform logistics and production applications.
Building on the success of the Kuwait project, &ever is planning to open more sustainable farms in cities with unfavorable climate conditions throughout Africa and Asia. Nutritional food for millions of people, zero waste and minimizing ecological footprint is what the agricultural company is striving for.
To learn more about &ever, listen to below podcast.
By Nona Kichukova, SAP | Forbes | May 6, 2020
VIDEO: Guggenheim Tomatoes Are Monitored From The Netherlands
Although the Guggenheim’s “Countryside” show was shuttered by the pandemic, its crop of cherry tomatoes is still growing, and feeding New Yorkers. In a video Infinite Acres shows how they realised this project
and the tomato man takes care of them in empty city New York
Although the Guggenheim’s “Countryside” show was shuttered by the pandemic, its crop of cherry tomatoes is still growing and feeding New Yorkers. In a video, Infinite Acres shows how they realized this project.
The team with Infinite Acres tells how they realized the growing facility in New York and how they shipped several parts from the Priva company in De Lier, the Netherlands, to the US, combining it with local techniques to finish the growing facility.
Watch the video here.
Though the project has evolved quite unexpectedly due to the COVID outbreak, meaning that the halls of the Guggenheim Museum are pretty quiet these days, with mostly just its ghosts and some security guards as company for the art. Oh, and then there’s the guy who takes care of the tomatoes.
David Litvin, an indoor crop specialist at 80 Acres Farms, tends the plants in a temporarily shuttered exhibition, “Countryside, The Future.” 80 Acres Farms are the growers and operators of the module. He moved to New York from Tel Aviv in February, along with his wife, Stefanie, and their Dutch shepherd, Ester, with a plan to stay six months harvesting the Guggenheim tomatoes. He was going to see the city, too. “I went out once to a comedy bar, but that’s it,” he said to The New York Times. The museum has been closed since March 13, but Mr. Litvin still walks across Central Park every day around noon from his rental on the Upper West Side to tend to his flock. “When you grow tomatoes on Fifth Avenue, you want to have the perfect tomatoes, there’s no room to mess up,” he said. “If I have ugly plants, I’ll hear it from the neighbors.”
Read more at The New York Times.
Publication date: Tue 19 May 2020
VIDEO: Babylon Harvested Here - Remotely Managed Micro-Farm
Babylon is often asked how our remotely managed, but locally supported micro-farms work
International Manufacturing and Distribution,
Sales and Marketing Management, Connector.
Babylon is often asked how our remotely managed,
but locally supported micro-farms work
The new video below should answer some of your questions but please contact us for any additional information. (www.babylonmicrofarms.com)
VIDEO: "Farmers Bringing Their Field Indoors"
BBC has a series called People fixing the world, in which one episode was called 'The farmers bringing their fields indoors'
BBC has a series called People fixing the world, in which one episode was called 'The farmers bringing their fields indoors'. In this episode about vertical farming, Guy Galonska, Co-founder & CTO of InFarm and Shani Leiderman from Beba restaurant in Martin-Gropius-Bau were featured.
Source and video: Infarm LinkedIn.
Publication date: Thu 30 Apr 2020
VIDEO: Growing Microgreens With Coffee Grounds
Simple step by step processes on growing microgreens, items required are spent coffee grounds, jelly cup, measuring spoon, spray bottle, paper towels, and seeds
Nick Greens
How to Use Spent Coffee Grounds for Planting
Nutritious Microgreens
Are you a coffee lover that hates to throw away your spent coffee grounds? Well, there's some good news. Coffee grounds have a miraculous wide range of benefits that are beneficial for your garden. In this article, we are going to cover how you can use spent coffee grounds for planting microgreens at home.
Making the best out of waste
As humans, we consume plenty of goods, but we also produce a lot of waste. We need to learn as a society how to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Learning how to use coffee grounds for planting microgreens is a great way to start and make use of our waste.
What items will you need to grow microgreens
So you've decided to start growing microgreens. We're going to cover the inexpensive items you will need to start this simple process.
Spent Coffee Grounds
Jelly Cups (or a small plastic container you have around the house)
Paper Towel
What's wonderful about this list is that it is extremely cheap. Using coffee grounds for planting microgreens is affordable for everyone.
How to use coffee grounds for planting microgreens
Growing microgreens with coffee grounds is actually quite simple.
First, you will get your spent coffee grounds and place them on the paper towel. Make sure to dampen the grounds to soak up the moisture.
Then you will place the spent coffee grounds on a fresh paper towel and let them dry overnight.
The next day you will place the dried coffee grounds in your jelly cup. Grab your spray bottle and lightly spray the top of the grounds.
Next, you will want to grab your microgreen seeds with a small measuring spoon. Sprinkle the seeds evenly over the grounds. You will want to grab the spray bottle and spray the seeds lightly.
You are going to use another jelly cup to be the humidifier dome. Do a light spray on the second jelly cup and place it over the first one that contains the seeds. Leave in the dark like this for a day or two and then place in the light.
After about 7 - 10 days, the microgreens will sprout. You can now cut them and eat them with salads or to decorate your foods.
This process is easy-to-understand and simplified. Using your spent coffee grounds for planting microgreens is a cost-effective way to grow food at home.
Why Is This Important?
Learning how to grow your own food is essential for families and tight-knit communities. We grow, flourish, and bond over food; and when it grows close to home, we are even more connected. Using coffee grounds for growing microgreens is for everyone to try. Microgreens are great to share with the family, to decorate your plates, and to enhance flavor. Take control of your food and start growing today.
If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy these posts:
"Urban Vertical Farming"
"How to stay healthy and grow microgreens"
#coffeegroundsforplanting #microgreens #microgreen #growmicrogreens #growingmicrogreens #spentcoffeegrounds #microgreensathome #growingfood
Vertical Field's New Portable Farms Are Making The World More Sustainable - And Better Fed
Vertical Field’s Urban Crops offers an ideal alternative to traditional agriculture, especially in urban settings where space is scarce. The soil-based platform can grow hundreds of types of crops – pesticide-free, indoors or outdoors – and requires no training to operate
REVIVING URBAN LIFE – AN INNOVATIVE SOIL-BASED INDOOR
VERTICAL FARM THAT BRINGS THE PRODUCTION OF FOOD
TO THE PLACE IT IS CONSUMED
• Consistent Supply
• Reduces Inventory Waste
• Less Human Handling
• More Sterile Environment
APRIL 28, 2020, New York/Rana’na, Israel
Urban areas contain more than half the world’s population and contribute to some 70% of the planet’s energy emissions. Cities guzzle the bulk of Earth’s resources and produce more waste. Many residents live in “urban food deserts.” And buildings are literally making their occupants sick.
Our planet is home to some 7.7 billion people. In many places, hunger is a reality. Unpredictable climate patterns are threatening the availability and stability of fresh produce. Yet the global population is rising. How will we feed the world by the mid-21stcentury, when an expected 10 billion of us need food? And now in-light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the food supply chain is in jeopardy more than ever before -- the need to bring food easier and faster directly to consumers is more important than ever.
One revolutionary agro-tech company, Vertical Field (www.verticalfield.com), is harnessing the power of geoponic technology, agricultural expertise, and smart design to tackle all of these issues and more. The Israeli startup – cited by Silicon Review as a “50 Innovative Companies to Watch in 2019” and named by World Smart City in 2019 as “Best Startup” – produces vertical agricultural solutions that help the environment, improve human health conditions, cut down on human handling, reduce waste, and make fresh, delicious and more produce available 365 days a year locally and directly to consumers and other end users.
“Vertical Fields offers a revolutionary way to eat the freshest greens and herbs, by producing soil-based indoor vertical farms grown at the very location where food is consumed,” said Vertical Field’s Chief Executive Officer, Guy Elitzur of Ra’anana, Israel who is hoping to place his ‘vertical farms’ in retail chains and restaurants establishments in cities throughout the US.
Vertical Field’s Urban Crops offers an ideal alternative to traditional agriculture. The soil-based platform can grow hundreds of types of crops – pesticide-free, indoors or outdoors – and requires no training to operate.
“Not only do our products facilitate and promote sustainable life and make a positive impact on the environment, we offer an easy to use real alternative to traditional agriculture. Our Urban farms give new meaning to the term ‘farm-to-table,’ because one can virtually pick their own greens and herbs at supermarkets, restaurants or other retail sites,” he adds.
Vertical Field’s Urban Crops offers an ideal alternative to traditional agriculture, especially in urban settings where space is scarce. The soil-based platform can grow hundreds of types of crops – pesticide-free, indoors or outdoors – and requires no training to operate.
From Wall to Fork
Vertical farming in cities is an energy-efficient, space-saving, farming alternative to traditional crops grown in acres and fields. Thanks to Vertical Field, everyone from city planners and architects to restaurants, supermarkets, hotels are using vertical farming to create lush, green edible spaces in congested areas around the world.
Portable Urban Farm
An alternative to the living wall is Vertical Field’s unique Vertical Farm®, which can be placed in either a 20-ft or 40-ft. container equipped with advanced sensors that provide a controlled environment. This technology constantly monitors, irrigates, and fertilizes crops throughout every growth stage. Healthy, high-quality fruits and vegetables flourish in soil beds that contain a proprietary mix of minerals and nutrients.
Advantages of Vertical Field’s Vertical Farm:
● Bug-free and pesticide-free – healthy, fresh, and clean produce
● Less waste – uses 90% less water
● Shorter growing cycles, longer shelf life
● Plants are “in season” 365 days/year - grow whatever you want, no matter the weather or climate conditions of the geography
● Consistent quality
● Modular, expandable, and moveable farm
● Automated crop management
● More Sterile Environment
● Less Human Contact
Creating a more sustainable way of life in cities across the globe has never been more urgent. Vertical Field is responding to the challenge today. Green cities will enrich life in urban areas, provide healthier and better food, and shorten the distance between consumers and their food.
About Vertical Field:
Vertical Field is a leading agro-tech provider of vertical farming and living green wall solutions for urban environments and smart cities. The company is operated by professionals, agronomists, researchers, and a multi-disciplinary team, enabling the development of smart walls that combine the best of design and manufacturing, smart computerized monitoring, soil-based technology, water and lighting technology and more. Vertical Field delivers next-generation vertical farming systems for a global clientele, including Facebook, Intel, Apple, Isrotel, Microsoft, and many more.
For more information:
Vertical Field
www.verticalfield.com
US - Indiana - In-House Greenhouses See Growing Interest During COVID-19 Pandemic
A Purdue University-affiliated startup that designs, distributes, and supports direct-to-consumer, in-home greenhouses is seeing increased interest for its innovation during the COVID-19 pandemic
A Purdue University-affiliated startup that designs, distributes, and supports direct-to-consumer, in-home greenhouses is seeing increased interest for its innovation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Heliponix LLC, founded by Purdue Polytechnic Institute graduates Ivan Ball and Scott Massey, sells the GroPod Smart Garden Appliance. It is a small in-home greenhouse to grow daily servings of Pure Produce from subscription Seed Pods. The dishwasher-sized device is priced at $1,995, fits under a kitchen counter, and grows produce year-round, providing consumers with lettuce and other greens that are fresh and pesticide-free.
Heliponix, a Purdue University-affiliated startup that designs, distributes, and supports in-home greenhouses, is seeing increased interest for its innovation during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Image provided)“We have experienced an explosion of inquiries in light of the pandemic from consumers who want control of their own produce supply,” Massey said. “Consumers want food that tastes better while being healthier for them from a trusted source to maintain a strong immune system.”Heliponix, a startup from Purdue Foundry’s Startup Class of 2017, presented at the Consumer Electronics Show this year in Las Vegas.“
We are now deep into the fourth industrial revolution with blockchain, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and Internet of Things connecting everything in our homes to our phones,” Ball said. “Development of these systems will provide the architecture we need to begin connecting biological organisms to our digital world.”
Computer vision and machine learning are the tools needed to understand a plant's response to a given environment and enable Heliponix’s automated device to adapt the environment to a plant’s preference in real-time.
Massey and Ball met while working as student research engineers on a NASA-funded project at Purdue, which contributed to the efforts to grow food on the International Space Station under Cary Mitchell, a professor of horticulture. They received their first preseed and seed investments from the Purdue Ag-celerator, which was founded jointly by Purdue Ventures, Purdue Foundry and Purdue’s College of Agriculture in 2015.
Source: Purdue University (Chris Adam)
VIDEO: April Indoor Science Cafe Recording Is Now Available! Photons = Flavor The Case Study of Basil
This presentation 'Photons = Flavor, The case study of basil' was given by Dr. Roberto Lopez and Kellie Walters (Michigan State University) during our 18th cafe forum on April 14th, 2020
This presentation 'Photons = Flavor, The case study of basil' was given by Dr. Roberto Lopez and Kellie Walters (Michigan State University) during our 18th cafe forum on April 14th, 2020. Indoor Ag Science Cafe is organized by the OptimIA project team funded by USDA SCRI grant program.
Clawson Greens Supplies This Snowy Tourist Town With Local Produce, Year-Round
Dave Ridill of Clawson Greens shares his farming unique experiences farming in snowy Tetonia, Idaho.
March 17, 2020
Dave Ridill of Clawson Greens shares his farming unique experiences farming in snowy Tetonia, Idaho.
Dave Ridill from Clawson Greens has made the impossible possible: in an area with a growing season that lasts less than three months (and is known for avalanches!), he has created a thriving year-round farming business that keeps surrounding restaurants flush with fresh greens even in the snowiest weather.
Download our interview with Dave to hear about his experiences!
CLAWSON GREENS WEBINAR
Or, keep reading to a re-cap of the webinar and Q&A with Dave.
Photo by Camrin Dengel, Teton Valley Magazine
Freight Farms: What’s the story behind your Freight Farms project?
Photo by Camrin Dengel, Teton Valley Magazine
Dave Ridill: Long story, short–my neighbors discovered Freight Farms while doing consulting work for Yosemite National Park. They were putting together a proposal for Yosemite to cut down on transportation costs and offer a new plan for food options inside the park. Yosemite didn’t end up going with their bid, so they approached me about starting a hydroponic farm business together. At the time, I was in the process of moving to Boston to go to paramedic school. However, after visiting Freight Farms, I decided to leave the Fire Department, where I was working at the time, and become a lettuce farmer.
FF: Who do you sell to and how do you do it?
DR: Our business model was focused on the restaurants in both Teton Valley and Jackson Hole, Idaho. The restaurant industry in our tourist town is booming. Despite highs and lows with seasonality, restaurants were the main focus in the inception of Clawson Greens.
We also tried a direct to consumer route (CSA) and the local natural food store. Due to time and labor increase, the CSA was not as profitable. We also have a very strong farmers market in both Teton Valley and Jackson so there was never a plan to try and compete with our local farmers. With an 85 day growing season, the local organic farmers already have a very short growing/selling season so adding another vendor to that market would just dilute an already competitive and small market. Our focus was on a market that no other local grower could tap into, year-round tourism.
“Our focus was on a market that no other local grower could tap into, year-round tourism.”
— Dave Ridill
FF: Do you find that customers are willing to pay more for your premium product?
DR: This question reminds me of a meeting with the restaurant manager of our local pub. We sat down and looked over a year’s worth of invoices from his distributors and the price fluctuation that the seasons had. We also looked at his total costs after he factored in waste due to buying in bulk to get the best pricing. With price changes and waste, my higher-priced product that I guarantee was not much more expensive than Sysco.
What I’m trying to say, is chefs will choose fresh local ingredients any day over large scale commercial produce. For them, it’s a selling opportunity: They market it by advertising the local farms/producers on their menus and have servers talk about the local products which are used in the specials. Consumers are willing to pay more for quality and to support local businesses.
“Chefs will choose fresh and local ingredients over large scale commercial produce any day. ”
Photo by Camrin Dengel, Teton Valley Magazine
— Dave Ridill
FF: How do you package your crops?
DR: From the start, Clawson Greens has made a point to not use single-use plastic clamshells or plastic bags. We use compostable corn-based bags for all our deliveries. On average, I put about 30 mini heads into 23-gallon compostable bags.
FF: What was the most challenging part of becoming a Freight Farmer and how were you able to overcome it?
DR: Becoming a Freight Farmer has many challenges much like starting any new business. There’s a steep learning curve but I enjoyed that process. The hardest part for me was understanding when to expand and how to grow with the business as it expanded. It was easy to transition from a full-time ski patroller to a part-time patrol/part-time farmer. However, as I added farms to grow the business, I found it hard to dive in and become a full-time farmer and business owner.
Being thrown into the deep end of the pool overnight was the hardest and easiest way to become a business owner. When your only option is to sink or swim, you do everything you can to make it work. Failure was never an option so by taking that off the table, you’ve got one direction, forward!
Implementing the ‘Profit First’ system is what really changed Clawson Greens. I went from a business that had money in the business account and was blindly throwing money around to pay bills, payroll and occasionally paying myself, to a business that knows exactly how much money to put towards operational expenses, taxes, owners’ compensation and most importantly, profit!
Photo by Camrin Dengel, Teton Valley Magazine
FF: What’s the best piece of advice you can give to people interested in becoming Freight Farmers?
DR: My advice is to hire the right people and acknowledge that you (the owner and operator) deserve to be paid accordingly.
“You are the one who puts in the most time, works late, lays awake at night thinking about the business.”
— Dave Ridill
This is where the profit-first system comes into play again. Being a farmer is hard, being a business owner is even harder. Being the owner and operator of a Freight Farm is very challenging and making a living at it can be a huge challenge. You can hire great employees but they will never go the extra mile that you the owner does. Over the past few years as an employer I’ve learned that you can teach people skills and procedures, but you can’t teach someone to care about your business. Only you can do that: you are the one who puts in the most time, works late, lays awake at night thinking about the business and at the end of the day, is the one who answers to whether the business is a success or failure. You need to pay yourself accordingly. Don’t start a business to make a living for someone else until you can make a living for yourself. When you are ready to start hiring, find an employee that’s financially invested in the business. Their effort and quality of work has a direct impact on their income
Interested in learning more about Clawson Greens?
Hear how Dave created his thriving farming business in some of the harshest conditions in the U.S. when you sign up for our upcoming webinar!
SIGN UP
Webinar: Developing A Light Spectrum – A Balancing Act
The webinar is free-of-charge and will be held on May 27th at 15.00 EET. It will be presented by Ms. Stefanie Linzer, Plant R&D Director and Mr. Harri Ekdahl, Product Manager at Valoya
In an ocean of LED companies with conflicting claims, which one can be trusted for their horticultural lighting expertise? How can a grower understand which spectrum his/her plants would mostly benefit from? In this free webinar, we will breakdown the spectrum development process so as to enable growers and researchers to better understand what kind of light is best for them.
Valoya, the research-driven LED manufacturer from Finland, has conducted over 600 plant trials in the past decade in search for the highest quality light for cultivation and research purposes. In this process, it has amassed over 100 patents and developed over 60 spectra of which only 5 were commercialized.
Choosing wavelengths such as blue, red, far-red, UV and manipulating ratios such as red:far-red and blue: green are some of the factors that go into account in the spectrum development process. In the plant trials conducted we observe parameters that are of importance to growers such as plant biomass and morphology, secondary metabolite accumulation, etc. Additionally, growers need lights that achieve their cultivation targets efficiently, so spectrum development always includes economic considerations so that the minimal amount of Watts gets the desired output.
The webinar is free-of-charge and will be held on May 27th at 15.00 EET. It will be presented by Ms. Stefanie Linzer, Plant R&D Director and Mr. Harri Ekdahl, Product Manager at Valoya.
To learn more about the webinar and register for it, please click here.
About Valoya
Valoya is a provider of high end, energy-efficient LED grow lights for use in crop science, vertical farming, and medicinal plants cultivation. Valoya LED grow lights have been developed using Valoya's proprietary LED technology and extensive plant photobiology research. Valoya's customer base includes numerous vertical farms, greenhouses and research institutions all over the world (including 8 out of 10 world’s largest agricultural companies).
Additional information:
Valoya Oy, Finland
Tel: +358 10 2350300
Email: sales@valoya.com
Web: www.valoya.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valoyafi/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/valoya
VIDEO: Indoor Microfarming: Benefits, Costs, And Profits
Microfarms are versatile. They can be created in any small room like shipping containers, bedrooms, and garages
Indoor microfarming is a trendy alternative to outdoor farming.
Outdoor, or field, farming is declining as land costs and soil erosion make it increasingly harder to start a farm. In its place, small indoor farms are popping up to meet increasing demand for locally produced food.
Did you know small farms produce more than 70 percent of the world’s food?
Microfarms are versatile. They can be created in any small room like shipping containers, bedrooms, and garages.
In this article, you’ll learn all about indoor microfarms including its benefits, costs, and how to profit from one.
Basics of Indoor Microfarming
Indoor microfarming refers to small-scale farms in urban or suburban areas.
The ability to control environmental factors like lighting, humidity, and temperature is the biggest advantage that indoor farming has over outdoor farming.
Indoor alternatives to field farming, like greenhouses, have been around for thousands of years, but it wasn’t until the 1970s that controlled environment farms emerged.
Farmers use a variety of different systems to grow plants indoors. Aquaponics, hydroponics, and aeroponics are a few of the most popular systems after using traditional soil.
Aquaponics refers to using fish to grow plants. In these systems, fish fertilize water that’s fed to the plants. The plants in turn purify the water, which is fed back into the fish tanks.
Hydroponic systems grow crops by watering plants with a nutrient-rich solution. Instead of soil, plants are grown in a nutrition-less growing medium that allows plants to absorb the nutrients from the water easier than if they were grown in soil.
In aeroponic systems, plants are grown with their roots exposed in highly misted environments. The mist is created using a nutrient solution.
We use hydroponic systems to cultivate crops in our Pure Greens container farms, which are made out of shipping containers.
Indoor microfarms are often started using spare space like an unused basement, guest room, or garage in the farmer’s home. But they can also be started in any small, indoor area like a shipping container.
The ability to use a small space to grow produce is only one of indoor microfarming’s many benefits.
Benefits of Indoor Microfarming
Indoor microfarming is beneficial because it fills demand for certain produce while saving money and stress.
As far as selling goes, demand for locally produced food across the United States is increasing.
Nielsen, a data and measurement firm, found that 48% of consumers prefer ingredients and food that have been produced locally.
Indoor microfarming fills this demand by being produced in the center of commercial areas, guaranteeing locality.
Purchasing land or buildings big enough for large-scale operations is expensive. Indoor microfarming allows people to use the buildings they already live in to start growing.
Capital expenses are also lower because you don’t have to purchase new land. Plus, equipment isn’t as expensive for microfarms due to availability of ready-for-installation systems and “Do It Yourself” (DIY) tutorials.
With smaller capital expenses comes a lower stakes environment.
When you’ve put less money into a project, there’s less pressure to succeed. Feel free to experiment with systems and crop types to find what works best for your farm.
Indoor microfarming also allows you to develop a local customer base and specialize in a niche market.
Having already secured customers and perfected a crop will help when you’re ready to expand.
Indoor microfarming also allows restauranteurs to grow their own produce onsite, reducing food waste by being able to harvest only what’s needed rather than buying in bulk. Customers will also appreciate the fresher tasting food!
Another benefit of indoor microfarming systems is that there isn’t just one way to do it.
Microfarming Systems
Because microfarming can be done using virtually any size of space, there’s a wide variety of systems to pick from.
Our Pure Greens container farms are an excellent choice for those with yard space for a 40 foot shipping container.
Our farms come outfitted with a recirculating hydroponic system, providing a low water consumption rate, and an automated controlled environment system that can be monitored via your smartphone.
For farmers with less space to work with, there are a few smaller purchasable and DIY options out there as well.
Ready-to-use hydroponic systems can be purchased online or from a local hydroponic equipment store.
One popular DIY hydroponic system for beginners is the Kratky method.
The Kratky method is easy as it doesn’t require pumps or changing the nutrient solution. In this system, plants are placed in a netted pot with a growing medium, such as coconut coir or clay balls, and then placed into a reservoir filled with water and nutrient solution.
While this method is good for farmers with very little experience, it’s only effective for growing leafy greens. Anything with flowers or fruits will need a more involved process.
The Kratky method also requires close attention to the water’s pH levels because it’s not replaced or adjusted during the grow cycle.
Aeroponic systems are also buildable but require a little bit more expertise with construction. Plants grown in these systems receive maximum nutrients.
But aeroponic systems are less common than hydroponic systems when it comes to home-growing because they require special attention to nutrient ratios and pH levels, making them not very beginner-friendly.
Scott Dekarske of Wet-Werk Hydroponics in Memphis, TN, and Master Gardener, Stephan Leonard, show how to assemble an inexpensive aeroponics system.
Aquaponic systems are a good choice for people interested in fish farming. If you raise healthy enough fish, you can sell them along with your produce.
Keep in mind aquaponic systems require more maintenance than hydroponic or aeroponic systems and they’re a little trickier.
With these systems you have to keep both the fish and the plants happy. Doing so requires finding the delicate balance of water flow between the two.
Deciding on which system to use can be tricky, but your expenses will depend heavily on the system you decide to use.
Indoor Microfarming Costs
Capital and operating expenses of indoor microfarming varies depending on the type of system and size of the operation.
The first expense is going to be buying the system itself or any materials needed to construct it. You may need to purchase tubs, pumps, and pipes.
You’ll also need to purchase light fixtures, so your plants have a light source to use for photosynthesis. During photosynthesis, plants absorb energy from light to produce glucose out of carbon dioxide and water.
There are plenty of LED lights in the market aimed specifically toward growing plants. Look for bulbs with high efficiency to conserve energy usage.
Because indoor microfarming typically relies on artificial light rather than sunlight, energy costs can be high. A 2017 survey of indoor farms found that small farms spent about $3.45 per square foot on energy alone, which was about 12% of the total budget.
Take into consideration water usage as well. Systems like recirculating hydroponics and aeroponics use considerably less water than aquaponic and soil-based systems.
Hydroponic and aeroponic systems typically require 4 gallons of water per square foot per year. Meanwhile, aquaponic systems use about 10 gallons of water per square foot per year.
Be sure to also factor in any fish costs such as a tank, food, and the animals themselves when using aquaponic systems.
Once your indoor microfarm is ready to grow, you’ll need to buy planting materials.
Planting expenses will be recurring so be sure to keep them in mind while budgeting. Purchase seeds, growing mediums, and nutrient solution online or in stores.
Growing mediums and nutrient solutions replace soil in hydroponic and some aeroponic systems. The growing medium acts as support for the plants’ roots while the solution provides essential nutrients for strong, healthy plants.
While indoor microfarming can be costly, there are plenty of strategies for growing your business.
Profiting from your Microfarm
The first step to making a profit from indoor microfarming comes before you even plant a single crop: Research.
Find demand for a product in the local market that isn’t being met. Meet with potential customers like chefs, grocery stores, and farmers’ market patrons and ask what they’d like to be able to purchase fresh.
Focus on growing specialty crops rather than common produce like lettuce.
Specialty crops can be things that are out of season, hard to grow in your climate, or something trendy such as microgreens or adaptogens.
Consider selling your products at farmers’ markets, to vendors, to wholesale distributors, and to local restaurants.
The number of farmers’ markets in the country has tripled since 2000, making it an easy choice for finding customers.
Research popular farmers’ markets in your area and learn how to set up shop. Keep in mind that some markets will charge a fee to set-up a booth.
Alternatively, approach a different produce vendor and let them sample your product. If all goes well, they will sell your product for you!
Find a middleman by selling to wholesale distributors. Distributors will find shops to sell your products for you, giving you more time to focus on growing.
Or sell your produce directly to local restaurants.
Research chefs who focus on crafting dishes using locally sourced greens. Set up an appointment with chefs to pitch your business to them and be sure to bring along your best samples.
Try to establish a rapport with the restaurant. Find out whether they’d prefer a range of products or a specific good.
After you’ve established your clientele, your indoor microfarm will blossom.
Now that you’re familiar with indoor microfarming, it’s time to get started.
Visit our website or call us at 602–753–3469 to learn more about how you can start your own container farm.
WRITTEN BY
Pure Greens Arizona LLC
Tags: Vertical Farming Indoor Farming Farming Farming Technology
Pure Greens’ container-based grow systems offer a variety of interior layouts, sizes, and options so customers can create a farm that meets their needs.
Indoor Micro Farming: Benefits, Costs, And Profits
Indoor micro-farming is a trendy alternative to outdoor farming. Outdoor, or field, farming is declining as land costs and soil erosion make it increasingly harder to start a farm. In its place, small indoor farms are popping up to meet the increasing demand for locally produced food
March 7, 2020
Indoor micro-farming is a trendy alternative to outdoor farming.
Outdoor, or field, farming is declining as land costs and soil erosion make it increasingly harder to start a farm. In its place, small indoor farms are popping up to meet the increasing demand for locally produced food.
Did you know small farms produce more than 70 percent of the world’s food?
Micro farms are versatile. They can be created in any small room like shipping containers, bedrooms, and garages.
In this article, you’ll learn all about indoor micro-farms including its benefits, costs, and how to profit from one.
Basics of Indoor Micro farming
Indoor micro-farming refers to small-scale farms in urban or suburban areas.
The ability to control environmental factors like lighting, humidity, and temperature is the biggest advantage that indoor farming has over outdoor farming.
Indoor alternatives to field farming, like greenhouses, have been around for thousands of years, but it wasn’t until the 1970s that controlled environment farms emerged.
Farmers use a variety of different systems to grow plants indoors. Aquaponics, hydroponics, and aeroponics are a few of the most popular systems after using traditional soil.
Aquaponics refers to using fish to grow plants. In these systems, fish fertilize water that’s fed to the plants. The plants, in turn, purify the water, which is fed back into the fish tanks.
Hydroponic systems grow crops by watering plants with a nutrient-rich solution. Instead of soil, plants are grown in a nutrition-less growing medium that allows plants to absorb the nutrients from the water easier than if they were grown in soil.
In aeroponic systems, plants are grown with their roots exposed in highly misted environments. The mist is created using a nutrient solution.
We use hydroponic systems to cultivate crops in our Pure Greens container farms, which are made out of shipping containers.
Indoor micro-farms are often started using spare space like an unused basement, guest room, or garage in the farmer’s home. But they can also be started in any small, indoor area like a shipping container.
The ability to use a small space to grow produce is only one of indoor micro-farming’s many benefits.
Benefits of Indoor Micro farming
Indoor micro-farming is beneficial because it fills the demand for certain produce while saving money and stress.
As far as selling goes, demand for locally produced food across the United States is increasing.
Nielsen, a data and measurement firm, found that 48% of consumers prefer ingredients and food that have been produced locally.
Indoor micro-farming fills this demand by being produced in the center of commercial areas, guaranteeing locality.
Purchasing land or buildings big enough for large-scale operations are expensive. Indoor micro-farming allows people to use the buildings they already live in to start growing.
Capital expenses are also lower because you don’t have to purchase new land. Plus, equipment isn’t as expensive for microforms due to the availability of ready-for-installation systems and “Do It Yourself” (DIY) tutorials.
With smaller capital expenses comes a lower-stakes environment.
When you’ve put less money into a project, there’s less pressure to succeed. Feel free to experiment with systems and crop types to find what works best for your farm.
Indoor micro-farming also allows you to develop a local customer base and specialize in a niche market.
Having already secured customers and perfected a crop will help when you’re ready to expand.
Indoor micro-farming also allows restauranteurs to grow their own produce onsite, reducing food waste by being able to harvest only what’s needed rather than buying in bulk. Customers will also appreciate the fresher tasting food!
Another benefit of indoor micro-farming systems is that there isn’t just one way to do it.
Micro farming Systems
Because micro-farming can be done using virtually any size of space, there’s a wide variety of systems to pick from.
Our Pure Greens container farms are an excellent choice for those with yard space for a 40-foot shipping container.
Our farms come outfitted with a recirculating hydroponic system, providing a low water consumption rate, and an automated controlled environment system that can be monitored via your smartphone.
For farmers with less space to work with, there are a few smaller purchasable and DIY options out there as well.
Ready-to-use hydroponic systems can be purchased online or from a local hydroponic equipment store.
One popular DIY hydroponic system for beginners is the Kratky method.
The Kratky method is easy as it doesn’t require pumps or changing the nutrient solution. In this system, plants are placed in a netted pot with a growing medium, such as coconut coir or clay balls, and then placed into a reservoir filled with water and nutrient solution.
While this method is good for farmers with very little experience, it’s only effective for growing leafy greens. Anything with flowers or fruits will need a more involved process.
The Kratky method also requires close attention to the water’s pH levels because it’s not replaced or adjusted during the growing cycle.
Aeroponic systems are also buildable but require a little bit more expertise with construction. Plants grown in these systems receive maximum nutrients.
But aeroponic systems are less common than hydroponic systems when it comes to home-growing because they require special attention to nutrient ratios and pH levels, making them not very beginner-friendly.
Aquaponic systems are a good choice for people interested in fish farming. If you raise healthy enough fish, you can sell them along with your produce.
Keep in mind aquaponic systems require more maintenance than hydroponic or aeroponic systems and they’re a little trickier.
With these systems, you have to keep both the fish and the plants happy. Doing so requires finding the delicate balance of water flow between the two.
Deciding on which system to use can be tricky, but your expenses will depend heavily on the system you decide to use.
Indoor Micro farming Costs
Capital and operating expenses of indoor micro-farming varies depending on the type of system and size of the operation.
The first expense is going to be buying the system itself or any materials needed to construct it. You may need to purchase tubs, pumps, and pipes.
You’ll also need to purchase light fixtures, so your plants have a light source to use for photosynthesis. During photosynthesis, plants absorb energy from light to produce glucose out of carbon dioxide and water.
There are plenty of LED lights in the market aimed specifically toward growing plants. Look for bulbs with high efficiency to conserve energy usage.
Because indoor micro-farming typically relies on artificial light rather than sunlight, energy costs can be high. A 2017 survey of indoor farms found that small farms spent about $3.45 per square foot on energy alone, which was about 12% of the total budget.
Take into consideration water usage as well. Systems like recirculating hydroponics and aeroponics use considerably less water than aquaponics and soil-based systems.
Hydroponic and aeroponic systems typically require 4 gallons of water per square foot per year. Meanwhile, aquaponic systems use about 10 gallons of water per square foot per year.
Be sure to also factor in any fish costs such as a tank, food, and the animals themselves when using aquaponic systems.
Once your indoor micro-farm is ready to grow, you’ll need to buy planting materials.
Planting expenses will be recurring so be sure to keep them in mind while budgeting. Purchase seeds, growing mediums, and nutrient solutions online or in stores.
Growing mediums and nutrient solutions replace the soil in hydroponic and some aeroponic systems. The growing medium acts as a support for the plants’ roots while the solution provides essential nutrients for strong, healthy plants.
While indoor micro-farming can be costly, there are plenty of strategies for growing your business.
Profiting from your Microfarm
The first step to making a profit from indoor micro-farming comes before you even plant a single crop: Research.
Find demand for a product in the local market that isn’t being met. Meet with potential customers like chefs, grocery stores, and farmers’ market patrons and ask what they’d like to be able to purchase fresh.
Focus on growing specialty crops rather than common produce like lettuce.
Specialty crops can be things that are out of season, hard to grow in your climate or something trendy such as microgreens or adaptogens.
Consider selling your products at farmers’ markets, to vendors, to wholesale distributors, and to local restaurants.
The number of farmers’ markets in the country has tripled since 2000, making it an easy choice for finding customers.
Research popular farmers’ markets in your area and learn how to set up shop. Keep in mind that some markets will charge a fee to set-up a booth.
Alternatively, approach a different produce vendor and let them sample your product. If all goes well, they will sell your product for you!
Find a middleman by selling to wholesale distributors. Distributors will find shops to sell your products for you, giving you more time to focus on growing.
Or sell your produce directly to local restaurants.
Research chefs who focus on crafting dishes using locally sourced greens. Set up an appointment with chefs to pitch your business to them and be sure to bring along your best samples.
Try to establish a rapport with the restaurant. Find out whether they’d prefer a range of products or a specific good.
After you’ve established your clientele, your indoor micro-farm will blossom.
Now that you’re familiar with indoor micro-farming, it’s time to get started.
Visit our website or call us at 602–753–3469 to learn more about how you can start your own container farm.
Vertical Farming Indoor Farming Farming Farming Technology
WRITTEN BY
Pure Greens Arizona LLC
Pure Greens’ container-based grow systems offer a variety of interior layouts, sizes, and options so customers can create a farm that meets their needs.
VIDEO: The Microgreens Show - Episode 16 Crop Talk
Episode 16 Crop Talk
Understanding the Principles of Producing
Quick-Turn Crops w/ Nick Greens
Innovative Hamilton Company 80 Acres Farms Impresses Ohio Agriculture Leader
State Assistant Director of Agriculture Tim Derickson launched Ohio Agriculture Week on Monday in a surprising location: inside an industrial park building within Hamilton’s city limits, where he saw a future of farming
03-10-20
By Mike Rutledge, Staff Writer
HAMILTON — State Assistant Director of Agriculture Tim Derickson launched Ohio Agriculture Week on Monday in a surprising location: inside an industrial park building within Hamilton’s city limits, where he saw a future of farming.
At the 80 Acres Farms building, Derickson and others watched as a powerful orange-and-blue robotic arm lifted large trays of plants from inside climate-controlled containers into a bin on rollers as part of one of the world’s most high-tech agricultural operations, all located indoors.
“When I think of a farm, a building like this does not come to mind,” said Derickson, of Hanover Twp., whose family had a multiple-generation tradition of dairy farming.
READ MORE: Hamilton’s 80 Acres Farms expands size and influence with new facility, NYC exhibit
Derickson recalls when 17 families in Butler County in the 1980s owned dairy farms. Now the number is a small fraction of that, he said.
For many of the dairy farms, “It simply became a thing where it’s just not profitable, and you work an awful lot,” Derickson said.“It’s a gamble every year,” Derickson said. Among other things, “You’ve got to hope and pray for weather to cooperate.”
That isn’t the case inside several 80 Acres locations across the country, where tomatoes, strawberries, lettuce, grapes, and culinary herbs, among many other crops, can be grown even when there’s a foot of snow outside.
80 Acres is constructing a 70,000-square-foot building in Hamilton Enterprise Park, next to the existing research facility Derickson toured. That building will be able to produce between 1.5 million and 2 million pounds of crops a year — equal to production from 100 acres of farmland.
80 Acres CEO and co-founder Mike Zelkind said his crops taste better and are fresher than competitors. With strawberries the company grows elsewhere, “I bite into it, you guys would all smell it,” because it’s so juicy and full of flavor, he said.
One thing 80 Acres is not trying to do is compete with local farmers, Zelkind emphasized. It does not grow things that area farmers are raising during their growing seasons.
The company during 2019 decided to locate its headquarters in Hamilton, inside the city-government building.
Outdoors across Butler County, 41.5 percent of the county’s total land is used in farming — mainly as cropland, with some pastureland and woodland agricultural uses.
In 2017, the last time an agricultural census was taken, 123,916 acres in the county were dedicated to farming. That was down 12.8 percent from 142,128 in 1997, largely because of housing subdivisions and other developments making use of what was farmland, Kif Hurlbut of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Great Lakes Regional Office, and Derickson said.
By far, soybeans and corn are Butler County’s largest cash crops, earning $18.7 million and $16.5 million, respectively, in 2017. Behind them were hogs and pigs, at $6.1 million; and cattle and calves, at just under $6 million; nurseries and greenhouses, $2.9 million, and milk at $1 million.“Technology enables a completely different form of agriculture,” Zelkind told Derickson and others during a tour of one of two company growing operations in Hamilton.
They are pesticide-free operations where people like grower supervisor Tim Brodbeck, 22, control the amount of light, water and nutrients going to plants within various “grow zones” within shipping-container-sized boxes.
The company prides itself on environmentally friendly practices, such as recycling of water and the nutrients it contains.
Controlling all aspects of growing, the company can produce crops with “much higher quality, much better carbon footprint, much cleaner product — the nutritional value is unparalleled,” Zelkind said.
Satellites Show Italy's Air Pollution Dissipating As Covid-19 Outbreak Worsens
After China, Italy has been the second-hardest-hit by the Covid-19 pandemic racing around the world. In an effort to staunch the number of cases, the Italian government severely restricted travel this week in northern Italy—the pandemic epicenter for the country—before extending restrictions to the entire country
Satellite data showing nitrogen dioxide emissions over northern Italy on March 7 (left) and February 8 (right). Image: Sam Gassó
After China, Italy has been the second-hardest-hit by the Covid-19 pandemic racing around the world. In an effort to staunch the number of cases, the Italian government severely restricted travel this week in northern Italy—the pandemic epicenter for the country—before extending restrictions to the entire country.
Under similar circumstances, scientists observed a huge drop in Chinese pollution that was visible from space. At the time, Fei Liu, an air quality researcher at NASA, said that “this is the first time I have seen such a dramatic drop-off over such a wide area for a specific event.” Now, it appears the same thing is happening in northern Italy, as the region grinds to a halt.
The European Space Agency’s Sentinel-5 satellite is able to track all sorts of human-caused pollution, including nitrogen dioxide. Those emissions come from tailpipes and electricity generation, particularly coal-fired power plants. With Italy severely restricting travel and whole sectors of the economy essentially shutting down and using less power, it would seem to follow that nitrogen dioxide emission would drop.
Before and after imagery from Santiago Gassó, a NASA atmospheric science researcher, shows the stark difference from before the Covid-19 outbreak and after. The images at the top of the page show nitrogen dioxide emissions on March 7 and February 7, respectively. Santiago tweeted that the data still needed more formal verification, but he told Earther in an email that “in the last 48 hours, colleagues have been posting similar trends from other sensors, and even this morning ESA came out with a video confirming what I pointed out. So indeed the trend seems real.”
Indeed, the video in question shows the drop in pollution is extremely rapid. The Sentinel-5 data in the video from the ESA runs from January through mid-March. The bright red and orange spot of pollution over northern Italy goes dark shortly after the government issued the lockdown orders this past Sunday.
The drop in pollution is obviously a good thing, particularly at a time when people with pre-existing respiratory issues are facing increased risks from Covid-19. But the cause for the drop is most definitely bad. Data tracked by Johns Hopkins shows that as of Friday afternoon, there have been more than 1,000 deaths in Italy amid more than 15,000 cases reported.
The number of cases in other countries, particularly the U.S., continues to climb. So, too, are precautions to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus. Flights are beginning to be grounded after flying empty. The U.S. has declared a national emergency amid what is still a very sluggish, botched federal response.
Even a number of Disney’s various properties are shutting down. All of this adds up to a likely sharp decline in pollution in other parts of the world, as people hunker down in an attempt to stop the disease from spreading further.
Brian Kahn Posts Email Twitter
Managing editor, Earther
Grocery Micro-Farms Take Off
Kroger has teamed up with Infarm, a six-year-old startup based in Germany, to install modular vertical farms. In these mini-farms, which use a hydroponic farming method, nine varieties of lettuce and herbs are stacked in rows and grown in nutrient-rich water until they are mature enough to be sold to customers
Kroger And Infarm Install Vertical Farms In Stores
By Phil Lempert on Feb. 24, 2020
In our annual trend report three years ago we correctly predicted that the time has come for supermarkets to install their own indoor farms, in which shoppers could pick their own produce right from the farm—the ultimate in freshness, taste and local. Kroger is leading the way by adding these mini-farms to two of its Quality Food Centers (QFC) stores in the state of Washington.
Kroger has teamed up with Infarm, a six-year-old startup based in Germany, to install modular vertical farms. In these mini-farms, which use a hydroponic farming method, nine varieties of lettuce and herbs are stacked in rows and grown in nutrient-rich water until they are mature enough to be sold to customers.
Infarm has more than 500 such installations in stores and distribution centers in other parts of the world, but this is its first installations in U.S. grocery stores. The growing process at the two pilot stores involves LEDs and an irrigation system with recycled water.
Infarm uses a cloud-based technology system to remotely control the temperature and lighting for each of its farms.“
Customers today want transparency; they want to know exactly where their product is from, the provenance where it was grown,” said Suzy Monford, Kroger’s group VP of fresh foods.
The program has already been deemed a success by Kroger. Monford said the stores have been selling everything from kale to cilantro as fast as the plants have been able to mature. Kroger has announced plans to expand vertical farming to 13 more QFCs in Washington and Oregon by April.
Infarm’s the ultimate goal is to make local food production mainstream. “For the bulk of the last century, food has been produced far from where it is consumed, generating a supply chain that is environmentally unsustainable,” said Osnat Michaeli, the company’s co-founder and chief brand officer. “Our modular farms offer the potential of turning the supply chain on its head by building the world’s first global farming network.”
US: Florida - Aquaponics: Winter Gardening Reaches New Heights In Winter Garden
A sustainable garden on a Winter Garden rooftop has everything from a fish farm to produce to a water filtration system
By: Irene Sans and George Waldenberger
February 26, 2020
ORLANDO Fla. — A sustainable garden on a Winter Garden rooftop has everything from a fish farm to produce to a water filtration system.
This type of garden is becoming more popular because they are sustainable, they require less space, they can mitigate dangerous heat and they may serve many ecological causes.
Certified meteorologist George Waldenberger visited Green Sky Grows, a Winter Garden aquaponics facility run by Valencia College.
80 Acres Farms Will Grow Tomatoes On Fifth Avenue In Guggenheim Exhibition
Based in Hamilton, Ohio, 80 Acres Farms is a leader in technology-assisted indoor growing and a multi-farm operator marketing a wide variety of freshly picked vegetables and fruits to retailers such as Giant Eagle, Kroger, Whole Foods, Jungle Jim’s and Dorothy Lane Markets
80 Acres Farms will grow tomatoes on one of the busiest streets in New York City outside the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum as part of the Guggenheim’s new exhibition in collaboration with Rem Koolhaas, “Countryside, The Future.”
Along with its commercial partners Infinite Acres and Priva Holding BV, 80 Acres Farms will grow cherry tomatoes in an indoor grow module right outside the museum on Fifth Avenue.
Based in Hamilton, Ohio, 80 Acres Farms is a leader in technology-assisted indoor growing and a multi-farm operator marketing a wide variety of freshly picked vegetables and fruits to retailers such as Giant Eagle, Kroger, Whole Foods, Jungle Jim’s and Dorothy Lane Markets.
The company was founded by veteran food industry executives Mike Zelkind and Tisha Livingston, who are supported by a deep team and a board of directors representing executive and leadership experience at leading food, healthcare and other companies.
Window on tomato production
People in New York will be able to look through a large window in the indoor farm to view a crop of fresh tomatoes being grown continuously during the next six months under precise LED lighting and other controlled conditions.
The first tomatoes will be ready for harvest by late-March.
The grow module will demonstrate how indoor farming can benefit the world through growing fresh, pesticide-free food near populations, anywhere in the world while using fewer natural resources.
The “Countryside, The Future” exhibition will examine political forces, social issues and environmental factors altering landscapes across the world, including traditional farmlands.
80 Acres Farms is a founding member of the Infinite Acres partnership venture, along with Netherlands-based Priva Holding BV, a leading provider of technology solutions, services and automation systems to horticultural and other industries; and Ocado Group, one of the world’s largest dedicated online grocery retailers, operating its own grocery and general merchandise retail businesses.
That partnership is now building large-scale, fully automated indoor farms in the U.S., Asia and Europe.
“We believe that what we are doing is about the future of food. We are changing the way fruits and vegetables are grown and harvested locally then delivered to grocers the very next day,” Zelkind said.
“There is an enormous market and consumer appetite around the world for produce that our crop scientists and other food experts have been perfecting during the past five years,” he said. “Our participation in this exhibition will allow New York residents and visitors to experience how the freshest, tastiest locally grown tomatoes can be grown year-round indoors in one of the busiest cities in the world.”
700-square-foot grow center
For the Guggenheim exhibition, 80 Acres Farms, Infinite Acres, and Priva Holding have collaborated on the 700-square-foot grow center and all of the state-of-the art ag-technology within it.
While in operation for the next six months outside the Guggenheim, the Infinite Acres grow module is expected to grow 50,000 tomatoes.
Additional tomatoes will be donated to City Harvest, a New York City food rescue organization that safely recovers excess food and distributes it to people in need.
“Countryside, The Future” will be open to the public through Aug. 14.
How Grocery Stores Are Trying To Prevent ‘Panic Buying’ As Coronavirus Causes Stockpiling, Emptying Shelves
As an outbreak of a new coronavirus causes some U.S. customers to fill up shopping carts and thin out store shelves, industry groups and experts say grocers can tamp down on “panic buying” by planning ahead and trying to stay stocked
March 2, 2020
KEY POINTS
A food retail trade group published a guide to help retailers prepare for changes to customers’ shopping habits, such as increased use of self-checkout or demand for food handlers to wear masks.
Experts say grocery stores can help by accelerating shipments and holding back some items as centralized stock.
Stores could also consider rationing the number of each item that customers can buy.
As an outbreak of a new coronavirus causes some U.S. customers to fill up shopping carts and thin out store shelves, industry groups and experts say grocers can tamp down on “panic buying” by planning ahead and trying to stay stocked.
Grocery stores, including Costco stores, have seen a spike in sales of household items like hand sanitizer, face masks and cases of bottled water in recent weeks. Sales of shelf-stable grocery items, including fruit snacks, dried beans and pretzels, are on the rise, too, according to late-February data from Nielsen.
At U.S. stores, sales of fruit snacks were up by nearly 13%, dried beans were up 10% and pretzels were up 9% in the week that ended Feb. 22, according to Nielsen data. Sales of energy drinks, pet medicine, vitamin supplements and first-aid kits also saw sales spike.
Doug Baker, vice president of industry relations at food retailer trade group FMI, said U.S. shoppers have focused on buying items for prevention and preparedness. Now, in some parts of the country, they are shifting to response mode. He said they’re buying longer-lasting grocery items, such as canned goods and frozen fruits and vegetables.
He said retailers are doing their best to predict and respond to such shifts.
“We have to try to understand what consumers are thinking before they think of it,” Baker said. “In an event like this, you have to quickly adapt to whatever consumer demand is,” he said. “And in a moment of crisis, you have some idea of the demand that may peak, but you don’t know the magnitude to which they’ll peak and the geographies where they’ll peak.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier Monday said there are about 91 confirmed or presumed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. Many of those individuals contracted the virus while they were traveling. However, about 26 cases are either confirmed or presumed to be from human-to-human transmission in the U.S. At least six people in the U.S. have died, with the majority of those deaths in the Seattle area.
On Friday, the industry group published a 16-page guide to help retailers prepare for potential changes to shopping habits. For example, the industry group said shoppers may consolidate grocery trips, with fewer visits and bigger baskets. They may prefer self-checkout and online grocery delivery. And they may have new expectations for neighborhood grocery stores, such as seeing all food handlers wearing masks and gloves and having antibacterial wipes available for use in stores.
Grocery delivery companies Instacart and FreshDirect have both reported a surge in business. Instacart said in a statement Monday that it’s had more demand than usual for bottled water, hand sanitizer and other household essentials. FreshDirect said Friday that it had delivery delays and increased demand for fresh seafood, fresh chicken, baby food and household cleaning products.
On his own weekend grocery shopping trip in northern Virginia, Baker said he saw plenty of shoppers and thinned-out shelves of antibacterial hand soap and hand sanitizer.
“It’s not often you have to reach to the back of the shelf to get Lysol hand wipes,” he said.
Josh Brown: How to protect your nest egg in volatile times
Scott McKenzie, global intelligence leader at Nielsen, said consumer behavior with the coronavirus roughly mirrors grocery shopping ahead of extreme weather events like hurricanes or snowstorms. With the coronavirus, however, he said shoppers are especially interested in packaged products and items that haven’t traveled far.
He said sales of fresh food items like fruits and vegetables and imported items, such as European cheeses and meats, are likely to take a hit in the U.S. On the other hand, he said, local items and sealed goods, such as granola bars, will likely gain popularity.
Cornell University business professor Karan Girotra, who studies the grocery supply chain, said stores can limit “panic buying” by reassuring customers they are prepared and have adequate supply. He said they should accelerate imports and hold back items in centralized stock, so they can send additional supply to stores and regions of greatest need. He said stores could also consider rationing the number of each item that customers can buy.
He said the coronavirus has caused “a supply side and demand side shock,” but he worries the most about customers’ fears exacerbating the problem.
“It’s like having a bank run,” he said. “If people really start panicking and start stocking up on things, then I think all bets are off. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.”
Lead Photo: Clorox Liquid Bleach products in short supply at a Target store in Hackensack, N.J. Fahiemah Al-Ali | CNBC
— CNBC’s Courtney Reagan contributed to this report.
Elon Musk's Brother Wants To Transform Farming
Vertical farming is an indoor farming method in which crops are grown in stacked layers, often without soil. The practice is becoming more popular and important as urban populations grow dramatically and available farmland decreases
February 28, 2020
New York (CNN Business)Plant-based foods are all the rage right now, and vertical farms are capitalizing on the trend.
Vertical farming is an indoor farming method in which crops are grown in stacked layers, often without soil. The practice is becoming more popular and important as urban populations grow dramatically and available farmland decreases.
While vertical farming isn't a new concept, these eco-friendly indoor farms are now rapidly expanding.
Elon Musk's younger brother, Kimbal Musk, who was named "Global Social Entrepreneur" of the year by the World Economic Forum in 2017, started Square Roots, an indoor urban farming company based in Brooklyn, in 2016. Square Roots' mission is to bring fresh, local food to cities around the world by empowering younger generations to participate in urban farming.
"When I was a kid, the only way I could get my family to sit down and connect was by cooking the meal," Musk, co-founder and executive chairman of Square Roots, told CNN Business in an email.
Kimbal Musk teaches students how to plant a vegetable garden in California.
"Getting involved with the internet, especially in the late '90s, was very exciting and I wouldn't change anything about those experiences, but my passion has always been food," Musk said. "The moment Elon and I sold Zip2, our first internet company, I knew I wanted to pursue food and become a trained chef." He moved to New York and enrolled at the International Culinary Center.
Musk said the company plans to open a Square Roots "Super Farm" — with 25 climate-controlled shipping containers, cold storage, biosecurity infrastructure and everything else needed to run a vertical farm at scale — in less than three months.
Since its inception, Square Roots has grown more than 120 varieties of crops, including greens, vegetables, and strawberries.
The company isn't the first of its kind. Startups like Silicon Valley's Plenty, which was founded in 2013 and is backed by Jeff Bezos, are also beginning to dominate the space.
"Environmentalists, urban farmers, architects, agronomists, and public health experts, among others, have been joining this mini-revolution as they partner to work out a way to salvage a food-scarce, ultra-urbanized future," Kheir Al-Kodmany, a professor of sustainable urban design at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said in a report.
It involves various techniques, such as hydroponics, which uses mineral nutrient solutions in a water solvent; aquaponics, which uses aquatic creatures -- such as fish and snails -- and cultivates plants in water; and aeroponics, which grows plants in the air.
As for job creation, rapid climate change will put millions of traditional farmers out of business, but vertical farmers won't be affected, according to microbiologist Dickson Despommier, an emeritus professor of public and environmental health at Columbia University.
Although vertical farming was first introduced in the early 1900s, it was recently popularized by Despommier. More than 20 years ago, he began teaching a class at Columbia called Medical Ecology.
Despommier spent a decade growing crops indoors with his students. "Ten years ago, there were no vertical farms," he said, noting that LED grow lights have vastly improved farming efficiency over the last five years, making indoor growing cheaper and more reliable.
Basil growing at the Square Roots farm in Brooklyn.
"People want local food because they've lost trust in the industrial food system that ships in high calorie, low nutrient food from thousands of miles away with little transparency as to who grew the food and how," said Peggs, the Square Roots CEO.
At the same time, the world population is growing and urbanizing rapidly. Peggs said climate change is threatening existing supplies of food, forcing the industry to figure out new ways to grow food quickly.
Peggs is optimistic about raising money for vertical farming. "A lot of smart money and capital is entering the space," he said. "The quality of food that can now be produced in these indoor systems is at least on par with the best organic field-grown food you can buy."
Despommier said that cities will eventually be able to grow "all they can eat" from indoor farms located within city limits. "If an outdoor farm fails, the farmer has to wait until next year to start again, he said. "Indoor farms fail too, but the indoor farmer can start again within weeks."