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Publix Grows Hydroponic Produce At Greenwise Store
Publix has partnered with local hydroponics firm Brick Street Farms to grow, pack and harvest hydroponic lettuce in a container farm located outside its Lakeland, Florida Greenwise Market store
Krishna Thakker@krishna_thakker
Aug. 3, 2020
Dive Brief:
Publix has partnered with local hydroponics firm Brick Street Farms to grow, pack and harvest hydroponic lettuce in a container farm located outside its Lakeland, Florida Greenwise Market store.
The 40-foot container farm will grow an equivalent of 2.5 to 3 acres of lettuce and can operate 365 days a year in any weather conditions, Brick Street Farms told Grocery Dive in an emailed announcement. It substitutes soil for mineral-rich water, which means no pesticides are needed. The container farm uses 90% less water than a traditional farm and produces 720 heads of lettuce each week.
Customers can watch the produce grow through a window on the side of the container and purchase heads of lettuce inside the store.
Explore how the current landscape is impacting coffee manufacturers and how organic and fair trade can help ensure long-term success of the industry.
Dive Insight:
Publix has recently stepped up its partnerships in alternative agriculture. Earlier this year, the company began hosting Vertical Roots' interactive mobile hydroponic farm in the parking lots of its grocery stores and Greenwise locations. In March, Publix began selling microgreens from Kalera, a hydroponic farm on top of a Marriott hotel that lost all its business due to coronavirus, at 165 stores.
Hydroponic farming has been plagued by inefficiencies and high costs in the past, but improvements in technology are helping suppliers better meet retailers' demands for pricing and scale. On-site farms also add a bit of theater that can draw curious shoppers to stores.
Publix isn’t the only food retailer exploring this field. Kroger last year installed mini hydroponic farms in a handful of Seattle stores in partnership with Infarm, a start-up based in Germany. Around the same time, Gordon Food Service and indoor farming startup Square Roots opened their first co-located hydroponics farm on Gordon’s headquarters in Wyoming, Michigan. H-E-B and Whole Foods have also experimented with hydroponics in and around their stores.
Having a hydroponic farm at the store removes the need for transportation and storage of lettuce before it hits shelves, according to Brick Street Farms. It also allows Publix to sell the produce in-season all year round, providing some supply stability.
Although omnichannel business is booming for grocers like Publix right now, many are looking for ways to drive traffic to their stores, where they can make the most money per order. Grow farms and other safe, eye-catching attractions could be one way to accomplish this.
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Lead Photo: Permission granted by Publix
Filed Under: Fresh food Natural/organic
VIDEO: Feeding A Changing World With CubicFarms' Automated Vertical-Farming Technology
What if you could give a plant the perfect day, every day? Give it the optimum level of light, water, temperature, and humidity, so that it grows to be as nutritious, fresh, and delicious as it can possibly be?
We Are Excited To Share Our New Video With You!
What if you could give a plant the perfect day, every day?
Give it the optimum level of light, water, temperature, and humidity, so that it grows to be as nutritious, fresh, and delicious as it can possibly be?
Meet the team at CubicFarms, helping growers around the world do just that, at commercial scale.
Ground Broken on New Hydroponic Facility To Serve The Marginalized Communities in Torrington CT.
The mission of the farm is to provide entry-level, safe, clean “green jobs” to members of the community
Published on July 6, 2020
Joe Swartz
Vice President/Lead Horticulturalist at AmHydro - 36 years as Controlled Environment Ag Consultant and Commercial Grower
June 30, 2020, was an exciting day for the local Connecticut organization, New Opportunities. http://www.newoppinc.org/ After years of planning, the ground was broken on a new hydroponic farm project called "CT Food4Thought" that is going to bring fresh, nutritious, pesticide-free food to local food banks, shelters, soup kitchens, and schools to communities throughout Connecticut. In addition to that, the farm will also supply retail grocery stores and co-ops with fresh produce as a way to generate income for programs through selling the produce grown. New Opportunities partnered with industry-leading Controlled Environment Agriculture Technology company AmHydro of Arcata, CA. (https://amhydro.com/ )
The groundbreaking marked the start of three greenhouses, containing AmHydro’s soilless hydroponic growing systems, being constructed in partner with Borghesi Engineering with plans to expand up to 12 greenhouses in the future. AmHydro VP Joe Swartz and the Commercial Growing Team at AmHydro will provide on-going support and grower training to ensure a successful project and economic sustainability.
New Opportunities is a social service organization that serves marginalized and low-income communities throughout Connecticut. The mission of the farm is to provide entry-level, safe, clean “green jobs” to members of the community. Specifically, CT Food4Thought wants to offer these job opportunities to those with developmental disabilities, those who have been previously incarcerated, and those who are unemployed as a way to provide a path to higher-level employment opportunities in both this industry and others, such as: the field of nutrition, food safety, environmental management, and horticulture.
Dr. James H. Gatling, Ph.D., CEO of New Opportunities, speaks prior to breaking ground.
New Opportunities Foundation had a vision and worked directly with hydroponic industry leader AmHydro to develop the most optimum growing system and production methods available. This hydroponic farm will use 90% less water than conventional field agriculture and will be able to produce more than 10 times the amount of produce that traditional growing methods yield. The farm will also be able to operate year-round due to the environmental controls inside the greenhouse that can simulate the perfect growing conditions for plants even in the dead of winter. This will allow people in Connecticut to have access to fresh, local produce all year in comparison to the normal outdoor growing season in the area that lasts approximately 120 days.
Bill Rybczyk, New Opportunities, Joe Swartz, AmHydro, Jon Jensen, the Corporate Advisory at the project site this Spring.
AmHydro is proud to partner with New Opportunities on their new project CT Food4Thought and is excited to continue to be a part of and support the project through providing training to members of New Opportunities and members of the community.
Quote, from Bill Rybczyk, Director of Research, Planning, and Development for New Opportunities Inc : “We’re planting seeds for lettuce and other herbs, but we’re also planting seeds into people’s lives, and they can then take that, and they begin to grow….and that impacts not only their lives but their children’s lives and their grandchildren’s lives into the future…..and that’s what this project is all about."
For more information, please contact Joe Swartz, VP, AmHydro at Joe@AmHydro.com
Published by
Vice President/Lead Horticulturalist at AmHydro - 36 years as Controlled Environment Ag Consultant and Commercial Grower
Please check out this amazing project that American Hydroponics is proud to be a part of. New Opportunities will be producing fresh, pesticide-free food, local "green jobs," and economic empowerment to marginalized communities.
Truly wonderful. hashtag#LocalFood hashtag#LocalFarms hashtag#WeGotThis hashtag#HelpingOthers hashtag#SustainableFarming
How A Winnipeg Company Wants To Change Agriculture
Conviron has provided plant growth chambers and technology to the top government research agencies, universities and AgBiotech companies in over 90 countries around the world
Here are some other interesting tidbits about Conviron. Founded in 1964 by the Kroft family, CEL Group of Companies is headquartered in Winnipeg, MB. CEL comprises Conviron Canada, USA and Australasia. It also includes Argus Controls, a supplier of plant-centric environmental controls and automation systems used in greenhouse and indoor growing facilities.
Conviron has provided plant growth chambers and technology to the top government research agencies, universities and AgBiotech companies in over 90 countries around the world.
CEO Steve Kroft, often refers to his company’s solutions as 'weather in a box' because they mimic outside conditions and changing seasons over time through the automated control of temperature, light, humidity, irrigation and nutrients. In effect, it's a specialized type of high-tech greenhouse or indoor farm with environmental factors that can be precisely controlled.
The company has also delivered equipment to biotech companies like Medicago for the incubation and germination of tobacco plants critical for their research into plant-based vaccines for Ebola and SARs. Medicago recently announced it has produced a virus-like particle of the novel coronavirus, a first step towards producing a vaccine, which will now undergo preclinical testing.
Chambers range in size from six sq. ft. to over 2,000 sq. ft. depending on the application and includes lighting, temperature and humidity systems as well as a user-friendly control system to create and manipulate any kind of climate regime.
Argus Controls makes controlled environments for plant growth. It provides systems that automate the monitoring and controlling of all horticulture operations through on-site, remote and mobile interfaces.
Dating back to the early 1990s, Conviron has provided NASA with several chambers to support its research related to growing plants in outer space. The University of Guelph uses Conviron chambers and Argus controls systems in their high-tech facility in their research aligned with the Canadian Space Agency and International Space programs.
Since 2005, the National Science Foundation's Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica has been using an Argus control system to operate its food growth chamber that provides fresh vegetables and some much needed light, humidity and green space for the staff and scientists who winter at the station. The system operates the lighting, temperature control, and hydroponic nutrient feeding systems in the chamber, which is programmed and managed remotely from the University of Arizona.
Researchers at University College Dublin in Ireland can reconstruct prehistoric atmospheres using Conviron chambers and investigate plant evolution throughout Earth's history.
When canola was first developed in the 1970s, part of the research was done in Conviron chambers. Canola is the world’s only “Made in Canada” crop. In response to the ban of trans-fatty acids in food products, canola was developed by researchers from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the University of Manitoba in the 1970s, using traditional plant-breeding techniques.
Some of the turf used around the greens at Augusta National Golf Club was also developed in Conviron equipment.
Source: Economic Development Winnipeg.
Publication date: Fri 22 May 2020
Irish Vertical Farming Technology Startup Farmony Signs European Distribution Agreement With US LED Horticultural Lighting And Vertical Farming Equipment Provider Sananbio
Irish Agtech company Farmony has signed a European distribution deal with Sananbio for their vertical farming Radix systems. The Dublin based startup, established in 2018, will incorporate Sananbio’s technology into their controlled environment vertical farming solutions
Dublin, Ireland | May 19th, 2020
SANANBIO, a global leader provider in LED horticulture lighting and vertical farm technology, announces strategic distribution partnership with Dublin based startup for European markets. Farmony will build a network of interconnected, controlled environment vertical farms across Europe.
Irish Agtech company Farmony has signed a European distribution deal with Sananbio for their vertical farming Radix systems. The Dublin based startup, established in 2018, will incorporate Sananbio’s technology into their controlled environment vertical farming solutions.
“As our climate continues to change and populations across the globe expand, food production must evolve in order to keep pace with these unprecedented changes. We are delighted to announce our partnership with Sananbio; global leaders in cutting-edge vertical farming technology developed to empower the modern farmer and spur sustainable local food production. Sananbio is the ideal technology partner to complement our own customized, automated controlled environment software & hardware solution. ”- John Paul Prior, Strategy and Sales Director, Farmony
Farmony: Left to right: John Paul Prior (Strategy Director), Dan O’Brien (CEO), Rodrigo Andrade (Operations Director)
“Farmony provides Sananbio with the ideal partner to expand our industry leading technology into the European markets. With over one million square feet of commercial vertical farms currently using RADIX, farmers, and investors in more than 10 countries believe in our company's highly engineered grow technology. In Farmony we have a partner that adds significant value to our product offering through exceptional sales & marketing, IOT focus and new product development. " -Michael Yates, Vice President Sales, Sananbio
ABOUT Sananbio®
SANANBIO is a leading Ag-tech company backed by one of the world’s largest LED chip manufacturers. Supported by an elite R&D team comprised of plant scientists, researchers, and engineers; SANANBIO utilizes state-of-the-art technology that enables growers worldwide in the horticulture industry to increase the quality and quantity of their yields. Years of extensive research and real-world deployment and operations allow SANANBIO to offer its customers proven, scalable, efficient and cost-effective solutions in LED horticulture lighting and Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) vertical farming grow system; as well as turn-key vertical farm solutions including building, transfer, financing, and training of staff for both large and small-scale farming facilities. SANANBIO empowers growers with the technology and knowledge to achieve unprecedented results in farming operations.
Learn more: SANANBIO
Farmony build controlled environment Vertical Farming solutions: Left to right: Rodrigo Andrade, Dan O’Brien, John Paul Prior
John Paul Prior asks will vertical farming mean that Irish horticulture finally gets its 'day in the sun'?
ABOUT Farmony
With offices in Dublin & mainland Europe; Farmony provides an operating system for Controlled Environment Farms through a combination of software and hardware, customized specifically for vertical farming applications. The Farmony operating system provides producers with grow recipes, real time alerts, and feedback on the efficiencies of their farm, while also automating dosage, irrigation, and lighting.
Through the aggregation of the associated growing data from their network of producers, Farmony can then optimize yields and, through machine learning technology, ensure that the network is constantly improving it’s output for its network of users, establishing a growing efficiency algorithm.
Their partnership with Sananbio, facilitates all-year-round pesticide-free growth of leafy greens, microgreens, and herbs from a footprint of 55 Square Meters, producing the output equivalent of 5 acres of traditional farmland. Farmony has recently opened a facility in Poland to support their European expansion.
Learn More: www.farmony.ie www.farmony.pl
Media Contact: John Paul Prior +353 86 8116708
Illumitex, The Digital Horticulture Company, Announces Dennis Riling As New Head of Sales
“Dennis’s depth in horticultural knowledge combined with over a decade’s worth of business and leadership experience makes him the ideal individual to lead our commercial efforts.” said Jeff Bisberg, Illumitex CEO. “
Dennis Riling rises to top commercial role as LED and Digital Horticulture hit the tipping point in the horticulture adoption curve.
AUSTIN, TX August 1, 2019 – Illumitex, a leader in Digital Horticulture and LED lighting announced today that Dennis Riling has been promoted to Head of Sales and VP of Business Development.
“Dennis’s depth in horticultural knowledge combined with over a decade’s worth of business and leadership experience makes him the ideal individual to lead our commercial efforts.” said Jeff Bisberg, Illumitex CEO. “LED is at the tipping point for adoption and Dennis’ team is aligned to support this accelerating growth. It’s Exciting.”
“Helping farmers more profitably grow crops at scale is our continued focus.” said Dennis. “We are innovating to deliver value way beyond LED lighting with our services and integrated FarmVisionAI platform. FarmVisionAI uses cameras integrated into our lighting, powered by horticulturist guided AI to detect anomalies near real time, at scale. I am proud to step into this leadership role and to do nothing less than help transform agriculture with new powerful digital solutions.”
About Illumitex, Inc:
Founded in 2005 in Austin, Texas, Illumitex is the Digital Horticulture company. Illumitex leverages the granular position of LED lighting in the CEA farm to deploy digital cameras to collect and analyze imagery of every plant, in every corner, at every moment. We go beyond lighting to deliver greater value to help digitally transform indoor farming. Illumitex LED lighting systems are based on decades of technology and help the farmer by reducing energy costs, maintenance costs, and increase plant yield, taste, color, and smell. We believe the combination of digital and lighting will open up a new age of highly productive and profitable farming. Learn more at www.illumitex.com
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Micro-Naps For Plants: Flicking The Lights On And Off Can Save Energy Without Hurting Indoor Agriculture Harvests
Growing crops under artificial light is gaining momentum , particularly in regions where produce prices can be high during seasons when sunlight is sparse
7/22/2019
Author: Kevin M. Folta
(MENAFN - The Conversation) A nighttime arrival at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport flies you over the bright pink glow of vegetable production greenhouses. Growing crops under artificial light is gaining momentum , particularly in regions where produce prices can be high during seasons when sunlight is sparse.
The Netherlands is just one country that has rapidly adopted controlled-environment agriculture , where high-value specialty crops like herbs, fancy lettuces and tomatoes are produced in year-round illuminated greenhouses.Advocates suggest these completely enclosed buildings – or plant factories– could be a way to repurpose urban space, decrease food miles and provide local produce to city dwellers.
One of the central problems of this process is the high monetary cost of providing artificial light , usually via a combination of red and blue light-emitting diodes.Energy costs sometimes exceed 25% of the operational outlay. How can growers, particularly in the developing world,compete when the sun is free ? Higher energy use also translates to more carbon emissions, rather than the decreased carbon footprint sustainably farmed plants can provide.
I'vestudied how light affects plant growth and development for over 30 years. I recently found myself wondering: Rather than growing plants under a repeating cycle of one day of light and one night of darkness, what if the same daylight was split into pulses lasting only hours, minutes or seconds?
Indoor plants need plenty of artificial light. josefkubes/Shutterstock.com
Short bursts of light and dark
So my colleagues and I designed an experiment . We'd apply the normal amount of light in total, just break it up over different chunks of time.
Of course plants depend on light for photosynthesis, the process that in nature uses the sun's energy to merge carbon dioxide and water into sugars that fuel plant metabolism. Light also directs growth and development through its signals about day and night, and monkeying with that information stream might have disastrous results.
That's because breaking something good into smaller bits sometimes creates new problems. Imagine how happy you'd be to receive a US$100 bill – but not as thrilled with the equivalent 10,000 pennies. We suspected a plant's internal clock wouldn't accept the same luminous currency when broken into smaller denominations.
And that's exactly what we demonstrated in our experiments . Kale, turnip or beet seedlings exposed to cycles of 12 hours of light, 12 hours dark for four days grew normally, accumulating pigments and growing larger. When we decreased the frequency of light-dark cycles to 6 hours, 3 hours, 1 hour or 30 minutes, the plants revolted. We delivered the same amount of light, just applied in different-sized chunks, and the seedlings did not appreciate the treatment.
The same amount of light applied in shorter intervals over the day caused plants to grow more like they were in darkness. We suspect the light pulses conflicted with aplant's internal clock , and the seedlings had no idea what time of day it was. Stems stretched taller in an attempt to find more light, and processes like pigment production were put on hold.
But when we applied light in much, much shorter bursts, something remarkable happened. Plants grown under five-second on/off cycles appeared to be almost identical to those grown under the normal light/dark period. It's almost like the internal clock can't get started properly when sunrise comes every five seconds, so the plants don't seem to mind a day that is a few seconds long.
Just as we prepared to publish, undergraduate collaborator Paul Kusuma found that our discovery was not so novel. We soon realized we'd actually rediscovered something already known for 88 years. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture saw this same phenomenon in 1931 when they grew plants under light pulses of various durations. Their work in mature plants matches what we observed in seedlings with remarkable similarity.
A 1931 study by Garner and Allard tracked the growth of Yellow Cosmos flowers under light pulses of various durations.
J. Agri. Res. 42: National Agricultural Library, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.,CC BY
Not only was all of this a retread of an old idea, but pulses of light do not save any energy. Five seconds on and off uses the same amount of energy as the lights being on for 12 hours; the lights are still on for half the day.
But what would happen if we extended the dark period? Five seconds on. Six seconds off. Or 10 seconds off. Or 20 seconds off. Maybe 80 seconds off? They didn't try that in 1931.
Building in extra downtime
It turns out that the plants don't mind a little downtime. After applying light for five seconds to activate photosynthesis and biological processes like pigment accumulation, we turned the light off for 10, or sometimes 20 seconds. Under these extended dark periods, the seedlings grew just as well as they had when the light and dark periods were equal. If this could be done on the scale of an indoor farm, it might translate to a significant energy savings, at least 30% and maybe more.
Recent yet-to-be published work in our lab has shown that the same concept works in leaf lettuces; they also don't mind an extended dark time between pulses. In some cases, the lettuces are green instead of purple and have larger leaves. That means a grower can produce a diversity of products, and with higher marketable product weight, by turning the lights off.
One variety of lettuce grew purple when given a 10-second dark period. They look similar to those grown with a five-second dark period, yet use 33% less energy. Extending the dark period to 20 seconds yielded green plants with more biomass.
J. Feng, K. Folta
Learning that plants can be grown under bursts of light rather than continuous illumination provides a way to potentially trim the expensive energy budget of indoor agriculture. More fresh vegetables could be grown with less energy, making the process more sustainable. My colleagues and I think this innovation could ultimately help drive new business and feed more people – and do so with less environmental impact.
New Zealand: $2.75m of Funding to Make Northland Hydroponic Horticultural Capital
The partnership will enable Maungatapere Berries, owned by the Malley Family, to develop the first phase of a high-tech education, training and employment operation, as part of a 20ha hydroponic orchard expansion, doubling its workforce to 360 over the next five to eight years
Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announces $2.75million of Provincial Growth Fund money for Maungatapere Berries, which grows fruit hydroponically, west of Whangārei.
Northern Advocate
13 Jul, 2019
Northland could become the hydroponic horticultural capital of the country with a $2.37-million Provincial Growth Fund loan going to a Whangarei company to expand its already huge hydroponic operation and create 45 new full time jobs.
The $2.37m PGF partnership was announced by the Minister of Regional Economic Development, Shane Jones, at Whangarei business Maungatapere Berries that will create the first centre for growing excellence in the New Zealand hydroponics horticulture industry.
The partnership will enable Maungatapere Berries, owned by the Malley Family, to develop the first phase of a high-tech education, training and employment operation, as part of a 20ha hydroponic orchard expansion, doubling its workforce to 360 over the next five to eight years.
As new generation growers Patrick and Rebecca Malley said they are excited at the potential of hydroponics as one of the greatest untapped opportunities for the future of sustainable horticulture in Northland.
Maungatapere Berries director Patrick Malley and berryfruit manager Aroha Heta.
"Our plan, as part of the PGF partnership, is to further build on the extensive work the family's business has already undertaken in hydroponics providing permanent employment opportunities for locals in horticulture,'' Patrick Malley said.
"We aim to use it as a template designed to create better paying jobs and lifelong careers for young Northlanders as well as improving the social and economic benefits for local communities.''
The hydroponic orchard will focus on berryfruit and other fruit varieties that flourish when grown hydroponically in Northland's warm semi-tropical climate. He said the hydroponic centre of excellence will become a sustainable farming reference site for Northland growers with the aim of introducing and increasing the production of hydroponic fruit crops in the region and improving the economic opportunities for the Northland region.
The Malley family first started developing part of their 37ha kiwifruit orchard into a hydroponic berry operation four years ago, focusing on growing high-quality, good-tasting fruit to supply the New Zealand domestic market all year round.
They have continued investing and expanding their operation, which employs 45 fulltime staff and an additional 180 staff during the peak season, and includes an advanced packhouse servicing the domestic market, with future plans to export.
He said ongoing research into new fruit crops combined with greenhouse innovation and a strategy to build deep capability has the potential to develop a large environmentally sustainable horticultural industry that supports real growth in living wage employment and social equality for Northland.
American Society for Horticultural Science - 2019 Annual Conference - July 21 - 25 • Las Vegas, Nevada
The Annual Meeting of ASHS is where the latest science and technology is being showcased related to horticulture. Our mission is to bring together horticulture researchers, scientists, industry, academia, government, and students to cultivate ideas and share new techniques
2019 Annual Conference
Conference Program (pdf)
July 21 - 25 • Las Vegas, Nevada
The Tropicana Las Vegas
July 21 - Student Education & Career Day
The Annual Meeting of ASHS is where the latest science and technology is being showcased related to horticulture. Our mission is to bring together horticulture researchers, scientists, industry, academia, government, and students to cultivate ideas and share new techniques.
Since the conference is being held in Nevada, ASHS is partnering with Oasis Biotech, one of the more innovative and effective green industry entities in the United States, for an up-close journey into Vertical Farming at the Oasis Biotech facility.
Participants will be afforded access to the largest and most technologically advanced Indoor Vertical Farming facility ever designed and implemented in this country. Oasis Biotech uses state-of-the-art LED lighting technology and precise, cutting-edge hydroponic growing methods to generate a wide array of fresh, pesticide-free, non-GMO produce and non-traditional crops 365 days a year.
Attendees will have the opportunity to examine the agricultural system that recycles 100% of unused water and nutrient consumption while significantly reducing environmental impacts. On an inspiring expedition through the 215,000-square-foot indoor vertical farm, interested participants will witness the way that Oasis Biotech is attempting to make positive changes in farming.
Oasis Biotech boasts the ability to grow crops at a faster rate than traditional agriculture. Their LED and hydroponic systems reportedly ensure that crops receive optimal light spectrums and nutrient mixes, and they reduce loss from pests, diseases, and weather, which encourages higher yields. Oasis Biotech also calculates that they save 90% more water than other systems and are environmentally friendly.
The hour and a half tour will explain how this massive resource was created and how it is achieving its goal of producing more than one million pounds of microgreens, lettuce, and herbs.
The meeting focuses on the distribution of science through technical sessions, poster and abstract presentations, keynote speakers, and workshops. Enjoy networking and group activities where you can catch up with peers. There is also a spotlight on students–from career path mentoring to competitions and group activities to create relationships that can last throughout your career.
Program Information
• Keep checking the conference pages as new information is updated frequently
• Be part of the conference by submitting an oral or poster abstract - submission site is now open - Acceptance Email Expected April 15th.
• Submit a workshop (for ASHS Professional Interest Groups only) - submission site is now open
General Conference Information
• Check out the registration rates (below) and complete your registration starting in a few months
• Find out about discount rates for hotel and travel to the conference
• There are travel grant opportunities for students - don’t miss out!
Group Activities for 2019
• Luncheon Series with Featured Speakers
• Opening Reception & Pool Party
• Sightseeing and Professional Tours
• Student Education & Career Day
• Student Competitions and Scavenger Hunt
IHS ‘Ready to Grow’ Horticultural LED Grow Lights Named As Innovative New Product Winner at HTA National Plant Show
Intelligent Horticultural Solutions (IHS) was thrilled to be announced the Innovation winner in the New Product Showcase at the HTA National Plant Show, which took place on 18-19 June 2019 at Stoneleigh Park, Coventry.
Intelligent Horticultural Solutions (IHS) was thrilled to be announced the Innovation winner in the New Product Showcase at the HTA National Plant Show, which took place on 18-19 June 2019 at Stoneleigh Park, Coventry.
New HTA members IHS received the accolade for their ‘Ready to Grow’ range of Florence horticultural LED grow lights. The annual event was a great success with a wide variety of British suppliers to the horticultural market exhibiting their wares. Attendees, were mainly suppliers to the green-fingered public such as garden centres, landscape gardeners, etc., voted the IHS lighting solution as the most inspiring, Innovative New Product showcased at the show.
IHS’s Florence LED grow lights are designed specifically for low and no sunlight applications, maximising growth potential whilst minimising both initial purchase costs and on-going running costs. The Florence unit is no deeper than a standard fluorescent tube fitting, allowing an easy switch to LED lighting without losing growing space.
The modular design enables a smooth, effortless installation, which paired with the standard 100-240V AC mains input, allows for a quick and easy electrical installation, saving further time and cost. LED recipes are available for a wide range of standard horticultural applications, as well as fully customisable solutions.
The Florence range is proving to be a success within the sector having already won the Award for Best Innovation 2018 at the GroSouth Show held last November in Chichester. This was an important day for IHS, being the official launch and showcasing of the new Florence LED grow light modules into the fast-growing horticultural market.
There are currently eight different standard Florence LED recipes to choose from including; Biomass, Seeding, Flowering, and Fruiting” (available for applications both with or without existing daylight). Three different lens options are available, per recipe – narrow, wide and oval to direct the light onto the target areas.
These recipes were devised in conjunction with experts from LED manufacturer Osram Opto Semiconductors, who are market leaders in the supply of quality LEDs for the horticultural lighting sector.
IHS’s ‘Ready to Grow’ LED lights enable a longer growing season and also increase the speed of growth for plants, when under the correct recipe.
The Florence product range is currently available for purchase through RS Components.
LED Recipe IHS Part Number RS Article (Buy Here)
Biomass FLORENCE-BIO-WIDE-CASED-1CH-01. (187-4965)
Seeding FLORENCE-SEED-WIDE-CASED-1CH-01. (187-4970)
Flowering FLORENCE-FLOWER-WIDE-CASED-1CH-01. (187-4967)
Fruiting FLORENCE-FRUIT-WIDE-CASED-1CH-01. (187-4968)
Quality LED horticultural lighting from IHS is a cost-effective and viable solution for both backyard gardeners and large commercial growers alike. Ideal markets for these grow lights include polytunnels, environmental chambers, propagators, vertical farms and indoor farms, as well as schools, universities and research institutes.
IHS is a LED Light for You (LLFY) Partner, which draws on world-leading quality LEDs from Osram Opto Semiconductors and combines them with other quality components, materials and in-house expertise to provide the LED solution you need.
More horticultural LED Grow Light product families are being introduced from IHS in the near future, watch this space!
All our horticultural LED Grow Lights will be on show at our 2019 Horticultural LED seminars. - Sign up now
For enquiries or further information, please contact +44 (0) 1635 294606 or info@i-hled.co.uk
Or alternatively, refer to our website www.i-hled.co.uk
ILS is a division of Intelligent Group Solutions Ltd (IGS) a well-established and respected industry leading display and opto-electronics solutions provider. IGS’ provides semi-custom or custom products both in component and sub-assembly form. All the senior staff have been involved with the opto-electronics industry for at least 20 years and are dedicated to ensuring that ILS is an innovative and highly successful operation.
4 July 2019
Don't Miss : There Are Only 4 Days Left Until Cultivate19'
Want to meet with the Artemis team? You can register here for the event, and book a meeting: Book A Meeting
Don't miss :
There are only 4 days left until Cultivate19'
July 13 - 16
Columbus Convention Center
Booth 200
Meet with us!
Have questions about our platform? Our team? Our approach to supporting growers? We have answers for you.
New features. New partnerships. New integrations.
Book A Meeting
Don't have a Cultivate19' ticket yet? Register here.
We hope to see you there!
LEDs and LED Systems For Horticultural Growth - Horticultural Seminars
University of Lincoln - Tuesday 2nd July 2019
Rothamsted Conference Centre - Tuesday 3rd September 2019
University of Bristol - Thursday 12th September 2019
Join OSRAM Opto Semiconductors, world leaders in LED technology for horticultural and agricultural applications, with Intelligent Horticultural Solutions (IHS), their UK Systems Integration Partner, for a free one-day seminar. We will discuss all the latest Horticultural LED technological advancements and introduce new ranges of Horticultural products for growers and researchers.
IHS was formed to help support the development and manufacture of products in the fast-moving exciting area of horticultural LED lighting, bringing together years of experience and key horticultural LED and optic manufacturers to enable a perfect solution.
There will also be the chance for one-to-one discussions with OSRAM and IHS engineers to discuss any LED technology or product requirements that you may have, whilst networking with key players from the Industry, with hands-on demonstrations of new and existing products. There may also be an opportunity to visit horticultural areas within the venue.
REGISTER ONLINE www.i-hled.co.uk/seminar-registration
HORTICULTURAL SOLUTIONS
Samsung Introduces Benefits of Horticulture LEDs for Vertical Farming
The development of agricultural innovation has become more and more urgent than ever given the factors of increasing world population and global warming. As a result, vertical farming, which serves as a feasible solution to mass produce healthy and safe food, is getting increasingly popular across the world.
Samsung Electronics has launched full-spectrum white-based horticulture LEDs to keep up with the trend of agriculture innovation and underline the advantages of applying LEDs for smart farming approaches such as vertical farm.
Smart farming refers to an intelligent farming system that applies information and communication technologies (ICT) to agriculture. Vertical farming, wherein food is produced in vertically stacked layers, is regarded as a potential future agricultural with several benefits including its economical space and resource usage, environmental-friendly cultivation, and reliable harvesting.
Since Plant photosynthesis, germination and growth all depend on the wavelength of light the plant is exposed to; LED lighting enables optimum lighting conditions for growing any plant with its adjustable wavelength. Different light wavelengths can affect the taste and nutrient content of different types of plants or even the same species, This matching of the right wavelength to the right vegetable is called a ‘lighting recipe’.”
Professor Changhoo Chun, adviser to Samsung’s horticulture LED development and professor at College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, said that Samsung’s white-based horticulture LEDs which blend RGB colors offered a wide spectrum of wavelengths, making it more effective in indoor framing.
(Professor Changhoo Chun; image: Samsung)
He explained, “Growing plants well comes down to providing the right combination of wavelengths specific to each type of plant – from vegetables to fruits to medicinal plants. However, finding the optimum for each type of produce is often time-consuming and costly – a difficult undertaking for most vertical farms.”
Samsung has worked closely with agriculture research teams to find the optimal combination of light wavelengths necessary for peak plant growth. In order to do this, the most in-demand produce from existing plant factories were documented and then experiments on them were conducted with various combinations of light wavelengths. From the results of these trials came Samsung’s lighting solution lineup, including the full-spectrum white-based horticulture LEDs.
![[Going Green 2] How Samsung is Helping To Take Healthy Food From Farm To Table](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c8695d5016e11e71be1d83/1556172575017-JOO4JU04IDLYDU13K3NE/index.jpg)
[Going Green 2] How Samsung is Helping To Take Healthy Food From Farm To Table
April 25, 2019
As awareness of environmental issues grows, the impacts of the agricultural industry and our own personal food consumption are of increasing public concern. The use of pesticides, herbicides and other resources are falling out of favor and more efficient methods of food production are being explored as we strive to cultivate healthier food. Samsung Electronics is contributing to these efforts, developing technologies that can reduce the environmental impact of growing healthy food.
Horticulture LED Driving the Future of Farming
On the industrial scale, indoor farms are increasing in popularity, since they are better equipped to overcome spatial constraints and extreme climates. In such indoor farms, artificial light plays a crucial role in efficiently managing the rate of plant growth.
Drawing upon its LED technologies developed for other lighting markets, Samsung launched its Horticulture LED lineup in May of last year to provide advanced lighting solutions to indoor farms. LED lighting is more efficient and has a longer lifespan than previously existing artificial lighting solutions. It is also easy to control the light spectrum of LED lighting and LED solutions are becoming a more attractive option for indoor farms.
Samsung’s Horticulture LED Package and module
Different wavelengths of light can affect plants in different ways. For example, wavelengths of 430 to 700 nanometers are required for photosynthesis, a wavelength of 450 nanometers promotes germination, 660 nanometers stimulates growth, and 730 nanometers or more helps plants to bloom and produce fruits. It’s thanks to these properties that red wavelengths (about 600~750 nanometers) and blue wavelengths (about 400~450 nanometers) have been the prevailing trend in indoor farms.
Recent developments have also emphasized the importance of green light with a wavelength of 550 nanometers, with findings that it can penetrate the lower canopy and thus increase the photosynthesis in plants found there. Since this was observed, interaction with a blue wavelength is now actively being studied also.
Based on this research, Samsung released its White LED package last November, with an extensive spectral range, including growth-boosting blue and red wavelengths. Full-spectrum LED lights can increase the nutritional value of plants and deter disease and pests. The bright white light can also create a more pleasant work environment than narrow spectrum alternatives, allowing farmers to monitor growth and inspect for disease with relative ease.
The package is designed to deliver strong reliability, even alongside the use of chemical fertilizers or under hot and humid conditions. The package is also competitive in price when compared to red LED products, helping to reduce the cost of establishing lighting systems in indoor farms.
Samsung raised the photon efficacy level of white LED packages to the highest in the industry, thus reconfirming the company’s leadership in this field. As a result, lighting manufacturers can use 30 percent fewer packages in each luminaire to achieve the same efficacy level as other lighting equipment, ultimately reducing the costs for indoor farms.
Packages can be selected according to the types of plants and the facility’s requirements. Samsung Electronics offers five white LED packages and one white LED module. The company has also designed one blue package and two red packages with a single wavelength.
As Will Chung, a researcher in the company’s Lighting Marketing Group (LED), explained, “Although it’s been less than two years since Samsung Electronics started its horticulture LED business, we’ve already received lots of positive feedback from the market for developing high-quality LED technologies. “We’re committed to developing more innovative products that support convenient food production, and will continue to enhance our offerings with testing, studies, and experts’ advice.”
Grow Your Own
In the homes of the future, it will be possible to grow your own vegetables no matter the climate. Samsung recently showcased Chef Garden at KBIS 2019, an AI farming platform that integrates with the next generation of Family Hub. The smart indoor garden uses seed capsules, allowing people to grow small fruits, vegetables and herbs with only a small part of the plant. Chef Garden controls light, temperature and humidity to optimize plant growth. The system also utilizes fogponics technology, which creates a nutrient fog that delivers water and nutrients directly to the plants so that they can grow without the need for pesticides. With water kept to the minimum required, the inside of Chef Garden always remains clean. Chef Garden can also inform users when plants are ready to harvest and recommend recipes thanks to smart integration with Family Hub.
Fruitful Investments and Research
Samsung is supporting research and development in fields such as basic sciences, materials science and ICT through the Samsung Science and Technology Foundation. Samsung has funded 500 project grants for the Korean scientific community to explore since 2013, amongst which are technology research projects examining vertical farming and the acceleration of plant growth. In addition, it is expected that further discoveries garnered from ICT projects involving AI, IoT and LEDs will foster synergy between Samsung’s technology and industrial farming’s efforts to produce healthy food.
“One of the main objectives of this support project is to consider how technology might solve the environmental and food shortage problems society faces today,” said Doochan Daniel Eum, Head of the Samsung Research & Incubation Center for Future Technology. “It’s our intention to contribute a total of 1.5 trillion Korean Won (approximately 1.3 billion USD) by 2023, investing in technologies that can effect real change for future society.”
Artificial Lighting Solutions Going Green Healthy Food horticulture LED Indoor Farms LED lighting LED Solutions White LED Package
What Is The Impact of LED Grow Lights On Indoor Horticulture Crops?
Posted on 01/29/2019 by David Kuack, HortAmericas.com
Michigan State University researchers are studying the effects of sole source LED grow lights on edible and ornamental crops.
Michigan State University opened its Controlled-Environment Lighting Laboratory (CELL) in 2017. The 400-square-foot vertical farm research facility is being used to study the indoor production of high-value specialty crops, including edibles and ornamentals with LED grow lights.
“The two major crops that we are studying are leafy greens, including red and green leaf lettuce, and floriculture transplants, specifically seedlings,” said horticulture professor Erik Runkle. “We are fairly new to leafy greens. We started performing research with them about three years ago, whereas, we’ve been working with indoor lighting of floriculture plugs since 2011. What has been interesting is to compare and contrast responses among the different crops. Not surprisingly there are a lot more similarities than there are differences.”
The indoor lighting research being conducted in the lighting laboratory is only with LED grow lights. The LED fixtures that are being used were designed by OSRAM. A similar OSRAM LED product is now being marketed as Phytofy.
“The OSRAM fixtures we are using in our studies deliver seven different wavebands and each one can be independently controlled,” Runkle said. “We are using the OSRAM fixture in all of our indoor lighting studies. This fixture features a sophisticated lighting system that enables us to deliver an infinitesimal number of combinations of light intensities and different wavebands.
“Some of studies being conducted could relate to greenhouse production, but more often the research results we learn indoors won’t apply to greenhouses. In greenhouses we are supplementing sunlight. What we have found is the light spectrum has less of an effect in the greenhouse because there is all the background sunlight compared to indoor production. The ability to control these different growth and quality traits is significantly greater with indoor lighting than in a greenhouse.”
Using light to manipulate plant growth
Runkle said working with different crops, the indoor lighting research being conducted is trying to elicit some very different quality traits.
“Seedlings are typically grown economically in greenhouses,” he said. “To produce anything indoors is going to be more expensive. The challenge and the reason that we are looking at ornamentals in indoor production is that there is still a lot of seasonal variability.
“If there is a period of extended cloudiness or period of sunny weather that normally doesn’t occur, these unpredictable weather conditions can result in plants that finish too early or too late. Growing plants indoors takes a lot of those issues out of the picture because the environmental conditions can be completely controlled.”
Runkle said the research with leafy greens will look at the impact light can have on different attributes of the plants.
“With leafy greens, growers are more concerned with consumer preferences for flavor and texture, as well as the yield and the biomass of the plants,” he said. “In part, light can be used to manipulate these different attributes. With floriculture crops, growers are typically trying to produce a small, compact plant, and in some cases trying to develop flower buds early. In other cases, growers are trying to delay flowering.”
Leafy greens research at Michigan State will focus on the impact light can have on different attributes, such as texture and yield.
Photos courtesy of Erik Runkle, Mich. St. Univ.
Runkle said with floriculture crops the focus is on flowering and the growth aspects for compactness.
“A lot of time can be taken out of production through lighting edible and ornamental crops,” he said. “For leafy greens, the production time can be cut in half compared to the field crops. For floriculture crops, production time can be reduced by a week or two depending on the crop.”
Another area of research Runkle is interested in studying is to determine how light interacts with other environmental parameters, especially temperature.
“Right now we are focused on lighting and that is what a lot of my colleagues are doing as well,” he said. “But we also need to consider temperature effects on the growth rate of plants. By manipulating temperature and light we can probably reduce the production time even more than we have been able to achieve.”
The effects of different wavebands
Most of the LED grow light research that has been done with leafy greens has studied the effects of red and blue light.
“We have a fairly good understanding of the interaction between red and blue light and how that affects leafy greens,” Runkle said.
“The two wavebands for which much less information has been collected are green and far red. The most recent work that we have done is to look at both of these wavebands in independent experiments. Far red is a little more predictable and better known. We probably know the least amount about green light. Our group is focusing on some of these lesser used wavebands and trying to evaluate whether there is a fit, a need or a benefit to including them in a lighting fixture vs. sticking with a white light fixture or red/blue fixture.”
Researchers at Michigan State will study the impact of adding far red wavebands to the light spectrum on floriculture crops.
For the floriculture crops Runkle is studying, the focus is on collecting more details on the benefits of adding far red to the light spectrum.
“We know that there are benefits to far red, but how much far red needs to be delivered to get the positive benefits, which would be early flowering without the drawback of growth extension,” he said. “It’s really trying to dial in that waveband, particularly how much far red is needed.
“One of the things that we have learned is that inclusion or addition of far red light accelerates flowering of some long-day plants. What we are trying to determine is in which crops the far red promotion of flowering occurs and how much is needed to accelerate flowering. We’ve also been investigating how far red light interacts with other wavebands, particularly blue light, as well as how it interacts with total light intensity.”
Quantifying different growth responses
One of the studies being done by Runkle’s research team is comparing the effects of different light spectrum wavebands to white light LEDs.
“Some white LED grow lights are relatively inexpensive,” he said. “We want to determine if there is a benefit to the customized spectrums, which would probably make them a more expensive product. Growers could decide whether to purchase fixtures with a fairly unique spectrum and receive their benefits.
“Is it worth the extra cost to get these benefits? We don’t have specific numbers now, but the goal is to be able to quantify different growth responses under different light treatments. Information from our research, as well as from others working in the area, could help growers choose between a general inexpensive LED grow light to produce moderately good plants or spend more on fixtures to produce plants that flower earlier or have some other attributes that are desirable.”
Runkle said some companies are manufacturing customizable fixtures for growers.
“The major downside of these customizable fixtures is that they are often times more expensive than fixtures with a fixed spectrum,” he said. “Then the question for the growers is whether having the ability to tailor or adjust the spectrum worth the added cost. That is a hard question to answer at this point. It’s going to be situational. I’ve seen general fixtures marketed for the lighting of plants. I haven’t seen fixtures marketed yet for specific crop types.”
![[Going Green 1] Introducing Healthy Vertical Farming](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57c8695d5016e11e71be1d83/1556172609090-XQN5CRYWTXGAJ5TRUPRX/index.jpg)
[Going Green 1] Introducing Healthy Vertical Farming
April 23, 2019
Agricultural innovations are essential for feeding our ever-growing global population. Especially these days, as industrialization and global warming continue to negatively affect soil fertility and reduce the amount of arable land.
According to the United Nations, the world’s population is set to reach 9.8 billion by 2050. Such a large population would require approximately 1.7 times more food than is available now.
One potential solution for addressing the world’s need for more healthy and abundant food production is vertical farming – a process that’s growing increasingly popular in places like Europe, the U.S. and Japan, and involves food being grown indoors in vertically stacked layers.
Stable Food Production
What makes vertical farming such an efficient and viable means to produce food are the facts that it (1) saves space, and (2) allows farmers to grow crops all year round, regardless of climate or season.
Interest in vertical farming has been rapidly growing in recent years. Market research firm MarketsandMarkets predicts that the global market for vertical farming will be worth $18.4 billion by 2022, which is twice as much as the market was valued in 2016 ($9 billion).
Innovating for a Greener Future
The movement for healthy, sustainable food production is spreading across the world, and Samsung is committed to driving innovation in this area.
Last spring, Samsung announced the launch of a wide range of horticulture LED offerings that produce a broad spectrum of light to support healthy plant growth. On April 23, Samsung introduced an update to the LM301H, which features the highest photon efficacy among today’s mid-power white LED packages. The company has also revealed a number of exciting innovations designed to make it easy for consumers to grow and enjoy fresh, healthy vegetables from the comfort of their home.
Samsung also made waves at this year’s Kitchen & Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas with its all-new Chef Garden technology, which offers a simple, environmentally friendly way to grow food at home. Chef Garden integrates seamlessly with Samsung’s next-generation Family Hub refrigerator, and automatically regulates light wavelengths to enable users to grow and enjoy fresh, pesticide-free fruit and vegetables all year round.
“There is a growing interest in healthy food,” said Chohui Kim of Samsung Electronics’ LED Technology Center. “Horticulture LED is playing a key role in vertical farming and indoor crop cultivation, and we are looking to expand its applications in various fields.”
The second part of Samsung Electronics’ “Going Green” series will highlight technology trends and the company’s efforts regarding eco-friendly crop cultivation in detail.
Chef Garden Going Green horticulture LEDLM301H PLANTBOX vertical farming
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Aphria Shows Automation in New Video
Automated seeding, cloning, multi-layer propagation, processing in a highly automated machine line. In a new video, Aphria shows what they believe to be the future of this industry. "Innovation: the sky's the limit."
In the video, the team explains the importance of their horticultural background and their horticultural founders, who grew in greenhouses. Also their suppliers are well-known from the horticultural industry: Bosman Van Zaal, AgriNomix LLC, Indigo Logistics B.V. and Flier Systems took care of the automation of the farm.
In the video Aphria also show their global expansion plans, including South Africa, Lesotho, Colombia, Argentina, British Columbia, Ontario, Jamaica, Denmark, Germany, Italy & Malta.
Want to stay updated on the news on medicinal marijuana production? Sign up for our new publication MMJDaily.com.
For more information:
Bosman van Zaal
+31 297 344 344
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"Labor Is The Number One Topic In All The Conversations We Are Currently Having"
“…Being a wholesaler and being constantly aware of the need to add value to our customers’ businesses, we are focused on finding the winning innovation of tomorrow”
As we begin 2019, the moment is here to take a general look at the industry, and who better to discuss today’s topics with than Chris Higgins? With Hort Americas continually competing to be one of the leading wholesalers in North America, and Chris being a complete horti-geek, he’s on top of the industry’s topics of today and tomorrow. And there’s much to cover at the moment. “For us, Hort Americas, the only constant thing we see is change. Being a wholesaler and being constantly aware of the need to add value to our customers’ businesses, we are focused on finding the winning innovation of tomorrow”, he explains.
Drew Demler (State Fair of Texas), Chris Higgins and Stephen Ritz (Green Bronx Machine) (photo Hort Americas)
Anniversary
It's been almost a decade since Hort Americas was founded. In April 2009, a group of young American entrepreneurs united with the Dutch suppliers of Horticoop and started bringing horticultural products to the quickly growing horticultural industry of the USA and Canada. Operating as a wholesaler, the company made many products accessible to bigger and smaller companies.
Within their client base you can find vegetable growers, ornamental growers as well as a wide variety of growers implementing a wide variety of innovative techniques used to produce an even wider variety of crops. However, there are various topics that unite them. “Labor is the number one topic in all the conversations we are currently having. It does not seem to matter if we are talking about commercial horticulture, field agriculture or vertical farming. This trend seems constant. In vegetable production as well as in ornamental horticultural production – the quality, availability and cost of labor is the number one topic in North America”, Chris explains. To the company, being on top of these trends and offering solutions to them is key.
“We have a fairly narrow focus on a niche market and we are in contact with our client base daily. This allows us to understand their needs intimately and find and deliver solutions that make our customers more profitable and more successful.” He continues, “This includes new emerging markets as well as established industries that are evolving to meet demand and stay relevant, like indoor farming of medicinal crops and the hydroponic production of soft fruits.”
On a side note he offers, “I do believe that out of these new or evolving grower populations, we are going to see some all stars: people that do things differently - apply new technology, or operate their business in a different way - and become the leaders. But, as common throughout history, it will only be a small percentage of the companies that change the industry. And it is not our desire nor our goal to pick winners. To us, the focus is the complete industry: seeing the similarities between the companies and the way trends and novelties impact their operation. Within these topics, we select products that are winners to us: that can add value to most growers' businesses. That’s how we’re serving the industry and how we are on the look-out for our own product range.”
Role as a wholesaler
The company's vision sounds clear - but there’s challenges in the market. In 2018 Horticoop, the Dutch partner of Hort Americas, announced it would resign their wholesale activities and focus on production only. Whilst this does not affect the Hort Americas business, it did urge the company to rethink their role as a wholesaler. Adding value is key, Chris explains. “Being a distributor is more than just selling or providing products. To us it is offering growers solutions to better their business in both the short and the long term.” To do so, HortAmericas puts a lot of effort in helping growers with their specific challenges and, if needed, educate them about the solutions. “Before, being a supplier meant supplying products. Now it’s about understanding what our growers need and value, then finding ways to fulfill those needs as a service: educating, improving the crop(s) quality, creating a better more efficient work environment, and eventually helping growers find ways to become more profitable.”
Demo Greenhouse
It’s not just a vision to Hort Americas. Besides being active continuously in educating growers and researching a lot, the company (which two years ago started their own demo greenhouse) is focused on creating positive change within their community while at the same time improving the knowledge of the Hort Americas team and their ability to communicate that knowledge with both their vendors and their grower partners.
“Thanks to our relationship with the State Fair of Texas (better known as Big Tex Urban Farms), who’ve continuously supported our business, we’ve been able to combine our efforts, energies and resources to create a demo greenhouse at the fairgrounds based in Dallas, Texas. As long as you have scheduled an appointment, it is open for both the community and growers year round. It is in production year round. It is in a constant state of learning and development. But most importantly it is contributing free, safe and healthy food to members of the south Dallas community in need.”
Night time before the start of the Texas State Fair, where more than 200 thousand people are estimated to visit the greenhouse each year. This pond uses Current, Powered by GE LED Top Lights and the Moleaer Nanobubble Generator. (photo Hort Americas)
Hot summer
When asked why Dallas, Texas, Higgins responds, “We are testing products and trying to prove their value. The hot Texas summers offer a tough and difficult environment to grow in. If we can make it work in Dallas, we are confident in the quality of these products and their abilities to perform in some of the most harsh circumstances.” From their commitment to have a positive social impact to their commitment to playing an important role in both the success of their vendors and their grower partners, Higgins is excited and enthusiastic about the future.Then there’s the social aspect: adding value to the local community.
Chilling the rootzone
In the demo greenhouse the Moleaer system is shown - one of Hort Americas' most talked about products at the moment. “We’ve focused on the limiting factors in producing the best possible crops 12 months of the year. One of the biggest issues in Dallas turned out to be controlling temperature of the root-zone. Chilling the rootzone is not cost-effective in most scenarios. Adding dissolved oxygen to it, turned out to do the trick.”
To Chris, the Moleaer product range offered a typical Hort Americas solution. “It can benefit many growers in an affordable, easy way and it is applicable in a wide area of the countries we service”, he explains. “With Hort Americas, we want to be there for a large group of growers. Products that are only accessible to a small part of the market are not a good fit to us. We are looking for the products that help the average grower in their business.”
Add value by specializing
He explains how the North American industry on one hand consists of big companies, in need of tailor-made solutions. “Then there is a large amount of smaller scale customers. These farming operations do not follow the same pattern of upscaling or monocropping. Instead they add value by specializing in specific groups of products, serving local communities with locally grown product or whatever business model proves them to be right. Whilst we are capable of supplying the large customers, we also want to bring suitable products and services to the farms and greenhouses of all shapes and sizes.”
The Sudlac product portfolio is another example of a product line that is effective for large and small greenhouse ranges as well as hydroponic vegetable production and ornamental horticulture. The demand for the various shading solutions has been on the rise. “Creating a better production climate is of course important to growers everywhere in the world. The added value at the moment is in innovative second generation shading products that not only reduce the amount of light in the greenhouse, but can manipulate and improve light in ways that can enhance crop quality.”
USDA Fresh Herbs Grant Planning Meeting held during the 2018 Texas State Fair. (photo Hort Americas)
Relationships with suppliers
The importance of a good and stable relationship isn’t a one way road. Relationships with suppliers are of high importance to Hort Americas. “Obviously the product itself is important in our selection, but it’s not just that... it cannot be just that. Trust between us and our valued suppliers has continued to evolve into a vital part of our business model. We look for specific relationships with suppliers. We look for companies that we can count on and trust, and vice versa. We ask ourselves, ‘Can the manufacturer add value to the chain? Can we help them market their products in the better ways? Do the manufacturers understand the needs of the market?’ Again we want to create partnerships. Partnerships lead to better business for everyone involved.”
A perfect example of this is Hort Americas' relationship with Current by GE (LED grow light solutions). Adding lighting to the crop is an important topic for many growers wanting to lengthen their season and increase their production. “This goes for vegetables, but for sure is not exclusive to vegetable crops. Managing light intensity, light quality and photoperiod is important in all crop production. LED lighting has helped everyone from tree nurseries (for example) becoming more efficient in growing maple trees to tissue culture facilities producing ornamental and medicinal crops.
"Investing in LED is all about effectiveness and efficiency - making it a perfect Hort Americas product catalog. And the engineering team at Current has helped us to develop a variety of fixtures perfect for many (not all) applications. We are working towards that.” Higgins’ excitement about the GE partnership carries over to other partners that are helping them produce innovative fertilizers and have provided them with opportunities to explore new technologies like 30MHZ (sensor products offering growers a better control and more insights on their crop).
Leafy Greens being grown under Current, Powered by GE LED Grow Lights (Arize Lynk LED Grow Lights) (photo Hort Americas)
Keeping up is a challenge
With the Hort Americas client base being super diverse, staying on top of the various needs in the industry is of vital importance. “Keeping up with all the issues along with the wide range of crops and topics indeed is a challenge”, Chris confirms. “On the other hand, trends are similar across the categories. Labor (again) is something affecting the complete industry: the quality, availability and cost of it is the number one topic in North America at the moment. The biggest difference between the various sub-segments within industries are access finance and the pace of developments and investments - depending on both the maturity of the sectors and what their opportunity for profits look like. But in the end the demand of growers is the same in all crops. It all comes down to the smart use of technology and how that technology lets the grower achieve a sound ROI. That’s the main question we are all trying to answer. This will always be the question we are trying to answer.”
For more information:
Hort Americas
Chris Higgins
chiggins@hortamericas.com
www.hortamericas.com
Publication date : 1/15/2019
Author: Arlette Sijmonsma
© HortiDaily.com
How Osram Is Investing in Horticulture Technology Partnerships
The deal was a key part of Osram’s mission of moving beyond its role as a lighting company, and becoming a leading provider of intelligent plant growth solutions.
By Brian D. Sparks|December 3, 2018
Hällnäs Handelsträdgård in Northern Sweden is using Fluence’s VYPRx PLUS with PhysioSpec Greenhouse spectrum for full-cycle plant growth and development, along with Fluence’s VYPRx PLUS with AnthoSpec as a finishing spectrum to increase anthocyanin accumulation in lettuce. This has resulted in a deep-red color and higher antioxidant properties, which were previously impossible to produce under HPS or sunlight.
Photo courtesy of Osram
Earlier this year, Osram, a Munich, Germany-based tech company, acquired Fluence Bioengineering, which specializes in LED-based horticulture lighting systems. The deal was a key part of Osram’s mission of moving beyond its role as a lighting company, and becoming a leading provider of intelligent plant growth solutions.
Osram’s 110-year history in lighting is based on four pillars:
Mobility
Security and safety
Connectivity, particularly in smart buildings and cities
Health and well-being
Initially focused on the automotive and entertainment industries, the company became more engaged in horticulture when old traditional light sources were disrupted by the growth of LEDs.
“Our products changed over to LEDs for many of the same original applications, in addition to use in the medical and horticulture industries,” says Timo Bongartz, Senior Innovation Manager for Smart Farming at Osram. Now, Bongartz says, we are seeing the next industry disruptor: the Internet of Things.
“Light source alone is not enough anymore,” Bongartz says. “We saw a need to create more value around lighting, and that’s why we are shifting more from a lighting company to a technology company. We do not just want to provide components, but lighting solutions for all types of indoor production, from ornamental greenhouses to vertical farms to cannabis production facilities.”
This innovative mission was the basis behind Osram’s acquisition of Fluence, as well as its partnership with Motorleaf, a software service solutions provider.
“We want to allow growers to make more efficient use of their time, so we’re looking to provide tools for microclimate management and disease and yield prediction,” Bongartz says. “If growers know early how their yields will be, they can hopefully get higher prices.”
Bongartz says Osram also wants to stay in the loop on when a grower’s production system or crop mix may be changing, so it can place lights accordingly.
We see growers wanting to bring more intelligence and cloud-based control into their intelligent lighting systems,” he says. “On a light prediction level, we are making lights connectible and controllable through the cloud. This is how we are bringing more value to lighting solutions.”
Phytofy RL is an LED horticultural lighting system for research applications with real-time control and scheduling features for each individual channel. The calibrated system is capable of delivering light treatments with varying spectra (wavelength and intensity) for horticulture research, including far-red end-of-day treatment, brief UV light, night interruption lighting, etc.
Photo courtesy of Osram
Osram and Fluence Partner on New Lighting Systems
RAZR4 Array
From seed germination and cutting propagation to full-cycle microgreen and leafy green cultivation, RAZR4 is optimized to decrease consumption and increase production for vertical farm applications. At 2.3 µmol/J, RAZR4 is 169% more energy efficient than standard vertical farm lighting systems, while providing up to 350% more photosynthetic photon flux.VYPRx PLUS
With energy efficiency reaching 2.3 μmol/J and output surpassing 1,190 μmol/s, VYPRx PLUS is key to establishing a path to sustainability and productivity in a greenhouse. Whether extending the day or growing season for low daily light integral (DLI) crops, VYPR has the power, energy efficiency, and longevity to grow consistent crops year-round.SPYDR 2i
The SPYDR series is designed for controlled environment horticulture applications requiring efficient, precise, and uniform levels of photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD). The SPYDR 2i is streamlined to quickly deploy in multi-tier vertical farm applications for high-DLI crops and single-tier applications including growth chambers, adjacent aisle tables, and tents.
NASA is studying lighting combinations and recipes that it can then apply to crops grown in the International Space Station.
Photo courtesy of Osram
New Research Is Out of This World
While it is focused on offering growers new lighting systems and components, Osram is also doing its own research to help growers become more innovative by enabling them to develop their own light recipes. Using a tool called Phtyofy, growers can set up trials, changing light spectrums throughout the day based on how the plants are reacting.
This tool has also been developed through partnerships with Michigan State University (MSU) and even NASA. When MSU horticultural lighting expert Dr. Erik Runkle was planning a new controlled environment lighting lab, he reached out to Osram’s Semiconductors division. Partnering with Runkle gave Osram access to plant science from a horticulture perspective, while enabling MSU students to carry out lighting research on the wavelengths and light quality that may be optimal for certain crops.
The NASA partnership started through HortAmericas, whom NASA approached when it was looking for a lighting source. At Cultivate’18, one of the NASA researchers visited with the Osram team, who provided them with three lighting units for use in NASA’s advanced plant habitat lab. The objective of NASA’s research is to study lighting combinations and recipes that it could apply for crops grown in the International Space Station.
Valoya Has One Of the Largest Patent Portfolios of the Horticultural Lighting Industry
Since its founding in 2009 Valoya’s focus has been on research in plant biology and technology for the purpose of creating the best possible LED lighting solutions for growers worldwide. In this process Valoya has accumulated 86 patents making it one of the greatest patent holders in the horticultural lighting industry, globally.
‘None of our spectra are ‘off-the-shelf’ but rather results of years of research. Thus far we have tested more than 60 spectra variations before we commercialized the 6 that we offer at the moment. We believe that a finely balanced spectrum can make all the difference for growers and enable them to bring superior products to the market. This stands for the crop science field as well as the emerging markets such as vertical farming and cannabis’ says Nemanja Rodic, the Marketing Manager of Valoya.
Nowadays the number of LED lighting providers is growing rapidly creating confusion for growers when making their purchase decisions. Furthermore, as LED technology evolves, technical specifications among various manufacturers’ products are converging. One way for growers to identify superior lighting providers is to analyze the amount of research they have conducted and published in plant biology and technology fields as well as the number of patents the company holds. This ensures that claims made by that lighting manufacturer can be substantiated with data and are not just replicated industry standard figures e.g. a 50 000 hour life span of the luminaire, which few manufacturers could show actual light-decay-over-time data on.
Valoya’s research has partially been done in-house and partially in collaboration with various partners, companies and research institutes around the world. This commitment to research has earned it high profile clients including 8 out of 10 world’s largest agricultural companies in addition to countless other partners in the 51 countries Valoya has sold to thus far.
Next year the company will celebrate its 10th anniversary making it one of the most experienced horticultural LED lighting companies in the market. The commitment to research and development continues, especially nowadays in the time of Valoya’s rapid expansion.
To see the full list of Valoya’s patents, please go to: valoya.com/patents
About Valoya Oy
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
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