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This Belgian Start-Up Allows Anyone To Become An Urban Farmer
A Belgian start-up is helping people in major cities turn their hand to urban farming. Peas&Love is the brainchild of Jean-Patrick Scheepers, co-founder of Belgium’s biggest cooking school. After the failure of a sustainable farming project near Brussels, he moved into the city itself and started farming on rooftops and in gardens
14 Dec 2020
Senior Writer, Formative Content
A new approach pioneered in Belgium allows anyone to become an urban farmer.
Start-up Peas&Love rents out allotments on rooftops and in unused urban spaces.
The company does all the gardening but members get to harvest the fresh produce.
An app alerts them when crops are ready to pick.
Members share produce and garden space with the community.
A Belgian start-up is helping people in major cities turn their hand to urban farming.
Peas&Love is the brainchild of Jean-Patrick Scheepers, co-founder of Belgium’s biggest cooking school. After the failure of a sustainable farming project near Brussels, he moved into the city itself and started farming on rooftops and in gardens.
“For 20 years, I tried to grow fruit and vegetables in my garden or on my terrace and each year I failed,” he told the audience at the Change Now summit in 2017, the year Peas&Love was launched. “I didn’t have the time and I didn’t have the knowledge.
“My idea was that, if I could have my own personal source of vegetables and fruits that are local, that are seasonal, that are good, that are full of quality, that would exactly fit the description of a potager in French, or a kitchen garden in English, and that would be great.”
Garden of plenty: Crops ready to pick at a Peas&Love urban farm near Paris. Image: Peas&Love
Scheepers started Peas&Love after using vertical growing techniques to overcome his earlier gardening setbacks. It now has three urban farms in Brussels and five in Paris where anyone can rent an allotment for about $40 a month.
All of the farming work is taken care of by the company, and members are alerted by an app when it’s time to harvest the produce. Each 4m square vegetable garden is divided into two halves: one for the sole use of the subscriber and the other to grow crops that will be shared by all members.
Made for sharing: half the allotment is private, the other half is shared.
Community based on sharing
“The motivation of the people who are part of the concept is mainly to renew contact with nature but they don't have the time or the knowledge,” Scheepers says. “You come every week to harvest your own allotment but you don't have to do the work to get it.”
It’s all about creating a community of people who help each other and share values as well as food, he says. It’s a “new approach in urban farming” which has 200 active urban farmers at its first location in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, in Brussels.
Rooftop agriculture: Peas&Love’s first Brussels urban farm. Image: Peas&Love
The company’s “Peas for all” programme makes 5% of the space on its farms available to educational projects and local associations to help more people reconnect to nature.
Scheepers recently set up the European Urban and Vertical Agriculture Federation to promote the concept and provide a forum to represent urban farmers at a European level, and he has launched an Urban Farm Lab in Istanbul.
Lead photo: Urban farms are becoming common all cross the world. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer
Global CEA Census Report Shows Continued Positivity Despite COVID-19
Data captured over an 8-week period show 95% of growers have an optimistic outlook for the next 12 months with all types of operations including greenhouses, shipping containers, tunnel and vertical farms showing profitability
1 DECEMBER 2020
Autogrow and Agritecture Consulting have released the 2nd Annual CEA Census Report highlighting positive signs of growth despite the global pandemic.
Data captured over an 8-week period show 95% of growers have an optimistic outlook for the next 12 months with all types of operations including greenhouses, shipping containers, tunnel and vertical farms showing profitability.
“The optimism reflects what we have seen across many areas of the industry including increased technology adoption and increased consumer expenditure on fresh produce. And despite the challenges we’re seeing an overwhelming number of new entrants into the market,” says Autogrow CEO Darryn Keiller.
“What has not changed is the high percentage of new growers, almost 50%, that have no experience in agriculture before starting their business. That lack of experience has an impact on new technology solutions created and the need for more education to be available to support them. It also shows a real desire to make a difference considering their willingness to start during a pandemic.”
Respondents from 58 countries shared their views on their farming practices, financials, and the impact of COVID-19. The report also gave insight on three key growth regions around the world – India, the UK, and MENA (Middle East & North Africa).
"The results of the 2020 Census confirmed our hypothesis that the UK, India, and MENA regions are the emerging hotspots for CEA, albeit for different reasons. In the UK, Brexit is driving investment towards CEA to combat supply chain risks, while in India rising population and increased premium consumer demand for clean food are driving CEA. In the MENA region, government responses to COVID-19 have accelerated policies and incentives for developing scalable CEA solutions,” explains Agritecture Consulting Founder Henry Gordon-Smith.
“All of these regions present great opportunities for the CEA industry to grow and make a meaningful impact on their respective local conditions.”
Other takeaways from the Census:
· CEA businesses showing optimism and resilience despite the COVID hurdles
· 88% of growers surveyed are below age 50
· 29% of respondents receive funding from multiple sources
RECEIVE THE FREE REPORT!
MEDIA QUERIES
Kylie Horomia, Head of Brand & Communications
(e) Kylie.horomia@autogrow.com
(m) +6421 733 025
(w) www.farmroad.io www.autogrow.com
Sales queries – info@farmroad.io
Briana Zagami, Agritecture Media Strategist
(e) briana@agritecture.com
About Autogrow
Autogrow leverages the power of technology, data science, and plant biology to provide indoor growers affordable, accessible, and easy-to-use innovation – 24/7, anywhere in the world.
Our solutions support growers and resellers in over 40 countries producing over 100 different crop types.
We are the experts in Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) and continue to stay ahead of a rapidly evolving landscape.
About Agritecture Consulting
Agritecture Consulting provides a comprehensive approach to CEA project development.
In operation since 2014, Agritecture has helped more than eighty organizations determine the feasibility of their ideas, validate their business strategies, recruit talent for their projects, and manage operational challenges.
Our job is to jumpstart your knowledge of CEA, help you navigate barriers to entry, make industry connections, and mitigate risk. Our consulting services are backed by several years of operations data and a team of experienced growers, engineers, and sustainability managers.
FURTHER READING:
AUTOGROW AND AGRITECTURE RELEASE FIRST-EVER GLOBAL CEA CENSUS REPORT
GLOBAL CEA CENSUS LAUNCHED TO HELP DRIVE AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY FORWARD
5 Benefits of Corporate Wellness Programs
“Food has a direct impact on our cognitive performance,” according to Harvard Business Review author, Ron Friedman
11-12-2020 Babylon Microfarms
Your company wouldn't be functioning without the hard work and dedication of your staff. Day in and day out, they serve your business and help further its future. To retain happy, healthy employees for years to come, consider implementing an employee wellness program..
Show employees how much you genuinely care about their well-being in and outside the workplace
Learn the benefits of corporate wellness programs for both your company and employees.
1. Healthy Employees Are More Productive
Every employer wants to boost their employees’ level of productivity, but how?
Did you know that health and nutritional wellness link to cognitive wellness? Your brain needs fuel, but not just any fuel – high-quality foods that provide long-lasting energy.
“Food has a direct impact on our cognitive performance,” according to Harvard Business Review author, Ron Friedman.
In other words, people who eat healthier at work tend to focus and retain information better than those with an unhealthy lifestyle.
Have you ever heard of “brain food?” Several foods are associated with boosting brain power such as berries, walnuts, leafy vegetables, and fatty fish. However, your employees probably aren’t showing up to work with a bag of fresh produce.
Partnering with a company like Babylon-Micro Farms can help you empower healthy employees in the workplace.
Babylon-Micro Farms can quickly install a smart, indoor farming system with a seed bank delivered right to your door. The team of gardening experts will remotely manage your farm for an optimal harvest. Plus, you can monitor your garden through an app, giving your office fresh, healthy vegetables within arms reach.
2. Reduce Employee Health Risks
The traditional American diet exceeds the recommended consumption levels and limits of calories from solid fats and added sugars, refined grains, sodium, and saturated fat. The general unhealth of an average American explains these daunting statistics on health and wellness:
14% of adults aged 18 and older smoke cigarettes.
72% of adults aged 20 and older are obese or overweight.
80% of adults don’t exercise enough.
If you can help employees form healthy habits in the office, you’re supporting their wellness outside of the office. Employer wellness programs give employees access to professional medical help when they need it and take preventative measures when appropriate.
As it currently stands, studies show that diseases such as diabetes are likely to increase by more than 50% by 2030.
Employee wellness programs give employees health on a silver platter, which they might not have otherwise. Help employees defeat the odds and reduce their health risks with a wellness program that promotes healthier nutrition and effective behavior changes.
3. Reduce Employee Wellness Program Costs
If you're wondering how employee wellness programs benefit employers, here’s the answer: Employee wellness programs save employers money.
As Rucker notes, “The notion that workplace wellness can reduce an organization’s costs is not a new concept” (International Journal of Workplace Health Management). Unfortunately, some companies don’t take advantage of the benefits, and their employees pay for it.
Why have a wellness program? You can help prevent employees from becoming part of the statistics above, and, as a result, save money on employee healthcare costs.
A Rand study reviewed a decade of data from Fortune 100 employer’s wellness programs, and the cost savings amounted to $136 per member and a 30% reduction in hospital admissions.
The benefits of promotion of health and wellness in the workplace are equally helpful to employers and employees. Be the change in your company and promote wellness.
4. Help Employees Pursue Personal Wellness Goals
Many of your employees may think about getting healthier, but they haven't taken actionable steps to make it a reality. One of the benefits of corporate wellness programs that you can’t quantify is inspiring your staff to pursue a healthier version of themselves.
As the saying goes: the first step is always the hardest. You can help employees start a life-changing health journey by providing the information and resources they need.
For example, integrate a step-counting competition at work. What started as healthy workplace competition may turn into an employee’s passion for running!
Start Meatless Monday to encourage plant-based eating to promote employee health and support the environment. You may find that some employees enjoy a vegetarian day of the week and pursue an entirely plant-based lifestyle.
Giving your employees the initial push and introduction to health and wellness that they needed won't go unnoticed. Start pursuing health in small ways to create a ripple effect in your business.
5. Lessen Stress in Your Workplace
Do you want to reduce the amount of stress in your workplace? Stress doesn’t just happen at work, but it follows everyone – employees and employers – home.
A MediKeeper survey found that nationwide, people with access to an employee wellness program are less stressed about work and less stressed overall than the general population.
Employee wellness programs shouldn't merely be focused on promoting constant workouts and a healthy diet. Be sure to motivate employees to prioritize their mental health as well.
You can do this by integrating mental health days off, encouraging conversation about mental illness, and providing resources for those who need professional help.
Consider implementing mental wellness activities such as yoga, meditation, and daily walks to help your employees reduce their stress levels during the workday.
Bring Employee Wellness Into The Workplace
Now that you've seen several benefits associated with employee wellness programs, it's time to start one today.
Begin a lifelong journey of wellness in the workplace by installing micro-farms. Indoor farming is the wave of the future, and your company can lead the way.
Compact, indoor micro-farms can be a great way to show your dedication to employee wellness by providing fresh, healthy, pesticide-free food at their fingertips. Go above and beyond for your staff to promote the importance of employee health to your company.
Contact Babylon Micro-Farms to get started, ask questions, or get more information on using indoor farms to support your employees’ wellness.
Source and Photo Courtesy of Babylon Microfarms
VIDEOS: Vertical Farming: Hope or Hype?
Flurry of corporate activity has proponents hailing arrival of the future of agriculture
Flurry of corporate activity has proponents hailing arrival of the future of agriculture
Emiko Terazono - October 31, 2020
Vertical farming has become a hot topic during the coronavirus pandemic, as supply chain disruptions and labour shortages feed perennial fears over global food security.
The nascent sector, in which crops are grown in stacked indoor systems under artificial light and without soil, has enjoyed a flurry of activity this year.
Headline-grabbing developments have included the construction of Europe’s largest vertical farm, plans to build the world’s biggest indoor farm in the Abu Dhabi desert, and a $140m fundraising round by a SoftBank-backed start-up Plenty. Norway’s Kalera this week announced a $100m private placement ahead of its listing on the Oslo Stock Exchange’s Merkur Market on October 28.
Proponents believe that the technology represents the future of agriculture, hailing huge efficiency and environmental gains for the food industry, and about $1.8bn has flowed into the sector since 2014, according to data group Dealroom. However, agritech entrepreneurs and analysts warn that hype and lofty promises could undermine the sector’s credibility, putting off consumers and investors.
“There is a lot of BS coming from entrepreneurs,” said David Farquhar, chief executive of Scotland-based technology provider Intelligent Growth Solutions. “There are far too many unsubstantiated claims about energy use, the environmental benefits and quality of crops.”
High-cost, small-scale
The sector remains largely unprofitable and tiny. Vertical farming occupies the equivalent of 30 hectares of land worldwide, according to Rabobank analyst Cindy Rijswick, compared with outdoor cultivation of about 50m ha and 500,000 ha for greenhouses.
High initial capital investment and running costs mean it is hard to make a profit. Businesses must pay for specialised labour and face huge electricity bills for lighting and ventilation, while having to offer competitive prices to attract consumers.
Some operators in Japan are profitable while Nordic Harvest, the Danish start-up that has teamed up with Taiwan’s YesHealth Group to build Europe’s biggest vertical farm in Copenhagen, claims it will be profitable in its first year in 2021.
Keeping the faith
The industry is expected to grow over the next decade, with research group IDTechEx forecasting that annual sales of $700m will more than double to $1.5bn by 2030.
However, there is likely to be a cull of inefficient businesses in a sector that has always had a high level of failures.
“My big fear for this industry is that we will have some large failures,” said Mr Farquhar. “It’s not helpful for buyers’ confidence, for customers’ confidence and investors’ confidence.”
Vertical farming must also overcome perceptions among some consumers, often unfounded, that despite the various benefits it offers it cannot possibly match the taste of high-end produce grown with soil and sunlight.
Please click here to view the video - Can vertical farming feed cities of the future?
Tech challenge
Many vertical farms boast cutting-edge technology ranging from artificial intelligence and robotics to lighting and water filtration, and some companies, particularly in Asia, have established successful processes.
Stacked production systems allow the cultivation of produce in constrained spaces, including urban areas. That means food can be produced closer to its consumers, reducing transportation time and improving freshness at the point of sale.
But new entrants can face teething problems with automation and watering processes, leading to costs spiraling out of control. There have also been cases of black mold and pest infestations hitting the farms, which typically do not use pesticides, according to Michael Dent, an analyst at IDTechEx.
Taste test
Total control over the growing environment is one of vertical farming’s big selling points, ensuring reliable, high-quality crops. A reduction in “food miles” gives consumers access to fresher produce, giving further taste gains.
Skeptics are possibly associating the sector’s offerings with crops grown in greenhouses, which are often of low quality when growers prioritize yield over taste, according to Leo Marcelis, professor of crop production at Wageningen University in the Netherlands.
With many retailers only paying by volume, “growers think ‘I don't get extra money for the quality’ so they don’t pay much attention to that”, he said. Vertical farms may follow a similar path if and when they get to scale and price points of greenhouse rivals. However, for the moment, the sector’s reputation lies in higher-value, better-tasting produce.
Salad days
Mr. Dent believes boosterish claims that “we’ll all be eating food made in vertical farms” are “a red herring and not helpful for the industry”. While most things can technically be grown in a vertical farm, production costs mean offerings tend to focus on higher-value leafy greens, salad leaves, and herbs.
“Commodities like rice, corn, and soyabeans — crops that are cheaply grown in the field and stored easily, I don’t see as economic,” said Prof Marcelis.
Vertical farming was not going to replace banana groves or fields of wheat, said Mr Farquhar, who added that IGS was trialing fruit and root vegetables as well as seedlings for R&D.
As Ms Rijswick puts it, vertical farming will only ever be “part of the mix among various growing systems”.
Lead photo: The vertical farming industry is expected to grow over the next decade © Bloomberg
All rights reserved
Could Vertical Farming Help Avoid Brexit Supply Issues?
Hydroponic farming uses water rather than soil to grow plants
Hydroponic Farming Uses Water Rather
Than Soil To Grow Plants
11 Dec 2020
Agriculture & Consumer Affairs Correspondent
Ireland's network of disused mushroom houses could be the ideal infrastructure to develop a hydroponic farm system which could in turn reduce our dependence on imports of herbs, salads and small greens.
It uses much less water than conventional growing, a tiny amount of space and is immune from adverse weather conditions because it is indoors.
One farm in Tipperary has started the transition. Near Ballyporeen, one of eight mushroom tunnels is now converted into a vertical farm.
Brian O’Reilly had been growing mushrooms for almost two decades, but tight margins and an anxiety over the potential impact of Brexit made him change course.
"The risks were too high so we decided to step back. Tighter margins were number one and Brexit was the number two reason, and labour was a problem too," he said.
Now, he has turned to basil. His first crop will be harvested in the coming days and will be sold into the catering industry.
Mr O'Reilly said the process of growing herbs and small greens is similar to mushrooms. There is a cycle and within 32 days from planting a seed, the basil is finished.
It is grown in tiny pods on shelves with the roots stretching down to nutrient-rich water. Bright LED lights encourage the growth, as does hot air blowing into the tunnel.
A wind turbine nearby generates the electricity and a hot humid house means the plant thrive. But the lights are also powered down for hours in order to let the plants sleep.
It looks a million miles from any conventional farm. The tunnel is filled with rows of white plastic shelves, with tiny holes through which the plants appear. Water is circulating under the shelves and overhead there are strips of lighting; white, red and blue.
It is bright and humid with the constant hum of air being pumped in and there is a gentle trickle of water flowing through the system.
Farmony, an Irish technology company, has developed the technology being used in Ballyporeen.
It has built farms in several countries and said the system could make Ireland self-sufficient in herbs and small greens within a few years.
Farmony's John Paul Prior said the range of plants that can be grown is vast and goes way beyond herbs.
He said: "In Ireland, we grow between May and September/October. Imagine if you could recreate that perfect summer's day all-year round.
"That is what we are doing with controlled environment farming, so we could come close to self-sufficient with all your leafy greens, all your microgreens and all your herbs."
Ireland imports the vast bulk of those products and the development offers a huge opportunity to expand the horticulture sector in Ireland.
It is environmentally positive too. If mushrooms houses are used, it is utilising something that has limited suitability for anything else. Farmony claims that the system uses 90% less water than conventional farming methods and is pesticide free too.
The tunnel in Ballyporeen is part funded by the Department of Agriculture as a pilot project and Mr O'Reilly is already testing crops other than basil.
"We are growing microgreens, peashoots and coriander at the moment. We are experimenting with them, we can change our model at any time and grow to what the customer wants," he said.
"When you think of it, this basil which we are growing would normally be imported, sometimes from thousands of miles away, from Morocco, Kenya, Israel, Spain or the UK. We are replacing that. The food miles are being dramatically reduced and we can do it without worrying about the weather outside."
Abandoned mushroom farms are dotted all over the country. There were more than 400 growers at one point, now there are just a few dozen. It is a tight margin business, which is dominated by a few companies and is almost entirely export dependent.
Last year, Ireland exported €102m worth of mushrooms. Up to September this year, we exported more than €82m worth of mushrooms.
Any delays at ports after Brexit could have a huge impact on delivering fresh product to supermarkets in the UK. The possible imposition of tariffs is also an issue.
The Government wants to expand Ireland's horticultural offering. It is lower emitting than sectors such as beef and dairy and there is huge scope for expansion.
Often, our climate is an issue. We have a shorter growing season than other countries and they can also offer scale and a cheaper cost base.
There are some areas of Ireland which grow high quality vegetables, but it is a sector in decline over recent years.
The dominance of the big multiples as the primary buyers has tightened margins and many growers complain that the sector is controlled by too few buyers. Up to September this year, Ireland imported €146m worth of vegetables alone.
Its dependence on UK imports of potatoes and other vegetables could be a problem after Brexit, but it is something which the sector is aware of.
Farmony hopes that developing a network of vertical farms could dramatically reduce our food miles, reduce a reliance on imports and also create jobs and revitalise a declining sector.
Making Singapore A Land of Farmers
By 2030, the government has announced that 30 percent of food consumed locally will be locally grown under its “30 by 30” initiative
AUTHOR Malay Mail
December 13, 2020
Kuala Lumpur, Dec. 13 — Singapore is known for its ambition.
This tiny nation (just 700 square kilometers in area, 400 times smaller than Malaysia) is now one of the most competitive economies on Earth.
And yet even by its own standards, it has set a very lofty goal.
By 2030, the government has announced that 30 percent of food consumed locally will be locally grown under its “30 by 30” initiative.
Presently, under 10 percent of the things Singaporeans eat are grown in Singapore. This is extremely low by global standards but again Singapore has a resident population of almost six million, on a small island, with just 400 acres of true farmland in the entire country.
Four hundred acres is the size of a single modest farm in places like the USA and even a mid-scale Malaysian plantation can be double the size.
Yet in Singapore, this is the sum total of all our agricultural land so how on earth are we going to feed millions of people?
The answer is an unprecedented deployment of technology. Vertical farms, advanced hydroponics and growing techniques using nutrients, perfectly calibrated irrigation systems, robotics, and 24/7 monitoring.
The government is also going to work to utilize urban spaces – rooftops, balconies, alleys – on quite an unprecedented scale to achieve greater food self-sufficiency.
While the investment will be high, Covid-19 has proved the benefits are likely to be worth it.
The pandemic showed us that global supply chains can collapse and in times of disruption, governments will prioritize feeding their own populations.
A country with no farmland and agriculture is completely at the mercy of its suppliers.
While Singapore has long been somewhat cognizant of this vulnerability – the government does hold strategic food reserves – this simply isn’t enough and some sort of local agricultural base is needed.
Of course, local sourcing doesn’t just improve our security, it also reduces our carbon footprint and can help ensure what is being consumed is of a very high standard.
So more local farming seems like a clear win all around.
But things are never quite so simple.
As we ramp up our urban farming capacity, won’t we once again be shifting more power and capital to the same tech companies and multinationals that already control so much of our lives?
Recently the government announced that well-known agri-tech company Bayer would launch a large-scale vertical farm in Singapore with a multimillion-dollar investment.
Surely it’s only a matter of time before we have Amazon and Tencent farms. They already supply our homes with all manner of goods, so why not farmed produce? Basically, are we about to see another great leap forward in the dominance of big tech?
Farming has long been the domain of a fairly diverse array of small- and medium-scale producers.
A shift to local production under large-scale corporations will disadvantage many Indonesian and Malaysian farmers who currently supply Singapore.
Previously our purchasing power helped the broader region as we paid high prices for our foodstuff.
And, of course, what of the local population? If there is going to be a shift to local agriculture how can we ensure it creates opportunities for ordinary Singaporeans?
If giant corporations set up automated vertical farms, how will this create employment for us?
The government is clearly aware of the issue and it has been working to increase the number of allotments (plots that give those with no access to a garden a small green space to grow their own fruits and vegetables).
Local sourcing needs to engage local communities yet the resources needed to allow significant local agriculture in Singapore means ordinary citizens will struggle to participate meaningfully in this bid for self-sufficiency.
To reach this 30 percent target sustainably and in a way that benefits us all, we will all need to become urban farmers.
Virtually every home would need a micro-irrigation system, HDB (government housing) corridors would need to overflow with produce and bomb shelters and basements would need to be converted into little hydroponic farms on a staggering scale.
It really could be transformative – bringing together an entire nation to achieve the objective of locally-sourced food.
Working together to sustain the basis of our existence and a return to farming – something the ancestors of most Singaporeans left some time ago.
But for this to happen, as much effort must go into investing in ordinary families and homes as in big corporations.
I for one am already prepared; I’ve bought a few mushroom-growing packs and just acquired a small tomato plant so in a few weeks I look forward to my homegrown pasta sauce.
And in the meantime, I’ll keep waiting for the government to give me the grant to install a giant indoor hydroponic system.
*This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at contentservices@htlive.com
Copyright 2017 Malay Mail Online
Rami Levy To Install Vertical Field Farms For Fresh Produce
"The Rami Levy chain understands the social responsibility that it has for customers as related to food security and supplying the highest quality products while maintaining low prices," said VP Marketing at Rami Levy Yafit Attias Levy
DECEMBER 13, 2020
A Vertical Field "Urban Farm" uses BIOLED eco-lighting technology to grow produce for a Rami Levy supermarket in Bnei Brak.
A Vertical Field "Urban Farm" uses BIOLED eco-lighting technology to grow produce for a Rami Levy supermarket in Bnei Brak. (photo credit: VERTICAL FIELD)
Ra'anana-Based Vertical Field signed an agreement with Israel's largest grocery chain Rami Levy, to provide vertical farms to each of the supermarket branches in the coming years.
A vertical farm will be installed next to each branch, providing customers with fresh produce grown out of the company's indoor farms.
"The Rami Levy chain understands the social responsibility that it has for customers as related to food security and supplying the highest quality products while maintaining low prices," said VP Marketing at Rami Levy Yafit Attias Levy. "Our customers bought Vertical Field’s produce during the pilot, and returned to purchase more."
"Therefore, we have decided to expand the partnership with Vertical Field to additional branches of the supermarket, and to offer fresh, high-quality, and pesticide-free produce in a way that increases shelf-life for our customers," he added.
Vertical Field's innovative "vertical farm" solution developed at the Ra'anana headquarters. The produce grown in a sterile indoor environment, without the use of chemicals or fertilizers.
The conditions in which the produce is grown is also controlled, which yields consistent products for customers to return to week in and week out.
The crops - lettuce, basil, parsley, kale, mint, etc. - are grown vertically within a bed of nutrient-rich soil on the walls of the greenhouse using proprietary technology from vertical farms. The technology minimizes water consumption and the use of ground soil, and the farms are maintained by local farmers. Customers also have the option to purchase the soil bedding it was grown in.
The installation initiative comes after a successful pilot program with Rami Levy, and over the course of the next five years "dozens" of vertical farms will be installed."One of the realizations that have surfaced during the COVID-19 crisis is the need to develop solutions that allow urban residents access to healthy food, with minimal human handling and without depending on transportation and shipping from remote locations," said CEO of Vertical Field Guy Elitzur. "The portable urban farm that we have developed is designed to be located in indoor and outdoor spaces at supermarkets, restaurants, shopping malls, rooftops, and other on-premise locations.""Over the past year we conducted a number of successful pilot projects, and installed vertical farms adjacent to supermarkets and restaurants in the United States and Israel," he added. "We are delighted to be able to provide- and expand access to- healthy, and high-quality vegetables grown right outside the consumer’s door."
Tags raanana rami levy vegan vegetarian Farming
Mario Saw Container Farming As A Chance To Become His Own Boss
In order to understand the indoor farming industry better, Mario enrolled in an online course of hydroponics which gave him the basics of the farming process
Mario from New Age Provisions Farms left his 9-5 to start his own container farming company. It hasn’t always been easy, but Mario loves his new independent lifestyle.
The team with Freight Farms recently sat down for a chat with what they call an amazing Freight Farmer–Mario Vitalis! Mario’s journey to start farming wasn’t the smoothest, but Mario applied his incredible work effort, perseverance, and general positive attitude towards launching New Age Provisions Farms in August 2020. All the hard work paid off–Mario is already expecting to receive his second Greenery container farm in December 2020!
Be Your Own Boss
Before August, Mario had no experience with farming. He spent the majority of his professional life in the business and corporate world, getting his first taste of freedom when he decided to go into real estate as a side business. That side business showed Mario the huge potential that he could have as an entrepreneur. It was in an effort to expand his real estate business by monetizing empty lots that Mario first stumbled upon container farming.
Originally, Mario was thinking of using the lots for container homes, but the regulations around residential projects were far too complicated. With agriculture, however, Mario found that there was a much greater opportunity. Today, Mario has left his corporate job to pursue farming and real estate full time and he loves it.
“Farming allows me to be my own boss. One thing I’ve always wanted to do is own a business. That is what will set you apart from being a thousandaire to a millionaire.”
In order to understand the indoor farming industry better, Mario enrolled in an online course of hydroponics which gave him the basics of the farming process. He then started doing some research about the available technology, eventually choosing the Freight Farms Greenery as the container farm that was the easiest to use and produced the greatest yields. Mario signed a purchase agreement the same day that he saw the Greenery, knowing that it was the right technology for his plans.
But before he could start, Mario had to overcome a few hurdles.
Container Farm Financing
The first was financing. In August 2019, Mario applied to the USDA Farm Service Agency for a $50,000 loan to put down a deposit for the Greenery, with plans to supplement the rest with a private loan. In spite of providing the Agency with a thorough and well-reasoned business plan and yield projection, he was informed that the application was ‘incomplete’, and in December 2019 was denied without any explanation. Mario was shocked–in his eyes, the application had been bulletproof.
It was only after a great deal of prodding that Mario was able to get some clarity into his denial. Due to a lack of experience with hydroponic container farming, the FSA had re-run all of Mario’s calculations within the scope of traditional linear farming and determined that he could not possibly reach the yields–and therefore the profit that he was projecting. This, plus Mario’s lack of farming experience earned him a denial.
Initially, Mario was devastated. When he turned to his family for support, he received some pivotal words of wisdom from his grandfather: “They don’t want you to own the land. They want you to work the land.” Mario’s grandfather was referring to the huge dearth of Black farmers in America–only 2% of the national farming population–which is a direct result of long-standing discrimination within organizations like the USDA that makes it difficult for minority farmers to receive crucial financing. So Mario decided to fight.
The first step was to appeal the decision. Mario wrote a letter to the USDA requesting an appeal, which the USDA denied by backing the original decision. Mario then appealed again, and this time he went to court against the USDA FSA. In court, Freight Farms was able to support all of Mario’s initial claims about the Greenery’s yield potential, allowing Mario to prove without a doubt that his farm was the right candidate for the loan. The judge ruled in Mario’s favor and shortly thereafter, he received a call from the FSA with an offer for the original $50,000 loan. Mario looked at it all and said:
“I don’t want $50,000… I want $250,000. I want you to pay for the container that I have–plus buy me a new container.”
Farm Site & Zoning
With the fight with the USDA behind him and the money in his pocket, Mario turned his attention into getting his business started. This is where he encountered his next hurdle: zoning. Mario initially intended to put his farms on a property he owned, but then found out that the land was zoned residential. As a piece of agricultural machinery, Mario would need to secure a variance (i.e. an exception) from the municipality–a long and expensive process. This time, instead of fighting, Mario turned his resourcefulness towards his personal network. He reconnected with a friend from high school who owned a used car lot and offered it as a place for Mario to keep his farm.
Farm Business Plan & Customers
Unfortunately, Mario’s trials were not quite over. Just as Mario was finalizing all of his financing and zoning, the COVID-19 pandemic struck, effectively turning Mario’s original business plan on its head. Mario had originally planned to sell to restaurants in the area, but as the local establishments shuttered, he was forced to pivot quickly. He found his footing with an online marketplace called Market Wagon, which aggregates dozens of local farmers and craftsmen on one platform. For the shopper, it’s a simple way to shop from multiple small local businesses on one platform–for the businesses it’s great exposure and easy logistics.
“The Greenery allows you more flexibility, more longevity…it’s fresher, it looks great… and it tastes great! It hits all five senses.”
Since Mario’s first harvest in August, Market Wagon has brought a steady stream of success. In using the platform, he’s been able to fine tune his crop menu to the best sellers (lettuce and basil) and to find the right price point. He’s also able to leverage the Greenery to his advantage, reacting faster to market changes than his competitors. The most recent example was a November 2020 outbreak of E.coli in the romaine lettuce supply–within a week Mario already had romaine seedlings in production.
Plus, the shoppers love Mario’s greens, recognizing it as a superior product that’s worth a higher price point.
“You grow art…
…if [customers] want regular vegetables, [they] can go to a store. What you’re growing here is artisan.”
Hydroponic Cannabis
Mario also grows a variety of experimental crops, including tomatoes, strawberries, and… cannabis! In 2020, Mario became the first Freight Farmer to grow commercial cannabis in our container farms. His growing operations are strictly monitored in accordance with the 2018 Farm Bill, which mandates that his plants have a THC level at or below 0.3%. Mario uses clones to ensure he only gets female (flowering) plants, which grow about 12 inches high at maturity and produce 7-10 grams of flower each.
While the cannabis market is still young in Indianapolis, Mario sees it as a huge business potential as medical and recreational marijuana becomes more common. Although he’s only just starting to experiment with the cannabis crop, he’s excited to use the Greenery’s intricate climate control settings to adjust the taste, smell, color, and potency. He believes this will allow him to stand out in the market as a premium product that is fresher and completely safe from pesticide exposure.
Connecting the past with the future
While there have been challenges along the way, Mario loves his new Freight Farmer lifestyle. His container is a second home–complete with armchairs and a TV–and a symbol of his independence and success in overcoming the odds. With personal mantras like “never give up”, “live life to the fullest”, and “against all odds”, Mario is not only a great inspiration for the future, but also a testimony about how we can overcome our past.
“I’ve always known the city life… but there’s always been a desire to get back to, and discover, my roots.”
Mario speaks candidly about a life and family history full of adversity. He is able to trace his family lineage all the way back to West Africa: his great-great-grandparents were Southern slaves, his great-grandparents were sharecroppers who escaped the south in the 1930s to come to San Francisco. So, in many ways, farming has allowed Mario to reconnect with his past, and to redefine what it means to be a Black farmer for his young daughters and other members of this community.
“Having this type of farm allows me to connect to a history that I have forgotten. I am a descendent of the slaves… this farm enables me to... get back to the type of living where our people once lived off the land.”
As Mario awaits the arrival of his second farm, he’s beyond excited about growing his business. Not only does he see it as a crucial step in developing his own business, but he wants to maximize his impact in his community. With few grocery stores and little access to fresh food, Mario’s neighborhood is one of many food deserts that exist in cities around the country. He hopes to help change the community from within with an infusion of healthy and affordable produce. You can follow along with Mario through his website, Facebook, and Instagram.
For more information:
www.freightfarms.com
Vertical Farming Modules Take Hyperlocal To New Heights
One of the largest and fastest-growing vertical farming platforms in the world, Infarm’s smart farming modules are bringing a whole new meaning to the word “hyperlocal.”
Cultivating by Artificial intelligence,
These Vertical Farming Modules Are
Bringing Fresh Herbs And Leafy Greens Straight To The Consumer
December 7, 2020
By Greta Chiu
Infarm modules grow fresh herbs and leafy greens by automation, partnering with grocery retailers worldwide.
One of the largest and fastest-growing vertical farming platforms in the world, Infarm’s smart farming modules are bringing a whole new meaning to the word “hyperlocal.”
Best recognized for their grocery store installations that have appeared all over the globe, shoppers are able to watch the growing process and pick from fresh herbs and leafy greens immediately after harvest. Maintained by machine learning and AI technology, each standalone vertical farming unit is continuously monitored and tweaked to ensure optimal growing conditions.
“We control our farms remotely using sensors and a centralized, cloud-based platform that adjusts and improves itself continuously, so each plant grows better than the one before – providing plant seedlings with an ideal combination of light spectrums, temperature, pH, and nutrients for optimal growth,” explains Emmanuel Evita, global communications director for Infarm.
Using machine learning, big data and IoT technologies, the Berlin, Germany-based company is able to collect large amounts of data from their farms around the world in real-time, amounting to more than 50,000 data points within a plant’s lifetime. And the modules aren’t just for grocery stores. Infarm says their easily scalable and rapidly deployable technology has been set up in distribution centres, restaurants and other urban spaces to match local needs.
“With more than 1,000 farms in stores and distribution centers, we’re able to use the data on each one of more than 500,000 plants we grow every month to understand their unique growth patterns and offer the highest quality product to consumers,” says Evita.
The company is deeply committed to improving the safety, quality and environmental footprint of food production. Offering an ever-expanding catalogue with over 65 different combinations of herbs, microgreens and leafy greens, the range of products includes cooking staples like Italian basil to specialty varieties such as wasabi rucola. Infarm’s plants are also grown without the use of chemical pesticides and are locally germinated in their nursery farms. The seedlings are then cultivated in-store for another three to four weeks to maturity before being offered to consumers. The vertical farming units are said to require 95 per cent less water, 90 per cent less transportation and 75 per cent less fertilizer compared to conventional soil-based agriculture. 90 per cent of electricity used by the Infarm network is sourced from renewable energy, and the company has set a target to reach zero-emission food production next year.
“We save thousands of food kilometres by not shipping from abroad, removing trucks from the road, and increasing the resilience of the global food system with every farm we install. Our approach supports biodiversity by reducing and almost eliminating the supply chain of food,” says Evita.
Landing in Canada
Infarm partnered with Empire Company Ltd. and begin rolling out installations in select Sobeys, Safeway and Thrifty Foods in British Columbia earlier this year.
“Our partnership with Infarm is unique in Canada and offers our customers a world-leading urban farming solution,” says Niluka Kottegoda, vice president of customer experience at Sobeys. “By the end of September, we will have fully functional vertical farming units in 28 of our Safeway and Thrifty Foods stores in the Vancouver and Victoria areas with several additional stores carrying the harvested herbs and lettuce.”
Kottegoda says their customers have been responding very well to this urban farming solution. “Not only do they appreciate the sustainable nature of the farms, but they certainly love having access to the freshest possible leafy greens and herbs all year long.” Empire expects to bring Infarm installations into Toronto soon, with a national rollout on the horizon.
Taking the world by storm
First established in 2013 by Osnat Michaeli and brothers Erez and Guy Galonska to help cities become self-sufficient in food production, Berlin-based Infarm now has operations in 10 countries and 30 cities worldwide. Over the past year, they’ve partnered with 30 of the largest retailers in the world, including Albert Heijn (Netherlands), Aldi Süd (Germany), Amazon Fresh, COOP/Irma (Denmark), Empire Company Ltd (Canada), Kaufland (Germany), Kinokuniya (Japan), Kroger (United States), Marks & Spencer (United Kingdom), Selfridges (United Kingdom) as well as others in France, Luxembourg, and Switzerland.
In September, Infarm announced another $170 million in the first close of a funding round expected to reach $200 million. That will bring in over $300 million of funding to date.
By investing this capital into infrastructure, research and development, the company expects to grow their installations by 10 per cent, reaching over 5,000,000 sq. ft. in the next five years.
“The coronavirus pandemic has put a global spotlight on the urgent agricultural and ecological challenges of our time,” says Erez Galonska, co-founder and CEO of Infarm. “As we scale to 5,000,000 sq. ft. in farming facilities across Europe, North America and Asia by 2025, this investment will help us make a truly global impact through our network, preserving the thousands of acres of land, millions of liters of water and ultimately change the way people grow, eat and think about food.”
Topics: Handling Systems Retail Vegetables
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VIDEO: A Wind-Powered Vertical Farm: Giant Urban Farm Opens In Denmark
Inside a warehouse in an industrial zone in Copenhagen vast stacks of plants soar almost to the ceiling. In time, this newly opened vertical farm will be one of the largest in Europe, while power from Denmark's windfarms will ensure it is carbon-neutral, according to the company behind it
07/12/2020 | Text by: FRANCE 24 | Video by: Sam BALL
Inside a warehouse in an industrial zone in Copenhagen vast stacks of plants soar almost to the ceiling. In time, this newly opened vertical farm will be one of the largest in Europe, while power from Denmark's windfarms will ensure it is carbon-neutral, according to the company behind it.
Though they will never see daylight or soil, hundreds of tonnes of lettuce, herbs and kale will be harvested over the coming months from the vast farm, run by Danish start-up Nordic Harvest.
"We have only an output of about 200 tonnes per year but we have built the support facility to support a production of 1,000 tonnes per year," CEO Anders Riemann told AFP.
The futuristic farm uses 20,000 specialised LEDs to provide the plants with light, while robots deliver trays of seeds from aisle to aisle across the 7,000-square-metre hangar.
Vertical farming, in which plants are grown in racks to maximise space, has been touted as a way to use urban spaces to help meet the world's growing food demand and produce food locally.
But indoor vertical farms have faced criticism over the vast amount of electricity needed to provide artificial light.
Nordic Harvest, though, says its facility is powered entirely by renewable energy from Denmark's extensive wind farms, which produce around 40 percent of the country's electricity.
"A vertical farm is characterised by not harming the environment by recycling all the water and nutrition or fertiliser and in our case we use 100 percent energy from windmills which makes us CO2 neutral," said Riemann.
"Our vision is that it can actually be done: Take some of the food production back into the cities where you can grow in a much smaller land and space optimised in the height."
Tags: FARMING FOOD AGRICULTURE ENVIRONMENT
The Next (Vertical) Level of Farming
Vertical farming is the practice of growing crops in vertically stacked layers. It takes in controlled environment agriculture, and soilless farming techniques like hydroponics, aeroponics, and aquaponics to produce nutritious yields of food.
Victoria Dmitruczyk
04-23-20
If you’ve ever seen a farm, you know it looks something like this:
So cute. So inefficient, but cute.
These are normal farms. There’s nothing special about them. This is what we’re used to.
That’s not necessarily a good thing.
These farms typically use pesticides (which means the crops we get aren’t as nutrient-rich as they should be), are at risk from all weather conditions, take up SO much land, and uses 70% of the world’s water supply.
Not so ideal now. What if there was a way we could change that?
Meet your new best friend: Vertical Farming
In a nutshell:
Vertical farming is the practice of growing crops in vertically stacked layers. It takes in controlled environment agriculture, and soilless farming techniques like hydroponics, aeroponics, and aquaponics to produce nutritious yields of food.
Plenty’s Vertical Farm
Physical Layout
The main goal of vertical farming is to produce more food per square metre, hence, why everything grows upwards ⬆️.
Vertical Farm Structures
Now, one of the great things about vertical farming is that it’s pretty dang versatile. There are two main kinds of farms:
Above Ground Vertical Farms
The majority of vertical farms right now take place above ground. They’re generally more convenient to build. This could mean taking place in warehouses, greenhouses, the list continues. That doesn’t mean they’re boring though:
Abandoned buildings are becoming increasingly popular as a spot to host vertical farms. ‘The Plant’ is a farm in Chicago that was transformed from an old meatpacking facility.
‘Vertical Harvest’ built a three-story hydroponic greenhouse next to a parking lot, which aims to grow 100,000 lbs of produce annually.
‘Lokal’, by IKEA’s Space10 innovation lab, is making miniature vertical farms where you can grow crops out of your own kitchen!! The greens grow three times faster in Lokal than in traditional gardens.
Recycled shipping containers are also becoming a popular option for hosting vertical farms (See Square Roots down below 😉) .
These containers combine smart climate control and LED lighting, monitoring systems, and vertical hydroponics to get an efficient farm that is able to produce a high yield of produce per square food.
Freight Farms is also a company changing the vertical farming shipping container game
But wait… It gets better 🤩.
By stacking the shipping containers, we can save EVEN MORE space and achieve an EVEN HIGHER yield per square foot.
Underground Vertical Farms (Deep Farms)
As the name suggests, underground and deep farms are vertical farms, simply built underground, taking place in refurbished underground tunnels or even abandoned mine shafts (Say what?!! 🤯)
Growing Underground is said to be the world’s first underground farm. The produce is grown in a World War II bomb shelter 33 meters under Clapham, London.
Temperature and humidity underground are usually consistent and mild, and so, deep farms require less energy for heating. They can also use groundwater (which is nearby) to further reduce the cost of water supply.
When you combine all of these qualities together with automated harvesting programs, you get a fully self-sufficient farm that’s able to produce 7–9x more food than conventional farms above ground with the same amount of area used!!! 🤯
Lighting
🔑 Having good lighting is key to having a good vertical farm.
In order to get this to be perfect, combinations of natural and artificial lights are used to maintain optimal light levels while technologies such as rotating beds improve lighting efficiency.
Most vertical farms use blue and red LED lights. But, it’s not just for the sake of looking futuristic.
Crop One Holdings — A Vertical Farm start-up out of San Francisco uses smart LED lighting to grow nutritious plants for Dubai’s United Airlines ✈️
The white light of sunlight that plants receive in conventional farms emits wavelengths of the visible light spectrum. However, plants don’t need all. of these wavelengths.
Studies have shown that plants respond best to the blue and red wavelengths. The evolutionary reason behind this is that millions of years ago, plants only grew in the ocean. These wavelengths were able to penetrate the water most efficiently, and plants have grown to like this 🌊.
This means that traditional lights give plants unnecessary light spectra, and waste energy in turn. LED lighting isn’t like that. It gives the option of targeted wavelengths, meaning they’re able to emit solely the red and blue spectra. This is where we see that pink hue come from.
Process
Instead of soil, hydroponic, aeroponic, aquaponic, or growing mediums are used. Peat moss or coconut husks and similar non-soil mediums are very common in vertical farming.
Point being, vertical farming using membranes over the soil to grow plants. This helps eliminate the work that goes into maintaining good soil and ensures quality.
Notice how there’s no soil here 🧐
Controlled-Environment Agriculture (CEA) is what allows vertical farming to be used year round. It controls factors like air, temperature, light, water, humidity, carbon dioxide, and plant nutrition to extend the growing season and crop yield.
Current Vertical Farms Changing the Game
Square Roots
Apparently, Elon Musk’s brother, Kimbal Musk, is revolutionizing vertical farming 🤩 (Oh… and he’s also a cowboy 🤠)
His company, Square Roots is a vertical farming facility that is hosted in shipping containers.
Inside one of the containers
This not only makes the possibility of urban farming more feasible (and less transportation means we maintain the maximum amount of nutrients & have everything remain fresh!!), but it also makes it super versatile.
After all, it’s not that difficult to move a shipping container, while moving a whole traditional farm is well, more difficult…
Plenty
Plenty is a vertical farming startup that aims to make plants that taste so good, you’ll want to eat them over everything else.
Their facilities are HUGE, producing, well, plenty of food.
20 foot tall walls of Arugula. Need I say more?
Its farm in San Francisco can produce 1 million pounds of produce per year, while the farm being built in Compton will be a 95,000 square foot facility, also producing millions of pounds of food.
Even though it seems like this would leave a massive environmental footprint, it not only uses 1% to 5% of the water used to grow comparable crops on a traditional farm but also uses a fraction of the land. Not to mention, it’s all being run in a 100% renewable facility powered by a combination of wind and solar energy.
Farm.One
Rare Produce + Convenience = Farm.One
Farm.One is a New York underground vertical farm that grows rare produce for Michelin star restaurants, while being directly underneath them.
Farm.One’s main facility TriBeCa, under Atera, a two Michelin star restaurant.
They produce 500 different microgreens, edible flowers, and rare herbs year-round. This helps bring otherwise pretty inaccessible ingredients closer to home, all while maintaining freshness (#quality).
Why Vertical Farming?
Vertical Farming sounds scary to invest in. After all, why leap from the conventional system that you know has worked for years, to this, a whole new approach? But, there are many advantages:
By 2050, 80% of the world’s population is expected to live in urban areas, while food isn’t as accessible as we’ve grown used to it being. With this increased demand for food, not only from the actual growing population but from the population condensation means that vertical farming could make food easier-to-access.
Vertical farming allows us to produce more crops from the same square footage of growing area. In fact, 1 acre of an indoor area offers equivalent production to at least 4–6 acres of outdoor capacity, and this can still get monumentally higher. A facility in Japan is able to grow 100x more crops than the traditional farm.
We have a limited amount of fresh water on Earth, and conventional farming uses 70% of it. Vertical farming allows us to produce crops with 70–95 percent less water than traditional systems.
Crops in fields are vulnerable to storms, bugs, and other disasters, all things which are increasing as a result of climate change. Vertical Farms are protected from all of these things.
Since there are no bugs, vertical farming doesn’t require pesticides either. Special lighting provides the growth of nutritious, organic, pesticide-free crops.
Big equipment is controlled by robotics, and farmers don’t have to worry about receiving sicknesses or getting injured from machinery like on conventional farms.
Okay… that sounds great, but what are the downsides?
Now, vertical farming isn’t perfect, and there are definitely some downsides, the majority of them economical.
Vertical farming requires SUPER high amounts of energy. A hydroponic farm growing lettuce in Arizona would require 15,000 kJ of energy per kilogram of lettuce produced while a traditional outdoor lettuce farm in Arizona only requires 1100 kJ of energy per kilogram of lettuce grown.
Vertical farms have yet to overcome high upfront start-up costs. The initial building costs can exceed $100 million, for a 60-hectare vertical farm. This means it could take around approx. 6–7 years to pay back the start-up cost.
Vertical farming takes place in a controlled environment without the presence of insects, which means they don’t need pesticides. However, because of this, the pollination process needs to be done manually, which will be labor-intensive and costly.
Vertical farms have their weak spots, but, they also have so much potential. This is the future of farming.
With a growing population, and challenges like space flight on the rise, we’re going to need to invest in farming systems that are efficient and versatile, and this is precisely what vertical farming is.
It’s already making an impact, and it’s not long before it completely revolutionizes the way we approach our food.
🔑 Key Takeaways
Vertical farming is the process of growing food in vertically stacked layers. This allows more food per square meter to be grown.
Key components like Controlled Environment Agriculture and LED lighting make farms yield nutritious crops year round, regardless of outdoor weather conditions.
There are many vertical farming initiatives out there right now, which firms such as Square Roots, Farm.One, and Plenty changing the game.
Vertical farming has many advantages, such as being adaptive to a growing population, eliminating pesticides, and being available whenever, locally.
The biggest barriers to vertical farming right now are associated with large, upfront, energy costs.
👋 Hey! If you liked my article and would like to read more of my work, feel free to follow me on Medium! I’m also always thankful to hear feedback so, if you would like to get in contact with me (I don’t bite, shoot me a message!), connect with me on LinkedIn!
WRITTEN BY: Victoria Dmitruczyk
Tags: Vertical Farming Agtech Farming Agriculture Innovation
VIDEO: Takashi Nagao New CEO of Medicago
Medicago recently announced the start of Phase 2/3 clinical trial of its plant-derived VLP vaccine candidate for COVID-19 to evaluate its efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity, based on the positive Phase 1 results and subsequent allowance to advance to Phase 2/3 by the Canadian regulatory authorities
Medicago, a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Quebec City, Canada, today announced Takashi Nagao as the company’s new President and Chief Executive Officer. Prior to becoming President and CEO, Mr. Nagao served as the Chairman of the Board of Medicago, where for the last four years, he has guided Medicago executives to get the company to where it is today. The company is known for its plant-based vaccine technology.
"Medicago, a research and development company for the last 20 years, is embarking on a transformative year, one that will see the company build on its R&D roots to become a company that also produces and commercializes vaccines and other immunotherapies," they say. "Mr. Nagao has extensive experience leading pharmaceutical companies through the pre-commercial and commercial process and is well-positioned to ensure the successful launch of Medicago’s COVID-19 and influenza vaccines, subject to regulatory approvals. Mr. Nagao will continue Medicago’s evolution towards its goal of being a fully operational commercial entity, able to respond to the needs of the global public health community and medical authorities and professionals."
“Taking on this new role with Medicago during this exciting time is a great honor for me,” said Mr. Nagao, President, and Chief Executive Officer, Medicago. “I want our employees, investors, and stakeholders such as the Government of Canada to know that I will put all my efforts into seeing our COVID-19 and influenza vaccines through to a successful launch to protect as many people as possible.”
From 2007 to 2017, Mr. Nagao oversaw the establishment of Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation’s U.S. presence and led the team that successfully achieved NDA of RADICAVA®, the first FDA-approved drug in over 20 years for the patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Prior to that, Mr. Nagao was a Managing Director in investment banking at J.P. Morgan and Deutsche Bank where he was responsible for global clients and leading equity and cross-border M&A transactions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector in North America, Japan, and Europe. He has an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Mr. Nagao succeeds Dr. Bruce D. Clark, who held the position of President and CEO of Medicago since 2017 and was instrumental in the development of Medicago’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
Medicago recently announced the start of Phase 2/3 clinical trial of its plant-derived VLP vaccine candidate for COVID-19 to evaluate its efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity, based on the positive Phase 1 results and subsequent allowance to advance to Phase 2/3 by the Canadian regulatory authorities. The company is also building a new facility in Quebec to increase Canada’s domestic capacity for manufacturing vaccines, producing up to a billion doses annually.
“Medicago is at an inflection point. We are moving from a research and development focused organization to become a commercial entity supplying vaccines to Canadians and people around the world,” said Mr. Nagao.
For more information:
www.medicago.com
7 Dec 2020
Growing Crops Onsite Through Technology, While Fostering Holistic Wellness
Feeding America projects more than 50 million Americans will have faced hunger in 2020 – up from 35 million before the coronavirus pandemic. That is 1 in 6 people experiencing food insecurity this year, and food banks are struggling to keep up with demand
Feeding America projects more than 50 million Americans will have faced hunger in 2020 – up from 35 million before the coronavirus pandemic. That is 1 in 6 people experiencing food insecurity this year, and food banks are struggling to keep up with demand.
While dry goods can be extremely important at food banks, fresh produce like greens and vegetables are frequently lacking in the mix because they can be quick to spoil between long transport/donation times in getting to the pantry, often need refrigeration, and can be expensive.
Growing crops onsite
Below are 5 examples of nonprofits that are using hydroponic vertical container farms from Boston-based Freight Farms to grow fresh leafy greens and vegetables onsite to support the nutritional needs of their communities and supplement other pantry staples with just-harvested crops. Despite the cooling winter weather, these organizations are able to continue growing year-round. Crops are also produced with 0-5 gallons of water per day and are herbicide and pesticide-free.
Growing food to nurture bodies has also provided these organizations with the additional ability to unify communities and empower individuals through integrated therapeutic programming, hands-on skill-building, and nutritional education.
Lotus House: Miami, FL
Lotus House is a holistic women’s shelter that uses its Freight Farm to grow fresh, healthy greens for its community kitchen, which serves an average of 500 women and children every day. As of July 2020, Lotus estimates about $40,000 worth of fresh vegetables and greens have been produced in the farm.
The farm has also been an innovative after-school program for children, many of whom are accompanied by their mothers. This gives the staff the chance to teach nutrition while residents connect with the process of growing their own food. Prior to COVID, Lotus had also begun the development of a new job training program to teach teen and adult residents basic farming skills for paid jobs with local container farming community partners, like Hammock Greens, another Freight Farmer in Miami. It plans to turn its attention back to this when it is safe to do so.
San Antonio Clubhouse: San Antonio, TX
The Clubhouse supports adults with mental health conditions, giving more than 2,000 members a place where they can learn and grow through meaningful work. The Clubhouse also offers job training and helps members build a resume, search for employment, and advocate to potential employers.
The Clubhouses’ Freight Farm not only provides healthy greens for the facility year-round, but it is one of the ways members can volunteer to gain job experience. Any produce not used by San Antonio Clubhouse is donated to local nonprofits.
Boys & Girls Club of the Capital Region: Troy, NY
Last year, the greens from BGCCA’s Freight Farm became part of ~1,100 meals served per day at its locations. In safe times, the farm gives young people hands-on experience planting, growing, harvesting and selling fresh crops as part of the club's after-school programs.
Metro Caring: Denver, CO
Metro Caring meets people’s immediate need for nutritious food while building a movement to address the root causes of hunger. It is well-known for its free fresh food market.
Regarding the launch of its Freight Farm in collaboration with St. Joseph Hospital, Metro Caring’s chief gardener Jess Harper said, “Being able to grow fresh produce all year round, providing healthy local access to fresh greens and teaching people how to farm hydroponically, I think we’ve got a win all the way around.” The organization believes hunger is about more than lack of food, designing programs to include job training and to connect people to other support services and utility assistance.
Cass Community Social Services: Detroit, MI
Cass uses its Freight Farm to bring fresh food access and nutritional education to Detroit residents. The container farm enables them to grow crops year-round to supplement the community kitchen.
Additionally, the produce from the farm is sold locally to neighborhood restaurants to create a revenue stream that supports other initiatives.
“The greatest feature for us is the ability to have fresh, free, organic food all year long. Our food choices are as critical as our exercise habits in terms of health.”— Reverend Faith Fowler, Executive Director of Cass Community Social Services
For more information:
Freight Farms
www.freightfarms.com
December 1, 2020
USA: NEW YORK - Green Amazon A Smart Vertical Farming Company Is Making The Change For Feeding Communities In Need
Green Amazon is a sustainable smart agriculture company based in Buffalo, New York. The company uses different patented pending technologies in its projects
Green Amazon is a sustainable smart agriculture company based in Buffalo, New York. The company uses different patented pending technologies in its’s projects. Normally when we think about farms on the side of a road, we might imagine acres of land, crops, and livestock roaming on expanses of grass. Green Amazon farms will be different.
The Farms will be built on the east side of Buffalo, New York. The company is paving the way for a new method of farming – The company will provide necessary food and nutrients to communities in need while also reducing the burden on the earth’s natural resources and accounting for its changing weather patterns.
Green Amazon was founded in Finger lakes, New York by Dr. Walid Nosir, the company moved to Buffalo, New York to be closer to the people and community it serves.
The company plans to build the farms where the people are and think about how to be most efficient in that delivery. Green Amazon is trying to cut the shipping cost and distributions, so our selling partners, their warehouses, and their distribution facilities are within just miles. The idea that we’re literally in their backyard, we can really be collaborating closely on understanding what their needs are and be able to grow really efficiently.
Green Amazon seeks to improve food security and work towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (2015) of “No Hunger”. In the coming decades, increasing pressure on the global food supply and associated supply chains will require industry overhaul. The research team at Green Amazon believes a focus on using modern technologies in the products and their development of non-chemical fertilization and inadequate disposal or reuse of agricultural will result in a decrease of the negative environmental impacts induced by wastes.
Green Amazon Growth system will be movable and vertical. The farm’s growing room is specially regulated to minimize contamination and provide a stable, consistent environment for crops to grow. People who enter the room must wear lab coats, eye protection, gloves, and hairnets and even wipe their shoes on a disinfecting mat. Air curtains also help prevent unwanted contaminants from floating into the space. The farm also waters its crops with an aeroponics system.
PODCAST: Building A Sustainable Future By Falling In Love With The Solution, Not The Science
In this episode, Harry and John discuss John’s previous work at Bayer and Monsanto, which led to innovations and diverse technologies for important global crops. John opens up about the passion he has for sustainability, the respect he has for farmers, and his family ranching operation in Montana
Join Harry Duran as he welcomes to the show President and CEO of Unfold, Dr. John Purcell. John has dedicated his life to helping farmers safely and sustainably grow food using less of the earth’s natural resources. In his new role as President and CEO of Unfold Bio, John is continuing this same mission to improve the food ecosystem with more sustainable, fresher, and better-tasting fruits and vegetables.
In this episode, Harry and John discuss John’s previous work at Bayer and Monsanto, which led to innovations and diverse technologies for important global crops. John opens up about the passion he has for sustainability, the respect he has for farmers, and his family ranching operation in Montana.
VERTICAL FARMING PODCAST
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AppHarvest Hires CBRE’s Christopher Scott To Oversee Construction And Commissioning of New Indoor Farms
An Appalachian native, Scott comes to AppHarvest with decades of experience leading facility programs and business development for companies including CBRE, as well as information technology distribution companies Ingram Micro and BrightPoint
Appalachian Native’s Experience Includes Hundreds of Projects Across Multiple Countries
DECEMBER 9, 2020 — MOREHEAD, KENTUCKY — AppHarvest today announced the hiring of Christopher Scott as executive vice president and head of enterprise development. He will be responsible for overseeing the construction and commissioning of new facilities for the AgTech leader, which recently opened the first 30 of 60 acres of growing space at its flagship indoor farm in Morehead, Ky., that’s the equivalent of nearly 50 football fields.
An Appalachian native, Scott comes to AppHarvest with decades of experience leading facility programs and business development for companies including CBRE, as well as information technology distribution companies Ingram Micro and BrightPoint. He served in a variety of leadership roles over two decades for Ingram Micro and BrightPoint, which was acquired by Ingram Micro for $650 million in 2012. Scott has worked around the world overseeing the development and construction of buildings, including state-of- the-art fulfillment centers incorporating complex automation and technology solutions.
“This is a dream job for me, as AppHarvest is building some of the world’s largest indoor farms and utilizing cutting-edge technology in both construction and operations. As an Appalachian native, it’s incredible to see the impact the company is already making on both agriculture and the region,” Scott said.
Added AppHarvest Founder & CEO Jonathan Webb, “Christopher’s long-time focus on sustainability, including chairing BrightPoint’s sustainability program, demonstrates his commitment to our mission and values as we seek to redefine American agriculture.”
Scott joins AppHarvest from CBRE, where he served as director of professional services and business development. His prior work for Ingram Micro and BrightPoint also included overseeing the integration of multiple acquired companies.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Ball State University’s Miller College of Business.
At AppHarvest, Scott will be responsible for overseeing commissioning and construction of new facilities. The company in October opened the first 30 of 60 acres of growing space at its flagship farm in
Morehead, Ky. Construction is also underway on two additional facilities – a similar
60-plus acre facility outside Richmond, Ky., and a 15-acre facility to grow leafy greens in Berea, Ky.
How is AppHarvest different from traditional agriculture companies?
- The company’s controlled environment agriculture facilities are designed to reduce water usage by 90% due to unique circular irrigation systems connected with large-scale rainwater retention ponds. The system is designed to eliminate harmful agricultural runoff, which contributes to toxic algae blooms.
- AppHarvest farms are located in water-rich Central Appalachia in contrast to much of America’s vegetable production that is concentrated in Arizona and California, states that continue to confront water scarcity and climate disruptions.
- Strong relationships with leading AgTech universities and companies in the Netherlands position AppHarvest as a leading applied technology agriculture company. The Netherlands has developed a significant high-tech greenhouse industry, becoming the world’s second-largest agricultural exporter despite having a landmass roughly equal in size to Eastern Kentucky. Earlier this year, AppHarvest led a landmark 17-organization agreement uniting Dutch and Kentucky governments, universities, and private companies, with all committing to building America's AgTech capital from within Appalachia.
- AppHarvest puts the planet and people first as a registered Benefit Corporation and has also been certified as a B Corp by the nonprofit B Lab.
In just over two years, AppHarvest has attracted more than $150 million in investment into Central Appalachia and announced on September 29, 2020, its entry into a definitive agreement for a business combination with publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company Novus Capital Corporation (Nasdaq: NOVS). The combination, which is expected to close late in the fourth quarter of 2020 or early in the first quarter of 2021, is expected to provide $475 million of gross proceeds to the company, including $375 million from a fully committed common stock PIPE at $10.00 per share anchored by existing and new investors – including Fidelity Management & Research Company LLC, Inclusive Capital, and Novus Capital Corporation. Upon closing of the transaction, the combined company will be named AppHarvest and is expected to remain listed on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol APPH.
AppHarvest’s investors include Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, Inclusive Capital Partners, Equilibrium, Narya Capital, Lupa Systems, Breyer Capital, and Endeavor Catalyst. Endeavor selected AppHarvest Founder & CEO Jonathan Webb as an Endeavor Entrepreneur in 2019.
Board members include food icon Martha Stewart, Narya Capital Co-Founder, and Partner JD Vance, Impossible Foods Chief Financial Officer David Lee, and impact investor Jeff Ubben.
About AppHarvest
AppHarvest is an applied technology company building some of the world’s largest indoor farms in Appalachia. The Company combines conventional agricultural techniques with cutting-edge technology and is addressing key issues including improving access for all to nutritious food, farming more sustainably, building a home-grown food supply, and increasing investment in Appalachia. The Company’s 60-acre Morehead, KY facility is among the largest indoor farms in the U.S. For more information, visit https://www.appharvest.com/.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements included in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “should,” “would,” “plan,” “predict,” “potential,” “seem,” “seek,” “future,” “outlook,” and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. All statements, other than statements of present or historical fact included in this press release, regarding Novus Capital’s proposed acquisition of AppHarvest, Novus Capital’s ability to consummate the transaction, the benefits of the transaction and the combined company’s future financial performance, as well as the combined company’s growth plans and strategy, future operations, estimated financial position, estimated revenues and losses, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this press release, and on the current expectations of AppHarvest’s management and are not predictions of actual performance. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as, and must not be relied on as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction, or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of AppHarvest. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those discussed in Novus Capital’s registration statement on Form S-4, filed with the SEC on October 9, 2020 (the “Registration Statement”), under the heading “Risk Factors,” and other documents Novus Capital has filed, or will file, with the SEC. If any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect AppHarvest’s expectations, plans, or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this press release. AppHarvest anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause its assessments to change. However, while AppHarvest may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, AppHarvest specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing AppHarvest’s assessments of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements.
Important Information for Investors and Stockholders
In connection with the proposed transaction, Novus Capital has filed the Registration Statement with the SEC, which includes a preliminary proxy statement to be distributed to holders of Novus Capital’s common stock in connection with Novus Capital’s solicitation of proxies for the vote by Novus Capital’s stockholders with respect to the proposed transaction and other matters as described in the Registration Statement, as well as the prospectus relating to the offer of securities to be issued to AppHarvest’s stockholders in connection with the proposed transaction. After the Registration Statement has been declared effective, Novus Capital will mail a definitive proxy statement, when available, to its stockholders. Investors and security holders and other interested parties are urged to read the proxy statement/prospectus, any amendments thereto, and any other documents filed with the SEC carefully and in their entirety when they become available because they will contain important information about Novus Capital, AppHarvest and the proposed transaction. Investors and security holders may obtain free copies of the preliminary proxy statement/prospectus and definitive proxy statement/prospectus (when available) and other documents filed with the SEC by Novus Capital through the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov, or by directing a request to Novus Capital Corporation, 8556 Oakmont Lane, Indianapolis, IN 46260. The information contained on, or that may be accessed through, the websites referenced in this press release is not incorporated by reference into, and is not a part of, this press release.
Participants in the Solicitation
Novus Capital and its directors and officers may be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies of Novus Capital’s shareholders in connection with the proposed business combination. Security holders may obtain more detailed information regarding the names, affiliations, and interests of certain of Novus Capital’s executive officers and directors in the solicitation by reading the Registration Statement and other relevant materials filed with the SEC in connection with the business combination when they become available. Information concerning the interests of Novus Capital’s participants in the solicitation, which may, in some cases, be different than those of their stockholders generally, is set forth in the Registration Statement.
Autogrow Officially Launches European Office With The Appointment of James Croy
With over 15 years’ experience in the agricultural sector, James is looking forward to introducing cutting-edge technology to one of the largest exporting areas in the world
8 December 2020: Netherlands based James Croy has joined Autogrow to support the growth of their digital solutions, Folium, and FarmRoad, in the region. With over 15 years’ experience in the agricultural sector, James is looking forward to introducing cutting-edge technology to one of the largest exporting areas in the world.
“There’s a tangible shift in the mindset of growers here in Europe who understand the importance of capturing data and how it can be used for improving operations. It’s not just the younger generation but growers of all ages, crops and business sizes,” explains James.
“The way crops are managed today is through visual inspection and judgement based on varying degrees of grower knowledge and experience. Data allows for more advanced analytics and understanding of what is driving physiological responses in the plant.”
One of the unique things about James is he also happens to be a New Zealander.
“I left New Zealand in 2006 and was based in London for a time before moving to the Netherlands in 2009. 11 years and three children later, I am firmly embedded in the culture and the environment of the region and love being in such a historically significant and accessible location.”
“It’s ironic how I moved over 18,000 kilometers away from New Zealand and now find myself working for a New Zealand headquartered company again. It’s also great to be representing such great solutions and a business that invests in products that continuously develop in line with the evolving market.”
James will be the key contact for any customers based in Europe interested in FarmRoad and Folium. To contact James – james.croy@farmroad.io
For more information on Folium Network Sensor - https://autogrow.com/products/folium
For more information on FarmRoad - https://www.farmroad.io
MEDIA QUERIES
Kylie Horomia, Head of Brand & Communications
(e) Kylie.horomia@autogrow.com
(w) www.autogrow.com www.farmroad.io
Sales queries – sales@farmroad.io
About Autogrow
Autogrow leverages the power of technology, data science, and plant biology to provide indoor growers affordable, accessible, and easy-to-use innovation – 24/7, anywhere in the world.
Our hardware, software, and data solutions support growers and resellers in over 40 countries producing over 100 different crop types.
We are the experts in Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) and continue to stay ahead of a rapidly evolving landscape.
Autogrow, Building 3, Level 1, 61 Constellation Drive, Mairangi Bay, Auckland, Auckland 0632, New Zealand
US: NEW YORK: Wall-To-Fork Fresh Produce Comes To Monsey
The iconic Evergreen Market is debuting a revolutionary 20-foot high geoponic (soil-based) wall farm that lets customers not only choose clean, fresh-picked produce but also see exactly where it comes from
NEW VERTICAL FIELD URBAN FARM SYSTEM AT EVERGREEN MARKET MEANS TASTY, HEALTHY AND BUG-FREE SUSTAINABLE PRODUCE 365 DAYS A YEAR
[Monsey, NY, DEC 9, 2020] – The world of freshly harvested greens and herbs is looking up – literally – in Monsey, NY. The iconic Evergreen Market is debuting a revolutionary 20-foot high geoponic (soil-based) wall farm that lets customers not only choose clean, fresh-picked produce but also see exactly where it comes from.
The pesticide-free lettuce, kale, arugula, basil, and cilantro from Evergreen’s on-site farm are sold at competitive prices in individual pots, making the “buying local” experience more convenient than ever. Pesticide-free and grown in soil that is never exposed to bugs, all products are Star-K Kosher Certified for purity.
“We are gratified to be the first kosher supermarket in the country to introduce the Vertical farm,” said Malki Levine of Evergreen. “Our customers are very much looking forward to buying fresh produce that is grown in our own backyard rather than being transported on long hauls from farms across the country. They will also appreciate the significantly reduced level of infestation, a major concern of kosher consumers.”
Shoppers can visit the thriving vertical farm when they visit the store. The state-of-the-art system features a controlled, sterile environment with soil beds containing a proprietary mix of minerals and nutrients. Advanced sensors constantly monitor, irrigate, and fertilize the crops throughout every growth stage.
Evergreen’s wall farm is the latest installation from Vertical Field (www.verticalfield.com), an Israeli ag-tech company that produces innovative vertical agricultural solutions that help the environment, improve human health conditions, and make fresh, delicious produce available all year round.
Geoponic (soil-based) vertical farming yields a new crop every few days, ensuring that fresh greens and herbs will always be in season in Monsey. The sustainable and eco-friendly method produces cleaner, healthier, tastier veggies than those shipped from miles away. And, reduced soil-to-plate time means a longer shelf life and fewer hands involved – a welcome benefit in the age of Covid-19.
“We are extremely excited with the partnership with Evergreen,” said Guy Elitzur, the CEO of Vertical Field. “They are precisely the type of supermarket that has the right customer base and will successfully integrate the latest technological advances in geoponic farming.”
About Vertical Field: Vertical Field is a leading ag-tech provider of vertical farming and active landscaping 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 plant-based solutions 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. Vertical Field is currently also on-site at Farmers And Chefs Restaurant in Poughkeepsie, NY, supplying fresh greens for the Chef's creative, locally-sourced menu.
About Evergreen: Located in Town Square in the heart of Monsey, NY, Evergreen is 30,000 square feet of grocery, butcher, bakery, health food, fish, produce, sushi, full-service deli & prepared foods. The store provides wide aisles, huge product selection & competitive prices. Evergreen is a shopping destination that combines the friendliness of a neighborhood grocery with the value and convenience of a state-of-the-art specialty supermarket. Evergreen also has a similar store in Lakewood, NJ, and will soon be opening its third major market in Pomona NY.
US: NORTH CAROLINA: Bourgeois Lettuce: New Microgreens And Hydroponic Farm Opens on Castle Street
Randall Rhyne has installed 90 8-foot hydroponic growing systems in his Castle Street shop, CraftGrown Farms. (Port City Daily/Shea Carver)
By Shea Carver
December 6, 2020
Randall Rhyne has installed 90 8-foot hydroponic growing systems in his Castle Street shop, CraftGrown Farms. (Port City Daily/Shea Carver)
WILMINGTON — “People never believe lettuce has a flavor,” Randall Rhyne said as he walked through his shop, CraftGrown Farms, on Castle Street.
Located where Aluna Works used to be (603 Castle St.), the microgreens and hydroponic farm is a modern twist on producing healthy, homegrown greens.
“What do you think spicy is?” he asked.
He handed over a handful of what he calls “painkiller.” The microgreens’ unassuming little leaves and stems tasted rather sweet at the start, but with each chew, lit up the entire mouth and tongue.
“But it fades quickly, doesn’t it?” Rhyne inquired.
The heat, in fact, didn’t last long.
He handed over a sunflower leaf — what he called a “palate cleanser.” Just like that, a blank slate on the tongue was prepped for a new flavor.
Microgreens and lettuce tastings are open to the public daily at Rhyne’s indoor farm, which is outfitted with 90, 8-foot, hydroponic LED strips, and multiple mini-greenhouse systems.
Rhyne is growing various microgreens, including but not limited to broccoli, cilantro, kale, collards, spinach, anise, basil, plus multitudes of lettuce — arugula, endive, fin star (a hybrid of romaine and iceberg), tatsoi (a mustardy Asian lettuce), Swiss chard, skyphos (red butter) and Muir (sweet green lettuce), among others.
“I seeded these on the 28th,” he said, pointing to small stems of greens that actually looked like tiny enoki mushrooms. “They’ll be ready for sale in two or three days.”
Rhyne is growing multiple varieties of lettuce that stay crisp and are nutrient dense with more flavor than normal lettuce. (Port City Daily/Shea Carver)
“What can I say? I like bourgie lettuce.”
Rhyne’s love for microgreens started a few years ago while he was deployed in Iraq and then Syria.
A staff sergeant for the Army Reserves, while on assignment Rhyne kept in touch with his neighbor, retired veteran Jason O’Connor, via social media. Back home in Richmond, Virginia, before Rhyne was deployed, they had begun growing their own gardens of fresh food.
While forced to eat the same 12 MREs day in, day out when deployed, Rhyne said having access to fresh, healthy vegetables never seemed more desirable. A friend told him to look into growing microgreens when he returned. He did.
By 2019, Rhyne and O’Connor started their own healthy homegrown food business, Two Veterans Farm. They grew microgreens in O’Connor’s garage, and Rhyne bought a ½ acre of land for them to build a 55-foot-by-25-foot greenhouse to grow tomatoes and other vegetables. Plus, they tilled another small portion of the rectangular land for root vegetables.
They sold their wares at the local farmers market and started a subscription veggie box. The box included homegrown microgreens, leafy lettuces, and root vegetables. It was a modest business at first, but once Covid-19 hit, it exploded.
“We went from eight customers to 28 in two days,” Rhyne said.
The problem then shifted to making sure they had enough product to keep boxes filled as their customer base kept growing through the pandemic. Yet, they didn’t have enough product planted.
“And you can’t sit there and say to a plant, ‘Grow faster,’” Rhyne quipped.
The two partners had different ideas on where they wanted to take the business. Rhyne wanted to grow larger quantities of the same crops to fill boxes, especially since the subscription side of the business was bringing in $2,000 every couple of weeks. But he said O’Connor wanted higher diversity of smaller batches of crops.
When they couldn’t come to an agreement, Rhyne decided to branch out into the niche market of microgreens and hydroponic lettuces.
“I just don’t like being a dirt farmer or farming outside,” he said. “What can I say? I like bourgie lettuce.”
He made the decision to move to Wilmington in June to launch his idea. The space on Castle St. already was outfitted with indoor drainage and a cooler perfect for running CraftGrown Farms.
Rhyne has created a near-perfect growing environment, so his plants have optimum flavor profiles and rich nutrient density.
Take broccoli, for example. He doesn’t allow the plants to grow beyond an inch or so out of the soilless jute mats (a wood-pulp byproduct that’s 100% compostable) before cutting them. It gives the plants 40% more nutrients than if allowing broccoli to grow to its full floret.
“A seed is the plant analogy of an egg,” said Rhyne, who also used to be a biology and earth, science teacher. “From an egg, you get feathers, bones, and the whole organ system of a chicken. A seed is the same: You’re getting the most nutrients when the plants are young.”
All microgreens grow on the jute mats, while lettuces and herbs grow in the hydroponic system. Basically, hydroponics allows Rhyne to grow vegetables without dirt. Plus, he doesn’t have to worry about outdoor environments that affect the growth: bugs, deer, weather, hours of daylight, pH of the soil, among other factors.
“The roots are where water takes up nutrients, leaves are where gas exchange occurs, and light is photosynthesis, what powers the whole process,” he explained.
He turns on the LED lights from 10 p.m. until 7 a.m. every day, and the system constantly provides a drip to the plants in their infancy from a sump pump that recycles and cleans the water through a UV filter.
“Water is a vector for the nutrients to get into the plant,” he said. “All I’m doing is providing support structure: water drips down the LED strips, roots have access to the water, with plenty of oxygen, fans are blowing on them to keep air moving, so they can transpire, and C02 can get taken in and oxygen can get pushed out.”
“I control it all,” Rhyne added.
Rhyne cuts off the process before the plant’s flower, as to not change the way they taste.
“Once lettuce bolts, it goes sour, bitter, and nasty,” he said.
Rhyne is growing microgreens aplenty, including carrot, broccoli, anise, basil, arugula, tatsoi, and other varieties. (Port City Daily/Shea Carver)
Growing the business
The lettuce, herbs, and microgreens have become popular already among restaurateurs in town. Rhyne is selling basil, tastoi, kale, arugula, and other lettuces to chefs at Floriana’s, Pinpoint, and Trucks in Wilmington. He’s currently growing 80 endive plants for The Chef and the Frog in Whiteville.
He wants to build his restaurant clientele, as well as draw in more foot traffic from the public. The public is welcome into the shop during operating hours for a taste tour, and to purchase the lettuce and greens first-hand. He sells microgreens for $3 per ounce and lettuce for $4 a head.
Rhyne will even take requests to specialize a customer’s order. If they want pea shoots, he’ll make it happen. A special blend of seeds? He can work on that, too.
With every plant bought, Rhyne arms customers with instructions on how to keep the plants for longer use.
“A lady in Virginia had a head of lettuce that lasted five months and never went bad,” he stated. “She used two leaves a day for her husband’s sandwich. My lettuce tends to stay very pretty. If you keep it the way I tell you to, you will eat it before it has a chance to go bad.”
Rhyne is hoping to team up with his Castle Street neighbor John Willse at Wilmington Wine to do events soon.
“John and I are putting together a tasting,” he explained. “Wines with microgreens and maybe get Daniel from Floriana’s to come and make a meal.”
Though CraftGrown Farms technically opened in July, Rhyne didn’t produce growth to sell until September — October is when the business began to turn sales. A subscription box will be folded into the mix soon enough.
Rhyne is toying around with adding gourmet rainbow carrots and baby beets, maybe a French Breakfast radish. “The flavor of a young beet is ridiculously wonderful,” he praised. Still, he doesn’t foresee going into full vegetable production.
Though he will evolve his herb menu. Rhyne is considering growing varieties of thyme and mint that restaurants and bars could use.
“I’m even growing a dessert microgreen,” he said.
He cut a small snippet of bronze fennel and lemon balm.
“I think this would be great with ice cream,” he said. “But I had a new customer come in yesterday, tasted it, and launched into a 20-minute list of everything it would be great with. That’s the fun part of the job.”
CraftGrown Farms is open Monday through Friday, noon – 6 p.m., and Saturdays, 2 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Rhyne has installed 90 8-foot hydroponic growing systems in his Castle Street shop, CraftGrown Farms. (Port City Daily/Shea Carver)
Lettuces run the gamut of flavor, from sweet and buttery to bitter and spicy, at CraftGrown Farms. (Port City Daily/Shea Carver)
Newly sprouted microgreens, grown on a jute mat, maintain 40% of their nutrients and pop with flavor. (Port City Daily/Shea Carver)
Rhyne is growing carrot, broccoli, anise, basil, arugula, tatsoi and other microgreen varieties. (Port City Daily/Shea Carver)
Folks can walk in off the street to CraftGrown Farms and enjoy a tasting of the various microgreens and lettuces that Rhyne grows. (Port City Daily/Shea Carver)