Welcome to iGrow News, Your Source for the World of Indoor Vertical Farming
2020 Shone A New Light On The Need For Container Farming
For us here at Freight Farms, the COVID-19 pandemic became a pivotal moment
Even A Pandemic Couldn’t Stop Us!
When the COVID-19 pandemic came to a head in March, we all felt a deep sense of trepidation. At the time, the future looked beyond bleak. We were all at the forefront of a completely new experience and it was up to us to figure out how to stay safe and continue to thrive in the ‘new normal’ world. For us here at Freight Farms, the COVID-19 pandemic became a pivotal moment. Would people still care about their source of food in the midst of a health crisis? Would individuals be looking to shift careers and lifestyles during such uncertainty?
The answer came right away: yes. The pandemic shone a spotlight on the key flaws within our food system and the need for a workplace revolution. We saw a tremendous growth of interest from people looking to make a positive and needed impact on their communities. We reflect on the year with immense gratitude for our community of farmers that continue to help us address pressing issues of sustainability and food security–we can’t wait to see all we can accomplish together in 2021!
The Business Of Vertical Farming: What It Is And What It Isn’t
It’s definitely the future of agriculture but it’s also an opportunity for people to choose where they fit in and where they can make their most meaningful and important contribution
“Vertical farming is a tremendous opportunity,” says Glenn Behrman, founder and President of CEA Advisors, consultants and advisors to the global vertical farming industry and a 50-year veteran of the horticulture industry. It’s definitely the future of agriculture but it’s also an opportunity for people to choose where they fit in and where they can make their most meaningful and important contribution”.
Over the years, CEA Advisors has provided services for the development of indoor farming projects locally and internationally. They’ve worked on projects for growers, investors, universities, schools, food processors, vertical farm developers, pharmaceutical manufacturers and government agencies.
Fundraising business model
According to Glenn, many people enter the market without really doing their homework. They want to be in vertical farming, but they don’t know that there are many different industry entry points that are available that can really satisfy their interests. No questions are asked, no networking is done, and they do not drill down to a deeper level to see where their interest really is.
“Today, I see that many are only motivated with raising money but funding is not a business model. If money is your main motivation, you’re probably going to fail. There’s too much of a focus on raising money and not enough focus on making money. I believe a business should be cash flow positive, but we also need to be innovating and improving, not marketing concept systems to investors. New growers should first consider where they can make a difference in the market," says Glenn.
‘Go out there and start networking’
This highlights another big issue with vertical farming. According to Glenn, people don’t realize the relationship between the start-up vertical farmer and end-user, which is unbelievably important but fragile at the same time. A new farm cannot expect for institutional buyers to place orders just because they exist. When wanting to sell to retailers, Glenn says that it’s very unlikely for them to switch suppliers after being in business with them for many years. “Many growers overestimate their marketing capabilities because they don’t think the whole operational process out. The same problem with receivables, make sure you put away enough money to finance your receivables."
Glenn Behrmann
Glenn advises starting growers to first get involved with vertical farming by doing a lot of research. “Meaning, not only on the internet but go out there and talk to growers, visit farms, talk to produce buyers, restaurants and other end-users and get to know the industry. Get out in the field, visit trade shows, they’re thought-provoking, get active and do some networking. I also advise people to become a part of farming, grow things at home and get a better idea of what it’s all about. Then start focusing on the systems, machinery and equipment. But remember all growers need to look at the end result: the product.
Finding a balance
Every component, says Glenn, from seeds to sales involves many different processes. Every single process, every single link in the chain has room for improvement. “There are discussions about achieving a maximum yield in a sustainable manner. What isn’t realized is that maximum yield doesn’t only mean how much basil is grown in a specific time period, but it also dictates how less input should generate more output. Costs that are not controlled can render the most innovative system completely unsustainable.
It’s like an Excel spreadsheet, says Glenn. “Take every variable that goes into growing a crop, then continue to tweak, improve and change. At some point growers need to come up with the optimum result.” Glenn says that some might have the right component but not be in balance. Therefore, growers need to be always aware of all processes and keep them in balance. Too much light, too little light, wrong PH, bad air circulation, wrong fertilizer mix, high labor costs, wrong crop, humidity too high or too low? All need to be in balance to achieve success.
Don’t be afraid to ask
Glenn has more than 50 years of industry experience with a broad view of the market. “I don’t let myself get stuck in a corner, because I’m not afraid to ask when I don’t know or I’m not sure. During my early career in the foliage business, I asked a million questions, I watched how things were done, I took advice, I was like a sponge soaking up knowledge from those that came before me. Although I’ve been laser-focused on Vertical Farming for the past ten years, my attitude about acquiring knowledge hasn’t changed. Be curious and ask a lot of questions!"
“Nowadays, I see a lack of curiosity and a lot of over-confidence. Vertical farming needs to be taken one step at a time, meaning you cannot graduate college on the first day of high school, it’s a journey. Going into business is a risk and then there are more risks every day. Growers need to evaluate where they want to be in this equation. Nobody today promotes their vertical farming project as an R&D opportunity, but rather as the game-changing food supply of the future. The truth is with a technology that is constantly evolving, every single vertical farm operating today is still a work in progress."
Inside the Growtainer®
In addition to consulting and advising vertical farming CEA Advisors designs and builds custom Growtainers. “Each build is always interesting and challenging as they’re always built for a specific unique use and objective,” Glenn states. “I don’t believe that one size fits all in container farming and I don’t believe that plants were meant to grow sideways.
However, it is obvious that technology is constantly evolving and improving and each Growtainer must always provide what the end-user needs, whether it is for research or food production etc. Every unit must always be optimized. But Growtainers are technology-based and the end-user is always the most important part of the equation. And whether production takes place in a Growtainer or a Vertical Farm, it is always about balance.
For more information:
CEA Advisors LLC
Glenn Behrman, Founder and President
gb@cea-advisors.com
www.cea-advisors.com
Author: Rebekka Boekhout
© VerticalFarmDaily.com
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US: KENTUCKY: Breathitt Students Join AgTech Farming, Will Feed The Community
The retrofitted shipping container will serve as a hands-on agricultural classroom for students at Breathitt High School, allowing them to grow and provide fresh leafy greens to their classmates and those in need in and around Jackson
By Steve Rogers
January 15, 2021
JACKSON, Ky. (WTVQ) — AppHarvest and the United States Department of Agriculture announced the expansion of the company’s educational high-tech container farm
program for Eastern Kentucky high school students, unveiling a new container farm unit at Breathitt High School in Jackson.
The program demonstrates the company’s ongoing commitment to fostering interest in high-tech farming, as it seeks to create America’s AgTech capital from within Appalachia.
The retrofitted shipping container will serve as a hands-on agricultural classroom for students at Breathitt High School, allowing them to grow and provide fresh leafy greens to their classmates and those in need in and around Jackson.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture provided the majority of funding for the unit through its Community Facilities grants program.
The educational container farm’s arrival was formally celebrated Friday, Jan. 15, with U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development State Director Hilda Legg and Appalachian Regional Commission Federal Co-Chairman Tim Thomas among those attending.
Attendees toured the container farm and learned about its high-tech tools.
“This amazing project will not only put fresh vegetables on the table, but, more importantly, it will teach tomorrow’s agribusiness leaders — and do all of that right here in Eastern Kentucky,” Legg said. “This public-private partnership is exactly what we need more of, and I’m proud to have been a part of it.”
The container farm is 2,880 cubic feet, weighs 7.5 tons and includes space to grow up to 4,608 seedlings and 8,800 mature plants all at once using 440 vertical crop columns. The container’s unique design utilizes cutting-edge LED lighting and closed-loop irrigation systems to allow students to grow far more than traditional open-field agriculture.
For instance, they can grow up to 940 full heads of lettuce, or 1,570 miniature heads, per week, as part of a single crop.
“We are excited to partner with the USDA and AppHarvest to bring a new container farm to our students and community members of Breathitt County,” said Breathitt County Schools Superintendent Phillip Watts. “Our goal is to teach the students how to grow fresh vegetables and support the local food supply. The inspiration, excitement and innovation that AppHarvest brings to Eastern Kentucky is a blessing for our region.”
Breathitt High School Agriculture Educator Taylor Masters teaches more than 200 students, who will utilize the container farm as part of their studies. “Our students will now be able to work hands-on yearround and the food they grow will help our community in addressing food deserts,” she said.
The Breathitt County container farm joins AppHarvest’s inaugural container farm serving Pike County’s Shelby Valley High School students and its second unit at Rowan County Senior High School.
All three containers are part of AppHarvest’s high school AgTech program, which provides Kentucky students with hands-on experience growing leafy greens and other nutritious foods in a high-tech environment.
Leafy greens from the inaugural Shelby Valley High School program have fed the surrounding community through a backpack program and donations to a food pantry.
A similar food distribution program is planned for the Breathitt County container farm.
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.
2020’s Indoor Farm Venture Capital Bonanza
"The industry raised US$565mm in 2020. This figure excludes several notable rounds where the amounts raised were not publicly disclosed," says Nicola Kerslake, CEO of Contain
In the face of a dismal year, indoor agriculture saw record fundraising from venture capital and other private investors in 2020. "The industry raised US$565mm in 2020. This figure excludes several notable rounds where the amounts raised were not publicly disclosed," says Nicola Kerslake, CEO of Contain.
"New Jersey-based vertical farmer AeroFarms was one of four recipients of funding from the Abu Dhabi Investment Office for its Dubai farm. Late in the year, automated vertical farmer 80 Acres raised a round from British bank Barclays. Elsewhere, at-home kit provider Back to the Roots added a prominent Saudi sustainable ag supporter to its existing investor list for an October 2020 round. Even without these rounds, 2020’s total was up nearly 50% on 2019 and represents a record for the industry, besting 2017’s US$391mm," states Nicola.
Credits: Contain
According to Nicola, vertical and greenhouse farms again represented the bulk of funding, thanks to large rounds from majors such as Bright Farms (US$100mm), Gotham Greens (US$87mm), InFarm (US$170mm), and Plenty Ag (US$140mm). Outside of this, a notable trend was that industry suppliers are now beginning to interest investors. For instance, greenhouse computer vision tech provider iUNU raised a $7mm round led by frequent agriculture investors S2G Ventures and Ceres Partners. Contain Inc, the fintech platform that I lead, has itself been a part of this trend, raising a funding round from the US and European investors at the tail end of 2020.
"This resurgence can be traced to several factors. Most important is the lure of all manner of sustainable agriculture in a world where everyone seemed to become food-obsessed during lockdowns. Increasing industry participation from large produce buyers has also played a part, as they’re seen as an indication of the industry’s viability by venture capital investors," Nicola adds.
In addition, venture capital funds are typically thematic investors, and COVID rendered several of these themes obsolete and encouraged venture capitalists to pivot to new ones. "For example, some parts of the ultra-hot sharing economy theme that spawned companies like Uber suddenly look less alluring when consumers are loath to share space. Meanwhile, themes around health and wellness became far more attractive, benefiting adjacent industries such as indoor agriculture," Nicola affirms.
Credits: Contain
"Going forward, venture capital funds still have plenty of dry powder for investment, after a healthy fundraising environment for them in 2020", says Nicola. Industry researcher PitchBook says that funds raised by venture capital firms rose by nearly a quarter over 2019 levels.[1] The year’s strong IPO (stock market listing) market helped, with tech favourites like AirBNB and DoorDash going public. Indoor agriculture remains a minority sport for investors, 2020’s record haul represents less than that raised in the year by stock trading app Robinhood alone. Nicola adds: "Given this, it’s perfectly possible that we may see another record-breaking year for indoor agriculture in 2021."
For more information:
Contain
nicola@contain.ag
www.contain.ag
5 Jan 2021
Author: ebekka Boekhout
© VRerticalFarmDaily.com
Container Farm With Carousel Systems Doubles Yield
Aeroponics and vertical farming are not new. The rotating system is. For this unique system that has emerged from the collaboration patent is pending
At the food bank in Maassluis, in the Netherlands, they eat very special lettuce these days. Remarkable in taste and cultivation. Below, Vincent and Chris van der Gaag of Urban Agrotech and Boris Prins of Fixum Solutions explain the story. The men developed a container farm with a unique rotating system. For three years, the project was kept a secret, but this month The Plant Factory became public.
"After a while, we could no longer distribute the entire yield among our family and friends," says Chris. As a greenhouse builder with extensive experience in the industry he and his son, who has a background in engineering, came up with the idea a few years ago to 'do something new'.
Chris and Vincent van der Gaag of Urban Agrotech and Boris Prins of Fixum Solutions in front of the 12-meter-long container farm.
Proven concept
A container was bought and experimenting could begin. Vincent: "We did a lot of trials and tried different setups. All possible plugs and fertilizers were covered, but finally, after three years, we have a proven concept. It is a unique concept that allows us to double the yield compared to the usual container farms on the market.”
Here is where Boris comes in. He joined father and son Van der Gaag to also think about and contribute to the container farm. In collaboration with Brent van Paassen of Van Paassen Techniek, it resulted in a pneumatic-driven system where lettuce and herbs make a lap through the container according to a first-in, first-out principle. This while the lettuce and herbs grow in self-developed vertical cultivation towers in which a fertilizer mist is sprayed onto the roots. "This aeroponic way of cultivating means that the roots of the plants can absorb the fertilizers better, partly due to the increased oxygen content," says Vincent.
Boris and Vincent in the demonstration container, in which only one rotating system is built so visitors can see how it works.
Patent pending
Aeroponics and vertical farming are not new. The rotating system is. For this unique system that has emerged from the collaboration, the patent is pending. But all the other parts of the container are also well thought out. Vincent: “We work with an air handling unit that can handle up to 3,000 cubic meters per hour. As a result, the total air content of the 12-meter container is circulated every 90 seconds. The water that evaporates in the container is stored. For the on average 6,000 plants in the container, only 30 to 40 liters of water needs to be added every day."
Energy consumption is also as low as possible. The LED light spectrum bulbs, with which the container is equipped, contribute to the lower consumption. “Due to the high quality of the lighting, we have noticed that we need fewer micromoles than is normally applied to lettuce. This means that we need fewer lamps, of which we do not need to cool their heat."
Beautiful white roots, that's what growers like to see. Automatic control of the fertilizer and irrigation unit helps to achieve this. EC and PH sensors determine the quantity of fertilizer in the irrigation water. A second reading checks the first reading, after which an alarm may be triggered if abnormal values are detected.
Steady climate
It is also striking that the climate is almost the same throughout the cell. That's not always the case, Vincent knows. "Temperature differences are often a problem in vertical farming. Because we have 0.3 meters per second of air circulation and we inject the air between the plants, the temperature between the lower and upper cell only varies by 0.2 degrees Celsius. That's very little.”
The men admit that they don't have green thumbs. Yet the container farm has spectacular yields. "We started working together with cultivation specialist Ton Enthoven. He is a highly-valued colleague and has contributed a great deal to the development of the technical aspect of the container farm. All this to make sure the plants get exactly what they need.
The photo on the right: the lettuce grows in vertical cultivation towers, so the picture is projected correctly
“The dill and basil we grow in the container have a very intense taste and could be kept in a fridge for a long time.” That basil is also successful is not self-evident. It's difficult to cultivate basil. "After many trials, we selected lettuce and herbs that can be grown together in a single container with the current configurations. These are butterhead lettuce, lollo bionda, incised lettuce, parsley (flat-leaf and curly), basil, coriander, mint, dill, and celery. In the meantime, we continue experimenting with other crops to expand the product range.”
Convenience
Even two products with different growing cycles from that list can be grown in the container at the same time. Boris: “This is possible because the container is equipped with two rotating carousels. There is also no path in the middle, so as many plants as possible fit in the container.” Vincent adds: "In the container a small space is reserved for the technical equipment and as workspace. Here the plants are bred, planted, harvested and processed, all on about 4m2.”
They target growers that have little to no experience. "The container should make it easy for growers. The system is nearly plug & play. Growers should not have to worry about it. As long as they take care of sowing, harvesting, packaging, and filling the fertilizer drums, and cleaning the growing towers. For one person, that's 3.5 hours of daily labor."
Not in the picture, but the climate unit is behind the container. The climate unit is still quite big, but the men know that it can be a lot smaller. New containers will be fitted with those smaller ones. It further reduces energy consumption and gives more space.
Potential customers
The first container is owned by Ton in Belgium. He's busy testing new crops. Urban Agrotech installs the container and provides a two-day start-up support. There will probably be a lot of demand for the containers from restaurants, supermarkets, in remote areas with difficult cultivation climates or on ships. Chris: "A container ship can take up to 12 weeks to go from Rotterdam to Australia. If you have a container farm on the boat, you will have fresh food every day without too much hassle. We have been doing the same. Good to see, after years of development behind closed doors.”
For more information:
Urban Agrotech
Oud Camp 4b
3155DL Maasland
The Netherlands
www.urban-agrotech.com
info@urban-agrotech.com
+31 (0) 638 256 400
Fixum Solutions
Westlandseweg 11
2291 PG Wateringen
The Netherlands
www.fixumsolutions.nl
info@fixumsolutions.nl
18 Dec 2020
© HortiDaily.com / Contact
VIDEO: Things Are Still Blossoming On Fifth Avenue
David Litvin, Crop specialist at 80 Acres Farms, hasn't stopped growing cherry tomatoes since the pandemic. Earlier this year, the container farm was installed outside the Guggenheim museum, as a part of the 'Countryside' exposition
It's quiet and silent in the City, like never before. There are no people to be seen on the streets. Restaurants, bars, and shops are closed. The grimness has replaced the former liveliness. Walking around the corner at Fifth, something's glowing in the darkness. When approaching nearer, there are many blossoming cherry tomatoes to be found.
David Litvin, Crop specialist at 80 Acres Farms, hasn't stopped growing cherry tomatoes since the pandemic. Earlier this year, the container farm was installed outside the Guggenheim museum, as a part of the 'Countryside' exposition. The exhibition aimed to emphasize the importance of the countryside and show possible solutions that are decisive for the future of our planet.
Have a look at the video below to see what David's daily visit to the farm looks like.
For more information:
80 Acres Farms
www.80acresfarms.com
Publication date: Mon 14 Dec 2020
Author: Rebekka Boekhout
© VerticalFarmDaily.com
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
Colorado Students Become Virtual Farmers During Pandemic
Students at a Douglas County high school are learning COVID-era business skills using a freight container converted into a high-tech hydroponic vertical farm as their virtual classroom
December 3, 2020
HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. -- Students at a Douglas County high school are learning COVID-era business skills using a freight container converted into a high-tech hydroponic vertical farm as their virtual classroom.
After Mountain Vista High School recently switched to remote learning, students and teachers had to completely reorganize the farm's workflows and lesson plans.
David Larsen, agriculture business teacher and farms manager at Mountain Vista High School, said while some students may go on to pursue biology or horticulture, skills learned during the pandemic should transfer to any field.
"Most of these kids are not going to actually be farmers," Larsen admitted. "But they all will have jobs in which they have to troubleshoot, scheduling, logistics, it all comes into play. And the goal I always have with students is to, as much as possible, involve them in that decision-making."
With kids unable to be physically inside the farm to seed, plant, tend, harvest, package and sell crops, Larsen live streams, and records every lesson.
Supply-chain disruption during the pandemic drove up sales, and Larsen saw an opportunity for a business lesson in supply and demand. Crops typically sold during two-day markets have been selling out within two to three hours.
Larsen noted the Greenery unit created by Massachusetts-based company Freight Farms is resistant to pandemics, but also extreme weather and drought.
The unit uses nearly 99% less water than a traditional farm, running on less than the average dishwasher uses.
While most food consumed in the U.S. travels hundreds or even thousands of miles, Larsen observed the Mountain Vista operation is as close to zero food-production miles as you can get.
"So we are literally harvesting and putting into bags as the customer is standing right there," Larsen explained. "So they are living plants. People love lettuce; it's definitely delicious and very clean."
Larsen added students still are able to interact with local shoppers via live video streaming, learning important customer-service lessons.
Because the climate is controlled inside the container, Larsen said food can be grown all school year long with a predictable commercial-scale output.
A Greenery unit can support 13,000 plants at a time, producing harvests of up to 900 heads of lettuce per week.
Lead photo: Crops produced by students at Mountain Vista High School in Douglas County usually are sold during two-day market sales, but post-COVID, customer volume has shot up, selling out within two to three hours. (Mountain Vista High School)
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AppHarvest And Save The Children Team Up To Provide East Kentucky Kids Hands-On Education in Growing Food, Eating Healthy
Through the Grow Green Eat Green project, AppHarvest is working with Save the Children to create and provide indoor hydroponic grow kits to more than 1,600 children and their families in six Eastern Kentucky counties
1,600 Children Receive Hydroponic Grow Kits
As Part of Grow Green Eat Green Project
NOVEMBER 24, 2020 — BEREA, Ky. — Save the Children today announced a new partnership with AgTech leader AppHarvest to help educate children across Eastern Kentucky on how to grow their own nutritious food and the importance of healthy eating. Through the Grow Green Eat Green project, AppHarvest is working with Save the Children to create and provide indoor hydroponic grow kits to more than 1,600 children and their families in six Eastern Kentucky counties.
Participating children – who live in some of the state’s most impoverished counties, including Floyd, Harlan, Knott, Leslie, Owsley, and Perry – are receiving everything they need to help start their own indoor gardens, such as seeds, growing nutrients, and supplies, pots and instructions to help them get growing. They can also receive live instruction via video conference on how to grow their own food from AppHarvest’s farming experts, as well as learn the benefits of hydroponic farming.
“During a time when COVID-19 is having significant, detrimental impacts on children across Eastern Kentucky — including the alarming increase of child hunger across our region — Save the Children is proud to partner with AppHarvest to educate children and families about ways to help end this vicious cycle of food insecurity in the future,” said Alissa Taylor, Save the Children’s Kentucky State Director.
“AppHarvest was founded as a benefit corporation and is also a certified B Corp because we believe companies should be in the business of doing good,” said Amy Samples, Director of Community Outreach and People Programs. “We’re building America’s AgTech capital from within Appalachia and know that education is core to achieving that.”
Virtual instruction for the children will take place with their teachers in the coming days.
Committed to combatting child hunger across Kentucky and rural America, Save the Children has helped prepare and deliver more than 9 million meals as part of its coronavirus response efforts since March. In rural Kentucky alone, Save the Children staff have helped distribute more than 2.5 million nutritious meals to children in some of the state’s most impoverished communities since COVID-19 impacted the region this spring.
Prior to starting operations at its 2.76-million-square-foot indoor farm in Morehead, Ky., AppHarvest invested more than $150,000 in starting a high-tech container farm educational program. The program retrofits shipping containers with high-tech farming equipment to teach students to grow healthy leafy greens. The program started at Shelby Valley High School in Pike County in 2018 and has since expanded to Rowan County with additional units planned.
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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, timing of first crop harvest, estimated financial position, estimated revenues and losses, timing of expected revenues, 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 and as amended to date (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.
Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. Since our founding 100 years ago, we’ve changed the lives of more than 1 billion children. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn, and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.
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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.
Israeli Supermarket Employs Vertical Farm Start-Up For Selling Produce
Vertical Fields, a Ra'anana based agri-tech start-up that creates vertical, sustainable farms using geoponic technology, agricultural expertise, and smart design, teamed up with BIOLED, a Tzuba-based eco-lighting start-up that uses LED lights to create more sustainable, profitable crops in order to erect the growing container
The new technologies eliminate the need to rely on outdoor growers and suppliers while also providing a fresher, more eco-friendly product which needs much less water and land to grow.
NOVEMBER 21, 2020
Produce growing under BIOLED lights. (photo credit: BIOLED)
Rami Levy, one of Israel's largest supermarket chains, has been cooperating with two Israeli agri-tech start-ups to erect large containers to grow fruit and vegetables, which will be sold in the chain's stores.
Vertical Fields, a Ra'anana based agri-tech start-up that creates vertical, sustainable farms using geoponic technology, agricultural expertise, and smart design, teamed up with BIOLED, a Tzuba-based eco-lighting start-up that uses LED lights to create more sustainable, profitable crops in order to erect the growing containers.
According to BIOLED, the first container is already in the process of being set up in Rami Levy's Ayalon Mall branch in Tel Aviv.
Thanks to the rapidly growing worldwide population, the amount of produce must grow by 60% to keep up with demand and overpopulation trends. Current methods of farming require too much water and land to meet that demand.
The new technologies eliminate the need to rely on outdoor growers and suppliers while also providing a fresher, more eco-friendly product that needs significantly less water and land to grow.
BIOLED already produces eco-friendly LED lighting for a wide variety of purposes for companies in Israel and plan to expand to Europe and the rest of the global market. Recently they breezed through their crowdfunding goal, nearly two months before their funding deadline expires in January 2021.
BIOLED also provides agricultural lighting for most of Israel's medical cannabis companies, most famously for the largest cannabis farm in the country, grown by medical cannabis giant INDOOR.
One of the main reasons for this is BIOLED's ability to shorten and stabilize horticultural growth cycles regardless of season, while also eliminating the need for pesticides and the logistical issues that comes with supplying fresh produce to urban areas,
Vertical Fields is a slightly younger company. They recently burst onto the Israeli agri-tech scene with their technology, which allows for produce to be farmed vertically within containers big enough to fit in a parking lot, using only one-tenth the amount of water usually needed.
Tags startup ecology hi-tech israel tech israel technology for agriculture rami levy agriculture Hunger start-up supermarket Farming
SANANBIO ARK, The Mobile Farm For All Climates That Supplies Communities With Fresh Local Food
3,300-4,400 lbs of cucumbers, 7,700 lbs of arugula, or 8,000 lbs of lettuce. These are the proven annual yields that we're confident to announce, said Zhan Zhuo, co-founder, and CEO of SANANBIO, We 'produce' turnkey farms and this one is mobile
November 21, 2020
PRN
XIAMEN: SANANBIO, a leading vertical farming solution provider announces the availability of its climate-controlled mobile farm for growers globally.
3,300-4,400 lbs of cucumbers, 7,700 lbs of arugula, or 8,000 lbs of lettuce. These are the proven annual yields that we're confident to announce, said Zhan Zhuo, co-founder, and CEO of SANANBIO, We 'produce' turnkey farms and this one is mobile. It adapts to any climate thanks to its thermal insulation system with a thermal conductivity below 0.024w/(m·K). One of the mobile farms operated as usual in the coldness of -40 degrees Fahrenheit in northern China, sustaining local communities with local produces at a reduced carbon footprint.
It is shocking to find that our food travels 1,500 miles on average before reaching our plate. The CO2 generated, and the nutrients lost during transportation, can't be good for the planet or human beings. That's why local food is advocated. The ready-to-use farm is the solution we offer to regions where the environment is too harsh to support stable agricultural production, said Zhan.
To streamline the farming experience, the designer simplifies the start-up procedures to a single plug-in motion power it up through a connector on the exterior and then even hydroponic beginners are set to grow. Moreover, growers can monitor and control farm metrics simply by moving fingertips on their phone.
By simplifying modern agriculture, we offer more farming opportunities for kids and urban dwellers. We have a mobile farm deployed in a Malaysian suburb where kids from the neighborhood frequent the farm for the hands-on hydroponic experience. It's a perfect bonding time when families go there to pick their own salad ingredients. As a Photobiotech company, we're nurturing a new generation of growers, said Zhan.
For more info about the mobile farm, please visit www.sananbio.com/ark.
Buffalo’s New ‘Container Farm Project’
It’s great to see a push in WNY, for healthier food production for underserved neighborhoods. But what happens when the growing and harvesting seasons are over, and winter sets in?
by queenseyes
November 10, 2020
It’s great to see a push in WNY, for healthier food production for underserved neighborhoods. But what happens when the growing and harvesting seasons are over, and winter sets in? That’s a question that is now being asked, and answered, thanks to a pilot program that has been launched, which has resulted in the appearance of a specially outfitted 40-foot shipping container. This container – branded “Rooting for Our Neighbors” – will help to extend the growing season year-round, with produce being earmarked for food pantries and soup kitchens associated with the food security efforts of FeedMore WNY (the largest hunger-relief organization in WNY).
This inventive (and very exciting) effort is thanks to a research collaboration funded by the New York Power Authority’s (NYPA) Environmental Justice Program and led by the National Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). Side benefits from the project include “environmental and energy impacts that could help reduce costs and expand crop production.”
The demonstration will:
Provide produce for FeedMore WNY nutrition programs
Help address climate change in communities that host NYPA facilities
Support New York State’s clean energy and greenhouse gas reduction goals by using this low-energy indoor farming method
“The New York Power Authority is pleased to be part of this national collaboration with the Electric Power Research Institute that will improve indoor farming methods while supporting our neighbors in need in Western New York,” said NYPA Chairman John R. Koelmel. “Under Governor Andrew Cuomo’s continued climate leadership, we will find new and sustainable ways to grow affordable and fresh produce all year while prioritizing New York State’s greenhouse gas reduction goals.”
NYPA is one of eight utilities nationwide to participate in a two-year EPRI study designed to help utilities better understand and engage in commercial-scale indoor food production, which is reliant on efficient energy and water consumption.
The new indoor production facility is located at FeedMore WNY’s offices on James E. Casey Drive in Buffalo, which makes it easily accessible to deliver produce to a Mobile Food Pantry and Meals on Wheels programs, where kale dishes will be prepared. The first growing cycle will be dedicated to the growing of kale, which is high in nutrient value and has a short harvest cycle. After the first year, additional crops will be added to the program.
“Indoor agriculture is essential to future food production and we need to understand its implications for the electric power industry,” said Gil C. Quiniones, NYPA’s president and CEO. “NYPA is eager to demonstrate a replicable, sustainable indoor farming solution that helps to address climate change in the communities that host our facilities. If utilities have solid knowledge about how lighting, water use, and other systems impact plant production, we can be good partners in helping to provide food resources to disadvantaged communities in our respective regions through these innovative farming methods.”
Benefits of the indoor growing facility include: A controlled environment, pesticide-free, ‘sunless’ environment, and far less water usage when compared to traditional farming methods. Also, these mobile units can be built anywhere, which makes them ideal for addressing problems associated with ‘food deserts’ year-round. Additional benefits include very little transportation costs, reduction of spoiled produce, and a smaller carbon footprint… all while addressing food insecurity in WNY.
State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said, “This indoor farming project is a unique and creative way to support urban agriculture and to increase access to healthy food in our communities. Building on the work the State has been doing through initiatives like Nourish to deliver fresh foods to families in need, this pilot program will allow FeedMore WNY to provide local agricultural products year-round. I thank NYPA, EPRI and FeedMore WNY for their participation in this forward-thinking project, and look forward to the first harvest.”
An advantage of ‘Container Farm Project’ is the ability to track data such as energy loads, water use, etc., which will help the research team to tweak and optimize the system. This technology will only get better and more efficient, with higher yields in years to come.
EPRI President Arshad Mansoor said, “Against the backdrop of increasing weather events and a global pandemic, there’s been an increasing appetite for indoor food production. EPRI engineers and scientists have been at the nucleus of this development, advancing technology to run container farm demonstrations across the country. This is a worldwide movement toward sustainable communities. Indoor agriculture also is an important part of efficient electrification, which is critical to enabling decarbonization throughout the economy.
Tara A. Ellis, president and CEO of FeedMore WNY, said, “FeedMore WNY is incredibly excited for this opportunity to work with New York Power Authority and the Electric Power Research Institute in order to grow nutritious produce for distribution to our hungry community members, NYPA and EPRI are the true definition of good neighbors and we are so fortunate to have their support as we work to make sure our neighbors in need have access to nutritious food, including fresh produce.”
This new program is part of NYPA’s Environmental Justice program, which is not only dedicated to providing educational programs about clean, renewable energy, and sustainability, it is also in place to address food insecurity, while helping to better the lives of those who live in underrepresented communities near NYPA’s power assets.
“NYPA uses its expertise and resources to help benefit residents who live and work in areas near our facilities,” said Lisa Payne Wansley, NYPA vice president of environmental justice and sustainability. “This indoor food production initiative aligns with and supports NYPA’s Sustainability Plan goals to demonstrate sustainable solutions to addressing climate change in local communities where we operate.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented mounting food insecurity problems, which must be dealt with immediately, especially in cities with colder climates.
Senator Tim Kennedy said, “For years, FeedMore WNY has served as a critical resource for many, and that important role has only been magnified throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this partnership, WNY families will have increased access to fresh, locally grown food, which will in turn fuel healthier communities and provide nutritious support to those who need it most.”
Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes said, “This collaboration is a major step forward in bringing healthy food options, mainly fresh fruits, and vegetables, to some of our city’s food deserts. We thank the NYPA and the state for dedicating its expertise and resources to EPRI and FeedMore WNY to help advance year-round indoor farming in areas that need it the most.”
Mayor Byron W. Brown said, “Low-income communities, and especially Black and brown communities, have historically faced difficulties with food security and access to fresh, healthy fruits and vegetables. The COVID-19 pandemic has only heightened those challenges, either through a loss of income, decreased mobility, or more limited access to supportive nutritional programs. Today’s announcement of this new partnership is a bold step in helping to address these systemic problems. I am confident that this collaboration between Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office, the New York Power Authority’s Environmental Justice Program, the Electric Power Research Institute and FeedMore WNY, will help advance indoor farming in our community and further strengthen Buffalo’s year-round production of fresh produce in the neighborhoods with residents who have had the most trouble accessing them.”
Tagged with:'Container Farm Project', Electric Power Research Institute, Environmental Justice Program, FeedMore WNY, New York Power Authority
US: MINNESOTA - Hydroponics Venture In A Shipping Container Has St. Paul Inspectors Scratching Their Heads
Their bottleneck? The city of St. Paul won’t let Cannon and his colleagues put their nutrient mix to the test until they get the proper permits for whatever it is they’ve got — a shipping container? a storage facility? — which defies simple definition under the city’s legislative code
By FREDERICK MELO | fmelo@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer Press
October 29, 2020
As an astronomer and physicist, John Cannon’s work is literally out of this world. His expertise as the department chair at Macalester College in St. Paul is studying nearby low-mass galaxies.
Cannon’s latest adventure off St. Paul’s Snelling Avenue is, quite literally, more down to earth: backyard hydroponics.
With the intent of saving his home planet, or at least improving his corner of it, Cannon recently launched the urban agriculture venture Minnesota Acre Farms LLC with a full-time gardener and two administrators from the University of St. Thomas.
Their thesis: proving that a railroad car-sized growing container behind Wells Pianos, by Snelling and Palace avenues, can produce as many fresh vegetables as a two-acre farm, and do it year-round.
Their bottleneck? The city of St. Paul won’t let Cannon and his colleagues put their nutrient mix to the test until they get the proper permits for whatever it is they’ve got — a shipping container? a storage facility? — which defies simple definition under the city’s legislative code.
“We didn’t think there was going to be all this bureaucratic overhead,” said Cannon, noting similar Freight Farms facilities are already in operation at a Second Harvest Heartland site in Minneapolis and an independent farm in Shoreview.
“Winter is coming, and that is when the machine can really flex its muscles,” he said. “We haven’t even plugged it in.”
SLOW PROCESS FOR HYDROPONICS VENTURE IN SHOREVIEW
Despite his enthusiasm, even some fellow practitioners of urban agriculture think Minnesota Acre Farms might have launched a little prematurely.
Chris Glasoe is the proprietor of the Frisk Fra Boksen — “fresh from the box” — a hydroponics venture in Shoreview. Glasoe said it took his operation three appearances before that city’s Planning Commission and two before the City Council to get city codes changed and a permit issued.
The Shoreview process started in April 2019. They received final approval in late August of last year, and their container arrived in January.
‘HYPER-LOCAL’
Cannon and his colleagues received their vertical hydroponic installation from Boston-based Freight Farms in late August of this year, hoping to prove they could grow vegetables in a peat moss nutrient bath for local distribution. The goal, in part, is to avoid Big Agriculture’s big carbon footprint and sometimes-questionable labor practices.
“The lettuce you buy at the grocery store is nutritionally depleted,” Cannon said. “Our slogan is ‘hyper-local greens for the Twin Cities.’ We can distribute fresh greens within hours of harvest, even in the depths of winter.”
City inspections officials say they’re generally sympathetic to those goals, but Cannon’s set-up looks a lot to them like a large outdoor storage container. And he doesn’t have permits for a large outdoor storage container.
OUTWARD APPEARANCE
Vanessa Cannon at Minnesota Acre Farms, an urban agricultural venture housed in a shipping container behind a retail store on Snelling Avenue in St. Paul. (Scott Takushi / Pioneer Press)
In September, the St. Paul Department of Safety and Inspections issued Minnesota Acre Farms notice of a city building code violation. The team later met with the city’s legislative hearing officer, who upheld the violation.
“There’s nothing in the legislative code about hydroponic farming, but there is language about storage containers,” Cannon said. “We keep asking that the facility be evaluated based on what it does instead of on its outward facing appearance.”
Cannon’s colleague, Mitchell Karstens, appealed the city’s decision to the St. Paul City Council, which had been scheduled to discuss the hydroponics venture on Oct. 21.
Supportive city residents who learned of the appeal through social media posts wrote to council members to highlight the importance of sustainable urban agriculture and locally-sourced food.
RECLASSIFYING
Instead of moving forward, the appeal was taken off the council’s hearing agenda as the Department of Safety and Inspections works through how to reclassify the container.
Titled “Illegal Use,” an Oct. 20 letter from city inspections indicates Minnesota Acre Farms is now in violation of at least three aspects of state building codes, including lacking a copy of the manufacturer’s installation instructions, which must be available on-site.
Just as importantly, you’re supposed to apply for a building permit and then install an outdoor storage container, not the other way around.
“I have reviewed the materials you submitted and have determined that the shipping container currently violates a number of sections of the state building code,” said St. Paul Building Official Steve Ubl, in a letter asking for more information. “Because the shipping container was placed in its current location without proper plans or required permits, the city has been working to fully understand its classification and your plans for proposed use.”
The container, which is roughly 40 feet long, 8½ feet wide and 9 feet tall, takes up unused space bordering the alley behind Wells Pianos, discouraging passersby from pulling a U-turn there.
“(Cannon) noticed my big beautiful parking lot, and approached me, and I said ‘sure, why not?’ He seemed like a nice guy,” said Kieran Wells, proprietor of Wells Pianos.
“They’ve offered to pay me rent, but I don’t really want to take any rent until they get squared away,” Wells said. “It’s been there for months and it’s not a problem. … It cuts down on some of the through-traffic.”
Lead photo: Minnesota Acre Farms is housed in a shipping container behind a retail store on Snelling Avenue in St. Paul as seen here Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020. Business partners Vanessa and John Cannon, Tyler May and Mitch Karstens estimate they can grow 1,000 heads of lettuce, along with herbs and root vegetables, each month in the space. (Scott Takushi / Pioneer Press)
St. Petersburg Urban Farm Saves Resources By Turning Shipping Containers Into Vertical Farmland
“There’s no dirt. There are no bugs. No chemicals. No soil. There are no herbicides. No pesticides inside any of our farm containers,” O’Malley shared
By FOX 13 News Staff
11-05-20
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Brick Street Farms is an urban hydroponic farm located in the heart of St. Petersburg. It upcycles shipping containers into 40-foot grow houses. It started in Shannon O’Malley and Bradley Doyle’s garage.
“We converted our garage to a grow room. We saw an incredible opportunity. We didn’t have the money to convert a warehouse, so we bought a shipping container,” O’Malley explained.
Each container is the same as two to three acres of traditional farmland. It’s six levels of vertical farmland.
“There’s no dirt. There are no bugs. No chemicals. No soil. There are no herbicides. No pesticides inside any of our farm containers,” O’Malley shared.
All of the plants are started with a seed and are grown and harvested inside the shipping container. Every 12 hours, the lights inside the container flip to a different section to give the plants 12 hours of light and dark to represent day and night, so they can rest in between growth cycles.
O’Malley says each farm with about three acres of farmland uses approximately 15-20 gallons of water per day compared to a traditional soil farm that uses 1,000 gallons of water per day per acre.
“Not only are we saving resources, but we are creating delicious, incredibly local food,” O’Malley said.
O’Malley says they plan to bring farms and modular farm containers to cities across the state and country.
She added, “We really are bringing urban farming into fruition.”
Brick Street Farms sells to grocery stores, restaurants, and hotels. Its produce can also be bought on-site at its farm market or online at https://brickstreetfarms.com/.
CANADA: The Arrival of A Hydroponic Growing Container In Inukjuak
The Pirursiivik Project combines social art and on-the-land activities to improve the health of Inukjuammiut through a local greenhouse and the promotion of healthy practices around water and nutrition
NEWS PROVIDED BY
October 30, 2020
The Pirursiivik Project combines social art and on-the-land activities to improve the health of Inukjuammiut through a local greenhouse and the promotion of healthy practices around water and nutrition.
INUKJUAK, QC, Oct. 30, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ - The arrival of a hydroponic growing container in Inukjuak is a significant milestone in the Pirursiivik Project, and one of the first phases of a larger collaboration with the Pituvik Landholding Corporation (LHC) and Sirivik Food Centre to use a year-round greenhouse and container farm to grow, cook and share food and knowledge among the community. Over the past three years, the One Drop Foundation and Makivik Corporation have partnered with the RBC Foundation to implement the Pirursiivik Project in Inukjuak, Nunavik.
The Pirursiivik Project, meaning "a place to grow" in Inuktitut, is a 4-year initiative which aims to improve the community's health through the implementation of a greenhouse and a social art program to promote healthy habits around water and nutrition. This project represents a $2.7-million community investment between the RBC Foundation and the One Drop Foundation.
The arrival of the hydroponic container farm on October 11, 2020, is a significant milestone in this ambitious project yet is only the tip of the iceberg. The true success of this initiative lies under the waterline: the community mobilization and leadership at each step of the project. From day one, the community of Inukjuak stepped up to take concrete action towards improving access to fresh produce for Inukjuammiut. A Community Advisory Committee with representatives from over 15 local organizations was established, and this group of volunteers has continued to meet monthly to provide key input on project activities and planning.
The hydroponic container which uses water to grow instead of soil was purchased from The Growcer, a Canadian company established in Ottawa, and will be locally owned and operated. It will soon be installed and begin producing leafy greens this winter with the target to share the first harvest with the community. The fresh produce will be available to community members who, through social art activities, have learned fun new ways to use little-known vegetables such as kale and bok choy.
This growing initiative in Inukjuak was first piloted on a smaller scale, when the Pirursiivik Project supported the construction of and growing in seven community cold frames (outdoor garden boxes made of wood and polycarbonate). These were built using materials donated by the Kativik Ilisarniliriniq and constructed by the Environment Club at the Innalik School, and the Unaaq Men's Association.
With this new hydroponic container farm adapted for the Arctic, the community is now ready to take this next step towards increasing food security and access to fresh local produce grown by and for Inukjuammiut. This is the first phase in a larger collaboration with Pituvik Landholding Corporation and Sirivik Food Centre, a year-round greenhouse and Food Centre in which to grow, cook, and share food and knowledge among the community. The project team is currently identifying fundraising opportunities to secure the $6 million needed to advance this next phase. This innovative multifunctional infrastructure would be the first of its kind in the North and would set a precedent for future greenhouse initiatives in Nunavik and across the Arctic.
About the Pirursiivik Project
Over the past 3 years, almost 1,000 community members have participated in various social art and on-the-land activities, from drumming and cooking classes to a nature trip to identify and document knowledge related to local plant species. A circus show was created by Tupiq ACT, the first Inuit circus troupe from Nunavik, with the support of the project and technical assistance from One Drop (including advice and accompaniment throughout the process). These activities, inspired by Inuit culture and art, were not only fun and entertaining, but also created spaces for shared learning and exchange on traditional foods, nutrition, and the importance of clean water. Collective learning and sharing that will continue both in-person and online through the digital knowledge hub currently in development with the support of a grant from RBC Tech for Nature. Learn more about the project at www.onedrop.org/en/projects/canada
About One Drop
One DropTM is an international foundation created by Cirque du Soleil and Lune Rouge founder Guy Laliberté with the vision of a better world, where all have access to living conditions that allow empowerment and development. Together with its partners, One Drop deploys its unique artistic approach to promote the adoption of healthy water, sanitation, and hygiene-related behaviours and empower communities. For this to be possible, One Drop creates and produces novel fundraising initiatives supported by a visionary community of partners and donors. This year, One Drop is celebrating 13 years of turning water into action, with projects that will soon have improved the living conditions of over 2.1 million people around the world. In 2019, the Foundation was recognized for the second year in a row by Charity Intelligence, this time as one of the Top 10 International Impact Charities in Canada. To learn more about One Drop, visit www.onedrop.org Interact with One Drop on Facebook and Twitter @onedrop, or on Instagram @1dropwater
About Makivik Corporation
Makivik Corporation is the land claims organization mandated to manage the heritage funds of the Inuit of Nunavik provided for under the James Bay and Northern Québec Agreement. Makivik's role includes the administration and investment of these funds and the promotion of economic growth by providing assistance for the creation of Inuit-operated businesses in Nunavik. Makivik promotes the preservation of Inuit culture and language as well as the health, welfare, relief of poverty, and education of Inuit in the communities.
About Pituvik Landholding Corporation
Incorporated January 30, 1979, Pituvik holds title to 521 sq. km. on lands classified as Category I. These lands are held by Pituvik on behalf of the Inukjuaqmiut beneficiaries of the James Bay and Northern Québec Agreement. In this holding capacity, Pituvik has the right to allow people and organizations to use these lands and for that use is allowed to charge compensation. Pituvik also maintains a beneficiary list on behalf of all Inukjuakmiut. Pituvik is a not-for-profit corporation, however it can create and own for-profit subsidiaries to stimulate local economic growth and job creation.
About RBC Tech for Nature
RBC Tech for Nature is a global, multi-year commitment from the RBC Foundation to support new ideas, technologies, and partnerships to address our most complex environmental challenges. It is a core pillar of RBC's Climate Blueprint – its enterprise approach to accelerating clean economic growth and supporting clients in the transition to a low-carbon, sustainable economy. RBC Tech for Nature brings together charitable partners, technology experts, the public and private sector – as well as RBC's own unique capabilities – to build the multi-partner coalitions needed to work towards solving our shared environmental challenges. Learn more at: rbc.com/techfornature
About The Growcer
Growcer manufactures modular hydroponic systems that enable commercial food production in plug-and-play 40- foot modules. Its vertical farming technology enables customers to grow fresh vegetables in virtually any climate and has been deployed within the Arctic Circle at temperatures below -50°C. Growcer empowers conventional farmers, entrepreneurs, communities and institutions to grow food locally all year round. Growcer's work has been recognized with awards from Fast Company's World Changing Ideas, the Entrepreneurs' Organization, and was also featured on season 13 of CBC's hit show, Dragons' Den.
SOURCE One Drop Foundation
For further information: Media Resource Contact: One Drop Foundation, Marie-France Dos Santos, Marie-France.DosSantos@onedrop.org; Makivik Corporation, Carson Tagoona, CTagoona@makivik.org
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Why This First Nation Bought A Shipping Container During COVID-19
To get fresh produce, Sheshegwaning First Nation turned to a technology initially developed for growing food in space. But is it a real solution for food insecurity?
Sheshegwaning First Nation purchased a container farm in June. (Courtesy of April Folz)
By Charnel Anderson October 23, 2020
To Get Fresh Produce, Sheshegwaning First Nation Turned
To A Technology Initially Developed For Growing Food In Space.
But Is It A Real Solution For Food Insecurity?
The first frosts have already arrived in Ontario, but in Sheshegwaning First Nation, a small community on the western edge of Manitoulin Island, April Folz is still awaiting the first harvest of the year. In about a week, Folz says, the community will have fresh produce: “Monte Carlo romaine lettuce, wildfire lettuce. We have a couple of variations of kale and spinach. I’m missing something,” says Folz, the economic development director at Sheshegwaning First Nation. “Oh, bok choy! I’m excited for that.”
Sheshegwaning First Nation, a two-hour drive from the mainland, is home to about 130 residents. There’s a convenience store in the community with a few grocery items, but the nearest grocery store is 40 minutes away. When COVID-19 hit, the community put up a checkpoint, and, Folz says, there was talk of closing the swing bridge to outsiders. That would have made it “tough to get food in,” says Folz. So, in response, community leaders came up with a locally grown solution.
In June, the community purchased a container farm from the Ottawa-based company
Growcer for about $300,000 (CAD). Folz describes the setup as a repurposed shipping container divided into six growing sections, with a separate room housing climate controls and a monitoring system. The growing sections are outfitted with shelving, LED lighting, and a hydroponic growing system in which plants grow with their roots in water rather than soil.
Sheshegwaning First Nation is growing produce, such as kale in spinach, in a repurposed shipping container. (Courtesy of April Folz)
The first harvest has been delayed due to issues with the system’s artificial lighting, which takes the place of sunlight, and a carbon-dioxide tank, says Folz. But, once the system is fully operational, she plans to start a weekly subscription box that members can sign up for to get fresh produce delivered right to their door.
Because they make it possible to grow food in harsh climates, container farms are often touted as a solution for food insecurity in remote communities. However, research suggests that the technology does little to address the true causes of food insecurity or the inability to access nutritious and affordable food, which is rooted in the ongoing effects of colonialism and climate change, among other things. “All of these stories make it sound like [container farms] are the solution to food insecurity, and they absolutely aren’t,” says Thomas Graham, PhytoGro research chair in controlled-environment systems at Guelph University.
Container farms (or, as Graham calls them, “growth chambers”) were initially developed as a research tool for growing food in space, he explains; only within the last few decades have they been marketed as a commercial solution: “You can’t have a greenhouse in space, but you can certainly have a growth chamber. And the next, most severe climate to space, as [my colleague] Mike [Dixon] would say, is a snowbank in Nunavut somewhere.”
More than half of on-reserve First Nations households across Canada experience food insecurity; 8.8 per cent of people elsewhere in the country experience moderate to severe food security. A number of complex issues cause the disparity: high levels of poverty amongst Indigenous populations, the inflated cost of food in remote communities, and decreased access to traditional foods, which are culturally and regionally specific but usually include such things as wild game.
The repurposed shipping container is divided into six growing sections. (Courtesy of April Folz)
“Food insecurity has been caused by colonialism in this country,” says Julie Price, a member of the Northern Manitoba Food, Culture, and Community Collaborative, which this year is working with more than 40 communities in northern Manitoba on food-related projects intended to improve access to healthy food. “Many of the communities that we work with have very clear, direct stories that illustrate it,” she says, citing the example of O-pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation.
In 1942, O-pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation, located 130 kilometres north of Thompson, Manitoba, built a commercial whitefish fishery on South Indian Lake. It produced approximately 1 million pounds of Grade A whitefish per year, making it the second most productive whitefish fishery in North America. Then, in the 1970s, the Manitoba government gave Manitoba Hydro permission to divert the Churchill River: that raised South Indian Lake by three metres and forced the relocation of O-pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation from its ancestral lands.
The flooding demolished the fishery, disrupted seasonal fish-spawning cycles, and forced wild game to migrate inland. It destroyed a community “that was so self-sufficient and happy, and healthy, and economically healthy,” says Price, adding that it now faces “serious challenges on all these fronts that were virtually absent prior to the hydroelectric development.”
Historically, Cree people were migratory and spent a lot of time searching, harvesting, preparing, and storing food, says Alex Wilson, a member of Opaskwayak Cree Nation, a community with roughly 3,200 on-reserve members near the Town of the Pas, in northern Manitoba. “That changed very quickly during colonization and settlement,” says Wilson, adding that the fur trade, the Indian Act, and the residential-school system rapidly changed “our relationship with food.”
Food-related projects at Opaskwayak Cree Nation include community gardens. (Courtesy of Opakwayak Culture and Healthy Living Initiatives)
Since 2014, Opaskwayak Cree Nation has been working with NMFCCC to develop a number of food-related projects, including beekeeping, community gardens, and a hydroponic container farm. Container farms may have their place in addressing food insecurity in First Nations communities, she says, but they would align better with Indigenous values if they produced culturally relevant foods, thereby enhancing the transmission of knowledge many Indigenous communities are trying to reclaim. “Not many people eat kale. Is there a way to grow things in there that would have more contextual meaning to people in the north?” Community-led approaches, she says, give northern communities agency over their food systems: NMFCCC is “not just mitigating, but trying to reverse” the damage caused by colonialism.
Price feels the same. “We have seen these units have lots of benefits in communities that have done the research and then chose to try them out, but they’re not going to solve food insecurity alone,” says Price. “Selling northern people on eating more leafy greens is still trying to colonize diets further.”
Over the years spent working with NMFCCC, Price has learned — or as she puts it, has been taught — a few things about working with northern communities. It’s crucial, she says, to develop non-transactional, human relationships and to listen to the community’s vision and priorities: “I’ve never seen yet, where somebody from outside [the region] has solved a problem in the north. It usually makes it worse.”
Ontario Hubs are made possible by the Barry and Laurie Green Family Charitable Trust & Goldie Feldman.
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Charnel Anderson is TVO.org's northwestern Ontario Hubs reporter.
Vintage Hospitality Group Expands Its State of The Art Hydroponic Farm
This addition lets MGM Greens work within multiple environments to grow additional produce allowing a diverse crop yield for its restaurants, Vintage Cafe and Vintage Year, both 50 feet away. With the Greenery expansion, the group is selling retail and also plans to host its own local neighborhood farmers market on a monthly basis
October 21, 2020
In partnership with Alabama Power, Vintage Hospitality Group recently expanded MGM Greens by adding Freight Farm’s Greenery, a fully climate-controlled hydroponic farm built inside of a compact 320 sq. ft. container.
This smart farm is self-contained, growing vertically and hydroponically without soil, getting its nutrition from water and light energy from powerful LEDs. Through these climate-controlled components, plants can thrive inside the containers offering the capability to harvest fresh produce multiple times a week and grow 365 days a year.
This addition lets MGM Greens work within multiple environments to grow additional produce allowing a diverse crop yield for its restaurants, Vintage Cafe and Vintage Year, both 50 feet away. With the Greenery expansion, the group is selling retail and also plans to host its own local neighborhood farmers market on a monthly basis.
“Purchasing the second Greenery has allowed us to now be able to curate our menu based on new successful crops,” said Vintage Hospitality Group’s Executive Chef Eric Rivera. “It will further be maximizing growing potential as it also offers the capability for multiple test crops for upcoming menus at our new restaurant, Ravello.”
While Vintage Hospitality Group’s flagship restaurant Vintage Year is a fine dining establishment, Vintage Café is a coffee shop, daytime eatery, and retail store. As the group also owns MGM Greens, it will be opening City Fed and Ravello restaurant in 2021.
Vintage Hospitality Group’s national press accolades include receiving mentions in the New York Times, U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, and Newsweek Magazines. In addition to being named a Smart Catch Leader, Executive Chef Eric Rivera has been recognized by the James Beard Foundation as a winner of its Blended Burger competition. Chef Eric has also led Vintage Year to be named one of OpenTable’s 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in America and a Traveler’s Choice winner by Trip Advisor.
Vintage Hospitality Group is dedicated to providing guests with the finest culinary selections, premium coffees, specialty teas, outstanding wines, and spirits along with unparalleled customer service.
For more information about Vintage Hospitality Group, visit www.vintagehospitalitygroup.com.
US - AppHarvest Expands Educational Container Farm Program For Eastern Kentucky Students
The Rowan County container farm joins AppHarvest’s inaugural container farm serving Shelby Valley High School students in Pike County. Both are part of AppHarvest’s high school AgTech program, which provides Eastern Kentucky students with knowledge about the importance of eating healthy and hands-on experience growing fruits and vegetables in high-tech environments
Rowan County Senior High School Students
To Receive Hands-On, High-Tech Growing Experience
October 13, 2020
Morehead, Ky. — AppHarvest announced today the expansion of its educational high-tech container farm program for Eastern Kentucky students, unveiling a new container farm unit in Rowan County. The program demonstrates the company’s ongoing commitment to fostering interest in high-tech farming, as it seeks to create America’s AgTech capital from within Appalachia.
The retrofitted shipping container will serve as a hands-on agricultural classroom for students at Rowan County Senior High School, allowing them to grow and provide fresh, nutritious fruits and vegetables to their classmates and those in need in and around Morehead. The county is home to AppHarvest’s first controlled environment agriculture facility, a massive 2.76-million-square-foot farm that opens later this month. The facility will employ more than 300 and grow tomatoes to be sold through the top 25 grocers nationwide.
The educational container farm’s arrival will be formally celebrated at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13, with live music and refreshments, as acclaimed Kentucky muralists Often Seen Rarely Spoken (OSRS) work with the high school’s art students to paint the container farm’s exterior. Attendees will have the opportunity to tour the container farm and learn about its high-tech tools, as well as see butterhead lettuce starters growing on the container’s vertical columns.
The container farm is 2,880 cubic feet, weighs 7.5 tons, and includes space to grow up to 3,600 seedlings and 4,500 mature plants all at once using 256 vertical crop columns. The container’s unique design utilizes cutting-edge LED lighting and closed-loop irrigation systems to allow students to grow far more than traditional open-field agriculture. For instance, they can grow up to 500 full heads of lettuce, or 1,000 miniature heads, as part of a single crop if they desire.
The Rowan County container farm joins AppHarvest’s inaugural container farm serving Shelby Valley High School students in Pike County. Both are part of AppHarvest’s high school AgTech program, which provides Eastern Kentucky students with knowledge about the importance of eating healthy and hands-on experience growing fruits and vegetables in high-tech environments.
Students at Shelby Valley High School have grown leafy greens, donating them to those in need through a backpack program and food pantry. Guests in attendance will include Rocky Adkins, senior adviser to Gov. Andy Beshear; Rowan County Schools Superintendent John Maxey; Rowan County Judge-Executive Harry Clark; Rowan County High School Principal Brandy Carver; and Morehead Mayor Laura White-Brown. All social distancing protocols will be strictly followed, with all in attendance wearing face masks and remaining at least six feet apart while enjoying festivities.
The Rowan County Senior High School container farm program will be led by agriculture teacher Bradley McKinney. The program’s curriculum combines existing agricultural education with six new units focusing on leading AgTech advancements. McKinney said the container farm will allow students to be competitive in the national Supervised Agricultural Experience Program, which, along with Future Farmers of America (FFA) and traditional classroom instruction, is an integral part of agriculture education.
The program requires students to gain hands-on experience through agriculture-based entrepreneurship, placement programs, or research. “The container farm is the exact type of hands-on tool that excites students and shows first-hand the excitement of modern farming,” McKinney said. “Students can have their own projects and learn all about entrepreneurship, as they make decisions about what to grow and how to distribute it.”
About AppHarvest
AppHarvest is building some of the world’s largest indoor farms, combining conventional agricultural techniques with today’s technology to grow non-GMO, chemical-free fruits and vegetables to be sold to the top 25 U.S. grocers.
The company has developed a unique system to reduce water usage by 90% compared to typical farms, as a 10-acre rainwater retention pond pairs with sophisticated circular irrigation systems. The system also eliminates agricultural runoff entirely.
By locating within Appalachia, AppHarvest benefits from being less than a day’s drive to 70% of the U.S. population. That lowers diesel use in transportation costs by 80%, allowing the company’s fresher produce to compete against low-cost foreign imports.
USA - Minnesota - Based Living Greens Farm Ready For Coast-to-Coast Expansion
The company plans to break ground on a nationwide expansion at the end of this year, or the beginning of 2021, he said
Written By: Noah Fish
September 14, 2020
After spending nearly a decade mastering an aeroponic growing process, Living Greens Farm believes it’s ready to supply consumers nationwide a stronger and healthier form of produce.
Michelle Keller, head grower at Living Greens Farm, and George Pastrana, CEO of the company, stand in the 20,000-square-foot growing site where the company grows its produce. (Noah Fish / Agweek)
FARIBAULT, Minn. — George Pastrana has been the CEO of Living Greens Farm for only a couple of months, and what impressed him first and more than anything was just how green the produce was.
"That color, the thickness and then the taste — it's all what nature intended," said Pastrana, staring at a rack of fresh basil. "It's not what you would expect, because we've been eating stuff for so long that isn't like this."
Freshly harvested basil raised in the 20,000-square-foot growing site in Faribault, Minn. where the Living Greens Farm grows its produce. (Noah Fish / Agweek)
The 20,000-square-foot growing site in Faribault where Pastrana was admiring recently harvested greens is considered to be a "test farm" for the company.
"We believe we've perfected an aeroponic growing process that allows us to create large heads of lettuce at a fantastic yield," said Pastrana.
The company plans to break ground on a nationwide expansion at the end of this year, or the beginning of 2021, he said."That will be the first of multiple phases of expansion," Pastrana said. "To ultimately ship to and supply two-thirds of consumers and households in the United States."
Construction will take place, not in Faribault but somewhere else in the U.S., which will be announced later by the company. The first phase of expansion will be a site that will service the Midwest, and following sites will serve other sections of the U.S. until it's covered.
Pastrana said there's "a lot of excitement amongst the investor community" to fund the expansion efforts. He said most of that interest existed before the pandemic, and the "controlled environment" area of ag-tech has shown a lot of promise over the last decade."
But I think the pandemic really brought to life the need for a better, more consistent supply chain, and controlled agriculture doesn't have all the problems of traditional agriculture, with recalls and so on," said Pastrana. "(The pandemic) has just hyper-exaggerated the need for better farming techniques."
Greens nearing the point of harvest are stacked across from plants on day-one of the growth stage at the 20,000-square-foot growing site in Faribault, Minn. where Living Greens Farm grows its produce. (Noah Fish / Agweek)
True aeroponics
According to Pastrana, what makes Living Greens Farm a "true aeroponic vertical farming business model" is its ability to produce exceptional products.
"We are able to deliver much heavier heads of lettuce than our competitors and more consistent yields in an environment that is herbicide and pesticide-free," he said.
Unlike most of its competitors, the company does its own cutting, washing, and bagging of produce on-site, Pastrana said."So we're going to get our product on the shelves of retailers within 24 hours of harvest," he said. "That makes us pretty unique."Michelle Keller, head grower of the operation in Faribault, has worked at Living Greens Farm for seven years."
Since basically the conception of the project," she said.
She said those years were spent building, reconfiguring, and rebuilding grow systems — all aimed at finding the best way to grow romaine and butter lettuce in a vertical space.
One of the multiple grow rooms at the 20,000-square-foot growing site in Faribault, Minn. where Living Greens Farm grows its produce. (Noah Fish / Agweek)
"We always wanted to go vertical," said Keller of Living Greens.
Traditional vertical farming is "stacked," she said, but the company wanted to incorporate a system that people could work from the floor, without the use of ladders or platform machines.
"So each person can stay on the ground and work the farm completely from the safety of the floor," she said.
It takes a family Keller takes pride in the camaraderie at the farm, with workers leaning into their roles as plant nurturers. She's also not afraid to admit that she and other employees talk to the plants and sometimes give them names.
"We are a small family," said Keller of the different grow groups at the farm. "It's not uncommon to know everyone's name, and to know what they're going through and what they're able to accomplish at the farm."
Patti Guillen, an employee at Living Greens Farm, transplants heads of lettuce in the 20,000-square-foot growing site in Faribault, Minn. where, the company grows its produce. (Noah Fish / Agweek)
Before Living Greens came up with the A-frame technology that it uses now, the company tried four different renditions of a "staircase approach", said Keller.
As head grower, her primary goal is to raise "full-grown heads of lettuce that are robust enough to survive the packaging process," and go on to have a full two-week shelf life.
Living Greens is also committed to being pesticide-free, said Keller, and the farm mandates a high standard of cleanliness to prevent harmful things from getting into its facilities and a protocol for if something does."Every stage of the growth pattern is followed by disinfecting or sanitation," she said.
Keller said the operation at Living Greens is guided by GAP — good agricultural practices — as well as GMP — good manufacturing processes. What makes the operation unique is that it has been conducting both of these processes successfully under the same roof long before the COVID-19 pandemic, Keller said.
When the pandemic broke out in March, Keller called an all-employee meeting where she was straightforward about what was in their control. They now meet every week to discuss what's happened lately with the outbreak.
"We were always just really honest about it," said Keller of the pandemic.
She told them in that original meeting that Living Greens Farm would stay open if employees not only took the on-site precautions seriously but were also "hyper-aware" when they were at home."Making sure that there's no miscommunication about this is what has to be done, to keep ourselves open," Keller said.
Living Greens Farm products can now be found at Whole Foods, HyVee, Walmart, Cub Foods, and more.
Find locations at https://www.livinggreensfarm.com/store-locator.