Welcome to iGrow News, Your Source for the World of Indoor Vertical Farming
Container Farming To Increase Food Security In The Caribbean
As part of our Grow Food Here series, join us for a live conversation with Freight Farmers, Lincoln Deal, and Latesha Gibson from Eeden Farms
Hear How Eeden Farms Is Bringing Fresh,
Local Produce To Their Island.
As part of our Grow Food Here series, join us for a live conversation with Freight Farmers, Lincoln Deal, and Latesha Gibson from Eeden Farms. Throughout the event, we’ll explore how they brought container farming to the Bahamas to reduce the island’s reliance on food imports and serve their local community with the freshest local food available. We’ll also discuss the challenges farmers face in the Bahamas, what they’re currently growing in their three container farms and their plans for the future.
At the end of the event, Lincoln and Latesha will answer your questions through the live q & a
Register Now
Wednesday, July 14th, 2021 12 PM EST
Interested In How To Start Farming?
We take you through the whole journey one step at a time. From finding customers to training to delivery logistics, we’ve got you covered.
Learn more
Get in touch!
Are you interested in learning more about how to become a Freight Farmer? Contact us for additional information on how to get started today.
VIDEO: Ohio Company Redefines Farming By Going Indoors
Farm Manager Noah Zelkind was working on Wall Street before making the switch to 80 Acres, which houses 20 different growing rooms
The Hamilton company 80 Acres Farm will now have produce in Kroger stores across the state.
BY OLIVIA WILE
June 24, 2021
CINCINNATI — The future of farming is right here in Ohio, and it’s happening indoors.
What You Need To Know
The company 80 Acres Farms has the ability to control and change the environment of each of the rooms where produce is growing
The farm doesn't see itself as competition with other conventional farms, but instead aims to help feed a growing population
Its produce is now being sold in Kroger locations in Ohio
The company 80 Acres Farms in Hamilton, 20 miles north of Cincinnati, is one of just a handful of “vertical farms” in the world. Farm Manager Noah Zelkind was working on Wall Street before making the switch to 80 Acres, which houses 20 different growing rooms.
“We have 10 levels stacked on top of each other, 10 rows long, and 10 tables inside of each row,” said Zelkind.
The company is able to control and change the environment of each of the rooms where produce is growing. It’s technology that’s years in the making.
“We went through and tried to study nature and replicate everything that’s important about it and really make sure we’re giving the plant exactly what it needs but in the most efficient way possible.”
It's a method Zelkind said gives the company ultimate control.
"This really is the next generation of farming," he said. "We have a completely different level over the control of the entire process of growing than anything anyone has done before.”
“You're going to get the same healthy fresh lettuce whether you're in the middle of winter and it's snowing outside or you’re in the middle of the summer.”
But he said the company is not trying to compete with conventional farmers.
"We don’t see ourselves competing with farmers at all,” said Zelkind. “If you look, we’re supposed to have 10 billion people in the world in the next 20 to 30 years, and in order to feed the population, we’re going to need 70% more arable land.”
The farm's produce is now available in Kroger stores across the state.
USA: BOSTON - 'Space-Age Farming': Agtech Company Looks To Expand In Mass.
The company (Nasdaq: APPH) was founded in 2017 with the mission to modernize the way food is grown and delivered to large enterprises
By Miranda Perez - Inno Reporter
June 23, 2021
AppHarvest has a local office in Woburn and is looking to develop local tech centers under the direction of Chief Technology Officer Josh Lessing. AppHarvest
AppHarvest, a Kentucky-based, agriculture-tech startup, is looking to expand to Boston to further develop its tech-centered farming.
The company now has a local office in Woburn, and it's looking to develop local tech centers under the direction of its chief technology officer, Josh Lessing.
The company (Nasdaq: APPH) was founded in 2017 with the mission to modernize the way food is grown and delivered to large enterprises. It maintains indoor farms that operate year-round, using no pesticides to maintain freshness and relying on recycled rainwater to leverage sustainability.
“This brilliant technology, originally made in the Netherlands, where you could make food anywhere in the world, allows us to do it year-round, with 90% less water and with 30 times more yield per acre,” Lessing said.
The public company, which has 550 employees, is looking to “massively expand'' in upcoming projects in robotics and enterprise software for the agricultural industry.
In a statement regarding it's 2020 annual filing, the company said it a "pre-revenue state in 2020," and reported a net loss of $17.4 million, compared to $2.7 million for the year before.
AppHarvest has one fully-functional farm right now with two more being built. The goal is to have a dozen by 2025.
The existing farm is a 60-acre building, which Lessing describes as “almost like being inside of some combination of a 60-acre robot and its own world.” Inside is an entire ecosystem of insects that support the pollination of fruits and manage to keep the “bad bugs” away. The main focus is on tomatoes now, but Lessing says he plan to expand to other fruits and vegetables.
Watering is automatic, through robotic systems. Other systems are designed to handle specially designed supplemental lights.
“It's just remarkably space age farming,” Lessing said.
AppHarvest food is available in the top 25 grocery stores and in some food service locations such as Kroger and Wendy’s.
“If you talk to a farmer, there's an infinite amount of work that you can be doing at a farm and there's never enough time to get it done. AppHarvest frees us up to start doing more individualized crop care,” Lessing said.
China Introduces Farm Display with Air Purifier
In a shopping mall in Urumqi City, people were attracted by an indoor growing display. While bringing fun to people who are growing, the product can also play a role in purifying the air.
In a shopping mall in Urumqi City, people were attracted by an indoor growing display. "It doesn't only allow you to eat fresh vegetables but it also purifies the air," said the representer.
The indoor farm cabinet is as big as a refrigerator, divided into four layers with LED lights installed on every level. Regardless of the vegetable planting machine occupies less than one square meter, it can grow seven or eight kinds of vegetables at the same time. There's a seedling area for the young plants to grow up, whereas the plants later can be transplanted for the final growing stage. When moved, they can be picked and eaten after 10 days.
The product allows to grow cherry tomatoes, coriander, Chinese cabbage, spinach, and strawberries. While bringing fun to people who are growing, it can also play a role in purifying the air. Especially for families with children, kids can observe the process of seed germination and vegetable growth, and follow the complete growing cycle.
The farm has already formed large-scale planting in the mainlands because of its multi-product growth and quick-growing cycles.
Source: k.sina.com.cn (In Chinese)
Publication date: Wed 9 Jun 2021
Skills Shortages In The Food Industry
Just like in other parts of society, there is rapid technological development and digitalisation in the food industry. It places demands on completely new skills and the food industry also needs to become better at attracting and taking care of young people, new arrivals and people with different backgrounds.
June 10, 2021
Bengt Fellbe, Program Leader, SSEC, Swedish Surplus Energy Collaboration, discusses the importance of training people with the right skills to work within the Swedish sustainable food industry
There is a lot of talk about circular and sustainable processes in the modern food industry. There is a lot of work and investment in innovations that revolve around digitization, AI, automation, aquaponics, vertical cultivation, circular bio-based economic models – and that’s good. BUT, without a skilled workforce, the development will not take place.
Region Skåne
Region Skåne in southern Sweden has perceived the situation and is announcing project funds to help. This is how they describe the situation.
Photographs by Erik Lundgren, Ljusgårda AB
The food industry and agriculture have always been the heart of Skåne. Skåne accounts for about a third of Sweden’s food production. Food is also part of our Scanian identity. This is how we want it to be in the future as well. But there is a concrete threat.
The Scanian food industry and agriculture have a hard time finding the right people. If we do not act now, we may soon have serious problems in this Skåne industry. We must think new.
There are several reasons for all this. Just like in other parts of society, there is rapid technological development and digitalisation in the food industry. It places demands on completely new skills and the food industry also needs to become better at attracting and taking care of young people, new arrivals and people with different backgrounds.
There are jobs. But it is the matching between those who want to hire and those who are looking for work that is lacking. In other words: we are no longer training the right people right for the food industry.
Initiatives
There are, of course, several different good initiatives throughout Sweden that SSEC has initiated.
In the municipality of Bjuv, “Recruitment training” has been carried out aimed at the food industry in collaboration between the company in question with recruitment needs and the Swedish Public Employment Service. A company-friendly tool that the employment service in Sweden has in its toolbox. The company that has skills needs and needs to recruit is involved in the entire process together with the employment service.
SSEC has been helpful in developing requirements profile and course content together with companies in the industry, which has resulted in a Higher Vocational Education (HVE) – “Sustainable food entrepreneur”.
About the Higher Vocational Education “Sustainable food entrepreneur”
By studying to be a Sustainable Food Entrepreneur, you will be involved in developing food from a sustainable, circular perspective. You will gain both theoretical and practical knowledge about the Swedish sustainability work. In addition, you get the opportunity to try out your own ideas in consultation with professional food producers.
The education gives you a basic competence in sustainability and different types of food production, as well as the opportunity to specialise through LIA internships, (Learning at Work).
You also gain knowledge about, for example, the global sustainability goals, sustainable plant breeding, entrepreneurship, sustainable animal husbandry and hygiene and safety.
Ljusgårda in Tibro municipality is an innovative company in vertical cultivation. The company is expanding enormously to meet the needs of the market and needs to recruit staff within several competence levels. These are horticulturists and agronomists with a University degree, operations managers from the Higher Vocational Education, preferably with competence and experience of the technology behind indoor cultivation-vertical cultivation, and a large number of employees in production. In this technology-intensive horticulture, there are changing requirements for competence compared with a traditional horticulture. These are completely different conditions in that the production in this case is automated, digitized, and uses the latest technology in measurement and sensor technology. Another important factor is that it is a year-round business and cannot rely on seasonal employees.
In the Skaraborg region and Tibro municipality, SSEC has therefore initiated a close collaboration between the company, the Swedish Public Employment Service, and the municipality’s labour market unit. The aim is to build structures that support and reflect the need for skills supply in the food industry in both the short and long term. In Northwestern Skåne, 11 municipalities collaborate in adult education. The municipality of Bjuv, together with the municipality of Åstorp, will this autumn, offer basic adult education aimed at the food industry. The goal is to supply a strongly growing innovative industry with competent production personnel in the long term.
As I said, the agrarian industry and the food industry’s technological development are moving at a furious pace towards being both sustainable and competitive. But, without competent employees, we will not get anywhere.
We cannot miss this golden opportunity – with the right education, we help thousands of people to work and increase their quality of life, while companies, municipalities, regions, and countries become socially, economically, and climate-sustainable.
Please note: This is a commercial profile
© 2019. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.
Bengt Fellbe
Acting Program leader
SSEC, Swedish Surplus Energy Collaboration
Phone: +46 709585019
Email: bengt.fellbe@gmail.com
Website: Visit Website
Sweden: Opening of New In-Store Vertical Farm At ICA Maxi
The opening event of the in-store vertical farm, a service provided and managed by Swedish technology company Swegreen, gained lots of traction from surprised and sometimes confused shoppers.
“We are actually making a difference here, because we grow next to the consumer, literally,” says Andreas Dahlin, CEO of Swegreen. “There are still many vertical farms that claim to produce sustainable, located close to the consumer, but they don’t mention the last mile. If logistics are needed to get the product to the consumer, they can still make a much bigger difference. That’s why we think this hyper-local model really makes an impact in the supply chain.”
It was all laughs and surprised faces during the opening at the ICA Maxi supermarket in Linköping this week. The opening event of the in-store vertical farm, a service provided and managed by Swedish technology company Swegreen, gained lots of traction from surprised and sometimes confused shoppers. Andreas opened the event by giving a toast to invitees. After explaining the concept, the crowd was allowed a visit to the farm.
Andreas leading the tour. Photo credit: Vertical farm daily.
Click here to view the photo report.
Biggest in Sweden
After successfully launching an in-store farm at ICA Focus, Gothenburg late 2020, the Swedish, fast-growing vertical farming enterprise Swegreen is now rolling out its Farming-as-a-Service concept in Scandinavia. First to get the installation in place is Ica Maxi in Linköping. The 60m2 farm supplies 10 different lettuces and herbs to the store – and more sorts are coming up – which makes this in-store growing facility the biggest in Sweden. Another share of the crops will be used in the store's own kitchen. Every day, several hundreds of crops are harvested that will end up on the shelves very soon after that.
Andreas adds, “The excessive heat from the farm is brought into the supermarket to optimally use all energy of the farm. We’re constantly looking at how we can optimize the cultivation processes up to energy use.”
Andreas explaining on vertical technologies. Photo credit: Verticalfarmdaily.
Full control
All technology is supplied and developed by Swegreen, such as the cultivation room and the AI-based control system which controls and optimizes the environment remotely. The farm is fully equipped with sensors, taking a huge relief off the farm operator who normally visits the facility 3-4 hours a day. Robot arms enable the gutters to be automatically moved from the beginning to the end-stage.
All processes are done on the farm, from seeding, breeding, cultivation and harvesting to packing the products. Everything in the farm is visible to the naked eye of store visitors.
Sepehr Mousavi, Chief Innovation Officer, and Innovation Lead at Swegreen explains that all technology is automated. “We can prevent any kind of error in the farm because the sensors will notify our technical services team immediately if something goes wrong to prevent any downtime.”
Click here to view the photo report.
Lead photo: Photo report: Swegreen launches event to celebrate project launch
For more information:
Swegreen
Andreas Dahlin, CEO of Swegreen
andreas.dahlin@swegreen.se
www.swegreen.se
Publication date: Wed 16 Jun 2021
Author: Rebekka Boekhout
© FreshPlaza.com
Need A Reason To Attend? Here Are Five
Zoom Fatigue Is Real Nothing against Zoom! It's helped us all stay connected and kept things going during the last year - and will continue to be an incredible tool moving forward
Zoom Fatigue Is Real
Nothing against Zoom! It's helped us all stay connected and kept things going during the last year - and will continue to be an incredible tool moving forward. But there's just nothing like face-to-face gatherings and getting that first-hand look at the latest product innovations. So step away from that screen and experience all Indoor Ag-Con has to offer.
Powerful Educational Line-Up
Headline keynotes featuring CEOs from AeroFarms, Sensei Ag, 80 Acres Farms. 3 Comprehensive Tracks. Afternoon Panel Discussions. Speakers from Kalera, Bright Farms, Vertical Harvest, Driscolls, Crop One, AppHarvest, Square Roots, Planet Farms, Brick Street Farms, and countless others will all be part of our idea-packed conference program
A Show Floor Filled With Introductions & Innovations
Experience a show floor filled with breaking trends, new introductions, networking opportunities and cocktail receptions. From the biggest names in the industry to emerging leaders, you'll see the latest LED innovations, controls, sensors, irrigation, seeds, greenhouse solutions, horticultural solutions, substrates and so much more. See who's exhibiting
Orlando = Hotel & Area Attraction Discounts
What better way to get back out there! Centrally located, the Hilton Orlando show venue is the perfect spot for a business vacation! In addition to hotel rates starting as low as $129, you can also enjoy all sorts of discounts on area attractions, restaurants, shops and more!
Nothing to Lose! 100% Money Back Guarantee!
We're so confident you will benefit from your experience that we guarantee your registration fee! Get your money's worth ... or get your money back! This guarantee covers your registration fee but not travel, hotel or other expenses incurred. Learn more
REGISTER NOW & SAVE WITH EARLY BIRD RATES!
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR INDOOR AG-CON SPONSORS,
MEDIA & MARKETING ALLIES
Indoor Ag-Con, 3834 Silvestri Lane, Las Vegas, NV 89120, United States
Singapore: Mega-Farm, Research Center To Open By December 2021
&ever is currently building a mega-farm in Singapore with support from the Singapore Food Agency, SFA, and the Economic Development Board, EDB, and will be launched by the end of 2021. The mega-farm will be 15m high and have an annual production capacity of up to 500,000 kg of leafy greens.
&ever
“We’re really happy to have launched in Munich and consumers really like our harvest-on-demand concept,” says Franz Drack, Chief Marketing Officer at &ever. "We just need to see how to increase the accessibility of our solutions. I’d love to see 200 vertical farms in Europe with this technology in the next five years."
Although it all started in Hamburg, &ever is currently headquartered in Munich which is also where the grow tower showroom is located. In 2020, &ever opened its first commercial farm in Kuwait, spanning 3,400 m2 and with a daily output capacity of 550 kg. The farm provides its leafy greens to Kuwaiti restaurants and retailers. The company also recently launched a grow tower in an EDEKA Stadler+Honner “Die Frisch-Nachbarn” supermarket in Unterfôhring near Munich.
Mega-farm and research center
&ever is currently building a mega-farm in Singapore with support from the Singapore Food Agency, SFA, and the Economic Development Board, EDB, and will be launched by the end of 2021. The mega-farm will be 15m high and have an annual production capacity of up to 500,000 kg of leafy greens.
In addition to the mega-farm, &ever will be establishing Singapore as its global R&D center to accelerate knowledge development and transfer to the mega-farm. The R&D center will focus on improving energy use efficiency through optimized lighting strategies and improving crop quality by evaluating different seed and substrate combinations. Moreover, &ever will be working to develop non-invasive crop monitoring processes through vision systems.
“We’re getting tremendous support from our local partners EDB, SFA and A*Star; everyone is keen to get this farm online. This farm is what we are most excited about this year,” Franz notes. To better address consumer demand, &ever conducted market research in Singapore by speaking with potential consumers and foodservice providers. This research has allowed &ever to explore the balance between western and eastern leafy green species to be grown in the mega-farm.
“Our team under the lead of our country manager, Kerstin Köhler, have worked with food service providers who are very good at telling us what products are needed and wanted. Some products are very interesting for certain segments of the value chain, so we try to talk to a lot of different people,” says Franz.
&ever is continuing to focus on leafy greens, microgreens and herbs for the time being. While there is a lot of interest in fruits (like strawberries), Franz explains that the company is focused on keeping its product range simple to perfect the growing process.
&ever's growing tower
Rebranding efforts
In recent months, the vertical farming industry has seen major players taking a new approach to product branding by using brightly colored packaging. &ever is also focused on bright, enticing packaging designed to represent the company’s values and production process.
“We will start using colors that represent what we’re actually doing. Yellow for the light, blue for the water and green for our greens. It allows the brand to stand out and visually signals to consumers that things are changing. This shows that we are a new type of agricultural company. Stay tuned for that in the second half of 2021.” explains Franz.
Franz also notes that &ever’s products are also sold living, whereas many indoor farms sell cut greens, packaged in clamshells or other packaging materials. Moreover, &ever is also looking into direct-to-consumer sales of leafy greens.
In building its mega-farm, putting its products on European shelves and rebranding, &ever is eager to continue growing by getting consumers excited and developing more farm projects across the world.
&ever is a German agtech company offering three growing solutions, each addressing a different level of production. The &ever grow box is a small-scale system that allows growers to produce 15-30 kg of leafy greens per day in a small footprint. The company’s medium-sized solution is the &ever grow tower which is a small room containing a circular cultivation module.
Young plants are first transplanted in the inner circle and are gradually pushed further to the outer circles as new plants are introduced to the system. In pushing the plants further, the older plants receive more available space to continue growing without crowding neighboring plants. The grow towers provide a customizable output of 20-50 kg of leafy greens per day. Finally, &ever also develops large-scaled production system which it calls mega-farms.
For more information:
Franz Drack, CMO
&ever
local@andever.de
www.and-ever.com
Publication date: Tue 8 Jun 2021
Author: Rebekka Boekhout
© VerticalFarmDaily.com
Vertical Farming For The Future
Beyond providing fresh local produce, vertical agriculture could help increase food production and expand agricultural operations as the world’s population is projected to exceed 9 billion by 2050
Posted by Sarah Federman, AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow, Office of the Chief Scientist andPaul M. Zankowski, Senior Advisor for Plant Health and Production and Plant Products, Office of the Chief Scientist in Research and Science
Aug 14, 2018
Indoor And Vertical Farming
May Be Part of The Solution To Rising Demands
For Food And Limited Natural Resources
Imagine walking into your local grocery store on a frigid January day to pick up freshly harvested lettuce, fragrant basil, juicy sweet strawberries, and ripe red tomatoes – all of which were harvested at a local farm only hours before you’d arrived. You might be imagining buying that fresh produce from vertical farms where farmers can grow indoors year-round by controlling light, temperature, water, and oftentimes carbon dioxide levels as well. Generally, fresh produce grown in vertical farms travels only a few miles to reach grocery store shelves compared to conventional produce, which can travel thousands of miles by truck or plane.
Beyond providing fresh local produce, vertical agriculture could help increase food production and expand agricultural operations as the world’s population is projected to exceed 9 billion by 2050. And by that same year, two out of every three people are expected to live in urban areas. Producing fresh greens and vegetables close to these growing urban populations could help meet growing global food demands in an environmentally responsible and sustainable way by reducing distribution chains to offer lower emissions, providing higher-nutrient produce, and drastically reducing water usage and runoff.
Recently, USDA and the Department of Energy held a stakeholder workshop focused on vertical agriculture and sustainable urban ecosystems. At this workshop, field experts shared thought-provoking presentations followed by small group discussions focusing on areas such as plant breeding, pest management, and engineering. Workshop attendees from public and private sectors worked together to identify the challenges, needs, and opportunities for vertical farming. A report on this workshop will be released to help inform Departmental strategic planning efforts for internal research priorities at USDA and external funding opportunities for stakeholders and researchers.
We’re excited about the potential opportunities vertical agriculture presents to address food security. That’s why USDA already has some of these funding and research opportunities in place. The National Institute for Food and Agriculture has funding opportunities (PDF, 1.22 MB) that could support future vertical agriculture conferences and research. Similarly, the Agricultural Research Service is working on a project to increase U.S. tomato production and quality in greenhouses and other protected environments. We look forward to continuing our partnership with our customers, both internal and external.
Lead Photo: Photo credit: Oasis Biotech
Category/Topic: Research and Science
Tags: Office of the Chief Scientist National Institute of Food and Agriculture NIFA Agricultural Research Service ARS Department of Energy vertical farming
New Vertical Farm In Oshawa Will Harvest Fresh Greens Year-Round
Founder Derrik Stevenson started the business as a way to follow his passions after being laid off from an office job as a result of the pandemic.
May 22, 2021
A new vertical farm is open in Oshawa with plans to harvest local greens year-round.
Mighty Harvest Produce, located at 871 Wilson Rd. S., is growing leafy greens and herbs hydroponically, which means without the use of soil.
Founder Derrik Stevenson started the business as a way to follow his passions after being laid off from an office job as a result of the pandemic.
“I decided, I’m not going to look for a job. I’m going to create my own job,” says Stevenson, who is vegan and has an interest in sustainability and fresh food.
Right now you can find greens like kale and salad blends growing at Mighty Harvest as well as herbs such as parsley, marjoram, and anise basil.
Stevenson says growing greens indoors has benefits for the environment as well as the people who eat them.
“The ultra freshness is what sets us apart from the grocery store,” he says, explaining how greens sold in Ontario often make a long journey from California or Arizona. “I can harvest on a Wednesday night and be selling the product on Thursday.”
Vertical farming uses 90 per cent less water than conventional agriculture and Mighty Harvest does not use pesticides or herbicides.
Stevenson says customers may be surprised to learn Mighty Harvest Greens are not certified organic — it’s because Canadian regulations don’t allow certification for produce that’s not grown in soil.
Mighty Harvest is open Thursday and Friday from 1 to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and can be found at the Whitby's Farmers Market on Wednesdays.
Food Is Poised To Get A Lot More Expensive, But It Doesn’t Have To
Today, with inflation on the rise, we need to consider what we can do to ensure the cost of a healthy diet stays within reach. There are two broad approaches. The first is to reduce poverty. The second is to reduce the cost of food.
June 21, 2021
As we emerge from the pandemic, people everywhere are facing punishing housing costs and stagnant wages. At the grocery store, consumers are also confronting rising food prices, a sobering reminder that good food costs too much for too many.
Consumers aren’t used to expensive food. Over the past few years, most North Americans have typically spent around 10 per cent of household income on sustenance. In 1900, (when housing was much more affordable), food costs took up 42 per cent of incomes in the United States.
By 1950, new agricultural technologies had boosted production, helping slash costs to 30 per cent, but the gains were just beginning. The number fell to 18 per cent by 1960, and has mostly trended downward since.
We’re not used to expensive food, because it’s been relatively cheap for so long. (Unsplash)
Today, with inflation on the rise, we need to consider what we can do to ensure the cost of a healthy diet stays within reach. There are two broad approaches. The first is to reduce poverty. The second is to reduce the cost of food.
Both approaches are necessary but we’re focusing on the latter: how to keep food costs down. In particular, we believe that with the right strategies, in the relatively near future, even healthy food may be cheaper than ever. The key will be technology and policy. To the doubters, and we know there are many, consider the following example.
40-year-old wager
In 1980, an economist made a bet against an ecologist.
Julian Simon, a business professor at the University of Maryland, wagered Paul Ehrlich, an ecologist at Stanford University, that the cost of raw materials would fall over the decade. Ehrlich chose a set of raw materials and the two agreed to reconvene on Sept. 29, 1990. If prices rose (a sign of scarcity), Ehrlich won. But if they fell (a sign of abundance), Simon would come out on top.
The reason for the bet related to each man’s worldview. Simon was a strong proponent that innovation and technology allow us to overcome limits to growth. Ehrlich observed the world’s environmental problems and argued the result of population growth would be famine, scarcity and ruin.
Forty years later, with the spectre of inflation twinned with climate change, a similar debate is emerging. We’d like to advance our notion, more aligned with the optimism expressed by Simon. We believe that thanks to technology, healthy food might actually become cheaper — radically cheaper — over the next 20 years as innovation provides many tools to overcome some of the problems caused by resource scarcity.
How can we do it?
Today, a wave of technological innovation is sweeping over food and farming systems. Better quality seeds are helping farmers all over the world remain productive during droughts.
Smart tractors, new “green chemistry” platforms and nanotechnology promise that in the near future farmers will reap record harvests while only applying a fraction of the fertilizers and pesticides they once did.
Greenhouses could result in fresh fruits and vegetables grown in close proximity to consumers. (Erwan Hesry/Unsplash)
Cellular agriculture, which involves producing animal proteins in bioreactors or fermentation tanks, is poised to produce an enormous amount of protein.
And extraordinary improvements in artificial lighting and automation suggest that even fruits and vegetables may soon be produced at low costs in greenhouses and vertical farms close to consumers.
‘Good cheap’ versus ‘bad cheap’
But before we get too carried away, there is an important nuance. If food is cheap because the environment is exploited, or agricultural workers and farm animals are treated badly, then having cheap food won’t solve any problems.
Similarly, if cheap food is low-quality and unhealthy, that doesn’t help either. When it comes to cheap food, we have to distinguish between “good cheap” and “bad cheap.”
Migrant workers do maintenance at an asparagus farming facility in southwestern Ontario that experienced a COVID-19 outbreak. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Ensuring we end up on the right side of this equation is where policy comes in. Government regulations must put a price on things like greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution so that farmers who are good stewards of the environment are rewarded.
Similarly, animal welfare must be protected and labour compensated appropriately (both in agriculture and across the economy). If we calibrate the right policies, then the technologies that are giving us new ways of producing food really have the potential to lower the cost of healthy, sustainable and affordable nutrition. Good food won’t have to cost the earth.
Who won the bet?
The economist won the bet against the ecologist. All of the resources Ehrlich identified declined in price over the 1980s. Simon crowed about the role of ingenuity and innovation. Ehrlich grumbled he’d chosen badly and a recession in 1990 artificially dampened prices.
Both academics were partly right and partly wrong. Ehrlich underestimated the innovation Simon celebrated. But Simon did not appreciate the importance of a strong policy to protect labour and the environment.
As we look at the 21st century, a century that threatens both massive disruptions but also promises huge innovations, we need two things.
First, we must capitalize on the technology that can help us change the way we produce food. And we can never forget the importance of public policy to ensure there’s a fair price put on things such as biodiversity, climate change, human labour and animal welfare.
If we embrace both of these principles, there is a very real chance that we will be able to bring the price of producing healthy food down without destroying the ecosystems we all depend on for life.
Authors
Director of the Arrell Food Institute and Professor in the Dept. of Geography, Environment and Geomatics, University of Guelph
Canada Research Chair, Food Security and the Environment, University of The Fraser Valley
Disclosure statement
Evan Fraser is director of Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph, co-chair of the Canadian Food Policy Advisory Council, is vice-chair of the Maple Leaf Centre for Action on Food Security, and a scientific advisor to the vertical farming startup Cubic. He receives funding from the Canadian government and is affiliated with the Royal Society of Canada's College of New Scholars.
Lenore Newman is the Director of the Food and Agriculture Institute at the University of the Fraser Valley, is the chair of the science advisory for Cubic Farms, and receives funding from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council
Partners
University of Guelph provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation CA.
University of Guelph provides funding as a member of The Conversation CA-FR.
The Conversation UK receives funding from these organisations
Jo Adetunji
Managing Editor
Agriculture Climate change Food Animal welfare Public policy Food production Grocery stores Food inflation Migrant farm workers
USA - FLORIDA: Finn Farms Begins Production At Babcock Ranch
The goal is to naturally grow produce year-round without fighting Florida’s humidity, and one company did it with 95% less water than traditional agriculture
Reporter: Erika Jackson
Writer: Jackie Winchester
June 21, 2021
From Seeds To Your Table,
There’s A One-Of-A-Kind Prototype
Greenhouse In Southwest Florida
The goal is to naturally grow produce year-round without fighting Florida’s humidity, and one company did it with 95% less water than traditional agriculture.
“This is controlled environment agriculture at its best,” said Oskari Kariste, founder and CEO of Finn Farms at Babcock Ranch.
What exactly does that mean? To break it down, the greenhouse is about the size of a soccer field. It can seed 60,000 plants a day and produce 1.5 million pounds of greens a year. That’s the same as 60 acres of open-field farming.
“This is totally the future of farming,” Kariste said.
He brought Finnish farming to Southwest Florida, dropping it in the heart of Babcock Ranch.
“What better way to do it than when you’re thinking about sustainability and innovation all at the same time,” said Syd Kitson, CEO, and chairman of Kitson & Partners.
The $13 million greenhouse uses recycled rainwater and condensation from the plants. It takes 95% less water to keep these plants thriving compared to traditional farming.
The plants grow on 300-foot-long tables. Most are harvested in less than 30 days.
“You have to see taste and feel the production in your hands and we are able to show how premium our quality is,” Kariste said.
“It’s always local and fresh, I think that’s the key component.”
Finn Farms is negotiating with buyers to start selling its produce. Phase two of the project is expected to be double the size and include vertical farming.
Polygreens Podcast Episode: 31 - Richard Vollebregt - Part 2
In this episode, Joe and Nick continue interviewing Richard Vollebregt, President & CEO of Cravo Equipment Ltd, a company that develops retractable roof production systems to enhance berry, cherry, cannabis and vegetable production for growers worldwide
In this episode, Joe and Nick continue interviewing Richard Vollebregt, President & CEO of Cravo Equipment Ltd, a company that develops retractable roof production systems to enhance berry, cherry, cannabis, and vegetable production for growers worldwide.
His background in economics combined with 30+ years of experience designing automated retractable roof greenhouses, knowledge of plant physiology and my worldwide experience in many crop industries allows me to be very effective in designing crop production systems and then creating financial models which benchmarking again conventional greenhouses, tunnels, and open field production.
Latest Episode
Nature Fresh Farms Wins Big In The Tomato Category At This Year’s Leamington Greenhouse Vegetable Awards
The Greenhouse Competitions has been a local event that Nature Fresh Farms looks forward to every year and is always proud of placing and especially honored to earn top spots for some of their favorite varieties!
Leamington, ON (June 15th, 2021) – Greenhouse Competitions in Leamington, Ontario, made a return this year hosting its annual Greenhouse Vegetable Awards this past weekend. Showcasing the best greenhouse-grown produce from leading North American growers, family-owned Nature Fresh Farms came back to the competition, prevailing in their yearly tradition of receiving many top accolades, including overall winner of the Hottest Tomato with their newest Umami Cherry Tomato, in addition to winning the entire Bite-Sized Tomato category with their Axiany placing third, Orange Cherry receiving second, and their Umami Cherry Tomato awarded first place.
Nature Fresh Farms took home awards in the following categories:
- Best Overall Tomato
- Best Tomato on the Vine Cluster Tomato Category 1st & 2nd Place
- Best Bite-Sized Tomato Category 1st, 2nd, 3rd Place
- Best Specialty Tomato Category
- Sweetest Strawberry Category 2nd Place
- Coolest Cucumber, English Cucumber Category 2nd Place
- Hottest Tomato, Beefsteak Tomato Category 2nd Place
- Hottest Tomato, Roma Tomato Category 3rd Place
- Perfect Pepper, Orange Bell Category 2nd Place
- Perfect Pepper, Red Bell Category 2nd Place
- Perfect Pepper, Yellow Bell Category 2nd Place
The Greenhouse Competitions has been a local event that Nature Fresh Farms looks forward to every year and is always proud of placing and especially honored to earn top spots for some of their favorite varieties!
“Every year this event draws a lot of local attention with the grower base,” shared Director of Sales, Matt Quiring. “This year’s event presented us with a clean sweep on the Bite-Sized Tomato Category taking home 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in one of the most highly sought-after Tomato categories.
In addition to that, we walked away with the Best Cluster, Best Specialty Tomato, and Best Overall Tomato for the 2nd consecutive year the contest has run. It is always great validation to see that our growing processes and seed selection strategies are paying off. With this year being our first year entering into the strawberry segment, we are excited to have also received 2nd place overall proving that we will be a force to contend with in the future!”
Nature Fresh Farms is thrilled to be a Farm Level Sponsor with all funds raised from the Greenhouse Vegetable Awards going to R.E.A.C.H International. This local charity has continuously hosted this annual competition which celebrates Essex County as being the largest greenhouse industry in North America. As a recognized and registered Canadian charity, R.E.A.C.H International’s humanitarian efforts assist the poor all over the world with their main project currently in Uganda.
Lead photo: Matt Quiring (left); Benny Teichroeb (right)
-30-
About Nature Fresh Farms -
Continuously expanding, Nature Fresh Farms has become one of the largest independent, vertically integrated greenhouse vegetable farms in North America. As a year-round grower with farms in Leamington, ON, Delta, OH, and Mexico, Nature Fresh Farms prides itself on consistently delivering exceptional flavor and quality to key retailers throughout North America, while continuing to innovate and introduce more viable and sustainable growing and packaging solutions.
SOURCE:
Nature Fresh Farms | info@naturefresh.ca T: 519 326 1111 | www.naturefresh.ca
USA - KENTUCKY: AppHarvest Announces Ground-Breaking For Fourth And Fifth High-Tech Indoor Farms
The high-tech Somerset farm marks the company’s expansion into growing berry crops. The Somerset indoor farm will be 30 acres
The Company’s Newest Large-Scale Controlled Environment Facilities, Located In Somerset and Morehead, Ky., Will Grow Strawberries And Leafy Greens, Respectively
June 21, 2021
Source: AppHarvest
MOREHEAD, Ky., June 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AppHarvest, Inc. (NASDAQ: APPH, APPHW), a leading AgTech company, public benefit corporation and Certified B Corp focused on farming more sustainably using up to 90% less water than open-field agriculture and only recycled rainwater, today announced the start of construction for two new high-tech indoor farms in Central Appalachia. The company’s new farms, located in Somerset and Morehead, Ky., will grow berries and leafy greens, respectively.
The high-tech Somerset farm marks the company’s expansion into growing berry crops. The Somerset indoor farm will be 30 acres.
The high-tech Morehead, Ky. farm is the second AppHarvest farm in Rowan County to date. The new Morehead facility will produce leafy greens and will be about 15 acres.
AppHarvest’s newest indoor farms in Morehead and Somerset are preceded by the company’s flagship 2.76-million-square-foot facility growing tomatoes in Morehead; a 15-acre facility in Berea that will grow leafy greens; and a 60-acre facility in Richmond that will grow vine crops.
"These new facilities place us exactly where we want to be at the forefront of AgTech. With today’s dual announcement, we put ourselves ahead of our development schedule,” said AppHarvest Founder & CEO Jonathan Webb. “Our Somerset and Morehead farms will build on the success of our flagship farm to provide higher quality produce using cutting-edge technology at a large scale.”
AppHarvest’s goal is to operate 12 high-tech indoor farms by the end of 2025, and today’s announcement means five of those now have been put on the map. Construction for both the Somerset and Morehead facility is anticipated to finish by the end of 2022.
“AppHarvest has positioned Kentucky as a leader in the AgriTech industry, created hundreds of good-paying jobs for our people and pushed through and thrived during some of our most difficult times,” said Gov. Beshear. “Even as a pandemic raged, Jonathan Webb and his team built one of the biggest indoor farming operations anywhere using one of the most advanced LED-lighting systems ever created. We know the jobs and investments of the future will flow to those who can meet these challenges, so why not us? AppHarvest is making it happen.” AppHarvest’s newest facilities will provide hundreds of well-paying jobs to Eastern Kentuckians in and around Somerset-Pulaski and Rowan Counties.
Both the Somerset-Pulaski and Rowan County facilities will produce non-GMO fruits and vegetables free of harsh chemical pesticides, to be distributed to top U.S. grocers and restaurants. Because of the company’s strategic location in Appalachia, AppHarvest can reach nearly 70% of the U.S. population in a day’s drive, with up to 80% less diesel fuel compared to existing growers in Mexico and the Southwestern U.S.
Supporting Quotes
Congressman Hal Rogers: “I am excited to welcome AppHarvest to Pulaski County and the Lake Cumberland area. Our rich farming history and skilled workforce makes southern Kentucky a prime partner for this innovative AgTech industry. As AppHarvest expands efforts to farm for our future, they are also inspiring a new generation of ingenuity and stellar work ethic that will benefit our region for generations to come.”
Somerset Mayor Alan Keck: “AppHarvest is breaking ground literally and imaginatively across Southern and Eastern Kentucky, and the company’s record growth creates a beautiful synergy with the record growth we are seeing in Somerset and Pulaski County. We share a vision for what this community and this region of Kentucky can become, that it can grow and thrive with the right nurturing and investment. We are thrilled AppHarvest chose Somerset and Pulaski County to expand and are honored to partner with this visionary company.”
Morehead Mayor Laura White-Brown: “This groundbreaking continues to highlight the progression of Eastern Kentucky and Appalachia. AppHarvest continues to pave the way for communities in this region by contributing to the workforce and economic development and at the same time helping to combat world hunger.”
Pulaski County Judge-Executive Steve Kelley: "What an exciting time this is to witness up-close an industry disruption. Who would have imagined that Southern and Eastern Kentucky could be an industry leader in produce supply? With AppHarvest’s vision and determination, we have that chance. We welcome AppHarvest to our county with open arms, and we can’t wait to see its prosperity here. It is victories like these that make me proud of my county."
About AppHarvest
AppHarvest is an applied technology company building some of the world’s largest high-tech indoor farms in Appalachia that grow non-GMO, chemical pesticide-free produce using up to 90% less water than open-field agriculture and only recycled rainwater while producing yields up to 30 times that of traditional agriculture on the same amount of land with zero agricultural runoff. The Company combines conventional agricultural techniques with cutting-edge technology including artificial intelligence and robotics to improve access for all to nutritious food, farming more sustainably, building a domestic food supply, and increasing investment in Appalachia. The Company’s 60-acre Morehead, Ky. facility is among the largest controlled environment agriculture facilities in the U.S. For more information, visit https://www.appharvest.com/.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements included in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “should,” “would,” “plan,” “predict,” “potential,” “seem,” “seek,” “future,” “outlook,” and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. All statements, other than statements of present or historical fact included in this press release, regarding Novus Capital’s proposed acquisition of AppHarvest, Novus Capital’s ability to consummate the transaction, the benefits of the transaction and the combined company’s future financial performance, as well as the combined company’s growth plans and strategy, future operations, estimated financial position, estimated revenues and losses, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this press release, and on the current expectations of AppHarvest’s management and are not predictions of actual performance. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as, and must not be relied on as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction, or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of AppHarvest. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those discussed in Novus Capital’s registration statement on Form S-4, filed with the SEC on October 9, 2020 (the “Registration Statement”), under the heading “Risk Factors,” and other documents Novus Capital has filed, or will file, with the SEC. If any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect AppHarvest’s expectations, plans, or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this press release. AppHarvest anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause its assessments to change. However, while AppHarvest may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, AppHarvest specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing AppHarvest’s assessments of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements.
Important Information for Investors and Stockholders
In connection with the proposed transaction, Novus Capital has filed the Registration Statement with the SEC, which includes a preliminary proxy statement to be distributed to holders of Novus Capital’s common stock in connection with Novus Capital’s solicitation of proxies for the vote by Novus Capital’s stockholders with respect to the proposed transaction and other matters as described in the Registration Statement, as well as the prospectus relating to the offer of securities to be issued to AppHarvest’s stockholders in connection with the proposed transaction. After the Registration Statement has been declared effective, Novus Capital will mail a definitive proxy statement, when available, to its stockholders. Investors and security holders and other interested parties are urged to read the proxy statement/prospectus, any amendments thereto and any other documents filed with the SEC carefully and in their entirety when they become available because they will contain important information about Novus Capital, AppHarvest and the proposed transaction. Investors and security holders may obtain free copies of the preliminary proxy statement/prospectus and definitive proxy statement/prospectus (when available) and other documents filed with the SEC by Novus Capital through the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov, or by directing a request to: Novus Capital Corporation, 8556 Oakmont Lane, Indianapolis, IN 46260. The information contained on, or that may be accessed through, the websites referenced in this press release is not incorporated by reference into, and is not a part of, this press release.
Participants in the Solicitation
Novus Capital and its directors and officers may be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies of Novus Capital’s shareholders in connection with the proposed business combination. Security holders may obtain more detailed information regarding the names, affiliations and interests of certain of Novus Capital’s executive officers and directors in the solicitation by reading the Registration Statement and other relevant materials filed with the SEC in connection with the business combination when they become available. Information concerning the interests of Novus Capital’s participants in the solicitation, which may, in some cases, be different than those of their stockholders generally, is set forth in the Registration Statement.
MEDIA CONTACT: blair.carpenter@appharvest.com
INVESTOR CONTACT: kaveh.bakhtiari@appharvest.com
IMAGE/VIDEO GALLERY: Available here
Meet The Woman Reconnecting African Communities With Locally-Grown Food
Whilst small in scale (only 10 meters in diameter), La Ferme Urbaine Okoume’s hydroponic microfarm produces an astonishing 300 lettuces and herbs per week. Claudia S. Ondo comments that the farm produces “mostly lettuces, romaine and iceberg, alongside parsley, coriander, basil, oregano, and arugula.”
Editor’s note: The following information is derived from an interview Agritecture conducted with Claudia S. Ondo, Owner & General Manager at La Ferme Urbaine Okoume. Visit their website or contact the team to learn more about or to partner with La Ferme Urbaine Okoume.
From College To Agricultural Entrepreneur
After completing her studies in Political Science at the University of Montreal, Claudia S. Ondo was contemplating the next phase of her adventure in order to make a positive impact on global politics, the environment, and on communities.
After spending that summer in Libreville, she was dumbfounded with the discovery that her native country of Gabon was extremely dependent on food imports. She highlights that “local agricultural production covers less than 35% of [the population’s] needs, and food imports are growing by 11% each year.”
Image sourced from La Ferme Urbaine Okoume
Claudia shares that “Gabon is a very small country - small population, only about 2 million inhabitants - but, a rich country in terms of resources. We have lots of wood and oil, so most of the working population is directed to the public and private sectors. The agriculture sector is left out.”
Drawing from her political science education, she saw an opportunity to offer the Gabonese people a sustainable agricultural model that not only “met this need for local fruits and vegetables, but also offered up a solution for youth unemployment and encouraged the Gabonese people to take an interest in agriculture.”
Whilst small in scale (only 10 meters in diameter), La Ferme Urbaine Okoume’s hydroponic microfarm produces an astonishing 300 lettuces and herbs per week. Claudia comments that the farm produces “mostly lettuces, romaine, and iceberg, alongside parsley, coriander, basil, oregano, and arugula.”
Alongside this technological approach, the team at La Ferme also wanted to take advantage of Gabon’s rich soil and weather conditions. “We have an experimental garden in which we grow tomatoes, green onions, lettuces, and now zucchinis too.” This garden is experimental because the team is still testing out rotating crops throughout the year, depending on the seasons.
The team not only prioritizes local production, they also want to deliver organic produce. With a mix of hydroponic and greenhouse set-ups, the farm is also still able to utilize natural sunlight and collect rainwater for the crops.
Claudia shares that produce brought into Gabon is not supervised, and, as a result, you can’t trust the quality. “We don't know where it comes from. We don't know what has been used. What is the process? How has it been cleaned?” This is a huge reason that customers come to La Ferme Urbaine Okoume.
The key was to form a stronger relationship between the Gabonese people and urban agriculture. To Claudia, hydroponics seemed to be the perfect combination to achieve these goals, and to build greener cities and communities for future generations.
Image sourced from La Ferme Urbaine Okoume
The team calls it their “little green paradise.”
So far, the farm has been able to add to the neighborhood a place for relaxation, and positive thinking. “It allows many city dwellers to reconnect with nature, agriculture, and the process of growing a plant. What does a tomato plant look like? What does a seedling look like? How are in-soil crops like carrots, potatoes or onions harvested?”
The construction of this farm is encouraging curiosity. Today, more and more people are contacting La Ferme Urbaine for viewings, schools are desiring workshops, individuals are coming in to learn how to grow their own plants at home, and restaurant owners are delighted to know where their products come from.”
Claudia and the La Ferme Urbaine team are grateful to Agritecture for making their dream a practical reality.
Having studied agribusiness in university, Claudia had tons of practical knowledge on how to transform an idea into a business. But, what she didn’t have was the agricultural knowledge and expertise in hydroponics and urban agriculture.
Image sourced from La Ferme Urbaine Okoume
After being awarded a grant by The World Bank, Claudia knew she needed more agricultural expertise to tackle this vast mission of transforming Gabon. Whilst Claudia initially looked for a local company, after stumbling across Agritecture in a newsletter, she felt an instant connection. She not only found a team with shared values, but also one with international agricultural expertise. This was key to her given the Gabonese context.
With over 6 years of experience in agriculture, specifically between the North American and MENA-GCC region, Agritecture’s Director of Operations, Yara Nagi, shares her experience working with La Ferme Urbaine. “Agritecture guided Claudia on equipment selection, the bill of materials for the farm, and management planning. The model was to grow fresh, local lettuces and herbs that are not available in that same quality to restaurants, hotels, and public markets. Guiding clients on making the best use of their grant money and avoiding costly mistakes fits within our social mission to help young farmers make a positive impact on their community.”
On her experience working with Agritecture, Claudia adds that “as someone who had a political & agribusiness background, but no prior agricultural experience, Agritecture really gave me the assurance and guidance I needed in this new business and adventure.”
Image sourced from La Ferme Urbaine Okoume
Since being hit by the pandemic, the farm still runs 24/7. However, they’ve changed their primary clientele. Today, they serve more restaurants than hotels. Claudia adds that “95% of our customers are restaurants. 5% are just individuals who want fresh products.”
Additionally, the team has come into contact with the Sylvia Bongo Ondimba Foundation run by the First Lady of Gabon, Sylvia Bongo Ondimba. The two teams have come together to scale up urban farming in the region and create more revenue streams for locals.
Not only this, their partnership empowers women by highlighting how young women in Gabon can run their own businesses.
Claudia shares that “this field was thought to be exclusively for a certain category of people, so, the fact that it’s a women-led business speaks volumes. We’re often congratulated by our customers when we deliver lettuce in stores or to restaurants, because they’re surprised to see women in farmer outfits.
Yara shares that what makes this farm and team unique is “the vision of the entrepreneur, Claudia. It is always incredibly inspiring to see women of our generation lead agricultural projects like these, but this project in specific has a vision of shifting the local food system and making produce more accessible. I think there are many more projects like these to come.”
Vertical Farm Merger Valued At $1.1 Billion
Strategic partners include food and agriculture industry giant Cargill and Sarath Ratanavadi, CEO of Gulf Energy Development Public Company Limited – Thailand’s largest private energy and infrastructure company and one of the world’s leaders in sustainable energy
June 18, 2021
HAMILTON, Mont.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Breakthrough U.S. indoor agriculture company Local Bounti Corporation (Local Bounti) has agreed to go public through a merger with Leo Holdings III Corp. (Leo or Leo Holdings) (NYSE: LIII), a publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company, pursuant to a definitive business combination agreement. The transaction values the combined company at an equity value of $1.1 billion (assuming no redemptions) and upon closing of the transaction, the combined company is expected to remain listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “LOCL”.
Strategic partners include food and agriculture industry giant Cargill and Sarath Ratanavadi, CEO of Gulf Energy Development Public Company Limited – Thailand’s largest private energy and infrastructure company and one of the world’s leaders in sustainable energy – which are investing in the combined company through a private investment in public equity (PIPE) arrangement. Cargill is also expected to provide $200 million in debt financing to accelerate Local Bounti’s expansion plans. Local Bounti plans to use the capital to build local strategically-located indoor farming facilities across the Western U.S. to provide fresh, superior-tasting, long-lasting and sustainably-grown produce with minimal carbon footprint.
Local Bounti Investment Highlights
Superior unit economics, with high yield and low-cost operations, enabled by unique hybrid facility configuration that addresses the challenges of conventional greenhouse and vertical farming
Producing leafy greens today at initial facility with pipeline to grow to eight facilities and the company expects to have over 30 SKUs by the end of 2025, which extends Local Bounti’s penetration, beginning in the largely untapped Western U.S. market
Superior brand and product that is local and sustainable across a growing number of SKUs, currently in more than 400 retail stores, including Associated Food Stores and URM served retail banners such as Rosauers, Super 1 Foods and Yoke’s
Strong commitment to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices and standards, including an executive team member who is Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)-certified to ensure aggressively transparent reporting per GRI and Sustainability Accounting Standards Board
Best-in-class, established management team of seasoned veterans at scaling early-stage companies, with Fortune 500 and public company experience
“Today’s announcement takes Local Bounti to the next level in enabling local, sustainable production and delivery of fresh, delicious and nutritious produce, including in regions that traditionally don’t have access to local supply, starting in the Western U.S. and expanding globally,” said Local Bounti Co-Founder and Co-CEO Craig Hurlbert. Based on publicly available market research on CEA, Local Bounti believes the current Western U.S. market opportunity is approximately $10.6 billion, and estimates that the total U.S. market for vegetables and herbs will reach up to $30 billion by 2025.
“We look forward to leveraging our proven business model as we accelerate the building of cutting-edge local production facilities that feature our proprietary IP, referred to as Stack & Flow Technology™, and transforming conventional agriculture practices for the benefit of all our customers, no matter where in the world they’re located,” he said, adding that the company’s growth plans include adding seven new facilities and local leadership in different geographic regions, as well as global expansion of its proprietary technology.
An industry disruptor changing the way food is grown and re-imagining the Farm of the Future™, Local Bounti is a premier controlled environment agriculture (CEA) company redefining ESG standards for indoor agriculture. The company’s unique business model is based on building local facilities, operated by local teams, to deliver the freshest and highest quality produce to local communities while maintaining a limited carbon footprint. Using proprietary technology to grow leafy greens and herbs in a smart, indoor controlled environment – and with a cultivation process that uses 90 percent less water and land than conventional agriculture, free from herbicides or pesticides – Local Bounti delivers high-quality produce that not only has a longer shelf life, but is also superior in taste.
“Local Bounti is set to be a transformational force in the AgTech industry with its demonstrated concept and model in food production and distribution,” said Lyndon Lea, President and CEO of Leo. “Combining Local Bounti’s emphasis on innovation, entrepreneurial spirit, and technology-driven approach with the institutional knowledge of the Leo Holdings team, we are confident in the company’s ability to expand in both reach and consumer offerings.”
Leveraging its innovative proprietary modular and scalable building system, which is designed to easily and efficiently replicate the company’s sustainable indoor farm model, Local Bounti is more than doubling the size of its flagship facility in Hamilton, Montana, and plans to break ground on additional facilities in the Western U.S. before the end of this year.
To learn more about Local Bounti’s unique growing process, diversified product offerings and experienced leadership team, please visit localbounti.com.
Transaction Overview
As a result of the transaction with Leo, Local Bounti will receive up to $400 million in gross proceeds (assuming no redemptions), including $125 million from a fully committed PIPE anchored by existing investors and new investors, including Fidelity Management & Research Company LLC, BNP Paribas Asset Management Ecosystem Restoration Fund and Cargill.
The Boards of Directors of Local Bounti and Leo unanimously approved the transaction, and the transaction will require the approval of the stockholders of both Local Bounti and Leo and is subject to other customary closing conditions. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2021.
Additional information about the proposed transaction, including a copy of the merger agreement and investor presentation, will be provided in a Current Report on Form 8-K to be filed by Leo Holdings III with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and will be available at www.sec.gov. For materials and information, visit the investor section of www.leoholdings.com for Leo, which can be found HERE.
Advisors
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., and Nomura Securities International, Inc. served as placement agents on the PIPE and Debevoise & Plimpton LLP served as legal advisor to the placement agents. Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal advisor to Leo. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Nomura Greentech served as financial advisors to Local Bounti and Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP served as legal advisor to Local Bounti.
About Local Bounti
Local Bounti is a premier controlled environment agriculture (CEA) company redefining conversion efficiency and environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards for indoor agriculture. The company operates an advanced indoor growing facility in Hamilton, Montana, within a few hours’ drive of its retail and food service partners. Reaching retail shelves in record time post-harvest, Local Bounti produce is superior in taste and quality compared to traditional field-grown greens. The company’s USDA Harmonized Good Agricultural Practices (GAP Plus+) and non-genetically modified organisms (GMO) produce is sustainably grown using proprietary technology 365 days a year, free of pesticides and herbicides, and using 90 percent less land and water than conventional outdoor farming methods. With a mission to ‘bring our farm to your kitchen in the fewest food miles possible,’ Local Bounti is disrupting the cultivation and delivery of produce. The company is also committed to making meaningful connections and giving back to each of the communities it serves. To find out more, visit localbounti.com or follow the company on LinkedIn for the latest news and developments.
About Leo Holdings III Corp and Leo Holdings
Leo Holdings III Corp is a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) that seeks to invest in entrepreneurially driven growth companies that seek to disrupt existing industries or business models. The management team has extensive experience owning and operating businesses on a global scale through its private equity vehicle, Lion Capital. Leo Holdings’ management team has collaboratively worked together for over 20 years.
Leo Holdings III Corp is part of a special purpose acquisition company initiative, Leo Holdings, which is focused on investing in disruptive, innovative business models. The initiative seeks businesses positioned to thrive in the evolving digital information age where changing consumer behavior creates the opportunity for outsized returns. In 2020, Leo Holdings Corp entered into a business combination with DMS, a disruptive performance marketing business which delivers high-intent customers while de-risking client advertising spend. Leo Holdings Corp II (LHC) and Leo Holdings III Corp (LIII) are currently listed on the NYSE.
Leo Holdings was formed by the principals of Lion Capital, which is led by Founder and Managing Partner, Lyndon Lea. For more information, visit https://leoholdings.com/.
Cautionary Statement Regarding 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. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding estimates and forecasts of other financial and performance metrics and projections of market opportunity. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this Press Release, and on the current expectations of Local Bounti’s and Leo’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 by any investor 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 Local Bounti and Leo. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including changes in domestic and foreign business, market, financial, political and legal conditions; the inability of the parties to successfully or timely consummate the proposed transaction, including the risk that any required regulatory approvals are not obtained, are delayed or are subject to unanticipated conditions that could adversely affect the combined company or the expected benefits of the proposed transaction or that the approval of the stockholders of Leo or Local Bounti is not obtained; failure to realize the anticipated benefits of the proposed transaction; risks relating to the uncertainty of the projected financial information with respect to Local Bounti; the effects of competition on Local Bounti’s future business; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Local Bounti’s business; the ability of Leo or the combined company to issue equity or equity-linked securities or obtain debt financing in connection with the proposed transaction or in the future, and those factors discussed in Leo’s final prospectus dated February 25, 2021 under the heading “Risk Factors,” and other documents of Leo filed, or to be filed, 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. There may be additional risks that none of Leo or Local Bounti presently know or that Leo or Local Bounti currently believe are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect Leo’s and Local Bounti’s expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this Press Release. Leo and Local Bounti anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause Leo’s and Local Bounti’s assessments to change. However, while Leo and Local Bounti may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, Leo and Local Bounti specifically disclaim any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Leo’s and Local Bounti’s assessments as of any date subsequent to the date of this Press Release. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements. Certain market data information in this Press Release is based on the estimates of Local Bounti and Leo management. Local Bounti and Leo obtained the industry, market and competitive position data used throughout this Press Release from internal estimates and research as well as from industry publications and research, surveys and studies conducted by third parties. Local Bounti and Leo believe their estimates to be accurate as of the date of this Press Release. However, this information may prove to be inaccurate because of the method by which Local Bounti or Leo obtained some of the data for its estimates or because this information cannot always be verified due to the limits on the availability and reliability of raw data, the voluntary nature of the data gathering process.
Important Information
In connection with the proposed transaction, Leo intends to file a registration statement on Form S-4, including a proxy statement/prospectus (the “Registration Statement”), with the SEC, which will include a preliminary proxy statement to be distributed to holders of Leo’s ordinary shares in connection with Leo’s solicitation of proxies for the vote by Leo’s shareholders with respect to the proposed transaction and other matters as will be described in the Registration Statement, and a prospectus relating to, among other things, the offer of the securities to be issued to Local Bounti’s stockholders in connection with the proposed transaction. After the Registration Statement has been declared effective, Leo will mail a definitive proxy statement/prospectus, when available, to its shareholders. Investors and security holders and other interested parties are urged to read the proxy statement/prospectus, and any amendments thereto and any other documents filed with the SEC when they become available, carefully and in their entirety because they contain important information about Leo, Local Bounti 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 Leo through the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov. These documents (when they are available) can also be obtained free of charge from Leo upon written request to Leo by emailing brown@leo.holdings or by directing a request to Leo’s secretary at c/o Leo Holdings III Corp, 21 Grosvenor Pl, London SW1X 7HF, United Kingdom.
Participants in the Solicitation
Leo and Local Bounti and their respective directors and certain of their respective executive officers and other members of management and employees may be considered participants in the solicitation of proxies with respect to the proposed transaction. Information about the directors and executive officers of Leo in its final prospectus dated February 25, 2021. Additional information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their direct interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be set forth in the Registration Statement and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC regarding the proposed transaction. Stockholders, potential investors, and other interested persons should read the Registration Statement carefully before making any voting or investment decisions. These documents, when available, can be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above.
No Offer or Solicitation
This communication is for informational purposes only and is not intended to and shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe for any securities or a solicitation of any vote of approval, nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offer of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and otherwise in accordance with applicable law.
Research Signify And Fragaria Innova Into Growing Strawberries With LED Bears Fruits
“Extra growth light is needed to realize sufficient yield and quality in winter”, according to plant specialist Peer Hermans, who conducts the research on behalf of Signify
June 15, 2021
· Provides better steering of the plants
· Optimizes winter growth
· Helps growers realize a stabile production pattern with high yield and good quality strawberries
Eindhoven, the Netherlands – Signify (Euronext: LIGHT), the world leader in lighting, has worked together with Fragaria Innova to develop specific light recipes for strawberries, resulting in a steady production pattern with high yield, and good quality strawberries in wintertime. The joint research over the past year helps to further optimize the winter production of the so-called ‘June bearers’, a strawberry cultivar known for relatively short peaks in production.
Within Fragaria Innova, progressive strawberry growers commit themselves, together with external partners, to innovation surrounding the themes of growing under light and plant health. For growing under light, Fragaria Innova and market leader Signify conduct a multi-year program with participating growers/propagators. At one of the production companies, a special compartment has also been equipped with separate climate control, this enables the testing of several growth- and light strategies for multiple cultivars under full LED. One of the main goals of the research is realizing a (more) stable production pattern during wintertime.
Current winter productions usually take place with June bearers with a short production period of 8 to 10 weeks, after which a new planting in another section takes over production to create a stable, flat production. Unlit cultivation dominates before- and after the winter production.
“Extra growth light is needed to realize sufficient yield and quality in winter”, according to plant specialist Peer Hermans, who conducts the research on behalf of Signify. “The trials have shown that you can influence the plant build-up somewhat with specific light recipes, for which LED is ideally suited.” By accurately tuning the light intensity and spectrum offered to the developmental stage of the plant, you can optimize the leaf surface and stretching of the flower trusses and leaf stalks. A better plant build-up can benefit the production. The idea is to raise the production quality through light optimization.
Grower Marcel Dings from Brookberries, co-initiator behind Fragaria Innova, noticed some influence on the plant build-up, but the extra assimilates that came with it, went mostly to the crop and less to the fruits. Dings: “Next season will focus on how we can further optimize the division of the assimilates in the plant, and how we can get the assimilates to the fruits”. The grower notices that there are a lot of variables at play, such as: cultivars, planting times, cultivation goals, light spectra, light intensity, and the balance between natural daylight and artificial lighting. “The benefit of this new generation of LED grow lights is that we can play with lighting efficiently and that we can finetune the recipe to our own wishes and possibilities. Within this project, together we can achieve faster and more progress. I am satisfied with the results of this first year, but there is definitely room for further optimization. Hopefully, we can keep this going in the coming years.”
Grower Dave Linssen, a participant within Fragaria Innova (cultivar: Malling Centenary), had a trial with different spectra at one company location, planted in August just like his unlit crop. “The lit plants went into production earlier in winter, as expected. When it came to kilos and plant build-up, we hardly noticed any difference between the light spectra”, he concludes. “We may need to tinker a little to get the ideal light recipe for our company. It seems obvious to me that growing under LED is a desired addition.”
Based on these encouraging results, the trial set-up for the coming season will be determined. Spectrum research and testing different cultivars will be part of this research. For more information on growing strawberries with LED grow lights, please go to www.philips.com/horti.
--- END ---
For further information, please contact:
Global Marcom Manager Horticulture at Signify
Daniela Damoiseaux
Tel: +31 6 31 65 29 69
E-mail: daniela.damoiseaux@signify.com
About Signify
Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) is the world leader in lighting for professionals and consumers and lighting for the Internet of Things. Our Philips products, Interact connected lighting systems and data-enabled services, deliver business value and transform life in homes, buildings and public spaces. With 2020 sales of EUR 6.5 billion, we have approximately 37,000 employees and are present in over 70 countries. We unlock the extraordinary potential of light for brighter lives and a better world. We achieved carbon neutrality in 2020, have been in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index since our IPO for four consecutive years and were named Industry Leader in 2017, 2018 and 2019. News from Signify is located at the Newsroom, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. Information for investors can be found on the Investor Relations page.
About Innoveins | Fragaria Innova
Innoveins is an ecosystem where organizations cooperate at the cross-over between plants and technology to develop innovations through co-creation and bring them to the market.
Within Innoveins, Fragaria Innova unites ambitious strawberry growers to jointly tackle challenges in the areas of labor, upscaling, efficiency, plant health and resilience, biodiversity, growth media, product quality, continuity, delivery reliability and smart farming.
USDA Announces Grants For Urban Agriculture And Innovative Production
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced the availability of up to US$4 million for grants to further support urban farming entrepreneurs and businesses looking to innovate.
Editor’s note: The following information is derived from an interview Agritecture conducted with Leslie Glover of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production. Read the USDA's News Release to learn more about the grants, or reach out directly to urbanagriculture@usda.gov with any application-related questions. Apply here!
Supporting Innovation In Urban Agriculture
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced the availability of up to US$4 million for grants to further support urban farming entrepreneurs and businesses looking to innovate.
“The number of individuals, groups, and community organizations seeking to build stronger local food systems is growing. It is encouraging to see the USDA continue to provide financial support to city stakeholders as applicants around the country aim to improve their communities through urban agriculture.”
— JEFFREY LANDAU, AGRITECTURE’S DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Considering that over 6.7 billion people are projected to live in urban areas by 2050, these grants are essential to ensuring greater food security in the urban context and helping support food justice and equity. This enables farmers to better educate and unify communities to improve the locals’ overall health and permit them greater nutritional access.
As part of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production, Leslie Glover comments that “the purpose of UAIP competitive grants are to support the development of urban agriculture and innovative production activities by funding planning projects and implementation projects. Planning projects may be designed to initiate or support projects in the early stages of development, while Implementation projects may be designed to accelerate existing and emerging models of urban, indoor, and other agricultural practices that serve multiple farmers or gardeners or improve access to local food in the target area(s).”
Who Is Eligible To Apply?
Awarded by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, this grant opportunity “is only eligible to nonprofit organizations, local or tribal governments, and any schools that serve any of the grades kindergarten through 12 in areas of the United States.”
More specifics on eligibility can be found in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NFO), and supporting documents can be found here. Although seemingly limiting for non-eligible parties, Leslie adds that “non-eligible entities can be partners on a project” in order to benefit from this grant.
“This is a really great opportunity for for-profit businesses to partner with nonprofits to meet shared goals. For example, a school that wants to set up a small vertical farm as part of their science curriculum could apply for funds and partner with a local vertical farm operator for technical expertise. A city that is looking to promote various aspects of urban agriculture within its jurisdiction could be the lead and partner with a software designer to develop an online platform that helps facilitate the various aspects of urban agriculture that it wants to promote. The possibilities are endless, and for creative organizations, this is a golden opportunity.”
— DAVID CEASER, AGRITECTURE'S LEAD AGRONOMIST
Inspiring A Change
Previously awarded grants have seen great success in reshaping food production in built-up urban cities. Leslie shares that “last year’s grants were used in several ways from creating a citywide Agriculture Master Plan in New Haven, Connecticut, to providing fresh produce to food deserts and food insecure areas in targeted urban zip codes in Wichita and Sedgwick Counties in Kansas.”
VIEW MORE GRANT RECIPIENT PROJECTS
As for this new $4 million made available for grants this year, the USDA wants to continue inspiring and encouraging change. Leslie adds that “like last year, the goal is to serve communities in urban areas, suburbs, or urban clusters where access to fresh foods are limited or unavailable.” This is planned to be done “by leveraging collaboration, information sharing, and reporting on evidence-based impacts.”
If you’re interested in applying, reach out to Agritecture to be a supportive partner and strengthen your application! With our 10+ years of experience in local food systems planning, and our portfolio of 130+ clients in over 50 cities, our team of agricultural experts can help you make the strongest application.
Applying Automated Warehouse Systems To Indoor Farming
“At Swisslog, we don’t have standard solutions in place for vertical farms yet. But due to our long-lasting expertise both in the food industry and in the distribution of fresh products to the point of sale, we understand the supply chain processes and linked to that shelf life considerations.”
“History is written in circles as we observe similar drive for automation in indoor farming, as we saw years ago in the intralogistics sector. There are yet few important differences,” says Timo Landener, product innovator at Swisslog.
Swisslog, with the vision to shape the future of intralogistics, not only develops warehouse automation and software solutions to reduce costs and introduce flexibility to warehouse-based operations but also looks into innovative future-proof approaches. In March 2021, Swisslog announced its foray into the vertical farming market. While Swisslog has not specifically designed systems for vertical farming, its vast portfolio of automation solutions can be adapted to vertical farms, whether pre-existing or purpose-built.
Timo Landener
“At Swisslog, we don’t have standard solutions in place for vertical farms yet. But due to our long-lasting expertise both in the food industry and in the distribution of fresh products to the point of sale, we understand the supply chain processes and linked to that shelf life considerations. Moreover, our portfolio can be easily adapted to indoor farming since the payload is fairly light, the throughput is not critical and the automation operations demand low power compared to the needs of the intralogistics automation,” explains Timo. “Nevertheless, we already learned, that we can't just adopt the same requirements, because plants are living organisms. And we have to respect that.”
Although unable to reveal their clients, Swisslog has reportedly demonstrated its technologies in the vertical farming industry with success to allow growers to reduce operational costs and increase scalability. Examples of innovative systems applicable to vertical farming include the PowerStore high-density storage system, the AGV based good-to-person order fulfillment solution CarryPick, the Tornado mini-load crane and the Vectura stacker crane.
When does automation become economically feasible?
Automation can be applied to multiple processes in an indoor farm including seeding, harvesting, packaging, tray manipulation, etc. However, Timo explains that automation is capital-intensive and best suited for large-scale indoor farms. A higher production level introduces more opportunities to increase operational efficiency and reduce labor requirements.
“Even Amazon began in a small space with little automation. Then, they reached a level where automation made sense. In the vertical farming industry, we need to discuss with clients where the tipping point is for needing automation,” says Timo.
To determine which automation solutions are right for the grower, Swisslog’s automation experts work directly with clients to identify opportunities for increased operational efficiency and customize solutions according to the farm’s architecture. Additionally, the close relation with KUKA as the parental company allows collaboration opportunities to automate and incorporate the sub-processes in an Indoor Farm to a more turnkey solution.
Harvest-on-demand
Timo explains that despite the relatively short distance between urban indoor farms and retailers, a major challenge to indoor farming is the logistics of transporting farm-grown products to retailers while maintaining crop quality.
“After the plants have grown in a perfect environment, they are cut and immediately begin to lose quality. The current challenge is to speed up the process of getting the products to the retailer. Pursuing the innovative approach of harvesting-on-demand, we can make sure that the end customer receives fresh and rich nutrition vegetables. With a palette of automated solutions this is finally possible,” says Timo.
Swisslog’s ties with global retailers started long ago as the Swiss Company delivered solutions for huge automated projects (distribution centers) as well as smaller, more local applications, known as Micro-Fulfillment Centers. Harvesting-on-demand differs from mainstream distribution models by supplying retailers with living plants, which can continue growing until they are purchased.
This process can be carried out in retailers’ “back shops” and would support additionally retailers to fulfill three major sales channels: in-store sales, home delivery and BOPIS (buy online, pick up in-store). Swisslog is certain that we are at the edge of a revolution in food the supply chain: There will be the need for Indoor Farms at the point of sales: a “fresh food on the demand-supply grid”. We see automation as a means for leveraging the indoor farms and help them deliver efficiency that will lower the entry threshold for further investments.
Retailers are a fundamental part of this revolution. “Many indoor farms are currently selling to retailers. Due to the fact, that the retailers sell the crops, they determine how the supply chain will look like. Thus, the power of re-designing the process of the supply chain and ensuring consistency in the circular economy lies in their hands. As for today, the complexity and ramifications of the matter inspire us to join forces with retailers and find out how to react in the best way to changing needs of the customers and the industry. We are on the verge of something new and powerful. Swisslog, an intralogistics automation leader, together with retailers and farming experts, we can deliver a great added value for consumers” explains Timo.
For more information:
Timo Landener, product innovator
Swisslog
timo.landener@swisslog.com
www.swisslog.com
Publication date: Thu 3 Jun 2021
Author: Rebekka Boekhout
© VerticalFarmDaily.com