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BASF Venture Capital Invests In Indian Startup UrbanKisaan
With the investment from BASF, UrbanKisaan plans to further expand its market presence in India, deploy its farming technology to work with thousands of farmers, and bring fresh, local, sustainable produce to urban dwellers
Startup optimizes sustainable agriculture without soil in tropical climates
■ BASF Venture Capital’s first investment in this early stage Indian business strengthens AgTech activities in Asia
Hyderabad, India, and Ludwigshafen, Germany, July 13, 2021 – BASF Venture Capital GmbH (BVC) is investing in the Indian startup UrbanKisaan, which specializes in hydroponic cultivation of various types of vegetables, greens and herbs in tropical urban environments. This is BVC’s first investment in an early stage business focusing on India. Conceptualized in 2017, UrbanKisaan operates several suburban greenhouses and vertical indoor farms in Hyderabad and Bangalore. The company sells the fresh produce, some of which is grown directly in the shops, in its franchise-owned brick-and-mortar stores and via an app and website. Both parties agreed not to disclose financial details of the investment.
UrbanKisaan has optimized hydroponics technology for use in tropical climates such as India. With only one tenth of the costs, the proprietary technology is significantly more efficient than conventional global standards in hydroponics cultivation. The company is also capitalizing on the trend of online food retailing, which is booming on the subcontinent. “Our approach in hydroponics enables us to produce our food cost-effectively and with relatively little effort,” said Vihari Kanukollu, co-founder and CEO at UrbanKisaan. “Our produce also contributes towards sustainability as it is grown in clean, hygienic farms in and around the city, thus minimizing the total carbon footprint. Use of IoT (Internet-of-Things)-enabled technology for monitoring the farms ensures pesticide-free produce. The growing demand from our customers shows that our idea is well-received,” he added.
UrbanKisaan’s farms are managed through their proprietary technology. Nutrient content, pH levels, atmospheric humidity, CO2 concentration, light concentration and other important parameters are controlled and adapted to the needs of the particular plants with an app.
“UrbanKisaan, as a pioneer in the hydroponics space, has developed a unique growing method and combines this with a compelling business model for sales,” commented Markus Solibieda, Managing Director of BASF Venture Capital GmbH. He added: “AgTech is one of our key investment focus areas worldwide. This includes, in particular, our goal of supporting innovative agricultural and food-related businesses in Asia. We look forward to learning more about hydroponic farming and exploring its potential through a close collaboration between UrbanKisaan and BASF’s agriculture experts.”
With the investment from BASF, UrbanKisaan plans to further expand its market presence in India, deploy its farming technology to work with thousands of farmers, and bring fresh, local, sustainable produce to urban dwellers.
Hydroponic farming – an efficient way to use limited resources
The world’s population is expected to reach 10 billion by 2050 1 while the area available for farming and freshwater reserves are becoming increasingly scarce. Hydroponics offers a sustainable way to grow crops without soil and using vertically stacked layers while reducing water usage by about 90 percent 2. Especially in densely populated urban areas, this presents a more efficient way to use limited resources like water, space and manpower. Water that is not absorbed by the plants is captured, purified and fed back into the farm’s water circulation system, minimizing wastage significantly.
India is the second-largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world, with a production value of about $64 billion3. It is also a large consumer of fruits and vegetables, and while much of this is through unorganized channels (local vegetable markets, hand-pulled carts and neighborhood stores), organized channels (modern trade and online retail) account for a little over 20 percent of the market4. Thus, hydroponics is a fast growing and efficient alternative to traditional supply chains in the organized fresh produce market.
About UrbanKisaan
UrbanKisaan was conceptualized in 2017 in Hyderabad, India. The company began as a farming enterprise but wanted to grow more than just fresh and nutritious food. They wanted to create a sustainable future for farming and feed the world in a way that is good for both people and planet. Today, with its hyper-local urban farms the company is creating a transparent supply chain with a low carbon footprint, leveraging on proprietary growing technology that helps save 90% of water yet grow 30 times more crops compared to traditional farms of similar area. Further information at www.urbankisaan.com.
About BASF Venture Capital
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF Venture Capital GmbH (BVC) also contributes to this corporate purpose. Founded in 2001, BVC has offices in Europe, the U.S., China, India, Brazil, and Israel. BVC’s goal is to generate new growth potential for current and future business areas of BASF by investing in young companies and funds. The focus of investment is on new materials, AgTech, Digitization and new, disruptive business models. Further information at www.basf-vc.com.
About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. More than 110,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €59 billion in 2020. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the U.S. Further information at www.basf.com.
3 Fruits & Vegetables Production value at Current Prices for 2015-16, Horticultural Statistics at a Glance 2018, Government of India, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
4 Avalon Consulting - http://www.fruitnet.com/asiafruit/article/178572/india-on-the-move
PODCAST: This Weeks Episode - Season 3 Episode 35
Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show, co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer at AeroFarms, Marc Oshima. AeroFarms is an award-winning indoor farming company that is on a bold mission to grow the best plants possible for the betterment of humanity
Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show, co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer at AeroFarms, Marc Oshima. AeroFarms is an award-winning indoor farming company that is on a bold mission to grow the best plants possible for the betterment of humanity.
Today, Harry and Marc talk about Marc’s background in marketing and how it has impacted his work at AeroFarms. Marc provides his thoughts on the concept of ‘speed breeding,’ speaks to his passion for food, and expounds on the concept of utilizing business as a force for good
Listen & Subscribe
Solar Firm To Convert Shipping Containers To Urban Greenhouses
CEO James DiPrima said: “We also felt that inner city urban areas also needed a way to get fresh fruits and vegetables grown right in their own neighborhood. Reimagining old shipping/cargo containers as the structural framework for our soar technology would greatly reduce the costs of building greenhouses
July 9, 2021
New York, New York, July 09, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Green Stream Holdings Inc. (OTC PINK: GSFI) (“the Company”) (http://www.GreenRainSolar.com), an emerging leader in the solar utility and finance space, which had previously announced that it would be entering the rapidly growing urban gardening sector with solar greenhouses dedicated primarily to rooftop farming, today announced that it is also moving forward with its previously announced project to convert old shipping/cargo containers into inexpensive greenhouses for urban and inner city neighborhoods.
Last year, on October 6, 2020, the Company previously announced that it had entered into a non-binding agreement with Aoki Group Inc. (“Aoki”) and famed restauranter, Kevin Aoki, who wanted to ship his famous mushrooms to his various sites around the world. The mushrooms would grow inside the container while being shipped to their destination.
Blondie’s specializes in custom urban landscapes including roof decks, terraces, courtyards and entry gardens, and is now utilizing that expertise in designing the irrigation systems for our Cargo container Solar Greenhouses. Blondie’s transforms concept and vision into realized functional design.
Blondie’s is experienced in specifying, installing, renovating and maintaining green wall systems. They are famous for their interior and outside Green Walls.
For more information go to: https://blondiestreehouse.com.
CEO James DiPrima said: “We also felt that inner city urban areas also needed a way to get fresh fruits and vegetables grown right in their own neighborhood. Reimagining old shipping/cargo containers as the structural framework for our soar technology would greatly reduce the costs of building greenhouses. Less room, less labor and less panels was a marriage made in heaven for underserved communities. Communities can get one, ten or 100 containers… whatever amount of land is available… and since each container has a small footprint, there is a lot of flex flexibility for each situation.
Using solar energy has two main benefits: Solar energy systems do not produce air pollutants or carbon dioxide, and Solar energy systems on buildings have minimal effects on the environment… OUR Solar Greenhouses combine the two creating a physical structure that produce electricity, with the ability to capture the sun from many different angles.”
About Green Stream Finance, Inc.
Green Stream Finance, Inc., a solar utility and finance company with satellite offices in Malibu, CA and New York, NY, is focused on exploiting currently unmet markets in the solar energy space, and is currently licensed in California, Nevada, Arizona, Washington, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Colorado, Hawaii, and Canada. The Company’s next-generation solar greenhouses constructed and managed by Green Rain Solar, LLC, a Nevada-based division, utilize proprietary greenhouse technology and trademarked design developed by world-renowned architect Mr. Antony Morali. The Company is currently targeting high-growth solar market segments for its advanced solar greenhouse and advanced solar battery products. The Company has a growing footprint in the significantly underserved solar market in New York City where it is targeting 50,000 to 100,000 square feet of rooftop space for the installation of its solar panels. Green Stream is looking to forge key partnership with major investment groups, brokers, and private investors in order to capitalize on a variety of unique investment opportunities in the commercial solar energy markets. The Company is dedicated to becoming a major player in this critical space. Through its innovative solar product offerings and industry partnerships, the Company is well-positioned to become a significant player in the solar space.
SOURCE: Green Stream Holdings Inc.
Tagged indoor farming
Feel Confident In Starting Your Project With This 3-Part Webinar Series!
Even with effortless, turn-key container farms, there are still questions left unanswered for those interested in getting startedThis three-part webinar series will take you step-by-step through what you need to know before you start, how to select the best business model, and your options for financing the project
Even with effortless, turn-key container farms, there are still questions left unanswered for those interested in getting startedThis three-part webinar series will take you step-by-step through what you need to know before you start, how to select the best business model, and your options for financing the project.
By signing up, you will:
Hear and learn from first-hand experiences
Access knowledge and resources from Growcer and Farm Credit Canada
Break down how to get growing year-round into smaller, digestible steps
If you’re interested in growing food for your community but don’t know where to start or are stuck along the way, sign up for the webinar series today!
Register now for all three sessions:
July 13 - Getting Started
July 27 - Choosing a Business Model
August 10 - Financing your Project
Excited for you to join us,
The Growcer Team
BrightBox Farms’ Gideon Saunders Sees Alaska’s Future For Agriculture In Hydroponics
Nestled next to an otherwise ordinary house on Kodiak is a shipping container. It looks out of place, but the garden in it is even more noticeable
July 8, 2021
Nestled next to an otherwise ordinary house on Kodiak is a shipping container. It looks out of place, but the garden in it is even more noticeable. The growing area of the BrightBox Farm looks like a prop from a movie about space exploration – the vertically oriented hydroponic farm has its own perfect microclimate.
The use of this shipping box has enabled Gideon Saunders to conquer the seasons that otherwise rule Kodiak Gardens.
“There we worked with Freight Farms, who build 40-foot containers, high cubes, 2.50 m high, 2.40 m wide, standard containers, only slightly higher, very insulated, highly insulated R-28. So we agreed with them and picked out a unit and then delivered it to us, ”Saunders said.
Freight Farms made the interior of the shipping container. Inside, there are shelves with lettuce and other greens, interspersed with panels of blindingly bright ultraviolet light. A panel filled with nutrients feeds into a water tank on the back, which in turn feeds drips into the hydroponic system. The air is supplemented by a carbon dioxide tank, which ensures that the plants do not lack for anything.
The container is completely controlled by an app. And it even comes with built-in bluetooth speakers. But for the container, function is more than form – Saunders boasts that he could grow 1,000 heads of lettuce a week in less than 30 hours.
It doesn’t just look futuristic. Saunders believes systems like this will revolutionize agriculture.
“I think it’s the future. I mean, we can get into the politics of agriculture and water rights and freshwater use worldwide, and global warming and all these hot topics – 8 billion, 9 billion, 10 billion people, how do you feed them? The population is growing – how do you become more efficient with your food? Well, when it comes to vegetables and leafy greens and what we do, we use 95% less water than traditional farming. We do not use herbicides, pesticides or insecticides. So no glyphosate, no Miracle Grow. Chemically nothing bad. You can control it. So it’s the future of agriculture, ”Saunders said.
This type of production is not cheap. Saunders says the device costs around $ 100,000 with shipping and handling. But as technological advances inevitably push prices down, it becomes more cost-effective for smallholders to invest in such equipment.
And Saunders says it’s already inexpensive, although its container is complemented by a small homemade addition in its garage. He sells microgreens as a subscription service, in which he provides his subscribers with bags of greens for a monthly fee, and through sales at the local farmers’ market. Even on an island known for its horticultural and merchant shipping challenges, herbivores can enjoy fresh, locally grown produce year round.
Contain Inc Announces Finance Arrangement With Edible Beats For FarmBox Foods Container Farm
The container farm is being built and customized for Edible Beats, and will produce ingredients for all of the EB concepts, Linger, Root Down, Vital Root, El Five, and Ophelais
NEWS PROVIDED BY
July 07, 2021
Contain Inc announces a financing agreement arranged between Edible Beats Restaurant Group & a prominent lender for a FarmBox Foods container farm.
Image courtesy of FarmBox Foods
With the FarmBox Food container, we can grow hyper-local, organic, year-round produce that will be featured at all of our restaurants. We feel this is just the beginning of what we can grow”— Justin Cucci of Edible Beats Restaurant Group
RENO, NV, UNITED STATES, July 7, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Contain Inc is pleased to announce a financing agreement arranged between Edible Beats Restaurant Group and a prominent lender for a controlled-environment container farm, FarmBox Foods. Edible Beats is a locally owned Denver-based restaurant group known for its diverse menus and healthy, plant-based dishes that highlight local and seasonal ingredients. Edible Beats will be able to grow herbs, leafy greens, salad greens, and various produce organically and year-round with the container farm that will be attached to their Vital Root location.
“We have always sought opportunities to be more responsible to the sourcing, growing, and handling of the incredible ingredients that we get,” said Justin Cucci of Edible Beats Restaurant Group. “With the FarmBox Food container, we can grow hyper-local, organic, year-round produce that will be featured at all of our restaurants. We feel this is just the beginning of what we can grow, and we are eager to add the mushroom grow operation in the future”
Image courtesy of Unsplash
Edible Beats purchased the container from FarmBox Foods, a Colorado-based company that builds automated farms that grow gourmet mushrooms, leafy greens, and culinary herbs. To FarmBox, controlled-environment agriculture is the future, and this deal is one of many leading us towards a more decentralized and eco-friendly food system.
“I think we’re going to see a lot more of these types of programs going forward,” said Chris Michlewicz, Chief Public Relations Officer at FarmBox. “Restaurants are realizing that their produce is fresher and has a longer shelf life when they have a container farm on site. It’s a reliable and sustainable source of food, and it’s more eco-friendly because you no longer have to transport food in from elsewhere.”
Image courtesy of Unsplash
Likewise, Contain Inc is thrilled to support Edible Beats as it ventures into indoor ag. “We're delighted to have assisted SemiMojo and FarmBox Foods in this innovative initiative. Contain is always excited to see more fresh food made available to consumers. Customers appreciate freshness and quality produce, year round. Restaurants and container farms make this possible”, said Doug Harding, Head of Leasing & Vendor Relations at Contain Inc. “We are thrilled to have collaborated with Edible Beets and Farm Box Foods on this project. It aligns perfectly with Contain's mission of supporting the controlled environment agriculture industry in its financing needs”.
The container farm is being built and customized for Edible Beats, and will produce ingredients for all of the EB concepts, Linger, Root Down, Vital Root, El Five, and Ophelais.
About Contain Inc
Contain is out to empower the indoor ag industry of tomorrow. Our first and key mission is bringing easier and faster financing to controlled environment agriculture, but we aren't stopping there. We create platforms to move the industry forward, and most importantly, find ways to make indoor ag more accessible to farmers of all stripes.
Contact Contain:
Doug Harding, Leasing & Vendor Relations
doug@contain.ag | 760-330-1199
About Edible Beats
Edible Beats is a locally owned independent restaurant group that operates such diverse concepts as Linger, Root Down, El Five, Ophelais, and Vital Root. “Walking the walk” is important to us and the various aspects of sustainable & local food sourcing, up-cycled design, and authentic Hospitality.
About FarmBox Foods
FarmBox Foods was founded to help provide a sustainable, eco-friendly food source to places where there is a lack of access to farm-fresh produce. The company’s mission is to use container farms to decentralize the food supply chain and empower local communities.
Doug Harding
Contain Inc
doug@contain.ag
Visit us on social media:
Twitter
LinkedIn
High Hopes For Aquaponics System Inspired By Sewage Treatment
“Our work shows that this type of cultivation is not only more sustainable, but it is also capable of providing nutrients in a form that is easily accessible to plants
by The Fish Site
30 June 2021
A novel water purification system inspired by sewage plants has been shown to be effective at optimizing fish waste for use as fertilizer for plants in aquaponics facilities.
In a recent study, researchers demonstrated that the system could improve nutrient remineralization for the plants, while removing excess nitrogen and carbon from the system, creating a healthier environment for fish.
The study, published in Frontiers in Plant Science, was undertaken by researchers from the Department of Marine Sciences at the University of Gothenburg and involved the production of rainbow trout and lettuce.
As lead author, Victor Lobanov explained to Frontiers Science News: “Fish sludge is a waste product made up of uneaten food and fish feces and is normally broken down by bacteria in the water. In addition to physically harming fish gills, excess carbon in the solids leads to excessive bacterial growth – diminishing oxygen in the water and hampering the ability of the fish to breathe. We wanted to find out whether this waste could be used to fertilize plants in aquaponics systems by removing the excessive carbon, yet preserving the minerals needed for growing crops.”
The researchers investigated a potential solution inspired by sewage and wastewater treatment plants found around the world, called enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR). They adapted it so that the risk of bacteria build-up in the water was reduced, but the minerals from the fish waste were soluble in the water and could therefore be biologically available for plants to take up.
They found that their solid treatment system was as effective at delivering nutrients from the fish waste to the aquaponic system as a commercial nutrient solution. Although the fertilizer did not meet plant needs entirely, as some nutrients such as manganese were missing, the researchers hope to optimize this system in future studies.
“Hopefully we can scale the system more efficiently in the future, not just for lettuce as used in this study but as well as for other plants, with the right number of fish corresponding to the size of the system. By further optimizing the breakdown of fish solids by the solid treatment system, we can also achieve a faster treatment rate and make the whole process more efficient,” explained Lobanov.
Commercial fertilizer solutions often have very high levels of nitrogen, stimulating crops to swell and absorb large amounts of water and giving the appearance of improved growth but often decreasing the amounts of minerals in the plant. Despite the fertilizer created by the solids treatment system containing lower levels of nitrogen than commercially available chemical fertilizers, plants were not nutrient deficient. This suggests that the high nitrogen levels commonly used are in excess of what the plants need. The authors hope that this finding will stimulate further research into the connections between plant nutrients, health, and taste,
“Our work shows that this type of cultivation is not only more sustainable, but it is also capable of providing nutrients in a form that is easily accessible to plants. Farmers can take this system and optimize it for their specific crops and production volumes, potentially even supplementing with additional nutrients if required,” said Lobanov.
Lead photo: The aquaponics facility where the trial took place. © Victor Lobanov
USA - WISCONSIN: Kenosha Plan Commission Backs Plans For Indoor Garden Facility Near City Airport
The Plan Commission on Thursday reviewed and advanced a proposed year-round standalone indoor garden facility adjacent to the existing Gordon Food Service distribution plant at 10901 38th St. GFS plans to partner with Square Roots, an organization specializing in urban farming, in the development. A new 8,715-square-foot facility will be used to grow fresh produce, greens, and herbs
DAVE FIDLIN
Kenosha News correspondent
June 27, 2021
A food distributor’s plans for a year-round indoor garden facility on Kenosha’s northwest side moved one step closer to reality, following a city panel’s favorable recommendation.
The Plan Commission on Thursday reviewed and advanced a proposed year-round standalone indoor garden facility adjacent to the existing Gordon Food Service distribution plant at 10901 38th St.
GFS plans to partner with Square Roots, an organization specializing in urban farming, in the development. A new 8,715-square-foot facility will be used to grow fresh produce, greens, and herbs.
Gordon has forged similar partnerships with Square Roots at other distribution centers within the U.S., the first taking place two years ago near the company’s Michigan-based corporate headquarters.
At a Thursday’s meeting, GFS representatives indicated the indoor garden facility would serve a variety of purposes, with about 60 percent of it going toward direct-to-consumer retail sales and the balance toward distribution.
Down the road, company officials have indicated the new operation could have an educational component, such as workshops on how basil is grown. Partnerships with nearby colleges and universities also were discussed as a possibility.
During deliberations, several members of the panel lauded the plans for the site. Commissioner Lydia Spottswood said she viewed Square Roots’ addition as an example of forward-thinking development.
“It seems like a brilliant opportunity for more and more (of this type of development) to happen, given the proximity to Lake Michigan,” Spottswood said. “We’re trying to brand this as a city of innovation, and this is an innovative process.”
Commissioner Charles Bradley said he, too, was pleased with the proposal, though he did weigh in on the proximity of the development, which is near the Kenosha Regional Airport.
“I’m happy, but I am a little surprised by the location,” Bradley said.!
Commissioners also discussed GFS and Square Roots’ planned building materials for the new facility, which include the use of metal shipping containers on a portion of the facility.
According to information commissioners reviewed, the shipping containers will be accessible from inside the building and will include windows cut into the ends of the containers, alongside perforated architectural metal screens along the exposed sidewalls.
The companies’ tentative plans state the shipping containers will be stacked two rows high, 10 containers wide. A portion of the facility also will be constructed with more traditional building materials, including a concrete foundation and exterior walls made of insulated metal.
“This is a really interesting, adaptive reuse,” Spottswood said.
The City Council, which has final say on the proposal, will take up the Plan Commission’s recommendation and could act on it in July.
Meeting in person
Thursday’s Plan Commission meeting was the first time the appointed body gathered in-person, since COVID-19 lockdowns forced an abrupt pivot to virtual meetings in March 2020.
As is the case with all Kenosha municipal meetings, the Plan Commission is reverting back to its pre-pandemic practices.
“I’m very excited about it,” said Ald. David Bogdala, who serves on the Plan Commission. “We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us, and I’m glad to see, for the most part, that we’re back to normal.”
Lead photo: A concept rendering of the southeast view of the proposed Square Roots and Gordon Food Service indoor garden facility adjacent to the existing GFS distribution plant at 10901 38th St.
USA - Pennsylvania: Container Farm To Be Delivered To School In Oakmont
CEA Advisors announced today that they have delivered another custom-built 40’ Growtainer® Vertical Farm to the Riverview School District in Oakmont, PA. Unlike other school’s container farms that can only teach one method of production, this farm is specifically designed to teach the students about multiple growing methods
CEA Advisors announced today that they have delivered another custom-built 40’ Growtainer® Vertical Farm to the Riverview School District in Oakmont, PA. Unlike other school’s container farms that can only teach one method of production, this farm is specifically designed to teach the students about multiple growing methods.
The Oakmont Growtainer has three distinct chambers to provide a real hands-on experience for the students, including a classroom/lab/germination area, an LED-lit multi-level soil chamber, and an LED-lit multi-level hydroponic system.
Glenn Behrman, President, and founder of CEA Advisors, a global controlled environment consulting firm and the manufacturer of Growtainers worked with the school’s staff to design a cost-effective system that could provide various levels of a learning experience as well as providing fresh leafy greens for the cafeteria for their students of all ages.
“Due to Corona virus supply chain issues, the school couldn’t wait for our Growracks to arrive from our manufacturing partner in Holland. So we designed and built a custom multi-level racking system for the ebb and flood hydroponic installation including automatic irrigation and water monitoring and dosing.”
The soil side is also a multi-level design with LED lighting and an irrigation system. The climate is independently controlled in each chamber including de-humidification. In the next month or so the entire campus, including the Growtainer will be powered by solar.
For more information:
CEA Advisors LLC
Glenn Behrman, Founder, and President
gb@cea-advisors.com
www.cea-advisors.com
23 June 2021
USA: INDIANA - Delaware County Moves Ahead With Economic Incentives For Vertical Farming Company
Living Greens Farm, an indoor produce farmer based out of Minnesota, is looking to turn the space into its next produce facility. The company uses an aeroponics process, also referred to as vertical farming, to produce greens for sale in grocery stores
Muncie Star Press
MUNCIE, Ind. — Delaware County is moving forward with economic incentives for a vertical farming company looking to buy the Industria Centre shell building along Fuson Road.
The shell building, measuring 200,000 square feet, was built in 2014 by Garmong Construction. The nearly $8 million county-funded shell building had been unable to find a tenant in seven years.
This building is officially owned by Garmong, a Terre Haute-based company that's been a frequent partner with the county on shell buildings in the past.
►PREVIOUS: Indoor farming company could purchase Delaware County Shell building
The building is funded by the county and built on county-owned land.
Living Greens Farm, an indoor produce farmer based out of Minnesota, is looking to turn the space into its next produce facility. The company uses an aeroponics process, also referred to as vertical farming, to produce greens for sale in grocery stores.
VIDEO: Sweden: Growing Food In Umeå In A Freight Farms Shipping Container
Ellen Bergström and Daniel Remes are growing food in Umeå, Sweden to create a resilient and sustainable local food system
Ellen Bergström And Daniel Remes Are Growing
Food in Umeå, Sweden To Create A Resilient
And Sustainable Local Food System.
Although they had little agriculture experience, the realization that their community needed a dependable food supply chain that offered fresh, quality produce even through the long, dark winter months, led them to start their Freight Farming business, MY Harvest.
Click on the video below to watch their story.
For more information:
Freight Farms
info@freightfarms.com
www.freightfarms.com
24 Jun 2021
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
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Are you interested in learning more about how to become a Freight Farmer? Contact us for additional information on how to get started today.
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
Freight Farms And CEO Vanzura Set To Reinvent Container Farming
June 17, 2021
The global pressures exacerbated by COVID-19 and the rippling toll it takes on the international community has made one thing clear: preparedness is everything. The Coronavirus has exposed vulnerabilities in the global health network that no one could have imagined. Food production and distribution must now reset their agendas to prepare for catastrophe.
Freight Farms, a 2011 Agtech company that pioneered hydroponics-based container farming, is committed to preparing the world for the next disaster by reinventing the way we grow food.
“Fill in the blank with the institution, how prepared are you for the emerging trends that are impacting the world,” Freight Farms CEO Rick Vanzura explained. “Sustainability issues, land availability, water availability; those issues obviously preceded COVID-19, but we think there’s going to be a greater sense of urgency around folks expecting us to have an answer and be prepared for these global trends, as opposed to being reactive.”
Vanzura looks to channel his decade of experience as a restaurant executive, growing Wahlburgers from a single restaurant to a $100 million dollar institution, as well as greatly expanding Panera Bread, to redefine food production and distribution as a whole.
Freight Farms uses container-based “vertical farming” to do just that, allowing farmers to produce hundreds of high-quality local crops from a 320 square foot shipping container which automates the farming process for maximum efficiency.
Vanzura plans to expand and distribute these self-contained, sustainable farms to a wide diversity of industry segments. The priority will of course be the global communities that need them the most. “We see the Freight Farm as a perfect fit for countries with food access difficulties, short growing seasons and inherently challenging climates. There’s probably no location where having a hyper-local, highly traceable, always available solution isn’t going to make sense in some way,” he added.
In the name of access to high-quality food, in a sustainable model built to withstand a natural disaster, Freight Farms has now distributed their automated, hydroponic farms to 48 U.S states and across the world to 32 different countries, boasting success and efficiency from the Arctic wilderness, to the desert, and to concrete jungles.
Freight Farms believes that its emphasis on access, preparedness, and sustainability will be more necessary than ever in the wake of COVID-19, as well as global trends of food insecurity and environmental uncertainty. Vanzura explained that the company has already reacted to shifting demands by supporting small-scale farmers as they set up drive-through produce stations to reach customers directly.
Freight Farms CEO Rick Vanzura
“Demand during this time for that hyper-local, fresh product has certainly ramped up,” Vanzura added. “Hopefully, once people get a taste of it, they will understand the difference, and post Covid, our containers will become an industry staple.”
Vanzura sees his role as not only expanding to agriculturally vulnerable countries abroad but also increasing access to high-quality food across institutions in the United States. He wants to specifically target universities and has partnered with foodservice provider Sodexo to ensure local food is available to as many people as possible.
Vanzura says he was forced by his children to move beyond the world of crafting a restaurant chain’s vision and use his knowledge to make the world a better place. Freight Farms, with Vanzura’s leadership, has the ability to change the way we think of farming and change the world.
Freight Farms hopes to combat international uncertainty, face the threats of climate change, and provide people with fresh produce regardless of climatic constraints and difficulties. “Healthy food is a right, not a luxury,” and Freight Farms is helping make this mission statement a reality.
Lead photo: A Freight Farms container has unprecedented environmental control and exceptional ease-of-use to unlock your growing potential.
To learn more about Freight Farms and how they are reinventing container farming, visit their website.
Total Food Service is a monthly B2B foodservice publication and website covering foodservice and hospitality news, industry trends, and exclusive interviews.
USA: MASSACHUSETTS - New Partnership Will Serve Meals For 400 Youth Per Day
Town to Table, a Boston-based container farm company, announced a partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South, an organization that accommodates kids in out-of-school-time hours
Town to Table, a Boston-based container farm company, announced a partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South, an organization that accommodates kids in out-of-school-time hoursy
Town to Table, a Boston-based container farm company, announced a partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South, an organization that accommodates kids in out-of-school-time hours.
"Together, we are operating two Freight Farms that will serve community members, food pantries, non-profits organizations, and the Clubs’ Kids Café Healthy Meals program which provides meals for 400 youth per day and serves more than 100,000 meals annually," said Town to Table on their LinkedIn page.
The farm will also be used as an educational resource to provide hands-on learning experiences for Club members with curricula-focused food systems, food justice, nutrition, and sustainability.
For more information:
Town to Table
https://towntotable.com
Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South
Publication date: Fri 11 Jun 2021
CANADA: Thursday, July 8th, 2021 - 12:00 PM EST
Sit back and learn more about Growcer's beginnings, our farm's uses, and essential considerations for starting your own Growcer project. It will be an informal opportunity to ask our team questions and learn more!
Every first Thursday of the month, we'll be hosting a Meet and Eat that anyone can join; however, we're going to have it on the second Thursday in July to accommodate for the statutory holiday on Thursday, July 1st.
Register Now →
Sit back and learn more about Growcer's beginnings, our farm's uses, and essential considerations for starting your own Growcer project. It will be an informal opportunity to ask our team questions and learn more!
SIGN UP TODAY
Thursday, July 8th, 2021
12:00 PM EST
USA: WASHINGTON STATE - Ummah Sustained Agroecology Center - Long Time! We Have Been Getting Things Started Here On The West Coast. We Opened!
Ummah Sustained AgroEcology Center - U.S.A.C. features Washington States 1st Certified Jr Master Gardener, Youth Agroecology, and Discover through Hydroponic K8 Farm School programs
Ummah Sustained Agroecology Center, a unique opportunity for your K-8 child to be creative, and confident while building lasting friendships. Our youth development program nurtures a child’s instinctive curiosity through informal exploration learning experiences
Ummah Sustained AgroEcology Center - U.S.A.C. features Washington States 1st Certified Jr Master Gardener, Youth Agroecology, and Discover through Hydroponic K8 Farm School programs.
Our Certified Urban Permaculture center houses three hydroponic systems including Freight Farm, a greenhouse, raised beds, community garden, small session classroom, and Afrocentric resource library.
We offer volunteer opportunities through WSU Extension Snohomish County 4-H and AmeriCorp.
Vertical Roots Opens Third Indoor Hydroponic Container Farm
Vertical Roots, a vertical farming company which grows its leafy greens in repurposed shipping containers year-round, has opened its third indoor farm in Atlanta, Georgia, reducing produce transportation and expanding access to fresh, locally-grown leafy greens.
14-June-2021
By Mary Ellen Shoup
Vertical Roots, a vertical farming company which grows its leafy greens in repurposed shipping containers year-round, has opened its third indoor farm in Atlanta, Georgia, reducing produce transportation and expanding access to fresh, locally-grown leafy greens.
To Continue Reading, Please Click Here
Source Courtesy of Food Navigator-usa.com
CANADA: The Value of Hyper-Local Produce
At Yellowknife Co-op, produce is grown steps away from the store in a container farm!
The hyper-local food trend is more than just a fad: there’s a reason that hyper-local food is catching on in a big way. If you’re thinking about growing hyper-local food, it’s important to understand the value of the product and its market position.
At Yellowknife Co-op, produce is grown steps away from the store in a container farm!
BUT FIRST, WHAT IS HYPER-LOCAL FOOD?
Where does that ‘local’ head of lettuce you pick up from the grocery store actually come from? The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) defines ‘local food’ as being grown in the province where it’s being sold, or within 50km of the border. But hyper-local food is even more local than being from the same province or being Canadian-grown. It is usually grown within the same town or city, or a short distance from where it’s being sold (sometimes even right behind the store!).
BENEFITS OF HYPER-LOCALLY GROWN FOOD
LOWER FOOD MILES
Hyper-local produce is usually grown within the same town or city, or a short distance from where it’s being sold.
As consumers are becoming more and more aware of the environmental impact of our food choices, the demand to lower food miles is also growing. A food mile can be thought of as the distance that food travels from the grower to the consumer. As a metric, it helps to assess the environmental impact of the foods we consume. A 2012 study showed that on average, 30% of food is imported in Canada, leading to annual emissions of 3.3 million metric tonnes of CO2.
Growing food hyper-locally can result in significantly lower food miles (and as few as zero food miles!) in both urban centres and rural communities. This reduces the carbon footprint of what you eat.
SUSTAINABLY GROWN
Growing hyper-locally in a hydroponic farming system has further benefits. Water in a closed hydroponic system is captured and reused, resulting in 90% less water use, and 95% less land than conventional farming.
TRACEABLE FOOD CHAIN
Growing hyper-local is completely traceable. This means you know exactly what’s going into your product. There are no synthetic pest control products, less risk for E.Coli, and a shorter supply chain to manage.
FRESHER PRODUCE WITH A LONGER SHELF LIFE
Growing food hyper-locally also means fresher produce and a longer shelf-life. Instead of wilting in a truck for hundreds of kilometers, hyper-local produce is shelf-ready immediately. This has a marked effect on the quality, as most produce loses 30 percent of nutrients just three days after harvest.
Life Water Gardens, a container garden project in Norway House Cree Nation, sells locally-grown produce at the Northern Store. Click here to learn more about the project and hear from its growers!
“When you get your hands on the fresh produce and taste it, you know it’s a good thing for your community in general. It’s really easy to get excited and pumped about [this project].” - Ian Maxwell from Norway House.
“When you get your hands on the fresh produce and taste it, you know it’s a good thing for your community. It’s really easy to get excited and pumped about [this project].”
— Ian Maxwell, co-manager of Life Water Gardens
WHERE IS HYPER-LOCAL PRODUCE POSITIONED IN THE MARKET?
For growers, it’s important to keep in mind that hyper-local food isn’t competing with foreign produce that you typically find in grocery stores. Between locally-grown vs imported food, the wholesale price for foreign produce is cheaper than local produce.
Keep in mind that grocery stores buy produce at wholesale prices, which means that they may buy produce from you at a certain cost, and then sell it with a 30% margin added to the price. When you walk into a grocery store and see produce being sold for $4.99, the reality is that the grocery store-bought it for $3.50 and added a mark up to the final price to help cover their costs of operations.
To find price-compatible products for market research in your area, look for products that will match your future products, such as living lettuce, other hydroponic greens, and other hyper-local, organic produce. Growcer greens belong in the hyper-local, value-added produce category.
GETTING STARTED WITH HYPER-LOCAL FOOD
Growing hyper-local food has many benefits: not only is it fresher, healthier, and better for the planet, it can also be a profitable investment for growers. When crafting your financial projections, keep in mind the value of hyper-local produce and where it sits in the market.
Interested in learning more about our hyper-local hydroponic growing systems? Find out more.
Vertical Roots Expands To Atlanta, Partners With Two Wholesalers
The company partnered with two of the leading Southeastern produce suppliers, Collins Brothers Produce BB #:128652 and Phoenix Wholesale Foodservice BB #:134241, to place the farm directly at their facilities
June 11, 2021
CHARLESTON, S.C., June 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Vertical Roots, the largest hydroponic container farm in the U.S. sustainably growing fresh leafy greens year-round, opened its third indoor farm in Atlanta, Georgia this June.
The company partnered with two of the leading Southeastern produce suppliers, Collins Brothers Produce BB #:128652 and Phoenix Wholesale Foodservice BB #:134241, to place the farm directly at their facilities.
The new Atlanta farm site will eliminate the need for produce transportation to the distributor and allow Vertical Roots lettuce to be delivered to local customers the same day it’s harvested.
Located within the Atlanta State Farmers Market, this is phase one of the company’s Atlanta expansion. With farm production underway, Vertical Roots Georgia Grown™ lettuce will be available in grocery stores in July 2021.
Crisp, sweet, tender, or buttery, Vertical Roots lettuces are nutritious, pesticide-free, and come in a wide variety of flavors, colors, and textures for culinary masterpieces and everyday meals. With long lasting freshness, produce is in the hands of consumers within one to three days of being harvested and has up to a 21-day shelf life.
Vertical Roots’ mission is to revolutionize the ways communities grow, distribute, and consume food. Farming directly at distribution hubs is a part of Vertical Roots’ distinctive strategy to eliminate a massive leg of produce transportation in order to reduce emissions and provide communities with fresh, locally-grown produce.
The new Atlanta farmsite will reduce produce transportation by an estimated 300 miles per delivery and will help meet the company’s retail demand that services thousands of grocery stores across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, as well as restaurants, universities, and schools.
“A large part of our mission is to grow food as close to the point of consumption as possible, and this farmsite accomplishes just that,” said Andrew Hare, co-founder, and general manager of Vertical Roots. “The Collins family are esteemed produce industry leaders for three generations, and we’re ecstatic about the unique grower-supplier partnership that we’ve cultivated.”
David Collins, President of Collins Brothers & Phoenix Wholesale Foodservice, said, “At Collins Brothers and Phoenix Wholesale, we’ve had the privilege to work with dedicated farmers across the country for decades. We’re thrilled to partner with Vertical Roots as they bring an innovative way of farming to the agriculture industry. We look forward to this relationship as we share a like-minded mission in providing our customers with high quality, fresh, local produce.”
Vertical Roots’ state-of-the-art indoor farms are manufactured from upcycled shipping containers at the company’s headquarters in Charleston, SC. The farm containers made their way to Atlanta on June 8, where farmers started seeding and transplanting to produce Vertical Roots lettuce within weeks.
A small footprint with a large output, the new farm will produce half a million heads of lettuce this year. Each 320-square-foot container maximizes the growing space with 3,400 plants per harvest, and up to 17 harvests per year.
Vertical Roots farms operate with the highest globally recognized food safety standards, eliminating the need for pesticides of any kind.
An AmplifiedAg, Inc.® company, Vertical Roots operates farms with proprietary software and technology. The farms don’t rely on soil, use up to 95% less water and grow crops 25% faster, compared to traditional farming methods.
About Vertical Roots:
An AmplifiedAg, Inc. company, Vertical Roots is the country’s largest hydroponic container farm and is revolutionizing the ways communities grow, distribute and consume food. Sustainably-grown indoors and pesticide-free, Vertical Roots leafy greens are fresh, clean, nutritious, and delivered to your local grocery store within one to three days of being harvested. Vertical Roots produce is available at thousands of leading grocery stores in 12 Southeastern states, educational institutions, restaurants, and other food service organizations. Vertical Roots operates farms in Charleston, S.C., Columbia, S.C. and Atlanta, Ga.
Tagged greenhouse, lettuce, vertical farming