University of Florida Researchers Study Farming Inside a ‘Shipping Container’
Greenhouse Manager Wanda Laughlin speaks with viewers at the North Florida Research and Education Center Suwannee Valley. (Photo by Cat Wofford, UF/IFAS)
What: Smart garden ribbon cutting and tour
When: Monday, Aug. 19, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Where: TheUF/IFAS Plant Science Research and Education Unit (PSREU), 2556 County Highway 318, Citra
About: University of Florida officials will gather in Citra to celebrate and tour PSREU’s first “smart garden,” a 320-square-foot agricultural pod outfitted to grow fruits and vegetables hydroponically.
“It’s essentially a shipping container similar to one used to ship goods from Asia or Europe to the United States,” said James Boyer, PSREU director of research administration.
Ying Zhang, UF/IFAS assistant professor of controlled environments, is leading a team of researchers studying indoor agriculture techniques by growing lettuce inside the pod. The team marked its first harvest earlier this month.
Boyer said he expects the garden to produce 500 heads of lettuce a week, and the food will be transported to Gainesville for use by the Hitchcock Field and Fork Pantry.
The Citra smart garden is funded through a collaboration with Clay Electric Cooperative, Seminole Electric Cooperative and EPRI, an independent, non-profit energy R&D organization. In 2022, Seminole Electric, EPRI and Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative funded a similar project at the UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center in Live Oak.
By outfitting the pods with efficient HVAC, lighting, water pump and dehumidification systems, the electric companies hope to better understand indoor agriculture’s impact on the electric grid.
“Indoor agriculture is a rapidly emerging industry across the U.S.,” said David Porter, EPRI’s vice president of electrification and sustainable energy strategy. “Within the indoor agriculture industry, we are seeing a rapid evolution of efficient and innovative designs, technologies and solutions that help deliver nutritional crops year-round.”
Although Seminole Electric currently owns the container, it will become UF property after two years.
ABOUT UF/IFAS
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents.