New research on using controlled environment agriculture (CEA) to grow plants with medicinal properties could lead to production methods that will increase one anti-cancer compound naturally produced by certain species of plants.

The study, led by doctoral student Rebekah Maynard, was designed to identify crops to be used in medical treatments and to develop strategies to increase the concentration of an anti-cancer compound produced by the plants.

Working with Rhuanito Ferrarezi, associate professor of CEA crop physiology, Maynard grew compact crops with a short life cycle—chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) and parsley (Petroselinum crispum)—in a vertical farming environment. The researchers measured the plants' production of apigenin, a natural anti-inflammatory compound with promising anti-cancer effects.

The Vertical Farm at Illinois State University will use a repurposed 40 ft. by 8 ft. (320 sq. ft.) shipping container to grow plants, such as basil, cilantro, and parsley, year-round in an enclosed, controlled environment. The Farm uses a vertical hydroponic growing system, which includes recirculated nutrient solution and light-emitting diode (LED) lighting to grow 4,600 plants at full operation. This is the equivalent of 1-2 acres of field production but requires 95% less water at 5 gallons per day.

Students will use the site to train for careers in agriculture and horticulture specialty crop production. It also will serve as a demonstration site for other departments across campus, as well as local community groups, schools and businesses.

Traditional farming requires acres of land, favorable weather, and lots of resources. But what if you could grow fresh produce year-round in a fraction of the space, using 90% less water, all while nestled right in the heart of a city? That’s the magic of container vertical farming!

Understanding shipping container dimensions is crucial when designing your vertical farm layout. A standard 40-foot shipping container can produce the equivalent of 3-5 acres of traditional farmland. Talk about space efficiency! These self-contained growing environments control everything from temperature and humidity to lighting and CO2 levels, creating the perfect conditions for plants to thrive.

Recently I visited the CROPS (Communities Revolutionizing Open Public Spaces) food hub located at 167 S. Tennessee Ave. in Atlantic City. I sat down with Director of Operations Alexis Flack, who has been with CROPS since 2022; and food distribution coordinator Soph Milone, who started as an intern in 2024, and is now working full time for CROPS.

I was familiar with CROPS, but learned so much more about it during my visit and what they have to offer.

CROPS is a nonprofit with a mission “to alleviate food insecurity through empowering healthy, interconnected communities by cultivating fresh produce, ensuring access to nutritional food, providing educational programming and advocating for sustainable food systems and collaborative solutions.”

Controlled environment agriculture enables food production in small, non-traditional spaces, including shipping containers and urban centers. These systems embody the spirit of innovation, merging technology and sustainability to tackle critical global challenges like food security and climate resilience. The UConn team, led by Shuresh Ghimire, associate extension educator for vegetable crops, collaborates closely with Jeremy Whipple, farm manager of Meechooôk Farm, and Marissa Turnbull, director of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation Department of Agriculture.

Since 1979, A.N. Martin Systems has been working alongside farmers, providing reliable grain handling and storage solutions. Now, we’re bringing that same dedication to the dairy industry with the SoyRoaster — a self-contained, fully automated soybean roaster designed specifically for dairy farms.

Built inside a shipping container, the SoyRoaster is easy to install and offers an affordable and efficient way to improve feed quality and boost cow health, helping you get the most out of your herd.

Rows of lettuce growing in a hydroponic system in a shipping container outside the school district's administration building will help provide students and the community with fresh food year-round.

Students and food service employees plan to harvest 150 to 200 heads of lettuce each week from the water-based system, said Groton Public Schools Food Service Director Ernie Koschmieder.

School, government and Navy officials and students gathered Friday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and toured the new 40-foot-long shipping container that says WELCOME TO OUR FARM."

Last April, the Cincinnati Zoo started growing some of the food it needs to feed its animals. Less than a mile from the elephant enclosures and manatee displays, it set up two storage containers equipped with hydroponic systems to cultivate lettuce and kale.

Since then, the zoo has grown more than 8,000 pounds of produce in Avondale — enough to supply the giraffe feeding program.

Sustainability Project Manager Megan O’Keefe says the zoo still ships food in, but growing on-site is helping it be more resilient.

“We’re dipping our toe in the water because there has been supply chain issues, especially with climate change — we're experiencing more droughts on these farms that we get our lettuce from in California, in the Southwest,” O’Keefe said.

An eye-catching 12-storey tower is transforming the city centre’s skyline, built and joined onto the former Woolworths store, ‘stepping up’ the building away from Oxford Street to the rear at Picton Yard.

The project is set to be complete in July, with works now around 70% finished. It will house roughly 120 residents, 350 people working in the commercial office spaces, plus ground floor businesses, an exhibition space, and education zone.

The development will feature a vertical urban farm, a five-storey green house which will produce crops and vegetables, a display aquarium, and a ‘biophilic walkway’.

It will use alternative energy sources, such as smart devices to monitor and help understand consumption levels and ecological footprint, communal residential spaces at rooftops and greenhouses, and the incorporation of greenery on balconies, and art throughout the building.

Professional sports organizations are increasingly exploring sustainability initiatives to reduce environmental impacts associated with stadium operations. Challenges such as high carbon emissions from food transportation, reliance on external food suppliers, and the need for chemical-free nutrition are common across the industry.

At Estadio Akron, Club Deportivo Guadalajara (Chivas) has partnered with Verde Compacto and Revive It Sustainability Office to introduce the HUVSTER, a self-contained vertical hydroponic farm designed to provide a local, sustainable food source within the stadium.

According to Verde Compacto, this initiative offers a replicable model for integrating vertical farming into sports venues, with potential applications in other stadiums, urban spaces, and institutional food systems.

St. Anthony Basin Resources Inc. (SABRI) got its start as a social enterprise with a focus on the fishery.

The St. Anthony-based organization was involved in not just fishing but in programs and research and development initiatives, but when SABRI’s fishing quota was reduced, CEO Christopher Mitchelmore knew they had to develop a good diversification strategy if SABRI was to continue to meet its mandate.

“Which is all about expanding the economic base and creating jobs, and doing so in harmony of our rural lifestyle,” he told The Telegram.

Today, Mitchelmore is confident in saying that SABRI has been able to find success in diversification.

It’s done so through real estate, with the construction of 26 housing units that were completed in 2023, and by expanding into transportation with SABRI Transit.

GrowPods are self-contained, high-tech modular farms built inside repurposed shipping containers, allowing them to be deployed anywhere in the world, from bustling urban centers to remote desert areas. These smart farms create the perfect growing environment for fresh, organic produce, regardless of external weather conditions.

“Saudi Arabia’s commitment to food security and sustainability aligns perfectly with the capabilities of GrowPods,” said Shannon Illingworth, Founder of GP Solutions. “Our advanced technology makes it possible to produce high-quality, nutritious food locally, using a fraction of the water and land required by traditional farming.”

What is unique about AdventHealth Farm compared to other farms? Instead of growing food outdoors or in a greenhouse, AH uses vertical racks inside a shipping container. LED lights provide light adjusted for the optimal mix of red and blue light for the photosynthesis of each plant species being grown. Instead of plants growing horizontally such as in traditional outdoor farms, AH crops are grown vertically on tall, dual-sided towers hanging from the shipping container ceiling in rows, with carefully regulated nutrient water flowing from top to bottom.

Babylon Micro-Farms, the leader for on-site indoor farming with over 300 micro-farms across 40 states and 5 countries, today announced the appointment of Marc Oshima as its new Chief Executive Officer, following an in-depth search process. 

“I am delighted to have been appointed CEO to lead Babylon Micro-Farms and build on the original vision of the founders Alexander Oleson and Graham Smith to simplify on-site indoor farming and provide more access to good food,” commented Marc Oshima. “

We’re in a trade war. Whether the tariffs are on, off, paused, or decreased, the fact remains that nothing is as it was.

This can be a good thing.

Within the Growcer network we’re starting to see a surge in interest for locally-grown greens. On a national scale, we’re starting to see a renewed conversation for increasing local food infrastructure. Let’s grow more here. Let’s process more here. Let’s buy local where we can.

Leafy greens more susceptible to tariff threats

Canada imports 90 per cent of its leafy greens, a majority of which comes from the United States. A heavy dependence on importing leaves leafy greens exceptionally vulnerable to tariff threats. They’re also perishable so stockpiling isn’t an option to minimize price shocks.

The Connecticut Department of Agriculture has announced recipients of the 2025 Farm Transition Grant to bolster agricultural production of both new and existing farm operations. More than $527,000 has been awarded to fund 29 projects throughout the state, including to a farm in Tolland.

Collinswood Mushrooms on Tolland Stage Road, via the New Farmer Microgrant, is to receive $4,450 to purchase climate control systems and shelving to outfit a mushroom fruiting chamber in a 40-ft shipping container.

"We are dedicated to strengthening the resilience of our agricultural community, and these awards represent a strategic investment in advancing that goal," Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt said.

If you're looking for Parisian carrots or Hakurei turnips in a pinch, a new Veggie Vault in the Strip District has your fix.

Why it matters: GetBlok Farms' first refrigerated food locker is open in The Terminal, delivering leafy greens, vegetables and herbs.

The Aliquippa company operates a hydroponic produce farm in a converted freight container, using sustainable farming practices and wind energy.

How it works: To use it, place your order on the GetBlok website and select a pickup day.

• They deliver orders three times a week.

• Use a code to unlock your unit and snag the veggies.

Land Betterment Corporation, a Certified B Corporation and environmental solutions company fostering positive impact through up-cycling former coal mining and industrial sites to create sustainable community development and job creation, is pleased to announce that Scott Massey CEO and Co-Founder of anu™ is attending Indoor Ag-Con Las Vegas 2025.

Scott will be conducting meetings with industry investors, demonstrating their cutting-edge Controlled Environment Agriculture, (CEA) technology and participating in industry panels. To schedule a meeting please email scott@growanu.com.

The skate park at 4DWN includes two hydroponic gardens in shipping container. They are concealed by a porch and a blue skate ramp.Brian Reinhart

There is a small triangle of South Dallas that is condemned, even more than some parts of the neighborhood, by the cruel judgment of urban planners. Its three sides are bounded by Interstate 30, Interstate 45, and the central rail yard where DART services and stores its train cars.

These few blocks are loud from surrounding highway traffic, and hard to reach except by car, since every approach is dominated by bridges with fast drivers and swirling winds.

Look closely, though, and something beautiful is growing here. That’s not a metaphor. This pocket is home to one of Dallas’ most improbable urban gardens, hidden inside one of the city’s most improbable skate parks.

Kirk Taylor, President and Co-Founder of ekō Solutions commented, "Our team has worked relentlessly to provide real solutions across several critical industry verticals. We are thankful to be accepted as a member of the Defense Industrial Base Consortium.

By delivering modular container-based solutions for agriculture, housing and technology deployment, ekō Solutions will be an invaluable supply chain partner for our national defense."

One of the essential technologies ekō Solutions is able to provide is nearly automated farms through our Pure Produce® Containers.