The CEA Alliance’s new best practices document Commodity Specific Food Safety Guidelines for Controlled Environment Agriculture Produce Production of Leafy Greens and Herbs will be the focus of the International Fresh Produce Association’s Virtual Town Hall on Wednesday, November 8 at 12:00 Noon Eastern. The Virtual Town Hall is free to all participants. The document provides guidance in all areas in production of leafy greens, and was developed by the Alliance’s Food Safety Working Group in collaboration with IFPA. The document was developed under the guidance of more than 20 CEA Alliance Food Safety Working Group members. Outside scientific reviewers included a number of…
Author: urbanagnews
The Dallas Center is proud to announce the 5th annual controlled environment conference to be held on December 7 followed by a tour of Eden Green Technology, the high-tech vertical hydroponic systems in greenhouses in Cleburne, TX on December 8. We are grateful to Eden Green Technology who is graciously hosting a tour of their facilities. We have assembled experts in controlled environment horticulture from The University of Arizona, Michigan State University, and Arizona State University, to present their latest research and share their expertise in their field. We will also present our latest research from Dallas and Uvalde Centers. Our…
Announcing a Course Offering by the ADVANCEA Academy Introduction to Greenhouse Environmental Control for Crop Production January 4 – March 28, 2024 Two hours every Thursday from 6:00 – 8:00 PM Eastern, Online Course Fee: $299 “Introduction to Greenhouse Environmental Control for Crop Production” is a 13-week certificate course designed and offered by ADVANCEA. The course will provide students with foundational information about the essentials of greenhouse environment control for a variety of commonly-grown crops. The course is designed to be equivalent to an upper-level college course and requires entry-level understanding of modern greenhouse production systems. During this course, students…
Vermont Business Magazine talks about the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and how it is encouraging agricultural producers and forest landowners in Vermont to participate in voluntary conservation programs and adopt climate-smart practices in fiscal year 2024 as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. “USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting applications for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), which help a wide variety of producers, including urban and organic producers.” Find out how it can affect urban agriculture and organic agriculture in their full article. For…
The Dallas Center is proud to announce the 5th annual controlled environment conference to be held on December 7 followed by a tour of Eden Green Technology, the high-tech vertical hydroponic systems in greenhouses in Cleburne, TX on December 8. We are grateful to Eden Green Technology who is graciously hosting a tour of their facilities. We have assembled experts in controlled environment horticulture from The University of Arizona, Michigan State University, and Arizona State University, to present their latest research and share their expertise in their field. We will also present our latest research from Dallas and Uvalde Centers. Our…
Agricultural producers and landowners have chosen conservation on more than 23 million acres of private land nationwide WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued more than $1.77 billion this year to agricultural producers and landowners through its Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), a critical piece of the Department’s efforts to support climate-smart agriculture and forestry on working lands. Right now, CRP’s more than 667,000 participants received payments from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) for their voluntary conservation efforts on more than 23 million acres of private land. Since 2021, CRP has grown by 21 percent in terms of acres…
University of Florida Greenhouse Training Online courses Hydroponic Vegetable Production Starts November 13! Learn to manage different hydroponics systems, as well as the fundamentals of climate, water, nutrition, and plant health in these systems. Hydroponic Vegetable is part of the award-winning Greenhouse Online Training courses offered by the University of Florida IFAS Extension. This intermediate course is designed for growers with some experience and training. Topics covered include hydroponics growing systems and structures, specific vegetable crop examples, business management, and food safety. The course is offered in English and Spanish. Rated 4.4 out of 5 by grower participants, with an…
Growers, manufacturers, researchers, and efficiency professionals from across North America are attending the Greenhouse Lighting and Systems Engineering (GLASE) consortium’s annual Summit this month to explore pathways to greenhouse resilience and profitability. The two-day event will take place in Leamington, Ontario on October 25 and 26, 2023. The first day features a keynote address, industry speakers, and a winery tour. On the following day, the GLASE Industry Advisory Board will meet and attend members-only greenhouse tours at Horteca and Allegro Acres. “We are delighted to hold our first event in Canada to cross-pollinate greenhouse expertise across borders. The 2023 GLASE Summit theme…
The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) released the 2022 Impact Report today, Leveraging Bold Science: FFAR 2022 Impact Report. This report highlights FFAR’s impact on food and agriculture research. In 2022, FFAR continued to outperform, raising over $82 million in matching funds and bringing FFAR’s total awards to $605 million. A comprehensive list of all FFAR grant awards can be found on the FFAR website. Visit the 2022 Impact Report to see how FFAR is maximizing investment in agricultural research. Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) builds public-private partnerships to fund bold research addressing big food and agriculture challenges. FFAR…
WASHINGTON, Oct. 2, 2023 – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing a new crop insurance program designed for agricultural producers who use controlled environments in their operations. The new Controlled Environment program from USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) is specifically for plants grown in fully enclosed controlled environments and provides coverage against plant diseases subject to destruction orders. Available beginning in the 2024 crop year, the Controlled Environment program provides a risk management resource for urban, specialty crop, and organic producers who often use controlled environments as a major part of their operations. “We are always looking to improve and…
The global population is estimated to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, with global demand for food set to increase by 60% as a result. However, with the agricultural sector already heavily criticised for its contribution to global warming, and the sector vulnerable to climate change impacts, increasing global food production to feed an additional two million inhabitants using conventional models is no longer seen as viable. Plant factories with artificial lighting (PFALs) – more widely known as vertical or indoor farms – are recognised as a promising model that protects food production from weather extremes, optimises yields and can reduce…
CHARLESTON, SC: As vertical farming continues to expand, there are more and more instances of multi-location farms managed by individual operators. While it is typical for operators to have access to significant amounts of data from and about their farm environment, most controlled environment agriculture (CEA) software platforms are built around monitoring and analytics of an isolated farm. AmplifiedAg, an agtech company built on the principles and architecture of enterprise-grade multi-tenant SaaS agricultural technology, has broken the segmented application mold and announces the release of the Enterprise Farm Health (EFH) function for operators running on its AmpEDGE farm software platform.…
University of Florida Greenhouse Training Online courses Weed Management Starts October 16! Understand all aspects of weed management in nurseries and greenhouses including weed identification, developing herbicide programs, and the latest non-chemical methods of weed control that work. Weed Management is part of the award-winning Greenhouse Online Training courses offered by the University of Florida IFAS Extension. This course is intermediate level and designed for people with some experience or entry university level, who are in production, technical, or sales role for greenhouse and nursery crops. Topics covered include weed identification, herbicides, calibration, non-chemical methods of weed control, impact of…
WASHINGTON, Oct. 2, 2023 – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing a new crop insurance program designed for agricultural producers who use controlled environments in their operations. The new Controlled Environment program from USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) is specifically for plants grown in fully enclosed controlled environments and provides coverage against plant diseases subject to destruction orders. Available beginning in the 2024 crop year, the Controlled Environment program provides a risk management resource for urban, specialty crop, and organic producers who often use controlled environments as a major part of their operations. “We are always looking to improve and…