Article originally published by Wageningen University The third Urban Greenhouse Challenge is all about social impact. Aiding the student teams in writing the best proposal for an urban farm that contributes to quality of life are a host of industry experts from the Urban Greenhouse Challenge partner network. They are very enthusiastic about this year’s competitors, though they’ve had to provide them with a reality check or two. The teams of the Urban Greenhouse Challenge #3 are working towards handing in their final proposals. Based on these, the ten most convincing concepts will be announced on 8 June, competing for a place…
Author: urbanagnews
Finding trained growers is a major challenge for our industry. Your best investment is to upskill your own workers to make better crop management decisions by learning the underlying horticultural science of plant growth. Greenhouse 101 is a great introduction to the Greenhouse Training Online program offered by the University of Florida IFAS Extension. It is designed for people with no formal training in horticulture that work in the greenhouse or nursery industry, or those that wish to join the horticulture industry. Topics covered are plant parts and functions, photosynthesis and growth, greenhouse technology, flowering, compactness and branching, irrigation, nutrition,…
Wageningen, 2 May 22 / Wageningen University & Research – On the 2 May 2022 the third episode of the ‘Urban Greenhouse Talks’ is airing on Podbean channel. This five-episode podcast series explores the world of urban farming through the lenses of the Urban Greenhouse Challenge#3, an international student competition organised by Wageningen University & Research. On our way to the finals of the Urban Greenhouse Challenge #3, we now turn our attention to the technological feasibility of the student designs. For this, we enlisted the help of three horticulture sector leaders, who give the students hot tips to build…
Photos by EE Berger, courtesy of Planted Detroit. OptimIA team partners with AU/LAB in an international labour survey for leafy greens production in controlled environments. The OptimIA team and the Urban Agriculture Laboratory (AU/LAB) are pleased to announce their partnership to determine optimal models between labor and size of greenhouses and indoor farms that produce leafy greens, while taking into account various automation choices. In addition, the study will inform policy makers and the education sector about the skills needed in this industry, as well as the opportunities for skilled and unskilled employment. The urban production of leafy greens in…
Village Farms Fresh is looking forward to participating in the VIVA Fresh Expo in their home state of Texas this week. Farming flavor forward Texas Grown tomatoes is a strong key value proposition for Village Farms Fresh to offer their customers and that they can align with the company on. Village Farms Fresh is a proud member of the Texas Department of Agriculture, Go Texan program, as well as a member of the Texas International Produce Association. Sensational Sara®, Heavenly Villagio Marzano®, Sinfully Sweet Campari®, Cabernet Estate Reserve®, Maverick Mix®, Cherry no. 9®, Lip Smackn’ Grape® these are just some…
New, visually simplified and easy-to-read QPL Listed, Premium, Horticultural, and LUNA logos in effect immediately; old logos remain valid for now MEDFORD, MA – The DesignLights Consortium (DLC) today rolled out a set of updated logos designed for use with products approved for the DLC’s Solid-State Lighting (SSL) and Networked Lighting Controls (NLC), Horticultural Lighting and LUNA qualified products lists (QPL). “As we continually strive to keep the DLC’s QPL experience current and easy-to-use, we are pleased to offer these updated logos for use by manufacturers whose products meet the performance thresholds of our various technical requirements,” DLC Executive Director and CEO Christina…
It is with sadness that I share that Lou Albright, co-founder of the Cornell CEA program and long-time member of our NCERA-101 group has passed away. Louis (“Lou”) DeMont Albright, 81, of Ithaca, NY passed away March 26, 2022. Lou was born December 31, 1940 in Ithaca NY, to Richard and Catherine Albright, and grew up in Newfield NY, graduating from Newfield High School in 1958. He attended Cornell University, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering (1963), Master of Science in Food Science (1965) and PhD in Agricultural Engineering (1972). He served in the US Army from 1965 to…
After two years of successful virtual meetings, Indoor AgTech returns to Brooklyn, New York onJune 23-24, gathering the world’s leading growers, retailers, investors, seed companies andtechnology providers to meet, network and cultivate new commercial partnerships. As the CEA industry matures, what is needed from a political, financial, and technological standpointfor indoor growing to be seen as the most reliable and sustainable way of feeding our cities? How are well-funded growers applying their investment to scale up their operations? What are thenext frontier crops beyond leafy greens? What new technologies are available to optimize growingenvironments and drive operational efficiencies? Join us in June where we…
We proudly announce the Delphy ISFC Field Day. This new event will be organized in an unique way, literally in the middle of soft fruit crops and research. A day full of knowledge of and about the cultivation of soft fruit. There are various seminars, tours along ongoin trials (in the greenhouse departments, the tabletops, and rainshelters outdoor) and the network square offers space for meetings for the entire sector.This results in a strong connection between knowledge development and knowledge distribution. The event is organized in a practical setting, close to the soft fruit industry. The Field Day takes place…
In a first try-out crop cycle lettuces were grown with AI algorithms in a hydroponic greenhouse system during the 3rd Autonomous Greenhouse Challenge The five international teams participating in the final rounds of the 3rd Autonomous Greenhouse Challenge have completed the first try-out experiment. The teams tested their algorithms and gained experience during a first crop cycle with lettuce. The teams now prepare for the final crop cycle to determine the winner The goal of the 3rd Autonomous Greenhouse Challenge is to grow lettuces in two crop cycli fully autonomously with an AI algorithm on a cloud platform with good…
Celebrates program launch by granting scholarships valued at $5,000 SALEM, OR – Corban University, located in the heart of Oregon’s agricultural land near Salem, Oregon, is pleased to announce that Isabel D’Acquisto, 2021-2022 Oregon State FFA President, has enrolled in the new ag science degree program for its inaugural year. The University has seen strong applications and enrollment for the ag program and continues to gain momentum as they build toward the inaugural Fall 2022 class. Corban celebrates the program launch by granting Ag Science Scholarships valued at a minimum of $5,000 to twenty first-time freshmen who enroll in the program for this Fall.Deadline for scholarships is…
Set to take effect next year, DLC’s Version 3.0 technical requirements will support the rapidly growing controlled environment agriculture sector MEDFORD, MA – The DesignLights Consortium (DLC) today released for comment the first draft of Version 3.0 of its Technical Requirements for Horticultural Lighting. Scheduled to take effect in January 2023, the new policy establishes new performance thresholds and other prerequisites horticultural fixtures must meet for inclusion on the DLC’s Horticultural Lighting Qualified Products List (QPL). Supporting the advancement of high quality, energy efficient lighting in controlled environment agriculture (CEA), this major revision to the DLC’s Horticultural Technical Requirements also introduces a draft surveillance testing policy…
Seattle, March 29, 2022 – Koidra, an Intelligent Automation (IA) platform company based out of Seattle, has raised $4.5 million in its seed round. Ospraie Ag Science (OAS) led this round of funding, with participation from Amritam Holdings, Cavallo Ventures, and Foothill Ventures. Koidra was founded by the lead of Microsoft Research’s winning team at the inaugural Autonomous Greenhouse Challenge. They were the only team to outperform expert Dutch growers, and they also demonstrated the massive yield and profitability improvements that were achievable through intelligent greenhouse automation. Intelligent automation combines multiple disciplines – such as artificial intelligence, mathematics, and physics…
You can download it for free via the AVF website. “Our food system is broken. It’s causing the destruction of soil, it’s driving the loss of biodiversity, and it’s the number one driver of climate change.””This is about showcasing that there is no one solution, but we need to change the current food system if we want to create a safe operating space for our species within the planetary boundaries.” This report is an in-depth look at our industry as it stands today, and the sustainable solutions vertical farming offers in the context of the planetary boundaries and the new food system. HUGE…