Michigan State University invites you to participate in their Controlled Environmental Agriculture (CEA) labor survey. The purpose of this survey is to understand production-related labor requirements and estimate labor costs in CEA farms, including a vertical/indoor farm setting, containers or permanent greenhouses. In this survey, you will be asked about labor hours, level of automation and associated costs through your farm’s production stages. Your answers will be completely anonymous and no personally identifiable information will be asked. This survey should take about 20 minutes. If you have any questions about this survey, please contact Simone Valle de Souza, from Michigan State…
Author: urbanagnews
The Laboratoire sur l’agriculture urbaine (Urban Agriculture Lab) is collaborating on a webinar on labor requirements in indoor agriculture. The webinar will be led by Dr. Simone Valle de Souza, Assistant Professor at Michigan State University. The indoor agriculture (IA) offers an environmentally sustainable alternative to small or large-scale leafy green production, even in regions with less favorable climates, using significantly less water and land resources, little, if any, pesticides, and providing year-round fresh produce to urban dwellers. Although the concept is not new, only recently relevant technology has achieved economic feasibility enabling the industry to grow at a fast…
Developed in collaboration with growers, vendors, and academia, the objective guides provide tips on energy and water conservation related to construction, lighting and HVAC PORTLAND, Ore. (October 28, 2022) — Resource Innovation Institute (RII), the leading not-for-profit energy and water benchmarking organization providing resource efficiency best practices for CEA producers, announced today the availability of three horticulture best practices guides aiming to provide free resources on the topics of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) facility design and construction, lighting and HVAC. Each guide has been developed with expertise and input from business leaders, growers, government policymakers and members of academia to…
DANVILLE, VA – New connections and collaboration were clear themes that emerged from the October 25-26, 2022 debut edition of the Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Summit East held at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) in Danville, VA. Co-hosted by Indoor Ag-Con and the Controlled Environment Agriculture Innovation Center (a joint project between the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Virginia Tech, Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center at Virginia Tech and the IALR), the new event attracted 200 + attendees from 28 states plus Puerto Rico and Canada, including growers, educators, scientists, extension specialists, suppliers,…
University of Florida Greenhouse Training Online courses Irrigation Water Quality & Treatment starts November 12! Interpret water quality tests for irrigation of greenhouse and nursery crops, select appropriate water treatment technologies, and design a water treatment and monitoring system. Irrigation Water Quality & Treatment is the final course for 2022 of the award-winning Greenhouse Online Training offered by the University of Florida IFAS Extension. This advanced course is designed for experienced growers or technical managers. Lessons are offered in English and Spanish, and are taught by professors from six universities in the United States. The course runs from November 14…
Literature Review Shares Potential Efficiency Opportunities SACRAMENTO, Calif., October 14, 2022 – Dr. Greenhouse, Inc., a leading provider of state-of-the-art HVAC design and controls solutions for indoor grows, vertical farms and greenhouses, is pleased to announce the public availability of “Literature Review of Energy and Water Use in Controlled Environment Horticulture and Potential Efficiency Opportunities.” This literature review, a collaboration among Dr. Greenhouse, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and 2050 Partners, aims to provide an overview of previously published works, specifically the current state of knowledge about the Controlled Environment Horticulture (CEH) industry and its energy and water use. In addition,…
DALLAS and COLUMBUS, Ohio — Oct. 11, 2022 —When The Ohio State University opened its new Controlled Environment Agriculture Complex (CEARC) on Friday, Sept. 30, it represented a culmination of efforts between the school and industry. Companies such as Nationwide Insurance, Current (formerly GE Current), Priva and General Hydroponics (to name a few) made donations of both money and product. Current provided LED grow lighting for the four chambers that will be used to grow vine crops, berries and leafy greens at the CEARC, while Hort Americas handled the lighting layout, design and planning. The 48,989-square-foot CEARC will provide a…
“Indoor Farm Automation: Lessons learned from the Autonomous Greenhouse Challenges”by Dr. Ken Tran (Koidra Inc.) This presentation ‘Indoor Farm Automation: Lessons learned from the Autonomous Greenhouse Challenges’ was given by Dr. Ken Tran (Koidra Inc.) during our 44th café forum on September 20th, 2022. Indoor Ag Science Café is organized by the OptimIA project team funded by USDA SCRI grant
DALLAS and MONTREAL — Commercial horticultural supplier Hort Americas announced today a new division within the company to bring quality, technically advanced and cost-effective products to commercial greenhouse growers in Canada. Just like its U.S. counterpart, Hort Americas Canada will have a strong focus on providing the best-in-class products, educating growers and continuing to research advancements in controlled environment agriculture. The team will also continue working with vendors to bring locally manufactured products to Canadian growers. “The greenhouse industry is rapidly evolving and expanding in Canada,” said Jordan Goulet, general manager at Hort Americas Canada. “We understand that established and…
Earn CEUs with courses offered at University of Florida Weed Management An intermediate level course that teaches 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. Rated 4.4 out of 5 by grower participants. Hydroponic Vegetable Production An intermediate level course where you will learn to manage different hydroponics systems, as well as the fundamentals of climate, water, nutrition, and plant health in these systems. The course also teaches business management and food safety. Rated 4.4 out of 5 by grower participants. Weed Management…
The 2022 Global Food Security Index shows that the food system has been weakening over the years due to an increasingly volatile world Affordability scores have dropped dramatically on a global scaleClimate change continues to threaten food security from multiple frontsEuropean economies remain the most food secure London, United Kingdom —The 11th edition of the Global Food Security Index (GFSI) reveals a fragile global food system ill prepared to weather shocks like the war in Ukraine and this summer’s heatwaves. The study from Economist Impact, supported by Corteva Agriscience, finds that insufficient investment and increasing volatility continue to drive the…
DANVILLE, VA – AeroFarms Chief Technology Officer Roger Buelow will lead the opening morning keynote address for the inaugural edition of the CEA Summit East, October 25-26, 2022. Indoor Ag-Con and the Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Innovation Center — a joint project of the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Virginia Tech, Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center at Virginia Tech, and the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) – have partnered to co-host the new event at the IALR Institute Conference Center in Danville, VA. This announcement follows on the heels of the grand opening of…
CLEVELAND (September 15, 2022) –There are many initiatives that work to address nutrition inequality; however, these programs are often not coordinated with other aspects of the local food system. The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) is awarding an additional $1 million grant to Case Western Reserve University to build upon a 2018 Tipping Points grant by assessing efforts to improve food system equity through coordinated community-initiated engagement. The initial award, totaling $2.1 million with matching funds from the Modeling the Future of Food in Your Neighborhood Study partners, identified tipping points to maximize the equitable impact of coordinated food systems efforts. This research engaged community partners…
New Online Training Course in English The Japan Plant Factory Association (JPFA) has announced to hold its first Strawberry Course for Plant Factories with Artificial Lighting (PFALs) in English from October 13 to 31, 2022, and is receiving applications. Since 2018, the JPFA has held training courses on PFALs in English year by year and has accepted over 180 participants from more than 35 countries. The participants’ evaluations of those courses were very positive. On the other hand, the JPFA received eager calls from relevant parties/persons in PFAL industry and controlled environment agriculture for new programs with specified themes. Now,…