The Controlled Environment Agriculture Center (CEAC) and Dr. Matthew Recsetar will be offering the Aquaponics Intensive Workshop on October 17-18, 2025. This event can be attended in-person in Tucson, AZ at the CEAC or fully online via Zoom Meeting. Full course information, including an agenda, can be found on the course website: https://ceac.arizona.edu/events/aquaponics-workshop. This hands-on and interactive workshop will cover everything you need to know about designing, operating, and optimizing small to medium-scale aquaponics systems. Learn to grow plants and raise fish together! Discounts available to educators and students. Please reach out to Aaron Tevik at atevik@arizona.edu with any questions.
Author: urbanagnews
Leamington, ON – Center for Horticultural Innovation, a leader in horticultural research and development, announces a complete rebrand with the new name, Biophi, to reflect the organization’s evolution and growing role within the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) industry. Biophi’s new identity is centered on the idea of “Growing Possibilities”—inspiring future-forward solutions that benefit growers, suppliers, and the industry as a whole. The new identity captures Biophi’s role as a forward-looking partner for the horticultural industry—analytical yet hands-on, pragmatic yet creative—reflecting its commitment to getting real-world solutions to market faster. Founded in 2020, Biophi is a horticultural innovation hub dedicated to…
DANVILLE, VIRGINIA (September 15, 2025) — The fourth annual Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Summit East welcomed 260 attendees from 34 U.S. states and 8 countries — including Brazil, Canada, El Salvador, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Uganda — to the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) in Danville, VA, September 9-10, 2025. Co-hosted by Indoor Ag-Con and the Virginia Tech–IALR CEA Innovation Center, the Summit united a diverse audience of growers, educators, scientists, Extension personnel, suppliers, technology specialists, and government leaders for two days of high-value learning, networking, and industry exchange. “We’re proud to see how the CEA Summit East continues to grow in the quality and diversity…
During an Indoor Ag-Conversations webinar on Aug. 26, Chris Higgins, president and co-founder of Hort Americas, joined a panel of industry experts to discuss the practical challenges of controlled environment agriculture. The session, Smart, Not Flashy: Building Profitable CEA with Low-Tech Systems, sparked several comments and questions from attendees. These are included below with remarks from Chris. Genetic manipulating+environment manipulating = maximum yields around the year to get maximum profit is perfect for control farming or future farming. Possibly. This all depends on the cost of manipulating genetics and environment. Not all crops have the opportunity to be high value. Also,…
Plant breeding has slowed the internal clock of several lettuce varieties, delaying bolting and keeping the heads compact and tasty for longer. Researchers from Wageningen University & Research (WUR), Utrecht University, and Dartmouth College have now identified the gene that controls this process. Their findings, published in New Phytologist, could lead to stronger, more resilient lettuce varieties. The biological clock, or circadian rhythm, regulates many processes in both humans and plants. In people, it controls sleep and metabolism, with jet lag being the most familiar example of what happens when the clock is disrupted. Plants also follow a daily rhythm…
Not every farm needs sensors, robots, and seven-figure CapEx to succeed. In this session, growers and advisors who’ve built lean, efficient operations share how to maximize yield and minimize complexity with low-tech setups. Whether you’re growing in ground under cover, using basic automation, or retrofitting existing structures, this panel is all about real-world, replicable strategies that work without over-engineering. MODERATOR: Chris Higgins, General Manager, Hort Americas PANELISTS: Aaron Fields, CEO, Campo Caribe Richard Vollebregt, CEO, Cravo Equipment Ltd
Registration is Now Open! Learn the essentials of soilless production of strawberry under greenhouse and indoor controlled environment! Online Learning by Live Lectures (Sept. 18 & 25) and/or by lecture recordings This course offers all the keys to learn soilless production of strawberry under greenhouse and indoor controlled environment. Contents include strawberry physiology, cultivar selection, production practices, and systems. Six lectures will be delivered over two weeks and students can have options of participating live lectures or listen to the recordings. Students will be given additional two weeks to complete all lectures, and complete knowledge check to receive certificate of completion.…
The 4th Annual CEA Summit East, co-hosted by Indoor Ag-Con and the CEA Innovation Center, is excited to announce its Day 2 Morning Keynote Panel: “Automation in Action: How Virginia Growers Are Putting Tech To Work.” This insightful session will be held on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, from 8:45 AM – 9:15 AM EST at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) Conference Center in Danville, Virginia. Moderated by Paul Brentlinger, CEO of CropKing, the panel will feature: These industry leaders will share their firsthand experiences integrating automation technologies into their growing operations. From climate and fertigation controls to robotics and real-time monitoring systems, panelists will offer…
Two courses start on September 8th! Success with your Latino Workforce Concepts of communication and culture, and how they apply to your Latino workforce to create a positive and efficient work environment for all your employees. Rated 4.3 out of 5 by grower participants. Field Diagnosis of Plant Diseases Teaches detection and diagnosis of common greenhouse and nursery diseases, including appropriate and field-friendly scouting and sampling techniques. Rated 4.4 out of 5 by grower participants Success with your Latino Workforce is taught by Dr. Claudio Pasian, Professor Emeritus at the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science at The Ohio State…
BEDFORD, Texas—Aug. 5, 2025—Hort Americas, in partnership with Avé Organics, is now offering OAN 10‑0‑0®, an organic nitrogen fertilizer that delivers a 100% plant‑available source of nitrogen to growers in a ready‑to‑use liquid formulation. For the first time, organic growers have access to a sustainably derived nitrogen solution that is pathogen‑free, weed‑free, and easy to apply through fertigation, banded, broadcast or foliar methods. Besides being produced in the United States, it is also already OMRI approved. “OAN 10‑0‑0 is the next step in creating sustainable and productive organic systems,” said Chris Higgins, president of Hort Americas. “It gives growers the…
A new online course for growers on Advanced Irrigation Management will train your nursery, greenhouse or CEA staff on how to match irrigation with crop needs for improved crop growth and sustainability. The course is taught by Dr. John Lea-Cox, Professor Emeritus at the University of Maryland, and international expert in water and nutrient management. The course is offered by the University of Florida IFAS Extension GreenhouseOnline Training and is a requirement for the new Root Zone Expert program. Advanced Irrigation Management is designed for people with some experience or entry university level, who are in production, technical, or sales…
BEDFORD, Texas—July 9, 2025—Hort Americas is now offering early access to the Voeks Dose1.0, a fertigation system designed to eliminate the complexity and limitations that come with traditional setups. Built for commercial operations, the Dose1.0 helps growers manage when, where and how much water and nutrients get applied. This is done while reducing waste, improving crop uniformity, and lowering both installation and labor costs. “We’ve worked with growers long enough to know what slows them down,” said Chris Higgins, president of Hort Americas. “From installation to operation, the Voeks Dose1.0 eliminates friction points, giving growers the control they need without…
Bedford, Texas – July 9, 2025 – Hort Americas, a leading North American supplier of commercial greenhouse products and hydroponic solutions, is proud to announce a strategic partnership with Hortiplan, a global innovator in Mobile Gully Systems (MGS) for leafy greens and herbs. This collaboration marks a significant step forward in bringing advanced, scalable, and automated production systems to controlled environment agriculture (CEA) operations across North America. After more than 30 years of designing, building and servicing mobile gully systems (MGS) around the world, Hortiplan felt the time was right to expand their Belgium-based services and offer local support in the…
By Vertical Farm Daily Canadian vertical farming company Growcer has announced that it has won the bid to acquire the assets of Freight Farms, the U.S.-based container farming pioneer that filed for bankruptcy earlier this year. The acquisition includes complete Greenery container farms, spare parts, software, intellectual property, subscriptions, manufacturing blueprints, and the company’s internal support knowledge base. Growcer CEO Corey Ellis shared the news in a detailed LinkedIn post, framing the deal not only as a strategic expansion for Growcer but also as a mission-driven effort to preserve and support the Freight Farms grower community across more than 500…