LAVALETTE, WV, August 30, 2021 – Stepping Stones, Inc., the revolutionary foster care facility in the heart of Appalachia, reached a major milestone in its Youth Transition Project (YTP) when it officially opened its first tiny home and welcomed its first resident on Friday. Longtime supporter and urban farmer Stephen Ritz, a life-long educator, author of “The Power of a Plant” and founder of New York-based Green Bronx Machine, was on hand to celebrate and cut the ribbon on this first of eight tiny homes that are fully funded and under construction. YTP is a public-private partnership focused on youth…
Author: urbanagnews
Improve your prevention and management of diseases in nurseries and greenhouses by registering for Disease Management, the fourth course 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 how to differentiate between a disease and other issues, disease prevention tips, organic and conventional disease management options, and how to safely apply and handle fungicides. The course is offered in English and Spanish. Dr. Carrie Harmon, Director of the UF/IFAS Plant Diagnostic Center in Gainesville, FL and Executive Director of…
As the world is pursuing the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, the Japan Plant Factory Association will highlight the importance of looking beyond the SDGs in its coming online event. The nonprofit organization will hold the “Japan Plant Factory Association 10th Anniversary Fest–10 Years of Progress, and Achieving the SDGs and Beyond” on Sept. 15-17. The member-only fest commemorates the 10th anniversary of the JPFA and a plant factory hub it oversees on the Chiba University Kashiwanoha campus in Kashiwa, northeast of Tokyo. When the plant factory hub was completed, “the JPFA already envisioned what the SDGs address,” JPFA President Toshitaka…
Working in partnership, GLASE, OptimIA, and LAMP are excited to announce the first annual Plant Lighting Short Course! This 6-week modular short course is designed to provide participants the opportunity to learn about all aspects related to the selection, implementation, and benefits of plant lighting systems. In each sequential module, attendees will use interactive tools to define their specific lighting requirements, hear from industry experts about available horticultural lighting systems, and learn how to compare different lighting strategies. By the end of the course, participants will be equipped to make informed decisions about the best options to meet their lighting needs. EARN UP…
September 28-29, 2021 100% virtual in 2021, the HortiCann Light + Tech Conference focuses on the latest advances in horticultural lighting. Formerly known as the Horticultural Lighting Conference, this annual event has led the way in transforming horticultural practices by connecting research and technology to growers around the world. As technology and agriculture are working together more than even before – this conference is an opportunity to expand your knowledge in the field and network with some key manufacturers. The conference attracts an audience including cannabis and other commercial growers, greenhouse manufacturers, urban and vertical farmers, horticultural lighting specialists, and…
iUNU (“you knew”) is an agricultural machine vision company headquartered in Seattle, with satellite offices in California, Florida, and Toronto as well. Founded in 2013 and currently with over 40 employees across the world, the company leverages computer vision and machine learning to allow farms to better manage crop issues and optimize growth cycles. The LUNA system focuses on identifying growing maladies before the crop is affected and promotes better accountability of growing practices through the workflow management application. In making the announcement, Adam Greenberg, CEO of iUNU, said: “Rising consumer demand is accelerating the growth of the greenhouse industry,…
Wageningen University & Research (WUR), the Delphy Improvement Centre and the Municipality of Lansingerland are celebrating fifteen years of scientific development in the field of greenhouse horticulture. Save the date: various activities will be organised during the ’Horti Science Park Event Weeks’, held this year from 20 September to 8 October. From looking back, we are now looking forward to the role that the Horti Science Park will be playing in the future. The autumn of 2006 saw the launch of a number of cultivation trials at the Delphy Improvement Centre and Wageningen University & Research (Greenhouse Horticulture Business Unit)…
This presentation ‘Precision Indoor Propagation for High Quality Transplants’ was given by Dr. Ricardo Hernandez (North Carolina State University) during our 32nd cafe forum on August 3rd, 2021. Upcoming Cafes: September 21st (Tuesday), 11AM Eastern – ‘Introduction to Aquaponics’ by Dr. Paul Brown and Dr. Cary Mitchell (Purdue University)October 26th (Tuesday), 11AM Eastern – ‘Vertical Farming – Past, Present and Future’ by Robert Colangelo (Green Sense Farms)November TBADecember 7th (Tuesday), 11AM Eastern – ‘Plant-Made Pharmaceuticals under Controlled Environment’ by Dr. Nobuyuki Matoba (University of Louisville) Interested in giving a talk to share your thoughts and experiences? Please contact Chieri Kubota
The 2nd Vertical Farming World Congress on 20-22 September will now be held entirely online, to ensure complete certainty for participants and to avoid potential travel disruption. “We have the most fantastic programme, featuring numerous industry leaders and innovators alongside awards, workshops, panels, exhibits and networking,” commented organiser Richard Hall, Chairman of food and drink consultancy Zenith Global. Highlights include: Industry leadership panel with Infarm, Kalera, Plenty and YesHealthFuture visions from 80 Acres, Bowery, CubicFarms, IGS, Vertical Field and Vertical FutureMarket overview from Hort Americas and RabobankRegional pioneers from Chile, India and JapanRetailer and investor panels with IKEA and Metro…
Media, PA – The Center of Excellence for Indoor Agriculture, a U.S. based company that supports the growth and development of the vertical and indoor farming industry, will announce the first winners of its Center of Excellence “Best in Class”TM Awards for indoor farm manufacturers at a virtual event scheduled for August 4th with Indoor Ag-Con. The goal of the “Best in Class” Awards is to recognize operational excellence in the indoor agriculture industry through an analysis of KPI’s on indoor farm operations and the supporting equipment. The announcement will take place in the context of a virtual panel discussion…
80 Acres Farms CEO Mike Zelkind will lead the Day Two CEO Keynote Address for the in-person October 4-5, 2021 edition of Indoor Ag-Con at the Hilton Orlando. Themed “Growing Your Business,” the trade show and conference for indoor |vertical farming | controlled environment agriculture will give attendees the opportunity to explore new resources on the expo floor and hear from Zelkind, other CEOs, thought leaders and industry experts from today’s cutting-edge farms and innovative companies. Mike Zelkind 80 Acres CEO keynote speaker at Indoor Ag-Con 2021 “80 Acres has been making headlines this year in a number of areas…
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced today an investment of over $7 million in research grants to U.S. Non-Land-grant Colleges of Agriculture (NLGCA). These grants aim to increase research, education, and outreach capacity at Non-Land-grant Institutions to support development of the innovations and workforce needed to sustain the agriculture industry in the future. “The National Institute of Food and Agriculture awards research, education and extension grants to solve the grand challenges before us,” said NIFA director Dr. Carrie Castille. “These efforts will help improve rural economies, increase food…
The lit cultivation of tomatoes has increased strongly in Northwest Europe in recent years. In the Netherlands, more than 60% of the cultivated area is already under lights in winter. Increasing the scale of these lit growers means that production has to be spread, which also means planting dates are spread. For propagators this means a higher possession in summertime. Many might think it’s nice to have the nursery filled up which is true, but propagating tomato plants in the summer is a true specialism. The biggest issues are high night temperatures (> 16°C) and high radiation levels ( > 750 Watts) during the summer days, shares Hans van Herk of Propagation Solutions. He…
During the Online Challenge 46 teams from 24 countries grew virtual lettuce with the help of artificial intelligence, and evaluated images of lettuce in different growth stages. The U.S.-based team ‘Koala’ has won the Online Challenge, the first phase of the 3rd edition of the International Autonomous Greenhouse Challenge, organized by Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and Tencent. This was announced during a webinar this afternoon at the conclusion of the Online Challenge. A team from South Korea and China came second and third. During the Online Challenge 46 teams from 24 countries grew virtual lettuce with the help of…