“As a millennial, it’s no surprise, from a very early age I was taught about the ‘Three R’s’ of environmental responsibility and sustainability, ‘Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle’”, Madison Wilson, Marketing Coordinator for Village Farms Greenhouse Grown brand tells us. She goes on to say, “For many of my peers, the 3 R’s are now engrained into our daily routines and life practices”. Finding reusable options, using less, and recycling have simply become a way of life for this generation. Millennials, as well as Gen X and Z, prioritize products that align with their sustainability goals and healthy lifestyles. Health is valued by this demographic…
Author: urbanagnews
Press Release – The 2021 Global CEA Census has launched with a focus on growers’ perspectives on sustainability and how they are measuring specific ESG (environmental, social, and governance) outcomes. This year Agritecture Consulting will partner with AgTech leader WayBeyond who has taken over responsibility of the Census from automation business Autogrow. “Our WayBeyond ethos for sustainable crop production technology fits perfectly with this year’s Census. Understanding the impact of CEA (Controlled Environment Agriculture) on the planet allows us to continue highlighting the growers doing remarkable work to reduce environmental impact while producing quality crops.There’s clear evidence showing consumers,…
With the theme of ‘Raising Expectations’, the 2nd Vertical Farming World Congress will host industrymembers, from global leaders to new start-ups, on 20-22 September at a hybrid event online as well asin person. “This will be the most substantial dedicated event of the year, featuring many of the world’s leadingcompanies and technologies, offering unparalleled networking opportunities as well as training for newentrants,” commented Richard Hall, Chairman of event organiser Zenith Global. “We’re hoping as many people as possible will attend in person, so we’ve selected a hotel within theLondon Heathrow airport complex. Many others will wish to join us online,…
Accurately estimate production cost and profit for your greenhouse or nursery business by taking Costing & Profitability, which is the third course in 2021 of the award-winning Greenhouse Training Online program from the University of Florida IFAS Extension (UF). Topics covered include crop enterprise budgets, income statements, allocation of overhead, seasonality, space use, shrinkage, labor cost, pricing, and more. This course is advanced level and designed for experienced, well-trained growers, or people with upper university education. The course is offered in English and Spanish. Instructors include economist Dr. Charles Hall, Ellison Chair in International Floriculture from Texas A&M University, Dr.…
JPFA Cares about Interactivity in Pandemic Times The Japan Plant Factory Association (JPFA) has taken a look at how better it can offer workshops, which the coronavirus pandemic forced it to hold online, and has resolved not to sacrifice interactivity. The JPFA has a rich history of running over 140 workshops since the first one in October 2009, most of which were done on-site before the pandemic. So, online workshops with recorded lectures held so far in pandemic times were somewhat unsatisfactory for the nonprofit organization. The JPFA has thus moved to run new online workshops live with a seminar…
Amsterdam – The theme of GreenTech Live & Online, from 28 – 30 September at the RAI Amsterdam, will be ‘Happy Food Healthy Flowers’. This theme is central in the programming during the exhibition, where more than 50 knowledge sessions can be followed in 2 theatres. In The Xpert Theatre the focus is on more in-depth product and cultivation-oriented topics and tips and tricks, in The Vision Stage more macro-economic themes and trends are discussed. In addition, the sessions can also be followed online. Theme With the theme ‘Happy Food Healthy Flowers’ GreenTech Live & Online contributes to the global…
BrightFarms Accelerates Indoor Farming Innovation Tenfold with the Formation of R&D Hub Led by Bayer Veteran and Greenhouse Expert “BrightLabs” will expand the company’s focus on the development of biotechnologies that increase the profitability of its indoor farming operations and deliver breakthrough product innovations IRVINGTON, N.Y. – BrightFarms, the leading grower of indoor leafy greens, today announced the formation of BrightLabs, a world-class innovation and research hub launching at its Ohio growing facility. Matt Lingard, PhD, a former Bayer plant scientist with over 15 years of experience working at the intersection of biotechnology and greenhouse science, will lead the BrightLabs…
Full autonomous control of a greenhouse lettuce production The winners of the first stage of the Autonomous Greenhouse Challenge will be announced during a freely accessible webinar on 14 July. The first part of the 3rd edition of the Autonomous Greenhouse Challenge is held as an open Online Challenge. It aims at testing machine learning and computer vision skills of participants of the Artificial Intelligence community. During the webinar, the winners of the Online Challenge will be announced, the best teams will present their strategy and an expert panel will discuss with the future of Autonomous Greenhouses. The Autonomous Greenhouse…
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Dr. Kay Jeong of Sun Gro Horticulture describes key quality aspects and procedures for container substrates for commercial and retail use in a new YouTube video. This video is hosted by Dr. Paul Fisher of the University of Florida IFAS Extension, for the series “Five Tips for Horticulture”. The series highlights technical topics from university and industry experts. The channel is sponsored by the Floriculture Research Alliance https://floriculturealliance.org/). Nutrients, substrates, and water topics are covered in our upcoming Greenhouse Training Online courses for growers, including Nutrient Management 1 which starts on July 5, 2021.Visit our website (https://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/training/)…
The majority of the Arize Factor LED grow lights being manufactured at Current’s North Carolina plant are expected to be used for vertical farming. Photos courtesy of GE Current, a Daintree company By David Kuack, originally published on HortAmericas.com Current now offers LED grow lights manufactured in the U.S. for whatever controlled environment agriculture application you’re using. If shortages in the supply chain have you concerned about finding the products you need to produce your crops, the availability of LED grow lights shouldn’t be one of them. GE Current, a Daintree company, has started to manufacture its LED grow light fixtures in its state-of-the-art…
New CEA Research Programs in US Join us at the young CEA professors’ roundtable! During this conversation, followed by a Q&A section, you will have the opportunity to meet 6 young professors and learn more about their CEA research programs. Date: June 24, 2021Time: 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. EDT Presented by: Kellie WaltersTitle: Controlled Environment Plant Physiology at the University of TennesseeDescription: Kellie’s research focuses on controlled environment physiology of food crops. The overall goal is to determine how to leverage environmental controls (light intensity, duration, and quality, temperature, and CO2), plant nutrition, and plant growth regulators and hormones…
Originally published on Foliar-Pak By George C. Murray, President of EnP Perhaps it’s just me, but every time I pour fertilizer onto my small crop of rhubarb, blackberries, raspberries, and cherries, I feel lucky. Lucky that we live in a time and place where companies around the world have spent the time and energy to mine out the initial raw material and that other companies, like EnP, turn that raw material into forms that maximize their uptake into plants. A Brief History of Fertilizers Our grandparents might still remember a time when fertilizing with inorganic nitrogen was a new concept.…
WASHINGTON – Climate change creates hotter weather and drier seasons – and new challenges for farmers. Such excessive heat damages seed quality, creating problems for seed producers and growers to establish uniform and productive crops. To help farmers address this challenge, the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) is awarding a $1.1 million grant through the Crops of the Future Collaborative to researchers at the University of California (UC), Davis and the University of Florida to identify genes that boost tolerance for high temperatures and improve seed quality. The seeds that farmers plant are grown by seed producers. These producers plant specific genetically defined parents and often hybridize…
University of Florida Greenhouse Training Online courses Nutrient Management Level 1 Starts July 5! Train yourself and your staff to make better decisions about fertilizer and plant nutrient management. Nutrient Management Level 1 is the second course 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 common nutrient problems, essential nutrients, fertilizer types, growing media, and testing (soil, nutrient solution and tissue).…