June 17, 2025 — Years ago, when purchasing a flat of pansies at a garden center, Chris Wilson noticed a label indicating the flowers had been treated with insecticides. “I remember thinking to myself, ‘But bees can’t read labels,’” said Wilson, interim chair of the UF/IFAS soil, water and ecosystem sciences department. That thought inspired Wilson’s current research project, a joint effort with his wife, professor Sandra Wilson of the UF/IFAS environmental horticulture department. Combining Chris Wilson’s expertise in environmental chemistry and toxicology and Sandra Wilson’s in plant physiology and horticulture, they decided to explore therelationship between pesticide management practices,…
Author: urbanagnews
Funding Secured for Another Two Years of This Initiative, Which Increases Student Connections to Local Fresh Food and Urban Farmers in Food-Insecure Communities NEW YORK – The Mayor’s Office of Urban Agriculture (MOUA) today announced the conclusion of another successful school year for its Reimagining Farm to School NYC program. During the 2024-2025 school year, farmers visited schools to deliver educational instruction and observe what students are growing in their classrooms and/or school gardens, and students visited farms across the city. Guided by urban farmers, they learned about culturally relevant crops grown and harvested in the city and enjoyed a seasonal, nutritious,…
“Cultivating Sustainable Growth: Balancing Economics and the Environment in CEA” Danville, VA – [June 19, 2026] – Indoor Ag-Con and the CEA Innovation Center are pleased to announce that the 4th Annual Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Summit East will kick off with the opening morning keynote panel titled “Cultivating Sustainable Growth: Balancing Economics and the Environment in CEA” at 8:45 AM on Tuesday, September 9, 2025. Held at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) Conference Center in Danville, Virginia, this keynote sets the stage for two days of deep dive track sessions, research showcases, tabletop exhibits, and collaboration across the indoor agriculture industry. Bringing together voices from…
Celebrating 10 years of excellence in education! A key to successful crop production is correctly managing fertilizers. Nutrient Management Level 1 is part of the award-winning Greenhouse Online Training program offered by the University of Florida IFAS Extension (UF). Join the over 1100 growers from around the world who have successfully completed this course and received a certificate of completion from UF over the 10 years this course has been taught. Rated 4.5 out of 5 by grower participants, with an 87% graduation rate last year! Nutrient Management 1 is designed for people with some experience or entry university level,…
By Corenthin (Félix) Chassouant, Horti-Gen Insights In this new edition, we proudly present an exclusive interview with Jordan Goulet, General Manager of Hort Americas Canada. With years of hands-on expertise in horticultural lighting, Jordan has guided countless commercial growers through the complexities of adopting LED technology. We thank Jordan for sharing his expert insights on optimizing ROI, navigating energy incentives, and the future of lighting innovation in controlled environment agriculture. As commercial producers face increasing pressure to optimize crop quality and operational efficiency, understanding the true ROI of LED lighting is more important than ever. Jordan’s perspective links industry trends with actionable…
– Transaction creates new joint-venture in the North American produce industry backed by private investment firms – – Parties intend to provide additional capital to execute a roll-up strategy of other produce assets and operations – Lake Mary, FL, June 2, 2025 – Vanguard Food LP, a privately-held produce industry joint venture between Kennedy Lewis Investment Management, Sweat Equities, and Village Farms International, today announced the closing of a transaction which created a new, emerging leader in the North American produce industry. The previously-announced transaction privatized certain assets and operations of Village Farms International’s fresh produce segment, leveraging decades of…
Clearwater, FL and Dallas, TX – [May 21, 2025] – Voeks Inc., a leading innovator in agricultural and horticultural irrigation and sustainable water technology growing solutions, proudly announces the appointment of Christopher Higgins, President and Co-Founder of Hort Americas and founder of Urban Ag News, as its new Industry Advisor. This strategic addition to the advisory team underscores Voeks Inc.’s commitment to accelerating innovation and fostering sustainable growth in the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) sector. With over two decades of experience in horticultural supply and greenhouse systems, Chris Higgins has been at the forefront of advancing controlled environment agriculture in the…
Ithaca, NY, May 19, 2025 – The Greenhouse Lighting and Systems Engineering (GLASE) Consortium at Cornell University is excited to announce the launch of its new Greenhouse Course Catalog. This resource serves as a centralized database of active CEA training from leading academic institutions. The Greenhouse Course Catalog aggregates continuing education options from trusted educators, including Cornell University, Michigan State University, The Ohio State University, Rutgers University, the University of Arizona, and the University of Florida. The catalog gives everyone a map to explore today’s educational programs focused on greenhouse production and indoor farming and shares direct links to each…
The concepts of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), Vertical Farming and New Food Systems have become global topics of the future and dynamically developing markets. In times of climate change and increasingly frequent extreme weather phenomena, the aim of controlled environment agriculture is to find innovative solutions to global challenges such as food security, resource scarcity and population growth. “Global Food Challenges: Vertical Farming as a Catalyst for Innovation & Climate Action” is therefore the title of the 9th AFV Summit in Munich on 3 and 4 September, which the Association for Vertical Farming e.V. (AVF) is organizing together with Messe…
Ithaca, NY — Cornell University’s Greenhouse Lighting and Systems Engineering (GLASE) Consortium is proud to announce the official launch of CEA Works, a new online, self-paced educational program designed to upskill the Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) workforce. Supported by funding from the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), the program will open its first courses to the public starting June 1, 2025. GLASE Industry Advisory Board members enjoy complimentary access to CEA Works and the entire GLASE Library for their teams. Contact Matt at mjd378@cornell.edu to learn more about this exclusive membership benefit. CEA Works provides targeted training…
Greenhouse 101 starts on June 2 and is the first 2025 course in the award-winning Greenhouse Training Online series from the University of Florida IFAS Extension (UF). If you have grower staff who will benefit from extra training or if you are interested in joining the horticulture industry, this course will help you make better crop management decisions by learning the underlying horticultural science of plant growth. Join the over 1250 growers from around the world who have successfully completed this course and received a certificate of completion from UF. Greenhouse 101 is designed for people with no formal training…
Growers, Researchers, and Industry Pros Come Together September 9-10 to Share Ideas, Spark Connections, Move CEA Forward DANVILLE, VIRGINIA — The Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Summit East will return to the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) in Danville, Virginia on September 9-10, 2025 for its fourth edition. Co-hosted by Indoor Ag-Con and the CEA Innovation Center, a partnership between IALR and Virginia Tech, the 2025 event will once again bring together professionals from across the CEA spectrum—growers, researchers, academia, industry pros—for two days of education, networking, and exploration of the future of indoor farming. Building on the success of the 2024 summit, which welcomed attendees from 35 U.S. states and international markets…
OHCEAC’s 4th Annual CEA Conference: “Advancement of High QualityTransplant Production Technologiesunder Controlled Environment” July 16, 2025 | In-Person & Online Controlled Environment Agricultural Research Complex (CEARC) The Ohio State University Columbus, OH, USA Registration information can be found on our conference website: What’s This Year’s Conference All About?Explore the technologies transformingtransplant production in CEA The OHCEAC Annual CEA Conference brings together stakeholders each year to explore key topics in Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA). In 2025, our focus will be on transplant production technologies, recognizing their crucial rolein enhancing sustainability and productivity across variouscrop sectors, including flowering crops, food crops, and landscape/forestry trees. In…
Innovating Root Zone Solutions for Controlled-Environment Horticulture Root health and growth have a huge effect on the yield, crop time and losses, and profitability of container-grown and hydroponic crops. In this four-part webinar series, we will present our latest research on water treatment design, ozone and cold plasma systems, recirculating hydroponic solutions, and stratified substrates. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn about the latest developments in science and technology! Designed for: Benefits: Topics: Register at https://uada.formstack.com/forms/root_alliance Each webinar is $20. There is a 50% discount for all four. Each includes a 1-hour presentation by a Root Alliance university…