Jonny Reader, research associate at the University of Nottingham and design engineer at V-Farm talked about the current fruit and vegetable market in the UK and insecurities surrounding Brexit. Here are the t 5 take home points: UK farming activities relay on forging seasonal labor and the future is uncertainly due the eminent UK departure from the European Union. 30% of the food consumed un the UK is imposed from the European Union In 2017 the UK imported $13.84 billion worth of fruits and vegetables Automation is viewed as a promising solution for labor shortage Europe represents 21% of the…
Author: urbanagnews
The company’s first urban farm, incubated at Carnegie Mellon University, uses proprietary robotics technology to grow affordable fresh produce for Pittsburgh-area grocery stores and restaurants PITTSBURGH—Fifth Season, an indoor farming pioneer, announced plans for its first highly efficient, commercial-scale indoor vertical farm, which will open in early 2020 in Braddock, an historic steel town near Pittsburgh. Fifth Season, originally founded as RoBotany Ltd., is a consumer-focused technology company that was incubated at Carnegie Mellon University’s (CMU) Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship—an alliance of CMU’s business, robotics and other schools focused on fostering innovation. The company has raised over $35 million to…
The Ohio State University is organizing annual Greenhouse Management Workshop (January 16 & 17, 2020; Wooster, OH), providing learning opportunities for the basics of greenhouse management practices. In this workshop, our hydroponics track focuses on Hydroponic Food Safety and GAPs provided by OSU Food Safety GAP training team. The contents are relevant to indoor farms also. Those who complete this track can receive a Certificate of Completion for Hydroponics food safety and GAPs training. For those who are difficult to travel, the whole workshop (except tours) will be accessible for online participants via webinar. For more information, please contact me…
Whether you are a greenhouse grower or a vertical farmer, you won’t want to miss this. Join Urban Ag News, Hort Americas and Current, powered by GE, for the inaugural Great Lakes Ag Tech Summit on Monday, September 23. The summit will be held at at the historic Nela Park campus in Cleveland, Ohio. The one-day event features keynote presentations and panel discussions from leading researchers and innovative growers in the Great Lakes region. Attendees will be able to connect with growers, scientists, researchers and entrepreneurs as we shape the future of food and move controlled environment agriculture forward. Due…
University of Florida Greenhouse Training Online courses Earn CEUs with Disease Management Learn how to prevent and manage diseases in nurseries and greenhouses. Disease Management is the fifth course of the 2019 Greenhouse Online Training program offered by the University of Florida IFAS Extension. This intermediate course is designed for growers with some experience and training and offers Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for many States in the United States. Topics covered include disease cycle, how to differentiate between a disease and other issues, organic and conventional disease management options, and how to safely apply and handle fungicides. The course is…
Press Release – Artemis, the leading enterprise Cultivation Management Platform (CMP), today announced the launch of its first Global Ag Report survey to capture the latest trends, biggest challenges, and opportunities for global enterprise farmers growing fruits, vegetables, cannabis, hemp, and other specialty crops. The survey will inform the newest iteration of the State of Indoor Farming Report, released in previous years by Artemis under the company’s former name—Agrilyst. The survey is open to all speciality crop growers and operators of enterprise farms, including operators of greenhouses, high tunnel farms, indoor facilities, and field growers, and will close for responses on October 15, 2019. The…
BrightFarms, leading grower of hydroponic salad greens and herbs, is set to open a 280,000 sf facility in central Pennsylvania later this year. At that point its existing Pennsylvania greenhouse in Bucks County will become surplus to requirements. It will be ready for occupancy by a new user late in the first quarter 2020. It is a fully operational automated hydroponic greenhouse with a glass roof, computer controls, sophisticated HVAC and irrigation systems, artificial lighting and cold storage. For more information, contact Sean O’Neill at soneill@brightfarms.com.
The Controlled Environment Agriculture Center is offering an intensive course in Hydroponic Lettuce and Leafy Greens October 5th through the 9th. Lettuces and leafy greens – we eat them every day! (or we SHOULD!) But how do we grow them sustainably with delicious flavor? Join the Controlled Environment Agriculture Center to answer these questions and more during our Intensive Hydroponic Lettuce and Leafy Greens course. Our esteemed staff and faculty will provide 40+ hours of classroom time and hands on application in the Greenhouses on the CEAC Campus to ensure your hydroponic leafy greens are a success. About CEAC: The…
International professionals leading the Agtech supply chain come together to share initiatives and spur innovation. Press Release – The 2019 Sustainability & Digitalization Leaders forum is fast becoming the exclusive conversation series every thought leader in agtech should be a part of. Announcing the next cohort of speakers to present this October 22-24, the agenda demonstrates an awareness of the most relevant sustainability issues across the current landscape, from land degradation to carbon sequestering; cell cultured meats to regenerative urban food systems. Featured presentations from global innovators include: impact and long term predictability of extreme weather patterns; regenerative practice of…
Press Release – CEA ADVISORS LLC (CEA), a leading global vertical farming consultant, manufacturer and developer and Farminova Plant Factory (Farminova), a one-stop vertical farm technology provider have formed a strategic partnership to jointly develop future vertical farm projects for supermarkets and other commercial and industrial end users worldwide. For future projects developed jointly, CEA will provide consulting, marketing, project development and operations expertise, contributing its best-in-class vertical farming experience and Farminova will provide R & D support, HVAC systems, Control systems and its proprietary modular growing systems including its scalable next-generation, fully automated Plant Factory system. Glenn Behrman, CEA Founder…
This month’s indoor ag science café was on HVAC – heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning for indoor farms. Dr. Nadia Sabeh at Dr. Greenhouse explained basics of HVAC and introduced key parameters for plant growth, such as temperature, humidity, VPD (vapor pressure deficit), CO2 and air movement. She also reminded us that a well-designed HVAC system is critical for indoor farms by giving some examples of challenges in HVAC design. Humidity management is a unique challenge for indoor farm HVAC. Engineers and manufacturers do not understand the amount of moisture that plants add to the air via transpiration and how it affects…
The Aquaponics Association 2019 Board of Governors is proud to present the tentative program for the September 20-22 Putting Out Fruits Conference: https://aquaponicsassociation.org/conference-program/ The conference runs for three days and features: the top aquaponics experts from around the world; tours of commercial aquaponics operations; a vendor showroom; interactive discussions and social events for aquaponics growers of all types to collaborate. We will continue to update you with more information about the topics that will be discussed as well as provide videos from last and this years conference. The 2019 Aquaponics Association Conference will be held at 1525 Mills Ln Frankfort,…
The affordable MicroRX Station provides valuable insights into critical environmental conditions via 4G cellular technology and cloud-based software Press Release — As weather patterns are changing, it is more important than ever for researchers and growers to have a reliable system for recording and responding to climate conditions. Onset, a world leader in data loggers and weather stations, announced today the launch of the new low-cost, web-enabled HOBO MicroRX Station. With 4G cellular technology for wide coverage and compatibility with the latest mobile networks, and station-side alarms, including a new accumulated rainfall alarm, the MicroRX makes it easier than ever…
Empowering growers to make data-driven decisions for peak crop performance Press Release – Grodan, part of the ROCKWOOL Group, has now launched e-Gro in the North American market. E-Gro is the ultimate software platform for data-driven Precision Growing, giving growers smarter insights into the greenhouse, allowing them to fully optimize cultivation. E-Gro was officially launched in the Netherlands during the HortiContact trade show in February of 2019 and was awarded the Concept Innovation Award at GreenTech in June 2019. The more you know, the better you grow In the greenhouse, the decisions you make today have a major impact on…