By Marlow Schindler, U.S. Small Business Administration The SBA is responding to small business owners impacted by the Coronavirus with several different forms of assistance. Last week the CARES Act was signed by President Trump. The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) outlined in this stimulus package is not yet available. Lenders may begin processing loan applications as soon as April 3, 2020. The SBA provides low-interest disaster loans directly to help businesses and homeowners recover from declared disasters. For this disaster, Economic Injury Disaster Loans are currently available throughout the state of California. You can get access to the online application and information about the SBA disaster loans here.…
Author: urbanagnews
Originally published by Florida Agri-Womenby Ruth E. Jensen, President, Florida Agri-Women Port Charlotte, Florida, April 1, 2020 — In this moment in time due to the coronavirus pandemic, our nation is facing many challenges as we adhere to instructions of social distancing. Our leaders are working 24/7 to contain the spread and are developing American-made tests, vaccines and medicines in their efforts to eradicate this invisible enemy. While agriculture is listed as an essential critical business, there are issues unique to the fresh fruit and vegetable sector. Florida Agri-Women along with other members of American Agri-Women sit in on the White House Critical Infrastructure Partners conference calls…
e-GRO Edibles Alert: 5.05 Powdery Mildew Management 101 Nick FlaxPenn State Extension Though powdery mildew does not lead to total crop death in the way that many other plant pathogens do, growers need to manage this disease. This article covers powdery mildew basics and tips for managing the disease in greenhouse-grown food crops.
Wednesday, April 1st: 12:00pm–1:00pm CST Maria I. Marshall, Ph.D., Professor Department of Agricultural EconomicsPurdue University Dr. Maria Marshall is Professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Purdue University and Director of the Purdue Institute for Family Business. She has an internationally recognized program focused on small and family business development. Dr. Marshall will provide an overview of the Hemp market. The overview will include trends associated with licensing, pricing, and production. She will also provide a summary of recent producer surveys detailing 2019 producer expectation and experience. In addition, she will touch on the COVID- 19 Virus and the…
Words by Professor Joel Cuello, Ph.D. Image modified from Martin Sanchez/Unsplash Article originally published by the Association for Vertical Farming The speed with which the coronavirus outbreaks in Asia, Europe and North America metastasized into a full-blown global pandemic — catching many world governments by surprise and with little preparation — underscores just how our world today is highly interconnected and how, in order to contain and stem the surging pandemic, temporary disconnection from the physically-networked world by cities, regions and even entire nations has become an urgent imperative. With confirmed coronavirus cases globally now exceeding 370,000 and the number…
Amsterdam, 19 March 2020 – GreenTech Amsterdam is moving from 8-10 June to 20-22 October this year. The expected duration of the global situation, due to the spread of COVID-19, has resulted in this decision. RAI Amsterdam, as organiser, has complied with the explicit wishes of both exhibitors and visitors to reschedule the event. Due to the Corona virus, many travelers are confronted with travel restrictions and measures put in place by their own countries. To maintain the national as well as the international reach and quality of the event, a new date has been set. International characterGreenTech Amsterdam is the…
By Rodrigo M. Pereyra I was recently watching the movie “Up in the Air” and beyond being a great portrayal of the human cost of job loss and itinerancy of modern life, I was interested by another thread in the story: the introduction of new technology to fundamentally change a business. During an argument with Anna Kendrick, the bright new employee bringing in a innovative “outplacement” technology, George Clooney’s character, the seasoned industry veteran, has a wonderful quote: “Before you try to revolutionize my business, I’d like to know that you actually know my business.” That quote struck a chord.…
Your best return on investment to ensure a knowledgeable workforce is through online training of existing staff. University of Florida IFAS Extension provides four-week, award-winning, online training courses in English and Spanish. The first course of the year, Greenhouse 101, starts on June 1, 2020. To register, visit http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/training/. Each course is completely online, and includes streaming videos, readings, and assignments. They are available any time of the day, and new modules are activated each week during the course. Experienced university instructors are available for help and interactive discussions. Graduates receive a personalized certificate of completion. Online course schedule for…
Paul Lightfoot presented the competitive advantages of indoor and greenhouse growing and locally distributing leafy greens as oppose to more conventional outdoor production. He also introduced the new CEA Food Safety Coalition, inviting indoor and greenhouse farms to be a member. Indoor Ag Science Café is an outreach program of our project OptimIA, funded by USDA SCRI grant program. The café forums are designed to serve as precompetitive communication platform among scientists and indoor farming professionals. The Café presentations are available from YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjwIeYlKrzH_uppaf2SwMIg4JyGb7LRXC Contact Chieri Kubota at the Ohio State University (Kubota.10@osu.edu) to be a Café member to participate.
Amsterdam – 13 March 2020. GreenTech Americas is moving from 24 – 26 March 2020 to 25 – 27 August 2020. The significant increase in the global spread of COVID-19 has resulted in this decision. RAI Amsterdam and Tarsus, as organizers, have complied with the explicit wishes of both exhibitors and visitors to reschedule the event. Due to the Corona virus, many travelers are confronted with travel restrictions and measures put in place by the authorities. To maintain the international reach and quality of the event, a new date has been set. International characterGreenTech Americas is the first regional event in…
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The College of Agriculture’s Urban Agriculture team is launching the online Urban Agriculture Certificate in partnership with Purdue Online, to be offered 100% online. Registration is open, and the “Growing Guide for Healthy Crops” course begins March 16. Urban agriculture focuses on raising food in urban or suburban areas. These efforts are often launched to help meet the nutritional needs of a community and practiced through such creative means as finding ways to optimize limited space. Cities and towns that support urban agriculture may see increased food security, youth development, small business development, reduced blight in neighborhoods and…
Indoor Ag Sci Café presents ‘Managing Water Quality and Biofilm for Indoor Production’ by Dr. Paul Fisher (University of Florida). This comprehensive summary is an essential information for indoor farming! February Indoor Ag Sci Café focused on water quality and biofilm for indoor production. Dr. Fisher discussed characteristics of different source water and their potential issues (alkalinity, chlorine, salinity, and pathogens) as well as mitigation measures. Key steps of biofilm management was introduced and efficacy of different commercial products was discussed. Indoor Ag Science Café is an outreach program of our project OptimIA, funded by USDA SCRI grant program (http://www.scri-optimia.org).…
Conference Pass Discount, Expanded Educational Offerings, Cross-Over Business Growth Opportunities Among Promotional Partnership Offerings PRESS RELEASE – Indoor Ag-Con, the premier indoor agriculture conference and trade show, has announced a marketing partnership with the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) for the 8th annual conference taking place May 18-20, 2020 at the Wynn Las Vegas. The three-day conference program will offer insight from keynote speakers and 50-plus subject matter experts in four tracks focused on Business, Science & Technology, Alternative Crops and Greenhouses & Precision Ag. Designed to showcase the business growth opportunities both organizations offer to association members and event attendees alike, the alliance will…
By Leora Radetsky The US vertical farming market is projected to reach $3 billion by 2024, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate of over 24 percent, according to a February 2019 report. Another report, by the US Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, put the annual electricity consumption of US horticultural lighting installations at 5.9 terawatt hours – equal to the annual usage of about 550,000 US households, and projected that to increase 15 to 25 percent annually. Horticultural lighting comprises the largest percentage of power demand in controlled environment agriculture (CEA) facilities for fruit and…