Would you be able to eat only locally grown food for 3 months? Dallas, Texas Agripeneur Challenges Himself To Eat Local for 93 Days. What is Project 93? Project 93 believes the future of food is about building healthy communities to empower personal and sustainable growth. How do they make this belief a reality for everyone? Project 93 is a thought experiment. The founder of 1AU, Nilesh Morar, challenged himself to eat locally grown lettuce for 93 days in a row and share his journey to elucidate the problem of food deserts. He defines “locally grown” as within 50 miles of where he lives. Many…
Author: urbanagnews
To meet market demands for high quality produce and red pigmented lettuce, Swedish-based Spisa Smaker AB invested in a LED grow light system. Not only have they seen great results in quality improvement, they have also experienced a 48% savings in electricity. “We had to focus on increasing the quality of our produce, and we saw increased demand for red lettuce and herbs with more intense taste – so we needed a solution that could make that possible”, says Maintenance Manager at Spisa Smaker AB, Adam Johnsson. A central part of managing commercial greenhouses is to continually improve crop quality…
The University of Connecticut and University of Florida just launched the WaterQual tool as part of the CleanWateR3 research program. This tool interprets the quality of a water source to irrigate plants in greenhouses and nurseries, and is available in English and Spanish. Link to the WaterQual Tool Clean WateR3 is a federally funded Specialty Crops Research Initiative grant focused on research and outreach to help growers Reduce, Remediate and Recycle irrigation water. The grant team is managed by Dr. Sarah White at Clemson University and includes many research collaborators. Clean WateR3 – Reduce, Remediate, Recycle Our projects focus on…
Many greenhouse growers, both new and old, have a lot of questions on what are the best options for covering their greenhouse. This short video by Dr. Gene Giacomelli (Professor of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering and Controlled Environment Agriculture at the University of Arizona.) and Dr A.J. Booth (Extension Specialist in Horticultural Engineering, Energy, Hydroponics at Rutgers University) does a great job educating and informing growers on the basics of greenhouse glazings.
Increase your productivity, employee knowledge and skills with our 4-week certificate courses from UF/IFAS Extension. Completely online and taught by PhD university professors. All courses are in English and Spanish. Can your grower staff benefit from additional training, in order to make better crop management decisions? University of Florida IFAS Extension can help with four-week online training courses in English and Spanish. The first courses of the year, Greenhouse 101 and Costing & Profitability start on June 4, 2018. To register, visit http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/training/. Each course is completely online, and include streaming videos, readings, and assignments. They are available any time…
Green Sense Farms is transforming its Portage, Indiana farm into a state-of-the art research and development center to advance its indoor vertical growing systems and test new cultivars. It will test LED horticultural lighting, HVAC systems, automation controls and sensing devices, along with modern conveyance and packaging automation equipment, announced Robert Colangelo, CEO and Founding Farmer of Green Sense Farms. “We continue to discover so many opportunities to pioneer new techniques in vertical farming. We’re committed to pushing the envelope to learn how best to efficiently grow nutritious food in an energy-efficient and sustainable manner,” he said. The R&D…
AgTech solutions company Autogrow and Plant & Food Research today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) confirming their intention to collaborate in the development of protocols to maximize yield and enable continuous production of perennial fruits. The agreement was signed by Autogrow CEO Darryn Keiller and Dr Kieran Elborough, General Manager Science – New Cultivar Innovation for Plant & Food Research. “We are incredibly excited to be working with Plant & Food Research and see collaborations like this as fundamental to furthering our industry, ultimately benefiting both growers and consumers. Plant & Food Research are responsible for some of the best…
A Letter from AVF Chairwoman Christine Zimmermann-Loessl Dear AVF Members, The Association for Vertical Farming is evolving from an emerging movement into an industry organization ready for the next steps. To quote Alibaba founder and philanthropist Jack Ma, “The next generation of globalization should be inclusive and create opportunities for young people to get involved. The last 30 years of globalization was controlled by 60,000 big companies. In the next 30 years, we will have 6 or 16 or 60 million companies get involved in globalization.” At the AVF, we have taken this quote to heart based on experience from…
by Neil Mattson for eGro (https://e-gro.org/pdf/E301.pdf) Waterborne diseases that infect roots are a common production issue in hydroponic production. Several species of the water mold, Pythium, attack greenhouse crops. Basil and spinach are susceptible to economically devastating levels of Pythium root infection in hydroponics. In this article we will present symptoms of Pythium infection and management strategies. Many Pythium species, are generalists, meaning they can attack a wide range of plant species. Pythium aphanidermatum and Pythium dissotocum are two species commonly reported in hydroponics. Both species can produce zoospores, a mobile propagule that can propel itself through water. Symptoms of Pythium Root…
Leading Japanese indoor ag tech companies to visit the heart of U.S. agricultural research and biotechnology community to attend controlled environment networking event. If you are involved with the vertical farming or indoor agriculture industries, then you should plan on attending Ag Tech Worlds Collide. Scheduled for Feb. 21, 2018, at North Carolina State University, this event will tackle the big questions currently being addressed in the vertical farming and indoor agriculture industries worldwide. Urban Ag News and the Japan Plant Factory Association in coordination with the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry are pleased to announce this joint networking event…
If you are a grower of greenhouse tomatoes, or if you have interest in growing this crop, mark your calendar now for the 28th Annual Greenhouse Tomato Short Course. Participating in this program will be the best way to learn all about producing greenhouse tomatoes. The next Greenhouse Tomato Short Course will be held at the Eagle Ridge Conference Center, 1500 Raymond Lake Road, Raymond, Mississippi on March 6 and 7, 2018. Expert speakers will present seminars on a variety of fields relevant to the production of greenhouse tomatoes. Special topics this year will be components of the greenhouse system,…
By RaboResearch of Rabobank The 2018 World Vegetable Map shows essential vegetable trade flows and highlights some key global trends in the sector, such as the growing importance of production in greenhouses and vertical farms, as well as the popularity of organic vegetables. Download > Click here to download the World Vegetable Map Poster versions of the World Floriculture Map are exclusively available to Rabobank clients. To receive one, please contact your relationship manager. Map summary: more than just a local affair The global vegetable market is still predominantly a local market. Only 5% of the vegetables grown are traded internationally. But…
“Giving growers the tools to manage light quality is one of our specialities,” says Chris Higgins, General Manager of Hort Americas. “For example, we were one of the first suppliers of LED grow lights in the US. At that time, we saw the crop advantages that growers realised when they had the ability to manipulate spectrum along with intensity.” The company recently started a partnership with Sudlac. Sudlac’s shading products were introduced in the US last year and received much interest from a wide variety of growers. “We’re giving North American growers a new tool to manage light.” Hort Americas…
Thursday, January 25, 2018 Pact Commits to Providing a Healthy, Sustainable, and Equitable Food System (WASHINGTON, DC) – Today, Mayor Bowser and Madison, Wisconsin Mayor Paul Soglin, Co-Chairs of the USCM Food Policy Task Force, announced that the District and other American cities will sign on to the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact (MUFPP), a cooperative international agreement aimed at improving access to healthy food and sustainability in cities all over the world. Together, with mayors from across the nation, Mayor Bowser signed on to the Pact to build a more sustainable and equitable food system, shaping future patterns of food production…