Urban Ag News is proud to feature Dr. Chieri Kubota’s class on Greenhouse Plant Physiology and Technology. Dr. Kubota was a professor at the University of Arizona and is moving to The Ohio State University this summer. Week 1: Introduction This lecture shows the various applications of controlled environment agriculture (or protected cultivation) to give a good introduction to this course.
Author: urbanagnews
South Africa will play host to the inaugural Urban Agri Summit 2017 in Johannesburg this September 7-8. The two-day event will bring together stakeholders from the Vertical Farming, Greenhouse and Control Environment Agriculture sectors to discuss Launching Successful Commercial Indoor farming for Africa. Feeding Africa’s rapidly growing urban population is a daunting challenge for Governments. Africa has the most rapid urbanisation rate in the world, and by 2034 a larger working-age population than China or India. This demographic challenge – together with the devastating effects of climate change and pressures on conventional farming – sets the stage for the growth…
2017 Florida Protected Ag and Hydroponics Conference will be hosted by the University of Florida/IFAS Live Oak and Balm Ag Research Centers. The event will be held at Gulf Coast Research in Balm. Participants will have a unique opportunity to start the conference by visiting one of two established commercial farms using protective ag and hydroponic methods on the first day of the conference. Tour selection is noted in the registration section. Day One of the conference will continue after the farm tours at the University of Florida/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center located south of the Tampa Bay…
Join the 488 growers who have successfully graduated from Greenhouse Training Online courses offered by the University of Florida IFAS Extension (UF). This advanced course is designed for experienced growers or technical managers in the US and other countries. The course is offered in English and Spanish. Learn about lime, water quality, plant species, nitrogen form, and root substrate. Convert fertilizer units and formulate a fertilizer from individual salts. Diagnose nutritional problems and take corrective actions. The course runs for 4 weeks, from August 28 to September 22, 2017. It costs $US 199 per participant, and includes a personalized certificate…
Join the 488 growers who have successfully graduated from Greenhouse Training Online courses offered by the University of Florida IFAS Extension (UF). This intermediate course is designed for growers with some experience and training. The course is offered in English and Spanish. Manage all aspects of weed management in nurseries and greenhouses, including weed identification, developing herbicide programs, and the latest non-chemical methods of weed control that actually work. The course runs for 4 weeks, from September 25 to October 20, 2017. It costs $US 199 per participant, and includes a personalized certificate of completion. Each week there are two…
DELTA, BC – Village Farms is celebrating local this week by participating in BC Greenhouse Veggie Days as a member of the BC Greenhouse Growers’ Association. BC Greenhouse Veggie Days was created to promote buying local, fresh, nutritious veggies provided by the greenhouse sector. The event runs from Friday, May 26 – Saturday, June 3. During that time shoppers will see products stickered with the BC Greenhouse Veggie Days logo and point of sale materials highlighting local produce at 140 participating Real Canadian Superstore, Overwaitea and independent store locations throughout British Columbia, Canada. The event culminates with in-store visits…
NL De Lier / US South Portland, May – Grow-Tech LLC., (Maine-USA) developer and manufacturer of grow plugs and microgreen growing media is joining the family of businesses of Dümmen Orange. This step reflects the growing importance of scale in the plug business, the opportunity to serve the consolidating young plant growers around the world with innovative products. A growing group of customers (young plant growers) have identified innovative rooting techniques as the main driver to improve the quality and value of their products and services. Grow-Tech will benefit from Dümmen Orange’s expertise and innovation pipeline and will be better…
One of the greatest joys of growing tomatoes is the moment when the first fruit start turning color and we know that the harvesting time for those plants is beginning! Here at NatureFresh™ Farms, we grow many different varieties of tomatoes, and they come in different colors, shapes, and various sizes. Visit our website for more on our greenhouses and how we grow at NatureFresh™ Farms: https://goo.gl/1CqNo3.
It’s time for the 2017 State of Indoor Farming & we need your help. We’re excited to partner with Agrilyst for their second annual State of Indoor Farming survey. To conduct the survey, we’re asking that all farms take approximately 10 mins to fill out the survey as accurately as possible. Agrilyst will be compiling the data and sharing anonymous data via their report. No data will be shared that’s identifiable to you. You can see their report from last year here. There are 50 questions total and some are mandatory and some are optional. If you’d like your company…
Originally published in Issue 7 Chris Lukenbill at Fresh With Edge is differentiating his hydroponically-grown greens and herbs by delivering them to his customers while still in their vertical production towers. Photos courtesy of Fresh With Edge. As Chris Lukenbill and his wife Lisa became more educated about what they were eating and how their food was distributed they felt there were a lot of things that could be done better. “There are a lot of things that are occurring in agriculture that need improvement is probably the best way to say it,” Chris said. “We felt that this was…
By Talking Biotech Podcast hosted by Kevin M. Folta In the race to feed 10 billion people by 2050 some agricultural production will shift to where people live. The idea of vertical farms or repurposing urban space for agriculture is becoming increasingly feasible, as lighting, cooling, and automation advances are more and more efficient. These concepts are being explored worldwide. The International Congress on Controlled Environment Agriculture met in Panama City, Panama, and it was a great opportunity to interview the experts about how to grow crops in limited space. Interviews with David Proenza, Chris Higgins, Leo Marcelis, Chieri Kubota, and…
Globally acclaimed teacher, Stephen Ritz, author of “The Power of a Plant” shows how in one of the nation’s poorest communities, his students thrive in school and in life by growing, cooking, eating, and sharing the bounty of their green classroom. His innovative program began by accident. When a flower broke up a brawl among burly teenagers at a tough South Bronx high school, Stephen saw a teachable moment to connect students with nature. By using plants as an entry point for all learning, he witnessed nothing short of a transformation. Attendance soared from 40 to 93 percent. Disciplinary issues…
By Lee Frankel and the Coalition for Sustainable Organics “Conflicted” is the most common sentiment of National Organic Standards Board members moving forward on the issue of the role of containers in the USDA organic program The members of the Crops Subcommittee of the NOSB who wrote the Discussion Document calling for the elimination of hydroponic, aquaponic and aeroponic production methods from the USDA organic program presented the basis for their document and then invited feedback from each of the board members individually at the recently concluded Spring 2017 NOSB meeting in Denver. The most common theme emerging from the thoughts…
Do you have grower staff who are irrigating and fertilizing greenhouse crops, but have not had formal training in horticulture? The University of Florida IFAS Extension can help them make better crop management decisions. For the third year, they will be offering online training courses in English and Spanish starting on June 19, 2017. This year will feature a brand new course, Costing and Profitability. Each course runs for 4 weeks, and includes a personalized certificate of completion. Classes are completely online, and include streaming videos, readings, and assignments. They are available any time of the day, and new modules…