Originally published in Issue 14 By Lea S. Singer (7th grader) At the New York Sun Works’ Youth Conference on June 2, 2016, building a sustainable future was the shared topic. So many ideas were presented on how the kids of this generation could help build a better, healthier future for themselves. The passion shared with all who attended was inspiring, and made you want to start a mini hydroponics system in your kitchen the minute you left the conference. Among the numerous people who spoke, ranging in age from 10- to 15- years old, three guest speakers attended. One…
Author: urbanagnews
Originally published in Issue 13 By Mitch Hagney In many cities, urban gardeners operated in a legal gray zone in terms of where they were permitted to grow and sell produce. Many growers were uncertain about whether they could use spaces like alley-ways, restaurants, or rooftops in addition to backyards. Most laws don’t currently account for indoor farms, because they are a distinct break from what zoning would normally interpret as a farm. Many officials aren’t even sure if a shipping container system is a building, and vertical farms wouldn’t be zoned agricultural under current laws. Changing current restrictions, laws To…
Originally published in Issue 13 By Eri Hayashi, Japan Plant Factory Association, Industry Expert For anyone who believes plant factories (PFALs)/vertical farms are only for leafy greens or for anyone who has given up growing strawberries in plant factories, they may have to reconsider their way of thinking. There is a great future ahead for strawberries, especially after the Japan Plant Factory Association (JPFA) held its 96th monthly workshop on “Next-Generation Strawberry Growing System.” The workshop gave participants the opportunity to learn what is happening in Japan’s commercial strawberry PFALs. Also during the workshop, academic researchers and research institutes provided…
Registration to win grants for sustainability projects now open to local farms nationwide. MONTEREY, CA (November 2017) – National produce distributor PRO*ACT is proud to announce the expansion of the company’s annual local farm grant program. The grant program called Cultivating Change has increased to $75,000 and represents PRO*ACT’s commitment to creating a sustainable produce supply chain from seed to fork. Farmers nationwide can now apply for funds to invest in their farms and grow their overall capacity. Applications for this year’s grant program will be accepted until December 15, 2017. Panel review and popular voting will be conducted January…
Originally published in Issue 14 By Mitch Hagney Sometimes rather than bringing crops to the customers, customers come to the crops. The public’s enthusiasm for urban farming goes far beyond buying the produce, and that means that many customers seek to be more than just recipients of local food, they want to be participants in the process. Experiences at the farm allow the public to participate directly, which can bring farmers additional revenue sources that are less tied to their production capacity. For small farms, that can provide a big boost. Customers coming to the farm certainly isn’t a totally new…
Urban Ag News 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 has moved to The Ohio State University this summer. Week 9-1: GH environment 1 This is the final week! For this week, we will have two lectures understanding greenhouse as a whole system and the mechanism of interactions between plants, micro climate, greenhouse system, and outside environment. All the lecture contents now come together into describing and understanding this complex system.
National Organic Standards Board Rejects Recommendation to Remove Container, Hydroponic and Aquaponic Production Methods from Eligibility for USDA Organic Certification. The members of the NOSB voted on Wednesday by a margin of 8 to 7 to reject the proposals to make Hydroponic and Aquaponic production methods prohibited practices under the USDA organic standards. In addition, the NOSB rejected the proposal by a vote of 8 to 7 to create prescriptive nitrogen ratio requirements and to limit delivery of nutrients through irrigation systems in other container production systems. The proposed definition of hydroponics was any system in a container (roots of…
Kimbal Musk, co-founder of The Kitchen restaurants and The Kitchen Community, a non-profit organization that has established nearly 300 school Learning Gardens, is working to spread his philosophy of the power of good food and good drink to connect people as family, friends and community. While Elon Musk has made a name for himself in moving people as co-founder, CEO and product architect of Tesla Motors, and founder and CEO of SpaceX, his younger brother Kimbal is more focused on the Earth and the food it produces. Kimbal co-founded The Kitchen restaurants to serve food and drink from local farmers,…
Urban Ag News 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 has moved to The Ohio State University this summer. Week 8-3: Sink Source 2 For this week, my lecture starts with some basics of plant physiology, water relation and sink-source relationship. These lectures include topics of understanding tomato fruit disorder and fruit flavor using the understanding of water relation.
GLASE, the Greenhouse Lighting and Systems Engineering Consortium, is a partnership among growers, plant physiologists and horticulturists, trade groups, produce buyers, agriculture engineers, lighting manufacturers, government agencies, and others to pioneer and commercialize breakthrough technologies that deliver greenhouse crop and energy solutions. Established in 2017 by Cornell University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and supported by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the Center for Lighting Enabled Systems & Applications (LESA) at Rensselaer, GLASE unites world-class engineers and horticultural researchers with private and public stakeholders to transform the way greenhouses operate, dramatically reducing their energy use…
November 13 at IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, New York To advance crop development in controlled systems that will support economic viability, the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) is hosting a convening event to determine the state of science and, most importantly, the areas where FFAR can catalyze research efforts to advance crop development for controlled environments. Attendees will explore areas of research where joint public and private sector efforts will advance the field. FFAR believes that through increased investments from both the private and public sector, we can help put controlled environment agriculture…
Originally published in Issue 13, April 2016 To meet the increasing demand for clean, safe produce in both the U.S. and China, Green Sense Farms looks to open additional vertical farming operations along with a training facility to create job-ready graduates to grow in controlled environments. Robert Colangelo, founding farmer and CEO at Green Sense Farms, in Portage, Ind., knows what it takes to be successful in emerging markets. “I have been very fortuitous in my career,” Colangelo said. “I have been at the forefront of three emerging markets. In the 1990s I operated one of the first companies in…
Urban Ag News 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 has moved to The Ohio State University this summer. Week 8-2: Sink Source 1 For this week, my lecture starts with some basics of plant physiology, water relation and sink-source relationship. These lectures include topics of understanding tomato fruit disorder and fruit flavor using the understanding of water relation.
Join the 600 growers who have successfully graduated from Greenhouse Training Online courses offered by the University of Florida IFAS Extension (UF) in our newest course. 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. Develop the skills to accurately estimate production cost and profit for your business. The course runs for 4 weeks, from October 30 to December 1, 2017. It costs $US 499 per participant, and includes a personalized certificate of completion. This course is limited to 50 participants. Each week there…