The AVF is an internationally active non-profit organization focusing on advancing Vertical Farming technologies, designs and businesses. AVF consists of individuals, companies, research institutions and universities. And all of them are united by the goal to foster the sustainable growth and development of the Vertical Farming movement through collaboration, education, and transparency. The AVF was founded in 2013, under the advisement of Dr. Dickson Despommier (Author of The Vertical Farm). It was an alliance between Max Loessl and Philip Wagner in Munich, Germany and Henry Gordon-Smith in New York City, USA. Their shared mission from the start was built upon…
Author: urbanagnews
Truro, N.S. – TruLeaf is wrapping up 2015 with a firm eye on its future. It is pleased to announce the addition of Jeff McKinnon as a Vice President of Operations and Chief Financial Officer, and Martin Jamieson and Pete Luckett as new investors and strategic advisors. Jamieson will also be the newest addition to TruLeaf’s Board of Directors. Additionally, the company is now testing systems for nutrients, water, and lighting at its facility in Truro, Nova Scotia: a first round of trial seeding will follow. New to the TruLeaf team is Jeff McKinnon, who joins the company as Vice…
– Chris Michael, Bright Agrotech Since the spring of 2014, Eric Bergeron and Eric Amyot have been growing and selling farm-fresh produce right in the heart of downtown Cornwall, Ontario. They started growing food because they saw the opportunity to make an impact on their local community by providing healthy produce to restaurants and grocery stores in their area. Since then, Eric and Eric have decided to empower other farmers across Canada with the world’s best growing equipment. Today, we’re very excited to announce that ZipGrow towers will now be manufactured and distributed in Canada! Watch the video: Modular Farms…
Creative working space and artisan coffee shop, Home of Honest Coffee, in the city of Salford, has taken one more step towards sustainability following the installation by Refarming Ltd & Co-operative and Mutual Solutions of one of HydroGarden’s VydroFarm vertical hydroponic systems in its basement. The system will be used to grow salad greens and herbs for use in its on-site kitchen. The initiative is the result of a new collaboration with local venture, Refarming Ltd and Co-operative and Mutual Solutions, and aims to bring food production closer to its consumers by working with ex-offenders during their rehabilitation process. It…
Valoya (Helsinki, FInland) a leading provider of advanced plant lighting systems, worked with Microsoft Corp. to create next generation of state of the art lighting system, using Valoya’s advanced LED lights, Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Azure Internet-of-Things (IoT) technology. The solution Valoya created, helped by the collaboration with Microsoft, is a novel solution for simulation of natural outdoor light. The system, called Valoya LightDNA Dynamic Light, enables accurate replication of outdoor light conditions over time, while matching the spectrum and intensity of constantly changing natural light. Research in this field is of outmost importance, as it will contribute to feeding…
Unanimous Vote by City of Pasadena, Texas Creates Property, Tax Incentives for Agricultural Research and Education Campus HOUSTON, Dec. 02, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — On December 1, 2015, the City of Pasadena, Texas, unanimously voted in favor of a Chapter 380 Economic Development Agreement with Indoor Harvest for the purpose of establishing an open source, vertical farm and education campus on the City’s north side. Indoor Harvest Corp (OTCQB:INQD), through its brand name Indoor Harvest®, is a full service, state of the art design-build engineering firm for the indoor and vertical farming industry, providing production platforms and complete custom…
“MicroGREENS: novel fresh and functional food to explore all the value of biodiversity” written by Francesco Di Gioia e Pietro Santamaria. Francesco Di Gioia is with the Università degli Studi di Bari in Italy and is currently doing post doc research at the UF/IFAS Southwest Florida Research and Education Center in Immokalee. (MicroGREENS) is a project funded by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry for the provision of funds to finance projects in the field of agriculture, food, forestry, fishing and aquaculture related to the goals of Expo Milano 2015. The project was born from the cooperation between the…
The CEAC is offering the January 2016 Intensive Courses on Hydroponic Tomato and/or Hydroponic Lettuce Production in Tucson, AZ. You can attend the Tomato specific course from January 3 – 8, the Lettuce specific course from January 8 – 10, or both courses from January 3 – 10. Where else can you receive a semester of university coursework in one week? The hydroponic crop intensives feature over a semester’s worth of course content presented strategically throughout the week to allow business professionals and growers to minimize their time away from home. The courses will combine classroom time with time in…
Soliculture (Scotts Valley, California) has released a new type of commercial greenhouse panel that both improves light quality by amplifying colors that are beneficial to plants and generates electricity with no loss to production. Soliculture has completed 3 years of commercial plant growth trials including vegetables, ornamentals, cut flowers, and berries that have shown that these panels mounted directly above crop production have neutral to positive effects on plant growth. Positive effects have ranged from early maturation, disease resistance, and longer production time. Electricity generated by the panels can completely offset the electricity needs of the greenhouse and other electricity…
By Jim Pantaleo Back in September, I had the good fortune to sit down with Blake Lange of Philips City Farming. The below is an excerpt from a lengthier article to be published in the January (Issue 12) of Urban Ag News. JP: Blake, thanks for sitting down with me. What’s with the pink? BL: (Laughs) What a funny question. So typically what we see in the industry is a lot of blue and red diodes mixing together and creating a pinkish or purplish hue. Humans see light differently than plants do and plants have a broader sensitivity to light…
The final rules for Food Safety and MA were published in the Federal Register on Friday, November 27, 2015. Attached are the official published documents for the following: • Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption; • Environmental Impact Statements: Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption; • Foreign Supplier Verification Programs for Importers of Food for Humans and Animals; and • Accreditation of Third-Party Certification Bodies to Conduct Food Safety Audits and to Issue Certifications. View PDFs: Accreditation of Third-Party Certification Bodies Final Environmental Impact Statement Produce…
Shan Halamba, CEO of RIOCOCO, Wins Stevie Gold Award — Executive of the Year — at 12th Annual International Business Awards IRVING, TX–(Marketwired – October 27, 2015) – Irving-based entrepreneur Shan Halamba, CEO of Texas-based Ceyhinz Link International, Inc., won the Gold Stevie Award for Executive of the Year, Management Award under the category of All Other Industries. Nicknamed the Stevies from the Greek word “crowned,” the awards were presented at a gala event on Friday, 23 October at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Toronto, Canada. Michael Gallagher, President and Founder of the Stevie Awards, presented Shan Halamba with the award.…
Marco van Leeuwen has joined the Green Sense Farms Advisory Board. Van Leeuwen is Managing Director of Rijk Zwaan, a world leader in the market of vegetable seeds. Based in the Netherlands, Rijk Zwaan produces more than 1,000 varieties of seeds representing 25 vegetable crops. Formed earlier this year, the Green Sense Farms Advisory board will assist Green Sense as it continues expanding in both domestic and international markets. The Board consists of business leaders representing agriculture, the environment, finance, LED lighting, genome sequencing, information technology, and more. Bob Parker is chairman of the advisory board, and is Vice President and…
Greenhouse Bioproducts Use Survey The Ohio State University would like to invite you to participate in a survey on bio products used in the greenhouse production of ornamental and vegetable plants at http://go.osu.edu/ghbioproducts. This survey will provide valuable feedback to set research priorities and assist in the development of educational materials on bio products for the industry. The survey will involve approximately 10 minutes of your time. If you would like additional information, have specific comments or questions, please contact Beth Scheckelhoff, OSU Extension Educator for Greenhouse Systems at 419-592-0806 or at Scheckelhoff.11@osu.edu. Bioproducts for Controlled Environment Plant Production…