Drew Demler, the State Fair of Texas director of horticulture and cofounder of Big Tex Urban Farms, and his staff were able to achieve the farm’s Million Servings Mission ahead of schedule using a variety of controlled environment hydroponic production systems. Photos by Jessie Wood, State Fair of Texas Big Tex Urban Farms announced in […]
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Growers who replace incandescent bulbs with screw-in LEDs to control photoperiod can reduce their energy consumption by as much as 85 percent. The LED bulbs could last up to 30 years. Photo courtesy of Southwest Perennials Depending on whether you are looking to control photoperiod or increase plant growth will determine the grow lights you […]
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The amount of leachate from cucumber plants grown in Dutch buckets can be significantly reduced with plant-based substrates when compared to perlite.Photos courtesy of Uttara Samarakoon, Ohio St. Univ., CFAES Wooster Growers using containers to produce vegetable crops have options when it comes to growing in plant-based substrates. Small- to medium-size growers of vining vegetable […]
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Serge Boon, founder of Boon Greenhouse Consultancy, said growers who are interested in selling to a high-end clientele, including resorts, restaurants and individuals, need to be able to offer exceptional quality produce. Photos courtesy of Brush Creek Ranch An increasing number of upscale resorts, restaurants and affluent individuals have begun operating their own greenhouses to […]
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Jose “Pepe” Calderon, head grower at Local Bounti, said finding people willing to produce greenhouse vegetables has become complicated because crops like tomatoes require skilled workers to perform some production activities. As in other industries, greenhouse vegetable operators are facing challenges finding enough skilled workers to produce their crops. Before the COVID-19 pandemic began, employers […]
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Dr. Murat Kacira, director of the Controlled Environment Agriculture Center at the University of Arizona, said the ultimate goal in any type of controlled environment production, including vertical farming, is resource-use efficiency. Photo by Rosemary Brandt, College of Agricultural Life Sciences, Univ. of Ariz. Vertical farm advancements in technology and plant genetics will lead to […]
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The Controlled Environment Agriculture Design Standards (CEADS) will provide CEA growers with a means of doing a self-evaluation of their operations to achieve sustainability certification. The Controlled Environment Agriculture Design Standards (CEADS) certification program will enable CEA growers to identify those areas within their companies that are operating sustainably and where improvements can be made […]
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Genhua Niu, professor of urban horticulture at Texas A&M AgriLife Research, is conducting greenhouse and vertical farm trials with Asian vegetables to determine their potential as commercial controlled environment crops. Photos courtesy of Genhua Niu, Texas A&M AgriLife Research With an increasing Asian population in the United States, controlled environment growers have an opportunity to […]
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While growing lettuce may be relatively simple, trying to produce crops year round can be challenging if you’re not paying attention to these 5 “must dos”. Lettuce seems to be the crop of choice for growers looking to start producing controlled environment food crops. Many of the new controlled environment growers that have begun operating […]
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Scott Prendergast, chief data officer at Edible Garden, with son Boston and daughter Evan, in the company’s 5-acre greenhouse facility in Belvidere, N.J. Photos courtesy of Edible Garden Organic hydroponic food grower Edible Garden stepped up its tech game by improving its product planning and product availability management. Starting with a 5-acre glass greenhouse facility […]
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University of California-Riverside researchers Martha Orozco-Cárdenas (above) and Robert Jinkerson are using CRISPR gene-editing technology to develop short tomato plants that have the potential to be grown in vertical farms and on the International Space Station. Photos courtesy of Robert Jinkerson, Univ. of Calif.-Riverside Photos courtesy of Robert Jinkerson, Univ. of Calif.-Riverside Researchers at University […]
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Canadian-based Lakeside Produce has opened a 15-acre greenhouse vegetable operation in Henderson County, N.C., with plans to expand the facility to 45 acres. Photos courtesy of Mark Williams, Agribusiness Henderson County An increasing number of controlled environment growers are looking at Henderson County, N.C., as having the right natural resources and market location for them […]
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Austin Webb, co-founder and CEO at Fifth Season, said even though significant dollars have been invested in vertical farming, much of it has been wasted. Photos courtesy of Fifth Season Fifth Season is using its fully-integrated, automated operating system to crack the economics code for vertical farming with the potential to integrate with greenhouse operations. […]
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BrightFarms founder and president Paul Lightfoot, who is chairman of the USDA Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee, said controlled environment agriculture could play a major role in helping to solve some of the significant issues facing the ag industry and U.S. Photos courtesy of BrightFarms As chairman of the USDA Fruit and Vegetable Industry […]
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