Originally published in Issue 15, October 2016 Chris Higgins, general manager at Hort Americas, talks about why he and his company are involved with Tour de Fresh. I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Chris Higgins, general manager at Hort Americas, to discuss his recent philanthropic activities, most specifically regarding his important work […]
Continue Reading
Originally published in Issue 11 What a thrill it was to sit down with venture capitalist and ecologically responsible investor, Will Kain of Rusheen Capital Partners for lunch on a warm Santa Monica afternoon in August. RCP is the brainchild of visionary, Jim McDermott (see his latest venture, Fulcrum BioEnergy). Mr. Kain graciously agreed to […]
Continue Reading
I had planned to write a doom and gloom piece about the well-known California drought and what golf courses should be doing to manage and mitigate their water consumption. Then, surprisingly, it has rained all week. It is raining as I write this. Cold and constant but a most welcome rain. In fact, one could […]
Continue Reading
At Urban Ag News, we’re all about educating our readers with the goal of providing valuable input from a wide variety of industry professionals. Without question, Michael Christian, founder of American Hydroponics, fits that bill. I was delighted to sit down with him recently to learn of his 30-plus year career in the hydroponics industry […]
Continue Reading
It was a privilege and an honor to be part of the organizing team and also to moderate the “East Meets West” conference held at the California Agriculture Center last month in Salinas, California. The first event of its kind brought together seven member-companies from the JPFA (Japan Plant Factory Association) led by association President […]
Continue Reading
In my last blog, I wrote that going forward I would be more investigative and more objective in my examination of my subjects and subject matter. It seems like I’m not quite there yet. Tagged as “The Future of Urban Food Systems,” the Grow Local O.C. Conference in Southern California last month left me with […]
Continue Reading
Lately I have realized I need to be more objective and less complimentary towards my subjects and subject matter. It’s important I create get-to-the-point reporting, be a little more controversial perhaps and ask the tough questions. I think that it’s time to tell the world who is making a real go of indoor vertical […]
Continue Reading
Viticulture (from the Latin word for vine) is the science, production, and study of grapes. A branch of the science of horticulture, viticulture deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. It never rains in southern California…lie. On this day in late October making my way out of the southland up highway 101 […]
Continue Reading
I recently had the opportunity to attend an event in Los Angeles hosted by urban farm start-up, Local Roots Farms. It was sponsored by the Larta Institute, Indoor Ag Con and Autogrow Systems. The Larta Institute’s mission is “to energize the transformation of technology ideas into solutions that elevate economic opportunities and make lives better […]
Continue Reading
It’s the middle of August and I’m in San Diego on a balmy Monday evening attending an Ag Tech conference sponsored by attorney Roger Royse and his AgTech Innovation Network (www.royselawincubator.com). Held at Marina Village just beyond Sea World, the palm trees were swaying as the sun slowly set. Not a bad gig for me […]
Continue Reading
The urban agriculture movement is alive and well in San Diego. With a nod to the San Diego Food Systems Alliance (SDFSA, http://www.sdfsa.org/) Executive Director, Elly Brown, and with her diligent work over the past year and a half, it’s clear that urban ag is carving out a spot in the city by the sea. […]
Continue Reading
The first thing one will notice about Dr. Sarah Taber is she’s a fast talker – a very fast talker. I attribute this trait to the simple fact that her brain works much faster than her mouth can get the words out. Brilliance can be tough sometimes. I met Sarah in 2015 at Indoor Ag […]
Continue Reading
It’s a pleasure for Urban Ag News to blog about and share the new short film from the group Nebraska Loves Public Schools* based in Omaha, Nebraska. The film details how more than 160 students from diverse backgrounds are now taking part in an Omaha Public Schools’ Urban Agriculture Academy. When one thinks of Nebraska, […]
Continue Reading
“Angels among us” was my first thought when I recently spoke to Sam Wells of Project Renewal (http://www.projectrenewal.org/) based in Lower Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood. At Urban Ag News we’re all about educating our readers and sharing the good news surrounding controlled environment agriculture, so it was refreshing when I was contacted by Sam who was […]
Continue Reading