Understanding the 3 options to manage root born disease issues. Fortunately and unfortunately there are so many ways to manage pathogens in a hydroponic nutrient solution. Having options is great but these options can be difficult to navigate for new growers. Hopefully this overview comparing three popular management styles makes it easier to understand the […]
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BASF Vegetable Seeds is developing lettuce varieties that can be grown in controlled environment facilities using supplemental lights. Leafy greens, including lettuce, are the hottest crop when it comes to controlled environment vegetable production. It seems like every month a new greenhouse or vertical farm facility begins operating or an existing operation expands with increased […]
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Why do you keep saying buffer capacity? For anyone that has called me to discuss the design of their new vertical farm or greenhouse, they have probably grown quickly tired of me using the term buffer capacity. But, of everything I have learned over the past 25 years, the understanding of “buffer capacity” might possibly […]
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Vertical Harvest is using controlled environment agriculture to give people with disabilities the opportunity to improve their livelihoods along with the sustainability and economies of their communities. Jackson, Wyo., might not be the first place you think of when it comes to innovation in controlled environment agriculture. Vertical Harvest, which began operating in 2016, produces […]
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By Godfrey Dol It is said that managing irrigation is a bit like being married. No matter how hard you try, you never do it right. But it is because we try that we succeed in having a happy marriage. Plants need water and fertilizer to grow. In the hi-tech glasshouse industry, we apply both […]
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AppHarvest is building a 60-acre state-of-the-art greenhouse facility in Eastern Kentucky that looks to resolve some of the major issues facing traditional field agriculture. Jonathan Webb, founder and CEO of AppHarvest in Morehead, Ky., is a big believer in controlled environment agriculture. How big? His company is constructing a 60-acre state-of-the-art greenhouse facility in Eastern […]
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By Chris Higgins What is the number one thing to look for in commercial horticulture and agriculture equipment? Simplicity. Simple well engineered commercial horticulture equipment performs best. Regardless of the product or the product category the best selling and most successfully used products are easy to learn, easy to use and easy to fix. But, this […]
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Developing the right information infrastructure could result in autonomous greenhouses that generate higher profits and yields and lower operational costs. Watching news reports on the COVID-19 pandemic one quickly realizes the importance accurate data plays in our everyday lives. Most industries are data-driven, whether this data relates to business management or specific production-related operations. For […]
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By Chris Higgins Over the past few months I have watched many small farmers who were solely focused on servicing the food service and restaurant industry change simply to stay alive. I have been amazed and impressed by their conviction and ability to create new opportunities to survive. Their actions have inspired me to share […]
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Purdue Extension’s Urban Agriculture Certificate program offers participants the opportunity to learn how to successfully produce crops in urban settings. In these uncertain times of the coronavirus, food shortages and food inequity, the concept of growing food in urban locations is gaining greater interest. The lack of access to fresh produce and the existence of […]
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Top 3 Reasons to Consider RED/BLUE LED Grow Lights By Chris Higgins LED grow lights have been a very hot topic for more than a decade now and as with any (relatively) new technology, the first decade of LED grow lights has seen massive changes and improvements. From the amount of companies selling LED grow […]
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Residents in south Dallas communities are being offered more access to fresh healthy produce through the Oak Cliff Veggie Project and Mobile Food Market. Finding fresh, healthy food in south Dallas can be a challenge for its residents. “The city of Dallas has actively been trying to place grocery stores or more stores that provide […]
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By Rodrigo M. Pereyra I was recently watching the movie “Up in the Air” and beyond being a great portrayal of the human cost of job loss and itinerancy of modern life, I was interested by another thread in the story: the introduction of new technology to fundamentally change a business. During an argument with […]
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By Leora Radetsky The US vertical farming market is projected to reach $3 billion by 2024, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate of over 24 percent, according to a February 2019 report. Another report, by the US Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, put the annual electricity consumption of US horticultural […]
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