Take Part in the 2023 State of CEA Report

Survey to provide insight on emerging Controlled Environment Agriculture trends now live SEATTLE, WA March 20, 2023 – IUNU today released their fourth State of CEA Survey. This survey will provide insights on emerging trends and challenges in the Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) industry. IUNU has been releasing the leading industry report on CEA since […]

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How do you overcome the environmental challenges of indoor farming?

Lettuce being grown as baby greens at Purdue University are harvested 15 days after planting seeds. Seeds are sown close together to minimize loss of photons between plants. Photo courtesy of Cary Mitchell, Purdue Univ. Researchers with the OptimIA project are working to solve the environmental control issues facing indoor farm growers. While some might […]

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Indoor Ag Science Café explores better root-rot disease management

“Low-pH hydroponic nutrient formula for growing leafy greens for better root-rot disease management“by Dr. Chieri Kubota (Ohio State University) This presentation ’Growing leafy greens with a low-pH hydroponic solution for root-rot disease management” was given by Chieri Kubota (Ohio State University) during our 49th café forum on February 7th, 2023. Indoor Ag Science Café is organized […]

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Purdue University: New LED strategies could make vertical farming more productive, less costly

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University researchers have designed two simple LED lighting strategies to increase yield and reduce energy costs for the vertical farming sector of indoor agriculture. The close-canopy and focused-lighting strategies developed by PhD candidate Fatemeh Sheibani and professor Cary Mitchell, both in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture in Purdue’s College of Agriculture, capitalize on LED lighting’s special […]

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Ohio State, Rutgers, Cornell, University of Arizona, Koidra and Hort Americas team up to lead USDA-awarded grant

AdvanCEA research to focus on helping greenhouse growers create optimal conditions, increase yields, and reduce waste. By Tom Trush, Hort Americas BEDFORD, Texas—Feb. 1, 2023—Commercial horticultural supplier Hort Americas announced today that it has joined The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES); Rutgers University; Cornell University; the University of Arizona […]

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What impact does light have on controlled environment leafy greens production?

Researchers at Michigan State University have used the Controlled-Environment Lighting Laboratory to study the effects of different colors of light on the growth of leafy greens. Photo courtesy of Erik Runkle, Mich. St. Univ. OptimIA researchers are studying the impact light and its interaction with other environmental parameters can have on indoor leafy greens production. […]

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We are all somewhere on a Spectrum

The role of light and spectrum on plant growth and metabolite production in CEA We know light exerts a powerful influence on plant growth. These effects can range anywhere from seed germination to leaf expansion and from flowering to fruiting. But, did you know it’s not only plants that benefit from changes caused by light? […]

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Future Food-Tech and Kraft Heinz Innovation Challenge: Unleash the Power of Tomatoes from Seed to Shelf, March 2023

The exclusive challenge seeks innovative solutions from food-tech start-ups to maximize the potential of tomatoes Future Food-Tech today announced an exclusive innovation challenge with The Kraft Heinz Company, culminating at the flagship Future Food-Tech San Francisco summit on March 16-17. The challenge seeks innovative solutions to unleash the power of tomatoes, delivering on taste, sustainability, […]

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How is OptimIA helping vertical farms grow more efficiently and economically?

The OptimIA project, which was funded by USDA in Sept. 2019, is focused on the study of the aerial environment and economics for producing indoor leafy greens. Photo by Rosemary Brandt, College of Ag and Life Sciences, Univ. of Ariz. OptimIA is a research and outreach project aimed at offering production and economic information that […]

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Indoor Ag Science Cafe talks with Robert Colangelo on the right size for a vertical farm

Last year, venture capitalist companies invested $51.7 billion in Ag Tech, but what exactly is Ag Tech? Ag Tech is technology focused agriculture that is meant to increase existing efficiency processes in agriculture and sustainability, which includes everything from aquaculture to new crops/genetics, to animal health to the controlled environment agriculture industry. With dwindling resources, […]

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Michigan State University invites you to participate in their CEA labor survey

Michigan State University invites you to participate in their Controlled Environmental Agriculture (CEA) labor survey. The purpose of this survey is to understand production-related labor requirements and estimate labor costs in CEA farms, including a vertical/indoor farm setting, containers or permanent greenhouses. In this survey, you will be asked about labor hours, level of automation […]

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Resource Innovation Institute Releases Three New Best Practices Guides Providing Free Efficiency Resources for Indoor and Greenhouse Farming Operations

Developed in collaboration with growers, vendors, and academia,  the objective guides provide tips on energy and water conservation related to construction, lighting and HVAC    PORTLAND, Ore. (October 28, 2022) — Resource Innovation Institute (RII), the leading not-for-profit energy and water benchmarking organization providing resource efficiency best practices for CEA producers, announced today the availability of […]

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Academia, Business Sectors Forge New Connections at 2022 Debut Edition of CEA Summit East in Virginia

DANVILLE, VA – New connections and collaboration were clear themes that emerged from the October 25-26, 2022 debut edition of the Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Summit East held at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) in Danville, VA. Co-hosted by Indoor Ag-Con and the Controlled Environment Agriculture Innovation Center (a joint project between […]

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How important is the root zone environment in controlled environment hydroponic production?

As the water moves though a nutrient film technique (NFT) production system it is near saturation with oxygen because of mechanical aeration that is occurring from the water recirculation. Photo courtesy of Hort Americas The oxygen level and temperature in the root zone can have a major impact on rate of plant growth and inhibiting […]

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