Becoming an Environmentalist while trying to turn a profit

Photo: Close friend and Kansas farmer enjoys a break. Credit: Chris Higgins Thoughts of a businessman just trying to figure it out, while not messing up. “Isn’t it pretty to think so?” – The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway In a previous article, I posed the question, Who Should Lead The Environmental Movement? In this […]

Continue Reading

How will the Inflation Reduction Act affect indoor agriculture businesses?

By Sam Milton For business owners and operators in the indoor agriculture or controlled environment agriculture (CEA) space, whether you grow leafy greens, strawberries, or cannabis, or those  support these businesses, the main questions about the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 are most likely going to be:  What is the Inflation Reduction Act?  How will […]

Continue Reading

Why the Jury is still out on Robotics and Autonomous Intelligence (AI) In Agriculture

Photo: Chris Higgins, Hendersonville NC. Recent company failures and layoffs will likely have people second guessing their commitment to the agtech movement and possibly controlled environment agriculture (CEA). The past 15 years of my career have seen a rollercoaster of interest in my chosen industry. In the 2000s, the Canadians and Mexicans drove investments as […]

Continue Reading

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, […]

Continue Reading

Village Farms Fresh supports hope for the holidays

Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida is working to provide healthy meals for kids and their families.  Recently Village Farms Fresh has become part of this effort through a team volunteer endeavor in conjunction with their Mercy Kitchen location that provides meals to a variety of children’s after school programs in the greater Orlando, […]

Continue Reading

DesignLights Consortium Announces the Official Release of New Horticultural Lighting Technical Requirements

Proposed to take effect March 31, 2023, Version 3.0 fosters sustainable growth in the controlled environment agriculture sector, while supporting decarbonization efforts MEDFORD, MA – The DesignLights Consortium (DLC) has announced the final version of it Horticultural Lighting Technical Requirements Version 3.0, increasing the efficacy and establishing additional minimum performance baselines for LED luminaires, lamps and controls used by […]

Continue Reading

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 […]

Continue Reading

Business Insider visits AppHarvest and talks advanced tech for agriculture

One Of The World’s Largest Indoor Farms Is Using Advanced Tech To Build A More Resilient Food System Business Insider — AppHarvest is exploring the future of indoor farming and agriculture technology by using up to 90% less water, human-assisting AI, and the power of the sun for reliable food growth. Alongside local education efforts, […]

Continue Reading

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 […]

Continue Reading

Webinar: Labor Requirements in Indoor Agriculture

The Laboratoire sur l’agriculture urbaine (Urban Agriculture Lab) is collaborating on a webinar on labor requirements in indoor agriculture. The webinar will be led by Dr. Simone Valle de Souza, Assistant Professor at Michigan State University. The indoor agriculture (IA) offers an environmentally sustainable alternative to small or large-scale leafy green production, even in regions […]

Continue Reading

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 […]

Continue Reading

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 […]

Continue Reading

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 […]

Continue Reading

University of Florida course on Irrigation Water Quality and Treatment in November

University of Florida Greenhouse Training Online courses  Irrigation Water Quality & Treatment starts November 12! Interpret water quality tests for irrigation of greenhouse and nursery crops, select appropriate water treatment technologies, and design a water treatment and monitoring system. Irrigation Water Quality & Treatment is the final course for 2022 of the award-winning Greenhouse Online […]

Continue Reading