e-Gro studies young consumers

e-Gro Edible Alert For Young Consumers Farm-to-Fork Is Not Organic By Ariana Torres This study investigated the market segments of young consumers based on their valuation towards foods from organic, local, sustainable, and small-family systems. Millennials and Gen Z are predicted to shape emerging food trends in America. Millennials – the largest living generation – […]

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Looking for additional controlled environment food crops?

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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Managing Western Flower Thrips in CEA Strawberry Operations

Western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) are among the most damaging greenhouse pests especially onstrawberries. Adult thrips are slender insects about 1mm long. Thrips feed by piercing the cells and sucking out their contents leading to silver/gray patches. Thrips especially feed on growing points and flower buds leading to distortion of these tissues as they develop. […]

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2021 Vertical Farming World Awards Finalists Announced

The finalists for the 2021 Vertical Farming World Awards have been published today. Winners will be announced on Tuesday 21 September in a virtual awards ceremony during the 2021 Vertical Farming World Congress. These inaugural awards are organised by the food and drink experts Zenith Global, with headline sponsorship from Cultivatd and category sponsorship from Light […]

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What are the 5 “must dos” for growing a quality greenhouse lettuce crop?

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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Are you getting the numbers right for controlled environment food production?

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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Q&A, Expert Source: Viraj Puri, Co-Founder and CEO of Gotham Greens, an indoor farming company with hydroponic greenhouses located in cities across America

A Q&A with Viraj Puri, Co-Founder and CEO of Gotham Greens For those that do not know Gotham Greens, please tell us a little bit about the company and when the company was formed? Viraj: We are on a mission to transform how and where fresh food is grown. Gotham Greens is a pioneer in […]

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What makes Henderson County, N.C., so ideal for controlled environment agriculture?

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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UF/IFAS team aims to increase blackberry yield with $76K Grant

Blackberries ripen in Florida in May and June, so it’s an ideal time to be thinking about how to grow more of them. Those who produce blackberries in Florida want to increase their yield, and UF/IFAS faculty want to help farmers boost their output. Unfortunately, a UF/IFAS team also knows that those who grow blackberries […]

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When will artificial intelligence come to the commercial greenhouse industry?

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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New Daily Light Integral app and training videos from UF/IFAS Extension Greenhouse Training Online

A new web app is available to calculate the light intensity and photoperiod required to achieve a certain daily light integral for plant growth for an electric light source, such as LEDs (light-emitting diodes). In the app, you enter any two of the three items to calculate the third unknown value. For example, enter light […]

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Why I still believe in Red/Blue LED Grow Lights

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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How is FresH2O Growers offering consumers “fresher, greener, healthier” lettuce?

FresH2O Growers is using a hydroponic production system to supply East Coast consumers with organic leafy greens. Anyone involved with the commercial horticulture industry is likely familiar with the van Wingerden family and the impact it has had on the production and marketing of ornamental plants. However, one member of the van Wingerden family is […]

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Indoor Ag Science Cafe

‘Back to Basics – Plant responses to temperature by Dr. Chieri Kubota

This month’s indoor ag science café covered more basics understanding of how temperature affects plants and which parameters are important to consider. Plant responses are specific to species and cultivars. Dr. Chieri Kubota, from the Ohio State University, also pointed out that scientists do not have these specific (or precise) information of optimum temperatures.  As […]

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