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 […]
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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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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 ReadingLast 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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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 […]
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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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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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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 […]
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During the International Meeting on Controlled Environment Technology and Use, Chris Higgins (left), president at Hort Americas, moderated a panel discussion on Indoor Agriculture Economic Viability. Photo courtesy of Hort Americas The International Meeting on Controlled Environment Technology and Use gave representatives from academia and the CEA industry an opportunity to discuss the advancements and […]
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Drew Demler, the State Fair of Texas director of horticulture and cofounder of Big Tex Urban Farms, and his staff were able to achieve the farm’s Million Servings Mission ahead of schedule using a variety of controlled environment hydroponic production systems. Photos by Jessie Wood, State Fair of Texas Big Tex Urban Farms announced in […]
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DANVILLE, VA – AeroFarms Chief Technology Officer Roger Buelow will lead the opening morning keynote address for the inaugural edition of the CEA Summit East, October 25-26, 2022. Indoor Ag-Con and the Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Innovation Center — a joint project of the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Virginia Tech, Virginia Seafood […]
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Save the Date – Oct. 13, 2022, from 3 – 6 p.m.Controlled Environment AgricultureControlled Environment Agriculture research at NC State spans the sector from engineering growing systems to germplasm and growth recipes. Join us on Oct. 13, 2022, starting at 3 p.m. ET for an update on NC State’s Controlled Environment Coalition (CEC). The CEC […]
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