We believe in making immediate impact that is deliberate by design. We are an agile startup with a diverse team with many women in leadership and fulfilling technical responsibilities.

Together, we lead the measurement, adoption and celebration of the world’s most efficient agricultural ideas. To take on the challenges of our changing world, we believe that food, medicine and other vital crops demand data-driven insights, shared with integrity.

Our consortium of members brings perspectives from across the field—uniting architects and engineers, growers and operators, researchers and analysts. By nurturing connections in our complex and dynamic industry, we can build deeply restorative systems for people and planet.

RII is funded by utilities, foundations, governments, cultivators, and leading members of the supply chain serving CEA. Its Board of Directors includes the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and a former board member of the US Green Building Council.

RII believes all issues are intersectional. Climate change can not be addressed unless and until true racial equality prevails. We therefore seek a virtual work environment where our employees and those we hire for project work are aligned with these beliefs and considered for their competence, not necessarily their education or experience.

Application Details

Submit an application consisting of both a cover letter and a resume including a link to your LinkedIn profile. As part of the interview process, candidates will be asked to complete a pre-hire assessment. Applicants who do not submit a cover letter will not be considered.

Position Details

Overview: Establishes technical positions and represents RII in technical venues and among industry standards organizations, while overseeing and guiding the organization’s operations, leading the development of PowerScore, authoring best practices guidance and research reports for the market, and delivering related training programs.

Reports to: Executive Director

Direct reports: Operations & Engineering Manager, Resource Efficiency Engineer

Skills/experience required:

• Management of horticultural operations, including tracking of data on plant health and energy/water usage, and oversight of structured research projects on resource efficiency
• History of working with a mix of indoor and greenhouse crop producers to advance resource efficiency solutions at a range of scales
• Design, construction and maintenance of CEA facilities
• Engagement in utility energy efficiency programs
• Technical writing
• Public speaking

Skills/certifications/experience preferred:

• Degree in Horticulture, Engineering, Biology or other relevant scientific disciplines
• Expert in automation and controls systems that help growers track and achieve resource efficiency
• Water circularity strategies
• Knowledge of cannabis as a cultivar and related cultivation approaches and methods
• Understanding of MEP and building envelope systems in cultivation facilities
• Project management skills like scheduling, cost estimating, and resource balancing
• Good technical writer for diverse stakeholders; Adept at translating complex technical subjects to lay audiences

Duties

Oversee Engineering Team

• Operations & Engineering Manager
• Resource Efficiency Engineer

Direct PowerScore service & enhancement

• Contract management and client support (e.g., USDA, Mendocino, future jurisdictions, future trade associations)
• Benchmarking services for producers, both voluntary and compliance
• Data integration with members
• Analytics for Pro users
• User experience testing and improvement, in coordination with Marketing
• Software development, including contract development and oversight of external software development and system administration resources

Oversee Technical Advisory Council

• In 2022-23, Working Groups will include:
• Policy, Codes & Standards (to be facilitated by ACEEE and Executive Director)
• Water Circularity
• Automation & Control

Lead development of publications on CEA resource efficiency

• Read and analyze existing research published on efficient and emerging technologies
• Author Best Practices Guides and market reports (e.g., CEA Market Characterization Report)
• Play a lead editorial role in the collaborative development of semi-annual reports:
• The Benchmark
• The Landscape
• Work in partnership with Marketing to develop case studies with members and data partners
• Author technical editorials and columns in relevant industry publications and in alignment with Marketing objectives
• E.g., Greenhouse Grower, Cannabis Business Times, Produce Grower

Oversee development and delivery of education & training content developed for:

• Catalog
• CEA Efficiency Learning Center
• Curriculum Strands (Efficient Yields, Growing Efficiency, Harvesting Savings)
• Tip Clips

Determine technical positions on behalf of the organization

• Respond to public comment periods related to technical issues put forth by standards organizations (e.g., ASTM, UL, ASHRAE, DLC)
• Help shape policy positions, in coordination with Executive Director
• Represent RII on technical committees of standards organizations

Work Schedule & Environment

• Starts 6/13/22
• Full-time, 40 hours/week
• 95k-120k DOE
• Remote position; work from home
• Collaborate via digital platforms with supervisor in Portland, Oregon, and team members in Portland, Burlington, Vermont, and Denver, Colorado

Equal Opportunity Statement

Our goal to be an accessible, diverse, and intersectional organization representing the industry we serve is only accomplished with an inclusive workforce. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and committed to excellence through diversity. RII does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, gender, religion, national origin, disability, age, veteran status. We welcome and encourage applications from people who belong to underrepresented and/or marginalized groups. RII values the individual and social differences that every person brings to the table.

APPLICANTS WHO DO NOT SUBMIT A COVER LETTER WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

We are recruiting external peer reviewers for our 2022 grant programs, including the New Innovator Award in Food and Agriculture Research and Seeding Solutions. Please consider supporting FFAR’s efforts by indicating your availability to review up to four proposals through this 2-minute survey. In appreciation, we offer honoraria to eligible, non-government employees.

With your positive response, we can match submitted proposals with reviewers based on relevant expertise. Selected experts will review proposals against criteria established by FFAR to inform our funding decisions. The following provide links to the program descriptions, along with timeframes for each review period: 

FFAR GRANT PROGRAM: EXTERNAL PEER REVIEW PERIOD: 

• New Innovator Award:             May – June 2022 

• Seeding Solutions:               July – August 2022 

As always, FFAR is grateful for your contributions. Please contact our program administrator, Cordelia Hiers, with any additional questions. 

The OptimIA team and the Urban Agriculture Laboratory (AU/LAB) are pleased to announce their partnership to determine optimal models between labor and size of greenhouses and indoor farms that produce leafy greens, while taking into account various automation choices. In addition, the study will inform policy makers and the education sector about the skills needed in this industry, as well as the extent of employment opportunities.

The production of leafy greens (i.e. lettuce, spinach, kale, microgreens, basil and other herbs) in controlled environments is growing at a fast pace around the world, revealing a wide range of possible systems and structures from small greenhouses or rooftop farms to large and highly automated warehouse farms. From the many attributes of this emerging industry, indoor farms bring fresh and healthy food closer to local consumers while contributing to local economies through employment opportunities in crop production and distribution. But the development of indoor farms is not without its challenges, particularly regarding the cost of labor, which can represent a third to half of operational costs. 

We invite agricultural businesses that produce leafy greens in greenhouses or indoor (vertical) farms to complete the survey of approximately 20 minutes before April 10, 2022, by going to the following link: https://bit.ly/3GQj6Sp. Responses will be anonymous and confidential. The information will be aggregated, analyzed, and interpreted and findings will be broadly disseminated. 

If you have any questions about this survey, please contact Simone Valle de Souza, from Michigan State University, email: valledes@msu.edu.

CHARLESTON, SC, — As vertical farming and other forms of modern indoor agriculture continue to evolve and transform the food supply, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS), USDA’s chief scientific in-house research agency, has launched an intensive study of controlled environment agriculture (CEA) to establish data and science-based metrics and crop production standards for CEA growers, similar to those established with traditional agriculture.

To conduct the Coordinated Agricultural Project (CAP) study, USDA has selected Charleston, SC-based AmplifiedAg as its vertical farm and technology provider.

AmplifiedAg’s advanced hydroponic container-based vertical farming platform and proprietary hardware and software will lead USDA’s effort to reconcile key and critical data gaps between CEA and field grown crops. This research spans crop production, food safety, market quality and nutrition, in addition to an economic analysis on produce access and affordability. Through this quantitative research and scientific findings, USDA will generate fundamental industry standards to sustain and promote CEA industry growth with adaptation to market demands and consumer confidence.

“We are extremely proud that AmplifiedAg has been awarded the opportunity by USDA to provide the technology solution for this monumental analysis about our category and its influence on food systems,” said Don Taylor, founder and CEO of AmplifiedAg. “The outcomes will further validate the efficiencies and benefits that indoor farming offers urban communities, consumers, and the agricultural industry overall.”

Additional details about the activities and analysis to be conducted during the study:

• Perform food safety hazard identification, analysis, and quantification during CEA production from seeds to marketplace
• Develop science- and risk-based food safety guidelines and mitigation strategies for best practices and product labeling
• Determine nutritional quality of CEA leafy greens, and how sensors and microbial populations affect nutrition
• Determine economic efficiencies of CEA
• Explore opportunities for LED advancements, technology development, and production practices that can cost-effectively produce leafy greens to enhance targeted sensory quality and nutritional profiles
• Provide transparent communication of CEA technology and scientific advances between specialist and the public sector: economic, food safety, sustainability and standard practice assessments from horticultural, environmental (water, air, energy) and social (employment, food availability, affordability)

“USDA ARS plans to release over 20 white papers during this study that will focus on the category’s leading product of leafy greens, and will also use AmplifiedAg farms and technology to test a variety of fruit and vegetable production to expand upon industry efficiencies and standards,” added Taylor.

About AmplifiedAg
AmplifiedAg, Inc. is a leader in the indoor agriculture category focused on empowering a scalable, resilient, and sustainable food supply and providing global populations with access to clean, fresh, and healthy produce. The company manufactures modular and scalable vertical farms using refurbished shipping containers and advanced hydroponic systems controlled by its proprietary hardware and seed-to-market SaaS-based software.

AmplifiedAg’s flagship brand Vertical Roots is the largest hydroponic container farm in the world and currently sells its produce through more than 1,800 grocery stores and numerous distributors.

In addition to powering its flagship brand Vertical Roots, AmplifiedAg provides holistic indoor farming solutions to sustainably grow and distribute food anywhere in the world. Learn more at www.amplifiedaginc.com.

Currently, researchers from Michigan State University, Iowa State University, North Carolina State University, University of Tennessee and the USDA-ARS are writing a USDA Specialty Crop Research Initiative grant proposal to fund this project that will focus on marketing, economic barriers, food safety, plant protection, production, and post-harvest issues related to culinary herbs.

If you grow potted or fresh cut culinary herbs or are interesting in growing and are willing to participate in this short survey, please click on the following link: https://msu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4ZtcfBYxmFxuonA The survey will close on November 25, 2021, so please provide your valuable input today!

The autumn of 2006 saw the launch of a number of cultivation trials at the Delphy Improvement Centre and Wageningen University & Research (Greenhouse Horticulture Business Unit) sites, both located at Violierenweg in Bleiswijk (Municipality of Lansingerland). Pioneering research was conducted in support of both the Dutch and international greenhouse horticulture sector at this Horti Science Park in the past decade and a half.

In addition to devising and developing the Next Generation Greenhouse Cultivation project, a great deal of research was carried out on the application of LED lighting with a view to creating sustainable cultivation systems. The development towards digital cultivation in autonomously controlled greenhouses with the application of newly developed plant sensors is in full swing and will result in far-reaching changes regarding the management of greenhouse horticulture. The development of production systems has always been a part of this, just as several greenhouse prototypes are now being tested and scientific knowledge in the area of cultivation is being developed in support of Vertical Farming practices.

The Municipality of Lansingerland is pleased with the presence of these two leading research institutions in greenhouse horticulture and therefore wishes to further develop its position as a knowledge-intensive municipality focusing on greenhouse horticulture. It is currently collaborating with entrepreneurs and residents on a ‘Horti Science Vision’, which should comprise the basis for guiding greenhouse horticulture research and future plans on themes such as education, employment and space.

The opening of the ‘Vertical Farming Fieldlab’ by Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and Delphy is scheduled to take place during the ‘Horti Science Park Event Weeks’, which will be held from 20 September to 8 October. In addition to the above, the Municipality of Lansingerland, WUR and Delphy, in conjunction with organisations such as Glastuinbouw Nederland and Greenport West-Holland, will be organising at least ten other events. Examples are the Knowledge Day for entrepreneurs in horticulture, the WaterEvent and an afternoon symposium on taste research. Meet-ups on the ‘Horti Science Vision’ will also be planned with young people who are interested in the horticultural sector and residents of the municipality. All events will be looking towards the future based on the knowledge we have today.

More information about the ‘Horti Science Park Event Weeks’, the programme and the content of the various meetings will soon be available online.

www.wur.eu

Wageningen University & Research and Tencent are proud to announce the 3rd edition of the International Autonomous Greenhouse Challenge. Multidisciplinary teams from around the world will use artificial intelligence to remotely produce lettuce. The goal of the third challenge – to be held between June 2021 and June 2022 – will be a fully automated and controlled greenhouse without human interference. Potential participants are invited to visit the website www.autonomousgreenhouses.com for more information and pre-registration.

Wageningen University & Research (WUR) is ranked as the world’s best agricultural university and works, among other things, on autonomous greenhouses, climate control, crop modelling, the use of sensors, data, intelligence, computer vision and robotics. Tencent is the sixth largest publicly traded company worldwide. It’s mission is to enhance the quality of human life through Internet services.

Connecting AI and food production

By organizing the Autonomous Greenhouse Challenge, WUR and Tencent want to connect the world of artificial intelligence (AI) and food production, create more knowledge, make this knowledge publicly available and thus contribute to the worldwide efforts of making our food systems more sustainable. The ever-growing world population gives rise to an increased demand for fresh and healthy food. Autonomous greenhouses and remote digital farming can help feed more people with vitamin and mineral rich produces, increase food security and produce more vegetables with fewer resources such as water and energy.

Tomatoes, cucumber and lettuce

The first two editions of the Autonomous Greenhouse Challenge were organised in 2018 and 2019/20 at the WUR-facilities for Greenhouse Horticulture in Bleiswijk and centred around growing a cucumber crop and a cherry tomato crop. Both competitions showed that artificial intelligence can potentially outperform skilled growers in economically growing of crops, hence can potentially control indoor farming in the future. However, in former editions all teams were still using humans in their decision-making. The goal of the third challenge will be a fully automated control without human interference.

Third edition

The first part of the third edition of the Autonomous Greenhouse Challenge already starts in summer with an open Online Challenge, aiming at testing machine learning and computer vision skills of potential participants and raising broad interest in the AI community. The second part of the competition starts with a Hackathon, in which the 5 best teams will be selected during a 24-hour virtual greenhouse lettuce crop production contest at the end of autumn. The highlight will be the Greenhouse Challenge in which these 5 teams will compete in a real greenhouse lettuce production with fully automated control during the first half of 2022.

The final goal of the challenge will be to produce a full 6-8 weeks lettuce crop cycle with high quality, high resource efficiency and high revenue without human intervention during the growing period in greenhouses of WUR, the Netherlands, fully autonomously. Teams can show their AI skills during the Online Challenge, exercise in virtual lettuce growing during the Hackathon and in a real lettuce growing during a first crop cycle. The second real crop cycle determines the winner. The final winner will be the team with the highest net profit at the end. The public will be able to follow the result of the contest online.

Who can join?

The Online Challenge is targeting AI experts with skills in machine learning and computer vision. It is not necessary to participate in the Online Challenge before participating in the Hackathon and Greenhouse Challenge. However, it is advisable since we scout talents, the winner gets a wild card directly for the Greenhouse Challenge and there will be a price to win for the Online Challenge.

For the Hackathon and Greenhouse Challenge teams must consist of experts with a proven background in different fields such as artificial intelligence, sensor technology, crop physiology and horticultural production. Companies and start-ups are invited as well as scientists and students. Teams must include at least 3 members. At least one team member must be a student. We encourage teams from all countries to participate.

Registration for the Online Challenge will be opened in April 2021. Registration for the Hackathon and Greenhouse Challenge will be opened in July 2021.

Potential participants can find more information on admission requirements and preregistration at www.autonomousgreenhouses.com.

This new, unique facility will support the needs of our faculty and students unlocking human potential for innovation. This greenhouse of the future will be a place for collaborative research, sustainable food production, and distinguish Ohio State from other institutions. The CEFPRC will be located at the Waterman Agricultural and Natural Resources Laboratory.

This facility will provide technology and research that will impact all Ohioans and beyond.

Learn more about CEFPRC.

Unfortunately, a UF/IFAS team also knows that those who grow blackberries face barriers in the market. Like all crops in Florida, blackberries can grow better if they improve their tolerance to the heat, humidity and wet climate of the state.

Zhanao Deng, a professor of environmental horticulture at the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC), and his team just won a $76,000 award from the UF/IFAS Research office. Deng and his colleagues plan to decrease obstacles so the blackberry sector can flourish.

The money comes from a program called “Support for Emerging Enterprise Development Integration Teams, or SEEDIT.” Through this program, 19 UF/IFAS teams earned monetary awards to launch or continue work on alternative agricultural enterprises.

“The blackberry has emerged as an important alternative crop for Florida growers,” Deng and his team wrote in their application for the funding. “Many Florida farmers are interested in growing it. Our visits to — and an online survey of — Florida blackberry growers indicated that the most concerning issue is low berry yield.”

There are many reasons blackberries don’t produce as much as they should.

Florida growers don’t have the right varieties to plant, and they don’t have tools to manage blackberry plants and pests. Furthermore, the plants differ significantly from other fruits and berries in how they grow, their requirement for chilling hours, and how farmers can manage their stems and pests.

“To break these chokepoints in an effective and efficient way and to promote a blackberry-based agricultural enterprise in Florida, we have organized this research and Extension team,” Deng said. “We will expand our team and are committed to integrating our experiences and expertise in multiple disciplines to address urgent issues faced by Florida growers and stakeholders.”

Blackberries are the fourth largest-selling berry in the United States, accounting for $549 million in 2016, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But in Florida, blackberries constitute only a small portion of the acreage. Deng and his team hope to increase blackberry acreage to 1,000 acres.

UF/IFAS Assistant Professor Shinsuke Agehara, also at the GCREC, has been trying to help farmers grow blackberries. Agehara has been trying to develop chemical strategies that can artificially induce bud break, so blackberries can be productive even without sufficient chill hours.

Meanwhile, blackberry trials at the University of Arkansas show climate-adapted blackberry cultivars under proper plant and pest management produced as much as 17,000 pounds per acre. UF/IFAS trials from 2019 showed only few cultivars could produce 9,000 to 10,000 pounds per acre.

If the average blackberry yield in Florida is increased to 8,000 pounds per acre, the per-acre value could reach as much as $35,360. This yield is achievable in Florida, as one grower reported 14,175 pounds per acre, Deng said.

So even with a moderate yield of 8,000 pounds, blackberry production can be highly valuable, and more growers will want to grow blackberries, Deng said. In fact, if the acreage goes up to 2,000 acres, the value could be $70 million a year.

“These models indicate that blackberry production can be a highly profitable agricultural enterprise in Florida,” Deng said.

The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty  in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents.

ifas.ufl.edu  |  @UF_IFAS

“Growers often do these lighting calculations if they use supplemental lighting in a greenhouse, or have sole-source LED lighting in an indoor facility”, says Paul Fisher. He explains how to use the apps in English and Spanish videos at the Greenhouse Training Online YouTube channel (tinyurl.com/UFGTO). “Our industry advisory group in the Floriculture Research Alliance identified the need for this app”.

The app and videos are training materials in the Greenhouse Training Online courses for growers in greenhouse management, including Greenhouse 101 and Hydroponic Vegetable Production (hort.ifas.ufl.edu/training).

For more information, email greenhousetraining@ifas.ufl.edu. 

The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents. ifas.ufl.edu  |  @UF_IFAS

PRESS RELEASE – The Bold Open virtual reverse pitch collaboration will flip the traditional pitch to find innovative solutions to food and ag industry challenges. The Bold Open is powered by the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, in partnership with MBOLD, and in collaboration with 18 other Minnesota food and agriculture entities.  Through the Bold Open, Minnesota companies will solicit innovative solutions from entrepreneurs, researchers, and businesses from around the world to address their specific industry challenges. 

A live, interactive web-based event on July 27 will bring together innovative industry leaders from across Minnesota to discuss industry issues on topics related to ag innovation as well as to pitch value-added food and agriculture product and process innovation and sustainability challenges.

The goal of the Bold Open is to help companies and entrepreneurs accelerate the commercialization of innovative solutions. The participating Minnesota companies will share distinctive company and industry challenges and invite the audience to propose solutions.

“Due to the current pandemic realities we are hosting the Bold Open via a digital platform this year,” said Shannon Schlecht, Executive Director of AURI. “By having these leading food and ag entities issue innovation challenges, we hope they will uncover novel approaches to accelerate solutions to a variety of opportunities, from ingredient and product development to identifying new sustainable industry practices.”

AURI is partnering with MBOLD to power the Bold Open as a vehicle for catalyzing innovation and connections around the world to address some of food and agriculture’s biggest challenges. It is one of the few reverse pitch events of its kind in the Midwest region focused on food and agriculture.

“The MBOLD coalition is excited to help catalyze this unique opportunity to solicit ideas and spark collaborations with innovators around the globe,” said JoAnne Berkenkamp, MBOLD Managing Director. “The Bold Open is a game-changer for linking innovators and entrepreneurs with our region’s globally leading cluster of food and agriculture businesses as we work together to address critical food and ag challenges.

“The Bold Open is the product of collaboration among, and support from, the following organizations: AURI, MBOLD, Cargill, Compeer Financial, Ecolab, Forever Green Partnership, General Mills, Glacial Grain Spirts, Grow North, Greater MSP Partnership, Hormel Foods, Land O’ Lakes Inc., Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council, Minnesota Wheat Research and Promotion Council, Schwan’s Company, SunOpta, Syngenta, Target, TechStars Farm to Fork Accelerator and the University of Minnesota.

Visit www.boldopenmn.com to learn more about the Bold Open platform.  Innovation challenges and registration for the July 27 event will be available in early July. 

For more information on the events and participating organizations, or to request media credentials, please contact Erik Evans at 612.704.1120 or eevans@auri.org.

About AURI
The Agricultural Utilization Research Institute’s mission is to foster long-term economic benefit through value-added agricultural products. It accomplishes this by using science and technology to help develop new uses for agricultural products. It partners with businesses and entrepreneurs to generate economic impact in Minnesota communities by helping businesses take advantage of innovative opportunities in four focus areas: biobased products, renewable energy, coproducts and food. AURI provides a broad range of services, including applied research and development, scientific assistance and a targeted network of resources to develop value-added uses for crops and coproducts.

About MBOLD
At the MBOLD coalition, we believe that the future of food and agriculture must be one that nourishes a growing global population while protecting and preserving the Earth’s natural resource base for the generations to come. Minnesota’s globally leading cluster of businesses, researchers, and food and agriculture producers has a vital role to play in making that future a reality. We work together to accelerate solutions to the most pressing challenges facing the food and agriculture sectors, particularly our changing climate and other natural resource challenges and the quest to meet the nutritional needs of a population expected to reach 10 billion by the year 2050.

The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) is partnering with the Virginia Tech School of Plant and Environmental Sciences and the Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center to launch a Controlled Environment Agriculture Innovation Center on IALR’s campus in Danville, Virginia.

The Innovation Center will leverage technology and research to accelerate advancements, economic development, and regional participation in the developing industry of indoor farming. The value of U.S. greenhouse-grown food crops is expected to exceed $4 billion this year.

“We are delighted that the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research and Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences have combined their expertise to create a top program in controlled environment agriculture. This collaborative effort is creating tremendous energy and excitement because of its potential to provide innovative solutions to the agricultural community,” said Alan Grant, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “Partnerships like this will help us realize the vision of the SmartFarm Innovation Network Initiative to support the agriculture industry.”

Convening industry, academia and producers, the Innovation Center will be housed primarily within a modern greenhouse complex on IALR’s campus. Features will include various hydroponic systems, which grow plants in a soilless root medium with optimal amounts of water and nutrients. Vertical growing racks will maximize space, and high-tech engineering and technology will be integrated and on display throughout the center. High-value demonstration crops will include lettuce, herbs, strawberry, blackberry, hemp, and more. In addition, faculty and staff involved in the center will research and educate on raising fish in controlled environments using aquaponics, or recirculating aquaculture systems that integrate plant and fish production. While traditionally viewed as separate fields, plant and fish production share many similar technologies, issues, and needs.

“We are excited to partner with Virginia Tech, a fellow champion of cutting-edge innovation, to expand the impact of agriculture in promising new ways,” said Mark Gignac, executive director of IALR. “While agriculture is a longtime industry of Southern Virginia, economic factors have demanded a new identity. We believe controlled environment agriculture is one of the defining solutions, and we are proud to work with Virginia Tech to introduce the concept to our region’s growers and attract industry.”

According to Michael Schwarz, director of the Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center, this new collaboration will further bolster domestic seafood production.

“The U.S. currently has a national seafood trade deficit in excess of $15 billion, with more than 50 percent of the seafood we consume originating from aquaculture,” he said. “Through this new programming and leveraging of expertise and infrastructure, we have the opportunity to drastically increase domestic seafood and produce production within the state, region, and country, enhancing food safety, security, sustainability, and, most importantly, socioeconomically within our agriculture economies.” 

Controlled environmental agriculture helps protect plants from disease and stress while providing ideal growing conditions for high-quality, quick-to-harvest food products — sometimes in as fast as two weeks depending on the crop. In addition to hydroponic systems, the Innovation Center will use data management, sensors, and vertical structures to ensure ideal distribution of water, energy, capital, and labor. Plus, strict entry protocols will prevent pests. Together these factors result in a high-quality, consistent product with significantly more harvests than outdoor conventional production methods. Other advantages of controlled environmental agriculture include uniform, year-round production, potentially pesticide-free agriculture, and greatly reduced land and water requirements.

AeroFarms, a leading controlled environmental commercial producer based in New Jersey, recently announced the world’s largest indoor farm to be located in Cane Creek Centre in Pittsylvania County, just minutes from IALR. While this industrial-sized operation demonstrates scalability, Michael Evans, director of Virginia Tech’s School of Plant and Environmental Science, believes the technology is accessible to even small farmers in the region.

To encourage market growth, and in line with IALR’s role as a regional catalyst for economic transformation, the Innovation Center will introduce controlled environmental technologies to regional parties interested in entering the market. Conferences, workshops, site visits, and a web presence will comprise part of the outreach and educational activities. According to Evans, controlled environment agriculture is a rapidly growing sector that offers many potential opportunities in Southern Virginia.

“We are excited to house this facility on the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research’s campus and to benefit from both the technology developed and the associated economic development opportunities it provides for the region,” said Scott Lowman, director of applied research at IALR. “Consumer demand for healthy, local, and pesticide-free produce is high and will continue to increase in the coming decades. We look forward to serving this need through controlled environment agriculture.”

The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research serves Virginia as a regional catalyst for economic transformation with applied research, advanced learning, advanced manufacturing, conference center services and economic development efforts. IALR’s major footprint focuses within Southern Virginia, including the counties of Patrick, Henry, Franklin, Pittsylvania, Halifax, and Mecklenburg, along with the cities of Martinsville and Danville. For more information, visit www.ialr.org.

For more information on IALR, contact Allison Moore at allison.moore@ialr.org or 434.766.6766

Participants would benefit from this study by receiving a free diagnosis of what is causing root rot in the sample and early access to the information generated from this project.

If you are interested in participating, follow this link: http://s.uconn.edu/surveyrootrot

For questions, contact Cora McGehee at cora.mcgehee@uconn.edu  or Rosa Raudales (rosa@uconn.edu or 860.486.6043).

This project is sponsored by USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Hatch Multistate project accession number 1020637.