The amount of leachate from cucumber plants grown in Dutch buckets can be significantly reduced with plant-based substrates when compared to perlite.Photos courtesy of Uttara Samarakoon, Ohio St. Univ., CFAES Wooster Growers using containers to produce vegetable crops have options when it comes to growing in plant-based substrates. Small- to medium-size growers of vining vegetable crops including cucumbers and tomatoes have traditionally used Dutch buckets filled with perlite as the growing substrate. While some growers may be concerned with the sustainability of perlite because of disposal issues, there are options when it comes to using alternative plant-based substrates. Improving sustainability…
Author: David Kuack, UrbanAgNews.com
Serge Boon, founder of Boon Greenhouse Consultancy, said growers who are interested in selling to a high-end clientele, including resorts, restaurants and individuals, need to be able to offer exceptional quality produce. Photos courtesy of Brush Creek Ranch An increasing number of upscale resorts, restaurants and affluent individuals have begun operating their own greenhouses to produce the fruits and vegetables they want to prepare and consume. While many restaurants across the country lost sales or went out of business during the COVID-19 pandemic, some had no problem maintaining their customer base. Serge Boon, founder of Boon Greenhouse Consultancy in Hendersonville,…
Jose “Pepe” Calderon, head grower at Local Bounti, said finding people willing to produce greenhouse vegetables has become complicated because crops like tomatoes require skilled workers to perform some production activities. As in other industries, greenhouse vegetable operators are facing challenges finding enough skilled workers to produce their crops. Before the COVID-19 pandemic began, employers were having a difficult time finding enough workers. The coronavirus has only exasperated that challenge. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects overall employment of agricultural workers will rise 2 percent from 2020 to 2030. That is the slowest average for all occupations. During this 10-year…
Dr. Murat Kacira, director of the Controlled Environment Agriculture Center at the University of Arizona, said the ultimate goal in any type of controlled environment production, including vertical farming, is resource-use efficiency. Photo by Rosemary Brandt, College of Agricultural Life Sciences, Univ. of Ariz. Vertical farm advancements in technology and plant genetics will lead to resource-use savings and increased profitability. As more retailers like Kroger, Albertsons and Walmart purchase produce grown by vertical farm operations, this segment of the agriculture industry will continue to gain market share. Walmart has taken its commitment to supporting vertical farming a step further by…
The Controlled Environment Agriculture Design Standards (CEADS) will provide CEA growers with a means of doing a self-evaluation of their operations to achieve sustainability certification. The Controlled Environment Agriculture Design Standards (CEADS) certification program will enable CEA growers to identify those areas within their companies that are operating sustainably and where improvements can be made to improve efficiencies and lower costs. An increasing number of consumers are asking for and purchasing products that have been produced sustainably, including fruits and vegetables. The Hartman Group reports in its recently released “Sustainability 2021: Environment and Society in Focus” that nine out of…
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 add Asian vegetables to their specialty crop product mix. Lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers are the crops most commonly produced by controlled environment vegetable growers. Other crops that are grown successfully in controlled environment production systems include a variety of leafy greens and herbs. Many CEA…
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 over the last five years have started with producing lettuce and leafy greens. “For many people producing lettuce is one of the easiest crops when it comes to providing the right amount of water, light and cool temperatures,” said Ramón Melón Martinez, an agronomic consultant…
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 in Belvidere, N.J., Edible Garden ships organically-certified 4-inch potted herbs, hydroponic basil, living and cut lettuce and fresh cut herbs throughout the United States. In addition to its own production operation, Edible Garden contracts with growers in other regions including the Midwest to supply organic…
University of California-Riverside researchers Martha Orozco-Cárdenas (above) and Robert Jinkerson are using CRISPR gene-editing technology to develop short tomato plants that have the potential to be grown in vertical farms and on the International Space Station. Photos courtesy of Robert Jinkerson, Univ. of Calif.-Riverside Photos courtesy of Robert Jinkerson, Univ. of Calif.-Riverside Researchers at University of California-Riverside are using CRISPR technology to develop miniature tomato plants for production in vertical farms and on the International Space Station. What crops come to mind when you think of vertical farm production? Leafy greens, microgreens and herbs are likely the most common answer.…
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 to succeed. Within a three-hour drive of Henderson County, N.C., are located 30 distribution centers for major supermarket and food service providers serving cities along the East Coast. Henderson County is also within 250 miles of Raleigh, Atlanta, Charleston, Nashville, and Cincinnati with easy highway…
Austin Webb, co-founder and CEO at Fifth Season, said even though significant dollars have been invested in vertical farming, much of it has been wasted. Photos courtesy of Fifth Season Fifth Season is using its fully-integrated, automated operating system to crack the economics code for vertical farming with the potential to integrate with greenhouse operations. To say that controlled environment agriculture is drawing a lot of interest and dollars from the investment world would be an understatement. Austin Webb, co-founder and CEO at Fifth Season, a vertical farm operation in Pittsburgh, Pa., estimates that over $3 billion has been invested…
BrightFarms founder and president Paul Lightfoot, who is chairman of the USDA Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee, said controlled environment agriculture could play a major role in helping to solve some of the significant issues facing the ag industry and U.S. Photos courtesy of BrightFarms As chairman of the USDA Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee, Paul Lightfoot at BrightFarms is looking for ways to make major improvements in food production, sustainability and consumption. When Paul Lightfoot founded BrightFarms in January 2011 he had no experience in commercial food production. Ten years later he is president of one of…
Ramel Bradley thinks so. The community director at AppHarvest is talking to students and communities across the country about the benefits of locally-grown food and the agtech used to produce it. [Photo above: Ramel with students and faculty from Breathitt High School in Jackson, Ky. on Jan. 15 at the opening of the school’s new container farm funded by AppHarvest and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.] Growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y., Ramel “Smooth” Bradley aspired to become a professional basketball player like some of the kids that came before him. NBA Hall of Famers Michael Jordan and Bernhard King were…
BASF Vegetable Seeds is developing lettuce varieties that can be grown in controlled environment facilities using supplemental lights. Leafy greens, including lettuce, are the hottest crop when it comes to controlled environment vegetable production. It seems like every month a new greenhouse or vertical farm facility begins operating or an existing operation expands with increased production space dedicated to leafy greens. Many of the leafy greens are grown using hydroponic production systems including nutrient film technique (NFT) and deep water culture. Peter Does, product specialist hydroponic lettuce and spinach at BASF Vegetable Seeds in the Netherlands, has been doing product…