WASHINGTON, – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack appointed four new members to the Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Federal Advisory Committee (Committee). The new members are replacing four members whose terms are expiring and rotating off the Committee. The Committee is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) efforts to support urban agriculture and innovative production, creating a network for feedback. The Committee’s public meetings give the urban and innovative production community and others an opportunity to witness deliberations and voting procedures. “This Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Committee relies on a diversity of expertise and perspectives,” said Terry Cosby, Chief…
Author: urbanagnews
Incoming CEO Kopf signals a new era for TRACT, as the sustainability measurement platform prepares for customer launch TRACTTM,, the pioneering new food and agriculture sustainability measurement platform, has appointed Allison Kopf, successful US agtech entrepreneur, as CEO. Kopf will take over in January 2024 from TRACT co-founder Roel van Poppel, who set up and led the initiative, including overseeing its incorporation, for more than two years. Kopf’s expertise in tech startups and her vision for the agriculture sector will give TRACT a competitive edge as it moves towards its customer launch in early 2024 and beyond. In taking the…
The 1st Indoor Ag Science Café of 2024 will be onTuesday, January 16 at 11:00 AM Eastern (UTC-05:00): “Introducing Spinach in Hydroponic Crop Production”by Dr. John Ertle (PP Systems) Please sign up to receive your Zoom link #1 Growing Culinary Herbs under Controlled Environments #2 Hydroponic Spinach #3 Growing leafy greens with a low-pH hydroponic solution for root-rot disease management #4 Vertical (Indoor) Farming Strawberry and Fruit Crops #5 Hydroponic Spinach Production Systems and Methods in Japan Café ArchiveCheck out our previous cafés in our Indoor Ag Science Cafe pageon the OptimIA website! Indoor Ag Science Cafe is organized by the OptimIA project team…
New Funding Will Increase Student Connections to Local Fresh Food and Farmers, Targeting Schools in Food-Insecure Communities NEW YORK – Mayor’s Office of Urban Agriculture (MOUA) Executive Director Qiana Mickie announced today at the High School of Environmental Studies in Manhattan that New York City Public Schools’ Office of Food & Nutrition Services (OFNS) is the recipient of $200,000 through federal and state Farm to School grant programs. The funds, allocated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (NYSDAM), will be used for agricultural education programming, increasing local food procurement of…
Sellew to take the keynote stage on Monday, March 11, 2024 Las Vegas, NV (December 14, 2023) – Indoor Ag-Con is excited to announce Paul Sellew, Founder and CEO of Little Leaf Farms, will give the 2024 edition’s opening morning headline keynote address on Monday, March 11th at 8 am at Caesars Forum Las Vegas. Little Leaf Farms is the largest U.S. greenhouse producer of hydroponic baby greens and sold in over 5,000 grocery stores and fine dining establishments. Sellew has built a successful career on his belief in sustainable agriculture. In total, Indoor Ag-Con will feature three headliner Keynote…
The Ohio State University GREENHOUSE MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP Dynamic Growing January 25-26, 2024 Shisler Center, OSU Wooster Campus – in-person and virtual options – Fundamentals plus advanced sessions on controlling greenhouse climate conditions to optimize crop quality. Sessions include: – Plant nutrition and monitoring for dynamic growing – Plant response to aerial environmental conditions – Dynamic environmental set points – Dynamic CO2 and supplemental lighting control – Plus, greenhouse tours – And, more! Speakers: Paul Arena (Svensson); Dr. Luis Canas (OSU); Dr. Kale Harbick (USDA); Dr. Chieri Kubota (OSU); Dr. Peter Ling (OSU); Dr. Garrett Owen (OSU); Dr. Ketut Putra (Koidra): Rose Seguin (Sollum Technologies); Dr. David Story…
Announcing a Course Offering by the ADVANCEA Academy Introduction to Greenhouse Environmental Control for Crop Production January 4 – March 28, 2024 This course is fully online with weekly live sessions on Thursdays 6:00 – 8:00 PM Eastern US Time and available via recorded lectures Course Fee: $299 “Introduction to Greenhouse Environmental Control for Crop Production” is a 13-week certificate course designed and offered by ADVANCEA. The course will provide students with foundational information about the essentials of greenhouse environment control for a variety of commonly-grown crops. Who Should Take This Course? This course will provide a strong understanding of greenhouse environment…
Agreements include acquiring horticulture lighting products from Current to be exclusively distributed by Hort Americas, a leading supplier to the controlled environment agriculture market. ATLANTA, November 27, 2023 – Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE: AYI) (“Company”) announced today that it has reached an agreement to acquire the Arize® family of horticulture lighting products from Current Lighting Solutions, LLC (”Current Lighting”). The Company has also reached an agreement with HortAmericas, LLC for it to remain as the exclusive distributor of these horticulture lighting products throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. “By adding these high-powered, greenhouse-focused luminaires to our horticulture lighting portfolio, Acuity…
Village Farms Fresh recently partnered with the special home improvement series, Military Makeover hosted by Montel Williams. The company is featured in episode 2 of season 36 that airs on Lifetime TV beginning Friday, November 17 at 7:30am ET and PT. Decorated U.S. Army veteran Carlos Colón-Ruiz who resides in Arlington, Texas, along with his family, receives an awesome complete home remodel during the series. “Village Farms Fresh is honored to partner with Military Makeover on this series in support of Infantry Sergeant Colón-Ruiz, an outstanding veteran and exemplary human being. Our company has deep roots in Texas, with a…
From the USDA USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) connects agricultural producers with high-quality and affordable crop insurance sold by approved insurance providers. This includes the specific needs of urban and innovative producers, who may have smaller and more specialized operations. In this Ask the Expert, Economist Claire White answers questions about RMA programs and opportunities for urban and innovative producers, including the new Controlled Environment crop insurance program. Read the full article at farmers.gov
Source: USDA.gov We’re inviting urban producers, innovative producers, and other stakeholders to virtually attend a public meeting of the Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production on November 29 from 1-3 pm ET. Learn more and register. The Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Advisory Committee (UAIPAC) is one of several ways that USDA is extending support and building frameworks to support urban agriculture, including issues of equity, climate resilience and nutrition access. The 2018 Farm Bill directed USDA to create this committee to advise the Secretary of Agriculture on the development of policies and outreach relating to urban, indoor,…
The CEA Alliance’s new best practices document Commodity Specific Food Safety Guidelines for Controlled Environment Agriculture Produce Production of Leafy Greens and Herbs will be the focus of the International Fresh Produce Association’s Virtual Town Hall on Wednesday, November 8 at 12:00 Noon Eastern. The Virtual Town Hall is free to all participants. The document provides guidance in all areas in production of leafy greens, and was developed by the Alliance’s Food Safety Working Group in collaboration with IFPA. The document was developed under the guidance of more than 20 CEA Alliance Food Safety Working Group members. Outside scientific reviewers included a number of…
The Dallas Center is proud to announce the 5th annual controlled environment conference to be held on December 7 followed by a tour of Eden Green Technology, the high-tech vertical hydroponic systems in greenhouses in Cleburne, TX on December 8. We are grateful to Eden Green Technology who is graciously hosting a tour of their facilities. We have assembled experts in controlled environment horticulture from The University of Arizona, Michigan State University, and Arizona State University, to present their latest research and share their expertise in their field. We will also present our latest research from Dallas and Uvalde Centers. Our…
Announcing a Course Offering by the ADVANCEA Academy Introduction to Greenhouse Environmental Control for Crop Production January 4 – March 28, 2024 Two hours every Thursday from 6:00 – 8:00 PM Eastern, Online Course Fee: $299 “Introduction to Greenhouse Environmental Control for Crop Production” is a 13-week certificate course designed and offered by ADVANCEA. The course will provide students with foundational information about the essentials of greenhouse environment control for a variety of commonly-grown crops. The course is designed to be equivalent to an upper-level college course and requires entry-level understanding of modern greenhouse production systems. During this course, students…