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Month: September 2020

Indoor Ag-Con October Webinar Schedule

 

Indoor Ag-Conversations Webinar(September 28, 2020) Indoor Ag-Con October Webinar Schedule Announced:  What do space farming, greenhouse simplicity and triple bottom line farms have in common?  Each topic is part of the Indoor Ag-Conversations free webinar series schedule for October 2020.  Produced Indoor Ag-Con, LLC,  programs include:

This program is presented by the Association for Vertical Farming.  Over the decades there has been both the evolution and transformation of biologically-based life support innovations that have now been adopted — and are being improved upon — in today’s burgeoning global vertical farming industry.

In addition, the emergence of Industry 4.0 innovations from data analytics to automation to AI is certainly enabling and helping launch vertical farms into their exponential advancements.

And all these set the stage for synergistic public-private partnerships going forward for the successful implementation of biologically-based life support systems for long-duration manned missions on the Moon and on Mars — and all their powerful innovation multiplier effects extended further for application in the terrestrial vertical farming industry.

Our panel will be delving into the various aspects of such brave and exciting scenarios, both present and future.

What’s more, the Indoor Ag-Con October Webinar Schedule also includes:

Moderator:
Dr. Joel Cuello, Professor of Biosystems Engineering at The University of Arizona and Vice Chair of the Association for Vertical Farming

Panelists:
Dr. David Bubenheim, Senior Research Scientist,  NASA Ames Research Center
Ralph Fritsche  NASA Space Crop Production Project Manager
Dr. Gary Stutte, President, SyNRGE

What is the number one thing to look for in commercial horticulture and agriculture equipment? Simplicity.

So wrote our program moderator Chris Higgins in a piece he did earlier this year for UrbanAgNews that is both the title of this session and the topic we’ll be diving into during this hour.

Regardless of the product or the product category the best-selling and most successfully used products are easy to learn, easy to use and easy to fix. This is not to say that they are actually simple. They are usually far from that. But, they are engineered with simplicity in mind.

Why is that so important in commercial horticulture? Chris and our panelists will seek to answer this question during the session. They’ll explore why its so important for key equipment components to be simple and discuss what characteristics to look for in:

Lighting
Irrigation
Sensors
And More!

Moderator:
Chris Higgins, President & General Manager, Hort Americas LLC & Owner, UrbanAgNews

Panelists:
Paul Brentlinger, President, Crop King Inc.
Dr. Nadia Sabeh, President & Founder, Dr. Greenhouse
Isaac Van Geest, Sales, Zwart Systems

During this insightful program, our panel will cover:

The concept of the Triple Bottom Line: People, Planet and Profits

• B-Certification process and reporting
• Contributions indoor farms can make according to the Triple Bottom Line
• Lessons learned from sustainable indoor farms that apply to all forms of indoor farming
• And more!

The Indoor Ag-Con October Webinar Schedule will also feature a program hosted by the Center of Excellence for Indoor Agriculture.

Moderator:
Eric W. Stein, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Center of Excellence for Indoor Agriculture and Associate Professor of Business at Penn State

Panelists:
• Dave Nichols, Director of Strategy, AppHarvest
• Alexander Rudnicki, Senior Project Manager/Plant Manager, Aerofarms

Indoor Ag-Con LLC created the new Indoor Ag-Conversations series to share content originally planned for its May 2020 in-person annual conference that was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.   To learn more about this session, as well as other upcoming programs on the schedule, visit www.indoor.ag/webinar

ABOUT INDOOR AG-CON LLC
Founded in 2013, Indoor Ag-Con has emerged as the premier trade event for vertical farming | indoor agriculture, the practice of growing crops in indoor systems, using hydroponic, aquaponic and aeroponic techniques. Its events are crop-agnostic and touch all sectors of the business, covering produce, legal cannabis |hemp, alternate protein and non-food crops. In December 2018, three event industry professionals – Nancy Hallberg, Kris Sieradzki and Brian Sullivan – acquired Indoor Ag-Con LLC , so setting the stage for further expansion of the events globally. More information: https://indoor.ag

Farm Aid Virtual Festival 2020

Story Sourced from Farm Aid Press Release

https://youtu.be/hrNb_dLQYtU

Indoor Ag-Con is pleased to share news on the Farm Aid Virtual Festival 2020 and a link to the Farm Aid  YouTube channel live stream.  The goal of the virtual festival is to raise critical funds for and awareness of the organization and its mission, which it typically does through ticket sales to the annual in-person music and food festival. According to its press release,  Farm Aid 2020 On the Road, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 26, from 8 to 11 p.m. EDT, will include performances from more than 20 artists. The 3-hour event will be streamed at FarmAid.org, on Farm Aid’s YouTube channel, AXS TV and Fans.com.

Farm Aid 2020 On the Road artists include Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson and The Boys, John Mellencamp, Neil Young, and Dave Matthews, as well as Black Pumas, Bonnie Raitt and Boz Scaggs, Edie Brickell with Charlie Sexton, Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton, Jack Johnson, Jamey Johnson, Jon Batiste, Kelsey Waldon, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Margo Price, Nathaniel Rateliff, Particle Kid, The Record Company, Valerie June, and The War And Treaty, with other artists to be added.

“This pandemic and so many other challenges have revealed how essential family farmers and ranchers are to the future of our planet,” said Farm Aid President and founder Willie Nelson. “Farm Aid 2020 is going to give the whole country a chance to learn about the important work of farmers and how they’re contributing to our well-being, beyond bringing us good food.”

A Time of Unprecedented Uncertainty

Indoor Ag-Con Farm Aid 2020 Blog PostFarm Aid’s 35th anniversary comes at a time of unprecedented uncertainty, suffering and upheaval in our country. The COVID-19 pandemic, economic stress and the racial justice movement are urgent concerns that all of us share. The impacts of COVID-19 have revealed the fragility and injustice in our food system. As a result of the compounding challenges family farmers face, thousands are at risk of going under.

There is now even more urgency and a critical need for a national response to keep family farmers on the land.

“Since we started in 1985, Farm Aid has kept its finger on the pulse of farm country and deployed funds and resources to help farm families confront the challenges they face,” said Executive Director Carolyn Mugar. “It’s clear that this is a critical moment for farmers and ranchers. We risk losing their important contributions to our communities and our families if we do not adequately respond as a country.”

The virtual festival also will showcase stories from farmers from across the country who were invited to share why they farm, how they manage to stay resilient, and their vision of the future of agriculture.

This year, more viewers will have unprecedented access to Farm Aid’s annual festival than ever before as Farm Aid.org, Farm Aid’s YouTube channel, AXS TV and Fans.com will offer a multiplatform experience, streaming the event at no cost to viewers. Additional viewing options will be announced later. To find AXS TV in your area, visit www.axs.tv/subscribe/.

Exclusive Trips, Memorabilia and More

Farm Aid will again offer exclusive trips and artist-signed memorabilia, including a number of “from the vault” guitars and prints from previous Farm Aid festivals, for auction. The online silent auction will launch the morning of the festival, Sat., Sept. 26, and close on Friday, Oct. 9, with proceeds to benefit the organization.

Farm Aid accepts donations year-round at www.farmaid.org/donate.

Event Updates & Sponsor Info

For event updates, follow Farm Aid on Twitter (@FarmAid), Facebook (facebook.com/farmaid) and Instagram (instagram.com/farmaid), and visit farmaid.org/festival. Viewers are encouraged to use the hashtags #FarmAid2020 and #OnTheRoad to join the conversation on social media around this year’s virtual festival.

Sponsors include ButcherBox, Horizon Organic, Pete & Gerry’s Organic Eggs, Patagonia Workwear and Lundberg Family Farms. Farm Aid welcomes the participation of the business community. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, contact Glenda Yoder at glenda@farmaid.org.

Farm Aid’s mission is to build a vibrant, family farm-centered system of agriculture in America. Farm Aid artists and board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews host an annual festival to raise funds to support Farm Aid’s work with family farmers and to inspire people to choose family farm food. For more than 30 years, Farm Aid, with the support of the artists who contribute their performances each year, has raised nearly $60 million to support programs that help farmers thrive, expand the reach of the Good Food Movement, take action to change the dominant system of industrial agriculture and promote food from family farms.

 

“Cultivating the Future” | 2020 Aquaponics Conference

Indoor Ag-Con News About 2020 Aquaponics Association Industry AlllyIndoor Ag-Con is pleased to share event and industry updates from our marketing |media industry allies like the Aquaponics Association. We wanted to share details of its upcoming 2020 Aquaponics Conference. Themed “Cultivating the Future” | the 2020 Aquaponics Conference is scheduled for October 16-18, 2020.  This comprehensive online event is packed with sessions, virtual tours, networking opportunities and more. Wherever you are in your aquaponics journey, there is a community for you at this event.  You’ll have the chance to engage with industry professionals and grow your aquaponics skills.

The Conference has 4 learning tracks with sessions from 50+ top-notch speakers:

Commercial Aquaponics — Experienced aquaponic growers can help you understand more about what it means to run a commercial facility in today’s climate

STEM Educators — Learn how to dynamically engage with your students using STEM principals by engaging with nature through aquaponics.

Research — Discover what is happening in the academic world with aquaponics and how it will affect the next generation of farming.

Community Aquaponics — Growing food for your family or learning how to do your first system?  Connect with people who are all doing the same thing.

In addition to conference sessions, attendees will also have access to the Aquaponics Virtual Showroom.  Here you’ll be able to explore featuring the best products and services in the aquaponics industry.  You’ll also have access to great networking opportunities.  Among them, direct messaging, chat rooms, live polls from presenters, and a  virtual cocktail hour.  What’s more, don’t miss your to chance to ask live questions to aquaponics experts from around the world and more!

To learn more about the 2020 Aquaponics Conference, including the  full schedule and  registration rates visit the 2020 Aquaponics Conference site

About The Aquaponics Association 

The mission of the Aquaponics Association is to promote the benefits of aquaponics through education and outreach.

The primary goals and/or vision of this association are as  follows:

  1. Promote the benefits of aquaponic growing;
  2. Educate the general consumer and food safety officials about the inherent safety of food grown through aquaponics.
  3. Dispel myths and rumors about food grown through aquaponics.

The vision for this organization is that it will create educational materials.  It will also  facilitate an aquaponic speaker’s bureau and act as a resource or liaison to the press. Eventually it could also possibly offer legal and insurance assistance. It also hopes to offer standards and certification for our rapidly growing commercial aquaponic industry.