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Month: November 2020

Talking AI With Samuel Bertram, CEO & Co-Founder, OnePointOne

OpenPointOne Bertram Brothers Indoor Ag-Con Blog
L-R: OnePointOne Co-Founders Samuel and John Bertram

What’s in a name? For brothers Samuel and John Bertram, it signifies nothing short of a desire to improve the human condition by revolutionizing agriculture through automated indoor farming. Their company, OnePointOne, is on a mission to nourish and heal humanity by unleashing the power of plants.

Born in Melbourne, Australia, the duo came to the US in the 2010s on collegiate tennis scholarships. Over the years, they honed skills off the court– including electrical, mechanical and robotic engineering — and began searching for business opportunities that could affect large-scale, positive changes on human health, the environment and agriculture.

Galvanized by the fact that 1.1 billion people began this millennium malnourished, Samuel and John co-founded OnePointOne, Inc. in 2017. Serving as a constant reminder of what they’re aiming to solve, aptly named OnePointOne has developed an automated, aeroponic, indoor farming system to grow fresh food in urban areas around the world. OnePointOne’s proprietary technology now powers Willo, the company’s new consumer brand, which launched earlier this year. Willo’s Farming as a Service (FaaS) subscription model is designed to reconnect people and families directly to the farm and the initial response has exceeded all expectations.

In this month’s Indoor Ag-Con Q & A, OnePointOne Co-Founder & CEO Samuel Bertram shares his thoughts on opportunities for the vertical farming industry, emerging AI innovations and plans for his own growing business.

When one thinks of AI for indoor agriculture, what are some of the key areas of need that indoor growers have today?

AI refers to the developing ability for machines to replicate human decision-making and behavior. That said, areas for useful AI development include:

  • Plant Health – Using AI to determine the health status of any plant by comparing large—predominantly imagery—data sets against in-situ imagery: disease detection, photosynthetic health, etc.
  • System Monitoring – Beyond direct sensor readings, large data sets of factors like CO2, fluid flow, fluid pressure, temperature, and others, can be used to determine more anomalous malfunctions of the system
  • System Optimization – Large data sets describing the life experience of the plant, i.e. light levels, temperatures, and humidity, can be used to improve the performance of the system to any cultivar.

OnePointOne Consumer Brand Willo.Indoor Ag-Con Q & ABy taking in large quantities of data from a variety of environmental, system and plant sensors, AI techniques can be applied to optimize performance of the vertical farming system and assist growers in their role as farm operator. While traditional sensor readings like temperature, humidity and flow rate are vital, plant imagery is a requirement to unlock AI’s power in vertical farming. Without high-frequency, high-resolution, hyper-spectral imagery of all plants in vertical farm production, the vertical farming industry will never reach its full potential. OnePointOne has focused heavily on collecting, analyzing and providing that imagery data to our growers.

It’s important to note that while AI can handle far more data than a human being, humans are still superior when it comes to complex decision-making in most cases. Therefore, AI should be focused on deriving learnings from massive data sets, informing growers of those learnings, and unlocking the potential of the system and the grower.

Cost is a critical component to any indoor farm operating, hopefully, profitably. Please share some idea of the cost spectrum (low to high) when one considers the implementation of ANY AI technology system within an indoor farm.

I would break this down as follows:

1. Labor is the highest operating expense cost inside of a vertical farm. Therefore, vertical farms must optimize their utilization of labor.
2. After automating processes like seeding, plant movement, and plant harvest/packaging, vertical farms must solve the problem of system and plant monitoring costs.
3. If system and plant monitoring become automated, high-skilled labor can be centralized.
4. Centralizing high-skilled labor dramatically improves the cost and scalability metrics of vertical farming.
5. Without high-frequency, high-resolution, hyper-spectral imagery of all plants within a production system, centralization of high-skilled labor cannot occur.
6. Without this significant improvement in labor utilization, vertical farms will continue to struggle for profitability.

OnePointOne Consumer Brand Willo Is Farm As A Service.Indoor Ag-ConThe highest-impact application of AI in vertical farming is through the analysis of environmental, system and plant-imagery data-points and their corresponding impact on plant yield and quality.

Then, AI can “automatically” improve the quality and yield of biomass, while optimizing the use of resources, i.e., light, HVAC and irrigation.

Optimizing the usage of electrons for lighting, temperature and humidity control is the perfect job for AI. This will dramatically improve the economics of vertical farming over time.

You are a Bronco from the University of Santa Clara. How can higher education, top horticulture universities and R&D institutions help accelerate AI technology in indoor vertical farming?

I see three clear ways these institutions can help:

1. Cultivating high-quality minds that will push our industry forward
2. Conducting vast numbers of experiments to develop AI algorithms to detect optimal and suboptimal plant health (potentially high-throughput phenotyping, for example)
3. Licensing state-of-the-art vertical farming technology to standardize production in pursuit of standardizing data

Given OnePointOne’s location in the heart of the Silicon Valley, are you seeing any large tech firms getting involved with AI for indoor horticulture? If so, who?

Absolutely. Two come immediately to mind:

Google is diving deep into imagery-data analysis for outdoor farms. It is only a matter of time before they venture into the vertical farming space.

Amazon (AWS) has developed several teams and tools that can assist vertical farms in their storage and analysis of data.

What are some of the AI advancements OnePointOne is focused on now?

Imagery, imagery, imagery. Similar to Tesla, high-frequency, high-resolution, hyper-spectral imagery data sets from production and research farms will give OnePointOne a sustainable competitive advantage. Beyond real-time image analysis — like leaf-edge detection, discoloration detection and discontinuity detection, etc — large imagery data sets will drive system optimization unlike anything else. With enough imagery data, software models of plants can be created, then used in production settings to ensure optimal plant performance.

Above all else, OnePointOne is focused on plant-quality. Employing AI to our imagery data allows us to constantly improve the quality of our plants, while minimizing the required input resources.

Last, but certainly not least, let’s talk about this year’s launch of your consumer brand Willo. What was the rationale behind this subscription model and what type of response has it received?

Willo Farm Mobile App.Indoor Ag-Con Q and AFor ten thousand years farming was local and provided a diverse range of nutrients for the community. Today, we have no idea where our food is coming from and we are losing the nourishment battle. Willo exists to reconnect us to the farm and ensure that we are nourished by the highest quality foods imaginable.

Willo’s mission is enabling personalized plant-based nutrition to optimize human and environmental health. We achieve this through Willo’s personalized farming service, which allows members to control their own farm plot and regain access to locally grown, high quality produce unlike ever before.

Within a matter of weeks of our launch, Willo sold out the first farm. We are now in the process of building a farm ten times larger to accommodate the building waitlist for our personalized farming service.

Visit the OnePointOne and Willo websites to learn more!

Sananbio Ark Climate-Controlled Mobile Farm

tIndoor Ag-Con exhibitor SANANBIO, a leading vertical farming solution provider,  announces the availability of its climate controlled mobile farm for growers globally – Sananbio Ark.

Indoor Ag-Con Exhibitor Sananbio Lalunches Sananbio Ark Mobile Farm
SANANBIO ARK HIGHLIGHTS

“3,300-4,400 lbs of cucumbers, 7,700 lbs of arugula, or 8,000 lbs of lettuce. These are the proven annual yields that we’re confident to announce,” said Zhan Zhuo, co-founder and CEO of SANANBIO. “We ‘produce’ turnkey farms and this one is mobile.”

The Sananbio Ark adapts to any climate thanks to its thermal insulation system. the system has   a thermal conductivity below 0.024w/(m·K). One of the mobile farms operated as usual in a coldness of -40 degree Fahrenheit in northern China. This  sustained local communities with local produce at a reduced carbon footprint. It  is shocking to find that our food travels 1,500 miles on average before reaching our plate.  In addition, the CO2 generated, and the nutrients lost during the transportation, can’t be good for the planet or human beings. That’s why local food is advocated.

“The ready-to-use farm is the solution we offer to regions where the environment is too harsh to support stable agricultural production,” said Zhan.

To streamline the farming experience, the designer simplifies the start-up procedures to a single plug-in motion.  Simply power it up through a connector on the exterior and then even hydroponic beginners are set to grow. Moreover, growers can monitor and control farm metrics simply by moving fingertips on their phone.

“By simplifying modern agriculture, we offer more farming opportunities for kids and urban dwellers. We have a mobile farm deployed in a Malaysian suburb where kids from the neighborhood frequent the farm for hands-on hydroponic experience. It’s a perfect bonding time when families go there to pick their own salad ingredients. As a Photobiotech company, we’re nurturing a new generation of growers,” said Zhan.

For more info about the mobile farm, please visit www.sananbio.com/ark.

About SANANBIO

SANANBIO is a joint-venture by Sanan Optoelectronics, one of the world’s largest LED manufacturers, and the Institute of Botany of Chinese Academy of Sciences, a leading institute in plant science. Comprised of LED experts and plant scientists, SANANBIO is able to provide simple CEA solutions for growers globally. The RADIX, a Reddot award winner, has been widely endorsed by growers in more than twenty countries.

Women In Agriculture Offer Advice and Inspiration

Greenhouse Grower Indoor Ag ConversationsGreenhouse Grower magazine and Indoor Ag-Conversations hosted a “Women in Agriculture” panel discussion in September. During the presentation, panelists focused on how women in agriculture can facilitate change. The program also highlighted how women can serve as examples for other women in the industry. Also discussesd, the challenges women face in the different sectors of the agriculture industry, and how to empower other women and inspire the next generation of women in agriculture.

The panel was moderated by Greenhouse Grower Editor Janeen Wright and Senior Editor Brian D. Sparks highlighted some of the tips our panelists shared in his October 27, 2020 article:

Surround Yourself with People Who Encourage You

Erika Summers, Sales Engineer at LMS Building Systems says when she first entered the engineering field, she quickly learned she had to prove herself.

“Fortunately, even though I was held to a higher standard by some, there were a lot of men who supported me and recognized the technical knowledge and skills I had,” Summers says. “Don’t feel like you have to remain in a non-supportive situation. Find a place where your expertise is valued.”

If you have experience in the market, it’s also important to be just as encouraging to the next generation.
“Take the time to talk to young women in your field and learn about their interests and what they want to do,” says Corinne Wilder, Vice President, Global Commercial Operations at Fluence By OSRAM. “Promote and nurture them and encourage them to offer their voice when change is needed.”

Promote Horticulture’s Multiple Career Options
You don’t need to have a green thumb to find your niche in the agriculture industry, and it’s important to emphasize this.

“With the growth in controlled-environment agriculture and scaled production of local produce, there are lots of angles to come into in this field,” says Amy Samples, Director of Community Outreach and People’s Programs at AppHarvest. “There’s a spot for you at this table if you’re willing to work hard.”

Use Social Media to Facilitate Connections

Career growth and networking resources such as LinkedIn can be helpful in both changing perceptions and encouraging career development.

“My favorite way to support women in agriculture is to connect them with each other, from one field to another,” says Charlotte Prud’Homme, Founder of Generation Permaculture Design.

Learn from the Past Experiences of Others

Each of the panelists recognized those women and men who inspired and motivated them. The key traits they share: patience, encouragement, and not being afraid to call for change when necessary.

“These women made their mark on the industry, and they encouraged me to do the same,” Summers says.

Netled Participates In Finland Food Wastage Project

Indoor Ag-Con exhibitor Netled participated in Finland ProjectThis fall, Indoor Ag-Con exhibitor Netled participated in a project organized by the city of Tampere in Finland. The project aims to develop and pilot different forms of urban and local food production as well as solutions to minimize food wastage, especially how the wastage can be reduced already when the food is produced.

The new residential area of Tampere, Hiedanranta, acted as the stage of the pilot and with the feedback gathered from the project, the area is developed towards a sustainable and smart city of the future.

Vertical farming is one of the urban food production solutions taking part in the pilot. Urban food brings food near the consumers and their living areas, and vertical farming is one of the key factors enhancing local food production as well as the circular economy at large.

During October, Netled’s Vera® vertical farm was situated and working in the innovation facility in Hiedanranta. Citizens of Tampere were invited to order two free herbs, thyme and parsley, via an online form. The herbs are planted based on actual orders, and ready for the consumers to collect at a specific week. With this pilot, solutions especially for food wastage are re-thought and piloted, as the products are grown according to real and timely demand.

Percival Scientific Plans Expansion

Indoor Ag-Con Exhibitor Percival-Scientific Announces ExpansionIndoor Ag-Con exhibitor Percival Scientific, an innovative global manufacturing company that relocated its headquarters to Perry, Iowa, in 2000, is planning a $3.2 million expansion that will begin in 2021. State and local development leaders commended Percival for its bold economic investment, which will add sustainable job opportunities, help attract new business to the area and continue supporting Perry as a thriving community.

Percival temporarily suspended the expansion due to the economic recession caused by COVID-19 but is now moving forward thanks to the award of two $1 million loans through the USDA and loan partners Minburn Communications and Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO). The loans are part of $16.8 million that the USDA is investing in 25 projects to create jobs and increase economic opportunities across rural Iowa through the Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant (REDLG) program.

Working Closely

Percival worked closely with Minburn Communications, CIPCO, the Iowa Area Development Group, the City of Perry and Perry Economic Development to apply for the loans, design the building plans and secure additional financial assistance. Perry Economic Development provided a $75,000 grant to help offset land purchase, and the City of Perry is providing tax increment financing.

“This type of expansion and economic development doesn’t happen in a vacuum,” says Tom Burkgren, President of Perry Economic Development. “It’s a tremendous amount of heavy lifting by lots of folks, lots of entities and the company itself.”
Percival Scientific President, Gary Wheelock says the expansion will increase the company’s production space by over 60 percent and add 12 or more employees to the 80 in its current workforce.

“We were extremely excited to learn about the [REDLG] program and that the USDA recognized the value of making this type of financial assistance available to organizations served by rural utilities,” says Wheelock. “Their wisdom in seeing a need to provide a valuable financial resource to companies looking to build or expand is something that every business should appreciate and take full advantage of.”

Perry Mayor, John Andorf celebrates the announcement that Percival can soon begin the building project and credits the collaboration between multiple organizations for making it possible.

“I’m really excited about this expansion and what it means for Perry,” he says. “This is going to result in some good jobs shortly down the road.”

Wheelock thanks The USDA and all the organizations that were instrumental in helping bring the expansion project to fruition.

“We couldn’t be happier with our decision to relocate to Perry in 2000. A lot of the reasons why we moved here are still valid today. [This expansion] speaks to the ongoing commitment by Percival Scientific and our owners to the Perry community, Dallas County and the state of Iowa.”

About Percival Scientific

Percival Scientific was established in 1886 in Des Moines, Iowa, as Percival Manufacturing and grew successful in the sale of refrigerated food display cases. In the early ‘50s, at the request of Iowa State University, the company created the first commercially available plant growth chamber, eventually changing its name to Percival Scientific. Today, Percival designs and manufactures over 100 models of controlled environment chambers for research in the plant and animal sciences. The company’s products are the preferred choice of universities, government research institutions and biotechnology companies in all 50 states and more than 79 countries around the world.

To learn more about Percival Scientific and its large catalog of products, visit percival-scientific.com

OASIS Grower Solutions Introduces Fortify Liquid Nutrient Supplement

Indoor Ag-Con Exhibitor Oasis Launches FortifyIndoor Ag-Con Exhibitor Oasis Grower Solutions introduces Fortify, a liquid nutrient supplement, designed to optimize the growth performance and increase harvest weights while reducing production time by up to 20%.Fortify is an amino acid based nutrient supplement developed through extensive research and trials. Use of Fortify improves nutrient uptake and reduces stress at all stages of production. Fortify can be applied to leafy greens (lettuce, herbs, and micro greens) produced using Nutrient Film Technique (NFT), Deep or Shallow water culture and aeroponic culture.Fortify is best applied using a dosing system in conjunction with a complete fertilizer program.“Fortify is a way for growers to maximize the utilization of their production space. Growers want as many turns as possible.” said Bill Riffey, Global Director of Oasis Grower Solutions. When used as a nutrient supplement, Fortify has the potential of reducing the production time providing up to one additional crop cycle annually.”

Oasis Grower Solutions provides propagation products and post-harvest care solutions for greenhouse produced ornamental and food crops. Oasis® Grower Solutions products include, plant propagation Rootcubes®, Terra Plug, Fertiss®, Horticubes®, Oasis® HydroPRO System, Hydroponic Fertilizer, Soax® wetting agent, disease control and greenhouse cleaners.

For more information about Oasis Grower Solutions and their products, contact Bill Riffey at WRiffey@smithersoasis.com or visit http://new.oasisgrowersolutions.com/fortify/.

About Smithers-Oasis

Smithers-Oasis’ global expertise of the plant and flower business stretches from propagation to presentation. With locations in 20 countries and resources around the world, Smithers-Oasis manufactures floral foam products, postharvest products, growing media and flower arranging supplies for the floriculture industry. OASIS® and Floralife® are two of the company’s most recognized brands founded in 1954 and 1938, respectively. With more than 60 years of experience with foaming technology, Smithers-Oasis also develops specialty foams for a wide variety of applications including packaging, impression, absorption and molding. The company’s driving purpose is “to help people express and experience emotion by adding value to flowers and plants.” Smithers-Oasis, a privately owned company, is headquartered in Kent, Ohio, USA.

Trendlines Is Supporting Farmers With AgTech Developments | Agritecture Xchange Sneak Preview

AgritectureXChange Trendlines Agrifood Innovation Center CEO
Source: Arabian Reseller

 Indoor Ag-Con is a proud media sponsor of Agritecture Xchange, a virtual conference connecting key innovations in the field of AgTech to the future health of our cities coming up in December!  Agritecture sat down with Anton Wibowo, CEO of Trendlines Agrifood Innovation Centre, prior to Agritecture Xchange. Anton will be speaking on the panel, Investor Viewpoint: Most Impactful AgTech Developments of 2020.

Meet Anton Wibowo at Agritecture Xchange, buy your tickets today and save with our Indoor Ag-Con Promo  Code -IAC10.  

Tell us a little about yourself! What sparked your interest in the field of agriculture and led you to work for Trendlines Agrifood Innovation Centre?

I come from Indonesia, with a family business background in the agricultural commodities trading industry. So, in some ways, I’ve always had interest in agriculture. Before joining Trendlines, I worked in a Singaporean tech startup that developed an agricultural waste recycling technology, a rapid composting process. 9 years in that startup gave me regional exposure to the field of agriculture. In short, my career to date has always been related to agriculture.

What can we expect to hear about in your intervention at the “Investor Viewpoint: Most Impactful AgTech Developments of 2020” panel?

To keep the suspense going, I’ll only reveal a little bit for now. I have been seeing a rapidly increasing trend for the utilization of big data and analytics in almost every aspect of agtech development this year. From biotech (seeds genetics, active ingredients screening) to automation (robotics, farm management), and even “fintech” (yield prediction, microloans to farmers).

What limitations have you seen the financing front causing for farmers? In relation to this, why do you believe it’s important to educate and aid farmers in this aspect?

This is a topic that is very close to my heart. Almost 80% of the farmers in the Southeast Asia region are smallholder farmers who live hand to mouth and are often just one bad harvest away from falling below the poverty line. Sadly, big organisations are unwilling to provide financing, understandably due to the perceived high risk. The farmers become vulnerable to “unlicensed and unregulated moneylenders” that charge exorbitant interest, making it incredibly difficult for the farmers to come out of that cycle.

In your experience, how have farmers and AgTech businesses been challenged financially and otherwise during this pandemic? How does the current Covid-related agricultural landscape compare to that of the past?

In my opinion, Covid has exposed the many vulnerabilities of the food supply chain, especially those affecting farmers. The problems that have been around for several years are brought to surface because people are beginning to realize that if we don’t support farmers, there is no sense in having seamless logistics and food manufacturers.

How has the management and investment experience in the Singaporean biotechnology and agribusiness communities been for you during these unprecedented times? Do you think there is a stronger need for such work given the growing agricultural challenges?

Yes, I definitely think that the need for tech will only grow here onwards. Working with the various stakeholders in agriculture is also extremely important. For instance, I see that the adoption of tech is much more complex than just having brilliant technology. The business model has to adapt, the big corporates who often have the distribution channel have to buy-in, and the regulators have to approve.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell our audience prior to watching you address the panel?

There is no more pressing and yet exciting time like today for you to make a positive impact in this industry.

Learn more at Agritecture XChange December 1-3, 2020

Argus Controls Webinar | Preventative Maintenance and Environmental Controls in the Greenhouse

Argus Controls Webinar — 

Indoor Ag-Con exhibitor Argus Controls  invites you to watch our Preventative Maintenance and Environmental Controls in the Greenhouse” webinar that took place on September 18.

 

The panel of experts explain how an environmental control system can help growers in getting ahead of potential issues with their equipment. In addition, viewers can learn how automated greenhouse control systems can help optimize the equipment to make your processes as consistent and efficient as possible.

Some key topics discussed:

  • The importance of risk management and planning ahead in the greenhouse for extreme weather seasons/conditions
  • The relevance of understanding the equipment in your facility to make the most out of it
  • The impact and benefits of preventative maintenance in your greenhouse
  • The best time to perform a system audit
  • How can having a greenhouse automation system can help with preventative maintenance and system audits

For more information visit Argus Controls 

 

 

 

 

 

HortAmericas Short Course Online | Vertical Farming Systems – November 21, 2020

HortAmericas invites you to learn all the important aspects of growing plants in its upcoming short course,  VERTICAL FARMING SYSTEMS,  on November 21, 2020. From hydroponic growing system selection, use of artificial lighting to environmental control of all key variables in vertical farming systems. This is your time to master the use of artificial lighting!

Instructor: M.S. Karla Garcia

– Hort Americas Technical Service
– Master in Plant Sciences from The University of Arizona
– Recognition by ISHS in strawberry hydroponic research
– Editor: Book Roadmap to Growing Leafy Greens and Herbs
– CEO at Microgreens FLN

Saturday, November 21, 2020
Schedule: 10:00 AM TO 12:00 PM (Central Time)
Platform: ZOOM US
Price: $50 US

Once you have registered, HortAmericas will make contact to provide access to our LIVE session!

Course Content includes:
  • Plant factory: Advantages in yield and production
  • Hydroponics in vertical farming systems
    a) NFT
    b) DFT
    c) Ebb and flow
  • Leafy greens production (Lettuce, herbs, microgreens)
  • Understanding artificial lighting
    a) Light quality
    b) Light quantity
    c) Light calculations for vertical farming systems
  • Environmental control in plant factory
    a) Air flow
    b) Gas exchange
    c) Temperature
    d) Humidity
  • Advice in sales and product selection

Questions? send us an email at technicalservice@hortamericas.com if you have any further questions!