Blog Archives

Winter Farm Cultivates Success With Integrated Farming Approach, Sustainable Solutions

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on May 15, 2023. Posted in Blog.

Winter Farm’s focus on environmental sustainability, achieving food autonomy, and strategic partnerships has garnered attention and headlines, with recent funding of $46 million raising the bar for its ambitious goals. Indoor Ag-Con had the chance to catch up with the innovative Quebec-based company’s leaders — Yves Daoust, Founder and CTO (pictured above left) and Alain Brisebois, President and CEO (pictured above right) — to discuss the advantages of their approach, their goal of helping growers replace 10% of Canada’s strawberry imports, the renowned Fraise d’hiver strawberry, funding strategies and future opportunities in the CEA industry.

Winter Farm is described as a “tech company that designs, deploys, and operates controlled environment agriculture (CEA) solutions that work in harmony with existing agrifood systems.” Can you share how your technology and approach differ from other vertical farms and advantages it offers in terms of yield, quality, and cost-effectiveness?

Yves Daoust: Winter Farm’s concept fully integrates a strawberry vertical farm with an adjacent greenhouse: this shows the company’s deep understanding of the grower’s reality. As a result, our strawberry vertical farm is capable of efficiently heating the greenhouse in the wintertime. As heat recuperation is a major concern in controlled environment agriculture (CEA), this solution constitutes a major innovation that reduces the dependence of greenhouses on fossil fuels and lowers their carbon footprint. In addition, the integration allows for additional revenue generation as farmers can grow strawberries in the vertical farm, as well as peppers, lettuce, eggplant, or tomatoes etc. in the greenhouse using the same amount of energy. The Winter Farm solution exemplifies that it is possible for CEA to be both profitable and environmentally sustainable at the same time. To realize this dual objective, we use a multidisciplinary approach to intelligent automation – integrating producers’ knowledge, agronomy, engineering, and artificial intelligence (AI). Our system of environmental digital control, CERVEAU, aims to optimize yield, maximize energy efficiency, and improve revenues by fully characterizing the strawberry plant’s behavior in CEA by data, physical modeling and machine learning.

One of Winter Farm’s goals is to help growers replace 10% of Canada’s strawberry imports. Can you speak to some of the environmental and economic benefits that could come from achieving this goal, and how Winter Farm is working to make it a reality?

Alain Brisebois: Vertical farming is a promising new agricultural advance that holds potential for sustainable agriculture in the future. At Winter Farm, in addition to providing efficient heating of the adjacent greenhouse, vertical farming eliminates the need for chemical pesticides well known for their harmful effects on both the environment and human health. Additionally, since Winter Farm allows local production, it minimizes transportation needs, further reducing the carbon footprint of fruit and vegetable production. Further benefits of our production practices include significantly lower water usage compared to traditional field production and the maximization of cultivable areas with the vertical stacking of the production. By utilizing heat management and recovery technology, we enable growers to produce an array of greenhouse produce in winter, thereby jointly promoting food autonomy and generating additional revenues for the growers. Our goal is to offer sustainable solutions for agriculture, not just for Quebec, but for the communities worldwide that face challenges related to food security.

Please share a little more about the Fraise d’hiver Strawberry and what makes it so special.

Alain Brisebois: Fraise d’hiver literally translate to “winter berry”. Quebec is renowned for its tasty field strawberries. It brings us a lot of pride to be able to offer consumers that special Quebec taste during the winter months! Thanks to an optimally controlled environment that ensures high quality, freshness and flavor, the Fraise d’hiver strawberry’s natural sweetness and vibrant red color are truly what make it stands out in the market.

Congratulations on the recent announcement of your $46 million raise! We read that this funding is coming from a variety of sources, including government organizations and private partners. Can you talk about Winter Farm’s approach to securing funding and building strategic partnerships?

Alain Brisebois: Thank you very much! In an emerging industry like ours, financing is crucial. This funding was especially important to us as it demonstrates that our concept can be successfully integrated into the agricultural industry and that CEA can be both sustainable and profitable. Winter Farm’s approach to securing funding and building strategic partnerships has always been guided by a strong commitment to innovation and a profit-driven mindset. Additionally, our company’s goals and vision are in line with government priorities, such as promoting food autonomy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and developing a more sustainable economy. When we designed the solution, it was paramount that it be eligible to the available agricultural financing and support programs. We have also demonstrated how the agricultural sector can embrace the digital era with cutting-edge technology that is ready to deploy, which has been instrumental in our success so far. Our Vaudreuil location will soon be producing nearly 1 million kilos of strawberries per year, which is a significant achievement for us and the vertical farming movement. We are now thrilled to continue partnering with growers and building new sites!

What do you see as the biggest opportunities for the CEA industry as a whole in years to come, and how is Winter Farm working to seize them?

Yves Daoust: Currently, a major focus in CEA is on energy accessibility and cost. Winter Farm’s success has been based on addressing this aspect from the outset. This has provided us with the momentum to continue building an increasingly sustainable and profitable CEA solution for fresh produce agriculture. Innovation is crucial for the future of the industry, and as such, Winter Farm is committed to furthering our AI-driven work in agronomy and engineering. Our goal is to ensure that our technologies are profitable and accessible to growers worldwide.

To learn more,visit the Winter Farm website.

Evaporative Plastic Cooling Pad System Provides Efficient, Effective Cooling System For Horticulture Industry

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on May 15, 2023. Posted in Blog, Exhibitor News.

The LUBING plastic cooling pad system is used in areas where highly efficient cooling is required, and provides the greenhouse owner a reliable system that is easy to clean, lasts longer than paper, and allows your ventilation system to work more efficiently.

This system is used in greenhouses where humidification and cooling is required, and can be used for many different cooling purposes but is particularly suitable for evaporative cooling in greenhouses.

Watch this video to learn more and see it in action. And, visit here to complete details.

The Center of Excellence for Indoor Agriculture Announces New Training and Development Consulting Service

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on May 15, 2023. Posted in Blog.

The Center of Excellence for Indoor Agriculture, a U.S. based company that supports the growth of the vertical and indoor farming industry, announced a new human performance and training advisory service headed by Dr. Pam Loughner, a training and workforce development specialist.

The new service focuses on training personnel who work in indoor vertical farms, greenhouses, and urban farms. Services include assessment of training needs and priorities, development of organization training and education plans, development and implementation of training programs, review and selection of training materials, and design of online training. More info is available at https://indooragcenter.org/training/

Eric W. Stein, Ph.D., founder and Executive Director of the Center of Excellence notes, “Having a highly trained and motivated workforce is the backbone of any business and is a critical success factor for indoor farms. Well trained associates have confidence, experience more meaning in their job roles, ensure safety, and enable operations excellence. The Center is proud to offer this service to the industry under the direction of Dr. Loughner.”

Dr. Loughner observes, “Employees who receive training are more productive, require less supervision, are more satisfied in their work, and can take on greater responsibilities. They feel valued and become a true asset to the organization. I am excited to join the Center to help indoor farmers prepare their employees for success, and in turn, help their farms become more successful.”

About The Center:
The Center of Excellence for Indoor Agriculture provides business expertise and analytical advisory services to investors, entrepreneurs, industry partners, and community organizers to de-risk the process of building sustainable and profitable indoor vertical farms and greenhouses. Services include strategy, due diligence, economic and technical feasibility analysis, market research and analysis, operations assessment, sustainable methods, training and development. As the first U.S.-based Center of Excellence dedicated to indoor farming, it promotes best practices, benchmarking, and research. The Center is located in the Philadelphia metro region.

About Pam Loughner, Ph.D.
Dr. Loughner has more than twenty years of experience in the field of workplace learning and performance. She has been responsible for the design and development of more than 500 custom learning solutions. Industries include pharmaceuticals, information technology, energy, manufacturing, construction, chemical, and financial services. Her expertise includes curriculum design, instructional design and development, and program evaluation. Dr. Loughner earned a B.S. in Education, and M.Ed. and Ph.D. degrees in Instructional Systems from The Pennsylvania State University.

What Type of Food Safety Audit Do You Need For Your CEA Operation?

Written by Karl Kolb PhD | Kellie Worrell, Ceres Certifications, International on May 14, 2023. Posted in Blog.

Determining the type of food safety certification your operation needs, or if you even need one, can be confusing and overwhelming when you are new to the process. Where do you start? Begin with your customers!

If you sell directly to consumers, such as fresh-from-the-farm or at farmer’s markets, then your customers likely know you and feel that they have a sense of how you conduct your operation. You have probably already established a trust with your customers and do not need a third-party food safety audit unless you feel that its marketing value justifies the additional expense.

But if you sell to a wholesaler or retailer or other food distributor, they probably have specific requirements about the type of food safety certification they require suppliers to maintain. They may just have the basic requirement of any third-party audit and certification. They may require a specific “scheme” such as GLOBALG.A.P., Primus, SQF, etc.. They may not dictate the certification scheme but require that you hold a Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)-benchmarked third-party certification. This means that the type of audit and certification you choose must be GFSI-benchmarked and meet the internationally agreed upon GFSI requirements. There are several options that meet this requirement. This chart lists the most popular types of third-party audits, as well as indicating which types have a GFSI version.

In order to be able to sell your products to the major grocery retailers you would need to meet their specific requirements, listed below:

Now that you know what type of certification you need, you are probably wondering where to start the process to get this certification. Do an online search for CBs offering the type of certification you have decided upon. CBs are Certifying Bodies- these companies are licensed by the audit scheme to perform the audits and make the certification decisions. Make a list of a few that offer what you need (they don’t necessarily need to be local since most CBs have auditors for each section of the country, but you do want to choose one headquartered in your main country of operation) and reach out to them. You will quickly get a sense of which CBs will be easy to work with and have experience with your type of operation.

The CB you select should be able to answer your questions to the point where you are comfortable signing a contract for their services, which will be required before the process can proceed. The application you submit to a CB may seem a bit overwhelming the first time, but the CB can help you with any questions. They are trying to get as clear of picture of your operation as they can to ensure that the food safety certification is appropriate for your operation.

Once the application and paperwork is behind you, the CB will send an auditor to your operation to observe your primary agricultural activities. Don’t worry– a good CB will work with you to make sure this happens at a time that is both reasonable and convenient for you. If the auditor finds any issues, called non-conformances, you will have a chance to take measures to address/correct them immediately following the audit. Once that is done, the CB will review your entire file and issue certification or not. (Of course, there are appeal processes in place should you disagree with their decision.)

Your certification will be valid for up to one year, so you will need to go through the process again before that certification expires, but by then you’ll feel like an expert and won’t even break a sweat!

About Karl Kolb, Ph.D.

Karl is the founder and President of the High Sierra Group companies, which services more than 10,000 customers with Ceres Certifications, International (ISO 17065 food safety certifying body), HSG/AME Certified Laboratories (17025 food testing laboratories), Ceres University (Accredited, degree granting), High Sierra Chemicals and Epicure Farms.

About Kellie Worrell

Kellie Worrell has an extensive background in Agriculture and Food Safety. She has written several accurate ag children’s books, including the Virginia Ag In the Classroom Book of the Year. She has served as Food Safety Officer for farms with a wide variety of fresh vegetables, and is currently the GLOBALG.A.P. Scheme Administrator at Ceres Certifications, International.

About Ceres Certifications, International

Ceres Certifications, International (CCI) has been serving the produce industry since 2021. CCI offers a wide variety of 3^rd party food safety certifications, including both GFSI-benchmarked standards and more basic audits. Connect with its experienced Scheme Managers to discuss the extensive CCI offerings, including GLOBALG.A.P. IFA, HPSS, PHA, localg.a.p., a variety of GG add-ons, PrimusGFS, PrimusStandard, SQF, and more. Learn more.

Revolutionizing Agriculture: Indoor Vertical Farming With Pipp Horticulture | Planted Detroit Case Study

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on April 14, 2023. Posted in Blog, Exhibitor News.

Pipp Horticulture has quickly become an industry-leading Mobile Vertical Growing Solutions provider, with installations in over 2,500 grow rooms worldwide. Pipp’s Mobile Vertical Grow Racks allow cultivators to maximize production capability, reduce operating costs, and increase overall revenue per square foot by maximizing their cubic canopy footprint without increasing the square footprint of the room or building. Pipp takes pride in manufacturing all its products in the USA.

Although Pipp’s entry point into the horticulture industry was through the cannabis market, Pipp Horticulture is not limited to any specific cultivation or plant processing category.

Instead, the company looks forward to leveraging the knowledge and experience gained through the cannabis industry to develop solutions for all growers. Pipp sees tremendous growth ahead. Rooted in what indoor cultivation will mean to families, cities, and the world. The possibilities are limitless.

Photo courtesy of EE Berger/Planted Detroit

Over the years, Pipp has strategically acquired several industry leaders in the market to create a well-rounded cultivation solution. These companies include Greenhaus Industries, Vertical Air Solutions, GGS Structures, and the assets of Grow Glide. Each of these strategic acquisitions aims to provide purpose-built solutions to support all aspects of your grow facility. Through these acquisitions, Pipp has assembled a team of highly experienced cultivators.

Pipp experts work with the company’s engineers and designers to develop innovations built for the indoor vertical farming market. They also support Pipp customers before, during, and after installation. They offer expert advice and help educate the community on best practices for building and operating your indoor vertical farm.

Planted Detroit Case Study:

Planted Detroit, located in Detroit, Michigan, is a 20,000-square-foot warehouse with two grow rooms equipped with two types of LED lighting, two hydroponic systems, and a single database system for data collection and analysis. Their mission is to actively work to reduce food insecurity in their communities and come together to grow tastier, healthier, and more accessible greens sustainably.

Planted Detroit is moving ahead with Pipp Horticulture as its primary provider of racking systems due to its versatility which allowed Planted Detroit to add advanced ebb-and-flow hydroponic technology to the racking system.

Pipp engineers and installation experts worked with Planted Detroit to install mobile vertical grow racking systems that were clean and biosecure. The Pipp team helped implement a controlled environment agriculture (CEA) system to help better serve their community regardless of the season. Planted Detroit wants to ensure they grow only the best greens, monitoring every aspect of their environment.

After implementing Pipp’s mobile vertical grow racking systems, Planted Detroit can quickly access and tend to all their plants and grow 8x more. They cultivate their fresh greens on Pipp’s mechanical-assist carriages, holding eight tiers of plants while utilizing 3,000 ABS combination grow trays. Pipp then helped further increase the efficiency of Planted Detroit’s growing systems with our ELEVATE® Platform System to help maintain and care for all their plants on each grow level.

All photos courtesy of EE Berger/Planted Detroit

For more information visit Pipp Horticulture

Talking Automation, Sustainability and Scale With Better Future Farms Co-Founder John McMahon

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on April 12, 2023. Posted in Blog.

Earlier this month, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin announced that Better Future Farms, Inc. will build a new hydroponic greenhouse and processing facility on a 61-acre site in the Louisa County Industrial Air Park. Backed by funding from Generate Capital, a sustainable infrastructure investment and operating platform and a distribution partnership with Taylor Farms, a leading North American producer of salads and healthy fresh foods, the facility is set to come online in 2024. In this month’s CEA Q&A, John McMahon, co-founder/chief operating officer of Better Future Farms and founder of Schuyler Greens, shared insights on their decision to locate in central Virginia’s Louisa County , their sustainability initiatives and long term goals for the company.

What led to the decision to build the new greenhouse and processing facility in Louisa County? What factors made this location the best choice for Better Future Farms?

The decision was driven by both the site and infrastructure. My business partner David Drescher and I both live in the Charlottesville area, and Louisa County is the next county over. In central Virginia it’s hard to find the flat terrain needed for a greenhouse facility. This site had that and the right infrastructure in place in terms of electrical capabilities, natural gas, and proximity to large freeways and distribution logistics.

The local support was another key factor. We looked at several different counties and once we talked to Louisa County about the project and what it entailed, they were incredibly supportive and became great partners throughout the process.

We also wanted to build our first project in our own backyard in Virginia, as we’re from the area and didn’t want to be on a plane every week. Leveraging our existing relationships in the CEA industry in Virginia also played a role. The state is very enthusiastic about the future of CEA and government agencies and organizations like the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Virginia Economic Development Partnership were very supportive and helpful. And, of course, Virginia itself is a great choice since it puts the facility within a day’s drive of a large population base.

What will differentiate Better Future Farms from other greenhouse/indoor operations?

I’ve been a grower for about 10 years now, so I tend to be a bit cynical when it comes to making big claims. I would say that we’re investing a significant portion of our capital in automation – in the greenhouse, pack line, and growing system. This decision was influenced by owning and operating a smaller greenhouse for years and recognizing the repetitive tasks that are present in greenhouse operations. The goal of automation is not to replace employees, but to automate the tasks that are repetitive and do not add value, freeing up employees to perform more important tasks.

I see automation is a tool in our toolbox. We’re not a technology company. At the end of the day, our job is to be a sustainable business that grows lettuce at the right price. The focus of the investment and all our innovations is to do that as efficiently as possible.

Can you share more about your partnership with Taylor Farms? How will this collaboration help you reach more customers?

Taylor Farms is one of the largest salad and fresh cut vegetable processors in the world and all our lettuce will be marketed under Taylor Farms’ Earthbound Farms brand. David and I have both been at this for a long time and we know what it takes to build a brand. So, we wanted to team up with an existing brand rather than build a new one from scratch. We talked to several companies and when we met with Taylor Farms, our objectives, philosophies, and values all aligned.

I’m not the type of greenhouse grower seeking to displace field growers. The way the industry is now, greenhouse/controlled environment agriculture production is miniscule compared to what the large California farms put out. But these western growers see a need to diversify the supply chain. Retailers are asking for it because of food safety issues. And, together with post pandemic freight, shipping and other supply chain , water, and weather challenges, it’s gotten more complicated –and more expensive. Greenhouses/CEA can help diversify the supply chain by allowing these large players to grow product closer to the end user.

We have a great relationship with Taylor Farms and are so excited to be working with them. For me, starting as a smaller, niche grower, it’s a huge honor to be growing for the largest lettuce producer.

Can you speak to any specific sustainability initiatives or practices that Better Future Farms will implement in its operations and how they align with Generate Capital’s focus on sustainable agriculture?

Generate Capital is a leading ESG public benefit corporation focused heavily on building and financing solutions for clean energy, water, waste, agriculture and more. They’d been looking at the CEA sector for some time. While we are their first investment here, I expect they will be very active in this space, and not just with us.

We certainly share their focus on sustainable agriculture and have several sustainability initiatives in our operations.

We are harvesting all our rainwater. Virginia consistently gets 44 inches of rain distributed throughout the year. We expect that 90-95% of our irrigation will be reclaimed water. As part of our 14.5-acre facility, we have a 2-acre retention pond that can hold 2.5 million gallons that we’ll be pulling into the greenhouse and using for irrigation.

We’ll also be using 100% LED lights, so there will be no high-pressure sodium lighting and less energy use.

And we’ll always be on the lookout for even more ways to use the least amount of inputs and energy to be as sustainable as possible.

What are your long-term goals for Better Future Farms? What do you hope to achieve in the next few years?

Our goals are to build out multiple facilities in Virginia and other geographical locations, add different products, and grow our partnership with Taylor Farms.

In terms of crops, we’d like to offer different types of lettuce and, possibly, berries. We want to become a diversified producer. The challenge is you need to marry products that complement each other. For example, lettuce and strawberries work well together because they both travel in the cold chain. Tomatoes and vine crops need to be on a warmer truck.

What’s next for Schuyler Greens? Will you still be involved?

I wouldn’t be doing this new project without the knowledge and experience I gained from launching and building Schuyler Greens. I’ve owned Schuyler Greens for more than 9 years now and it encompasses 225 acres outside of Charlottesville with a greenhouse in the middle. I will be keeping Schuyler Greens separate from Better Future Farms.

Schuyler Greens is better off as a traditional farm with a greenhouse on it as we don’t have access to the infrastructure or flat terrain needed to scale up a large greenhouse. The value for me is that Schuyler Greens is a true working farm with cattle, timber and other resources.

We really live in an Amazon world today. The pandemic certainly accelerated some of the structural changes and put a spotlight on supply chain issues. Just like consumers, wholesalers and retailers want product all the time so it’s essential for growers to keep up the pace of demand or risk losing business.

The bottom line is that all farming is economies of scale. To consistently produce every day of the week and be sustainable, reliable, and dependable for your customers –whether you’re a small niche grower or a mega-grower– is hard work. At Schuyler Greens and Better Future Farms, we’re committed to meeting the needs of our customers and partners and are excited about the future.

To learn more about Better Future Farms, visit www.betterfuture.farm

To learn more about Schuyler Greens, visit www.schuylergreens.com

CEA Summit East Announces Return in September 2023

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on March 30, 2023. Posted in Blog, Press Releases.

Indoor Ag-Con, Controlled Environment Agriculture Innovation Center to Co-Host 2nd Annual Edition September 19-20, 2023 in Danville, VA

DANVILLE, VA (MARCH 30, 2023 ) – The Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Summit East is proud to announce its return on September 19-20, 2023, at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) in Danville, VA. Focused on convening the CEA industry and academia, the annual event is co-hosted by Indoor Ag-Con, the premier global gathering of the vertical farming/CEA sector, and the Virginia Tech-IALR CEA Innovation Center, a joint project between IALR and Virginia Tech’s School of Plant and Environmental Sciences and the Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center.

Following the success of its debut edition in October 2022, which brought together more than 200 attendees from 28 states, the CEA Summit East will continue to foster connections and collaboration among growers, educators, scientists, extension specialists, suppliers, engineers, tech specialists, architect/developers and other industry members.

“The enthusiasm and engagement we saw at our inaugural event were truly inspiring and we’re thrilled to continue our partnership with the CEA Innovation Center to bring the CEA Summit East back in 2023,” said Brian Sullivan, CEO, Indoor Ag-Con. “Both organizations see tremendous value in growing an event like this that brings business and academia audiences together at an incredible research facility setting that really fosters an environment for sharing ideas and new business opportunities.”

The two-day event will feature keynotes, panels and breakout conference sessions, as well as tabletop exhibits from industry-leading companies and research facility tours. Attendees can expect to learn about the latest advances in CEA and explore opportunities for collaboration and growth.

“We are excited to build on the momentum of our first event and continue to bring together leaders in the CEA industry,” said Dr. Scott Lowman, Co-Director of the Controlled Environment Agriculture Innovation Center and Vice President of Applied Research at IALR. “We look forward to showcasing the innovative research and education programs we are developing to support the growth of the CEA industry.”

For more information and to register to attend, exhibit and to learn more about speaking opportunities for the CEA Summit East 2023, please visit the event website at www.ceasummit.com

ABOUT INDOOR AG-CON

Founded in 2013, Indoor Ag-Con has emerged as the largest trade event for vertical farming and controlled environment 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 and hemp, alternate protein and non-food crops. More information – www.indoor.ag | 404.991.5186

ABOUT THE SCHOOL OF PLANT AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES AT VIRGINIA TECH

The School of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Virginia Tech trains the next generation of professionals in the fields of plant breeding and genetics, agronomic and horticultural crop production, plant protection, soil and water systems management, agricultural technologies, environmental restoration and agro-environmental stewardship. It conducts research to improve agricultural productivity, reduce negative impacts on the environment and improve soil and water health. Through extension programs, it provides science-based information to stakeholders to help them feed the world while protecting the environment. More information —www.spes.vt.edu

ABOUT THE VIRGINIA SEAFOOD AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND EXTENSION CENTER

The VirginiaENTER AT VIRGINIA TECH Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center at Virginia Tech works to support the future of the historic seafood industry — in Virginia and beyond. Its extension specialists work with industry and research partners to identify and respond to emerging needs and provide technical guidance to stakeholders in every level of the seafood supply chain. Through technical assistance, training, process validation, value-added product development, and more, it helps stakeholders ensure product quality, safety, and viability. More information — www.arec.vaes.vt.edu

ABOUT IALR

The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) serves as a regional catalyst for economic transformation. Core focus areas include research that provides a clear path to commercialization, advanced learning opportunities where education meets experience, training and rapid-launch space for advanced manufacturers, and economic development through conferencing and a partnership with the Southern Virginia Regional Alliance. It is located in scenic and historic Danville-Pittsylvania County on the VA/NC state line, within a short drive of Roanoke, Greensboro and Raleigh. More information – www.ialr.org

AGEYE Technologies CEO Nick Genty Talks Profitability, AI and the Future of Indoor Farming With HYVE Partnership

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on March 15, 2023. Posted in Blog.

As the indoor farming industry continues to grow, the need for profitability remains a significant challenge for commercial growers. AGEYE Technologies is helping lead the way in automated platform monitoring for vertical farms and greenhouses and CEO Nick Genty provides insight into how they are addressing this challenge, as well as their advancements in AI and machine learning. In this month’s CEO Q&A Nick also talks about AGEYE’s new partnership with HYVE Indoor Farming Systems, their recently announced indoor farm project in Nebraska and future growth plans.

What is one of the biggest challenges facing the indoor farming industry today and how is AGEYE working to address it.

The most significant challenge we see is the need to reach profitability. We’ve all seen the recent headlines of farms shutting down, being delisted, or going through intensely difficult and desperate financial times. We’re starting to see that for many stakeholders, the hype is waning, the honeymoon is over, and investors want to see a return on their investment – or at least a very substantive and believable path to it. For CEA to truly become commercially viable and scalable, farmers need systems and support that help them produce a marketable product in a reasonable timeframe, and with enough margins to see a profit. As an industry, we need to focus more on celebrating the farms that reach profitability and less on how much money has been raised.

How does AGEYE stay ahead of the curve when it comes to advancements in AI and machine learning, and what impact do these technologies have on your monitoring platform?

AI is evolving faster than any other technology we’ve ever seen. Generative AI like ChatGPT can produce an entire screenplay or write the code for a new app in a matter of minutes. However, the current version is already being replaced with an even more powerful version, GPT-4, which is said to be capable of creating full movies from simple text prompts. This massive jump in performance is due to a 10x increase in data parameters used for training. At AGEYE, we believe the future of indoor farming is data-driven, and our commitment to this goal drives everything we do. In 2019 we started training our vision models to detect crop stress. Fast forward to today, and we’ve expanded our AI platform to cover every aspect of an indoor farm. We’re collecting thousands of data points per plant, per cycle, that we aggerate with environment, energy, and labor data to produce powerful insights and unprecedented visibility across an entire operation. We’re empowering growers with the technology and tools they need to become efficient, sustainable, and, most importantly, profitable.

Can you tell us more about the partnership between AGEYE and HYVE Indoor Farming Systems- – How did this collaboration come about and what are the main benefits the partnership will bring to commercial growers?

Our first introduction actually happened at a previous Indoor Ag-Con. There are a lot of moving parts in this industry, and things change so rapidly. It’s easy to be sucked in by what might turn out to be smoke and mirrors, but there was something about our initial meeting with HYVE that led us to believe there was substance backed by significance and passion.

The combination of automation, crop intelligence, exceptional hardware and lighting – it all seemed like it was there. It was evident that we both had tangible evidence and proof of concept for what we could do on our own, but more importantly, together. Collaboration has often been a theme in this industry and we could see early on that we complemented each other well in areas where one might not be as strong as the other. We both had experiences apart and we shared and leveraged those experiences on an early trial project together. This project proved to us both that we really felt that the sum of our parts was greater than what it should have been – almost like adding 1 + 1 to get 3.

For our customers and prospects, the main benefits are just immense. We believe that we have a revolutionary turnkey system that combines the absolute best in hardware, lighting, infrastructure, software, and AI controls and monitoring. These are some very tangible attributes. What we also think is a huge benefit is our flexibility in what we do. We have scalable systems and feel invested in the commercial farmer as if it were our own money. We see a pathway to profitability for the commercial farmers we work with by being a ‘right-sized’ entity with experience to back what we say we can do. Our methodology removes much of the guesswork and mitigates some of the risks that growers encounter. It’s really an exciting time to be invested together in a partnership where we share such diverse talent sets, system integrity, and vision for what indoor farming can become.

What challenges do you anticipate in building the new indoor farm in Nebraska, and how will AGEYE work with HYVE to overcome them?

There are some very fundamental challenges that come with any installation, and while each installation is a bit different, many things we see are common. In the Nebraska installation, we will be retrofitting an existing building. This is quite common. One could argue that an optimal vertical farm would be created in a building specifically designed for vertical farming because everything from airflow to automation and intelligence would fit perfectly into a well-designed and very intentional space. This removes some of the challenges of altering what can sometimes seem like a square peg that needs to be implemented into a round hole. But, realistically speaking, there are real benefits to also retrofitting an existing building. We’re good enough at understanding what has to happen to know if it can successfully happen. A perfect building might be beyond the reach of many people who want to enter vertical indoor farming, while an existing space might mean that someone doesn’t need tens of millions of dollars to set up a successful indoor commercial farm. Repurposing buildings has an inherent appeal in that you are taking something that could be non-productive and turning it into something very productive at a cost point that makes sense for the owner and can create something beneficial in terms of actual production or job creation.

One of the very essential things we seek to do is to create a system that can produce a saleable product for our customers each and every day in a cost-effective way. The process has to be repeatable and successful. Profitability is always the challenge and without good market data and an efficient distribution methodology that includes an understanding of the market, there isn’t a way to get there. We’re not in the business of just selling equipment so that people fail. For this reason, we will be assisting the client in Nebraska with some expertise in understanding the market opportunities. We will help them look at the product mix and provide relevant data that puts them on a path to see a return on their investment.

Looking ahead, what other types of project or collaborations do you see as possibilities for AGEYE and HYVE and how do you envision your partnership evolving in the future?

AGEYE and HYVE are both really good at very distinct and yet dissimilar things that together can produce great results. One of the things we talked about even early on was how we were both so innovative and solutions-based, which we highlight in our joint tagline of ‘Matched Innovation. Unmatched Solutions.’ We believe that together we can offer solutions that others really can’t, and much of it is not only the very real and measurable tangible evidence of our quality and system intelligence but also the passion and knowledge of the people involved.

Looking forward HYVE will include the AGEYE platform as a very critical and integrated piece of the puzzle for growers. We’ll look at each individual project and see where the marriage of automated functionality and artificial intelligence makes both logistical and financial sense for the grower and our respective companies.

We also will likely look at each respective strength and ability in the stand-alone entities. For instance, it might make sense for one entity to capitalize on technical support from the other because of specific expertise that resides within a certain sector. We truly believe that at the end of the day, our common mission is about creating a system that makes the most sense for the grower in an economic and qualitative sense.

For more information, visit the AGEYE Technologies website.

Record Attendee, Exhibitor Growth Headline 10th Anniversary Edition of Indoor Ag-Con

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on March 3, 2023. Posted in Blog, Press Releases.

62% Attendance Increase For Las Vegas February 27-28, 2023 Event That Drew CEA Industry Members from 48 US States, 29 Countries

(MARCH 3, 2023) — Indoor Ag-Con marked its 10^th Anniversary Edition with record increases in attendee and exhibitor participation for its February 27-28, 2023 run at Caesars Forum Las Vegas. The exhibitor booth roster doubled with a sold-out show floor featuring 134 companies in 174 booths vs 70 companies in 80 booths for 2022. Attendance saw a 62% increase over 2022 with 1453 attendees from 48 US states, the District of Columbia and US territories, as well as 29 other countries. Attendees included C-level execs and other decision-makers involved with every sector of controlled environment agriculture — growers, investors, tech providers, start-ups, academia, government, food service retail, suppliers and more.

For the second year, Indoor Ag-Con once again co-located with the National Grocers Association (NGA) Show, attracting 200+ attendees from that event to the Indoor Ag-Con expo floor — taking the total attendance number over the 1600 mark.

“We are thrilled with the incredible growth Indoor Ag-Con continues to experience year-on-year,” says Brian Sullivan, CEO, Indoor Ag-Con. “This tremendous response from the industry — particularly our growing international attendance – positions Indoor Ag-Con as the global event for CEA and confirms the growing importance and potential of vertical farming and controlled environment agriculture. As we continue to evolve and adapt to the changing needs of our community, we are committed to delivering a high-quality event that provides unparalleled education, networking, and business growth opportunities for our attendees and exhibitors. We look forward to an even brighter future for Indoor Ag-Con and the entire indoor agriculture industry”

Among the 10^th Anniversary Edition highlights:

CEO Keynote Sessions
Attendees had the chance to hear different perspectives from key executives from both the investment and farm operation sectors. Arama Kukutai, CEO, Plenty kicked off day one with the opening morning keynote on February 27, 2023. During the second part of his address, he welcomed surprise guest, Mark Hagan, Chief Investment Officer, Realty Income, who joined him on stage for a fireside chat sharing more about the recently announced strategic real estate alliance to support the development of Plenty’s indoor vertical farms. Later that day Vonnie Estes, Vice President of Technology for the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) moderated the keynote panel, “The Ever-Changing Business Model Of Controlled Environment Agriculture Farming,” with Steve Platt, CEO, BrightFarms; Matt Ryan, CEO, Soli Organic; and Dave Vosburg, CIO, Local Bounti. On day two, February 28, 2023, Dave Chen, CEO, Equilibrium, took the stage to share his thoughts on “The State of CEA and the Road Ahead.”

Educational Tracks & Expo Floor Theater Panel Discussions

The 2023 edition featured 3 educational tracks – Grower, Trends & Innovation and Funding & Guidance– that brought industry experts together covering a wide range of topics from lighting solutions outside of standard wavelengths, to lessons learned from business failures, food security, strawberry production and workforce development and more. In addition, the Expo Floor Theater featured a Hardball session on the state of vertical farming; and fireside chats with leaders from Unfold and GoodLeaf and a session on installation success. In addition, the 2023 edition welcomed a new debate format with sessions like greenhouse v. vertical farming, pre-built v. custom-built controlled environments and container v vertical farming.

Sold Out Expo Floor
Doubling in size over 2023, this year’s expo floor was home to some of the biggest names in CEA as well as up-and-coming suppliers. From lighting and grow systems to substrates and irrigation, growers were able to see the newest innovations all under one roof.

Indoor Ag-Con |Philips VIP Welcome Party

Back by popular demand, Philips Horticulture LED Solutions teamed up once again with Indoor Ag-Con to tee-up the 2023 edition with a VIP Welcome Par-tee on Sunday evening, February 26 at Topgolf Las Vegas. Indoor Ag-Con conference speakers and other industry VIPs came together for an incredible evening of golf, networking, cocktails, food, music and fun – all compliments of Philips LED Horticultural Lighting.

Networking Opportunities
Daily lunches and an afternoon cocktail reception on the expo floor expanded the show’s networking opportunities.

Looking ahead, Indoor Ag-Con Las Vegas will return to Caesars Forum March 11-12, 2024 and will once again co-locate with The National Grocers Association Show.

About Indoor Ag-Con

Founded in 2013, Indoor Ag-Con has emerged as the largest trade show and conference for vertical farming | controlled environment agriculture in the United States. Its events are crop-agnostic and touch all sectors of the business, covering produce, legal cannabis | hemp, alternate protein and non-food crops. More information – www.indoor.ag

Unfold, Goodleaf Partner To Develop Premium Quality Leafy Greens

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on February 27, 2023. Posted in Blog, Exhibitor News, Press Releases.

Companies will collaborate in Unfold’s Innovation Partner Program to enhance GoodLeaf’s leafy greens production, particularly spinach, utilizing Unfold’s proprietary genetics and vertical growing expertise.

DAVIS, CA, Feb. 27, 2023 – Unfold, an industry-leading seed and digital solutions company advancing the vertical farming industry, and GoodLeaf Farms, Canada’s largest commercial vertical farm, today announced their partnership to commercialize premium lines of vertically-farmed spinach and other leafy greens through Unfold’s Innovation Partner Program. Chief Executive Officers of both companies will discuss the partnership tomorrow in a fireside chat at the 10^th Annual Indoor Ag-Con in Las Vegas.

Micro Broccoli from GoodLeaf’s Vertical Farm, Guelph, Ontario

“We’re very excited to collaborate with GoodLeaf to unlock the potential for improved quality and yield for their indoor growing operations,” said Unfold CEO Sonia Lo. “As a former vertical farm operator, I understand first-hand the importance of seeds that are specifically developed for indoor growing. GoodLeaf is the largest vertical grower in Canada and has already demonstrated its ability to successfully grow leafy greens in large-scale, fully commercialized vertical farms. Now, through our partnership, we will accelerate their product evolution with seed developed and optimized for their specific environment.”

GoodLeaf is currently expanding across Canada, building new facilities in Montreal and Calgary to increase upon its current production out of Guelph, Ontario. With the completion of these two farms, GoodLeaf will produce over four million pounds of leafy greens annually, which is especially important for Canada where spinach, lettuce and other leafy greens remain amongst the country’s top imports. Both farms will be fully operational in late second quarter/early third quarter of 2023.

“Now that we have a solid foundation in place for our operations, it’s the perfect time to partner with Unfold,” said GoodLeaf President and CEO Barry Murchie. “Having the right seeds to ensure our success is crucial as we grow our operations throughout Canada and help the country lessen its dependence on imported produce. Unfold will help us make that goal possible.”

Goodleaf Unfold — LED lighting nurturing GoodLeaf’s vertically farmed spinach

GoodLeaf and Unfold’s collaboration is part of Unfold’s Innovation Partner Program, which provides vertical farm leaders unique access to Unfold’s leading plant biology expertise, digital tools and germplasm. This access is a competitive advantage to vertical farmers who often lack proficiency in seed genetics and agronomics for indoor farming, and, as a result, are left to rely on suboptimal seeds that generate reduced quality and yields. Through industry collaborations such as this, Unfold is working to address these core challenges head on.

“All of our leafy greens are grown with passion, care and precision,” Murchie continued. “Our partnership with Unfold will help us accelerate the development of even more productive, premium-quality leafy greens. Our R&D team is excited to collaborate with their counterparts at Unfold to take our efforts a leap forward and develop new varieties with enhanced yield, taste, nutritional value and sustainability.”

In fact, both organizations have sustainability as a core value. Working together they aim to develop varieties of leafy greens, most notably spinach, that require less time and energy to produce while enhancing traits valued by consumers, like crunch, colour and taste. These new varieties will boost GoodLeaf’s produce output while lowering its production costs, allowing the Company to increase the accessibility of fresh vegetables closer to consumers’ homes as they continue to expand across Canada.

Video Announcement

Check out this video to learn more about the Unfold / GoodLeaf IPP: https://youtu.be/oRmED2mxd1I

Indoor Ag-Con Presentation

Tomorrow, February 28, 2023, Unfold Chief Operator Officer David Nothmann will be moderating a fireside chat featuring a conversation between Unfold CEO Sonia Lo and GoodLeaf CEO Barry Murchie. The fireside chat, entitled “Bringing the Knowledge Inside, Transforming Vertical Farming through Seed Genetics,” will take place from 9:15 to 10:00 am PST in the Expo Theater. For more information on the conference, please visit https://indoor.ag/conference-program/.

About Unfold

Unfold is accelerating the “seed to table” capabilities of vertical farming with an integrated offering of superior seeds, digital services, and agronomic insight. Based in Davis, California, Unfold’s mission is to create a world where the freshest, most nutritious, and most delicious produce is available to every person on the planet. For additional information about Unfold or to hear about potential career opportunities, please visit our website at unfold.ag.

Unfold’s Innovation Partner Program provides vertical farm leaders with access to Unfold’s leading plant biology expertise, digital tools and germplasm. Learn more about the program at unfold.ag/partner-program.

About GoodLeaf Farms

With a passion for delicious, nutrient-rich greens, GoodLeaf was founded in Halifax in 2011. Using innovative technology and leveraging multi-level vertical farming, GoodLeaf has created a controlled and efficient indoor farm that can grow fresh produce anywhere in the world, 365 days of the year. The system combines innovations in LED lighting with leading edge hydroponic techniques to produce sustainable, safe, pesticide-free, nutrient-dense leafy greens. GoodLeaf has ongoing collaboration programs with multiple universities in Canada, USA and Europe as well as several other partners in the commercial sector. GoodLeaf is a wholly owned subsidiary of TruLeaf Sustainable Agriculture.

Learn more at goodleaffarms.com.