Tag: Automation

AGEYE Announces Aquisition of HYVE Brand At Indoor Ag-Con

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on March 20, 2024. Posted in Blog, Exhibitor News.

AGEYE will Assume Sales, Installation, and Support of HYVE Systems Moving Forward

(Raleigh, North Carolina – March 11, 2024) AGEYE, a forefront innovator in AI-powered crop intelligence for controlled environment agriculture (CEA), proudly announces its strategic acquisition of the HYVE® brand from DASCOM Americas. The company will also assume leadership roles for sales, installation, and support of HYVE systems moving forward. This pivotal move, an extension of the partnership that started in 2022, merges AGEYE’s leading AI technology with HYVE’s scalable, automated vertical farming system, and provides a clear and focused team and direction that will bring undistracted attention in providing the best, most comprehensive system for commercial farming operations.

Nick Genty, CEO of AGEYE, highlighted the industry’s challenges: “Vertical farmers often struggle with piecing together disparate solutions from various providers, leading to inconsistent results. Some have attempted to develop their own technologies, usually facing limited success and budget overruns. We’ve taken a fundamentally unique approach, combining task-speciﬁc yet straightforward technologies to provide a comprehensive, superior alternative that has already demonstrated success in the market.”

Central to this innovative solution is the automation of the entire plant lifecycle, from seeding to harvest. Eﬃcient and practical robotics technology signiﬁcantly reduces human errors, improves plant health, and lowers labor costs, all without the substantial ﬁnancial investment typically required by advanced technologies. Enhanced by AGEYE’s sophisticated analytics and crop monitoring, this automation supports informed, data-driven decisions across all farming operations – from irrigation and nutrition to lighting, climate control, and harvesting, setting a new standard for the industry. The comprehensive solution is designed to address the real-world challenges faced by vertical farmers, aiding in lowering operational expenses and growing cost-competitive crops.

“The acquisition of the HYVE brand and day-to-day leadership underscores our commitment to advancing indoor agriculture through technology,” said Bashir Jabbour, Senior Director of Product at AGEYE. “Our turnkey solution, where every component is precisely designed to work together, simpliﬁes the journey to success for growers in a competetive landscape. This cohesive approach allows growers to focus on their primary skill: growing. It spares them the complexity of managing multiple vendors and accelerates the operational setup.”

According to Ron Acorn, President of DASCOM Americas: “AGEYE and HYVE have worked together in a strategic capacity over the course of the last several years. Nick is a seasoned leader, full of energy, and very focused with a

team that is well positioned to take HYVE to a new level. This deal comes at a very opportune time for both companies. AGEYE is geographically and strategically well-positioned to maximize the capabilities of a more full- scale integration of the speciﬁc abilities of both companies. The combination of the system infrastructure we have cultivated to this point combined with their superior technology leadership means that there is now one source with a fully focused vision to give commercial growers the most viable and comprehensive pathway to success in their indoor farming pursuits. It is both strategic and practical for AGEYE to assume a more prominent role in bringing this comprehensive solution to market. AGEYE’s leadership, technical expertise, and depth of experience add the ﬁnal missing piece to an unmatched recipe for prospective indoor farmers who will without doubt change the landscape of commercial farming moving forward.”

This move marks a signiﬁcant step in AGEYE’s eﬀort to transform vertical farming into a well-known, dependable, and ﬁnancially viable way to grow crops all year, moving it from a niche method to a widely accepted, sustainable form of agriculture. The goal is to make advanced crop intelligence and automation technology accessible to indoor farmers of all sizes, enhancing their productivity and ensuring sustainable and continuing operations.

For More Information:

To learn more about our solutions and technologies, please visit our websites: AGEYE Technologies: https://ageyetech.com

Grow HYVE: https://growhyve.com

LinkedIn: AGEYE Technologies and HYVE Indoor Farming

About AGEYE:

AGEYE specializes in advanced farm management software, IoT devices, AI-driven crop analytics, and fully automated robotic solutions for vertical farming. Our focus is on enhancing revenue per square foot using data- driven precision agriculture. We’re dedicated to making indoor farming viable and proﬁtable by embracing sustainability and leveraging intelligence to simplify complexities. Our technology empowers indoor growers to transform challenges into opportunities, setting new standards for the future of controlled environment agriculture.

About HYVE:

HYVE is a business unit of DASCOM Americas which serves the Americas markets and is wholly owned by DASCOM Holdings, a Hong Kong-based company with more than 30 years of experience in providing technology solutions. The company does business in more than eighty countries around the globe and oﬀers diverse solutions for customers in a broad range of markets.

Center of Excellence For Indoor Agriculture and Microclimates

The Center of Excellence for Indoor Agriculture Announces Partnership With Microclimates, Inc.

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on March 9, 2024. Posted in Blog, Exhibitor News.

The Center of Excellence for Indoor Agriculture, a U.S. based company that supports the growth of the vertical farming and greenhouse industry, announced a partnership with Microclimates, a software development company that provides farms with a platform that offers monitoring, control, data analytics and automation to growers.

The new partnership is designed to assist growers from start-up to farm-build to continued operations. The Center brings its business planning, financial analysis, venture strategy and farm operations assessment expertise to the partnership. Microclimates brings its expertise in platform development and software solutions for lighting, climate, fertigation, irrigation, layered mapping and energy management to the partnership. Together they offer clients a robust set of solutions for indoor farm development and growth.

Eric W. Stein, Ph.D., founder and Executive Director of the Center of Excellence notes, “We are delighted to work with Neda Vaseghi and Loren West at Microclimates. They have built a robust and easy-to-use software platform that helps indoor growers to succeed. One of the challenges for growers is to operate a farm in an efficient and sustainable way in order to achieve profitability. Their solution provides a high level of monitoring, control, and automation at an affordable price point.”

Neda Vaseghi, CEO and co-founder of Microclimates says, “We are thrilled to be partnering with the Center of Excellence and Dr. Eric Stein. His unparalleled expertise in indoor agriculture, technology innovation, and sustainable practices perfectly complements our mission to revolutionize CEA. With Dr. Stein’s visionary leadership and our commitment to cutting-edge environmental automation, supported by integration of silos and hardware- agnostic approach, we are poised to unlock new possibilities and drive transformative impact in the agriculture industry. Together, we look forward to shaping a more efficient, sustainable, and resilient future for growers.”

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. The Center and its partners offer indoor farm design solutions based on sustainable architectural design and optimal operations management principles. As the first U.S.-based Center of Excellence dedicated to indoor farming, it promotes best practices, benchmarking, best in class solutions and research. The Center is located in the Philadelphia metro region.

About Microclimates, Inc. Microclimates is a software company that offers a platform for monitoring, control, automation, and data analytics for various aspects of controlled environment agriculture (CEA), including lighting, climate (HVAC), watering, nutrient dosing, energy monitoring, and maps. Its solution aims to address the current scenario where most CEA systems operate independently, functioning as isolated entities. The Microclimates platform seamlessly unifies monitoring & control systems, while providing a hardware- agnostic model. This integration provides users with a centralized software interface, simplifying management by reducing the number of controllers to oversee. Additionally, it brings about cost savings through labor reduction, mitigates risks associated with the use of multiple control systems, harmonizes data across various components, and facilitates informed, data-driven decision-making for operators.

Trend Report Part Two – Indoor Ag-Con 2024

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on February 28, 2024. Posted in Blog, Exhibitor News, Press Releases.

Climate Control, Smart Irrigation, Healthy Super Food

(Photos L-R from Hoogendoorn, FabricAir, NGS, Pure Life Carbon and Dramm)

Indoor Ag-Con returns March 11-12 to Caesars Forum Las Vegas offering attendees an insider look into the driving forces behind the ever-evolving vertical farming | greenhouse | controlled environment agriculture industry. Boasting an expanded Expo Hall with 200+ exhibiting companies showcasing the most cutting-edge products, services and tools on the market, Indoor Ag-Con will offer an immersive experience to farmers, growers, ag tech leaders, suppliers, advocates and enthusiasts.

As a follow-up to Indoor Ag-Con Trend Report One issued earlier this year, below are some of the latest trends shaping the indoor agriculture industry today and a selection of product highlights from Indoor Ag-Con 2024 exhibitors.

Climate Control

In recent years, climate control has emerged as a pivotal trend in indoor agriculture, revolutionizing the way crops are grown in controlled environments. With a heightened focus on sustainability and food security, growers are increasingly turning to sophisticated climate control systems to optimize growing conditions regardless of external weather patterns. These systems integrate advanced technologies such as sensors, automated ventilation, and LED lighting, to create tailored environments that mimic ideal growing conditions. By fine-tuning factors like temperature, humidity, CO2 levels, and light intensity, indoor farmers can achieve higher yields, faster growth cycles, and superior crop quality while conserving resources and minimizing environmental impact.

Groupe Eode, (Booth 1306) in partnership with ECU Plus, ATC, and GPS, offers a comprehensive precision climate solution, assisting growers in increasing yields while minimizing risks and energy costs. The ECU plus is a new product line offering a HVAC system capable of delivering the most precise temperature and humidity control in the industry, with exceptional energy efficiency. GPS is a new product line reducing and controlling mildew and pathogen by generating ions in the space. Cost effective and without any maintenance or replacement parts.

Hoogendoorn Growth Management’s (Booth 600) flagship product, IIVO, is a revolutionary climate computer equipped with Intelligent Algorithms, streamlining greenhouse management. IIVO not only simplifies climate optimization but also stands out with proactive Intelligent Algorithms that continuously fine-tune climate control based on forecasted weather conditions, ensuring peak efficiency in greenhouse operations.

Microclimates (Booth 701) is an innovative technology firm specializing in environmental automation tailored for the controlled agricultural sector. In an era where automation systems often operate independently, lacking seamless communication, Microclimates introduces a groundbreaking solution. Unlike traditional siloed approaches, the platform transcends hardware dependencies, providing a unified ecosystem. Through the platform, disparate systems—ranging from climate control and lighting to irrigation and fertigation—are seamlessly integrated onto a single user-friendly interface, facilitating harmonized data management and optimal operational efficiency. Microclimates partnered with Veea Inc. to launch LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) as the wireless solution for sensing and controlling and its low price point allows for easy deployment in any facility.

DryGair (Booth 207) develops and manufactures a patented dehumidification solution for commercial-scale horticulture, including greenhouses, nurseries, indoor grow rooms, drying rooms, and more. DG dehumidifiers combine powerful and efficient dehumidification with a unique air circulation mechanism to ensure uniform, optimal conditions in the grow space.

DesertAire (Booth 1305) offers highly efficient, purpose built integrated HVACD equipment specifically designed for indoor agriculture. Desert Aire’s GrowAire™ GreenAire™ and DriCure™ HVACD solutions provide integrated HVAC control of temperature and humidity in order to provide stable VFD to enhance and protect crops. The new Chilled Water Integrated HVACD System for CEA will be shown at Indoor Ag-Con.

FabricAir (Booth 702) provides complete air solutions for indoor farming and vertical grow operations. Their fabric-based air delivery systems are custom engineered to prevent microclimates, facilitate uniform temperature and humidity within the grow space, and allows plants to flourish through every stage of the grow cycle. FabricAir ducts are lightweight, hygienic, washable, and they don’t condensate which eliminates corrosion issues. The Rack Flow system offers custom designed airflow solutions for multi-tiered grow spaces.

A new partnership between Wageningen University & Research and Skytree (Booth 903), focuses on the use of direct air capture (DAC) technology in the Dutch horticulture industry. The project aims to explore how DAC-generated CO2 can affect plant growth, the energy efficiency of producing CO2, and the optimal integration of DAC into existing greenhouses.

Quality: The project investigates the impact of DAC-generated CO2 on plant growth, which is crucial for greenhouse quality improvements.
Energy: It measures the energy required to produce 1kg of CO2, a key factor in the sustainability of greenhouse operations.
Integration: The research focuses on optimizing DAC integration, which is essential for modernizing greenhouse infrastructure.

MJ–Tech (Booth 320) is a leader in providing high-pressure fog systems, from breeding to propagation and/or cultivation. To manage humidity, to have adiabatic cooling (lower temperatures) all in the most flexible way with your overall climate computer steering.

Smart Irrigation

Irrigation in indoor agriculture has undergone a notable transformation, driven by advancements in technology and a growing emphasis on sustainability and efficiency. Traditional irrigation methods, such as flood and drain systems or hand-watering, are being replaced by more precise and automated techniques. Hydroponic and aeroponic systems, utilizing nutrient-rich solutions or misting mechanisms, have gained popularity due to their ability to deliver water directly to plant roots while minimizing waste. Moreover, the integration of sensors, data analytics, and smart controls enables growers to monitor and adjust irrigation schedules in real-time, optimizing water usage and crop health. This shift towards precision irrigation not only conserves water, but also enhances crop yields and quality in indoor farming environments.

Dramm (Booth 613) is pleased to announce their partnership with CE-Line to provide in-line nutrient testing to irrigation water in North America. CE-Line is a unique, laboratory quality, nutrient analysis system that automatically samples water throughout the day. This in-line testing solution provides accurate data within an hour, eliminating the wait for test results from a remote laboratory. Sample results are securely stored in the cloud with APIs available to connect to your climate control and fertigation systems. This connectivity allows for automated optimization of nutrient levels in real-time.”

In the Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) sector, Siemens’ (Booth 1400 and 1501) advanced controls systems, innovative infrastructure, and building automation systems empower growers to optimize crop growth, conserve resources, and increase yields—all while harnessing the power of automation and data-driven insights—leaving customers more sustainable, from the field to the table.

FGM USA (Booth 321) offers automated NFT growing systems including all irrigation and water treatment systems, as well as a propagation/vertical grow system manufactured by FGM. FGM a Danish and USA Company is a leading designer and mfg. of horticulture equipment since 1979.

HANS® (Booth 1522) has reinvented every component used to treat water – from the redundant pump to reverse osmosis elements into intelligent, efficient, space-saving devices. They are designed to work together in modular, scalable systems to meet every need. So even if your customers have brackish water, or need de-ionized water, or use a million gallons per day, HANS components can be assembled to get the job done – quickly, easily and effectively.

Super Food

Indoor agriculture presents a promising avenue for exploring alternate food sources, particularly in the realm of sustainable and innovative farming practices. Vertical farms, hydroponics, and aquaponics systems are just a few examples revolutionizing how we grow food. These methods not only maximize space but also offer opportunities to cultivate unconventional crops like microgreens, edible flowers, and specialty herbs. As indoor agriculture continues to evolve, it provides a fertile ground for experimenting with diverse food sources, offering resilience against climate change and bolstering food security for future generations.

Pure Life Carbon (Booth 1222) is a private Canadian clean AgTech firm that has developed the first re-usable, carbon sequestering, soilless growing medium for the controlled environment agriculture market. The products utilize Advanced Carbon technology to solve problems for growers that were unsolvable in the past. Pure Life Carbon is among a high-performing group of global innovators and visionaries working to feed the populations of tomorrow while healing the environment. Pure Life Carbon has developed the first re-usable, carbon sequestering, soilless growing medium for the controlled environment agriculture market.

Klassman-Dielmann’s (Booth 812) focus will be on the presentation of a genuine innovation for modern horticulture: Nygaia. Nygaia is a new and groundbreaking substrate fiber based on biopolymer technology that is biodegradable and is particularly suitable for use in hydroponic systems. Under the theme “The magic of innovation,” the completely newly developed, innovative substrate solution will be brought to life with plant examples grown in Nygaia, test kits distributed to interested guests at the Klassman-Dielmann booth or with the appearance of magician Rob Anderson during the Indoor Ag-Con Expo Floor Day One Cocktail reception!

Royal Gold (Booth 505) is the Original Coco soils company, pioneering Coconut based soils and growing mediums for nearly 2 decades. They are leaders in quality and consistency in the marketplace and focus on industry leading customer support for both hobby and commercial cultivation of all crops. Featuring a variety of soils and soilless mediums and offering OMRI/CDFA organic fertilizers and amendments, Royal Gold is the gold standard in gardening. They will be displaying the new All-purpose fertilizer and new 70/30 Coco-Perlite Blend as well as sharing information on its forthcoming Planting Mix and Potting and Propagation Mix.

BIO520 (Booth 1212) is an all-natural essential liquid mineral nutrient for optimal plant cultivation. Derived from a combination of ancient volcanic magma and sea sediments, and free of any harmful chemicals, BIO520 contains an abundance of vital minerals to help plants thrive. BIO520 is beneficial for all plants and crops, indoor or outdoor. Developed from Mother Nature for Mother Nature.

NGS (Booth 1023) manufactures hydroponics for Strawberries, Lettuces and Leafy Greens. NGS is an engineering firm which has been developing automated systems to optimize growing production both by reducing labor and by incrementing production. NGS builds greenhouses that grow lettuce in the desert as well as indoor systems for strawberries. NGS is presenting its patented rotational system for strawberries which doubles normal tabletop production. This new system is revolutionizing the way strawberries are being grown while reducing labor and production costs.

Supreme Perlite (Booth 1216) horticultural perlite products are the ideal indoor, CEA, or hydroponic growing media made here in the U.S.A from domestic raw material sources. The products are sterile, 100% natural, non-toxic, lightweight, pH neutral, durable and insulating. Used as a standalone product, expanded perlite offers clear advantages such as excellent capillarity, water-holding capacity, and air-filled porosity. Combined with other media, perlite boosts drainage rates and aeration, holds moisture and nutrients close to roots, and resists compaction as other substrates begin to break down.

EPM (Booth 521) stands at the forefront of eco-friendly plant protection, manufacturing natural solutions in the USA. They excited to debut a 3in1 plant wash, ECO Green, an innovative solution that cleans plant leaves, roots, and acts as an effective pest management alternative. Its unique blend of catalytic enzymes and citric acid not only removes dirt and biofilm but also guards against pests.

For more information on the 2024 exhibitors, please visit www.indoor.ag.

ABOUT:

Founded in 2013, Indoor Ag-Con has emerged as the largest trade show and conference for vertical farming | greenhouse |controlled environment agriculture. 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, visit www.indoor.ag

AmHydro Partners With Ryzee To Introduce New All-in-one Farm Optimization Platform

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on February 3, 2024. Posted in Blog, Exhibitor News.

American Hydroponics (AmHydro), provider of best-in-class hydroponic growing systems and CEA grower support, and Ryzee, an Agtech startup that develops hardware and data-driven software systems for CEA markets are pleased to announce the strategic partnership and collaboration to develop a groundbreaking all-in-one farm optimization platform, designed from the ground up to address pain points that growers deal with on a daily basis.

The OnSite app will be publicly unveiled and demoed for the first time in Las Vegas at Indoor Ag-Con 2024, where attendees will have the opportunity to visit Booth 715 learn more and apply for free access as pre-launch testers.

The tablet-based platform utilizes hardware and software – in the greenhouse and remotely – to help farmers track operations, automate daily tasks, and optimize crop planning. It’s farmer-tested and affordable, with features and functionality that address real feedback and needs expressed by AmHydro customers on a regular basis.

“I’ve spent decades in the industry, both as a commercial grower and working with AmHydro. I know what the struggles are. I’ve seen a lot of technologies that have made growers’ lives easier, but I’ve never seen an all-in-one solution that solves so many farm management issues this well. It’s been so exciting to team up with Ryzee to bring this platform to life. I think the features will speak for themselves, and I’m so excited to let everyone see what we’ve been working on.”
– Joe Swartz, VP, AmHydro

“Our team at Ryzee is very excited about the partnership with American Hydroponics on the OnSite tool. By combining our respective strengths, we are streamlining farm management and increasing productivity to address farmers’ real needs.”
– Mike M. Liu, CEO, Ryzee

With minimal setup required, OnSite will allow growers access to a full suite of features. Crop Walk combines RFID crop and harvest tracking and visual assessments to create useful at-a-glance reports on plant health and productivity. Utilization Based Planning will allow full optimization of planting sites, allowing growers to schedule rolling harvests without leaving channels empty. Crop automations will respond to real farm data to schedule and track tasks, ensuring growers and farm workers know exactly what to do and when.

Future releases are planned to further enhance productivity and automate operation activities.

Growers and investors attending Indoor Ag-Con 2024 are welcome to drop by the AmHydro X Ryzee booth to learn more about trialing the platform at no cost before it is officially launched.

Trend Report – Indoor Ag-Con 2024

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on January 13, 2024. Posted in Blog, Exhibitor News, Press Releases.

JANUARY 14, 2024 — Indoor Ag-Con returns March 11-12 to Caesars Forum offering attendees an insider look into the driving forces behind the ever-evolving vertical farming | greenhouse | controlled environment agriculture industry. Boasting an expanded Expo Hall with 200+ exhibiting companies offering the most cutting-edge products, services and tools on the market, Indoor Ag-Con will offer an immersive experience to farmers, growers, ag tech leaders, suppliers, advocates and enthusiasts.

(Photos above from L-R: Tetraponics, New Age Laboratories, Oreon, Lifetime Green Coatings, Climate Control Systems Inc.)

Below are some of the most impactful trends shaping the indoor agriculture industry today and a selection of product highlights from Indoor Ag-Con 2024 exhibitors.

GO GREENER

Sustainability in indoor agriculture is a critical focus in modern farming practices, addressing environmental concerns and promoting efficient resource utilization. Indoor farming allows for precise control over environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and light, minimizing the need for pesticides and fertilizers. This results in reduced environmental impact compared to traditional outdoor farming. The controlled environment facilitates year-round production, reducing the reliance on seasonal cycles and transportation costs. By incorporating renewable energy sources and implementing innovative technologies, indoor agriculture contributes to a more sustainable and resilient food production system, aligning with the growing global emphasis on environmentally conscious practices.

Key Indoor Ag-Con exhibitors promoting their sustainable focus include:

Lifetime Green Coatings’ (Booth 906) industrial-grade, environmentally friendly concrete floor coating is VOC-free, food-safe, slip-resistant, and easy to apply—making it ideal for any business that handles food, plants, or livestock. 3x as thick as your average epoxy, allowing for durability, while remaining 100% flexible moving with the surface underneath. Create a safer and healthier operational environment with long-lasting, non-toxic coatings that help prevent the growth of mold, mildew, and bacteria.

Oreon (Booth 1320) is a Dutch, innovative developer and manufacturer of high-tech LED grow lights. Oreon started 15 years ago with the first commercial project with water-cooled Oreon LED fixtures installed in 2009. Now, the LED fixtures are worldwide deployed in the horticulture and vertical/indoor farming industry above various types of crops.

Environmental Plant Management (Booth 521) stands at the forefront of eco-friendly plant protection, manufacturing natural solutions in the USA. Their innovative products are distinguished by their use of catalytic enzymes, providing highly effective plant care without the drawbacks of oil, persistent odors, or residues. With 3rd party lab-documented success against a spectrum of pests and diseases, our products represent a leap forward in sustainable and effective plant care. Look out for new products including the 3 in 1 plant wash, ECO Green, an innovative solution that cleans plant leaves, roots, and acts as an effective pest management alternative and Clear Zona, a game-changer in plant yield enhancement.

NEW AGE Laboratories (Booth 1417) is a family-owned and operated business established in 1998 as an environmental laboratory working for clients like NASA and the Dept. of Defense. Their early focus on environmental jobs laid the foundation for a path rooted in scientific innovation and commitment to global betterment. The vision evolved with the world’s agricultural needs leading New Age to be the first Laboratory in North America to offer Plant Sap Analysis. Today, NEW AGE Laboratories stands at the intersection of cutting-edge science and agricultural excellence.

SMART AGRICULTURE

Indoor agriculture’s integration of cutting-edge technologies has allowed farmers to create controlled environments that optimize crop growth and enhance overall productivity. Smart greenhouse construction boasting the latest technologies to increase productivity and sustainability. Additionally, vertical farming, hydroponics, and aquaponics systems leverage technology to maximize space utilization and resource efficiency, reducing the ecological footprint of agriculture. This seamless synergy between technology and indoor agriculture not only ensures year-round crop production but also fosters sustainable farming practices in an increasingly resource-constrained world.

At Indoor Ag-Con, key exhibitors driving the Smart Agriculture trend include:

Agra Tech Greenhouse Manufacturers (Booth 518) specializes in manufacturing commercial greenhouses and related technologies. Their offerings include a variety of greenhouse structures, advanced climate control systems, lighting, fertigation, irrigation, and customization options. Emphasizing energy efficiency and sustainability, Agra Tech caters to a diverse range of clients, from small farms to large commercial growers and educational institutions, providing not only products but also support and consulting services.

Netafim (Booth 1017) strives to provide growers with the best, most effective solutions. They have a total of 70 years of Dutch heritage in glasshouse manufacturing. Along with Netafim’s worldwide presence and precision innovation in the agricultural industry. We ensure that our turnkey commercial greenhouse projects are implemented with our comprehensive agricultural expertise, manufacturing competence, and the latest technology.

Agritecture (Booth 1216) is an advisory services and technology firm focused on climate-smart agriculture, particularly urban and controlled environment agriculture. Their mission is to accelerate and empower the transition to smarter and more resilient agriculture, and our vision is a new era where agriculture is economically feasible, resilient to climate change, and powered by data-driven strategies.

SpectraGrow (Booth 207) offers 3D Plant Lighting for Vertical Farming. They build precision LED systems for controlled environment agriculture. By solving 3D photon uniformity challenges in vertical AgTech, SpectraGrow, uniquely increases farm profitability with less electricity usage, more harvests, greater yields, and better plant quality.

Groupe Eode (Booth 1306) proudly introduces the AgroECU+, the advanced all-in-one grow room HVAC system designed to elevate standards for commercial growers. With a focus on precision temperature and humidity control, remarkable energy efficiency, and the added benefits of ionization through GPS Air NPBItechnology, Group Eode creates an environment that blends optimal conditions for cultivation with a touch of innovation and sophistication. The integration of air diffusion solutions from Aero Textile Concept (ATC), validated for performance using Computational Fluid Mechanics (CFD), further enhances the effectiveness of AgroECU+.

AUTOMATION=LABOR OPTIMIZATION

Automation in indoor farming has further strengthened traditional agricultural practices by integrating cutting-edge technologies to enhance efficiency and precision. In this context, various automated systems are employed to control and monitor crucial factors such as temperature, humidity, light, and nutrient levels within controlled environments. Additionally, artificial intelligence enables real-time data analysis, allowing farmers to make informed decisions for crop management. The implementation of automation not only increases productivity, but also promotes sustainability by minimizing resource waste.

Indoor Ag-Con exhibitors boasting Automation capabilities include:

Thanks to years of experience, Artechno Growsystems (Booth 400) has the know-how, skills, and expertise that benefits customers worldwide. The futuristic technology is not the goal but a means to achieve the best cultivation results. With a plant-oriented approach, technology, and a healthy dose of guts, Artechno Growsystems realizes a new standard within vertical growing with their AVF+. With the fully automated AVF+ Factory, Artechno takes care of all processes for the grower; the input and output of this turnkey plant factory are the same every day. The plants also get everything their plant-hearts desire, such as the right light intensity, temperature, nutrients, CO2, airflow, and humidity.

Grow Director Ltd.(Booth 1319) is a 6-year-old Agri-Tech company offering climate control and automation systems for vertical farms and greenhouses. The system stands out for its modular and scalable design and consists of six independent modules, each to perform its own task, multiple sensors and AI-driven software. It offers multiple solutions, including full hydroponics automation (irrigation, injection, dosing, mixing, water quality control), electrical devices automation (turn on / off, power control), environmental data collection, its analysis and environment control based on it.

Tetraponics (Booth 1416) designs and manufacture hydroponic automation systems. The FLORATek line of automated dosing systems is on its 2nd generation and features a simple user interface, while also featuring enhanced modularity and connectivity. debuting new dosing pumps that will enable the FLORATek 3X to be compatible with any size hydroponic setup. They will also be showing off some commercial-specific capabilities of their online portal, used to remotely monitor and control your systems from anywhere in the world with any device.

Ryzee (Booth 715) provides end-to-end solutions that enable CEA farmers with data-driven automation tools to increase efficiency. Their solutions combine web applications, mobile applications, cloud computing, and IoT sensing and control devices.

Climate Control Systems Inc. (Booth 512) has been manufacturing greenhouse automation systems since 1985. Their CEA automation software and solutions help achieve a better crop while saving precious grower time. Their three main solutions are the Fertigation Manager, Climate Manager and Ozone Pro Water TreatmentSystems. They are also distributors for Watts Water filtration Products and Climate Controls Inc vent motors, rack & pinions that are designed to help CEA owners maximize crop yields, help manage energy costs and help with water & fertilizer conservation.

For more information on the 2024 exhibitors, please see who’s exhibiting here.

ABOUT INDOOR AG-CON:

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.

Automated Nutrient Delivery by Nuravine

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on February 12, 2023. Posted in Blog, Exhibitor News.

At Nuravine, our team is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of automated farming. Our vision is to be a component of cities of tomorrow, where large, indoor facilities can grow and process all of the food needed to feed the population. To make this vision a reality, we’ve been working hard to create cutting-edge technology that helps farmers increase efficiency and overcome the challenges they face.

One of the key factors that has helped us achieve our goals has been our participation in the National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps (ICORPS) program. This program allowed us to travel the country and visit farmers, learn about their challenges, and figure out how we could build technology to solve their current pain points. It was through this program that we discovered the need for better and more affordable ways to run farming facilities, and saw an opportunity to provide farmers with the technology they needed.

Our flagship product, the Aurora, is a nutrient dosing system that optimizes the performance of recirculating systems for growers. The system includes a smart controller, peristaltic pump modules (Elixirs), and a suite of sensors that measure pH, conductivity, temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), and oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) of the water in which the plants are living. With its cloud connectivity, growers can monitor real-time conditions of the plants and control the system remotely.

What’s really exciting is that the Aurora is versatile enough to be used in both small and large vertical farms, making it a great solution for a wide range of growers. Our platform is designed to continually improve, and we’re working towards making it a full automation platform that will control lights, HVAC, cameras, and other critical elements of a vertical farm. By making decisions based on multiple variables simultaneously, we believe we can revolutionize the way food is grown.

Our newest product, Flux, is a controller that multiplies the functionality of our dosing systems for both recirculating and drain to waste applications. We are also showcasing Nuravine Cloud 2.0, which gives growers an incredible amount of control in an easy to use and intuitive interface.

We are thrilled to be a part of the exciting and rapidly-evolving field of vertical farming. We’ve made it our mission to help farmers overcome the challenges they face and build a more sustainable and efficient future.

For more information check out ourwebsite, follow us on Instagram, or visit us in person at Indoor Ag-Con, booth 424.

HYVE® & AGEYE® Announce Strategic Partnership Aimed at Bringing Next Generation of Innovation to Indoor Farming

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on February 12, 2023. Posted in Blog, Exhibitor News.

(Verona, Virginia February 15, 2023) – HYVE Indoor Farming Systems, a solutions-based, manufacturer of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) systems and AGEYE, a preeminent leader in automated platform monitoring for vertical farms and greenhouses, today announced a strategic partnership aimed at bringing unmatched complete technology to the CEA industry and commercial growers.

HYVE is Central Virginia-based and offers complete hydroponic growing solutions with an emphasis on hardware, design, and system infrastructure. AGEYE, from the greater Raleigh, North Carolina area provides sophisticated artificial intelligence capability that monitors every plant within a system for more predictable harvest outcomes and the resultant effect of more profitable harvests.

According to Ron Acorn, President of HYVE, “Our goal remains to provide a total and complete scalable solution for indoor farming. We trace our origin to the LED lighting industry and initially began in CEA by offering a range of LED grow lights. Over time this has evolved to complete systems that include everything from heavy duty racking, controls, food grade trays with automated movement, robotics, nursery, seeding, harvesting equipment, automated tray cleaning, and more. The strategic partnership with AGEYE will now further enhance HYVE systems by providing growers with the choice for a comprehensive integrated artificial intelligence capability that will allow for revolutionary plant and system monitoring.”

Nick Genty, Co-Founder and CEO of AGEYE says about the alliance: “AGEYE’s focused core competency has been software and artificial intelligence (AI). Our AI systems utilize visual inputs and growth development insights and essentially turn them into autonomous actions within a system’s architecture. What this means for a grower is that we have a sophisticated means to monitor the health and development of crops through every stage of the growth process and invoke actions that will help to identify abnormal growth patterns that may adversely affect harvest and profitability. We can mitigate issues at an early stage leading to much better outcomes for the grower.”

He adds: “We are excited to partner with HYVE as we view their systems to be the perfect fit for our artificial intelligence solution. Their platform is a complete and robust scalable technology answer and our system as an integration will provide those in the controlled environment sector an unmatched choice. Together we will create truly exceptional outcomes by bringing to market an automated turn-key solution that can really be viewed as the standard for the next generation of vertical indoor farming systems.”

HYVE will be exhibiting at Indoor Ag-Con in booth 619. AGEYE Technologies is a platinum partner of Indoor Ag-Con and Nick Genty will serve as a moderator for a discussion on “Avoiding Nutrient Imbalances” the second day of the show.

More information on HYVE can be found at www.growhyve.com while additional information on AGEYE can be found on the company’s website www.ageyetech.com.

CEA 4.0 | Accelerating the Development, Advancement & Efficiency of Indoor Farming

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on March 23, 2022. Posted in Blog.

Indoor Ag-Con is proud to be an event partner for Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) 4.0, the virtual event focusing on accelerating the development, advancement and efficiency of indoor farming. This year the event runs over 2 days — Friday, May 6 and Friday, May 20, 2022.

“This edition of CEA 4.0 will focus on the current evolution of the indoor farming industry to explore how policy is developing with its integration into the sector, how we are helping to drive the circular economy forward, sustainability, integration into traditional food systems, and learning how this is being done from an international perspective. From a technological aspect we will be focusing on seeds and their development, TCEA, grow light solutions, resource efficiencies, automation, energy usage and requirements, innovations in research and technologies, and robotics & AI,” according to Jonathan Martin, director, Tech 4.0.

As part of our event partnership, our Indoor Ag-Con audience is invited to take advantage of a special VIP upgrade. You can register for the current lowest price of £4.99 and you’ll be upgraded manually to a VIP attendee which includes:

Full conference & event access provided for the entire event
Instant messaging and 1-1 video networking with any attendee
Ability to arrange 1-1 video meetings with any attendee
Access to recordings of event presentations
Customizable company & attendee profiles with various multimedia content options
Associated event company branding

Learn more & register at https://www.tickettailor.com/events/jonathanmartin/535203

Rivulis C8100 Fertigation System-01 (002)

Scale Up Your Indoor Grow with Fertigation, Irrigation and Environmental Control by Rivulis

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on January 18, 2022. Posted in Exhibitor News.

Growing Indoors is Easy, right?

It sure was easy in the olden days if you produced only a handful of plants in your home. It was all manageable by hand and required only manual labor of love. However, expanding to grow commercially today requires thought, strategy, and most importantly, advanced automated technology to grow consistent premium crops and high yields. All are still produced with love but much more efficiently, consistently, and cost-effectively returning better crops and maximum profit. Indoor cultivation is an art. Adding automation is a scientific art backed by plant data.

When you think of automation, are you thinking no humans will be involved?

That’s not true at all; with automation, you’re eliminating the potential of human error in your indoor cultivation process. You’re taking out the inconsistency of hand watering and nutrient application—the manual management of lighting, humidity, CO2, and HVAC. You gain a more comprehensive view of your whole grow operations.

Commercial growers aim for consistency in their crop. The only way to repeat this turn after turn is with automated technology. Allowing growers to dial in their grow cycle with complete control of water and nutrient feed and precise environmental controls to maintain that profile, crop production and quality. Adding automation brings a considerable leap of innovation to your grow operations.

Rivulis has been at the forefront of helping farmers grow for the past 55 years with advanced drip and micro-irrigation technology and is bringing it indoors, assisting indoor growers in driving consistency and growth for higher yields and premium quality crops.

We offer the most comprehensive product portfolio in the industry with an extensive line of irrigation solutions and end-to-end automation projects for any crop in any climate. Our business is to help you grow bigger, better, and beyond. And we have been perfecting it for over five decades. Our expertise and automation technology can help YOU take your grow to the next level.

Amplify your grow power with Rivulis

Rivulis is the new standard in the industry that will help you push your grow into uncharted territory for premium crop and yield. The Rivulis C8100 precision fertigation system takes the guesswork out of your irrigation and feed programs with a user-friendly controller interface. Growers can easily program customized irrigation and nutrient feed schedules based on the plant’s needs. Giving them the exact amount of water and nutrients needed every time. The system comes with an EC/PH controls, so you can quickly and easily manage nutrient imbalances.

Taking your grow to the next level requires control of the growing environment. The C8100 system base model comes standard with the C4100 Irrigation Controller to manage your irrigation and fertigation needs. Add the C4100 Climate Controller for more control. The C4100 Climate is totally modular and works fantastically well with one, two, four up to an unlimited number of zones. Together, this platform is a powerful system to intelligently manage your indoor commercial grow, from lights, HVAC, CO2, temp/humidity control, and ventilation, all the way to the roots, with custom irrigation and feed programs.

Ready to take your grow to the next level? Visit us at the Indoor Ag-Con and talk to our experts about how to amplify your cultivation power. Find more information at www.rivulis.com.