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Tag: climate control

Hydrofarm and CEA Advisors Announce Strategic Alliance

hydrofarm and growtainer Hydrofarm Holdings Group, Inc. (“Hydrofarm”), a leading manufacturer and distributor of equipment and supplies for controlled environment agriculture (“CEA”), today announced that it has entered into an exclusive strategic alliance with CEA Advisors, a global design/build consultancy to the vertical farming industry and manufacturer of Growtainers® and Growracks®, to accelerate their expansion into the growing and evolving CEA space for both food and non-food production.

(Photo above — (L-R) Glenn Behrman and Chris Mayer – compliments of Vertical Farm Daily)

Hydrofarm’s Innovative Growers Equipment (“IGE”) commercial division will serve as the North American manufacturing and marketing hub for Growtainers® and Growracks®. IGE’s Sycamore, Illinois facility combines manufacturing, research and development, and warehouse space serving the global market.

“We are excited about our relationship with Glenn Behrman and CEA Advisors. It will bring great enhancements to the creative solutions and support we provide to the CEA market,” said Chris Mayer, SVP and Head of Hydrofarm Commercial. “Our priority is to be one of the most important global providers of CEA products and services. We believe that the CEA industry has tremendous potential, and we are very excited to have a 50-year veteran of the global horticulture industry on our team.”

“Working with the Hydrofarm team, IGE, and Chris Mayer is a dream come true for a company like CEA Advisors,” said Glenn. “I’m convinced that collaboration is the key to success in today’s challenging economic environment. We strongly believe that in CEA, there is great opportunity for new farmers globally, and that is why our first initiative will be the design and distribution of an affordable entry level Growtainer®. The beginning CEA farmer can learn and experience this type of production with minimal investment and then move on to other more sophisticated systems that are available.”

About Hydrofarm Holdings Group, Inc.

Hydrofarm is a leading independent manufacturer and distributor of branded hydroponics equipment and supplies for controlled environment agriculture, including grow lights, climate control solutions, growing media and nutrients, as well as a broad portfolio of innovative and proprietary branded products. For over 40 years, Hydrofarm has helped growers make growing easier and more productive. The Company’s mission is to empower growers, farmers and cultivators with products that enable greater quality, efficiency, consistency and speed in their grow projects.

www.hydrofarm.com

www.innovativegrowersequipment.com

About CEA Advisors LLC

CEA Advisors provides Consulting services on the global development of turnkey innovative investment grade indoor farming projects from concept to implementation, including design, engineering, technology procurement, installation, and hands on project management for a wide variety of international clients including Start-Ups, Biotechnology firms, Government Agencies, Universities, Commercial Growers, Researchers, Pharmaceutical Manufacturers, Food Manufacturers, Food Processors and Grocery Retailers.

Glenn Behrman has always been a disruptor and an industry pioneer, a hands-on “C’ level executive in the Horticulture industry for over 50 years and laser focused for the past 13 years on Controlled Environment Agriculture as founder and President of CEA Advisors LLC.

www.cea-advisors.com

www.growtainers.com

Ceres GS Presents The SunChamber™

Ceres GS Presents, The SunChamber™ – a Sealed Geothermal Growhouse, Powered by the Sun, the Earth, and Data

Indoor Ag-Con Exhibitor News From Ceres GSIndoor Ag-Con Exhibitor News Ceres GS:  Ceres Greenhouse Solutions , a company specializing in smart greenhouse design and engineering, has named their new sealed growhouse design, the SunChamber™ – characterized by its sun harvesting and climate control capabilities.

The SunChamber™ is more than a greenhouse, it’s a catalyst to a new way of food production. The SunChamber™ is a holistic system design for farmers looking to achieve maximum climate control in order to consistently yield the highest quality crop. The design includes the following components into one superior growing solution:

  • The Ceres EcoLoop™ geothermal HVAC system
  • A Ceres smart controller that monitors greenhouse conditions for continued optimization of the grow environment
  • QbD (Quality by Design) principles applied throughout both the grow houses and processing facility commonly called the headhouse
  • Ozone water treatment and water reclamation
  • Fertigation systems
  • Customized grow systems, including air purification, CO2 enhancement and clean in place (CIP) sanitation systems
Complete and Precise Climate Control Within Each Grow Environment

The sealed and insulated properties of the SunChamber™ envelope, combined with the full system automation of a Ceres smart controller, allow for complete and precise climate control within each grow environment. Growers can precisely monitor and adapt the growhouse according to the needs of the plants (i.e., genetics, evapotranspiration rates, etc.), while maintaining optimal Vapor Pressure Deficit (VPD)—maximizing plant growth and yield while minimizing operating costs. VPD-based climate control significantly reduces energy consumption without compromising plant health. Full growhouse automation also reduces the need for labor and lowers the potential for human error.

The SunChamber™ is designed to be built on a modular scale to grow with your business. As each greenhouse is sealed from the rest of the facility, there is complete biosecurity as well as independent climate control in each greenhouse unit.

SunChamber™ design also integrates seamlessly with Ceres’ innovative and highly energy-efficient ground-coupled heat pump HVAC system called the EcoLoop™. The EcoLoop™ heats, cools and dehumidifies the SunChamber™ by utilizing the steady temperature of the earth. This geothermal HVAC system is up to 60% more efficient than a traditional HVAC system and can be replicated for each greenhouse environment. Additionally, the ground coupling component of the system allows for a 10% federal tax credit. For the time being, the EcoLoop™ functions exclusively with the Ceres SunChamber™, however Ceres may be expanding its use to other products and applications in the near future.

The SunChamber™ includes custom system integrations to align with each client’s individual growing needs. After understanding the client’s site information and growing goals, Ceres designs an optimized facility that combines all the technology and grow systems needed for the cultivator to achieve the highest possible yields for the lowest energy input.

Bringing the Sun Indoors

Ceres applies QbD (quality by design) principles to all SunChamber™ facilities. QbD is a systematic approach to product and product development in order to deliver safe, consistent products while emphasizing manufacturing efficiency. Some QbD design considerations include biosecurity, employee workflow, environmental consistency, measurability and manufacturing efficiency. These principles ensure less crop failure, a more user-friendly workflow, and the ability of the facility to become GMP certified if need be.

The SunChamber™ is bringing the sun indoors by combining controlled environment agriculture with the productivity of sunlight. In a time when crops are more and more vulnerable to changes in the climate, the SunChamber™ provides year-round crop security and consistency. This also means more yield per square foot than traditional agriculture. On top of biosecurity, growing in a SunChamber™ will reduce water, land and energy usage, and will make local food production more accessible.

For more Indoor Ag-Con Exhibitor News Ceres GS  like the SunChamber™, email Ceres Greenhouse Solutions at  info@ceresgs.com