Tag: Local Food

From Seed to Scale: How Fork Farms Turned a Mission into a Movement

Written by Indoor Ag-Content Q&A Feature on May 14, 2026. Posted in Blog.

Fork Farms founder and CEO Alex Tyink built his Green Bay, Wisconsin-based company on a deceptively simple idea: that growing your own food changes your relationship with it — and that everyone, from a third-grader in Milwaukee to a food pantry volunteer in rural Wisconsin, deserves the chance to experience that. In this month’s Indoor Ag-Conversations Q&A, Tyink talks about where hydroponic growing is gaining real traction in schools, healthcare systems, and hunger relief organizations; what the landmark Clock Tower Farms project signals about the future of food-as-infrastructure; and what it really takes to scale a mission-driven company without losing the thread.

Fork Farms has installed Flex Farms in schools, food banks, healthcare systems, and commercial operations — a pretty wide footprint. When you look across all those use cases, where are you seeing the most momentum right now, and what’s driving it?

We are seeing momentum across all of those areas, but the common thread is clear: institutions are starting to understand that fresh food access is infrastructure.

Fork Farms has partnered with more than 5,000 institutions across 50 states and 22 countries. Together, those partners can grow nearly 2 million pounds of fresh food annually, and many are growing food for under $1 per pound. This matters because it means local food production can be practical, measurable, and economically competitive.

Schools have been especially powerful because they bring education, nutrition, and community impact together in one place. When students plant, grow, harvest, and taste food themselves, fresh greens become less abstract. They understand where food comes from. They take ownership in the process. Eating becomes exciting, because they fostered every step of growing their meal. From planting to care, to harvesting and plating the food for their families and friends, they got to be part of the process, which is different in how today’s food systems operate.

That matters because many children receive some of their most nutritious meals at school. When a school can grow fresh food on-site, use it in the cafeteria, connect it to curriculum, and sometimes even send food home with families, the impact becomes very real.

Milwaukee Public Schools is a strong example. The district has 86 Flex Farms from Fork Farms, more than any other district in the world. Teachers use them as hands-on learning labs, and the farms also support fresh food access for students during meal times. In early 2026, MPS commissioned a 60-day indoor air quality study authored by a Certified Industrial Hygienist. Classrooms with hydroponic farms outperformed plant-free classrooms on key measures, including lower CO₂, lower formaldehyde, and healthier winter humidity. In that case, the farms are supporting learning, nutrition, and the classroom environment.

At the same time, the momentum is bigger than schools. Food banks are looking for more reliable ways to provide fresh, nutrient-dense food. Healthcare systems are connecting food to wellness and illness prevention. Corporate and commercial partners are asking how their buildings, teams, and resources can create measurable community value.

The Wisconsin PureGrow Project is a good example of that intersection. Fork Farms partnered with the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point at Marshfield and Sanford Health Marshfield Clinic Health System to create a model that supports students, patients, and staff at the same time. The facility operates six Flex Acre™ systems and two Flex Micros™ systems, and grows more than 100 pounds of fresh food weekly. Independent lab analysis found that the romaine grown there exceeded benchmarks for nutrient density and purity, including 83 percent more magnesium and 65 percent more calcium than conventionally grown lettuce.

The momentum is not coming from one vertical alone. It is coming from a broader shift in how institutions think about food. Organizations are no longer just asking, “Can we grow food indoors?” They are asking, “How can we use this technology to solve a real problem in our community?” That is exactly the kind of future we built Fork Farms to help create.

The recently announced Clock Tower Farms project with Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin and Rockwell Automation is a big deal: 72 Flex Acre systems, 200,000 pounds of projected annual production, automation technology layered on top of your growing systems. What does a partnership like that teach you about what’s possible when hydroponic growing gets paired with industrial-scale automation?

Clock Tower Farms shows what becomes possible when fresh food production is treated as infrastructure and as a serious solution to hunger relief.

The farm is located on the fourth floor of Rockwell Automation’s Milwaukee headquarters. It takes unused office space and turns it into a year-round indoor farm serving the local community. Inside that space, 72 Flex Acre™ systems from Fork Farms will operate in a fully controlled growing environment with the capacity to produce up to 200,000 pounds of fresh produce annually. That is enough for a side salad for more than 38,500 people every week.

What makes the project so important is the combination of strengths. Fork Farms brings the hydroponic growing systems. Rockwell brings industrial-scale automation. Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin brings the distribution network to get fresh food to the people who need it most. Together, that creates a model where food can be grown reliably, locally, and at a meaningful scale inside an existing building.

It also shows that the impact goes well beyond production volume. Clock Tower Farms saves 5.9 million gallons of water compared to traditional farming, and conserves the equivalent of 5.5 acres of conventional farmland.

What it teaches me is that the future of hydroponic growing is not just about better farms. It is about better systems. When growing technology, automation, and community partners are aligned, we can make fresh food production more predictable, efficient, and resilient. That is how we move from small demonstrations of what is possible to scalable food infrastructure that can serve communities in a lasting way.

A lot of your installations are in the hands of people who aren’t professional growers — teachers, food pantry volunteers, hospital dining staff. How did Fork Farms design the Flex Farm experience to work for that audience, and what does “ease of use” actually look like in practice?

We designed the Flex Farm experience around a simple belief: everyone can be a farmer.

You do not need to be a professional farmer, horticulturist, or controlled-environment agriculture expert to participate in the food system. At Fork Farms, we exist to democratize access to fresh food by making local food production practical at scale. We do that by growing farmers. By farmers, I mean teachers, food service teams, pantry volunteers, healthcare staff, students, residents, community members and more.

That belief shaped the design from the beginning. The system had to fit into real buildings, work with existing teams, and become part of a simple daily or weekly rhythm. Ease of use looks like clear setup, straightforward planting and harvesting, simple maintenance, and ongoing support so people feel confident instead of overwhelmed.

It also had to be modular. This is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Some partners start with a single Flex Farm in a classroom, cafeteria, or dining space. Others build larger programs across a district, healthcare system, corporate campus, or community food network. And then you have projects like Clock Tower Farms with Rockwell Automation and Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, where the same core idea scales into a much larger food production model.

That range matters because one of the barriers to entry in this space has always been the belief that indoor agriculture is either too technical, too expensive, or too difficult to operate. We are trying to teach the market that local food production can start small, grow over time, and scale in a way that fits the space, budget, and goals of each partner.

Food access is not only about putting fresh food in more places. It is about making the growing process workable for the people already serving their communities. That is why the farm itself is only one part of what we provide.

Fork Farms supports partners well beyond installation. We help with launch support, early crop success checks, programming, K-12 and higher education curriculum, environmental impact data, communications tools, and ongoing farm management support. We also help partners build practical programs around the farm, from local food integration and plant-forward menu planning to community giving models, STEM education, wellness programming, marketing, storytelling, and impact reporting.

The goal is to give people the tools, systems, and confidence to grow fresh food right where it is needed. Instead of food traveling 1,500 miles by truck, it can move from seed to plate just steps from where it is grown, served, and shared. That is what makes the experience powerful. It invites more people into the solution.

Fork Farms leads with a strong mission around food access and community impact — but you’re also a technology company growing a commercial business. How do those two sides of the organization reinforce each other, and how does mission shape the decisions you make on the business side?

At Fork Farms, we believe everyone deserves access to fresh, nutritious food, no matter their zip code. We believe food should be grown more locally, sustainably, and equitably. We believe food can be a powerful part of health and wellness. And we believe nutrition security means more than calories. It means access to healthy, nutrient-rich food that supports long-term well-being.

For us, the mission and the business are not separate. They have to reinforce each other.

Fork Farms exists to make fresh food more accessible, and technology is how we make that practical at scale. The mission gives us the reason to build. The business gives us the structure, discipline, and reach to make the impact bigger than any one installation, pilot, or grant-funded program.

That shapes how we make decisions. We are always asking: Does this make growing food easier? Does it make fresh food more affordable? Can it work in real institutions with real people, real budgets, and real operational constraints? Can it create measurable value for the community and for the organization investing in it?

Being mission-driven does not mean ignoring business fundamentals. It means being clear about which fundamentals matter. We care about cost per pound, labor efficiency, reliability, training, customer success, and long-term program sustainability because those are the things that allow the mission to last. If a school, hospital, food bank, or corporate partner cannot operate the program successfully over time, then we have not truly solved the problem.

The technology side of the company helps us make fresh food production easier, more consistent, and more scalable. The commercial side helps us reach more partners, improve the product, support customers better, and build models that can be repeated across communities. And the mission keeps us focused on the outcome that matters most: more people having access to fresh, nutritious food close to where they live, learn, work, heal, and gather.

The strongest impact happens when the model works for everyone: the school, the hospital, the food bank, the corporate partner, the food service team, and the people eating the food. That is the balance we are trying to build every day.

Fork Farms has been named to the Inc. 5000 list three consecutive years, ranking #1 in Agriculture and Natural Resources. Growth at that pace usually comes with hard lessons. What’s the most important thing you’ve learned about scaling a mission-driven company without losing what made it work in the first place?

The biggest lesson is that you have to scale the system without diluting the purpose.

Fast growth is exciting, but it also tests what is real. It forces you to get clearer about what you believe, who you serve, and what you are willing to say no to. For us, the center has always been food access. The company can grow, the technology can evolve, and the partnerships can get larger, but the reason we exist has to stay clear.

As we scale, we have had to build more discipline into the business: stronger teams, better processes, clearer data, more reliable support, and more repeatable customer models. That structure matters because it allows the mission to move beyond passion and become something that can last.

The hard part is making sure scale does not turn the work into a transaction. A Flex Farm in a classroom, food pantry, hospital, or corporate campus still has to feel connected to people. It still has to create ownership, confidence, and real access to fresh food.

The most important thing I have learned is that mission-driven growth requires both heart and rigor. You need the purpose that brought people to the table in the first place, and you need the operational discipline to keep delivering on that purpose at scale. That balance is what protects what made Fork Farms work in the first place.

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Fork Farms is a food access technology company helping build the future of fresh food infrastructure. Headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Fork Farms develops indoor hydroponic farming technology and digital tools that enable schools, healthcare systems, businesses, and communities to grow fresh, nutritious food year-round in almost any environment. Its solutions help organizations expand food access, support wellness, and strengthen local food resilience by bringing food production closer to where people live, learn, work, and heal. For the third consecutive year, Fork Farms was named to the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies and ranked #1 in the Agriculture and Natural Resources sector. To learn more, visit ForkFarms.com.

Salad Days greenhouse expansion brings locally grown lettuce to Mississippi grocery stores

Written by WLBT3 News Station Mississippi on April 13, 2026. Posted in Blog.

From WLBT — Mississippi is growing its own lettuce — and it’s a big deal.

Until recently, 95% of the lettuce eaten in Mississippi traveled more than 1,500 miles to get there. That changed this month when Salad Days Produce — a 65,000 sq. ft. greenhouse in Flora, MS — held its ribbon-cutting and officially put locally grown lettuce in grocery stores statewide for the first time.

Founded 14 years ago by Leigh Bailey and Jamie Redmond (former real estate professionals who took a leap), Salad Days started by supplying James Beard Award-winning chefs across the Southeast. Now, that same pesticide-free, root-on lettuce — with a 2-3 week fridge life — is available to Mississippi families at their local grocery store.

State leaders are calling it a blueprint for the future of food production in the region.

See full story from WLBT …

Plants First, People and Planet Always: Greenswell Growers CEO Carl Gupton on Scaling Sustainable Success

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on August 18, 2025. Posted in Blog.

Greenswell Growers is showing what’s possible when automation, sustainability, and community commitment come together in one operation. With a 77,000-square-foot facility in Goochland County, Virginia, the company grows fresh, pesticide-free greens year-round while using up to 85% less water than conventional farming and reducing plastic with innovative packaging. As a speaker on the upcoming Day 2 CEO Keynote Panel at CEA Summit East — “Automation in Action: How Virginia Growers Are Putting Tech To Work” — CEO Carl Gupton shared how a “plants first” philosophy drives every decision, from leveraging technology and scaling production to giving back to the local community.

Greenswell Growers is committed to “plants ” How does that philosophy guide your decisions when it comes to technology, sustainability, and operational practices?

When we commit to “plants first” everything else falls into place. At Greenswell Growers, the best way for us to take care of our customers, community, associates, and planet is to grow the most consistent, safest, best tasting and longest lasting greens possible. We focus on finding best-in-class processes and leveraging state-of-the-art equipment. From there, we have taken a few years to fine-tune the process, settings, and equipment to ensure the optimal growing environment.

Having a growing team of plant experts has also allowed us to give back to the community by supporting education programs at all levels. From providing tours to elementary classes, to guiding curriculum for technical school programs, and conducting research studies with universities, we help contribute to the future of the CEA space by enhancing education programs and inspiring bright, curious students.

Automation is a big part of your How has Greenswell Growers integrated automation into daily operations, and what benefits has it delivered in terms of efficiency, food safety and scalability?

When it comes to seeding, growing, harvesting, and packaging the greens, everything is automated! We are able to grow 30 times more per acre than traditional field farming greatly contributing to our overall efficiency. Our automation allows our greens to never be touched by human hands. This greatly reduces food safety risk while enhancing the quality and giving the greens their unique full texture and flavor. Automation, along with our rigorous food safety program, allows us to provide some of the best product on the market.

All this work didn’t happen overnight; we have spent the last few years fine-tuning our process to optimize our consistency and yields. With unwavering standards for growing the best greens possible along the way, we are now ready to continue to grow and scale the business.

You’ve built a strong identity around local impact and environmental How do your technologies and processes support your sustainability goals — especially when it comes to water use, packaging, and transportation?

The nature of this question is the basis of Greenswell Growers’ founding mission – to make a local impact by changing lives through the power of food. One of Greenswell Growers’ founders is the CEO of FeedMore – Central Virgina’s core hunger relief organization. He and two fellow stewards of the community, identified a need for fresh, safe produce in this region. In order to meet the growing and pressing need, the mission was to locally harvest greens that were reliably safe, and, of course, fresh and delicious. Since our first harvest in 2022, we have done just that and have continued to donate 5% of our yield to FeedMore to help nourish the community most in need.

In addition to donating greens, we also see it as our responsibility to take the best care of the planet for current and future generations. Our investment in technology and dedication to our process allow us to cut down on water, use less plastic, travel fewer miles, and reduce food waste.

Cutting back on what could become the most valuable resource, water, is just one way we are environmentally conscious. We use up to 85% less water than conventional farming due to our ability to precisely control the environment and accurately monitor the needs of our plants. Water is not the only resource we’re able to reduce. By investing in unique film-seal equipment, we also use 30% less plastic than traditional clamshells. Once the trays are sealed and case-packed, they are shipped throughout the Mid-Atlantic and neighboring regions cutting down miles traveled by trucks transporting greens from California and Arizona.

Finally, we believe it’s our responsibility to be part of the solution to one of the most pressing challenges in our food system: waste. According to the USDA, nearly 30–40% of the food supply is wasted in the United States. That’s billions of pounds of food—and the energy, water, and labor that went into growing it—lost each year. For us, reducing waste starts at the seed and continues through every stage of the process, from germination to harvest to how our greens are packed and delivered. On our website, we have a series of articles highlighting how our technology and process reduce food waste in our greenhouse, at store-level and in customers’ homes.

Greenswell Growers is “designed to scale,” with the ability to grow to order year- round. How does your model make that possible, and how does it help you meet customer demand more effectively?

By design, our growing schedule is not fully automated. Our team is dedicated to working directly with customers to ensure their product demands are met with the freshest greens. We often have customers visit and marvel that the greens they see being harvested show up in their location within a day or two. Along with our closely coordinated delivery schedules, with a 22-24 day growing cycle we are able to be nimble and make quick adjustments to meet customer demand.

Our model also allows us to grow greens with a naturally extended shelf life. Our process is ship right away to give even more time for stores to sell the product. This additional time makes it easier for the operator to order and meet their customers’ demand. Even beyond the store level, we hear frequently from chefs and customers “it never goes bad!”. Although they may be slightly exaggerating, we love knowing people no longer throwing out greens but instead, enjoying them. Growing the highest quality greens that last longer is a win for everyone involved.

Are there any upcoming plans, innovations or tech enhancements on the horizon for Greenswell Growers that you’re excited about?

Our years of finetuning our equipment, creating the optimal environment, and refining our process have paid off and we are now prime for the horizon. We are ready to take the next steps in helping to do our part and reshaping the food supply for the next generation.

Learn more about Greenswell Growers by visiting their website here.

Growing Change, One Building at a Time: A Q&A with Green Food Solutions Founder Mary Wetherill

Written by Indoor Ag-Content Q&A Feature on May 20, 2025. Posted in Blog.

From indoor farm amenities in apartment buildings to a franchise model designed for real-world profitability and impact, Mary Wetherill, CEO and Co-Founder of Green Food Solutions, is rethinking how food is grown. With a mission to empower a new local food system through partnerships, her team is helping entrepreneurs launch controlled environment farms that are practical, profitable, and deeply connected to their communities. Ahead of exhibiting at the upcoming CEA Summit East in Danville, Virginia, we caught up with Mary to learn more about the model behind Green Food Solutions—and why she believes this locally rooted, partnership-driven approach is the future of urban farming.

Your mission to empower a new local food system through partnerships is front and center in everything Green Food Solutions does. What does that look like in practice—and why do you think this kind of local, community-driven approach is the future of CEA?

At a high level, Empowering a New Local Food System™ through partnerships means taking the workable, practical and profitable Farming as a Service (FaaS™) business model we created in Jersey City and throughout NYC—and working with approved partner farmers and entrepreneurs to replicate it. We train, support, and help them launch Green Food Solutions Farm Amenity® and Garden Amenity® businesses in cities across the East Coast and beyond.

Our partners are trained into leaders and innovators of a successful modern urban farming approach in each area or multiple areas. Why we know the model we created is the future of CEA in cities, is simple. It’s practical, profitable and scalable.

All the renderings and visions of what urban farming in cities could look like—skyscrapers with cows on every floor, plants covering building exteriors—were unrealistic, often unsafe or inhumane, and not practical or profitable. Rooftop farms on buildings 10 stories or higher face challenges like intense wind exposure, which can pose serious liability issues for property owners. Meanwhile, a number of the large-scale, factory-style CEA farms that were once held up as success stories have shut down.

While many industrial CEA farms set out to create local food production with fewer food miles, greater access, sustainability, and resilience in our cities and communities, the reality often fell short. A closer look reveals that some vertical farms relied on traditional sales channels—like grocery stores—that required them to ship food thousands of miles just to reach their markets. As for food access, most of their products were sold at premium prices, making them inaccessible to those who could not afford it.

Regarding sustainability, CEA farms face hurdles from food miles to reliance on substrates like peat with environmental drawbacks. High energy consumption is another major concern. And while aiming for resilience, some large, factory size CEA farms are still subject to pathogens, supply chain disruptions and dependence on conventional agriculture for essentials like seeds. It is certainly not resilient in the way it was imagined.

We wanted to build a food system that adapts to the world today because we need a new food system now. So we created something practical that works in the built environment that exists. We also had it in our main goals to create a business that meets the vision, as imagined, of local food production, access, sustainability and resilience. At Green Food Solutions we completely avoided traditional sales channels and created new ones instead. We created a new model and food system entirely. This is why we know it is the future of CEA, especially in cities.

The idea of treating indoor farms as building amenities—like a pool or gym—is such a creative twist. What sparked that idea, and how are you seeing it change the way people interact with food in their communities?

We are farmers ourselves, and after farming in shipping containers in Brooklyn and selling the food to the local community we had to move our operation. We started renting a small section out of a 10,000-square-foot greenhouse to continue to grow for our customers alongside a failing commercial farm selling basil to Manhattan restaurants. We were also struggling to make ends meet as farmers selling the food we grew. The greenhouse was on top of an affordable housing building in the Bronx and I saw that none of the food they were growing went to the people who lived in the building.

That was it. I had the idea to put farms in every building where people lived. It hit everything we thought was important in a local food system: zero food miles, access and affordability. I set off and spoke to as many developers as we could. When we got our first break it was our flagship farm on the rooftop at the Denizen in Brooklyn NY. Seventy-nine hydroponic systems growing all sorts of varieties of crops from leafy greens, herbs, tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, strawberries and more. It was home to all our research. We sell the food, offer a CSA, and all the testing and research on what to grow.

We refined the model with customer input and what was valuable to them. It was a lot of work, but we created a profitable system that now is a win-win for cities, property owners and farmers together. As other developers saw what we did, they kept referring us to others because they saw how we were different from other attempts. We now have farms in buildings all over the city in community centers, senior centers, food pantries, homeless shelters, multiple luxury residential buildings, corporate offices, schools, wellness centers, libraries and even correctional facilities and residential treatment facilities.

All of our farms except for our first, is an indoor CEA farm serving freshly harvested food weekly to the people who live, work or play in that building. Our farmers have become the most popular members of the communities they grow for and we are reconnecting people with their food system once again. All the food is picked up after every harvest and many of the community members say it’s the highlight of their week when our farmers are on site. They love knowing their farmers and having a say about what we grow for them.

You’ve spoken candidly about the struggles many CEA businesses face, from startup costs to limited access. How does your franchise model flip the script and help more people launch successful, mission-driven farms?

I think how we flip the switch is simple. On a high level, our model is already proven and tested, while most CEA (Controlled Environment Agriculture) farms are still trying to figure out commercial viability and a working business model in real-time. Again, they’re often still using traditional sales channels and supply chains. We, on the other hand, don’t rely on those traditional channels or distribution.

Another game-changer is that, in our model, a farmer gets paid for their farming, not just the sale of the food. This makes a huge difference in the quality of life and bottom line of an urban farm business. Monetarily, starting a partnership with Green Food Solutions in your city or area has very low startup costs, especially compared to building a commercial farm. Factory CEA has astronomical startup and operational costs. Our model shows our partners how to cover not only their ROI in year one but also their operating costs.

Just like our food system, we’re transparent about our startup costs and the fast ROI our system can provide. Our low-end startup cost is $57,603.33, and that can be covered by just one Farm Amenity® sale. Our business is exactly that – a real business to not only grow food but also profits. Our training and business support help launch each new partnership into the same success we’ve created as we continue to grow together.

We’re even required by the Federal Trade Commission to share our numbers with potential partners. We’re proud of our success and are committed to supporting our partners on their path to success too. That’s another thing that really flips the switch: we work together. Most large CEA farms are proprietary and private; they often don’t even allow the community to enjoy the farms or be part of the local food they’re asked to buy. With Green Food Solutions, you’re an active member of your community.

Training and education are big parts of what you offer. For someone new to farming—or even just curious—what are the most important things they need to know before getting started?

The wonderful thing about this business opportunity is that all they need to do other than get 2 certifications — 1 in food safety and 1 in IPM management — is to be able to follow a system. Our partners receive a comprehensive operation manual detailing:

o Establishing your Business (EIN, Insurances, site selection, etc)

o Personnel (hiring processes, interviewing process, employment law, job descriptions, etc)

o Marketing your Business (local promotion, brand specs, public relations, marketing strategies, etc)

o Operating Procedures and SOPs (equipment and supply lists, vendors, processes and how to do everything step by step).

They also get leads generated from us, sales call support, marketing templates, proposal templates, grand opening support, social media management, technology support, PowerPoints and scripts for sales and engaging their community at the farm. We provide a complete system to follow for their success. And they have our dedicated support every step of the way as they grow the business.

You’re now growing a network of franchise partners around the country. What kinds of people are drawn to this work, and what impact are you seeing as they bring Green Food Solutions to their own communities?

We have a vetting system we use to validate our potential partners. We see a lot of people interested in the work we are doing. Some people who are looking to switch careers and be part of making a difference while building a business for their future.

What we look for first and foremost in a person is the passion to be part of a food system & brand that is centered around addressing the issues of access, affordability, sustainability and resilience in a real way. We look for a team player. We ask a series of questions that include evaluating the territory they are interested in starting a Green Food Solutions, as well as why they want to be part of a franchise as opposed to owning an independent business. How do they plan on running the business, do they want to hire or be the farmer themselves and how soon do they plan to begin operations?

These are only a scratch and sniff of the questions we ask and the deep dive we take together. We know we are in this for the long haul together, so we also look for good people we want to work with. Good people for a better food system now. That’s what we are looking for in a partner. All else can be trained. We offer discounts to our veterans, LGBTQ and Black owned business partners.

To learn more, visit the Green Food Solutions website.

You can also talk to the Green Food Solutions team at their tabletop exhibit at the upcoming CEA Summit East, September 9-10, 2025 in Danville, Virginia.

CEA Industry Leaders to Outline Future Trends at CEA Summit East Keynote

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on August 19, 2024. Posted in Blog, Press Releases.

Virginia October 1-2, 2024 Edition Brings Academia and Industry Together For Collaboration, Innovation

The Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Summit East is excited to announce that the keynote address, “Leadership Insights: Charting the Future Landscape of Controlled Environment Agriculture,” will take place on Wednesday, October 2, 2024 at 9 AM at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) Conference Center in Danville, Virginia.

This session is one of two featured keynote addresses joining the full conference line-up for the October 1-2, 2024 edition, providing attendees with a double dose of expert insights and forward-thinking discussions. This keynote will bring together leading executives in the CEA industry to explore predictions, strategies, and perspectives on the emerging trends that will shape the future of controlled environment agriculture.

The panel will feature Carl Gupton, CEO, Greenswell Growers; John McMahon, Co-Founder & COO, Better Future Farms; and Molly Montgomery, Acting CEO & Executive Chair, AeroFarms. The keynote will be moderated by Emily Gee, a member of the Board of Directors for the CEA Alliance and Director of Marketing, AeroFarms.

This engaging session will give attendees the chance to participate in the ongoing conversation shaping the course of sustainable and innovative food production. Whether you are a greenhouse grower, urban agriculture operator, vertical farmer, supplier in the CEA sector, this keynote promises critical takeaways that can help you navigate the evolving landscape of controlled environment agriculture. Look for more information coming soon on another keynote session.

ABOUT CEA SUMMIT EAST

Returning for its third year, the CEA Summit East will be held from October 1-2, 2024, at the IALR Conference Center in Danville, Virginia. Co-hosted by Indoor Ag-Con, the premier trade show and conference for the vertical farming, greenhouse, and CEA sector, and the Virginia Tech (VT)- IALR CEA Innovation Center, this summit continues to be a key event for industry collaboration and innovation, featuring two days of tabletop exhibits, networking and conference programming.

Building on the success of its 2023 edition, which drew participants from 33 U.S. states, Canada, the Netherlands, and Sweden, the CEA Summit East 2024 is expected to once again unite professionals from academia, business, and technology within the CEA industry. Attendees will include greenhouse growers, urban agriculture operations, vertical farms, outdoor growers exploring hybrid opportunities, educators, scientists, extension personnel and agents, suppliers, engineers, tech specialists, architects/developers, government officials, and other industry members.

For more information on the CEA Summit East and to register for the event, please visit www.ceasummit.east.

ABOUT INDOOR AG-CON

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. For more information, visit www.indoor.ag.

ABOUT THE VIRGINIA TECH – IALR CEA INNOVATION CENTER

The Virginia Tech-IALR Controlled Environment Agriculture Innovation Center is a joint project between IALR and Virginia Tech’s School of Plant and Environmental Sciences and the Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center. By developing strategic partnerships with both industry and academia, the goal of the Innovation Center is to conduct research and educational programming to develop, promote and advance the CEA sector in the U.S. and internationally. For more information, visit www.ialr.org/cea

Local Bounti Expands Distribution

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on August 13, 2024. Posted in Blog.

The Packer reports that Indoor agriculture company Local Bounti said it will supply Brookshire Grocery Co. with its grab-and-go salad kits, living lettuce and baby leaf varieties.

Local Bounti said it is now shipping to Brookshire Grocery Co. from its new Mount Pleasant, Texas, facility. The company’s full line of products, including its grab-and-go salad kits, living lettuce and baby leaf varieties will be stocked in more than 180 Brookshire store locations across three states in the Southeast and Southwest.

“We are excited about the opportunity to partner with Brookshire’s, as it marks another significant distribution win for Local Bounti, bringing us closer to our mission of delivering fresh, locally grown produce to more communities across the country,” Kathleen Valiasek, president and chief financial officer of Local Bounti, said in the release.

Grow Ohio Grants: More Than $300,000 Going To Programs To Encourage Children, Agriculture

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on August 12, 2024. Posted in Blog.

As reported in Vertical Farm Daily, Ohio plans to spend more than $300,000 in taxpayer funds to create educational opportunities for children related to agriculture.

The Grow Ohio grants go to 14 communities to support local agricultural education programs, including farm-to-school projects like outdoor or indoor school gardening, hydroponics, collaboration with local food producers and food literacy activities

According to a release, many programs plan to incorporate food produced in the programs into school meals.

“The programs supported by our Grow Ohio Grants will enrich the lives of children across Ohio,” Gov. Mike DeWine said.

Read the full story from Vertical Farm Daily here….

Beanstalk Farms Demonstrates Commercial Viability with Flagship Facility in Prince William County

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on July 20, 2024. Posted in Blog.

“We are excited to announce the launch of our next-generation farm in Manassas,” said Mike Ross, Beanstalk Co-Founder and CEO.” At a 10x lower cost per acre than any other vertical farm, this facility demonstrates a new generation for indoor farming. This facility will provide the Greater Washington, D.C. market with the highest quality fresh produce every week of the year – rain or shine. Strategically located with excellent access to the Mid-Atlantic, bolstered by robust infrastructure, Virginia is the definitive choice for our expansion. We look forward to growing together and furthering innovations that promote a healthy and local food system.”

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin recently announced Beanstalk Farms Inc.’s second indoor farm and distribution facility at the Freedom I-66 Industrial Business Park facility in Manassas as reported in Prince William Living and Vertical Farming Daily. The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services worked with the Prince William County Department of Economic Development and Tourism (PWCDEDT) to secure this new 33,000 square foot expansion project for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Governor Youngkin approved a $100,000 grant from the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) Fund, which Prince William County will match with local funds.

Read full article in Vertical Farm Daily and Prince William Living…

Vertical Harvest Farms Secures USDA Loan Guarantee & Maine’s First C-PACE Funding for Industry-leading Project Financing

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on April 23, 2024. Posted in Blog.

Deal Recognizes Power of Public-Private Partnerships to Bolster State’s Food System

Vertical Harvest Farms, an indoor farming company focused on customized employment for people with disabilities, is proud to announce the closing of $59.5 million in project financing to develop and operate a 51,000 square-foot hydroponic vertical farm in downtown Westbrook, Maine.

The project is a critical piece of the state’s food system infrastructure and will significantly contribute to the New England Food Vision, where the region’s six states committed to a goal of locally producing 30 percent of the food consumed in the region by 2030 (and 50 percent of the region’s food by 2060), by producing approximately 2.5 million pounds of fresh, leafy greens every year – ranging from mature lettuce, petite greens, microgreens and herbs.

This project also aligns with Vertical Harvest’s “feed locals first” philosophy and goal of providing greens from farm-to-fridge within 24 hours. In this way, the company helps New Englanders avoid the 30 percent loss of nutritional value that occurs within three days of harvest, which widely affects the produce shipped into the region from California, Arizona and abroad. It also significantly helps mitigate food waste by providing longer shelf life and less shrinkage at the retail and institutional level. The company offers these benefits while fulfilling its dual mission to grow food and futures by offering meaningful employment for people with disabilities in this emerging, tech-forward sector.

Vertical Harvest CEO Nona Yehia said, “We’re on a mission to grow food as local, fresh and fair as possible, and ensure there’s a place at the table for everyone in the future of food.”

As the US became a net food importer for the first time ever in 2023, stakeholders are realizing that traditional agriculture is under greater stress from extreme weather, water scarcity and climate change. This has made diversifying food production, leveraging technologic innovations, shortening supply chains, and ensuring access to fresh local food for years to come, imperative. USDA Rural Development recognizes this as well and is incentivizing efforts to future proof the food system.

“As ‘The People’s Department’ we are happy to support fresh food, and good jobs here in Maine, as well as the equity of access to both. USDA Rural Development is committed to building communities and feeding Mainers, and we look forward to Vertical Harvest being a part of the team fulfilling those shared goals,” said USDA Rural Development Maine State Director, Rhiannon Hampson.

This funding also aligns with the CEA Industry’s shift to project-level financing. Vertical Harvest is excited by the public and private partners that made this deal possible.

“We are thrilled to provide financing and partner with Vertical Harvest. Through two pioneer programs from the USDA and other community facilities, we were able to creatively structure this challenging project. We believe this will have a tremendous impact on the local community and the future of food production,” said Alexios Georgousis, Madison One CUSO.

The funding was led by Madison One and supported by Waterside Commercial Finance. The financing includes $25 million and $23,795,000 loans that utilize USDA Rural Development Business & Industry Loan Guarantees and Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Loans, respectively.

This financing is supplemented by a $8,655,189 Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) loan – the first in Maine administered by the Efficiency Maine Green

Bank and issued through Nuveen Green Capital – and $2,000,000 of American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funding through the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME).

“We are pleased to have approved Vertical Harvest for this funding through the Efficiency Maine Green Bank in partnership with one of our capital providers, Nuveen Green Capital,” said James Neal, senior manager for finance initiatives at Efficiency Maine. “We strongly encourage more of Maine’s municipalities to follow Westbrook’s example and adopt this ordinance so their local businesses can take advantage of this unique pathway to finance energy improvements, such as upgrading lighting or installing heat pump systems for heating and cooling in their buildings.”

In addition, borrower and partner contributions of $19,189,210 are possible thanks to partners such as Crossroads Impact Corp, Enhanced Capital, Foundation Credit, Waterside Commercial Finance, Maine Technology Institute, and others.

“Public-private partnerships benefit a wider group of stakeholders than private capital can alone,” said Enhanced Capital’s Chief Impact Officer and Managing Director Gingee Prince. “In 2017, we partnered with Vertical Harvest to pioneer this space and are excited to see them building even more ambitious capital coalitions today.”

This array of funding follows Vertical Harvest’s model of using public-private partnerships to catalyze resilience within a state’s food system. The company believes this financing model, piloted in Wyoming and now proven in Maine, will pave the way for financing future farms such as the company’s next facility in Detroit, Michigan to be developed in partnership with Bedrock. By bringing together municipal, state and federal funding alongside private capital, not only is the company relocalizing production of perishable produce closer to consumers, but because of Vertical Harvest’s social mission, delivering outsized impact, inclusively.

About Vertical Harvest
Vertical Harvest is a hydroponic, vertical farming company dedicated to community-oriented farms, food and futures. In addition to their passion for local, healthy food grown sustainably, Vertical Harvest also operates on an inclusive, customized employment model with farms designed for accessibility and staffed via hiring practices developed to support meaningful employment for people with disabilities. For more information visit www.verticalharvestfarms.com and sign up for the newsletter, or https://verticalharvestfarms.com/invest-in-vertical-harvest/ to learn about a community raise or follow on socials at @verticalharvestfarms.

Cultivating Change: Vertical Harvest CEO Talks Urban Farming, Local Impact, and Sustainable Futures

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on November 14, 2023. Posted in Blog.

Founded in Jackson, Wyoming in 2016, Vertical Harvest stands out as a pioneering force — fusing architectural imagination, sustainable agriculture and a commitment to inclusivity. Our CEA Q&A with CEO Nona Yehia explores the design principles and sustainability initiatives shaping her company’s growth, its newest projects in Westbrook, ME, and Detroit, MI and the meaningful difference the Vertical Harvest “Grow Well” model is making on the lives of individuals with disabilities. From redefining “local” in food production to utilizing sustainable practices, Vertical Harvest has emerged not just as a trailblazer in controlled environment agriculture, but as a leader dedicated to feeding communities and fostering a brighter, more inclusive future.

As an accomplished architect, you brought your vision of North America’s first vertical hydroponic greenhouse to life with your flagship farm in Jackson, Wyoming in 2016. Could you share the key design and sustainability principles that guided the development of Vertical Harvest, and how these principles align with the company’s broader mission?

Our first farm in Wyoming started with a simple mandate: responsibly grow as much food as possible within our community (which has a four-month growing season and imports 90% of the food we eat) and to create job opportunities for people who live in our community, especially ones who suffer overwhelming unemployment rates, like people with disabilities. Our goal was to pursue both missions simultaneously, year-round via indoor growing, and work within the parameters of a city very scarce on available land and with a seasonable economy/labor pool.

And as an architect I’ve always been driven to try and understand the systems that build communities, how they support people, and conversely how they fail people, so it was amazing to dig into this in my own backyard. And I’ve rooted my career in the notion that the buildings and systems that make up the fabric of our cities, can and should be designed to meet the challenges of the 21st century – and be designed to serve all members of our 21st century society, especially those on the margins. States and cities are also recognizing that we need to do things differently, we need different approaches to climate adaptation as traditional agricultural systems come under greater stress.

Efforts to re-localize food production will be one of these different approaches and is a growing trend. As is indoor agriculture that can provide increased yields using fewer resources and climate proof our food supply against extreme weather.

So that’s how we became vertical farmers, designing and operating large scale indoor urban farms that grow better food and futures. We’ve seen how our farm is a new type of infrastructure that embodies conscious and radical inclusion — amplifying the voices of all to cultivate a new and burgeoning industry.

Vertical Harvest is expanding into different locations, such as the Westbrook, Maine farm and the recently announced project in Detroit. Can you share more about these projects and how they align with your mission of “feeding locals first” and supporting local food economies?

We imagine and advocate for a food system where everyone has the right to healthy food. Our goal to “feed locals first” prioritizes 70% of our produce going to customers within 150 miles of our farms — for the record we don’t call 400 miles “local” — and to meet the needs of the communities we’re growing in before we tap into wider distribution networks. To achieve this we look at the entire “community-as-our-customer” – so not just retail but also the small and medium businesses that make up the local culinary community as well as stalwart community institutions like hospitals, school systems, nursing homes and college campuses. On top of that we aim to divert 4 – 5 % of our farm’s total output specifically into low-income, low-access (LILA) channels, like food rescue operations and the charitable pantry system.

Vertical Harvest Detroit rendering — Vertical Harvest Detroit Rendering

Because of this focus on local food going to local folks, our farms are intentionally built within urban areas to both bolster the local food system and address food insecurity in the same communities where we farm. Our goal then becomes to replicate this mission across a national network of local farms. This is true in Westbrook, ME, a city in and of itself within the greater Portland Metro area, where we expect to be a meaningful contributor to the New England Food Vision of growing 30% of food locally by 2030. And it’s definitely true in Detroit, where we’re building in the Milwaukee Junction neighborhood with Bedrock Detroit. We’re very excited about exploring an even deeper level of opportunity there to imagine how we can use our farm to connect with all of the revitalization and infrastructure investment happening in that city (coincidentally, also my hometown and recently voted the #1 city in the world for start-ups).

Your commitment to employing people with disabilities and focusing on their abilities is inspiring. Can you elaborate on the impact this approach has had on the lives of your employees and how it has enhanced your company’s performance and mission?

Vertical Harvest Co-Founders Nona Yehia and Caroline Croft Estay

Employing people with disabilities is personal. I grew up with a brother with developmental disabilities and from an early age, I observed how society treated him differently, with less opportunities. So when we set out to build the country’s first indoor vertical greenhouse, we wanted to implement a one-of-a-kind workforce model, too. Together, with my co-founder, Caroline Croft Estay – a former case manager in Teton County– we imagined “Grow Well,” a customized employment model fostering professional development, personal discovery and community impact. This person-centered approach aligns professional, personal and community components of the workplace to ensure the development of job skills, growth, accountability and engaged citizenship.

Across the country people with disabilities suffer on average an 80% unemployment rate, but at our farms we start by focusing on ability vs disability. And 40% of our folks are
differently-abled. For some we’re they’re first experience of meaningful and stable employment they’ve been offered. Others, even those with college degrees, often found themselves offered only entry level positions like cleaner or dishwasher.

In our 7 years of operation we’ve helped employees open bank accounts, sign their first lease, reverse evictions, get their driver’s license, earn back their guardianships and acted as health advocates as employees work to coordinate care across multiple doctors and health systems. These are real outcomes of our Grow Well customized employment program that we’re intensely proud of….

But also, our commitment to our people is an absolute brand differentiator. We like to say people come to the farm because they like our story, but they come back because of the quality of the product. We’re not in this for pity pennies – in fact that would undermine our whole mission to prove that neurodiverse minds, different life experiences and a range of perspectives make for stronger teams. And the fact that we are able to weave a great product and a great purpose together earns us tremendous brand loyalty and love.

Sustainability is a key focus for Vertical Harvest. Can you share some of the sustainable practices and technologies you implement in your operations and how they contribute to reducing environmental impact?

We’re committed to continuous improvement and innovation to enhance our own sustainability and in the indoor ag industry at large. We’re collaborating with the Resource Innovation Institute and the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy to create the first of its kind benchmarking report for the CEA sector. This USDA-grant funded program is collecting 4 years of data to inform the strengths and weaknesses of production methods. Additionally, our Wyoming facility acts as an R&D lab to test strategies for maximizing yield, including crop-specific growing and harvesting techniques like optimal lighting, climate controls, rack density and crop transport automation. Our work in that farm has been recognized by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and the U.S. Department of Energy for our sustainable approach to natural and supplemental lighting. And then all future “next generation” farms are designed to be 100% electric. We like to say as the grid gets greener, so are we. And we’re always trying for more sustainable sourcing from our suppliers and keep a close eye on new technologies that enter the market.

What’s next for Vertical Harvest?

We have a roadmap for expansion – in addition to Maine opening and Detroit breaking ground next year, we hope to be announcing another 1 – 2 farms as well. Every farm will share some core features (like the Grow Well model and a commitment to prioritizing local), but also with a level of customization so each farm can adapt to the specific needs of the community they’re rooted in.

The needs of local ethnic communities and their culinary heritage is a great example, and we’re already trialing certain herbs and aromatics that are being requested in Maine. So, just as the farm in Jackson is a reflection of our western heritage and abundant outdoor adventure scene, the farm in Westbrook, ME will take on its own personality adapting to its place, space and culture. And of course, that goes for Detroit too and all our future farms as well, because we believe hope lies in the local. We know that real community is built through the tables we set, who we make a place for and the love and care and nourishment that gets mixed into every dish. We’re excited to dig in!

About Nona Yehia

An accomplished architect by training, and principal of GYDE Architects in Jackson Hole, WY, Nona designed North America’s first vertical hydroponic greenhouse and founded Vertical Harvest Farms. Alongside her co-founder, Caroline Croft-Estay, Nona pioneered an inclusive, customized employment model for people with physical and/or intellectual disabilities. Vertical Harvest grew from Nona’s experiences growing up with a brother with developmental disabilities, love of fresh and local food, obsession with great design, and long-standing community involvement. Nona’s dynamic leadership style has led to recognition as a CNN Champion of Change. She is a Tony Hsieh Award Fellow and a Cities Member on World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council. Vertical Harvest is a 2x finalist for Fast Company’s Best Places to Work for Innovators. Nona graduated from the University of Michigan and earned a Masters degree in architecture from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. She resides in Jackson, WY.

Learn more about Nona and Vertical Harvest —visit the company website.