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

Written by Indoor Ag-Content Q&A Feature on . 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.

Fork FarmsWhat 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.

Little Leaf Farms

How Little Leaf Farms Mastered the Disciplined Model for Indoor Ag Dominance

Written by From The Packer - By Jennifer Strailey on . Posted in Blog.

As reported by Jennifer Strailey, The Packer  

For Paul Sellew, founder and CEO of Little Leaf Farms, innovation isn’t about chasing the next tech play. It’s about something far more grounded: building a better system. While some in the indoor farming space have prioritized rapid growth, Sellew has steered Little Leaf toward a more disciplined model, proving the key to a sustainable food future lies in perfecting the fundamentals of how we grow, harvest and distribute every little leaf.

Discipline is critical in the indoor ag space, which has grappled with challenges from high energy costs to difficulty scaling to pests to intense market competition. All the while, Little Leaf Farms has quietly built a revolution to become North America’s top producer of indoor-grown lettuce.

The Devens, Mass.-based greenhouse grower seems to have cracked the code on scaling sustainability — earning a spot on Fast Company’s 2026 World’s Most Innovative Companies list and capturing over 50% of the indoor leafy green market in the process.

Read full story from The Packer….

Scaling with Purpose: How Local Bounti Is Building a More Durable CEA Business

Written by Indoor Ag-Content Q&A Feature on . Posted in Blog.

As Chief Commercial Officer of Local Bounti, Dane Almassy brings more than two decades of experience across consumer packaged goods, fresh food, and agriculture to one of the most closely watched companies in controlled environment agriculture. In this month’s Indoor Ag-Conversations Q&A, Almassy shares why he joined Local Bounti at a pivotal moment for the industry, how the company is approaching responsible, demand-driven growth, and what it takes to build a durable CEA business in today’s evolving market. Almassy will expand on these themes as a panelist on the opening morning keynote, CEA Alliance Insights on the State of the Industry, and in the breakout session Lettuce Without Limits: Scaling Responsibly in a Saturated Market at Indoor Ag-Con this February.

Local Bounti’s Stack & Flow® growing environment, designed to scale production in direct response to customer demand.
Local Bounti’s Stack & Flow® growing environment, designed to scale production in direct response to customer demand.

You joined Local Bounti at a pivotal moment for the company and the industry. What attracted you to this role, and what about Local Bounti’s approach made you feel this was the right time to step in?

I joined Local Bounti because I saw rare alignment between a bold mission—delivering the freshest, locally grown produce while drastically reducing food waste—and the proprietary technology to achieve our strategic vision of becoming the #1 player in CEA. Our Stack & Flow® technology is a true differentiator, allowing us to triple production in Georgia with higher yields, deliver superior quality, and extended shelf life that the market demands. What really excited me was the breadth of our portfolio—from Living Heads to Family Salad Kits—and our ability to pivot packaging to meet specific consumer needs. Backed by a strong investor base that understands responsible, sustainable scaling, the foundation is incredibly solid. But ultimately, the people sealed the deal. After meeting CEO Kathleen Valiasek and her team, I was blown away by the depth of talent and the ‘family’ culture they’ve built. What’s unique here at Local Bounti is the importance of our facility staff – we like to say we have an inverted organizational chart, where those folks on the front-lines are the most important employees of Local Bounti.  It is this empowerment at the facility level that has allowed us to make such great strides in productivity improvement.  That blend of intelligence and camaraderie fuels my passion every day and gives me confidence in our long-term success.

Dane Almassy with his son, volunteering with Grassroots Grocery in their hometown—reflecting the personal connection to food, family, and community that shapes his work at Local Bounti.
Dane Almassy with his son, volunteering with Grassroots Grocery in their hometown—reflecting the personal connection to food, family, and community that shapes his work at Local Bounti.

You’ve spent much of your career in consumer packaged goods and fresh food. Looking at indoor agriculture today, what feels familiar—and what feels fundamentally different—from the industries you’ve worked in before?

The fundamentals haven’t changed. Whether you’re selling a beverage or a salad kit, consumers still expect quality, consistency, and a brand they can trust. The same goes for our retail partners—on-time, in-full delivery with the highest quality remains the gold standard.  We see a long-term opportunity to reshape consumers’ perception of value in the produce aisle – we think we are delivering exceptional value in terms of product quality and as consumers come to better appreciate how this exceeds the status quo within conventionally-grown greens, we can drive greater volumes at attractive prices that will make this new era of CEA accessible to everyone.

But the ‘how’ is fundamentally different. In traditional CPG, you’re managing stable, predictable inventory. With indoor ag, we’re dealing with a living product where yield and shelf life are the ultimate differentiators. That’s the daily challenge. For me, the real shift is the ‘why.’ I’m grateful for my foundational training in the soft drink industry, but my perspective changed after having children—you can’t feed a growing population with soda, but you can make a life-changing impact through sustainable agriculture.

There’s a tangible passion in this category that’s different. From our growers to the families picking our products up at the grocery store, there’s a deep, personal relationship with the food we put on the table. We aren’t just moving units—we’re nourishing people. That sense of purpose creates a culture of care and intensity you don’t find in traditional CPG.

Local Bounti’s Stack & Flow® Technology integrates vertical and greenhouse growing to improve yields, flexibility, and unit economics.
Local Bounti’s Stack & Flow® Technology integrates vertical and greenhouse growing to improve yields, flexibility, and unit economics.

Local Bounti has taken a measured approach to scaling, even as demand for indoor-grown leafy greens continues to evolve. From your seat, what does “responsible growth” look like at Local Bounti, and how do you decide when—and where—to grow next?

Responsible growth means expansion should be demand-driven, not capacity-driven. In response to growing demand, we identified an opportunity to enhance our facility in Georgia to create additional capacity.  We added our “Stack” phase to what was a traditional greenhouse facility, which resulted in a tripling of our run-rate production as compared to steady-state in the prior year period.  This experience was a scaled case study in what’s possible with our Stack & Flow® Technology and put us in position to complete two fully integrated state-of-the-art facilities in Texas and Washington over the past 18 months.  This is the power of the technology at Local Bounti – it provides us with the flexibility to scale in direct response to a retail environment that now views CEA as essential infrastructure. By aligning production ramps with long-term customer needs, we strive to ensure every square foot we add contributes to our path toward achieving positive adjusted EBITDA in 2026. It’s about being disciplined with our capital while being aggressive where the market wants us to be.

One of Local Bounti’s advanced growing facilities (Pasco, Washington), supporting a reliable, regional supply of fresh greens for retail partners.
One of Local Bounti’s advanced growing facilities (Pasco, Washington), supporting a reliable, regional supply of fresh greens for retail partners.

Retailers today are looking for more than just supply—they want consistency, flexibility, and long-term partners. How has Local Bounti’s hybrid growing model and product mix shaped the kinds of retail conversations you’re having now compared to a few years ago?

A few years ago, retail conversations were about ‘if’ CEA could work. Today, the attitude has shifted to an absolute ‘need’ for what we provide – in fact, we are hearing directly from retailers that they have tripled their allocation to the category for this upcoming year. Our hybrid Stack & Flow® technology has fundamentally changed those discussions as it is designed to solve the three biggest pain points for retailers: supply reliability, consistency and shrink. By combining the best of vertical and greenhouse growing, we’re delivering significantly higher quality plants with shelf life often double or triple that of our field grown competition. Retailers realize they need a partner with a durable and stable platform who can offer the flexibility of a broad product mix—from living heads to salad kits—with a reliable, local supply chain. When we show them our technology translates directly into less waste on their shelves and a better experience for their customers at home, the partnership moves from trial to long-term strategic necessity.

Local Bounti’s portfolio of fresh greens and salad products, grown locally and designed to meet evolving consumer and retail needs.
Local Bounti’s portfolio of fresh greens and salad products, grown locally and designed to meet evolving consumer and retail needs.

As Local Bounti works toward sustainable profitability, what lessons from the company’s recent operational and commercial progress would you share with other CEA operators trying to build durable, resilient businesses?

The biggest lesson: you have to go slow to go fast. Building a durable business requires getting the foundation right before you try to scale. That starts with the right people in the right seats at the right time, ensuring your team’s expertise matches your current stage of growth. It’s also critical to build specifically for current and future customer needs without over-engineering your systems. I think this is something that our co-founders and CEO Kathleen Valiasek saw early and have instilled into our culture.  We are constantly making trade-offs to maximize the opportunities in front of us while preparing for the future, and that means being thoughtful with how we are deploying resources.  While this industry often feels like a ‘tech’ business in trade conversations, we have to remember that at our core, we’re still farmers. Success comes when you treat technology as a tool to support the biology, rather than letting tech dictate the farm.  If we can keep that perspective intact and match it with prudent financial planning, the future will look extremely bright for Local Bounti.

Learn more about Local Bounti here and make plans now to join us at Indoor Ag-Con, February 11-12, 2026 at the Westgate Las Vegas!

2026 CEAs Cultivating Excellence Awards

Indoor Ag-Con & Inside Grower Announce Finalists for the 2nd Annual CEAs – Cultivating Excellence Awards

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on . Posted in Uncategorized.

–Indoor Ag-Con and Inside Grower magazine are pleased to announce the finalists for the 2nd annual CEAs – Cultivating Excellence Awards, a program honoring excellence, innovation, and leadership within the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) sector.

Celebrating outstanding achievement across three categories—Operational Excellence, Product Innovation, and the newly added Trailblazer Award—The CEAs spotlight growers, innovators, and individuals who are shaping the future of indoor agriculture.

The 2026 CEAs will be presented during a special gala luncheon on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, at the 13th annual edition of Indoor Ag-Con, held at the Westgate Las Vegas. Winners in each category will be announced live during the event.

2026 Finalists:

CEAs 2026 Operatoinal ExcellenceOperational Excellence Award

Recognizing a commercial CEA grower that consistently delivers quality products while distinguishing itself through innovation in production, technology, marketing, and overall strategy.

  • BrightFarms
  • Haven Greens
  • Planet Farms

 

Product Innovation Award

Honoring a breakthrough product that addresses critical industry challenges and delivers exceptional value for CEA customers.

  • Jiffy Group – Jiffy Gel
  • Voltiris – Energy & Crops, Without Compromise Solar Modules
  • Zayndu – Activated Air™ On-Site Seed Priming System

 

CEAs Trailblazer AwardTrailblazer Award

Honoring an individual whose vision, leadership, and impact have meaningfully advanced the CEA industry.  The winner will be announced at the awards ceremony.

“It’s inspiring to see the range of thoughtful innovation reflected in this year’s finalists,” said Brian Sullivan, CEO of Indoor Ag-Con. “The CEAs offer a chance to acknowledge the people and companies making a real impact in CEA, and we’re pleased to team up with Inside Grower magazine to celebrate and recognize their work at the 2026 event.”

“Inside Grower is proud to partner with Indoor Ag-Con to shine a spotlight on the innovators elevating controlled environment agriculture,” said Paul Black, Publisher, Inside Grower. “With the addition of the new Trailblazer Award, we’re excited to honor a true leader whose long-term contributions have helped shape the industry into what it is today.”

All Indoor Ag-Con 2026 Full Access Pass Holders are invited to attend The CEAs Gala Luncheon on Wednesday, February 11, from 12:00–1:00 PM.

For more information on The CEAs and to register for Indoor Ag-Con, visit www.indoor.ag

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. The event brings together industry professionals from across the globe to explore the latest trends, technologies, and innovations in the CEA sector. 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

ABOUT INSIDE GROWER

Part of Ball Publishing’s family of media brands, Inside Grower is a leading publication serving the controlled environment agriculture industry. The magazine delivers in-depth production guidance, crop-specific insights, market intelligence, and timely reporting to help CEA operations thrive. More information: www.insidegrower.com

From Cannabis to Controlled Agriculture: Applying Proven Precision at Scale

Written by Elevated Booth 403 Indoor Ag Con 2026 on . Posted in Blog, Exhibitor News.

As controlled environment agriculture matures, growers are looking beyond new tools and toward proven systems that perform under pressure. In this guest blog, Indoor Ag-Con exhibitor Elevated draws on years of experience in commercial cannabis—one of the most demanding forms of indoor cultivation—to explore how precision, integration, and systems thinking translate across crops. The result is a grounded perspective on what it really takes to scale indoor agriculture with consistency and control. (Meet Elevated at Booth 403 at Indoor Ag-Con 2026.)

The future of agriculture is controlled. Whether driven by climate volatility, resource constraints, or the demand for consistent, high-quality yields, growers across industries are moving indoors, toward environments where variables are measured, managed, and optimized rather than left to chance.

At Elevated, this isn’t a new frontier. It’s a natural evolution.

For years, we’ve operated at the center of the commercial cannabis industry, one of the most technically demanding, tightly regulated, and performance-driven forms of agriculture in the world. Success in cannabis doesn’t come from theory. It comes from precision, repeatability, and systems that perform day after day under pressure.

Now, we’re taking that hard-won expertise and applying it to the broader world of controlled environment agriculture (CEA).

Cannabis as the Ultimate Training Ground

Cannabis cultivation is unforgiving.

Margins are tight. Regulations are complex. Crop failures are expensive. Every decision, from lighting layout and nutrient strategy to airflow, water treatment, and data collection, has measurable consequences.

To succeed, you need:

  • Highly engineered grow environments
  • Deep understanding of plant physiology
  • Tight integration between equipment, inputs, and data
  • Teams that think in systems, not silos

That reality forced us to build differently from the start.

We didn’t become successful by selling individual products. We became successful by helping growers design and operate complete cultivation systems, spaces where lighting, nutrients, environmental controls, and plant data work together to support predictable outcomes at scale.

Those same fundamentals are exactly what controlled agriculture requires—whether you’re growing leafy greens, herbs, strawberries, or specialty crops.

What We Actually Do (and Why It Works)

At our core, Elevated is a full-cycle cultivation partner.

We support growers from early planning through full operation, providing:

  • Facility layout and grow-room design
  • Equipment and systems selection
  • Lighting, nutrient, and irrigation strategies
  • Environmental and water management solutions
  • Data-driven optimization tools
  • Ongoing advisory support

Because we work directly with commercial operators, our solutions are grounded in real-world constraints: budgets, labor efficiency, energy use, compliance, and long-term scalability.

This approach translates seamlessly into controlled agriculture because the problems are the same:

  • How do you maximize yield per square foot?
  • How do you maintain consistency across harvests?
  • How do you reduce risk while increasing efficiency?
  • How do you scale without losing control?

We’ve been solving those problems for years.

Transferring Precision Across Crops

Controlled agriculture isn’t about copying cannabis methods, it’s about transferring principles.

What carries over:

  • Environmental control strategies that balance plant health with energy efficiency
  • Lighting systems engineered for uniformity and scalability
  • Nutrient delivery and water treatment designed for consistency and waste reduction
  • Data collection frameworks that inform real decisions, not dashboards for show

What changes:

  • Crop-specific growth curves
  • Lighting spectra and intensity targets
  • Nutrient formulations and irrigation timing
  • Harvest cadence and labor workflows

Our value lies in knowing the difference and building systems that reflect it.

Built With the Best, Not Everything

Another key differentiator: we’re brand-agnostic but performance-obsessed.

Over time, we’ve aligned with best-in-class partners across lighting, nutrients, grow media, water management, and ag-tech companies that share our standards for reliability, innovation, and commercial viability.

That allows us to design solutions around what works, not what needs to be sold.

For controlled agriculture operators, this means fewer compromises and systems built around outcomes, not catalogs.

Why This Matters Now

The controlled agriculture space is growing fast but growth alone doesn’t guarantee success.

Many operators are discovering that building a controlled environment is one thing. Running it profitably, consistently, and at scale is another.

This is where experience matters.

Our background in cannabis means we’re comfortable operating where stakes are high and variables are tightly constrained. We understand that technology only delivers value when it’s integrated correctly and when teams are supported with the right knowledge and processes.

As controlled agriculture continues to mature, the industry will favor partners who’ve already proven they can perform under pressure.

That’s the role we’re here to play.

Looking Ahead

At this trade show, we’re not just showcasing products, we’re sharing a perspective.

A belief that the future of agriculture will be built by operators who think in systems, design with intention, and rely on data as a decision-making tool rather than a buzzword.

We’re proud of our roots in cannabis. They shaped how we think, how we build, and how we partner.

And we’re excited to apply that same rigor, precision, and accountability to the next generation of controlled agriculture.

If you’re building a cultivation operation and looking for a partner who understands what it takes to make controlled environments actually work, we’d love to talk.

 

 

A Reflection on CEA After a Month of Indoor Ag-Con Pre-Planning Conversations

Written by Kyle Barnett, Indoor Ag-Con Program Director on . Posted in Blog.

Kyle Barnett
Kyle Barnett, Conference Program Director, Indoor Ag-Con

Over the past month, I had the privilege of spending a concentrated amount of time in pre-planning conversations for Indoor Ag-Con in Las Vegas on February 11–12. These were not surface-level calls. They were working sessions meant to shape discussions that go beyond the usual talking points and actually serve operators and suppliers.

In every group, I asked for the same thing: be honest, address the elephants in the room, and focus on what people can actually act on when they go back home. By the end of the month, my head was spinning. Not from volume, but from how consistently the same themes kept coming up across different crops, roles, and geographies.

Each of these conversations generated meeting notes and transcripts. To step back and avoid over-weighting any single perspective, I used AI as a tool to analyze and organize those notes, looking for repeated patterns and shared concerns. The insights below are not AI conclusions. They are a synthesis of real conversations, filtered through experience and judgment. Names and companies are intentionally left out. This is about clarity, not attribution.

A few things became very clear.

The Industry Feels More Serious

There is noticeably less appetite for hype and far more focus on trade-offs, sequencing, and consequences. People are asking better questions. They are more willing to talk openly about what did not work and why. That shift showed up across nearly every conversation and is reflected directly in how Indoor Ag-Con sessions are being framed this year, with more emphasis on execution, scaling discipline, and post-build reality. CEA feels less like it is trying to prove itself and more like it is trying to operate well.

Scaling Has Been Reframed

Across greenhouse and vertical systems, the message was consistent: scaling before operations are stable creates problems that are hard to undo. Facility size, location, labor availability, and market access are now being discussed as interconnected decisions rather than isolated ones. Bigger is no longer assumed to be better. Proven, repeatable, and financeable are carrying more weight. This mindset shows up clearly in sessions focused on facility design, expansion timing, and responsible growth.

Technology Is Finding Its Proper Place

The conversations shaping sessions on integration, automation, AI, and data were far more grounded than in past years. Operators are not looking for more dashboards. They want fewer tools that actually help them make decisions, reduce labor strain, or manage risk. AI came up often, but almost always with its limits clearly acknowledged. Useful when paired with good data and sound agronomy. Risky when positioned as a shortcut around experience. That realism is guiding how AI-related discussions are being handled at the show. Technology is still important. It is just no longer the headline.

Labor and Culture Are Now Central

Labor was raised in almost every conversation, often before yield or technology. Staffing challenges are no longer being treated as temporary. They are structural. Facilities are being designed and redesigned around workforce realities, training capacity, and management bandwidth. There was also strong alignment around culture. Systems introduced without grower buy-in tend to fail. Tools designed without operator input tend to be ignored. These realities are shaping sessions that focus on operations, leadership, and the human side of CEA.

Crops Continue to Act as Reality Checks

Leafy greens continue to expose pricing pressure and overproduction risk. Cannabis conversations have become notably more pragmatic, with open acknowledgment of complexity, climate mistakes, and labor misalignment. Strawberries and berries keep pushing back against automation narratives, reinforcing the need for deep plant knowledge and airflow mastery. Specialty crops, including mushrooms, consistently highlight that market development often matters more than production capability. These crop-specific realities directly informed how tracks at Indoor Ag-Con were built this year, with less emphasis on novelty and more on fundamentals.

Market Reality Is Driving Discipline

Pricing, commoditization, and distribution came up as often as production. Yield alone is no longer being mistaken for success. Operators are talking more openly about differentiation, channel strategy, and demand alignment. Several sessions at the show are designed specifically to confront these issues directly rather than dance around them. Market awareness is no longer optional. It is foundational.

Why I’m Optimistic

Despite all of this, the dominant feeling coming out of these conversations was not pessimism. It was clarity. There is more honesty now. More shared learning. More willingness to say what does not work and move forward anyway. That is exactly the tone these Indoor Ag-Con discussions are meant to set. This past month did not feel like an ending for CEA. It felt like a reset that needed to happen. And based on what surfaced in these conversations, the industry is stepping into the next year with clearer eyes and stronger fundamentals.

 

Pluck'd in Virginia

Virginia Governor Visits $100 Million Tomato Greenhouse Project in Carroll County

Written by From Hortidaily.com on . Posted in Blog.

From HortiDaily: 

Last week, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Matthew Lohr visited the construction site of the 65-acre tomato greenhouse in Carroll County, Virginia. The facility, known as Pluck’d Greenhouse, is currently under development with contributions from Dalsem – Complete Greenhouse Projects, Voorwinden Group, and Kind Farm Services.

“Big win for Southwest Virginia! Pluck’d is investing over $100 million to build its first U.S.-based plant, creating 250 jobs in Carroll County and bringing fresh opportunity to the region”, said Youngkin.

The visit included remarks from the newly appointed Pluck’d CEO Ben Alexander. His background is with Oasthouse Ventures, the UK firm developing the project. “It has been nearly 3 years since moving to the USA for this project and I am delighted with the progress that has been made. Ground up construction started in May 2025, the structure is built, the glass is now on and we will be in stores in March 2026. With special thanks to Oasthouse Ventures Limited Dalsem – Complete Greenhouse Projects, CEAd by Larssen, Mount Rogers Regional Partnership and many others for making this a reality”, he shared.

 

Read full story from HortiDaily AND We’re thrilled to share that both Secretary Lohr and Ben Alexander, CEO of Pluck’d, will help kick off CEA Summit East with our Opening Morning Keynote: “Cultivating Sustainable Growth: Balancing Economics and the Environment in CEA” on  September 9 | Institute for Advanced Learning & Research, Danville, VA.  Learn more and join us!

Area 2 Farms

Area 2 Farms Launches Second Location in Fairfax City, Virginia

Written by From Vertical Farm Daily on . Posted in Blog.

From Vertical Farm Daily: Fairfax City Economic Development (FCED) and Area 2 Farms have announced a new partnership to bring a sustainable urban farm to Fairfax City. The Northern Virginia-based startup, which is reimagining the future of agriculture through hyper-local, soil-based farming, will open its newest location at 9571 Fairfax Boulevard by the end of the year.

Made possible through a zoning amendment approved by City Council in 2024 and a support grant from FCED, this project includes a 10-year lease for the property, $25,000 in Fairfax City Economic Development Authority (EDA) funding, and a commitment to transform the space through adaptive reuse. As part of the agreement, Area 2 Farms will invest in exterior improvements, including a public-facing mural that will enhance the visual identity and vibrancy of the Fairfax Circle intersection. The city’s support builds on a foundation of strategic investment in sustainable agriculture and food system innovation, as exemplified by the EDA’s $7,000 matching contribution to secure an AFID Planning Grant in 2024. This initiative not only revitalizes a long-vacant commercial site but also advances the city’s goals to promote sustainability, pedestrian activity, and innovative investment in a key commercial activity center.

Read full story from Vertical Farm Daily…

Greenswell Growers

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

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on . 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.

CEA Summit Day 2 Keynote

CEA Summit 2025 Keynote | Virginia Growers Spotlight Real-World Automation Strategies

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

The 4th Annual CEA Summit East, co-hosted by Indoor Ag-Con and the CEA Innovation Center, is excited to announce its Day 2 Morning Keynote Panel: “Automation in Action: How Virginia Growers Are Putting Tech To Work.” This insightful session will be held on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, from 8:45 AM – 9:15 AM EST at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) Conference Center in Danville, Virginia.

Moderated by Paul Brentlinger, CEO of CropKing, the panel will feature:

  • John McMahon, CEO of Equinox Growers
  • Carl Gupton, CEO of Greenswell Growers

These Virginia-based leaders will share their firsthand experiences integrating automation technologies into their growing operations. From climate and fertigation controls to robotics and real-time monitoring systems, panelists will offer candid perspectives on what’s working, where the challenges are, and how technology is improving operational efficiency — without losing the human touch that defines successful growing.

“This panel is a true reflection of the mission behind CEA Summit East — bringing research and real-world practice together,” said Brian Sullivan, CEO of Indoor Ag-Con. “Our Day 2 keynote gives attendees a chance to learn directly from growers who are actively testing and scaling automation on the ground.”

Dr. Scott Lowman, Vice President of Applied Research at IALR and Co-Director of the CEA Innovation Center, added, “There’s a lot of hype around automation, but what’s most valuable to our attendees is seeing how it’s actually being implemented in real-time by growers in Virginia. This session will give them that clarity.”

This keynote follows the Opening Day Keynote on September 9: “Cultivating Sustainable Growth: Balancing Economics and the Environment in CEA” moderated by Inside Grower magazine’s Jennifer Polanz, and featuring participants, including Matthew Lohr, Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, and Ben Alexander, Project Director, Oasthouse Ventures.

ABOUT CEA SUMMIT EAST

Co-hosted by Indoor Ag-Con and the CEA Innovation Center—a partnership between IALR and Virginia Tech—the CEA Summit East returns September 9-10, 2025, for its fourth edition. The event offers two days of educational sessions, tabletop exhibits, networking, research showcases, and tours of the CEA Innovation Center, all designed to bring together stakeholders from across the indoor farming industry. Attendees include greenhouse growers, urban agriculture operations, vertical farms, outdoor growers exploring hybrid opportunities, educators, scientists, extension specialists, 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.com

ABOUT INDOOR AG-CON

Founded in 2013, Indoor Ag-Con is the largest trade show and conference for greenhouse, controlled environment agriculture and vertical farming. The event covers all crop types and brings together growers, tech providers, researchers, and business leaders to explore trends and innovations shaping the future of food production For more information, visit www.indoor.ag.

ABOUT THE CEA INNOVATION CENTER

The Controlled Environment Agriculture Innovation Center is a joint project between Virginia Tech, the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR), and industry that is working to advance the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) sector in Virginia, the U.S., and internationally through leveraging its collective resources, skills, and expertise by addressing the needs of the industry with  research, education, and extension programs For more information, visit www.ceaic.org

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