Tag: urban farming

Championing CEA and Community: A Conversation with Dr. Scott Lowman

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

Looking ahead to the October 1-2, 2024 CEA Summit East in Virginia, we had the chance to catch-up with Dr. Scott Lowman. Many of you may know Dr. Lowman as VP of Applied Research at the IALR and Co-Director of the VT-IALR Controlled Environment Agriculture Innovation Center, co-host of the CEA Summit East with Indoor Ag-Con. But what you might not know is that Dr. Lowman is also the co-founder of Lynchburg Grows, a seven-acre urban farm dedicated to providing access to fresh, local produce for Lynchburg residents, restaurants, and organizations, while also providing purposeful jobs for individuals with disabilities.

The site that is now Lynchburg Grows has quite a storied past. The property was originally owned by the Doyle family, who operated a nursery growing all types of flowers from 1920 until the 1950s, when they transitioned the business into an East Coast distribution network that would become Wholesale Florist. The Schenkel family purchased the property in the early 1950s to grow long-stem roses exclusively until closing in the 1990s. During this time, the farm became one of the largest rose producers in Virginia – representing 23% of the state’s flower industry and harvesting up to 10,000 long stem roses a day in 70,000 square feet of greenhouses. Roses from the Schenkel Farm crowned Kentucky Derby winners and even decorated the White House. There is an endowment at Cornell named for the Schenkel family.

Lynchburg Grows History — The Doyle family owned the property from 1920 until 1950 when they sold it to the Schenkels. Growing only long-stem roses, the Schenkel Farm would become of the largest rose producers in Virginia. Roses from the Schenkel Farm decorated the White House and crowned Kentucky Derby winners.

In 2003, a man named Paul Lam, himself disabled, witnessed the destruction of a garden he had lovingly cared for, all due to a communication error. Volunteers rallied to his aid when his story was published in the newspaper. Inspired by the experience, some of the people who helped Paul decided to form an organization to help more people with disabilities to grow food. They purchased the old Schenkel Farm, with its nine abandoned greenhouses, and begin work on what would become Lynchburg Grows.

In addition to providing meaningful employment to individuals with disabilities, key aspects of the work Lynchburg Grows does today includes operation of the Veggie Box Community Service Agriculture (CSA); the Fresh Rx Program that allows doctors to prescribe fresh produce to patients with diet-related illnesses; countless food donations; a host of educational programs and much more.

Can you share the journey that led to the founding of Lynchburg Grows and how your personal experiences influenced its mission?

Growing up with a cousin who was my age but was born with cerebral palsy, it was hard for me to understand why he couldn’t do the same things I was doing as a kid. When the opportunity arose to help create a program focused on providing people with disabilities the chance to share their talents and skills through agriculture, I jumped in with both feet.

Lynchburg Grows Founders — (L-R): Surviving roses from the original farm that were replanted in greenhouse 3; Lynchburg Grows co-founders Michael Van Ness (far left) and Scott Lowman (far right) with their first group of employees; Lynchburg Grows first planting in greenhouse 1.

What challenges did you face when transforming the old Schenkel Farm into the thriving urban farm it is today, and how did the community contribute to overcoming these challenges?

The Schenkel Greenhouse Complex had been producing long-stem roses for nearly 50 years but closed in the mid-1990s due to the collapse of the rose industry in the U.S. Our team faced a couple of major challenges.

First, when the greenhouse closed, all the roses were allowed to die in place. Starting with nearly two acres of dead rose bushes was a significant challenge. The community came to the rescue and helped clear practically all the roses with thousands of volunteer labor hours. Groups of college students came by the hundreds from Lynchburg College and Randolph-Macon College, and the roses were cleared within a month or two.

(L-R): Lynchburg College freshman who cleared the first greenhouse of dead roses in one morning; More Lynchburg College students clearing trellising and irrigation; the restored packing shed where CSAs are processed and stored. — (L-R): Lynchburg College freshman who cleared the first greenhouse of dead roses in one morning; more Lynchburg College students clearing trellising and irrigation; the restored packing shed where CSAs are processed and stored.

The second challenge was addressing the environmental impacts of a nearly 100-year-old horticultural brownfield site. The city of Lynchburg came to the rescue, and we went through the proper site assessments from regulatory agencies. The clean-up took place over time, and the project itself became a model of how brownfields could be turned into greenspaces in the state of Virginia.

To transform the property into a functioning farm, the community came together to raise funds. Combined with a USDA grant, we were able to restore much of the packing shed, which became the community center and CSA pickup spot for members

Lynchburg Grows emphasizes providing purposeful jobs for individuals with disabilities. Can you talk about some of the initiatives or programs you have in place to support this mission and any success stories that stand out?

From the beginning, we had several people with special needs involved in the transformation of the project. Practically all of them are still there 20 years later, and they provide inspiration to everyone who comes through the farm.

To date, hundreds of people with special needs have participated in our programs. Together with staff, the farm feeds nearly 300 families per week through our community supported agriculture program.

(L-R) Summer camps with local school groups; high school special needs students visiting the farm; the learning classroom in greenhouse 7

As Co-Director of the CEA Innovation Center/Vice President of Applied Research at the IALR and co-founder of Lynchburg Grows, you have a unique perspective on both urban farming and advanced controlled environment agriculture. How do these experiences complement each other, and what synergies do you see between them?

What I learned quickly was that starting a non-profit urban farm is very similar to most farming operations: margins are slim, and developing a market is key to survival. We soon realized that you can only grow certain vegetables in 100-year-old greenhouses during the summer, so we turned to surrounding farmers to help fill our CSA needs. We put nearly $70,000 in farmers’ pockets in the first year.

I then learned that farmers will grow almost anything if there is a market for it. Through this, I developed an interest in food systems that I still work on today. In fact, IALR just launched a Value Chain Coordinator program to help create a market for vegetables in our region

View of 8 of the 9 greenhouses at Lynchburg Grows today. Other than the last 2 on the right, all are more than 100-year-old Cyprus wood and glass structures manufactured by Lord and Burnham of Ohio.

With the CEA Summit East approaching, what key insights or innovations are you most excited to share with attendees, especially those related to urban farming and community engagement?

During the CEA Summit, I’m looking forward to welcoming CEA members from throughout the region to join us for two days of education and networking. Working with our partners at Indoor Ag-Con, we’re featuring a versatile group of tabletop exhibitors to showcase the latest industry innovations. We’re also offering an incredible line-up of keynote sessions, panels, and research showcase sessions. This Summit does a tremendous job of bringing the CEA business and academic sectors together to explore collaborative business growth and innovation opportunities.

In addition to all the exciting research and company support happening at our CEA center, I’m super excited to share our plans for expansion aimed at facilitating the success of current and future CEA entities in Virginia. The plan includes expanded development of a workforce pipeline for CEA companies, encompassing K-12, high school, community college, and university-level students.

We will also be expanding entrepreneurship opportunities and company support through the expansion of our facilities.

Finally, I’m excited to continue working with Virginia Secretary of Agriculture Matthew Lohr to promote Virginia as the best state in the U.S. for CEA companies to locate.

To learn more about Lynchburg Grows, visit www.lynchburggrows.org

Learn more about the upcoming CEA Summit East, including tabletop exhibitors, the full conference schedule, networking opportunities and more — www.ceasummit.com

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?

Vertical Harvest Maine — Vertical Harvest Westbrook rendering.

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.

USDA Offers New Crop Insurance Program for Producers Using Controlled Environments

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on October 16, 2023. Posted in Blog.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2, 2023 – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing a new crop insurance program designed for agricultural producers who use controlled environments in their operations. The new Controlled Environment program from USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) is specifically for plants grown in fully enclosed controlled environments and provides coverage against plant diseases subject to destruction orders. Available beginning in the 2024 crop year, the Controlled Environment program provides a risk management resource for urban, specialty crop, and organic producers who often use controlled environments as a major part of their operations.

FAQs ABOUT NEW CEA INSURANCE PROGRAM

“We are always looking to improve and expand the crop insurance resources we offer to agricultural producers, and the new Controlled Environment program will greatly benefit urban, specialty crop, organic and other producers who grow in controlled environments,” said RMA Administrator Marcia Bunger. “Controlled environment agriculture is a quickly growing sector in the Nation’s food production, and this new option is part of USDA’s broader effort to support urban agriculture and new and better markets for American producers.”

The Controlled Environment program is a dollar plan of insurance, which bases the insured’s guarantee on inventory values reported by the producer, and provides coverage against plant diseases when the plants must be destroyed under a federal or state destruction order.

The Controlled Environment program adds to two other federal insurance products available to nursery and innovative agricultural producers by providing benefits that are not available under the other programs, such as:

Offer coverage for all Controlled Environment plants, including cuttings, seedlings, and tissue culture.
Offer crop insurance coverage through a streamlined application and policy renewal process.
Offer new crop insurance coverage specific to the disease risk to plants in Controlled Environment operations.
Offer insurance for producer-selected plant categories for Controlled Environment that are not in other nursery insurance program.
Allow Controlled Environment operations to have single peril Controlled Environment insurance to be purchased as a standalone policy or in conjunction with other nursery insurance.

The first sales closing date is Dec. 1, 2023.

The Controlled Environment program will be available in select counties in Alabama, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

More Information

RMA held virtual and in-person informational sessions in September and early October of 2023. While those sessions have passed, this page still offers key information – Learn more.

Crop insurance is sold and delivered solely through private crop insurance agents. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA Service Centers and online at the RMA Agent Locator. Learn more about crop insurance and the modern farm safety net at rma.usda.gov or by contacting your RMA Regional Office.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit usda.gov.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.

Agritecture Pre-Event Indoor Ag-Con Workshop

Agritecture To Host Pre-Event Urban Farm Planning Workshop

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on January 3, 2022. Posted in Blog, Press Releases.

Urban and controlled environment agriculture advisory firm Agritecture will host the pre-event workshop, “Planning Your Commercial Urban Farming Business,” on Sunday, February 27, 2022 – the day before Indoor Ag-Con opens — February 28 – March 1, 2022 at Caesars Forum, Las Vegas, NV. Focused on providing participants with a clear understanding of how to think strategically and avoid mistakes when planning an urban farming business, the workshop will run from 2 – 5 pm.

Participants will receive access to Agritecture Designer, Agritecture’s proprietary urban farm planning software. This workshop will utilize Agritecture Designer and participants will work in teams to complete a design workshop to explore how urban agriculture might fit in with their current projects or long-term goals.

Workshop participants will also meet and hear from some of Agritecture Designer Partners and Indoor Ag-Con exhibitors, including Ceres Greenhouse Solutions and Montel.

The Agritecture workshop is an optional pre-event workshop add-on available to Indoor Ag-Con attendees for just $150. To learn more and sign up, visit www.indoor.ag/agritecture-pre-event-workshop/

“We are excited to partner with Agritecture to bring this comprehensive educational opportunity to our grower audience,” says Brian Sullivan,” partner, Indoor Ag-Con, LLC. “Participants are sure to find this workshop to be a great way to kick off their Indoor Ag-Con experience. Not only will it help them strategically navigate the concurrent Indoor Ag-Con and National Grocers Association Show events that start the next day, the workshop also adds even more networking, market research, and partnership development opportunities for their businesses.”

Led by Agritecture’s Director of Digital Strategy, Ricky Stephens; Marketing & Sustainability Lead, Briana Zagami; and Director of Consulting, Djavid Amidi-Abraham, the workshop outline includes:

Lesson 1 | Introduction to Commercial Urban Farming

Understanding the full spectrum of urban agriculture solutions & impact categories
Key lessons learned from current case studies and past failures
How to position your farm for success

Lesson 2 | Choosing Your Equipment, Crops & Marketing

Greenhouse vs. Vertical Farm considerations
An introduction to hydroponic systems
Understanding lighting options, nutrient solutions, air flow, and CO2 enrichment
How to conduct proper market research
Marketing & selling your product
Evaluating various sales channels

Lesson 3 | Presentations from Partners, including

Ceres Greenhouse Solutions
Montel

Design Workshop | Participants will be broken into teams

Teams will develop an urban farming concept based on a selected site location and parameters using Agritecture’s proprietary urban farm planning software, Agritecture Designer.

INDOOR AG-CON 2022 QUICK FACTS
WHAT:                 Premier trade show & conference for indoor |vertical farming and controlled environmentagriculture industry
WHEN:                 Monday, Feb. 28 – Tuesday, Mar. 1, 2022
WHERE:               Caesars Forum, 3911 Koval Lane, Las Vegas, NV 89101
INFO:                    For information on exhibiting or attending visit www.indoor.ag or email suzanne@indoor.ag

ABOUT INDOOR AG-CON LLC
Founded in 2013, Indoor Ag-Con has emerged as the premier trade event for vertical farming | indoor agriculture, the practice of growing crops in indoor systems, using hydroponic, aquaponic and aeroponic techniques. Its events are crop-agnostic and touch all sectors of the business, covering produce, legal cannabis | hemp, alternate protein and non-food crops. In December 2018, three event industry professionals – Nancy Hallberg, Kris Sieradzki and Brian Sullivan – acquired Indoor Ag-Con LLC, setting the stage for further expansion of the event. More information: www.indoor.ag

ABOUT AGRITECTURE
Agritecture was founded by Henry Gordon-Smith in 2011 to help others navigate the crucial planning stage for their urban farming business and avoid costly mistakes. Since then, Agritecture has grown into the world’s leading advisory firm on urban and controlled environment agriculture, working with clients of all types – from entrepreneurs, to investors, to technology providers – in more than 35 countries. In recent years, Agritecture’s service offerings have evolved to meet industry needs beyond farm planning and include strategy, due diligence, market research, and more. For more information visit www.agritecture.com

Re-Envisioning Urban Farming With Direct To Consumer Urban Hubs

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on September 11, 2021. Posted in Blog.

Q & A With Brick Street Farms CEO Shannon O’Malley

is excited to welcome Brick Street Farms CEO Shannon O’Malley to our speaker roster for the October 4-5, 2021 edition at the Hilton Orlando. Based in St. Petersburg, FL, O’Malley and her growing company are on a mission to “ignite a sustainable farm revolution by dramatically reshaping the global population’s ability to access clean, healthy food.” We caught up with Shannon to learn more about the multi-million investment Florida agribusiness leader Lykes Bros. has recently made in Brick Street Farms; her company’s THRIVE Containers division, and its non-profit Desert Farms Foundation.

Read our Q&A here AND learn more next month in Orlando as Shannon joins our “Women in Ag” panel discussion

Congratulations on the recent news that Lykes Bros. Inc has made a significant investment in Brick Street Farms! What does this mean for your company and how does it play into your mission.

Brick Street Farms could not be more thrilled about the investment from Lykes Bros. Inc. We both inherently believe that within the agriculture space there is room for traditional farming models and urban community models. With our Lykes Bros.Inc. investment, Brick Street Farms will be bringing the first large-scale direct to consumer urban community model to the forefront: Brick Street Farms Urban Hubs.

With this model, we have the privilege of contributing to the local economy by empowering and investing in our urban communities in as many ways as possible. We provide nutritional and medicinal food that has not been compromised by traditional agriculture supply chain issues, grown on-site, in one of the most advanced environmentally sustainable arenas in agriculture. With harvest to home in 24 hours, we take pride in leading the way in the evolution of how people connect to their food. We are growing 16-20 acres of farmland in 1/3 acre lots and could not be more excited. Brick Street Farms is defining what urban agriculture is with our urban hubs. These hubs are the truest form of bringing mass food production to the point of consumption. And the best way to sustainably feed more people from urban locations.

From a financial standpoint, this model is scalable, replicable, and sustainable. Below is a graph from the Artemis State of Indoor Farming 2020. We have added the Brick Street Farms direct to consumer model to this graph as shown below:

What was the rationale behind the launch of your THRIVE division and what makes your containers different than others on the market today?

When my husband, Brad, and I started Brick Street Farms, we had no idea how quickly our business would scale. With this scale and both of us having backgrounds in engineering, the obvious next step was to design and manufacture our own containers. As we thought through the designs, there were key areas that we knew needed improvements. Our main objective was, and still is, to build containers for growers, by growers. The maximization of plant sites was important, so we added a sixth row of channels and turned other excess space into plant sites. We significantly reduced the amount of components in the container that require maintenance.

Our THRIVE Containers provide a one pump, one reservoir, one dosing station system for the complete grow cycle. Improving water sanitation through the use of nanobubble technology was a no brainer because it cleanses the water and eliminates toxins so we don’t have to use chemicals for cleansing. Those are just some of the ways our THRIVE Containers are different from those on the market today.

Tell us about the Brick Street Farms membership model and how it plays into both your business growth plan as well as the support of your overall mission.

We knew fairly early on that the only financially successful and sustainable model in this space is a direct to consumer model. That’s why we had to design the best in class containers in order to build the first of its kind direct to consumer Brick Street Farms urban hubs. Our membership program is similar to a gym with both individual memberships and corporate level memberships. This provides a recurring stream of revenue and is not a CSA model. Our customers are very community driven, hyper-local and support advanced environmental sustainability. Introducing the membership model was just a perfect way for them to connect with us and for us to connect with them and it supports the part of our mission which focuses on being good to our community and planet Earth.

Can you tell us about your non-profit Desert Farms Foundation – why you started it and what you hope to accomplish through it?

Bringing our Desert Farms Foundation to life has been such a neat experience. The foundation is really growing faster than we expected. We don’t even have the Desert Farms Foundation website live yet, however, we have received a great kick-start to our operations budget and are already delivering to three major non-profit food organizations. It’s really important to recognize that we are a start-up and to be able to bring a non-profit to life in such a quick amount of time is super commendable and not easy. We all have so much on our plates and I am so proud that we got this off the ground and I look forward to witnessing the impact this foundation makes by working to provide nutritional wellness for ALL.

Learn more about Shannon and Brick Street Farms by visiting their website here.

Indoor Ag-Con, NGA Show May 2021 Co-Location Taps Into Synergies Between Growers & Grocers

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on January 18, 2021. Posted in Blog.

The NGA Show, the leading trade show and conference for independent grocers, and Indoor Ag-Con, the premier agriculture conference and trade show for the indoor and vertical farming industry, will co-locate in 2021. The combined event will be held May 16-18, 2021 at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas, NV. The January 2021 cover story from Supermarket Perimeter , titled “Redefining Locally Grown Produce With Urban Farming”, shines a spotlight on the synergies and new business opportunities emerging between grocers and indoor growers. Written by the publication’s managing editor Andy Nelson, the article highlights a number of our industry leaders, including Freight Farms, Gotham Greens and Infarm and starts out:

Supermarket Perimeter January 2021 Cover Story:

“Urban farms check a variety of boxes for today’s consumers: locally grown, sustainable, low carbon footprint — not to mention fresh, healthy and tasty.

And the COVID pandemic has only made them more attractive, as transportation and logistics created huge headaches for retailers, shippers and everyone in between along the supply chain. Kroger, Whole Foods Market and Safeway are just a few of the big-name US retailers to get on board.

Minneapolis-based North Market installed a Freight Farms hydroponic vertical container farm in the summer of 2020, and the retailer followed that up in December with the decision to power its farm with solar panels connected to its roof.

“Now we have a repurposed shipping container, growing the equivalent of two acres of outdoor growing space, using only five gallons of water a day, entirely powered by solar panels, selling into a grocery store located 50 feet away,” said Ethan Neal, food systems manager for Pillsbury United Communities, the nonprofit organization that funded the farm. “It’s creating some of the highest quality produce available in a neighborhood that was considered one of the largest food deserts in the state of Minnesota.”

Read the full article from Supermarket Perimeter, visit the publication website here.

Netled Participates In Finland Food Wastage Project

Written by Indoor Ag-Con on November 15, 2020. Posted in Blog, Exhibitor News.

This fall, Indoor Ag-Con exhibitor Netled participated in a project organized by the city of Tampere in Finland. The project aims to develop and pilot different forms of urban and local food production as well as solutions to minimize food wastage, especially how the wastage can be reduced already when the food is produced.

The new residential area of Tampere, Hiedanranta, acted as the stage of the pilot and with the feedback gathered from the project, the area is developed towards a sustainable and smart city of the future.

Vertical farming is one of the urban food production solutions taking part in the pilot. Urban food brings food near the consumers and their living areas, and vertical farming is one of the key factors enhancing local food production as well as the circular economy at large.

During October, Netled’s Vera® vertical farm was situated and working in the innovation facility in Hiedanranta. Citizens of Tampere were invited to order two free herbs, thyme and parsley, via an online form. The herbs are planted based on actual orders, and ready for the consumers to collect at a specific week. With this pilot, solutions especially for food wastage are re-thought and piloted, as the products are grown according to real and timely demand.