
Announcements
"Tweeting Growers"
Top 5 -yesterday
- Scientists unlock secrets of China’s bak choi
- Plenty receives $20 million funding for R&D center from State of Wyoming
- The feasibility of growing Euphorbia peplus in a container farm
- A step-by-step guide to circular greenhouse horticulture
- “Our systems deliver low footprint, high-quality crops with minimal energy requirements”
Top 5 -last week
- NL: Future Crops goes bankrupt
- "Our farm consumes 600 kW/h per m2 of cultivation area per year"
- "How betting the farm, and losing it, taught me an invaluable lessons in CEA"
- Growing pains on the way to a more resilient vertical farming industry
- Fresh produce chain hit by Lakeside Produce’s bankruptcy
Top 5 -last month
Friday, February 3, 2023

“Our systems deliver low footprint, high-quality crops with minimal energy requirements”
“The current energy crisis with skyrocketing fuel prices is a wakeup call for action; Horticulture greenhouses that start using NUF water-disinfection systems will get an immediate and significant reduction of electricity bills, in a range of 50 to 90% depending on previous technology that was used for water…

After request in September '22
Plenty receives $20 million funding for R&D center from State of Wyoming
Plenty received a $20 million grant from the State of Wyoming through the Wyoming Business Council to the City of Laramie to help with construction and infrastructure costs for their new R&D Center in Laramie, Wyoming. Additional funding, land, and support for the project are being provided by the City…

Gyeonggi provincial office
South Korea: Gyeonggi province announces trial of aquaponic fish farms
The Gyeonggi Province Maritime & Fisheries Research Institute recently said it will set up and operate aquaponics fish farms, facilities that produce both fish and crops at the same time, in Gimpo and Icheon on a trial basis until next year. The aquaponics system has a clear strength in which the organic…
bankruptcy came as a surprise
Restart for bankrupt 30MHZ within Sobolt group
30MHz is making a relaunch within the Sobolt Group. An agreement to this effect was reached on February 1. A month ago, the Amsterdam-based sensor and data company went…

Priva partners with Integrated Bioengineering
"This partnership will simplify water management for the CEA industry"
Priva has recently entered into a strategic partnership with Integrated Bioengineering to deliver end-to-end water process management solutions for CEA. "Our newly formed partnership with Integrated Bioengineering is an exciting growth opportunity and enables us to extend our presence in the Midwest,"…

The feasibility of growing Euphorbia peplus in a container farm
In a study by Bafort, Kohnen, Maron, Bouhadada, Ancion, Crutzen, and Jijakli, the feasibility of growing Euphorbia peplus in a container farm has been investigated. Vertical farming is considered a potential solution to increase yield while decreasing resource use and pesticide impacts compared to conventional…
Climate control more »

Anu awarded a nearly $1 million competitive grant to work on Rotary Aeroponic Cultivation Chambers
Heliponix LLC, doing business as Anu™ (previously gropod®), has been awarded a Phase II National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant for $970,993 and $75,000 in matching funding from Elevate Ventures. Anu will continue its research and development work on multispectral…
Grower in the Spotlight more »

US (VA): "Copy-pasting 150m2-farms domestically as size and crops are profitable"
"I'm probably still supplying the most expensive basil in the area, but it's simply the best you can get around here. Though, if operation expenses rise, I might have to increase my prices anyways," says Zack Wilson, Founder of Future Fresh Hydro. The startup is a Sterling, Virginia-based vertical farm…
Farming systems more »

Avisomo's Growth Station nominated for Fruit Logistica Innovation Award 2023
"Our nomination to the Fruit Logistica Innovation award is a huge recognition of our system and its potential, but it's also a notable inclusion of vertical farming concepts into the mainstream agricultural landscape. Being nominated among this select group of prominent agriculture actors is a huge…
Hydroponics more »

Aerofarms via patch.com
US (NJ): Indoor farm spreads seeds In Newark school system
A cutting-edge “indoor farm” based in Newark is spreading seeds in the city’s public school system, and it’s a win-win for kids and the company alike, it says. AeroFarms – which has a corporate headquarters in Newark – has been making waves in the world of urban farming since breathing new life into a…
Aquaponics more »

University of Guam via postguam.com
Guam: Local aquaculture attainable for residents seeking sustainability
A number of island residents, looking for ways to curb the high cost of living, showed up to the University of Guam Sea Grant and Guahan Sustainable Culture aquaculture workshop, which showed how attainable sustainable living on an island really is. David Crisostomo, an extension associate with UOG Sea…
Investments more »

US (SC): Heron Farms receives $250,000 investment to expand operations
South Carolina Research Authority's investment affiliate, SC Launch Inc., has invested in Heron Farms Inc. The $250,000 investment will help the Charleston-based startup grow its vertical farming operations that require no naturally occurring freshwater. In 2022, Heron Farms became an SCRA Member Company…
Lighting more »

Lesson from masterclass: Crop lighting doesn't always work
Two hours in an afternoon were enough to discuss a lot of new interesting insights from sensor data. Some 50 budding horticultural specialists were present. MBO Westland and Sendot jointly organized a Masterclass Plant Insights last week. The venue was the World Horti Center in Naaldwijk, Netherlands.…
Market information more »

USDA
National Retail Report - specialty cropsCauliflower, kale, packaged salads, cucumbers, and avocados were popular
Ads that broke early in this ad cycle focused on the Lunar New Year, with cherries, tangerines, grapefruit, oranges, pineapples, and grapes showcased for the centuries-old tradition of offering gifts of fruit to friends and family. Cauliflower, kale, packaged salads, cucumbers, and avocados were popular…
Packaging more »

US: How indoor farms can prepare for the FDA’s Food Traceability Rule
In November 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released their Food Traceability Final Rule. In it, the FDA makes clear all additional traceability recordkeeping…
Technique more »

turnkey aquaponic greenhouse model launched
"Affordable organic foods can be produced from commercial aquaponic greenhouse farms"
Marc Laberge, who is considered a commercial pioneer of trout aquaponics, strongly believes that affordable organic foods can be produced from commercial aquaponic greenhouse farms built on small to mid-sized land lots. With a newly developed turnkey greenhouse model, he's helping other growers to…
Events more »

US: Green Career Week coming up
Last fall, Seed Your Future launched Green Career Week to enlighten the youth about the benefits of careers in Horticulture, Floriculture, and Agriculture related professions. Hundreds of high schoolers experienced careers working with and around plants during field trips, classroom visits, and via social media throughout the…
Company news more »

Tom van der Meer turns 50
On February 2, Tom van der Meer turned 50 years old. Tom was Artechno's first employee, both at the old and new Artechno. His colleagues put him in the limelight as Tom ''is always there for everyone. As Realization Manager, he flies around the world to get our projects on order down to the last bolt and bit." For more information:Artechno…

A step-by-step guide to circular greenhouse horticulture
The Greenhouse Horticulture & Flower Bulbs Business Unit at Wageningen University & Research (WUR) has completed its research into circular greenhouse horticulture, carried out in partnership with the Club of 100. The research looked into possibilities and opportunities for improving circular processes…
Education and Research more »
aim of cross-vegetable breeding and disease resistance
Scientists unlock secrets of China’s bak choi
A research team says it has found a way to cross bak choi – also called bok choy – with other vegetables, such as mustard greens.The new technology could lead to cross-species…
Energy more »

© Roman Penderev | Dreamstime.com
Study:US renewable energy farms outstrip 99% of coal plants economically
Coal in the US is now being economically outmatched by renewables to such an extent that it’s more expensive for 99% of the country’s coal-fired power plants to keep running than it is to build an entirely new solar or wind energy operation nearby, a new analysis has found. The plummeting cost of…
Suppliers more »

Vertical farming is proving itself technically, but the economics need to catch up
"Over the last five years, the operations of vertical farms have matured, and the technology has advanced to a point where the unit economics begin to make sense. AmplifiedAg aims to support the industry's evolution through this as a facilitator of infrastructure," says Don Taylor, CEO of AmplifiedAg.…
Technology more »

A vertical farm as a big data source
"Growing is a top sport. Raising the bar, a little higher every time. That is only possible with the right information about growing conditions, performance, yield, and much more. Today’s information, but also information gathered in the past. In other words, data. More and more possibilities are…
Cultivation more »

Photo 32396215 © Simon Thomas | Dreamstime.com
Mushrooms emerge from the shadows in pesticide-free production push
Poland, the Netherlands, and Spain are Europe's largest mushroom producers. Mention La Rioja in northern Spain, and most people will picture majestic sun-drenched vineyards nestled in the hillsides. But, hidden from the sunlight, the region is also home to a very different crop that happens to be at the…
Today on social media more »

Cantabrica
Container farms more »

"Our farm consumes 600 kW/h per m2 of cultivation area per year"
"We can present very good figures, both in terms of cultivation yields and operational costs," says Vincent van der Gaag at the Pijnacker office on a rainy December afternoon. Urban Agrotech, a Dutch startup introduced its patented caroussel container farm just about when Covid started. Now it's time to…
Home growing devices more »

NL: Five elementary school add growing towers to their portfolio
At the initiative of the 'Learning to Eat Young Groningen' incentive program, five primary schools in the province will start growing vertical with Tower Garden for a year…
Alternative products more »

Cyril Marcilhacy/Bloomberg via Getty
How France became the unlikely home of the insect-farming industry
Walking into Ÿnsect’s flagship manufacturing site in Dole, eastern France, the first thing that visitors are met with is a hot, earthy, composting smell. With it comes the realization that this is not a typical factory. At 17 metres high, this is the world’s largest vertical insect farm — home to at…