Oct 17, 2017

Have You Read Our CEA Supplement? By Jasmina Dolce

Earlier this month, GPN partnered with Vegetable Growers News (VGN) to debut Under Control: Tips for Controlled Environment Growing. You’ll find this new supplement in your mailbox along with the October issues of both GPN and VGN.

Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) continues to be a huge growing trend, so we joined forces to educate growers about the process, benefits and profit potential of controlled environment production. Our 2017 guide to indoor vegetable growing features articles on structures, lighting, production techniques and worker safety.

If you haven’t had a chance to flip through this special supplement yet, you can check out the digital edition here.

If you have questions about CEA production, we also will be hosting a free webinar next Thursday, Oct. 26, at 2:00 p.m. (EDT). The webinar, Understanding the Principles of CEA, will be presented by Neil Mattson, associate professor at Cornell University and director of Cornell’s Controlled Environment Agriculture group. To register for the free webinar, click here.

— Jasmina

New Aquaponics Facility to Be Built in Virginia

Kappa Farms recently announced it will invest $865,000 to build a new, closed-loop nutrient aquaponics facility in Loudoun County, where it will produce organic baby lettuces and arugula. The company plans to produce more than $7 million of Virginia-grown lettuces over the next three years. “The success of Virginia’s agriculture industry is a testament to the diversity and quality of our products,” said Governor McAuliffe. Virginia is the nation’s third largest seafood producer and the largest on the Atlantic coast. In addition, Virginia is ranked 10th nationally in aquaculture production. For more information, go to www.kappafarms.com.

Cornell Receives Research Grant from National Science Foundation

While it is well known that growing crops in controlled environments provides an alternative to conventional farming, it is still a challenge to show how exactly this method of production compares to field agriculture. Thanks to a three-year, $2.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation, Cornell University will lead a project to answer these questions. The project will look at: case studies, computer modeling of energy and water use, networking, nutritional value, workforce needs and training opportunities. “Urban agriculture is an increasingly touted way to connect producers with consumers, and this grant will help guide full development of this industry and do better to figure out where the best opportunities might be, said Associate Professor Neil Mattson.

Greengro Technologies to Build 2-Acre Hydroponic Greenhouse

Greengro Technologies Inc., a leader in the indoor controlled environment agriculture and vertical farming industries, announced that its majority-owned subsidiary, Biodynamics Inc., was awarded a purchase contract to build a 2-acre, fully automated hydroponic cannabis greenhouse in Greenfield, California, for Canna Culture Collective Inc. Biodynamics expects to start construction as soon as permitting is complete in early 2018. “We are excited about this opportunity to showcase our fully automated positive pressure solar glass hydroponic greenhouse technology in the legal California cannabis industry,” said Trisha Madden, CEO of Biodynamics.