Aug 19, 2018
NE Greenhouse Conference Quickly Approaching By Jasmina Dolce

Are you familiar with the biennial Northeast Greenhouse Conference and Expo? If not, this year’s installment will take place Nov. 7-8 in Boxboro, Massachusetts, and is an excellent opportunity to expand your knowledge of hydroponics production. The conference will feature intense educational sessions on hydroponic leafy greens and herb production.

Two hydroponics sessions that will be offered on Nov. 7 are:

Production Systems for Leafy Greens and Herbs (Neil Mattson, Cornell University)
Nutrient Solution and pH Management for Hydroponic Crops (Ryan Dickson, University of New Hampshire)

On Nov. 8, the courses that will be presented include:

Greenhouse Strawberry Production – Physiologies and Technologies for High Quality Fruit Production (Chieri Kubota, The Ohio State University)
Benefits and Risks of a Closed-Loop Irrigation (Rosa E. Raudales, University of Connecticut)
Successfully Implementing BCAs in a Pest Management Program (Ronald Valentin, Bioline Agrosciences, Inc.)

To learn more about the program and presenters, go to www.negreenhouse.org.

— Jasmina

Bids Are Open on Hydroponic Farm in MA

Are you itching to get your hands on a hydroponic farm? Well, now’s your chance. The City of Framingham Foodservice Department in Massachusetts is accepting sealed bids for a hydroponic farm. Bids should be submitted at 150 Concord St., RM #123, Framingham, MA 01702 until 10:00 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 7, 2018. Bid documents are now available for pickup and requests may be sent to purchasing@framinghamma.gov. Inquiries reagarding this invitation for bid are to be directed to Amy Putney, purchasing administrator at alp@framinghamma.gov. Click here for more information.

Multimillion-Dollar Greenhouse Coming to Wisconsin

A $31 million, 54-acre, state-of-the-art hydroponic greenhouse project is coming to Kenosha, Wisconsin. The Pleasant Prairie Plan Commission approved site and operational plans for Prairie Produce Farm LLC. The first phase of the Dutch-style hydroponic greenhouse will begin next spring. The operation would employ 35 full-time employees working two shifts in the beginning. The second phase could be built as early as 2020, depending on market conditions. Produce such as lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and strawberries grown in the greenhouses will be sold to local grocery stores, distribution centers and institutional suppliers.

Earth Juice Partners with Hydrofarm

Hydro-Organics, manufacturer of Earth Juice products, recently announced a strategic national distribution partnership with Hydrofarm LLC, a leading independent wholesaler and manufacturer of hydroponics equipment and horticultural products. “Earth Juice products provide growers with a broad assortment of liquid and dry plant nutrients, growing media and plant protection products for both indoor and outdoor environments,” said Hydrofarm CEO Peter Wardenburg. “We are very pleased to be aligned with Earth Juice in an effort to provide the best options for our customers.”