Agriculture

  In August,  Greenhouse Product News published an article I wrote about electrification impacts on controlled environment agriculture (CEA). The primary strategy of local, state and national governments to address climate change is rapid electrification of building heating and cooling, hot water and the transportation sectors. Simultaneously, the electrical generation mix will gradually transition from fossil fuels [...]

  Scientists from Fishtek Marine, a manufacturer of sustainable fishing gear, had a surprise discovery. Bright lights that they added to crab pots to catch more crabs instead attracted loads of scallops. The scallops swam into the traps to get to the lights. Traditional scallop fishing involves dredging the bottom of the ocean, causing considerable [...]

  The types of crops grown indoors are evolving as agricultural technology advances and the demand for local food increases across North America. Crops typically grown in Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) facilities include: Leafy Greens: Lettuce, spinach, kale, arugula, and other salad greens are some of the most commonly grown crops in CEA facilities. Herbs: [...]

Venture capital funding of indoor farming companies dropped 91% in Q1 of 2023 compared with Q1 of 2022 (deal value). The deal count in the same time period dropped 70%, from 46 deals in Q1 2022 down to 14 deals in Q1 2023. Rising energy costs and rising interest rates are both hurting indoor farming [...]

I had the pleasure of interviewing Kassim Tremblay, V.P. of Business Development at Sollum Technologies about their approach to smart horticultural lighting for greenhouses and other CEA facilities. They’ve integrated some interesting capabilities. Shiller: Some readers know that Sollum Technologies is an LED grow light manufacturer. Can you please share what makes Sollum unique in [...]

California’s energy code, Title 24 2022, became effective January 1st, 2023. In it were new code requirements for indoor horticulture spaces, including grow light requirements. This was in part motivated by a large surge in energy use after the 2018 legalization of recreational cannabis in the State. Urban indoor grow facilities took off and energy [...]

  An area of growing research and practice is using lighting to help control agricultural pests. This can include horticultural lighting in indoor growing facilities (aka controlled environment agriculture or CEA) or nighttime treatment with specific wavelengths on outdoor crops. Greenhouse growers have long known that introducing supplemental grow lights to greenhouses can dramatically change [...]

The XL-500 Meter by NanoLambda is an ultra-compact, wearable, wireless battery-operated Spectral Power Distribution or Spectroradiometer (SPD) measurement tool. It uses Bluetooth to upload data and has an internal memory to store over 8,000 measurements on a single battery charge. It captures 340-1,010 nanometer wavelengths in a single reading. The device is groundbreaking in its small [...]

There are increasing signs of rough times in the horticultural lighting industry, including cannabis, food, flowers, and other Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) crops. Some examples include: Osram suggesting that growers cannot currently afford the expenditure on LED lighting because rising energy prices are consuming their budgets. Read more here. Signify’s CEO is also seeing a slowing [...]