Sunday Wrap Up: Advancing Indoor Agriculture with Continuous Collaboration
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This Week in Indoor Farming: Partnerships and Acquisitions Promoting CEA
The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) has partnered with 4 Fungi’s Regenerative, a spin-off of Better Fresh Farms, to establish a cutting-edge greenhouse facility in Metter, Georgia, focusing on sustainable and controlled environment agriculture. The collaboration aims to innovate in the agricultural sector by using circular economy principles, such as turning local agricultural waste into soil amendments. Governor Brian P. Kemp and other state officials have praised the initiative for its potential to revolutionize Georgia's leading industry. The project will bring nearly 50 new jobs and a $27 million investment to the local community, further promoting economic growth and regional food security while reducing environmental impact.
FruitCast, a Lincolnshire-based company specializing in yield forecasting services for soft-fruit growers, has successfully secured £2.8 million in a recent funding round. The initial investment was led by Ceres Agritech, with additional contributions from private investors and Innovate UK’s investor partnership program. With this new influx of capital, FruitCast is set to launch its cutting-edge technology in 2024 officially. Utilizing AI-enabled data analytics, the company aims to improve the accuracy and efficiency of yield forecasting significantly. The technology has undergone rigorous testing on soft fruit farms across the UK and has shown promising results. By revolutionizing traditional manual methods of yield forecasting, FruitCast's technology has the potential to impact cost management and profit margins for growers significantly.
CEA – What Does It Really Need to Be Successful?
There is no doubt that the CEA industry needs to re-think its valuable concept. The recent failures and bankruptcy filings have proven that. Many articles have been written about this but none of them, as far as I can tell, have really provided a reason(s) as to what has caused the failures.
Was it the technology, operational concept, disease, insects, or the HR scheme starting at the top? As an engineer at heart, I subscribe to the concept of a complete teardown and examination of why something fails to make the required improvements that will lead to operational success.
Since most of the failures have not been forthcoming as to why their concept failed and I have no desire to make assumptions. I think it is more important to identify and suggest what future CEA’s will need to integrate to achieve success. There, of course, will be a myriad of ideas and suggestions, which in my mind is a good thing. Brainstorming is the cornerstone of engineering followed by trial and error, analysis and then of course “tweaking.”
Location, Location, Location…
Location is one criterion, with the development of CEA facilities, that has completely escaped me. If your end goal is selling the products you cultivate, … fruits, herbs, vegetables …. to consumers. Why do you build facilities in locations that require forever rising transportation costs … oil, labor, insurance.
Why not build CEA facilities where the consumers are located and eliminate transportation costs. Within today’s technology, does it really make sense to grow food 1500 miles away from the consumer / end user? Transportation, and the associated costs can make food unaffordable, contain less nutritional value and have a shorter shelf life.
The elimination of transportation costs provides the grower with an increased profit margin at the end of the day as well as significant marketing and distribution advantages. Nutritional increases, freshness and affordability are all increased by growing locally.
What is CEUA?
Controlled Environment Urban Agriculture is the operation of an agricultural (food production) business inside an urban location (city limits). The agricultural operations usually consist of fruits, herbs and vegetables cultivated through traditional, hydroponic and / or aquaponic growing methods. The “Farm” can be placed on a vacant city lot, housed in an existing building or a new, “state of the art” facility. The most important element is “location, location, location!”
An Urban Farm, strategically placed, can save on transportation expenses, reduce the business’s carbon footprint, and enhance nutritional value of the product. These items and others will lead to greater revenue, economic viability, and profitability.
Bruce Carman
This is meant to be my first of many articles written to express my thoughts on the CEA industry. I am writing this as Owner / President / Consultant of Controlled Environmental Farming, Inc but I am also writing it as Owner / President / Consultant of CEUAgriculture which is the consulting branch of CEF.
I can be reached at:
conenvfarm@gmail.com
ceuagriculture@gmail.com
bcarman@ceuagriculture.com