Posted on 12/31/2016 12:48:22 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
For Randy King, the argument for indoor farming in Canada is just common sense.
For one, Canada is a northern country with long winters.
Two, during those long winters almost all fruit and vegetables in Canadian grocery stores are imported from Central America, Mexico or California.
Three, wouldn’t it be better if Canadians grew their own fruits and veggies?
“I think this is the way of the future for growing produce in northern regions,” said King, co-owner of West Grow Farms, a company with plans to build an indoor farm near Edmonton.
“In order to gain food sovereignty, we need to step out of the box and revolutionize how we approach growing produce…. Relying on other countries to feed us in the winter time, I’m not certain that’s going to be sustainable.”
In 2016, King and his business partner, Jim Philpott, signed a licensing deal with Indoor Farms of America, a company from the United States, to its technology.
Indoor Farms of America has developed a proprietary method to grow fruits and vegetables inside based on a technique called aeroponics.
Plants are grown without soil in aeroponics. The suspended roots are misted with nutrient-rich water.
Proponents of aeroponics say it can grow greens such as kale and spinach, or herbs like basil and sage, without the use of pesticides.
Large scale indoor farms, or vertical farms, are already growing produce in cities across North America.
◾This year AeroFarms of Newark, New Jersey, built a 70,000 sq. foot vertical farm in a former steel mill. When fully operational, it will likely be the largest vertical farm in the world.
◾The word “vertical” is used to describe indoor farms because trays of plants are typically stacked inside the building, reaching toward the ceiling.
◾Chicago may have the most vertical farms of any major city in North America. It’s sometimes described as America’s urban farming capital.
◾In Canada, dozens of companies are planning to construct or are building indoor farms, but it’s difficult to know how many are in operation.
King, who operates a couple of construction companies, became aware of the concept when a client asked him to design an indoor farm.
The project may have stalled, but it sparked King’s interest.
“You look at the nutritional value of a head of lettuce that’s been in transit for a couple of weeks, it’s probably diminished to the (point) where we’re eating straw,” said King, who grew up on a farm near Edmonton.
Supporters say vertical farms may revolutionize agriculture because plants grown indoors mature more quickly and can be harvested 10, 15 or 20 times annually, rather than two or three times a year for outdoor crops.
True believers go further. They say indoor agriculture will save the world.
“If vertical farming in urban centres becomes the norm, then one anticipated long-term benefit would be the gradual repair of many of the world’s damaged ecosystems through the systematic abandonment of farmland,” said Dickson Despommier, author of The Vertical Farm and host of the Urban Agriculture podcast. “The re-growth of hardwood forests could play a significant role in carbon sequestration and may help reverse current trends in global climate change.”
But environmental groups say vertical farms use an incredible amount of energy on artificial lights.
“Producing America’s annual vegetable crop (not counting potatoes) in vertical systems under lights would require well over half of the electricity this country generates every year,” wrote Stan Cox of The Land Institute, a group that supports sustainable agriculture, in Salon magazine.
King confirmed that lights are the biggest cost and challenge of indoor farming. Optimizing lighting for maximum growth is complex and the cost of LED lights can run into the millions.
But if growers get the lighting right, indoor farming can produce a huge quantity of leafy greens and other vegetables.
“We can get 157,000 plant sites in 3,200 sq. feet,” King said.
Based on West Grow’s trials, plants can reach maturity in about 22 days. Which means 15 growing cycles per year.
Once he has a handle on the lighting, King hopes to begin construction of the indoor farm early next year, in a warehouse in the Edmonton area. The 12,000 sq. foot facility will also have a store, so customers can buy produce at the site.
The plan is to start out with leafy greens and herbs. Then, expand into tomatoes, cucumbers and other veggies.
King is convinced that Albertans want to buy locally grown veggies year round.
“Talking to our potential customers … the grocers, they’re extremely excited,” King said. “They’re more than committed to buying local, fresh produce, 365 days of the year.”
King hopes the indoor farm will be producing greens and herbs by June of 2017.
And a lot less dependence on California!
Iceland I understand, has grown its own food in volcanic springs warmed greenhouses for years, at least since the sixties.
for those who want to be bothered. The great thing about capitalism is that I can buy what I choose to buy.
The 22nd amendment should get honorable mention.
The lighting will cost a fortune, burning a 1000w light for every 10 sq. ft. LED lighting is in its infancy, expensive, & not very efficient. High Pressure Sodium, probably the most efficient artificial lighting on the market, is very hot, requiring A/C to keep the plants cool, yet the building will probably need to be heated in the winter.
Temperature control is critical, yet potentially costly. A well insulated growing space is required, along with expensive climate control systems. An old steel mill is probably a climate control nightmare.
And growing indoors does not guarantee a pest free crop. Tightly spaced plants are a magnet for bugs. The bugs will find your crop, indoors or outside, so pesticides will be needed despite the optimistic claims. Indoor Hydroponic growers have been using all manner of pesticides since the hobby began.
These vegetables will be very expensive.
Sooooo close.
Yer missing the really big elephant.
Route the power plant's exhaust into the green house.
The veggies get heat and that essential plant nutrient, eeeeeevil seeeee ohhhhhh twooooo.
You get very rapid plant growth and the ability to sell carbon credits to boot!
Investors, please feel free to FReep mail me...
Yes, but those are not “fresh” foods. They can be grown seasonally and stored for use throughout the year. That’s why the worries about how much electric power it would take to make all farming indoors is moot. Growing only greens aeroponically, the electric cost is partially offset by lower costs for fertilizer and pesticides, and the add to the electric demand manageable.
Old abandoned mines may not be considered safe anymore. They need to be maintained against cave-ins. They are also unlikely to be close to the urban centers that make this appealing. Trucking produce a few hundred miles across iced-over Canadian roads may not be much cheaper than trucking in from CA, NV, or AZ. If the temperature is freezing outside, I wonder if vegetables like lettuce need to be shipped in heated trucks ? Lettuce that has been frozen and thawed is awful.
This 4 min video of a 125 acre greenhouse tomato growing operation with PV panels and a natural gas fired generator that gives them waste heat plus they remove the CO2 from the exhaust to fertilize their tomato beds.
Yep. Probably the only profitable indoor hydroponic operation in the world is growing marijuana.
For those of you so optimistic about buying hydro grown veggies, hydro grown marijuana retails for $200-$500+ per OUNCE. A $10 tomato might be a good buy in extreme, remote environments; not so much in the sunny, warm south.
So, you believe that the departure of the current regime will not bring that to a screeching halt?
The UN has envisioned that and the USA has been working to put it all into effect.
And you believe that the new administration will fall in lockstep with the criminals at the U.N.?
Oh, wait- we're talking about Canada. Never mind!
Like, Obamacare? < /sarc >
I am in “wait and see mode.” I’m not sure Trump can stop a lot of it. Cities and towns and counties and states are avidly adopting all this crap. It is very profitable for them because it promotes ever more fees and charges.
I humbly disagree.
Lighting is the key to growing anything. The cost of artificial lighting is huge. The sun is free as electricity becomes evermore expensive.
Climate control is also expensive. For most of us it is the most expensive bill of the month. Same for hydroponics. Plants must be kept at an optimal temperature for optimal growth.
Do you employ a pest control company that periodically comes to spray for bugs, inside & out of your house? Bugs will find juicy vegetables even if you lock them in a vault. In a climate controlled environment there is no winter, so bugs never go dormant. Pest control is a must for hydroponic operations, yet it never kills every last bug. Disease, fungus, & bacteria must also be dealt with.
Water used must be at least partially purified & heated to optimal temperature, & kept that way.
All of this runs on electricity.
Without a backup power supply, the indoor gardener is at the mercy of bad weather & the power company. A day or 2 without power produces a dead crop - no water circulation, light, or temperature control.
Browse any Hydro store on the Net & you will see a multitude of expensive items necessary for a successful operation. Any vegetables produced hydroponically will be expensive.
Holmes on Homes tv show with Mike Holmes repaired a house that had indoor harvest of marijuana plants.
The police before the repair had raided the place after the crooks er... farmers tapped the high voltage lines for the grow lights and the power company noticed.
The elites have been setting aside great gobs of land in the 50 states for themselves and their guests so they don’t have to see ruffians and commoners while they are enjoying the Outdoors.
bump for next year. Happy New Year to All.
Green leafies are the only ones that can be produced viably atm.
When the WOD is finally ended and everyone that wants a garden can grow one without Nazi Death Squads kicking in their door, the price will fall to realistic levels. Prohibition IS the only reason for the big bucks.
What do you disagree with ? I said the electric cost was PARTIALLY offset by lower cost for fertilizer and pesticides than in open farm land, not that aeroponics was cheaper overall.
I remember that episode. All the drywall and insulation had to be replaced and the wood framed walls had to be sandblasted (with walnut shells if I remember) to remove the mold growing on it. A landlord’s nightmare.
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