“We're going for summer quality products even in winter”

There are an impressive 56 different mother plant varieties in the greenhouse of Biological Youngplants, from which over 13 million SKAL certified cuttings are being propagated each year. To improve on both the quality and the cultivation speed of the cuttings, the company uses LED lamps. The lights are…

"Balancing irrigation and evaporation to create optimal conditions for the root zone

Water balanceWhen talking about Plant Empowerment, Hoogendoorn Growth Management means using the information the plant provides to guide your growing processes. An important part of Plant Empowerment is balancing various elements of the growing process. One such element that needs to be balanced is water…

Innovative cultivation concept for lit strawberry cultivation

Signify Horticulture LED Solutions and Fragaria Innova are joining forces. In the coming years, both parties will be working on the creation of a new cultivation concept for the lit production of strawberries in which the latest technologies in the field of LED go hand in hand with production, taste,…

From 2.5 to 23 hectare bell pepper cultivation in New Zealand

A bell pepper nursery called Southern Paprika Limited was founded in New Zealand 20 years ago. It was started as a joint venture between Hamish and Robyn Alexander and the Dutch company, J.M. Levarht & Zn. "In 1997, Theo and Huub Levarht went to New Zealand to discuss this venture," reflects Frank…

USDA takes action to protect US from Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus

The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is taking immediate action to prevent the introduction of tomato brown rugose fruit virus into the United States and protect US tomato and pepper production worth more than $2.3 billion annually. The APHIS has issued a Federal Order imposing…

Rino Kaljouw has a 'sniffing pole' in his greenhouse

Rino Kaljouw, cucumber grower from Sint-Annaland: "NOx and ethylene are like assassins which can do a lot of damage to my cucumber cultivation even at low concentrations". For this reason, he has installed a 'sniffing pole' between his crops, so he can monitor the greenhouse air 24/7 to be extra sure. The…

Plant Factory book gets 2nd edition

Plant Factory: An Indoor Vertical Farming System for Efficient Quality Food Production, Second Edition presents a comprehensive look at the implementation of plant factory…

"Leafy greens alone will not ensure a successful urban farm"

Fast Company recently published and article entitled "This Google Ventures-backed indoor farming startup just opened its biggest farm yet". In the article Ms Peters identifies a few of the larger indoor farming operations, Bowery, Plenty, to name a few, and where these entities are today verses their…

Liverpool gets underground hydroponic vertical farm

Greens for Good is a campaign to get the freshest local greens into schools and businesses across Liverpool. Spearheaded by social enterprise Farm Urban, who have created the city’s first underground vertical farm in the Baltic Triangle, the campaign aims to reconnect people in cities with local,…

US (VA): New organic cucumber varieties show promise in disease resistance

In 2018, OFRF provided a grant to Edmund Frost of Common Wealth Seed Growers to assess resistance to both Bacterial Wilt and Cucurbit Downy Mildew among selected cucumber and muskmelon seedstocks. The project is aimed at helping organic farmers throughout the Eastern U.S., where those diseases pose a…

Packaged tomatoes getting more space in produce departments

The snacking trend continues to motivate retailers to allot more and more space to packaged tomatoes. “Packaged is where the trend has been moving to over the past five…

Off-season strawberry production under controlled environments

Strawberries production in greenhouses and indoor farms represents an uprising market that offers the potential for CEA growers to diversify and remain competitive. In a GLASE webinar on November 21, Dr. Chieri Kubota from Ohio State University will discuss the opportunities of off-season strawberry…

China: This smart farm in Wuzhen is producing tomatoes that get tender-loving care courtesy of a 5G network

Red, orange, yellow, purple, green … a total of 18 varieties of tomatoes from around the world can be seen in one bright, intelligent glass greenhouse, powered by a 5G network, at the newly-opened Wuzhen International Internet Agriculture Expo Park. Located in a small town in east China’s Zhejiang…

Rino Kaljouw has a 'sniffing pole' in his greenhouse

Rino Kaljouw, cucumber grower from Sint-Annaland: "NOx and ethylene are like assassins which can do a lot of damage to my cucumber cultivation even at low concentrations". For this reason, he has installed a 'sniffing pole' between his crops, so he can monitor the greenhouse air 24/7 to be extra sure. The…

Korean government develops smart greenhouse technology

A new vinyl greenhouse has been developed that maintains an indoor temperature 2 to 3 degrees Celsius cooler than the outdoor temperature during summer. The Rural Development Administration (RDA) on Thursday unveiled a new greenhouse model, “High Temperature Enduring Innovative Smart Cooling House,”…

US (OK): Grower services Vian community through aquaponics, food pantry

Cherokee Nation citizen Richard Tyler is one of seven recipients of the Cherokee Phoenix’s inaugural Seven Feathers Awards. He received the service award for work within his community, by starting a greenhouse to cultivate food. In 2013, after seeing people struggle to have enough to eat, Tyler felt it…

US (WV): Greenhouse at Stepping Stones is more than a place to grow vegetables

Stepping Stones, a residential boys home in Wayne County has a new addition, a 1,200-square foot greenhouse. They point out that it is much more than a place to grow vegetables. The young people of Stepping Stones will now be growing their own vegetables and learning how to cook healthy in the process.…

Big greenhouse opening in the north of Turkmenistan

A new greenhouse, which was built on land given on a long-term lease by the government of Turkmenistan, is planned to be opened by a member of the Union of Industrialists, Altyn Gala Gurlushyk. The facility, which is the second structure built, occupies five hectares. It is built from insulating…

"Overall decline in demand for courgettes, despite an increase in organic"

In the vegetable growing region of Pfalz, organic farming is rapidly increasing: from last year alone, there was a growth of 20%, both in terms of area and turnover. This is also noticed by Bernd Kugelmann, who cultivates zucchini, pumpkin, celery, leek and lamb's lettuce on 60 hectares of organic farmland…

US (IL): Ivy Tech get ready to launch aquaponic farm

Inside an upstairs room at Ivy Tech Community College’s East Chicago location, something surprising soon will greet visitors and students — an aquaponics system in which tilapia will help produce buttercrunch lettuce and fresh basil. This isn’t something one would expect in a building that sits amid…

Innovative cultivation concept for lit strawberry cultivation

Signify Horticulture LED Solutions and Fragaria Innova are joining forces. In the coming years, both parties will be working on the creation of a new cultivation concept for the lit production of strawberries in which the latest technologies in the field of LED go hand in hand with production, taste,…

"Balancing irrigation and evaporation to create optimal conditions for the root zone

Water balanceWhen talking about Plant Empowerment, Hoogendoorn Growth Management means using the information the plant provides to guide your growing processes. An important part of Plant Empowerment is balancing various elements of the growing process. One such element that needs to be balanced is water…

Greenyard publishes half-year results

On 18 November Greenyard announced its first Half-Year results. "As you all know, Greenyard has been through one of the most difficult periods in its entire history. 2018 was something of a perfect storm as a number of events conspired against our company, leading to a financially difficult situation.…

Summer campaign at high altitudes comes to a close for Grupo Agroponiente

Grupo Agroponiente's summer season at high altitudes, carried out in the highlands of eastern Andalusia, has come to a close with a very good balance, as reported by its Supply Manager, Antonio Algarra. “We have achieved a significant increase in the production, reaching 13 million kilos; and with a…

South Africa: Dumping the hospitality industry to commercially farm veggies for big retailers

A black female entrepreneur has taken into commercial farming to make a mark in the male dominated industry. Lungi Robela dumped the hospitality industry to produce vegetables in a 17 hectare farm in Magaliesburg for big retailers. Robela says the farm produces vegetables such as lettuce, broccoli…

“We're going for summer quality products even in winter”

There are an impressive 56 different mother plant varieties in the greenhouse of Biological Youngplants, from which over 13 million SKAL certified cuttings are being propagated each year. To improve on both the quality and the cultivation speed of the cuttings, the company uses LED lamps. The lights are…

From 2.5 to 23 hectare bell pepper cultivation in New Zealand

A bell pepper nursery called Southern Paprika Limited was founded in New Zealand 20 years ago. It was started as a joint venture between Hamish and Robyn Alexander and the Dutch company, J.M. Levarht & Zn. "In 1997, Theo and Huub Levarht went to New Zealand to discuss this venture," reflects Frank…

Red Sea Farms placed third at Entrepreneurship World Cup

Red Sea Farms placed third at the recent Entrepreneurship World Cup (EWC). The event, which was part of the Misk Global Forum, featured over 100 startup finalists from 64 countries. Red Sea Farms is a KAUST agriculture technology spinout that specializes in saltwater greenhouse technology. The startup…

US (VA): New organic cucumber varieties show promise in disease resistance

In 2018, OFRF provided a grant to Edmund Frost of Common Wealth Seed Growers to assess resistance to both Bacterial Wilt and Cucurbit Downy Mildew among selected cucumber and muskmelon seedstocks. The project is aimed at helping organic farmers throughout the Eastern U.S., where those diseases pose a…

USDA takes action to protect US from Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus

The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is taking immediate action to prevent the introduction of tomato brown rugose fruit virus into the United States and protect US tomato and pepper production worth more than $2.3 billion annually. The APHIS has issued a Federal Order imposing…

"There has been a total delay of 24 hours"

A production and marketing company from Almeria has had its fresh fruit and vegetable products blocked in La Junquera. "Our trucks had to reach Perpignan and Paris, and have suffered delays of up to 24 hours. Our customers have been understanding, given the situation, and the quality of the products…

Chilean blueberry exports continue to rise

The Chilean blueberry exports continue to rise despite the troubles the country is currently facing. Until week 44, 1,681 tons of fresh blueberries have been exported, 34% more than the previous season at the same week. According to an article on cbbc.iqonsulting.com, the volumes come mainly from the…

Price of Chinese eggplant is falling and unlikely to recover in the near future

The eggplant is a vital ingredient in the kitchens of Beijing. The price of eggplants is currently falling. The main reason for this development is that the price of eggplants…

“Good prices on the strawberry market”

“The prices on the strawberry market have recently risen sharply," says Gaston Opdekamp. He is the Director of the Belgian company, Coöperatie Hoogstraten. “We were already at a good level last week. Prices were around €5 per kg. This week, however, the average price was €8.80 per kg. The top 2AEE…

Water silos are getting stronger...and higher

The larger the diameter of the tank, the lower the tank will be. This was the principle in the world of water silos. It had everything to do with the water pressure becoming too high. However, with current technology, the improved quality of steel, and improved technical calculations, it is possible to…

1,720 solar panels for Dutch pepper growers

960 solar panels were already installed on the roof of the Westlandpeppers packaging hall, but there was still space left. Recently, another 380 solar panels were added and, to top it all off, another 380 units will be added next year. The 960 solar panels in 2018 generated approximately 218,000 KWh of…

Nitrogen nutrition optimization in organic greenhouse tomato through the use of "green manure"

In a recent study, in addition to farmyard manure, cowpea was applied as green manure and faba bean as an intercrop in an organic greenhouse tomato crop, aiming to increase…

Five new strawberry varieties released University breeders

The five new strawberry varieties released by plant breeders at the University of California, Davis, recently may offer consumers new choices, but they have to meet the…

Blueberry packaging machine to help clients' needs year-round

The international trading company, Gottmann, has a new BBC Curo 12 blueberry packaging machine. They have had this device since the end of August. "We considered developments in recent years. We also took the constant demand into account. This comes from our clients as well as producers. We, therefore,…

Packaged tomatoes getting more space in produce departments

The snacking trend continues to motivate retailers to allot more and more space to packaged tomatoes. “Packaged is where the trend has been moving to over the past five…

"We enable direct marketers to give their product a higher value"

How does one combine recyclability, water resistance and robustness in one packaging solution without losing sight of the benefits of the direct marketer? Packaging developer ASEO has addressed this question: at the ExpoSE 2019, the company will present the two latest solutions from the diversified product…

Impulse purchases as extra source of income

With the holidays approaching and the Christmas range already in the shops, consumers are increasingly tempted to make impulse purchases. How can we, as the fruit and vegetable sector, profit from this too? These five elements allow those extra (vine) tomatoes to end up in the shopping cart: product,…

Launch of pure Forest Gold wood fibre delivered in big bags

Pindstrup announces the launch of pure Forest Gold wood fibre delivered in big bags. Forest Gold is wood fibre designed and optimized for use in horticulture. For more than 15 years, the Pindstrup Group has developed and refined Forest Gold, in close collaboration with growers around the world. While…

Philippines: Tools for improved plant growth production for organic farming

Aligned with the goal of sustaining the country’s biodiversity, an event in Valencia City, Bukidnon (Philippines) was held to promote the use of chemical-free and organic tools to improve plant growth production. Titled, Biofertilizer and Biopesticide Farms and Industry Encounters through the Science and…

Significance of vacuum cooling for fresh produce

For growers of leafy vegetables, mushrooms, broccoli and other fresh produce, the most critical problem is how to keep your produce fresh and extend the product shelf life. Even if the vegetables are being planted and consumed in the same local city, without preservation the vegetables cannot be stored…

CrazyPlantLady

     .

FDA will test romaine lettuce for pathogens

After four outbreaks in less than two years where likely contaminated romaine lettuce contained deadly E. coli O157: H7, the Food and Drug Administration has decided to turn to microbial testing for clues for the next year to try to figure out what’s happening. Earlier this year, the agency announced…

“Eat right to keep gestational diabetes at bay”

World Diabetes Day takes place on the 14th November every year. It has grown from humble beginnings to become a globally-celebrated event which increases awareness about diabetes. World Diabetes Day is internationally recognised and is an official United Nations Day. Regarding diabetes in Africa, experts…

Australia to strengthen horticulture ties with India

Agribusiness companies, retail food chains and horticulture import giants are among the stops on a relationship-building tour being conducted by Hort Innovation in India this…

US (CA): Secretary Ross on CA Grown tour along central coast

CDFA secretary Karen Ross is with CA Grown this week in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties to meet with food and lifestyle bloggers and show them some of the best of California. One stop was at Houwelings Tomatoes in Camarillo. Houweling’s grows hothouse tomatoes using one-sixth of the water of…

Off-season strawberry production under controlled environments

Strawberries production in greenhouses and indoor farms represents an uprising market that offers the potential for CEA growers to diversify and remain competitive. In a GLASE webinar on November 21, Dr. Chieri Kubota from Ohio State University will discuss the opportunities of off-season strawberry…

Asia-Pacific Agri-Food Innovation Week to take place in Singapore

The Asia-Pacific Agri-Food Innovation Week in Singapore will explore the latest innovations and market opportunities in the agri-food supply chain across Southeast Asia, India, and China. The event will feature dedicated segments on Agriculture, Indoor Farming, Aquaculture, New Proteins, and Food-Tech.…

Nudging: a push in the healthy direction?

Research after research shows that consumers eat too little fruit and vegetables, even though they know how healthy it is for them. Because most consumers get their fruit and vegetables from the supermarket, there is still a lot to gain. But how can supermarkets encourage consumers to buy more fruit and…

Plant Factory book gets 2nd edition

Plant Factory: An Indoor Vertical Farming System for Efficient Quality Food Production, Second Edition presents a comprehensive look at the implementation of plant factory…

"Leafy greens alone will not ensure a successful urban farm"

Fast Company recently published and article entitled "This Google Ventures-backed indoor farming startup just opened its biggest farm yet". In the article Ms Peters identifies a few of the larger indoor farming operations, Bowery, Plenty, to name a few, and where these entities are today verses their…

Liverpool gets underground hydroponic vertical farm

Greens for Good is a campaign to get the freshest local greens into schools and businesses across Liverpool. Spearheaded by social enterprise Farm Urban, who have created the city’s first underground vertical farm in the Baltic Triangle, the campaign aims to reconnect people in cities with local,…

Let's try it