"We feel the need to innovate constantly”

The main activity of Gitzels Plant Nursery is the cultivation of Brassica seedlings - but that's just the beginning of the story. In the different departments of the high-tech nursery various activities take place, including the breeding of warm fruit vegetable plants, quality research for breeders and…

"Off-grid energy system opens up new possibilities for greenhouses"

Building a greenhouse and connecting it to gas and electricity in some regions is more challenging than in others. While in the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe an extensive infrastructure is available, in the Middle East and North Africa that is often not the case. But there they do have a lot of…

"Heating the greenhouse by cooling our LEDs"

German lettuce grower Brimmers once again opts for Oreon's water-cooled LED luminaires for the expansion of its location in Straelen. This time it concerns the Oreon Grow Light 3.0. Thanks to the higher output of this new luminaire (2,050 µMol / w / s), significantly fewer lamps are needed in phase 2 to…

[NOT YET 24 MAY] Clearing out is more than starting a crop shredder

The crop rotation is a labor-intensive and hectic period for many growers. Weterings is specialized in the development and production of machines, with which crop rotation can be carried out in an efficient, work-friendly and safe manner. They have a variety of machines that can be used to mechanize the…

Spain: Excitement at third edition of Infoagro Exhibition

The third edition of the international fair of intensive production and the auxiliary industry, held in Almeria, was inaugurated on Wednesday by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, along with Gabriel Amat, mayor of Roquetas de Mar (municipality that hosts the event), Javier…

Warmer weather this week to boost Baja tomato production

Production of tomatoes in Baja California is expected to increase with warmer weather due to arrive in the next week. Just like its neighbor to the north, Baja California has been experiencing cooler than normal temperatures in recent weeks, resulting in a slowdown in production. Growers are expecting…

Tomato Masters complete 5.4Ha LED installation with Plessey’s Hyperion top light

Flemish tomato grower Tomato Masters and Plessey will complete the LED installation of 100% Hyperion top lights this year, bringing the overall level of supplementary light to over 200 umol/m²/s. The main installation was undertaken in 2018 with plans to reach full light output in 2019. At 5.4ha, it is…

Five-hectare high tech greenhouse launched in Turkmenistan

The first greenhouse in the country equipped with a cooling system and capable of maintaining a temperature of 20-25 degrees on the hottest days has been launched in the Akhalsky region of Turkmenistan. Representatives of the Parliament and regional municipality as well as public organizations, members…

“Risk of corruption often bigger than companies expect”

Major constant flows of money, unusual transactions, an intermediary abroad that bills a considerable fee for their obscure services; international entrepreneurship comes with risks for the fresh produce trade as well. “As a company, you’re responsible when you’re not critical enough,” warn Wilco de…

250,000 sq. foot greenhouse breaks ground in Pennsylvania

BrightFarms, a supplier of locally grown salads for supermarkets, hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for its new 250,000 sq. foot greenhouse in Snyder County, Pa. on Monday, May 20. Dozens gathered at the construction site before attending a celebration at Susquehanna University, including Pennsylvania’s…

LetsGrow.com and Gearbox make data-driven cultivation possible

Data-driven cultivation, also known as Data Driven Growing, is a common concept. How can greenhouse growers respond to this? LetsGrow.com and Gearbox Innovations work together to support growers in this. LetsGrow.com combines plant physiology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) as the basis for smart…

Coachella bell pepper production starts late due to weather

Field bell pepper supplies are transitioning out of Mexico and into California. “We are winding down our production in Mexico and transitioning to the early California harvest in the Coachella Valley,” says Katy Johnson of Prime Time International in Coachella, Ca. “Supply is good on green bells out of…

North American tomatoes see crossover in production

Supplies of greenhouse tomatoes look good given the multiple regions currently producing them. “There’s production in all areas right now. Volume is good in tomatoes out of Canada and our California operations. Canadian volume is up. California is mid-stream. And Mexico is finishing,” says Jeff Madu of…

Five-hectare high tech greenhouse launched in Turkmenistan

The first greenhouse in the country equipped with a cooling system and capable of maintaining a temperature of 20-25 degrees on the hottest days has been launched in the Akhalsky region of Turkmenistan. Representatives of the Parliament and regional municipality as well as public organizations, members…

250,000 sq. foot greenhouse breaks ground in Pennsylvania

BrightFarms, a supplier of locally grown salads for supermarkets, hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for its new 250,000 sq. foot greenhouse in Snyder County, Pa. on Monday, May 20. Dozens gathered at the construction site before attending a celebration at Susquehanna University, including Pennsylvania’s…

AU: Farmers call for urgent water security to protect next year's summer vegetable season

Eastern Victorian farmers are calling for urgent water security, to protect them in the upcoming season. Food and Fibre Gippsland board member, and Chief Executive of Bulmer Farms in Lindenow, Andrew Bulmer says the region's water supply, the Mitchell River, is heritage listed, and does not contain a dam…

North American tomatoes see crossover in production

Supplies of greenhouse tomatoes look good given the multiple regions currently producing them. “There’s production in all areas right now. Volume is good in tomatoes out of Canada and our California operations. Canadian volume is up. California is mid-stream. And Mexico is finishing,” says Jeff Madu of…

"Heating the greenhouse by cooling our LEDs"

German lettuce grower Brimmers once again opts for Oreon's water-cooled LED luminaires for the expansion of its location in Straelen. This time it concerns the Oreon Grow Light 3.0. Thanks to the higher output of this new luminaire (2,050 µMol / w / s), significantly fewer lamps are needed in phase 2 to…

"Off-grid energy system opens up new possibilities for greenhouses"

Building a greenhouse and connecting it to gas and electricity in some regions is more challenging than in others. While in the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe an extensive infrastructure is available, in the Middle East and North Africa that is often not the case. But there they do have a lot of…

"New monitor gives weekly insight into Dutch, Belgian, German, and British hard discounters' fruit and veg sales"

Dutch information technology company, Roamler, has been offering a service to retailers and trading companies for years now. They provide these businesses with detailed information and photos. Roamler does this using a smartphone community. In this way, growers, exporter, and retailers are kept directly…

Tomato Masters complete 5.4Ha LED installation with Plessey’s Hyperion top light

Flemish tomato grower Tomato Masters and Plessey will complete the LED installation of 100% Hyperion top lights this year, bringing the overall level of supplementary light to over 200 umol/m²/s. The main installation was undertaken in 2018 with plans to reach full light output in 2019. At 5.4ha, it is…

LetsGrow.com and Gearbox make data-driven cultivation possible

Data-driven cultivation, also known as Data Driven Growing, is a common concept. How can greenhouse growers respond to this? LetsGrow.com and Gearbox Innovations work together to support growers in this. LetsGrow.com combines plant physiology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) as the basis for smart…

UK: Pret buys 'Eat' in vegan deal

The Pret a Manger company, which has 400 stores in the UK, is buying food chain ‘Eat’. Its chief executive claims this is an effort to "turbo-charge" its Veggie Pret chain. Four establishments branded as Veggie Pret and aims to convert as many of the 90 Eat stores as possible to the new brand. Clive…

Warmer weather this week to boost Baja tomato production

Production of tomatoes in Baja California is expected to increase with warmer weather due to arrive in the next week. Just like its neighbor to the north, Baja California has been experiencing cooler than normal temperatures in recent weeks, resulting in a slowdown in production. Growers are expecting…

Growing Media Europe publishes sustainability agenda

Growing Media Europe (GME) presents today its first Sustainability Agenda. To download the document from the GME website, click here . The Sustainability Agenda serves as a general policy guideline, describing GME´s vision on sustainability and setting out the way forward for the growing media sector.…

"We feel the need to innovate constantly”

The main activity of Gitzels Plant Nursery is the cultivation of Brassica seedlings - but that's just the beginning of the story. In the different departments of the high-tech nursery various activities take place, including the breeding of warm fruit vegetable plants, quality research for breeders and…

Sprouts in the classroom

Alderman Van Halderen recently visited one of the five elementary schools that received the lesson package 'Investigative learning with sprouts' from the local municipality. Students discover in different ways how sprouts grow, combined with short lessons about healthy food and lifestyle. The idea is to have students of the…

Turkey: Tomato grower makes lucrative switch to greenhouse corn

A grower in Antalya is experimenting with growing sweet corn as an alternative product in his tomato greenhouse and is ecstatic with the results so far. Each corn cob is sold for 0.25 USD per piece, which leaves significant profits for the grower. Increasing tomato production costs has pushed grower…

MRL - changes in EU legislation on pesticide residues

Recently, the EU have published 5 changes to regulations regarding pesticide residues. These changes will become active in April and August of 2019 and include reductions and elevations of the Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) for different products: Regulation EU 2019/88 is an amendment to Annex II to…

“We just need more people in the sector”

For more than 20 years, Taco van der Louw has been active in the fresh produce sector. Although he started as an agronomist, he started working in commercial positions in the…

Winter production of vegetables in Morocco increasing

In the winter months, Moroccan product is a good alternative for Spanish and Italian vegetables. The EU import from Morocco has increased considerably in the past ten years (+51%). Two Dutch companies active in Morocco talk about their experiences. Gerard Derksen: “I expect it will only become more”…

“Risk of corruption often bigger than companies expect”

Major constant flows of money, unusual transactions, an intermediary abroad that bills a considerable fee for their obscure services; international entrepreneurship comes with risks for the fresh produce trade as well. “As a company, you’re responsible when you’re not critical enough,” warn Wilco de…

UK: How much has Brexit cost your business so far?

DEFRA’s EU Exit team have sent a communication to the HTA requesting information about the effects Brexit has had on businesses, in particular no deal planning. They wish to…

France: Growers denounce massive tomato imports

While French tomato production is in full swing, supermarkets continue to import large quantities of tomatoes from abroad. The producers in France denounce these imports. In a…

Rains will put pressure on California strawberry supplies

After the heavy rains that fell over the past week in California, strawberry growers have now turned to cleaning up their fields and removing damaged strawberries. Both Salinas and Santa Maria were hit by rains, with the greater amount falling in the Salinas-Watsonville growing district. Despite growers…

Coachella bell pepper production starts late due to weather

Field bell pepper supplies are transitioning out of Mexico and into California. “We are winding down our production in Mexico and transitioning to the early California harvest in the Coachella Valley,” says Katy Johnson of Prime Time International in Coachella, Ca. “Supply is good on green bells out of…

Saturation of the tomato market

Because of the large production area used for tomatoes, the Union of the Paimpol and Tréguier cooperatives (Côtes-d’Armor) have noted an early congestion of the market. It is the worst tomato crisis…

US: 2018 production of fresh vegetables decreased

US consumer demand for fresh vegetables remains high, but domestic fresh vegetable production fell 10 percent from 2017 to 2018, marking the largest year-to-year decline of the last 20 years (1999–2018). Furthermore, for the same 20-year period, 2018 domestic fresh vegetable production reached its lowest…

Results of Spanish cherry season 'surprising'

The Spanish Cherry Season began a few weeks ago and is keeping the entire cherry supply chain in suspense, which is about to complete the work of a whole year. The sector is in turmoil and persistent rains make everything even more complex, but Spanish Packing Houses who have chosen Unitec technology…

Watching tomato plants with a GoPro

A few months ago, the Research & Development team at Beekenkamp Plants started working with a GoPro camera. The main reason why they work with a GoPro is to gain more insight into the development and response of the plant over the days. In the video below you can see a tomato plant just after the…

Netherlands: Commercial CO2 capture installation for horticulture applications

Netherlands-based Frames announces the first carbon neutral system for heating and supplying CO2 for industrial-scale, greenhouse growers. Successfully demonstrated by DES B.V., a cooperative association of growers including VOF Prominent Grevelingen, DT van Noord tomatoes and Van Duijn aubergines, the…

"Precision fertilization is improving"

Precise fertilization that meets the needs of the crop requires two things: you have to know the optimal fertilization of the crop, and you require a continuous insight in the actual fertilization condition. In both fields important steps are being taken at the moment. The project Ion-specific…

What is genome editing?

Last year, the European Court of Justice ruled that Genome Edited (GE) plants would not be exempt from the EU GMO directive and would be treated and regulated in the same way as other Genetically Modified (GM) crops. Though GE and GM sound the same they mean slightly different things, and this has led to uncertainty, and…

Clearing out is more than starting a crop shredder

The crop rotation is a labor-intensive and hectic period for many growers. Weterings is specialized in the development and production of machines, with which crop rotation can be carried out in an efficient, work-friendly and safe manner. They have a variety of machines that can be used to mechanize the…

"Our fast response provides a long term solution"

A fast-response service from tray sealing specialist Proseal that enabled leading ready meal manufacturer Rowan Foods Ltd to maintain production has cemented the working relationship between the two companies. From the installation of three Proseal PR30 machines in the late 1990s, which are still in…

Spinach ice cream: Made with leafy greens, olive oil and salt

Spinach, packed as it is with vitamins and fibers, is one of the most popular veggies that's recognized as a superfood. Added to pasta or simply sautéed with garlic, spinach is also an incredibly versatile green. Now, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, an artisanal frozen treats shop based in Brooklyn, New York, has…

“A company needs to fit in with the group both in terms of character and activities”

Ever since De Jong Packaging started back in 1995, the company has been aiming to expand their volume, and their specialization in corrugated cardboard packaging for the fresh produce and other industries has led to the gradual expansion in other markets like fresh produce, flowers and plants or eggs.…

"Supporting great careers in horticulture"

Getting the horticulture careers message out to people at school, looking for the opportunity for an exciting career, is a big challenge. by Mike Chapman Over the years, we've…

Sri Lanka: Fibredust factory awarded SA8000 certification

Fibredust announces that company owned factory, SP Matpol in Sri Lanka, has received SA8000 certification. SA8000 measures social performance in eight areas important to social accountability in workplaces, anchored by a management system element that drives continuous improvement in all areas of the…

U.S. organic sales broke through $50 billion mark in 2018

The U.S. organic market in 2018 broke through the $50 billion mark for the first time, with sales hitting a record $52.5 billion, up 6.3 percent from the previous year, according to the 2019 Organic Industry Survey released Friday by the Organic Trade Association. New records were made in both the…

David

"The problem is that we don’t have a kill step for our fresh produce"

What if you could kill 99% of the potentially harmful bacteria on the surface of your fresh produce in one minute with just the flip of a switch? Consumers could have devices…

Monsanto ordered to pay $2 billion in Roundup case

An Alameda jury in the case of Pilliod et al. v. Monsanto Company returned a verdict of $2.055 billion in favor of a husband and wife with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, ordering…

Spain: Excitement at third edition of Infoagro Exhibition

The third edition of the international fair of intensive production and the auxiliary industry, held in Almeria, was inaugurated on Wednesday by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, along with Gabriel Amat, mayor of Roquetas de Mar (municipality that hosts the event), Javier…

Groceries delivered when you're away thanks to mini-fridge

The French startup, Foodconect, has just designed the first connected outdoor fridge which allows for shopping to be delivered while you’re away. This mini-fridge exists in…

US (LA): Middle school wins Green Ribbon award for aquaponics program

Brookstown Middle in Baton Rouge is the only Louisiana school, and one of only 35 across the country, to win U.S. Green Ribbon awards this year from the federal government for its commitment to conservation and environmental education. The U.S. Department of Education announced the latest rounds of Green…

HortiDaily starts MMJDaily.com

Normally we’re happy to publish all the news from the horticultural industry. Today we’ve got news for you. Our newest publication MMJDaily.com will be launched today! This publication is all about…