"Local labour can only replace the experienced harvest workers to a limited extent"

With the increasingly nice spring weather, the harvest of fresh German fruits has really taken off at the member farms of the Landgard producer cooperative. The first fresh regional cucumbers and tomatoes from traditional protected cultivation were available in smaller quantities since the end of January…

Precision steering for tomato crops thanks to stonewool products

Miljøgartneriet is Norway’s biggest high-tech greenhouse facility. It propagates and produces tomatoes, sweet pointed peppers and chilis for sale throughout the country. The company has a strong focus on sustainability, including a circular system for heating and CO2. Besides using Grodan’s Pro blocks in…

“We’ve developed tasty, high-yielding, TYLCV-resistant tomato varieties”

For years, growing tomatoes in the states of Florida and Georgia has been complicated by the Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (TYLCV). The virus is transmitted exclusively by the silverleaf whitefly. “During times when whitefly populations are difficult to control, in-field spread occurs at a very rapid…

Tasmania is home to one of horticulture's hidden gems: hydroponic grown wasabi

It is one of Australia’s little-known secrets, but Tasmania is home to one of the world's rarest horticulturally-grown condiments - wasabi. TasFoods Limited produces the Japanese-based crop, which is grown at Shima Wasabi in the north-west of the state. Managing Director and CEO Jane Bennett says it is…

"Our parts are hidden in the fixtures of the lamps"

It's a beautiful name, yet it's virtually unknown in the horticultural sector. While the company has been on the market since 2012, and since 2017 in the Netherlands in Monster, as GS NL. How is this possible? "It's quite simple, actually", explains Marco Brok, Managing Director of GS NL. "Our parts are…

HoloLenses tested to help greenhouse suppliers working remote

Times of crisis demand creative solutions, of which digitalization seems to be the most prominent. However, digitalization was already part of recent developments in the…

New roll facade cloths and powerrollers spruce up Lans' greenhouses

It's the time of crop change in the lighted tomato cultivation, so it's the time for maintenance, too. Some chores can be done during cultivation season, but changing roll facade cloths with a greenhouse full of plants, is practically impossible.  At the different locations of Lans in Rilland the old crop…

Vertical Farming Congress to be held in London

The first Vertical Farming World Congress will be held from 22nd to 24th September at London’s Heathrow Airport. Eminent industry leading speakers have confirmed their…

Corona-update: Italian NGOs are calling for stay permits for migrant workers

In today’s Update article, we will address the challenges put to West Sussex’s horticultural industry by COVID-19, the fact that Germany is drafting Romanian farm laborers and the dropping of the first quarter volumes in the Port of LA. The Australian Government is working with the supermarkets to…

UK: Vertical farm construction accelerated to help feed Bristol during COVID-19 crisis

LettUs Grow, an indoor farming technology provider, is fast-tracking the building of two vertical farm modules in the city of Bristol to help feed vulnerable communities during the COVID-19 outbreak. The company is teaming up with the food redistribution charity FareShare South West to ensure the produce…

An open source model for greenhouses with supplemental lighting

Greenhouse models are important tools for the analysis and design of greenhouse systems and for offering decision support to growers. While many models are available, relatively few include the influence of supplementary lighting on the greenhouse climate and crop. A new study presents GreenLight, a…

Threats to New England’s farmland and food production

American Farmland Trust (AFT), the organization behind the national “No Farms No Food” movement released “Farms Under Threat, A New England Perspective” at its February 19th Food, Farms, Fisheries, and Forests: Diet, Climate, Conservation, and a Healthy Future for New England conference, sponsored by The…

Seed movement and food security during the COVID-19 crisis

The world faces an unprecedented crisis with COVID-19. While the pandemic has put many countries under lockdown and brought normal activities to a halt, essential services like health care, food, infrastructure, finance and public administration continue. Key workers in essential services are those whose…

Advancing robotics in the Australian vegetable industry

From 2016-2019, a team from the Australian Centre for Field Robotics at the University of Sydney undertook projects focusing on advancing the application of robotics, intelligent sensing systems, precision agriculture automation and more in Australia’s vegetable industry. In November 2019, Vegetables…

Netherlands: abc westland expands business park after greenhouse demolishment

Hines abc westland will expand the business park by 5.5 hectares in 2020 and 2021. In recent years abc westland has purchased various greenhouses. Now that the access road to this expansion area is ready, the area is being prepared for sale. "It brings hope to see that these kinds of developments continue…

India: Solar-powered vegetable vending vans help out during lockdown

In this time of solitude and lockdowns, a solar-powered vegetable and fruit vending van designed by the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR) has come in handy for them to buy fresh vegetables near their houses in a few districts where such vans are deployed by the Horticulture Department.…

"We are minimizing our inventory"

In the urban agglomeration of the Rhine-Ruhr area, the Corona-crisis has hit hard. With the highest number of fresh food markets and an early closure of the gastronomy sector there, the fresh food trade had been severely affected. "In the first weeks of the crisis, there was a considerable upswing in the…

Hydrofarm names B. John Lindeman as Chief Financial Officer

Hydrofarm has appointed B. John Lindeman as its new Chief Financial Officer, effective March 16, 2020. Bill Toler, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented, “We are…

'Many customers take advantage of having internet gateway installed in their machinery'

Proseal’s network of service engineers is proving to be an invaluable lifeline to customers as they battle to minimize downtime and maintain their production output during this period of greatly increased demand. As well as designing its machines for long-term durability, reliability and efficiency,…

"With good weather we can make great prices"

It may all be doom and gloom in the cucumber market with rock bottom prices in recent weeks, but it is expected that there will be an improvement. The bright sun and an…

Philippine government intensifies urban agri through veggie seed distribution amid COVID-19

To ensure food availability and sustain production amidst the threat of COVID-19, the Department of Agriculture (DA) of the Philippines is intensifying the promotion of urban agriculture through the distribution of free vegetable seeds and planting materials nationwide. “We need to explore all strategies…

BCUC launches website for gas prices

The British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC), in its role as the Administrator of BC’s Fuel price transparency act (FPT Act), launched GasPricesBC.ca. This website has been developed as a first step in providing the public with more information about how gasoline and diesel prices are set in the…

Yield of fertigated bell pepper under different soil water tensions and nitrogen fertilization

Considering the lack of technical information on the water depth and nitrogen fertilization via fertigation in protected cultivation for bell pepper production in northern Brazil, a new paper aimed to study the soil water tensions under different nitrogen doses for the cultivation of bell pepper in…

The story of the Sweet bite: 20 years of baby point peppers

High yield, extended shelf life, tasty fruit and labor-saving are some of the specifications of the new baby point pepper varieties from Eminent Seeds. Especially Jan van Heijningen, specialty pepper pioneer and founder of Eminent Seeds, is very proud of the new varieties. "I was immediately impressed by…

US (CA): Growers offering roadside stands with fruits and vegetables

The warm conditions this week had the valley strawberry crop maturing quickly, but farmers wanted to also offer some healthy reminders. Heulong Siong has already opened his…

"Changing the rules now would limit the amount of organic produce available to the public"

The Coalition for Sustainable Organics (CSO) is saddened by what they refer to as the latest attempts by the Center for Food Safety and their allies to limit fair competition and organic supplies in the market through legal action. Lee Frankel, the executive director of the CSO stated, “It is…

Tangmere Nurseries

We’d like to say a HUGE #thankyou to all our amazing key worker staff who are working hard every day to help grow, pick and pack our produce. 🙌 During this time, we are so very proud to supply fresh, nutritious #peppers to you and your family! ❤️#StaySafe #FeedingTheNation pic.twitter.com/4AdOoz7031 — Tangmere Nurseries (@TANpeppers) April…

Vertical farming partners focus on COVID-19 tests

PlantForm Corporation is working with Canadian and international partners on two initiatives that will use the company’s plant-based biopharmaceutical platform to address the global COVID-19 crisis, including the development of Canada’s first antibody test for COVID-19 immunity, and the production of…

"Encourage growth of urban farming to secure Singapore's food supplies"

Encouraging the growth of urban farming in Singapore can help to ensure the country's food supplies, said Mr Ang Wei Neng (Jurong GRC) on Monday (April 6). Speaking in Parliament during the debate on the supplementary budget, Mr Ang said that the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted Singapore's…

Russian grower plans third greenhouse of 7 hectares

“We are constructing the third greenhouse Obskoy. The foundation has been finished, and the project is planned to be launched at the end of October 2020. It will be the last greenhouse project that GC Gorkunov will open in the Novosibirsk region”, announced the general director of GC Tolmachevsky (part…

Eco-kultura launched greenhouse complex Tulsky

In January 2020, AIH Eco-kultura has conducted a festive opening ceremony of the first phase of the greenhouse complex Tulsky, covering the acreage of 26 ha. The overall budget for the project is 109.6 million euro, announced the representatives of the company. The project GC Tulsly presupposes three…

Trade Board from Turkey visits Europe’s largest radish production greenhouse in the Netherlands

A trade board from the Turkish city Sakarya, located in northwestern Turkey nearby Istanbul, has visited the biggest red radish grower in the Netherlands to receive information about the greenhouse production process. Yilmaz Radijts, a company that grows radish high-tech, received the delegation and…

US (ID): Forest nursery serves serious seed purpose

The Idaho Panhandle National Forests Nursery in Coeur d’Alene produces more whitebark pine seedlings than any other facility in the country. Throughout the Rocky Mountain region, whitebark pine trees grow in the highest elevation forests and at timberline from Alberta to Wyoming. The seeds provide…

Ventilation control discussed in online knowledge lessons

Consultant Paul Jense with Priva discussed ventilation controls that influence the greenhouse climate resulting in desired stable conditions. He explained how you can set window limits and the P-band to prevent fluctuations in air exchange and thus achieve a better climate for the crop. With Priva Office…

WUR LightLab to be accredited for light measurements

The Wageningen University & Research LightLab has unique measuring equipment to measure characteristics such as translucency, diffusion and spectrum of greenhouse cover materials and screens. Now, WUR LightLab is the first ISO17025 accredited lab to be permitted to carry out measurements under the…

Italian strawberry season returns to normal

"Strawberries are currently doing well: demand is good both domestically and abroad and production is higher than in previous weeks. Consumption is starting again, and demand is in line with supply; we have high expectations for the evolution of this campaign and we expect maximum production for the end…

"Controlling blossom end rot in California peppers"

Brandt Europe, a subsidiary of the US agricultural company for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, has developed a nutritional solution to control the appearance of blossom…

"Now is the time to scout for two-spotted mite in cucumbers"

To get two-spotted mite control off to the best start, it is important to begin scouting and monitoring as soon as possible, says Pascal Briand, IPM and pollination specialist at Biobest. “The overall success of the biological control strategy is directly linked to the quality of monitoring,” he says.…

Russian retailer Magnit to increase purchases of domestically produced vegetables by 80%

Russia’s Magnit retail network plans to increase vegetable production in its greenhouse complexes by 30% in 2020. It is also set on increasing direct purchases from Russian producers by 80%. This will reduce the dependence on imported products. In 2020, Magnit plans to launch the first phase of the…

"On-line sales may be a short term answer to falling sales"

UK garden nurseries and growers have been hit hard these days. "Yet growers want to see the results of the weeks and months of green-fingered hard work get to their customers - and at the same time the health-giving benefits of plants are widely known whether by helping us to indulge our pastimes or…

Change in CPVO fees regulation as of 1st April 2020

A decision was taken by the European Commission in 2019 to update the CPVO fees regulation. This decision has been published in the Official Journal of the European Union on…

Tecnobox celebrates its 20th birthday by launching new tray erecting machines

This year Tecnobox is celebrating its 20th birthday and to mark the special occasion the company will be launching new tray erecting machines. Tecnobox started in 1990 by…

Sugar cane produce trays - a natural alternative to plastic

As the fresh produce industry moves to become more sustainable growers, packers and retailers are looking for alternatives to plastic packing. This is not simple, as fresh produce puts many demands on its packaging. It has to be sturdy to protect the product, it has to be moisture repellent and able to…

Growing Media Europe welcomes four new members

Growing Media Europe (GME) keeps growing with four new members having joined the association since the beginning of 2020. The companies Eifel-Holz AG, Floragard and Hawita as…

Government investment in airfreight welcomed by Australian vegetable growers

AUSVEG, the industry representative for Australia’s vegetable and potato growers, has welcomed the announcement of the AUD$110 million International Freight Assistance Mechanism from the Federal Government this week, which will allow Australia’s vegetable grower exporters to meet the demand from key…

Handling COVID-19 on produce farms and in packinghouses

While there is no evidence that the COVID-19 virus is a food safety concern, it is a worker health concern as it spreads via close person-to-person contact or by contact with contaminated surfaces. Food does not appear to be a likely cause of COVID-19 transmission, but many of the same practices used to…

Registration is open for Euroseeds 2020 Congress in Malta

Last year in Stockholm, more than 1100 participants from almost 50 countries across the world joined, confirming the importance of this Congress not only for the European but also for the international seed business. For Malta, Euroseeds is working hard to once again provide you with excellent meeting…

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