US (VA): Shenandoah lights up new vertical farm

Shenandoah Growers, the largest retail grower of organic herbs in the United States, has deployed thousands of Fluence LED solutions in its state-of-the-art vertical farm and greenhouse facilities. With the new LED lighting solutions, Shenandoah Growers has boosted crop yields and quality while reducing land, water and fertilizer resources.

Bob Hoffman of Shenandoah Growers visiting Nick Klase of Fluence Bioengineering at Cultivate'16

“We are seeing a more flavorful, aromatic and robust crop with thicker leaves and increased stem structure under the new lighting systems from Fluence,” said Bob Hoffman, Chief Science Officer at Shenandoah Growers. “Fluence has helped us achieve our goal of increasing crop production while being both environmentally and economically sustainable.”

With a growing need for organic culinary herb production, the company began planning and constructing an integrated, state-of-the-art greenhouse, vertical farm and regional distribution model in 2014. These efforts have culminated in:

A 100 percent LED-powered greenhouse

Featuring more than 750 Fluence VYPRx PLUS LED systems, the newest Shenandoah Growers greenhouse delivers double the light intensity and an improved spectral composition compared to its other high pressure sodium (HPS) greenhouses. This enables a 25 percent increase in crop production and a 50 percent increase in energy efficiency compared to the former HPS lighting systems.

State-of-the-art vertical farms
Nearly 4,000 Fluence RAZR LED systems are growing an equivalent of 1.5 acres of organic herbs in a fraction of the space, reducing land use by 75 percent, water use by 60 percent, and fertilizer use by 60 percent compared to Shenandoah Growers’ own advanced greenhouse model. By using Fluence lighting solutions and patented vertical farming processes in the early growing stage, Shenandoah Growers standardizes and maintains consistent propagation prior to transplanting in their greenhouse. This innovative approach yields healthy plants, peak-season flexibility, and consistent year-round distribution.

“We continue to look at new solutions to sustainably meet the demand for our herbs,” said Timothy Heydon, President and CEO, Shenandoah Growers. “The team and LED solutions at Fluence made it possible for us to produce better crops with higher yields while at the same time using fewer resources.”

“Shenandoah Growers represents the pinnacle of agriculture innovation,” said Nick Klase, CEO and Co-Founder, Fluence Bioengineering. “We’re thrilled to work with such an innovative company and support their efforts to achieve profound breakthroughs in cultivation and business operations.”

For more information:
Fluence Bioengineering
4129 Commercial Center Drive
Suite 450
Austin, TX 78744
512-212-4544
info@fluencebioengineering.com
www.fluence.science
www.fluence.science/shenandoah-growers

Publication date: Wed 21 Dec 2016