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Most controlled environment agriculture (CEA) businesses know the importance of tracking their operation’s key performance indicators (KPIs). Keeping tabs on metrics like cost per pound or area can help businesses gain valuable insight into operational efficiencies and allow them to easily compare their results against industry benchmarks and peers. As legislators and utility providers make…

In the iteration of the CEA Accelerator Community Profile series, we look at the potential impact CEA can have in Georgia and the industry vision Ebony Tree Farms hopes to bring to life.As part of their shared development work on the national Controlled Environment Agriculture Accelerator program, Resource Innovation Institute (RII) team members and representatives…

Looking at downstream outputs can help controlled environment agriculture growers unlock carbon footprint-reducing solutions.In developing sustainable agriculture businesses that serve local communities, controlled environment agriculture (CEA) companies are pioneering innovative ways to enhance efficiency and reduce waste. By embracing circularity, indoor farms can significantly reduce their carbon footprints, enhance resource efficiency, and create economic value…

CEA is often pitched as a tool to address food deserts and swamps, and data from the 2022 USDA AgCensus supports that story.On August 7, RII presented some of the main food-related CEA trends found in the USDA Census of Agriculture. RII’s Carmen Azzaretti and USDA’s James Altland, a Research Leader in the Application Technology…

The CEA market is evolving to meet shifting retail and commercial demands, and is experiencing great overall growth.In a recent webinar, RII and CEA industry experts Rob Eddy and Carmen Azzaretti offered a deep dive into RII’s "CEA in The Census of Agriculture" report, sharing insights on the blooming U.S. floriculture market. The July 9…

Reducing energy usage and understanding your CO2 sourcing can increase profitability and reduce your operation’s carbon footprint.Carbon dioxide (CO2) is an essential building block to all plant life. Plants absorb CO2 from the ambient air, and through the photosynthetic process build plant cells that allow them to grow. In indoor farming environments, especially vertical farms,…

In 2017, utilities and energy experts noticed a spike in electric demand. After 20 or so years of stable low growth, it was first posited that the increase in electric vehicles on U.S. roads and building electrification (e.g. swapping out fossil fuel-burning furnaces for electric heat pumps) was driving this boom. As Wesley Whited, a…

The vertical farming company received nearly $49 million in USDA loan guarantees. Here, the company shares some of the work that went into the process.   The process Vertical Harvest Farms, a hydroponic, vertical farming company with facilities in Wyoming and Maine, went through to get a USDA loan guarantee was a months-long affair full…

Building an optimal cultivation environment takes careful consideration of all heat and moisture sources.   Identifying the ideal Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system size is a critical stride toward resource-efficient Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA). Cultivating crops in precisely regulated conditions demands a tailored approach, acknowledging factors like crop diversity, facility dimensions, and location…

The pursuit of optimal crop yields and resource efficiency has led to groundbreaking innovations in controlled environment agriculture (CEA) facility design. The popularization of light-emitted diode (LED) fixtures in recent years has preceded a boom in vertical farming in both indoor and greenhouse environments. These tiered systems allow operators to maximize production by multiplying their…

CEA operators (including cannabis growers) may or may not be aware that their facility upgrade projects might be eligible for various incentive and rebate projects that can offset costs for a variety of equipment, or even make those projects economically feasible. To help understand how these programs work and their requirements and opportunities, Cody Allen,…