Largest hemp research center in the U.S. to open at Oregon State University

Analytics firm Brightfield Group, which tracks the cannabis industry, expects the hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) market to grow from $618 million in 2018 to $22 billion by 2022. Because of the growing interest in hemp and its potential to become a major agricultural commodity, Oregon State University is creating the country’s largest research center devoted to the study of this crop.

Continue reading Largest hemp research center in the U.S. to open at Oregon State University

Current, powered by GE Showcases Horticulture Leadership at GreenTech with Industry’s First One-For-One 1000W HPS Retrofit for Greenhouse Growers

  • Current’s A Race to the Top – Geographical Trends in Vertical Farming session brings industry leaders and experts together to address dynamic market developments
  • The new greenhouse grow light is the most energy efficient on the market
  • Universal installation options allow the light to be installed in dozens of different ways, drastically reducing installation time

Press Release – AMSTERDAM–Yesterday at GreenTech, Current, powered by GE announced the release of the Arize Element* Top Light, the industry’s first one-for-one LED replacement for 1000W High Pressure Sodium (HPS) products. The Arize Element is the most advanced grow light on the market, allowing growers to get the most out of their greenhouse, for less. Continue reading Current, powered by GE Showcases Horticulture Leadership at GreenTech with Industry’s First One-For-One 1000W HPS Retrofit for Greenhouse Growers

U.S. organic sales hit a record $52 billion in 2018

The Organic Trade Association reports that 2018 marked a record year for U.S. organic sales topping $50 billion for the first time. Total sales of organic products reached $52.5 billion, up 6.3 percent from 2017.

Both organic food and non-food products reached record sales highs. Organic food sales were $47.9 billion, an increase of 5.9 percent over 2017. Organic non-food product sales were $4.6 billion, an increase of 10.6 percent from 2017.

Sales of organic fruits and vegetables reached $17.4 billion in 2018, a 5.6 percent rate of growth over 2017. Fruits and vegetables now account for 36.3 percent of all organic food sales. Organic fruits and vegetable account for 14.6 percent of all the produce sold in the United States. Market share of organic fruits and vegetables has nearly doubled in the last 10 years.

Business Is Always Blooming at Fantasy Orchids, Thanks to LEDs from Current Powered by GE

This article was originally posted on currentbyge.com

Stan Gordon discovered the ultimate houseplant in 1986 when a friend gifted him a single orchid commemorating the birth of his daughter. Fast-forward 33 years, and Gordon finds himself surrounded by over 70,000 orchid plants in a 10,000-square-foot greenhouse in Louisville, Colorado. Business is always “blooming” at Fantasy Orchids with an ever-changing assortment of colorful, fragrant flowers, thanks in part to new LED lighting from Current, powered by GE, that makes growing season a year-round proposition.

Continue reading Business Is Always Blooming at Fantasy Orchids, Thanks to LEDs from Current Powered by GE

Cornell University computer program helps identify food-borne pathogens

Cornell University scientists have developed a computer program, Environmental Monitoring With an Agent-Based Model of listeria EnABLe, to simulate the most likely locations in processing facilities where the food-borne pathogen listeria monocytogenes might be found. Food-borne listeria infects about 1,600 people in the United States each year with about one in five of those infections ending in death.

Continue reading Cornell University computer program helps identify food-borne pathogens

Hort Americas and VegBed Team Up to Offer New Microgreen Medium for Farms

Hort Americas partnering with VegBed to offer their sustainable bamboo fiber microgreen mats

Press Release – NEW YORK, NY [February 12, 2019] – Hort Americas, North America’s top commercial horticultural supplier, and VegBed, the leader of innovative hydroponic growing mediums have announced today an exciting new partnership to offer microgreen farms a sustainable medium to grow with.

Continue reading Hort Americas and VegBed Team Up to Offer New Microgreen Medium for Farms

First Wheelchair Accessible Farm at Local Bronx Public School

Empire BlueCross BlueShield and Green Bronx Machine to Launch First Wheelchair Accessible Farm at Local Bronx Public School

Press Release – NEW YORK – Green Bronx Machine (GBM), a nationally recognized non-profit organization dedicated to helping students live happier and healthier lives, is partnering with Empire BlueCross BlueShield (Empire) to launch the first wheelchair accessible farm and teaching kitchen in America at P.S. 721x, a District 75 school in the Bronx dedicated to educating students living with disabilities.

Continue reading First Wheelchair Accessible Farm at Local Bronx Public School

What is the impact of LED grow lights on indoor horticulture crops?

Michigan State University researchers are studying the effects of sole source LED grow lights on edible and ornamental crops.

Michigan State University opened its Controlled-Environment Lighting Laboratory (CELL) in 2017. The 400-square-foot vertical farm research facility is being used to study the indoor production of high-value specialty crops, including edibles and ornamentals with LED grow lights.

Continue reading What is the impact of LED grow lights on indoor horticulture crops?

How do you stop diseases on controlled environment edible crops?

Controlling the environment is a key component of preventing diseases on edible crops.

As an increasing number of growers start growing edible crops in controlled environment structures they may be facing some diseases that they haven’t encountered before. For ornamental plant growers who are adding edible crops, they will not have as many or as effective chemical controls as they have access to with their ornamental crops.

Continue reading How do you stop diseases on controlled environment edible crops?