Saturday, December 12, 2015

AeroFarms Raises $20 Million for High-Tech Urban Agriculture

From Venture Capital Dispatch:

AeroFarms builds large, indoor farming facilities.

AeroFarms Inc.
has raised $20 million in a Series B round of venture funding to build
more of its “aeroponic vertical farms.” The high-tech indoor farms use
95% less water than conventional, commercial field farms, according to
founder and Chief Executive David Rosenberg.

With corporate headquarters in Newark, N.J., AeroFarms grows and
sells about 20 different leafy greens such as kale, arugula and
watercress.

Its farms run on proprietary systems, including equipment that
delivers fertilizer only to a plant’s roots and a network of
software-controlled, LED growing lights.

The company’s engineers and horticultural scientists also use
cameras, sensors and algorithms to collect and analyze data about their
crops. They know what tweaks can cause different seeds to grow into
plants with certain attributes, like a more peppery flavor, for example,
or a level of tenderness in a leaf.

That means AeroFarms is able to give its buyers custom greens for their menus.
AeroFarms’ systems also allow the company to grow greens without any
soil, pesticides, fungicides or herbicides. Its produce is ready to be
eaten or sold without any washing. The CEO said washing is,
surprisingly, what introduces or spreads “all the little nasties…that
can cause foodborne illnesses and spoilage.”...MORE

Here's a slightly different approach:
From CNN June 24:This farm in a box generates $15,000 a month

But Shawn Cooney may have found the greenest use yet -- literally. On a
vacant lot near Boston's Logan Airport, Cooney is using four former
freight containers -- plus one at another location -- to grow some
30,000 heads of lettuce, herbs and other leafy greens.

"I'm not really a farmer," said the 61-year-old Cooney, who ran software companies before starting Corner Stalk farms in 2013. "But it's more interesting than a desk job."

If 30,000 heads of lettuce sounds like a lot, it is -- and it's the
reason why he's able to run a successful farm in one of the country's
most expensive cities.

The containers come from Freight Farms,
a Boston-based startup that outfits the boxes with lights, growing
racks and irrigation systems -- creating what are essentially super
efficient growing machines.

The boxes themselves are former freezer containers that were used to
ship meat, so they're insulated against the heat and cold. Inside, the
plants get light from LEDs and there's no soil. The roots are instead
placed in a peat moss base that gets a dollop of nutrient-rich water
every 12 minutes. The entire container, floor to ceiling, is filled with
plants in a totally self-contained operation that eliminates the one
variable that's vexed farmers since the dawn of agriculture: the
weather....MORE