You Need to Know about These Innovative Vertical Farming Companies
Urban farming was once considered merely a hobby for city dwellers with a penchant for gardening. Now it’s more mainstream, with small farms popping up in major cities across the country. Vertical farming is less common, but it’s emerging as a viable alternative to traditional farming because it enables producers to grow crops indoors with greater efficiency.
Leveraging vertical space allows farmers to generate greater yields than traditional farms, which demand acres and acres of land. Vertical farming also reduces the need for farmers to apply potentially harmful chemicals to their crops, allows them to create the optimal climate for growth, and makes it easier to provide crops with the nutrients they need.
The vertical farming boom has given rise to a growing number of companies that have used this innovative model to address concerns about food scarcity and provide cities with access to fresh, local produce. Here are a few vertical farming companies you should keep on your radar:
Plenty
Based in Silicon Valley, Plenty is one of the most prominent urban farming startups out there today. In 2017, the firm took in a staggering $200 million in investments, which marked the largest-ever funding package in the ag-tech industry.
Plenty’s headquarters once served as an electronics distribution facility in South San Francisco. Within this warehouse, the startup has constructed a series of farming towers that stand at 20 feet in height. This setup is unique in the vertical farming sector, which traditionally relies on layered horizontal shelving to house and grow produce. Plenty also subverts the norm by using recycled bottles in the substrate for its plants, which are watered via a gravity-powered (rather than pump-based) system. Instead of the sun, LED lamps provide precisely controlled light. From kale to basil, the greens that the company grows are herbicide- and pesticide-free due to their unique growing conditions. It is through these innovative methods that Plenty seeks to provide “food with purpose” to consumers.
In contrast to the typical agricultural supply chain, Plenty’s operating model allows it to grow produce within 50 miles of the stores it supplies. Instead of selecting plant varieties for their ability to withstand a 1,000-mile journey, the startup can focus on creating produce with optimal taste, freshness, and nutrition.
Plenty estimates that its vertical farming setup can yield up to 350 times more produce per acre than a traditional farm. The company is now building a 100,000-square-foot warehouse in Kent, Washington, from which it will be able to provide fresh produce to markets in Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia.
AeroFarms
AeroFarms is another big name in urban agriculture. The company operates out of a former steel mill in Newark, New Jersey, which it converted into a 69,000-square-foot indoor farm. Hailed as the “World’s Largest Indoor Vertical Farm,” this facility leverages patented technology to create an optimal growing environment. This tech is based on aeroponics, which eliminates the need for plants to grow in soil or a water-based solution. Instead, the plants are suspended in “solution chambers” and misted with the required nutrients. LED lights replace natural sunlight.
Using these methods, AeroFarms consumes around 5 percent of the water that traditional farms do. The company sells kale, watercress, arugula, and other “baby” green varieties through its brand, Dream Greens. Similar to other brands of vertically farmed produce, Dream Greens are available at peak freshness to consumers at all times of year.
Bowery
A newer entry in the urban farming sector, Bowery is quickly becoming a major player in the industry. The company, which is based in Kearny, New Jersey, calls itself the first grower of “post-organic produce” in the world. Bowery uses this term because it grows produce without pesticides though the use of precision technology, which it claims is the next big step in the agricultural sector.
Bowery specializes in greens and herbs. In an effort to avoid GMOs and optimize quality, the company works with suppliers who rely on traditional plant breeding methods, some of which take almost 10 years to perfect. Like other companies on this list, vertical farming allows Bowery to grow its crops as close to consumers as possible while maintaining a high level of quality. The company also emphasizes that it can produce crops more quickly than traditional farms — the large amount of data that it collects allows the company to fine-tune its growing methods, leading to faster crop cycles.
Local Roots
Local Roots has brought vertical farming to Los Angeles in a unique way. Unlike its competitors, the company houses its farms inside small, 40-square-foot shipping containers called TerraFarms. Though this may not seem like much space, Local Roots can produce the same amount of produce in this space that traditional farmers can using five acres of land. As of 2017, the company owned three shipping containers with a maximum occupancy of 16,000 plants.
Within these small spaces, Local Roots is able to grow produce with 99% less water and no harmful chemicals. From customized LED lights to climate control systems, the company uses an array of proprietary technology to create the optimal growing environment for its plants. Local Roots also employs a proprietary LocalX software platform that automates many aspects of operating a TerraFarm, allowing farmers to concentrate on nothing but their produce.
With this system, Local Roots can deliver turnkey TerraFarms directly to clients, allowing them to grow their own produce on-site. From chain grocery stores to universities to hospitals, a variety of organizations and institutions can use these mini vertical farms to get year-round access to fresh produce.
