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New York City-Based Hydroponic Grower Brightfarms on Expansion, Retaining Employees and What “Local” Means

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New York City-Based Hydroponic Grower Brightfarms on Expansion, Retaining Employees and What “Local” Means February 2018 CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT AGRICULTURE A “Bright” Future New York City-based hydroponic grower BrightFarms on expansion, retaining employees and what “local” means PAGE 14 PAGE 16 PAGE 30 Lean Flow helps Growing strawberries The basics of cannabis year-round—Which cannabis growers, too ones are the best? Reader Service Number 200 Reader Service Number 201 From Your Editor that’s on track for great expansion in the coming years. It’s the ultimate story of seeing and seizing an opportunity, with a little help from enthusiastic investors. On a different front, just days after Califor - nia’s enormous recreational industry became legit, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions re - scinded Obama-era memos allowing leniency for states that chose to legalize recreational marijuana, instead reaffirming prior enforce - ment efforts. What does it mean? That’s still yet to be determined, but it’s one more barrier that has to be negotiated. That said, we see the increasing interest among growers in the U.S. and Canada relat - ing to medicinal and recreational marijuana Barriers to Opportunity (also called cannabis, pot, ganja, weed, insert a million other nicknames here). That’s why This issue of Inside Grower is all about we’ve tapped Dr. Brian Corr, a greenhouse consultant with decades of experience to opportunity. But opportunity, while exciting, write a cannabis-related story for us in each is a tricky business because it always comes Inside Grower , plus an every-other-month column in GrowerTalks (see his first one in with barriers. It takes a creative mind, hard the January issue). He’s been advising cannabis operations for three years and un - work and sometimes a little luck to break derstands the business, as well as the hort of down those barriers on the way to success. it all. You can read his first article on page 30. In some cases, a barrier can result in a As I write this, Canadians and Americans are being long-term opportunity. Take for example the question of warned not to eat romaine lettuce due to an E. coli out - sustainable peat and management of peat bogs around break. Canadian officials identified romaine lettuce as the globe. Some were being depleted too quickly, but the cause of the outbreak there, but U.S. officials were North American industry groups recognized the issue still investigating. By the time you read this, the mys - and created guidelines for managing peat properly. You tery may have been solved, but food safety is and al - can read about that opportunity on page 20. ways will be a major barrier in growing edible products And sometimes crops become an opportunity, like of any kind for the public. We’re working on more sto - greenhouse strawberries. But the barrier is in getting ries coming up that will address these issues, but for them to produce when people want them (i.e., right now, you can turn to page 10 to see how New York City- now). Freelance technical writer Dave Kuack tackles based BrightFarms works to reduce the potential for that topic for us on page 16. food safety issues in all its hydroponic greenhouses. Here’s wishing you the ability to see your opportuni - Despite their best efforts, they did have a recent re - ties in 2018 and remove any barriers that stand in the call in the Chicagoland market and you can find out way of your success. how they gracefully handled that, too (spoiler alert, the positive test was actually for a harmless strain of E. coli, not the one that can cause illness). In that BrightFarms story, you also can read how Jennifer Polanz CEO Paul Lightfoot was able to marry his passion MANAGING EDITOR-AT-LARGE (healthy eating in a sustainable way that employs peo - feedback: [email protected] ple with a living wage) with a commercial enterprise 4 February 2018 CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT AGRICULTURE editorial EDITOR Chris Beytes [email protected] MANAGING EDITOR Jennifer Zurko MANAGING EDITOR-AT-LARGE Jennifer Polanz CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Jennifer D. White contributing writers Anne-Marie Hardie David Kuack Neil Mattson PRODUCTION MANAGER Kathy Wootton DEPARTMENTS ON THE COVER CREATIVE DIRECTOR Chris Truesdale BrightFarms, LLC, has three hydroponic PHOTOGRAPHER Mark Widhalm 4 | From Your Editor greenhouse locations, including a fourth in the COPY EDITOR Sue Olsen works. This photo was taken at the Rochelle, 6 | Insider Illinois, facility. We spoke to CEO Paul Lightfoot to SALES 866.888.4237 talk about their customers, employees and what 34 | New Products “local” means. Photo by Jennifer Zurko. PUBLISHER, SALES MANAGER Paul Black [email protected] ACCOUNT MANAGER Kim Brown [email protected] SALES ASSISTANT Adriana Heikkila FEATURES [email protected] 10 | A “Bright” Future | Story by Jennifer Polanz, Photos by Jennifer Zurko CUSTOMER SERVICE Allison Westbrook Greens hydroponic grower BrightFarms has an ambitious mission to CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING provide local, healthy (and tasty) offerings to customers while providing a [email protected] living wage for its employees. 14 | Transitioning to the Big Leagues | by Mike Henderson & Dan Grace A cannabis company uses Lean Flow to move from warehouse to greenhouse for more productivity and bigger yields. A Friend Remembered 16 | The Berry Best | by David Kuack G. Victor Ball, Editor from 194 9–1997 By combining June-bearing and everbearing varieties, growers can GrowerTalks general offices are located at: PO BOX 1660, West Chicago, Illinois 60186 U.S.A. produce strawberries during periods of premium pricing. PH: 630.231.3675 FAX: 630.231.5254 TOLL-FREE: 1-888-888-0 013 | | www.growertalks.com 20 For Peat’s Sake by Lesley Sykes The case for Responsibly Managed Peatlands certification. 22 | Growers’ Choice | by Anne Bennett-Ciaglia GrowerTalks (ISSN 0276-9433) is published monthly by Ball Publishing, PO Box 1660, West Chicago, Illinois 60186, United Which system is the right one for your lettuce production? States. Subscriptions are free to qualified readers in the US. Subscription price for non-qualified readers is $35 per year US and Canada. All other foreign subscriptions must pay $99/year to receive/continue to receive GrowerTalks and Green Profit . 26 | Using BCAs Right | by Tami Van Gaal GrowerTalks is a registered trademark of Ball Horticultural Company in the U.S. Periodicals postage paid at West Chicago, IL Five common CEA pests and how to prevent them. and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster: send address changes to GrowerTalks Magazine, PO Box 1660, West Chicago, Illinois 60186, United States. ©2018 GrowerTalks Magazine. All 30 | Cannabis Crash Course | by Dr. Brian Corr rights reserved. Posted under Canada publications mail agreement #40612608. Canada returns to be sent to Bleuchip With a very limited selection of plant protection products and limitations International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2 Printed in the U.S.A. on access to banking and insurance, it’s clear cannabis production isn’t as GreenProfit Supplement Enclosed easy as growing weeds. 5 Insider New Operations in the Works New LED Series for Vertical Farms Fluence Bioengineering, Inc. recently launched three new horti - It’s been a challenge keeping up with the announcements culture lighting solutions for large vertical farms. The new Flu - of all the new facilities cropping up across the United ence RAZR Series is built for a wide range of applications, from States. Between greenhouse veg and herb operations, and full-cycle cultivation of leafy greens and microgreens to young indoor vertical farms, they're being announced almost plant propagation of vegetable, ornamental and cannabis crops. weekly. Here are a couple we’ve caught wind of recently: “The new Fluence RAZR solutions are purpose-built to address l Prairie Produce Farm LLC, a sister company of Del the unique challenges and opportunities associated with vertical Fresco Produce and Sunrite Greenhouse in Canada, is farming,” says Randy Johnson, co-founder and CTO at Fluence. planning a $30 million, 35-acre hydroponic facility in “Every design consideration that went into the new RAZR Series, Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, according to local news from the thin form-factor to modular daisy-chain configuration, is reports. The first phase will be 15.3 acres and is expected predicated on increasing our vertical farming customers’ outputs to be completed sometime in 2018. It will provide while reducing their inputs.” tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and strawberries to local The three options are: grocers and distribution centers. l Gotham Greens is looking to build a $12.2 million, 95,000-sq. ft. greenhouse in Providence, Rhode Island, on a vacant lot that once housed a GE light bulb factory, ac - cording to the Providence Journal . To sweeten the deal, the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation approved $2.2 million in tax credits to encourage the development. l RAZR4 Array (pictured)—Ideal for full-cycle leafy green, basil, l Ceres Greens announced plans to open Vermont’s first strawberry and culinary herb production, as well as early-stage vertical indoor farm in Barre, Vermont, according to vegetative growth for vegetables, ornamentals and cannabis Vermont Business Magazine . The 12,500-sq. ft. space is cultivation. set to open in January 2018 and grow leafy greens and l RAZR3 Array —Ideal for full-cycle leafy green and microgreen herbs for the local market. One of the founders, Jacob production, along with propagation of vegetable, ornamental and Isham, is a disabled veteran who took part in the cannabis crops. Veterans to Farmers program in Colorado and hopes to l RAZR2 Array —Ideal for tissue culture, seedlings and employ and train veterans at the Barre facility. cutting/cloning propagation, along with ornamental plugs and l BrightFarms is building a 160,000-sq. ft. greenhouse starter pots. facility in Wilmington, Ohio (near Cincinnati and Each system is designed and built in Austin, Texas.
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