US Opens Vertical Farming Giant

While vertical farming used to be a niche subject, with dedicated facilities only in the posh and developed nations, it is becoming more and more widespread. More vertical farms have grown up all over the world, from Asia to Europe and the United States, with the technology's uber-local and eco-friendly qualities becoming increasingly important as the climate problem becomes more urgent.

A new facility set to open this week will be the world's largest vertical farm It aims to produce local greens for the United States' most populous market in New York City.

Upward Farms, situated in Brooklyn, is the firm behind the initiative. It was created in 2013 and sells greens from its two existing farms in Manhattan and Brooklyn Whole Foods shops. Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, is 135 miles west of Manhattan and 115 miles north of Philadelphia, where the new farm will be developed.

The Pennsylvania facility is unimaginably larger than the company's existing farms, as well as most vertical farms in other regions of the world, at 250,000 square feet (about 6 acres). Europe's largest vertical farm, at 73,000 square feet, is less than a third of this size.

What exactly are vertical farms? And what's the buzz around them?

Vertical farms employ LED lights to mimic photosynthesis, in which red and blue wavelengths of light interact with the chlorophyll in plants to help make glucose and cellulose, the structural material in cell walls. Heat and other aspects of sunlight that plants don't utilize as well can be lowered or eliminated totally, allowing for a faster transition from seed to harvest.

The majority of vertical farms are either hydroponic or aeroponic (plant roots sit in nutrient-rich water, which isn't very deep) (roots dangle in the air, deriving most moisture from air and spraying).

Upward Farms, on the other hand, fertilizes its crops through aquaponics. What exactly does that entail, you ask? Well, fish feces is used to fertilize the plants.

To be more exact, in addition to microgreens, Upward Farms will be raising fish. And true the developed nation's health-conscious trend, it's going to be mercury-free, antibiotic-free, hormone-free hybrid striped bass, in tanks separate from the greens trays. According to the company, the fish manure is collected and given to the plants, resulting in a soil microbiome that is more dense, fertile, and productive than that of most indoor farms. The company also sells the fish to the general public.

Thanks to its ecological farming system, which facilitates a much healthier soil microbiome unlike microbe-killing chemical fertilizers, Upward Farms claims its harvests are two times higher than the industry average.

Jason Green, the founder of Upward Greens believes that a healthy interaction between microorganisms in the soil and plant roots is the key to a successful and healthy yield.

Vertical farms are an initiative that agriculture workers hope will reduce or eliminate the convoluted supply chain concerns that drive up costs and leave large environmental footprints. Upward will build its new plant in Pennsylvania this year and aims to start selling vegetables grown there in early 2023, after obtaining $121 million in Series B funding last June. In the following years, the organization also intends to grow into new locations in the United States.