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Vertivore: Farming on another level

Find out more about the vertical farm being constructed in Lincolnshire!!

Planning and Building 

This year Vertivore has hit a big milestone; after two years researching and developing the concept of vertical farming the planning application for our first commercial scale site (in Crowland, Lincolnshire) has been approved. We anticipate starting construction late 2019, with the aim of being operational by 2020.

Our focus is now on testing and developing crop recipes. This is done in both our pilot facility, as well as at colleges and research institutions that specialise in agricultural research.  This process begins with sourcing the best quality seeds for a variety of potential crops. These are then tested under stringent conditions, controlling variables such as light intensity, humidity, temperature and carbon dioxide levels. We are then able to analayse the data collected to perfect the growing method ensuring the highest quality of produce in terms of freshness, flavor and nutrition.  

Vertical Farming

Vertical farming is a cutting-edge example of urban farming, where produce is grown close to the communities it feeds. This is advantageous as growing locally not only increases the shelf-life of the produce, as there is a shorter time between harvest and sale, but also reduces its carbon footprint as transport distances are reduced. 

The Vertical Farm itself is situated inside of a warehouse and consists of a climate-controlled chamber where crops can be grown and harvested 365 days a year. Unlike conventional farming, where weather and the extreme and unexpected temperatures brought by climate change can destroy whole crops and disrupt harvest, we can control the indoor growing environment of our vertical farm eliminating the impact of external factors. 

The process:

The first step in the growing process is seeding. This takes place in a germination chamber where seeds are individually bedded into pellets containing the finest cocoa coir substrate. The absence of soil helps to make the plants contaminant free as it eradicates the need for herbicides and pesticides as the entry of pathogens and thus risk of disease is significantly reduced.

After approximately a week the pellets are then transplanted into 6-meter-long gutters within the vertical farm. Here the gutters are remotely shunted and spaced allowing the plants to spread their leaves and mature without compromising their ability to photosynthesize. Furthermore, the gutters are vertically stacked in layers making optimum use of space, as well as allowing for a variety of crops to be grown simultaneously on different layers, each requiring their own recipe.

The herbs and salads enjoy the benefits of 'summer' all day every day under the glow of LEDs, which mimic the full light spectrum of the sun. Any surplus heat produced by the LEDs is dissipated by a high-tech water-cooling system running behind the lights themselves, with air conditioning helping to control the ambient room temperature. An irrigation system directly feeds the roots a precise cocktail of nutrients comparable to that you would find to the highest quality soil, whilst using 70% less water than soil-based farming.

Once the plants have reached the end of their cycle, the gutters are removed from the vertical farm for harvesting. Analytics mean we can harvest the crops at the optimum time, both in terms of ensuring flavor is at its prime but also guaranteeing that the products net weight is reflective of a leafy plant and not one with a disproportionally large (and heavy) stem. In designing our own vertical farm we are able to optimize and automate parts of the process maximising the yields and quality of the produce. Plus, with twice the growth rate our produce can be on your plate in half the time of those grown conventionally.

Jobs:

Growing Technician: The primary role at this stage is overseeing the testing and development of crop recipes. It is up to the Growing Technician to devise a growing schedule which will allow us to identify the key variables affecting the plants (light intensity, humidity, temperature and carbon dioxide levels) and to determine how these differ between cultivars.

This involves both practical and academic elements. The hands-on side includes the logistics of ensuring the various testing sites are set up correctly, reflecting the parameters outlined in the growing schedule, as well as physically seeding and harvesting the crops. The theoretical aspect of the job is focused on recording and anaylsing the data collected. This information is then used to influence decisions about future crops to grow, the recipes required to cultivate them and their commerciality.

Posted:
04/10/2018 14:00:32

TAGS:
Vertivore Farm, Agri-Food, Low Carbon, Agronomist