Controlled Environment

Vertical farming operator Oishii names new chief commercial officer

Oishii, a vertical farming operator, has appointed Rita Hudetz as chief commercial officer. Hudetz’s consumer packaged goods background will add to Oishii’s executive leadership team. Hudetz will lead Oishii’s growth strategy, scaling the company’s retail... more »

Peter Koppert, biological crop protection pioneer, dies

Peter Koppert, a pioneer in biological crop protection and natural pollination, has died. Koppert, founder of Koppert Biological Systems BV in the Netherlands, was 73. Up until only a couple of weeks before his June... more »

Biobest pest trap recognized with GreenTech award

Trap-Eye, an automated sticky trap monitoring system, has received recognition by winning the GreenTech Innovation Award. Launched at GreenTech Amsterdam 2023, Biobest’s sticky trap monitoring system employs artificial intelligence to make Integrated Pest Management (IPM)... more »

Stone wool growing media provider starts soilless growing campaign

To feed and treat the world’s expanding population, Grodan, a stone wool growing media provider, is starting a branding initiative to focus public and policymaking attention on sustainable, soilless growing. Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) is... more »

Robotics to help Oishii bring vertical farming advances

Oishii, a vertical farming operator, is partnering with a Japanese robotics firm to bring vertical farming changes. Together with Yaskawa Electric Corp., a leading industrial robotics company based in Japan, Oishii plans to develop new... more »

Former Amazon exec joins Local Bounti as CEO

Former Freshly CEO and Amazon executive Anna Fabrega is joining greenhouse-vertical farm grower Local Bounti as CEO. The company’s co-founders and co-CEOS, Craig Hurlbert and Travis Joyner, will take on new roles as senior vice... more »

Ohio grower finds direct sales financially, personally satisfying

A grain grower is finding success with marketing fresh produce directly to consumers after deciding to stop selling wholesale to retailers. Tom and Tammy Brown’s Hilltop Harvest Farms in Wapakoneta, Ohio, grows a variety of... more »

LED lights help improve tomato yields

Research shows long-term exposure of far-red LED light in tomatoes can produce additional yields. Research conducted by Philips Horticulture LED Solutions, Wageningen University & Research and Nunhems shows using far-red light can produce an additional... more »