Indoor farming gives former New Jersey arena new lease on life

Reuters ^ | June 28, 2016 | Gina Cherelus

[2ndDivisionVet]

In an old warehouse in Newark, New Jersey, that once housed the state's biggest indoor paint ball arena, leafy green plants such as kale, arugula and watercress sprout from tall metal towers under bright lights.

A local company named AeroFarms has built what it says is the world's largest indoor vertical farm, without the use of soil or sunlight.

Its ambitious goal is to grow high-yielding crops via economical methods to provide locally sourced food to the community, protect the environment and ultimately even combat hunger worldwide.

"We use about 95 percent less water to grow the plants, about 50 percent less fertilizer as nutrients and zero pesticides, herbicide, fungicides," said David Rosenberg, co-founder and chief executive officer of AeroFarms....

[OldNewYork]

These set-ups can operate even in places like Greenland. Nice to see some good news. And maybe this will make GMO’s less used in agriculture.

[digger48]

He’s gonna whip world hunger with arugula?

[Fungi]

Wait till you see the retail price for a plastic enclosed unit of arugula. They will not tell you what it costs to produce, as if the electricity, fertilizer, material and other costs come from nowhere. I’m from Missouri.

[Vince Ferrer]

Most plants can't be farmed like this economically, but a few can. Lettuce, spinach, and a few others. If it can be done economically I am all for it, because it uses less resources. Even if it is slightly more expensive, restaurants may want to go this route, because it should cut down on food poisoning.

Chipotle (CMG) Stock Falls on Analyst Downgrade

[Noamie]

So, GMOs are evil because they are “unnatural.”
But Growing food indoors, vertically, with a minimal amount of nutrient soil, and without natural sunlight by using artificial light that is powered by coal....... Is A-ok.

Cool. Got it.

[hinckley buzzard]

As long as they are risking private money, conservatives should applaud these entrepreneurs for the spirit of innovation and free enterprise. I don't care of you like arugula or not. At least these guys are trying something new in the free market. The market will judge them, fortunately, not the tiresome FR naysayers.

[topspinr]

You sir are right on.

[OldNewYork]

I totally agree. I don’t expect it to ever replace traditional agriculture and it’s innovative, allowing otherwise unused space to be used, and as I mentioned can be used in places that can’t normally support things like arugula. Look at the price of produce in Greenland. The market would support it if it’s worthwhile.

[thesligoduffyflynns]

yup...like Cory Booker whipped Newark...as a NON-Mayor- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cory_Booker When I saw Corey Booker on msm news one night endorsing Hitlery I saw a total arse-kisser -he was speaking in public & this was about 2 wks ago or 3... before Hitlery announced her VP choice- he was in the running as I call or at least his name was bandied about. He's worse than the aged moniker of Pippa and Catherine Middleton sisters (C.Middleton married William, Prince of Wales)l....they were known as "The Wisteria Sisters" " the duo dubbed ‘the wisteria sisters’ – highly decorative, terribly fragrant and with a ferocious ability to climb – landed the coveted top spot in Tatler’s annual list of the country’s most desirable singletons, even though her family have often been derided for being too middle-class." (Daily Mail UK 2009) later on Harry, brother of William gave Catherine a new nickname "The Limpet".. and what is a limpet? lim·pet ˈlimpit/ noun noun: limpet; plural noun: limpets; noun: common limpet; plural noun: common limpets a marine mollusk with a shallow conical shell and a broad muscular foot, noted for the way it clings tightly to rocks. I think it's fair to compare Corey Booker with the Wisteria Sisters& and the common limpet.

[thesligoduffyflynns]

not with arugala silly... it’s with ORGANIC arugala
there’s a diff you know/s

[smokingfrog]

Many years ago, there was a grocery store down near NASA Clear Lake that had a huge hydroponic garden. I’m not sure what happened to it.

https://books.google.com/books?id=Pi4EAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA90&ots=xtZAA3AQ85&dq=clear%20lake%20fiesta%20hydroponic%20garden&pg=PA90#v=onepage&q=clear%20lake%20fiesta%20hydroponic%20garden&f=false

[chaosagent]

Many years ago, there was a grocery store down near NASA Clear Lake that had a huge hydroponic garden. I’m not sure what happened to it.

---

It was a big Fiesta, a really nice store, but primarily catering to a Hispanic clientel. Turns out not to be enough Hispanics living/shopping in the Clear Lake/NASA area.

[TexasTransplant]

**** “minimal amount of nutrient soil, and without natural sunlight by using artificial light that is powered by coal....... Is A-ok” ****

First ... If Minimum wasn’t Good Enough ... It Wouldn’t be Minimum.
Second ... Artificial Light is still Sunlight, just had a couple of translations along the way. (Coal is just Sunlight Stored in a Re-usable Form)
Third ... Well there really isn’t a Third ... just hope they are also raising Rabbits and Tilapia... make it a Three Tier System, it can be very efficient.

[bjorn14]

Arugula...Sounds like a Dukakis clone.

[bjorn14]

Reminds of the farms in the movie, Soylent Green.

[GraceG]

thorium Reactors, this farming tech, under ground colonies under Antarctica, escape the political tyranny of the former American republic, now the socialist American Empire by digging underground below a frozen wasteland...

[gattaca]

UN wants to tax meat.

[Enchante]

Yup, as long as the market decides it’s all good..... I just hope we don’t get forced into a lot of govt funding of these projects, which could prove a real debacle if they start using this for crops that are not economical etc.

But for real pvt enterprise, we should applaud it!

[smokingfrog]

The building is now a Burlington Coat Factory & Sears Outlet.

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