AMA With Aaron Fields: What are the Benefits of Controlled Environment Agriculture?
CEA, which stands for Controlled Environment Agriculture, is a bit of a buzzword in certain farming circles right now. There are those who believe that it’s the best chance we have to continue to feed an ever-increasing population. Others believe it is nothing more than a momentary fad.
We recently had a chance to ask Eden Green Technology’s Head of Horticulture, Aaron Fields, a few questions. We wanted to get his take on this farming phenomenon and learn more about what makes Eden Green’s CEA solution so amazing. Below are his responses.
Tell us a little bit about what you do for Eden Green.
I manage greenhouse teams, plant health, propagation, and production. [I also] consult with clients on proper greenhouse management and food production. I’m onsite at our R&D facility in Cleburne, TX daily. I also have 10+ years of greenhouse experience including a few years at Gotham Greens in Brooklyn, growing in California and at Monsanto.
What primary methods are used to control the environment of an Eden Green greenhouse, and what are the benefits of each?
“It’s like the sleep number bed, it’s like everyone is wearing a microclimate suit in a house and you don’t have to run the AC. [This lets us grow] more plants in a smaller place with better control and better texture – plants can thrive. ”
We can control and focus on a cubic foot of air, and replicate it across 200,000 plant spots with one button.
To explain in detail, our Microclimate technology and integrated Ambient Temperature Relationship adds another layer of control compared to a standard greenhouse or indoor farm. We learn how to work with the ambient temperature, instead of being reactive to it. We can focus on plant-specific climates making us more efficient and effective. This improves energy and resource efficiency, [because] you can grow on vertical layers without worrying about environment stratification. As you move up, it gets hotter, [but] with microclimate control, we can still grow amazing plants at the top.
What are other unique elements to your integrated structure and technology?
Greenhouse structure control including venting and shading is automated and remote controlled from anywhere you need to be. You can optimize settings whenever to respond to a change in weather conditions or outside temperature.
The water conditioning and plumbing system. We do have unique flow and EC (electric conductivity) settings. Since we have this vertical cascading nutrient film technique (NFT) system, we have different set speeds. That water treatment helps with temperature control and root zone temp.
HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems [normally] can’t cover the ROI, but it fits our model. We use commercial air indoors to get precise settings at the plant spot. This allows us to control CO2 and relative humidity at the same time at the plant spot.
Remote monitoring systems [are included] for all aspects of the vertical greenhouse.
How would you describe controlled environment agriculture when compared to traditional farming methods?
You’re bringing the best of nature into an environment, and removing threats [such as] extreme weather, pests, and soil contamination. Compared to traditional farms, this method is safer, more consistent, [and more] versatile in what we can grow, how often we can grow, and how often we harvest. CEA is more precise and exact on how we help plants grow, resulting in healthier, better tasting produce. There are also more opportunities in eliminating food waste. We can work towards integrating different systems within an environment to increase efficiencies and grow higher quality food, faster, more seamlessly. You can fit a CEA system in a city, or a backyard, or in a climate that isn’t built for traditional farming.
What is the difference in yield between traditional farming and Eden Green’s farming method?
Harvesting in traditional farming happens 1-3 times a year. You have a planting season and then the plants grow, and then you have harvesting season. By contrast, we harvest weekly, which means we’ve created full-time jobs for roles that were [otherwise] only seasonal. There is less crop loss (food waste) because our plants are protected from outside threats and do not compete for nutrients. There are zero runts in our yield that don’t meet weight or quality expectations. You can plant the exact amount you need based on target yields, and you don’t have to plan for unexpected disasters along the way.
What are the benefits of a microclimate-focused CEA environment for researchers when compared to traditional commercial greenhouses?
It allows you to multiple more variables than a traditional environment. [You also have] more precise control over your variables. You can isolate for humidity, CO2, temperature, or measure and test so much on a large production scale. There are rooms [in] labs that can do this on a smaller scale, but not as large as ours.
What do you consider to be the number one benefit (or your favorite benefit) of controlled environment agriculture?
No one else has microclimate technology control like we do. Our technology is patented. This is a whole different way of thinking that offers zone flexibility, growing plants vertically, and versatility for a variety [of] plants in your harvests, with better consistency.
Efficiency: If it’s 75 degrees, sunny and humid outside we can supplement that air – filter the air and utilize [or] leverage outside air. This practice can reduce energy use and [take a lower] toll on your equipment.
Scheduling: Plants photosynthesize when they have everything they need – food, water, light, [and] air (at the proper temperature). If you don’t give them all of those things you stress them out. They start photosynthesis when they get light [and] it takes them 2-3 hours to go into sleep mode. You have to be aware of this. We are giving them light on a schedule. You have to cool [the air] down [by] 10 degrees and lower humidity by 50% so they can process sugar to fuel biological processes, grow more leaves, breathe, and thrive. We can start optimizing our system, day and night, humidity and temperature. This gives us another level of control and our plants are tastier, healthier and more nutritious.
Again, we use one open-ended API system – [an] ambient/structure greenhouse control system integrating with a microclimate control system. We have the structure, [including] vents [and] shading and it’s connected to our microclimate - they will speak to each other and we can learn from it. [There’s also a] fogging system for plant health, [and a system for] humidity.
More About Aaron Fields
As you can see, there are a great number of benefits to Eden Green’s CEA Technology that make this an ideal way to feed a population efficiently. Read more from Aaron Fields in the April 2020 edition of Growers Talk Magazine, starting on page 40. Or visit Eden Green Technology’s blog, The Sprout, to learn more about CEA, hydroponics, and vertical farming. If you have questions for Aaron, leave them in the comment section below.