5 Resources Available to CEA Growers
December 26, 2024 
As we head into the new year, CEAg World wants to highlight five resources available to growers and business owners in controlled environment agriculture (CEA) so you can start 2025 off strong.
Photo: Traders Hill Farm
Traders Hill Farm’s Financial Guide for Small-Scale Growers
While some trial and error is to be expected when starting a new farm, that doesn’t include managing your farm’s finances. Luckily, many successful farmers in the CEA space are willing to share the financial knowledge they’ve acquired throughout their careers. Tracy Nazzaro, president of aquaponics operation Traders Hill Farm in Hilliard, Florida, created a guide to shorten the learning curve for other growers.
“Harvesting Insights: Navigating the Financial Landscape of Your Small Farm™,” is the first edition of this comprehensive resource. Published in March 2024, the small farm financial resource guide is available as a free download on the Traders Hill Farm website.
For more information about this free resource, read the original article here.
NYSERDA
Earlier this year, we shared a few programs offered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to help growers make informed decisions about energy efficiency in their operations. Here are two specific resources CEA growers can start using right away:
- Best Practices Guidebook for Greenhouses. This helpful guide explains how energy efficient technologies work, how much they cost, their estimated energy savings, and their payback in years. It was originally developed as an educational tool to help growers make informed decisions about the ag tech they purchase.
- Agriculture Energy Audit Program (AEAP). Through NYSERDA’s AEAP program, eligible CEA growers can receive a free energy audit every two years. The only major requirement for AEAP applicants is to pay into the Systems Benefits Charge.
Don’t live in New York State? No problem. Read the original article to find similar resources closer to you.
The Indoor Ag Science Cafe
Presented by OptimIA (Optimizing Indoor Agriculture), a USDA-supported Specialty Crop Research Initiative project that aims to make CEA more profitable and sustainable, the Indoor Ag Science Cafe is a monthly online forum that discusses how science and technology can streamline indoor farming.
Now in its 67th episode, the series has covered a wide range of topics in the CEA industry. Discussions have spanned from getting rid of lettuce tip burn to introducing seed technologies to optimize crop production.
If you’re interested in listening to previous forum discussions, click here.
Dr. Greenhouse’s Vapor Pressure Deficit (VPD) Calculator
Nadia Sabeh, Dr. Greenhouse
According to Michigan State University, VPD is the difference between the amount of moisture in the air and how much moisture the air can hold when it’s saturated.
When humidity is low in a CEA facility and the VPD is high, there will be more pressure on a plant to keep up with the higher rate of evaporation. When humidity is low, there will be less pressure on the plant to transpire. For most crops, an ideal VPD is 1.0 kPa (10 bar). Growers can determine the VPD in their operation by using their existing air temperature and humidity sensors. To streamline this process, growers can also use Dr. Greenhouse’s VPD calculators.
Established in 2017, Dr. Greenhouse is an agricultural and mechanical engineering firm that aims to create the right environment for high quality crops all year round. Click here to learn more about Dr. Greenhouse and its founder, Nadia Sabeh, Ph.D.
Agritecture Designer
If you’re interested in starting a farm but don’t know where to start, Agritecture, an advisory and technology firm specializing in CEA, can help. Their software, Agritecture Designer, will give you a ballpark estimate for how much it costs to build a vertical farm, container farm, or greenhouse operation.
With this software, growers can also explore location-specific energy models, get 15-year financial projections and operating summaries, use a crop-pricing algorithm, and compare standard greenhouses to vertical farms. By taking all these factors into consideration, growers can decide which CEA model and pricing plan works best for them.
Interested in trying the software? Click here to learn more and to start your free trial.