Always looking for a fresh way to attract customers, lēf Farms (pronounced leaf) is giving lettuce-lovers a bit more in their bite with a new mix of baby red and green leaf lettuce called Fusion.

“Our goal was to introduce a new mix that captures the hearts and taste buds of those looking for something simple but something that still carries a unique flavor and texture profile they can’t find in an everyday mix,” notes company President and CEO Henry Huntington.

The new introduction features a soft, red, buttery Bibb lettuce mixed with a crisper and “more substantial” Romaine variety. It’s now available in a 4 oz. clamshell at grocers in the Northeast.  

My work on both Green Profit and Inside Grower has me with a foot in each industry, and only sometimes do they cross paths. This story is one of them. Gro-Rite Garden Center and Florist, a long-time retailer in Lincoln Park, New Jersey, has applied for one of six licenses to grow medical marijuana in the state, according to a recent story on NorthJersey.com (click HERE to read the full story).

The operation is applying under the name Hillview Med, and has nearly 150 acres of land, nearly 16 of which are under greenhouse, and they are permitted to build 2.2 million square feet more, according to the story. Gro-Rite is family owned and in the second generation of ownership by the VandeVrede family. They face some stiff competition for the license, though, as 147 operations have submitted applications for the six licenses. But Hillview Med CEO Ken Vande Vrede told NorthJersey.com they have a strong case with some of their greenhouse space already churning out hydroponic basil, as well as their ability to expand quickly.

“We consider this as the next evolving space in the agriculture space,” he adds.

Do you have a Chief Technology Officer? urban-gro does, as it just announced the hiring of Larry Dodson, who has a history of leading technology teams in high-tech and start-up environments. He previously served as the vice president of lighting controls for Fluence Bioengineering, and also brings experience from the Advanced Technology and Corporate Development group at HP/Compaq, as well as from his work at Chrysler.

According to urban-gro, he will oversee technology initiatives under the company’s Soleil Technology brand. Soleil Tech allows growers more insight and control over facility microclimates using high-density sensors. The company says Larry will play an integral role in global deployments of urban-gro systems and technology in both the cannabis and horticulture vertical industries.

“Larry’s knowledge of broader horticulture from a true Ag Tech perspective enables urban-gro to deliver market-leading technology solutions that improve crop yields, drive down overall production costs and promote repeatable precision cultivation.”

The Israeli Ag Tech company Roots Sustainable Agriculture Technologies announced it completed a pilot program with its new root cooling technology that it says increased the fresh weight of its tested Romaine lettuce by 132%. The test was conducted at its Israel research site in July and August this year, with a crop cycle of 27 days. While this was conducted with lettuce planted in the ground in a greenhouse, the company also had a successful test using NFT-grown lettuce.

In Israel, the company says the system, called Root Zone Temperature Optimization (RZTO) cooling technology, kept the roots cooled to 24C (about 75F) despite air temperatures regularly around 34C (93F). In comparison, roots of control plantings registered between 28C and 34C (82F to 93F), according to the company.

The cooled lettuce plants had an average fresh weight of 502 grams, compared to 216 grams for non-cooled plants. Read the full story HERE.

Remember the Romaine lettuce E. coli outbreak last spring? It’s pretty hard to forget that, and Walmart hasn’t. The mega-retailer is now requiring all leafy greens suppliers to use the blockchain technology for faster traceability. The company sent out a letter September 24 detailing what it requires (you can read the letter HERE). It won’t be required immediately, though, as it will take some cooperation along the supply chain. In the letter, it states:

“We understand that this may require you to work with your suppliers too. Therefore, we are allowing this requirement to be met in two phases.

1. Direct Suppliers—our direct suppliers are required to conform to one-step back traceability on the blockchain network by Jan 31, 2019.

2. End-to-End—thereafter, our suppliers are expected to work within their vertical systems or with their suppliers to enable end-to-end traceability back to farm by September 30, 2019.”

OK, so to answer the title question, what is blockchain? It’s, really simply put, a digital chain detailing the whole supply chain from beginning to end. It allows a retailer like Walmart to retrace everyone who participated in producing a head or bag of lettuce instantly.

Since Walmart is using the IBM Food Trust Network, I went to IBM’s website, where they have a nicely detailed and easy to understand info graphic about how blockchain works. Click HERE and scroll through the graphic.

In a recent search for Cleveland-area chefs that are farm-to-table friendly, I found Jonathan Sawyer, creator of Greenhouse Tavern. And in finding Jonathan Sawyer, I found Vigeo Gardens, a supplier to Greenhouse Tavern and an indoor vertical grower in Akron.

They’ve been successfully growing hydroponic basil, lettuce and microgreens in 6,000 square feet of a former tire factory for about four years now (fun fact: Akron was considered the Rubber Capital of the World and is still home to the Global HQ for Goodyear).

The company not only grows for local restaurants and grocery stores like Heinen’s, Giant Eagle and Buehler’s, but it also scored a contract last year with Quicken Loans Arena (home of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers and minor league hockey team Cleveland Monsters).

Co-founder Jacob Craine told Crain’s Cleveland Business this summer the next step for the vertical farm is to expand into other, larger spaces around Northeast Ohio, and expand into other crops like peppers, tomatoes and ornamental plants. You can read the full story HERE.

I saw this information come through, and my colleague, Jennifer Duffield White, wrote an item on it for her newsletter GreenTalks. Here’s the scoop from Jen:

A new video hit the interwebs recently, and it’s attempting to start a new movement of Climate Victory Gardens. Actress Rosario Dawson and “gangsta gardener” Ron Finley narrate the short film, which touts using regenerative agriculture (no-till, cover crops, composting, etc) in the home/community garden in order to improve soil, grow food, and help combat climate change.

The video is the work of Green America, a green economy organization, and Kiss the Ground, a nonprofit that promotes regeneration and soil health.

“Climate Victory Gardens are a great way for the 35% of Americans with home or community gardens to engage on the issue of climate change. With simple techniques, your garden can play a meaningful part in reversing climate change,” says Rosario. “Regenerative gardening is not about being ‘sustainable,’ it’s about rebuilding and restoring the health of our soils while we grow food. It’s a different way of thinking.”

“We have communities nationwide that are food prisons that could be producing their own organic food while addressing climate change,” said Ron, who promotes urban gardening through the Ron Finley Project. “By educating the public about regeneratively homegrown food, Climate Victory Gardens are raising awareness about one of the biggest global challenges of our time and showing Americans how they can make a difference for themselves, their households, and their communities. Soil equals life.”

Green America is providing resources on their website: https://greenamerica.org/climatevictorygardens. And they encourage those with Climate Victory Gardens to register them on their online map.

Will this take off? We’ll see. The video was promoted by Upworthy, followed by a PR campaign by Green America, Kiss the Ground and their partners.