As anyone who does the food purchasing for themselves or their families can tell you, it can be almost impossible interpreting the multitude of different certifications, industry terms and fabrications being told around the use of pesticides in the produce we eat. Released in April and updated last month, Consumer Reports has released their analysis of 59 different common fruits and vegetables in the fresh, canned, dried and frozen forms and found that 20% of them posed significant risks due to pesticide contamination. The article also noted that the green beans tested contained a pesticide that has been banned for over a decade in the U.S. 

Breaking down their findings further, CR noted that 16 of the 25 fruits and 21 of the 34 vegetables analyzed had low levels of pesticide risk, 10 were of moderate risk (up to 3 servings a day is acceptable), while the remaining 12 presented as either “high-risk” (up to 1 serving per day) or “very high-risk” (up to half a serving per day). A subsection of a graph including the risk level and associated consumption levels for the different crops is included above, but for the whole graph and more information about how CR conducted the analysis, visit the full article on the Consumer Reports website. 

One of the latest academic players to start offering opportunities to students interested in CEA, Nottingham Trent University in the UK has announced the formation of a new master’s degree in ‘Smart Agriculture.’ With classes set to commence in September and with courses focusing on vertical farming, precision agriculture, automation in CEA and artificial intelligence (AI), the students will have an opportunity to work in glasshouses and converted shipping containers at the university’s Brackenhurst campus.

“The advances we’ve made means this feels like the right time for a course in smart agriculture,” says Professor Lu, lead academic in charge of the research. “This is the future of agriculture.” More information about the program and its requirements can be found on the university webpage. 

Being held on November 6, 2024, in Montréal, Quebec, the Cornell University Greenhouse Lighting and Systems Engineering (GLASE) consortium has announced a theme of “Exploring Dynamic Lighting” for this year’s 2024 GLASE Summit.

Limited to 100 registrants, growers, researchers and other attendees can expect interactive panels, presentations about new and emerging technologies, and a key-note presentation from Chief Science Officer of Soli Organic, Tessa Pocock. The event will also host a Vivid Canopy networking event. If you are not familiar, Vivid Canopy is an initiative centered around celebrating and fostering diversity in the CEA industry, and I was fortunate to attend their inaugural event at this past Indoor Ag-Con in Las Vegas.

Individual registration for the event is $100 or can be bundled with a GLASE membership for $250, and full details can be found at the link. 

The International Seed Federation (ISF) celebrated their 100-year anniversary recently during their annual conference, the ISF World Seed Congress. As King Willem-Alexander hosted the opening ceremony for the congress, held in the Netherlands, approximately 1,800 attendees from 76 countries were able to hear presentations and visit with exhibitors. The Dutch organizers also lobbied to put their own personal touch on this significant milestone, including a novel Dutch country pavilion in the expo hall for all to enjoy. More information about ISF and their 100 years of history can be found on the organization’s page. 

Indoor Ag-Con will be hosting a panel discussion on the grants, loans and rebates available to CEA growers and producers in the U.S. this week. Featuring expert panelists discussing the requirements and application process for small- to large-scale producers, this should be an invaluable opportunity to hear from experts across the industry, including: 

• Allison Driskill, Key Account Manager, Philips Horticulture LED Solutions (Moderator)
• Mark Johnson, Founder, USDAConnect
• Ron DeKok, Chief Commercial Officer, GrowRebates  
• Joseph Murphy, President, Sunchoice Energy

The webinar is an hour long from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Eastern this Wednesday, June 19.

Attendance is free to register, and more details can be found on the IAC Webinar page. 

For this edition’s student profile, I am very excited to feature my first student studying at a university outside of the U.S.: Davi Souza of the State University of Campinas (Unicamp) in Brazil. Davi is an undergraduate student with Unicamp, a researcher with the school’s Controlled Environment Laboratory (LCA), and the founder of the Space Farming 101 (SF101) course. More information about Davi can be found on his LinkedIn, and I can’t wait to hear more about his work in space farming technologies! 

1. Before we begin, can you tell all your (soon to be) fans who you are? Bonus points for all the things that make you interesting outside of your work.