controlled environment agriculture (CEA) support

The AME CEA Alliance Board supports Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) producers to increase of revenues and decrease operational costs through innovations in technology, methods, managerial advances the market demands so profits grow, year over year.

The advantages of the commercial-scale CEA industry are:

• Year-round production with up to 17 annual harvests 

• Shorter time from seed to harvest with optimized growth cycles

    -Not limited by the traditional, seasonal number of crop turns in outdoor grows

• Production not directly affected by weather and temperature events 

• Uses less water than traditional farming

    -No loss to evaporation or runoff

    -All water is captured and re-used

• Close proximity to city centers, capable of  feeding thousands of urbanites

    -Lower transportation costs as compared to long-haul arrangements

    -Urban buyers are enticed by local producers as a preference

    -Outdoor real estate for traditional growing is reduced due to climate change 

• Improved supply chain enablement

• Focused unit economics based on technology advancements

    -High-yield, low-cost modular machineries

    -Proven, efficient systems based on innovative greenhouse horticulture

• Greater resistance to pest infestation (Limited or no pesticides)

    -Crop scouting

    -Releasing of beneficial insects

    -Preventive foliar applications 

• Renewable, solar energy reduces power grid usage and costs

• Controlled air venting and exhausting to improve production

• CO2 injection venting for increased crop growth metrics

• High-pressure sodium (HPS) lamps for supplemental lighting

• Low electricity-consumption LED systems in focused nm ranges for each plant species

    -Intensity (in µmol·m-2·s-1); Uniformity, Cost; Efficacy (in µmol·J-1) 

• Scientifically modifying  the light spectrum to increase plant seedling growth by species

• Consumers choose, appreciate, and prefer delicious, premium products of CEA growers

• Vendors can provide consistent supplier agreements assisting by minimizing supply chain shortages to:

    -Major wholesalers

    -Food distributors

    -Retailers

    -Distribution centers 

• Microgreens

    - Baby cos lettuces

    - Coriander 

• Leafy greens

    -Lettuce

    -Spinach

• Vine crops

    -Tomatoes

      -Roma

      -Beefsteak

      -Truss

    -Peppers

    -Eggplants

    -Cucumbers

    -Strawberries

• Herbs

    -Basil 

• Medicinal cannabis

• Fungi

    -Mushrooms

• Flowering crops

    -Roses

• Fodder for livestock feed

    -Corn

• Rice

• Bananas

• Apple trees

• Novel,  game-changing agri-genomic enhanced  plant varieties

    -Nutrient-dense

    -Drought and disease resilient

    -Climate adaptable to maximize yields

    -Improved growth yields

Greenhouse:

  -Polycarbonate structures

  -Hoop houses

  -Tunnel houses

  -Canopies

Indoor Soil Growing:

  -Soil matrix

  -Artificial soil

  -Sand

  -Gravel

  -Coconut fiber (coil)

  -Oasis cubes

  -Rockwool (a material similar to an insulation batt with a channel of underneath water)

  -Peat moss

   -Perlite

   -Grodan AO Plug

   -Grodan Cress Plate

Hydroponic

  -Without soil as a medium

    -70% and 90% saving compared to conventional farming

    -Continuous water filtration and disinfection 

  -N.F.T. (Nutrient Film Technique)

  -Drip System

  -Ebb & Flow (also known as Flood & Drain)

  -Wick

  -Water Culture (also known as Deep Water Culture)

Indoor Vertical Farming

-Multi-level shelf production

-Stackable vertical farming modules (Container)

Aeroponic

  -No soil

  -Water sprayed with a nutrient solution mist

    -Roots of the plant are suspended in air

    -Uses 90% less water than some hydroponic systems

Fogponics (mistponics)

  -Suspended root system in the air

  -Water droplets/vapor (mist)

  -Delivered to the stems, leaves and roots

Aquaponic

  -Aquaculture (raising fish) and hydroponic

  -Fast growing fish

    -Tilapia, perch, catfish, trout, etc.

    -Water can then be recycled back to the fish

 Automated Planting and Processing

-From seeding to bagging

-Microclimate controls

 Turnkey CEA Operation Setups

  - Full Project Management 

Food Safety Compliance

    -Good Agricultural Practices (GAP)

    -Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)

    -Food Testing for human pathogens

      -E. coli (EHEC)

      -Salmonella spp.

      -Listeria spp.

• Almost 50% of new growers have no experience in agriculture, not  valuing the difficulty of farming (Novices don't know what they don't know)--such as the operational challenges of keeping plants healthy and vigorous. They lack the depth of business experience and insufficient market research preparing to bring an ag operation to scale and maintain sufficient financial performance. Initial production methods, designs, technologies are flawed to generate immediate, sustainable profit. Often these factors result in big promises about ROI with unrealized conculsions.

• 68% of growers are salad green growers.

• 29% of respondents receive funding from multiple sources

( https://blog.autogrow.com/global-cea-census-report-shows-continued-positivity-despite-covid-19 )

• Commercial editors comment that vertical, indoor farming operational revenues, costs, and profits or losses should be compared against modern, high-tech hydroponic greenhouses, rather than conventional, open field outdoor grow operations.