Scottish vertical farming technology will be at the heart of a new “GigaFarm” in the state of New York.
The 387,500sq ft facility will be built in Cobleskill, a small town in Schoharie County.
It is being developed by New York-based Empire State Greenhouses (ESG) in partnership with Scottish vertical farming pioneer Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS).
A total of 100 “growth towers” will produce nearly 3,000 tons of fresh produce annually.
A further 690 tons a year will be grown in on-site greenhouses.
Scottish firm has operations on both sides of the Atlantic
IGS has its headquarters in Edinburgh, but technology development is spread across sites in Fife and Dundee.
Its engineering innovation centre is in Inverkeithing,
And its crop research centre is based at the James Hutton Institute in Invergowrie.
The company also has a US office, in Loveland, Colorado.
Slashing food production costs
In Cobleskill, vertical farming towers supplied by IGS will be integrated into a network of facilities including renewable energy generation and food-energy-waste systems.
This setup is expected to eliminate one-third of the cost of food deriving from energy.
When fully operational, the facility will be capable of producing more than a billion plants every year.
As many as 50 different crop types will be grown, resulting in fresh produce with minimal food miles year-round.
We’re creating a resilient, carbon-negative model for US agriculture.”
IGS chief executive Andrew Lloyd said: “IGS is delighted to partner with ESG on this groundbreaking project.
“From the outset, both our organisations have shared a holistic vision of vertical farming – one that unites cutting-edge technology with robust, renewable energy systems.
“We’re creating a resilient, carbon-negative model for US agriculture, capable of delivering fresh, local produce to communities year-round.”
Mr Lloyd added: “The Cobleskill site’s positioning in rural upstate New York delivers IGS, as a relatively new name on the vertical farming scene in North America, an exceptionally strong foothold to partner with ESG in the potential development of future sites.”
Agriculture and energy ‘inextricably linked’
ESG president and chairman Louis Ferro said: “The state of global agriculture is at a crossroads between climate change, land and water resources.
“Rising populations, posing an increasing challenge to our ability to feed ourselves.
“Agriculture and energy are inextricably linked.
“Working closely with IGS, we are building a new paradigm.
“This is a new type of farming, built on a circular economy model, creating a resilient food system with a carbon-negative footprint.”
The facility is also co-located alongside SUNY Cobleskill, one of America’s top colleges of agriculture and technology.
ESG plans to bring more than 185 full time jobs and in excess of 400 indirect jobs to the area.
Founded in 2013, IGS partners with growers to address and overcome real-world challenges with science-backed, proven technology, helping them to produce consistent, high-quality plants.
The firm launched its crop research centre in Invergowrie in 2018.
And it opened its engineering innovation centre in Inverkeithing in 2021.
IGS is also at the heart of a project aimed at replacing 1% of fresh produce imports into the United Arab Emirates. Construction has started on the sustainable food production system on just 900,000sq ft of land in Dubai’s Food Tech Valley.
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