In Pitt Meadows, B.C., the first hands-free vertical farm opens
A new vertical farming business in Pitt Meadows, British Columbia, hopes to improve food security in the province by selling produce that is grown locally and is good for the environment.
The business, called UP Vertical Farms, grows baby leafy greens vertically, on shelves stacked on top of each other, on a piece of land that is a fraction of the size needed for traditional farming. A news release from the company says that it could make 6.3 million bags of greens per year, which would be sold in grocery stores all over Western Canada.
The director of the Food and Agriculture Institute at the University of the Fraser Valley, Lenore Newman, said that our lettuce supply from California has been very hit or miss.
“Either it’s been very expensive, or there’s been a problem with the way things get to us. We’ve had bad service. The time has come for this plan to grow lettuce close to home.”
WATCH | Take a virtual tour of B.C.’s first vertical farming operation that doesn’t need human help:
Bahram Rashti and his brother Shahram have been working on this project for almost ten years, but they’re just now at a point where they can start selling locally grown food to grocery stores.
Rashti said, “We’ve always known there was a problem with the bad things that come from climate change.”
“The more we looked into it, the more we realized that there was something we could do to help, especially for Canada since a lot of our food comes from other countries.”
Production 350 times highe
Rashti thinks that their output could be up to 350 times higher than that of traditional lettuce farming.
Mark Lefsrud, an associate professor of bioresource engineering at McGill University, says that it takes 60 to 90 days to grow leafy greens outside in traditional fields. He said that could be cut down if the plants were grown inside. UP says that its products take between 13 and 31 days to grow.
Even though 350 times more yield seems like a lot, Lefsrud says that it is theoretically possible.
He said, “NASA has shown that you can get that high.””I haven’t seen a business that has managed to do it. Most of the time, we say 30, or if you’re really good, maybe 60 to 80, but 300 times is a bit much.”
Lefsrud, who has worked for NASA in the past, says that vertical farms have “huge potential.” He agreed with Newman that the rising price of lettuce is reason enough for people to look for new ways to grow leafy greens.
‘Hands-free’ facilit
UP Vertical Farms is one of the first vertical farms in Canada that doesn’t need any help from the farmer. Everything from planting seeds to picking them up is done without touching anything.
The greens are grown indoors without the use of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, manure, or genetic modification.
The company says that because of all of these steps, the end product is ready to eat right out of the bag.
Rashti said that the facility uses 98% less land for farming, 98% less fresh water, and 98% less fertilizer than traditional farming methods.
“It’s good food for people and the planet.”
Newman said that if more businesses in B.C. are as creative as this one, the quality of the food in grocery stores will go up.
“With vertical farming, we get food the day it’s picked or the next day. When it comes from California, it’s eight or ten days old by the time it gets to our shopping cart.”
“Get ready for leafy greens that are much better than what we’re used to. That’s good, because it means we might all be able to eat a little more salad.”