Freight Agricultural, a Boston-based agricultural technology startup, converted containers for frozen merchandise into farms, and then used high-tech assistance such as LED lights to plant crops equivalent to acres of farmland in a limited space.
Vertical development with energy-saving technology
Inside the Freighter Farm container, the oncoming is a comfortable temperature, and the damp air is filled with the smell of dirt. Each 320-square-foot container is equipped with 256 vertically placed planters, and the lettuce, vanilla and green leafy vegetables on the shelf are enjoying the soft pink light.
In addition to the 128 LED strips, there are circulating water systems, 8 gallons of liquefied fertilizer tanks, and propane tanks that provide carbon dioxide. These units require only 10 gallons of water and 80 degrees of electricity per day. Under normal conditions, it takes only 6 weeks for the vegetables to go from seed to harvest. According to data from Freight Farm, an average of 48,568 saleable mini-ball lettuces per container per year is equivalent to the production of 2 acres of farmland.
Freight Farm has been awarded $5 million in investment since its inception in 2010. According to the AgFunder report on the agricultural investment platform, food and agricultural technology startups received a total of US$4.6 billion in investment in 2015, nearly double the US$2.36 billion in 2014. For many agricultural startups, selling products is a big problem, but Freight Farm's business model is very different. Instead of setting up a commercial farm, the company provides the technical infrastructure and tools needed to grow vegetables. Freight Farm's containers carry a series of data such as temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide back to the company's central server.
Since many of the container farm buyers are novice farmers, Freight Farm offers buyers a two-day training course and can use internal online forums to discuss topics such as crop selection and marketing concepts with other buyers.
Freight Farm has sold more than 60 containers to date in 22 states and two Canadian provinces, ranging from long winters in Ontario to hot Texas. Freight Farm estimates that it is expected to sell 150 container farms this year, each for $80,000. What surprised Freight Farm was that containers were gradually entering traditional farms, and many buyers bought containers as an additional supplement to the crop's off-season.
Now picking vegetables is more gold than organic
Most container farms are placed in the city's distorted spaces, sometimes even adjacent to restaurants. Bobby Zuker, co-founder of the hydroponic vegetable industry Green Line Growers, said: "We planted in the morning and usually became a salad on the consumer's plate at noon."
Mike Betts, a Boston-based private chef who buys lettuce, kale, bok and vanilla from Green Line Growers, said, “The lettuce grown on the container farm is more sweet, and the sesame leaves are better than the products packaged in the wholesale market. It has a flavor." However, the price of fresh vegetables is also higher. Green Line Growers' mini-ball lettuce costs $1.25 each, more than double the price of a typical organic store.
Since container farms are not restricted by geography and climate, whether it can replace the traditional agricultural Gotham Greens co-founder and CEO Viraj Puri, it is a pity that indoor farms cannot replace traditional agriculture.
Puri said: "Hydroculture and greenhouse agriculture are only suitable for some fruits and vegetables, such as perishable green leafy vegetables, salads and herbs, as well as vines such as tomatoes, cucumbers and eggplants. If you plant cereals, root vegetables and tropical Fruit is not cost effective."
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