Growers, investors discuss horticultural opportunities

Attendees at the first “Realities of Growing Plants Indoors” Short Course learned what it takes culturally to produce controlled environment crops as well as how to finance and market their businesses.

By David Kuack

Based on the phone calls Gene Giacomelli receives at the University of Arizona he said growers and would-be growers aren’t talking enough to the people who are interested in investing in the industry. Giacomelli, who is director of the university’s Controlled Environment Agriculture Center and a professor in Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering, saw an opportunity to bring the two groups together at the first “Realities of Growing Plants Indoors” Short Course, which was held in Tucson in July.

“I receive phone calls regularly from investors wanting to know about the possibilities of putting their money into production in controlled environment agriculture,” Giacomelli said. “They feel they don’t know enough about the industry. I was trying to get them together with growers so that they could have some discussion. They had the opportunity to share their vocabulary, their activities and the things that need to be done if they want to invest in a successful business.

“This also applies to the growers, who are looking for potential investors. Growers need to know how to make presentations and be able to provide the information investors need in order to satisfy their stakeholders if they are going to lend money or invest in a business.”

For the first 1½ days of the Short Course participants were provided with the basics applied “how-to-grow” controlled environment agriculture.






Attendees at the first “Realities of Growing Plants Indoors”
Short Course had the opportunity to tour a small, commercial-
sized tomato greenhouse, a supplemental lighting research
facility and a small grow box for greens.
Photos courtesy of University of Arizona

“The grower-focused presentations had an emphasis on indoor production, which included greenhouses and also closed environments such as vertical farming,” Giacomelli said. “Topics included irrigation, climate control and lighting. We gave them some applied horticultural information that they should at least be aware of and then learn more about if they want to get into this business and grow indoors.”

Getting down to business

During the last half of the second day the Short Course transitioned to the business side.

“A couple of business people spoke about their entrepreneurial horticultural activities,” Giacomelli said. “This presentation transitioned the discussion to the third day where we conducted an investor and business forum.”

Prior to the start of the business forum attendees took a 2-hour tour of the university’s production and research facilities including a small, commercial-sized tomato greenhouse, a supplemental lighting research facility and a small grow box for greens from Japan.

“The growers and investors had an opportunity to see what growing was like in a traditional greenhouse using the sun as the light source as well as growing inside using only electrical lamps,” Giacomelli said.

The business forum included a panel of five participants including a produce distributor, two entrepreneurs who started their own indoor food production companies, a regional buyer for a national grocery store chain and a philanthropist investor.

Members of a business forum panel who spoke to Short Course
attendees included a produce distributor, two entrepreneurs who
started their own indoor food production companies, a regional
buyer for a national grocery store chain and a philanthropist investor.

“By bringing the two groups together we tried to give those growers and would-be-growers who are considering starting a horticultural business a chance to hear from those people who could provide them with a reality check,” Giacomelli said.

For more: Gene Giacomelli, University of Arizona, Ag & Biosystems Engineering Department, Controlled Environment Agriculture Center; (520) 626-9566; giacomel@ag.arizona.edu; http://ag.arizona.edu/ceac.

David Kuack is a freelance technical writer in Fort Worth, Texas; dkuack@gmail.com.

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