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Tomato virus ToBRFV has changed the sector beyond recognition

LumiRay, the new joint venture of Lumiforte and Ruixue Global

Tami Van Gaal promoted to director of sales at Griffin

Light Science Technologies signs distribution agreement:

"Strong demand for innovative farming solutions and vertical farming in South Africa"

© Dragoscondrea | Dreamstime.com

CAN (BC): Province increases minimum wage

© Adrea | Dreamstime.com

Tomato blossoms unfold new insights: Key gene TM6 controls flower development

Holistic Wellness and Agriculture Education Campus

US (NY): $571k fund to kick off first phase of hydroponic farm project

Sector | Greenhouse expansion projects

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© Erhan Inga | Dreamstime.com

US (CO): Fire in Fountain burns greenhouse, leaves one with minor injuries

US (MA): UMass Lowell and Mill City Grows pop off with expansion of the Rist Urban Agriculture Greenhouse

Philippines: Dept of Science and Tech developed automated greenhouse for lettuce and Tilapia
second phase

China: 11 ha glass greenhouse project completed in Beijing

Vegetable sowing areas in the Lviv region, Ukraine are set to expand, particularly for cabbage, onions, and cucumbers
MOU signed with Bom Group

Beijing HortiPolaris to expand with 10 ha in Yunnan

US (WA): 242,000 sqft lettuce greenhouse debuts

Sector | Cultivation

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US: NSAC responds to House Agriculture Committee’s Farm Bill summary
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Challenge Fund: Nine Seychelles' circular economy pitches awarded grants
Sebastian Ochoa:

“New blueberry plantation expansion in China is very huge”

Peeling away a cause of food loss

Mounting regulations create challenges for Texas spinach producers

Polish growers focus on cooperation and innovation

CAN (AB): Maskwacis Greenhouse supplies schools with fresh veggies

Sector | Technique

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UK's horticultural sector could enhance performance through sustainable practices
© Apiwan Borrikonratchata | Dreamstime.com

China: Zhongwei farmers boost rural revitalization with specialty industries

Disease management in edible 2024 greenhouse crops

Saudi Arabia: Riyad's 2600m2 vertical farm construction is well underway
Kate Hofman, Founder of GrowUp Farms:

"We know how to create a level playing field for vertical farmers, now the UK government is taking our advice"
© Jon Helgason | Dreamstime.com

US (MO): University Extension provides resources for specialty ag producers

Virtual lysimeter calculates drain based on data and AI

Sector | Climate

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Patented by Impresind for temperature management

A new air mixer - destratification fan for greenhouses
open day at Kalamazoo, Michigan on May 30th

Arie Luiten savors his daily 'bakkie' in the new Luiten Greenhouse facility

The benefits of ETFE material for enhanced greenhouse performance

Vegetable farming concerns in regions of Bangladesh

"The situation forces us in Finland to find alternative origins for Spain and other southern producer countries"

Vegetable production crisis looms in Manipur due to hailstorm

Sweltering heat is impacting Thailand's agriculture

Sector | Company News

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Barton & Redman expands operations with new warehouse at New Smithfield Market

Bankruptcy and financial troubles at Smartkas create market turmoil
Hyundai Motor Group

Hyundai opens vertical farm and 3-star restaurant in its Innovation Center

Maersk establishes itself at SEGRO Park Amsterdam Airport in Hoofddorp

International Primeur magazine now available online

Delphy partners up with GTC+

Priva partners with UC Davis to support CEA certificate program

Sector | Grower in the Spotlight

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US (CA): Changes coming to Revol Greens greenhouse in Cummings Valley
Grønt Fra Nord opens new farm in Fauske

Norway: Maintaining import prices ‘to stay relevant’

CAN (ON): Weston Family funded projects sees flourishing results from Innovation project

US: Agriculture grants get fresh, local produce to families in need

"By growing on a large scale, it is easier to deal with challenges"
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Thailand: Hotel unveils organic garden on 26th floor
Jan van Genderen, Royal Berry:

"Despite climate challenges, customers still expect perfect products"

Sector | Crop Protection

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Scientists develop sticky pesticide to combat pest insects
NC State

Corn earworms and lygus bugs infesting strawberries

Research shows uneven virus increase and distribution in plants
Rutgers University

Diagnosing collar rot and alternaria stem rot of tomato

New organic varieties help cucumber and pepper growers to face the future
© Palex66 | Dreamstime.com

US (FL): Battling the pepper thrips invasion
California

Significant threat to tomato crops in Stanislaus county

Sector | Market Information

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VBT figures week 19

Summer weather benefits Belgium cucumber prices

Post-brexit trade border controls to cost UK $6 billion

Turkish blueberry planting areas have grown by 50%

List of forbidden fruits and vegetables barred from entering Botswana set for new additions

Moroccan growers condemn attacks on tomatoes in France
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US: "House Farm Bill misses opportunity to move agriculture forward"

Kyrgyzstan's strawberry producers aim to achieve a $1 bln export target by 2030

Sector | Energy

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US (NY): Indoor farm uses hydropower dam to grow food

South Africa: Construction started for agri-solar plant plus training center

Sweden: Residual heat steel mill investigated as greenhouse heat source
Facilitating construction of agrivoltaic systems throughout the nation

Czechia introduces first rules for agrivoltaics

China: Rural vitalization supported by State Grid's safety services

'Running a farm at twice the efficiency, half the cost'
Launch of RE-Greenhouse, an Interreg North-West Europe-project

Speeding up the uptake of renewable energy sources in greenhouses

Sector | Fertilizers

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Wouter van Vliet named new commercial director at Van Iperen

Biostimulant company raises $1M boosting effective and sustainable farming outcomes

Ostara gets organic registration of recovered nutrients

Ginkgo Bioworks acquires AgBiome
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Certis Belchim partners up with Landlab
© Andrii Yalanskyi | Dreamstime.com

HotiNigeria empowers 23 agro-input dealers to boost horticulture
© Kingan | Dreamstime.com

Organic farms can have mixed effects on pesticide use depending on their neighbors

Sector | Breeding

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US (NB): Undergrad proves her worth in plant breeding lab

Cold plasma seed treatment system developers expand engineering and sales teams
Francisco Viteri, Popoyán

Guatemala: “This new tissue culture laboratory responds to our near-shoring strategy”

AI will unravel secrets of non-coding genes
Pop Vriend Seeds -

Dutch vegetable seed company confirms resistance to Pe. 20 for a large part of its spinach assortment

Moroccan tomato exports have increased significantly over the past decade

Wimbledon spectators will find larger and more flavorful strawberries

Sector | Product Info

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Pepper tote bags labeled with a spice meter

The exclusive Japanese OKU Berry strawberry arrives in Spain

Hybrid mango cultivation in Himachal Pradesh

Guinness World Record for largest fruit display set in Dallas, Texas
Ben Goodchild - Nationwide produce

"We are now seeing very good volumes arriving but quality is also very mixed"

Increasing fruit and vegetable intake among adults

40th year celebration brings new product offerings

Sector | Open field vegetables

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Bonduelle Group:

Business activity slightly down on Quarter 3 in a climate of constrained consumption

India: AI-based device to aid in cultivation of horti crops
A product by Soft NW:

Non-woven fabric resistant to frost

Sector | Substrates and starting materials

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Van der Knaap Group expands production capacity

"Demand for coco substrates has increased enormously"

Microchips in coconut substrate for increased rootable volume
Cocogreen receives King's Award

UK award for coco producer

What's a good substrate without rock wool?

Soil-less substrates for greenhouse strawberry production

New algorithms for sensors in 'green' substrates

"The certified organic growing media performs like a conventional growing media"

Sector | Organic cultivation

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Ukrainian farmers are offering organic produce amidst the war
“a breakthrough for organic growers in North America"

On-farm bioreactor enables conversion of residual proteins into liquid organic solution
Jordi Querol, CEO and founder of Dreiskel Biodinámica, a pioneering company in biodynamic agriculture:

"Finding an aisle with only biodynamic foods in Germany is as common as finding one with organic products here"

Ukraine: The largest mushroom farm in the Ternopil region won the "Course for Independence" project
Transcarpathian farm on track to double blueberry plantations with new technology:

Ukrainian grower upscales hydroponic blueberry production
Efficient use of space, reduced land costs, environmental sustainability, and crop diversity

The advantages of vertical farming in Ukraine
Within a year, the "MicroGreen Prykarpattia" relocated to a significantly larger space:

Ukraine: Business cultivates and sells microgreens and edible flowers

Sector | Today on social media

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CEO @ Beotanics | Plant Genetics, Food Ingredient Development, MD at FitzGerald Nurseries in Ireland and Director Shareholder at Nativaland in Portugal

Patrick FitzGerald
Head Grower for Nourse Farms in Mills River, NC. 🍓

Brandi Reyna Montalvo

Led's Consult

A visit to Sustenir Group

India and Japan horticulture

Berries on the way
Dreamstime

Northern lights seen in the Netherlands and Belgium

Sector | Food Safety & Sanitation

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FDA and CDC are investigating Salmonella outbreak linked to fresh basil

Producers can now do fruit counting with a free AI App
© Adrea | Dreamstime.com

Plant benefit information for marketing herbs, fruit and vegetable plants

Effect of handling on freshness and firmness of tomatoes
Moldova:

ANSA warns importers about the necessity to sell fresh produce only after lab results

34th Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Europe opens with focus on bolstering resilience of agrifood systems

Food safety is focus of leadership class seminar

Sector | Events

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© Brad Calkins | Dreamstime.com
A webinar:

Long-term sustainability of peat in horticulture

US: CEA Summit East 2024 Graduate Student Research Poster Competition call for entries
Deadline: 16 August '24

4th annual Vertical Farming World Awards registration open
report from the Root Health Symposium

Why root health matters

Sri Lanka: President visits AI greenhouse
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Thai - Dutch Session in Horti Asia 2024 in Bangkok

AU: PCA to pick up "Webinar Wednesday" events again

Sector | Labor and automation

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Using robotic cameras for greenhouse plant monitoing

Seasonal workers From Kenya needed in the UK
Hexafarms bags €1.3M funding round

Forecasting yield four weeks in advance with 90% accuracy, and beyond
Lincoln Institute for Agri-food Technology

UK: Experts help assess potential for robotics and automation to alleviate labor shortages in UK food chain
UK government announces five-year extension

NFU secures win for Seasonal Workers Scheme

A fully automated cherry truss tomato harvesting robot to hit the market
© Davidleshem | Dreamstime.com

CAN (AB): Drought and Flood Protection Program now open

Sector | Retail

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Dreamstime
New campaign looks to champion Waitrose’s fresh, seasonal food

TikTok healthy eating trend has helped inspire the launch of a salad creations bay at Tesco

Estonian strawberries will soon appear at Tallinn and Tartu markets
Dreamstime
Mercadona hits its goal of 50 supermarkets in Portugal

Asda's sales growth slows in Q1
Dreamstime
Uber to acquire Delivery Hero’s foodpanda delivery business in Taiwan

Blinkit is offering complimentary coriander with customer orders
Dreamstime
Eurocash Group has reported 'stable' sales in Q1

Alibaba announced its financial results for the quarter and fiscal year
Dreamstime
Tesco's new plant-led range offers meals packed with a variety of vegetables, grains and seeds

Asda workers at the Brighton Hollingbury superstore have confirmed the dates they will strike

Photo report: Fresh produce department at Metro supermarket, Lima

Sector | Lighting

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LettUs Grow and Valoya India:

New partnership to bring advanced aeroponic technology to India and the Middle East

US: How Michigan growers can benefit from electric utility rebates and incentives

LED lights give strawberries special diet powers, reveal Scots researchers
© MartinBergsma | Dreamstime.com

Evaluation of compact pepper cultivars using LED lights and sunlight
A webinar:

Illuminating a path toward season extension

MechaTronix expands its presence to Canada with two new companies

What is light spectrum vs intensity and why are they important?

Sector | Irrigation

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Clean water for improved hydroponic lettuce cultivation
First increase in groundwater supplies in 4 years

Groundwater supplies increase in California
© Freshhouse | Dreamstime.com

Protecting blueberry bloom from extreme heat using overhead irrigation

Can waste water help fuel an aquaponics surge in Europe?
Robert de Hoo, Ultramins

"Less dirty water systems facilitate crop rotation"
© Jerome Chalk | Dreamstime.com

Malta: Clay-based irrigation technology being tested in Gozo could slash water use

CAN: Cleantech projects selected as “Innovations for the Future” by Axelys

Sector | Medicinal production

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"Indoor crops could be key for future food security"

Sector | Post-harvest & Packaging

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Lasse Borg, Carccu

Finland: “The FSC-certification is proof from an external audit that we are acting responsibly”

SILAL inaugurates largest automated packhouse in UAE

Team develops technology for producing bioplastics from agricultural and food byproducts
Fairmiles Roundtable:

'Banning airfreighted fresh produce puts millions of livelihoods at risk and does not help Net Zero'

Driscoll's Maroc is building a berry processing plant in Larache

USDA announces new fee rates for Specialty Crops Inspection Grading, Audit Services

The plant for processing fruits and veg in Galilee, Israel is closing down

Sector | Education and research

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CAN (BC): Nakusp school to get geothermal greenhouse and community garden

Photovoltaic evaporative cooling greenhouse enhances sustainability in the Sahel
© Veranika Semchanka | Dreamstime.com

Identifying and controlling Botrytis in high tunnel and greenhouse tomato production

NL: HortiScience Innovation Center (HIC) launches

US (TX): Students grow lettuce for entire school district at Hudson ISD

Improve pepper yield using potassium siilcate and vinasse
Bom Group signs construction agreement

Wageningen expands with new high-tech research center in Bleiswijk

Sector | Cartoons

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Euro 2024: no fruit for fans, sausages get pricey

Diet rich in fruits and vegetables linked to enhanced relationship satisfaction

Carrot harvest uncovers ancient coin treasure

Broccoli haircut is a hot trend

Pilot tattoos favorite crop: courgette

Man made a flute out of a carrot and it works perfectly

Why are vegetarian meals on planes so bad?