Bowery Farming, the largest vertical farming company in the U.S., has opened a smart farm in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
The farm is powered with 100 percent renewable energy and features 15 percent more efficient LED lighting. A state-of-the-art water recapture and filtration system has been custom-built to harness even the water that is transpired from the plants, and ensures the highest-quality food safety standards, according to the company. The farm's design, custom hardware, AI, data and robotics, has increased the speed of farm operations and processing allowing the company to continue to grow more food smarter.
Bowery Farming's produce will be distributed through Whole Foods Market, Giant of Landover and Albertsons Companies' stores, as well as through ecommerce partners like Amazon Fresh. Working with local distributors, including Four Seasons Produce, Bowery produce will be available to specialty and independent grocery partners throughout the region, like local grocer Gerrity's in Bethlehem.
"If we've learned anything from the past two years it is that we are in a period of unprecedented disruption and uncertainty across our climate and geopolitical circumstances, which unfortunately is going to persist. We are also seeing firsthand that our global food system is inextricably tied to these dynamics," said Irving Fain, founder and CEO, Bowery Farming, in a statement. "At Bowery, wherever food is needed, we can grow it. We are addressing the challenges in our system by growing food smarter for more people in more places - and that work, securing food for our future, continues today with the opening of our Bethlehem Farm."
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