The effects of challenges, such as high commodity prices, high energy prices, and lack of labor, slowed down the 2023 greenhouse expansion plans, but despite this slower market, greenhouses sprouted all over the world. Here are 6 stories from the first 6 months of 2023 on who did what and where.
Matt Quiring with Nature Fresh Farms:
"We will be the only grower of organic greenhouse strawberries in North America"
In the Fall of 2014, Nature Fresh Farms opened their first greenhouse outside Canada in Ohio, USA. In the 45-acre greenhouse, different tomato varieties are grown. Now, eight years later, expansion is underway with another 45 acres that will solely be used to grow strawberries. "We began exploring and trialing greenhouse-grown strawberries in 2019," says Matt Quiring, Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing with Nature Fresh Farms. The company produced their first strawberry crop in 2020 and currently grows 25 acres of conventional strawberries in Ontario, Canada.
One of the largest aquaponic farms in the country expands access to local organic greens as demand continues to rise:
US (ME): Aquaponics greenhouse raises $22M for Northeast greenhouse expansion
Springworks, A certified organic aquaponic greenhouse in the Northeast, announced today a $22M round of fresh funding that will fuel the company's regional expansion. The capital, raised through a combination of equity and debt, will fund the construction of Springworks' fourth and largest greenhouse, which adds 120,000 square feet and 40 new jobs to the state of Maine. This is Phase One of Springworks' plan to build 500,000 square feet of greenhouse space over the next six years.
Adding 500 people to the team:
Mexico: Rising Farms boosts capacity fivefold
Quintupling. That's what Rising Farms will be doing. The Mexico-based high-tech greenhouse company announced it will expand their growing acreage from 12 to 62 acres (25 hectares). The expansion not only increases by 5 times Rising Farms' installed capacity to grow hydroponic specialty crops for the North American market but also brings 500 new job openings for its team during the first half of 2023.
NL: Grower's phase 8 expansion of almost 12.5 hectares
In December 2022, it was announced that the last phase of the total eight "blocks" will be built in 2023. For this final phase on this site, construction will begin in March to have it in production by the end of this year. With the previous seven phases in its portfolio, the realization of this final phase has also been given to Havecon. This also makes it the largest continuous project Havecon has ever realized.
Rijk Zwaan builds a second facility for seed treatment and storage in De Lier
Construction work is now underway on a new Rijk Zwaan facility for the treatment and storage of vegetable seeds. This marks a further expansion of the vegetable breeding company's existing facilities in De Lier, the Netherlands. The new building is expected to be fully operational by spring 2025.
Activities performed in the new facility will include seed extraction, seed treatments, and seed storage. Besides that, the building will house offices and a multifunctional meeting area for use by employees and visitors.
Yigit expands to 90 hectares:
"The horticultural industry in Turkmenistan has witnessed significant changes"
"Over the past five years, the horticultural industry in Turkmenistan has witnessed significant changes. The government's promotion of agriculture and horticulture through subsidies, low-interest credits, and land allocation has stimulated the establishment of numerous greenhouses since 2016."