Cameron Grant thought he would work in the crop fields of California when he started studying vegetable production at Texas A&M University. Then he learned about vertical farming.
Instead of fields, Grant now monitors nutrients, growing conditions, and lighting of leafy greens on robotic vines that ascend to the ceiling of a greenhouse. “You can control everything, so you can kind of create the perfect environment,” Grant said.
As an assistant grower at Eden Green Technology in Cleburne, Grant is working in the burgeoning industry of vertical farming: crops that are grown in vertical rows instead of across fields.
Businesses and nonprofits alike see potential in the North Texas vertical farming industry as a strategy to boost the local supply chain and grow large amounts of leafy greens in minimal amounts of space. However, leaders in the burgeoning field are still trying to figure out how to limit their energy footprint and maximize profits.
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