Inside a nondescript Calgary warehouse, shielded from the February blizzard outside, 10-foot-wide trays of spinach, arugula, pea shoots and other greens rest under red and blue neon lights. Automated robots collect the trays from ceiling-high stacks, then lower them onto a conveyor for packaging.
The $70-million facility, built by Guelph, Ont.-based GoodLeaf Farms, represents the latest in so-called vertical farming. First conceived as a way to grow produce with minimal land requirements, even in cold climates, the model is getting renewed attention in Canada as trade tensions with the U.S. highlight this country's heavy reliance on other nations for certain foods.
"Over the last couple months, with the U.S. administration change and their plans for protecting the 'four walls' of the U.S., they've just heightened everybody's awareness of where we're at," GoodLeaf CEO Andy O'Brien said during a tour of the facility.
Canada's frigid climate makes it heavily dependent on trade for fair-weather crops like vegetables and fruits. In 2024, the country ran a $3.2-billion vegetable and melon trade deficit, with around half of those imports coming from U.S. states like California and Arizona.
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