LED-powered indoor farms a thing of the future?

Dec 22, 2014

LED lighting lets farmers optimize conditions in a more energy efficient way

By Diego Flammini, Farms.com

The benefits of farming in a greenhouse or warehouse, sometimes referred to as vertical farming are obvious: a controlled environment where farmers can adjust temperature, light and water to boost production.

Most indoor farms use high-pressure sodium lights (HPS), but light emitting diodes (LEDs) are on the verge of becoming the lights of choice for indoor farmers.

“There will be a revolution,” said Cary Mitchell, horticulture professor at Purdue University. “I think that in a decades [sic] time, LED will become the de facto lighting source for controlled-environment agriculture.”

LED lights don’t get as hot as traditional HPS, allowing for farmers to put them closer to the plants, allowing them to soak up more of the light.

Mitchell’s group of researchers discovered it costs almost four times more to produce the same amount of fruit with HPS than LEDs. LEDs cost more to purchase than HPS, but Mitchell doesn’t see that as a deterrent for farmers.

“When economies of scale get to a certain point and mass production starts bringing costs down, this will really catch on,” Mitchell said. “This isn’t a flash in the pan — there’s a real trend in this new industry of indoor agriculture.”

Currently, a University of Florida team is working on different LED lighting requirements for different crops.

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.