BrightFarms founder and president Paul Lightfoot, who’s chairman of the USDA Fruit and Vegetable Business Advisory Committee, stated managed atmosphere agriculture might play a significant function in serving to to resolve among the important points going through the ag business and U.S. Pictures courtesy of BrightFarms
As chairman of the USDA Fruit and Vegetable Business Advisory Committee, Paul Lightfoot at BrightFarms is searching for methods to make main enhancements in meals manufacturing, sustainability and consumption.
When Paul Lightfoot based BrightFarms in January 2011 he had no expertise in business meals manufacturing. Ten years later he’s president of one of many quickest rising managed atmosphere agriculture corporations in the US. Beginning with one 54,000-square-foot greenhouse facility in Pennsylvania in 2013, BrightFarms has expanded with greenhouse operations in 4 states with a complete manufacturing space of 700,000 sq. toes.
“I had a background in retail provide chain enchancment,” Lightfoot stated. “I used to be operating a supply-side software program firm for about 9 years and was fascinated about whether or not I might create a chance that may mix my profession with my private curiosity in wholesome sustainable meals. I studied totally different alternatives and got here throughout the leafy greens provide chain as one which was ripe for destruction.
“On the time, all salads in North America principally got here from the West Coast, both Salinas, Calif., in the summertime or Yuma, Ariz., within the winter. I recognized a really centralized, very industrialized provide chain that wasn’t benefitting shoppers.”
Lightfoot stated the concentrated subject manufacturing places and long-distance delivery required to ship leafy greens to East Coast markets was not good for the product.
“Most leafy greens are 5 to seven days outdated once they arrive at retailers’ distribution facilities, and that exhibits within the high quality, diet and style,” he stated. “I additionally thought subject meals manufacturing had some Achilles heals’ by way of meals security and sustainability, which I believed would grow to be extra essential, offering BrightFarms with a terrific market alternative.
“I knew that customers would proceed to give attention to wholesome consuming and that the demand for salads was going to rise. I grew assured that BrightFarms might disrupt a provide chain that was fragile and susceptible.”
After opening its first greenhouse facility in 2013, Lightfoot stated by the tip of 2014 the corporate had discovered its working mannequin.
“We started to boost critical capital,” he stated. “We graduated from enterprise capital to non-public fairness in 2016 as we hit the nationwide stage. We opened a lot bigger greenhouses, one in Virginia to serve the Washington, D.C., market and one in Illinois to serve the Chicago and Milwaukee markets. These have been in partnership with Ahold Delhaize and Kroger.
“Earlier than then I don’t assume the produce business had taken managed atmosphere salad manufacturing severely. After 2016 we established ourselves as a contender to proceed profitable market share.”
Lightfoot stated nearly each main retailer within the U.S. now has an indoor-grown salad program on its cabinets.
“There are billions of {dollars} of market share to be captured with leafy greens,” he stated. “It’s an enormous and rising section and by far the lion’s share of the expansion is coming from managed atmosphere native manufacturing like ours.”
Serving to to resolve ag business, societal points
In October 2020 Lightfoot was elected chair of the USDA’s Fruit & Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee (FVIAC). Shaped in 2001, the aim of the committee is to look at points that affect the fruit and vegetable business and to supply suggestions and concepts to the Secretary of Agriculture on how the USDA can tailor packages to raised meet the wants of the produce business. FVIAC at present has 4 working teams: meals security, manufacturing, labor and commerce.
“Throughout our committee conferences the members develop a collection of suggestions on the issues which are throughout the preview of the USDA,” Lightfoot stated. “These suggestions are related to fruit and vegetable corporations within the U.S., together with growers, shippers, distributors, retailers and different organizations which have a stake on this area.”
Lightfoot stated the U.S. agriculture business has a chance to assist deal with among the most urgent points going through the U.S., together with local weather change and diet.
“We’ve got a society the place the vast majority of Individuals are overweight or almost overweight and a particularly excessive share is diabetic or pre-diabetic,” he stated. “The main reason for demise within the U.S. is from persistent illnesses which are a results of our diets.
“We don’t want fancy know-how to see the answer. Solely about one in 10 Individuals eat the beneficial servings of vegatables and fruits. Shifting our diets away from extremely processed meals and towards extra vegatables and fruits would cut back diet-related persistent illnesses, cut back the prices of healthcare, and even enhance our army readiness.”
One other space the place Lightfoot stated the agricultural business might assist resolve points is expounded to local weather change.
“It’s effectively understood that the power and transportation sectors are big contributors to local weather change,” he stated. “Normally, as a world we’re making progress on these fronts. I’m not alone in driving an electrical automotive and powering my house with wind-powered electrical energy.
“Much less effectively understood is that the U.S. agriculture business emits 10 p.c of our nation’s greenhouse gases. It is usually some of the susceptible sectors to extra unstable climate that outcomes from local weather change.”
Lightfoot is especially involved concerning the affect the agriculture business is having on the nation’s prime soil and water assets.
“We’re mining our soil,” he stated. “If we proceed to degrade our soils, we solely have about 50 seasons of soil left within the Midwest. Farming practices within the Midwest and California have additionally had a significant affect on waterways, decreasing sources of potable water.
“Extra biodiversity must be launched into the areas of the West Coast that at present develop our salads. It has grow to be a monoculture, which has eliminated the life from the soil and disrupted the water cycles. One concept can be to supply incentives to these farmers to “re-wild” a few of that land, including biodiversity to revive the soils and water cycles. That misplaced manufacturing capability may very well be offset with the expansion in excessive depth indoor farms.”
Taking the CEA business severely
Lightfoot stated his participation with FVIAC is helpful to BrightFarms and to the CEA business.
“It is very important do not forget that I’m representing the whole fruit and vegetable business in my function with FVIAC,” he stated. “I care about BrightFarms like I care a few little one, however on this function I will probably be talking for the whole business.
“The U.S. ought to be doubling the per capita annual consumption of vegatables and fruits. As a result of Individuals should not consuming sufficient vegatables and fruits, our nation is struggling.”
Lightfoot stated his participation with FVIAC, together with being a board member of the United Contemporary Produce Affiliation, displays the adjustments occurring within the CEA business and the way it’s considered total by the agriculture business.
“The CEA business was thought-about pretty new and solely not too long ago has it grow to be an even bigger participant,” he stated. “These ag organizations acknowledge that and wish our illustration. We’re glad to have it. We predict now we have an essential voice and I’m glad to have the opportunity signify the CEA business.”
For extra: BrightFarms, Farm Help Middle, Irvington, NY 10533; (866) 857-8745; data@brightfarms.com; https://www.brightfarms.com/
This text is property of City Ag Information and was written by David Kuack, a contract technical author in Fort Price, Texas.
