Name
From Coal to Crops: Creating an AgTech Hub from Within Appalachia
Date & Time
Thursday, October 31, 2019, 2:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Dave Nichols
Description

AppHarvest is building some of America's largest greenhouses, combining conventional agriculture techniques with today’s technology to grow non-GMO, chemical-free produce. The company's first greenhouse in Morehead, Kentucky, will span 60 acres and utilize sophisticated circular irrigation systems and a 10-acre rainwater retention pond to operate entirely on rainwater while reducing water usage by 90 percent compared to traditional open-field agriculture. The greenhouse will also use a hybrid lighting system, combining $15 million in LEDs with high-pressure sodium lamps, that will both increase yields and help warm the greenhouse during cooler months, reducing natural gas usage. The facility will grow nearly 50 million pounds of tomatoes annually and create 285 jobs in a region struggling in the wake of the coal industry's decline. Join Founder and CEO Jonathan Webb for a discussion about the future of controlled environment agriculture in America.