Green Spirit Farms Plans $27 Million Vertical Farm in East Benton Township, Pennsylvania

---

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Green Spirit Farms LLC (New Buffalo, Michigan) plans to operate a $27 million, vertical farm operation in East Benton Township, Pennsylvania.

Green Spirit Farms is using a formerly abandoned, 366,500-square-foot building to house a pilot plant.

The vertical farm will be among the first of its kind in the U.S. on an industrial scale. All hydroponic and associated equipment will be installed, and full production is expected by early in the third quarter of 2014. Using a combination of patented technology from Omega Gardens Incorporated (British Columbia) and proprietary technology, Green Spirit Farms primarily will produce basil and tomatoes.

Industrial Info is currently tracking $308 million in total investments for greenhouse projects across the U.S. and Canada.

Vertical farming is a relatively new model to the Food & Beverage Industry. Recently, it has gained some attention as a potential alternative to traditional farming methods. Vertical farming has the advantage of a completely controlled environment without the need for pesticides, favorable weather and some associated heavy machinery such as tractors. However, greater energy demands (and therefore costs) are required to achieve such an environment.

Green Spirit Farms and Omega Gardens claim to have addressed some of the energy problem by way of more efficient hydroponic technology. Among other innovations, Omega Gardens designed a cylindrical rack to slowly rotate crops to optimize plant growth. If vertical farming is a trend for the future, it is still in its early stages.

Green Spirit Farms began production at a smaller vertical farm in New Buffalo, Michigan, in the first quarter of 2012. The company does not use genetically modified organisms (GMO) or hormones for any purpose, including enhancing production yields. Potentially, vertical farms using conventional (biotechnological) methods may be more profitable than the organic alternative.

View Plant Profile - 1048524

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, three offices in North America and nine international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.