There’s been a lot written about AppHarvest in consumer and trade press since going public in 2020 and the company continues to be in the news with multiple actions over the last couple of weeks.

After a difficult Q3 report showing $543,000 in net sales versus a $24 million net loss, which was partially due to health issues in the crop and supply chain disruptions (based on the Q3 earnings call with investors), the company reported a couple of big changes. One, in late December, AppHarvest announced it finalized the sale-leaseback of its new Berea indoor leafy greens farm for $127 million. Here are the details according to the announcement:

“AppHarvest has entered an agreement with Mastronardi Berea LLC, a joint venture between Mastronardi Produce and COFRA Holding, for the sale-leaseback of its Berea high-tech indoor farm for leafy greens for approximately $127 million with an initial lease rate of 7.5% over 10 years, with four renewal terms of five years each. Mastronardi Produce is AppHarvest’s exclusive marketing and distribution partner, which has sold AppHarvest’s produce including tomatoes, leafy greens and strawberries, into some of the top national grocery store chains, restaurants and food service outlets. Some of the proceeds of the sale-leaseback will be used to repay the previously announced $30 million bridge loan from Mastronardi Produce to AppHarvest and the first two years of prepaid rent at the Berea facility.”

 
Production at the new 15-acre Berea farm, where they grow a variety of greens for the Queen of Greens brand.

The second move was to officially open its Richmond farm, planting half of the available space with Campari brand tomatoes. (An update on all the operating facilities in a minute.)

And, third, at the beginning of January, the company named CEA veteran and AppHarvest board member Tony Martin chief operating officer (COO). Prior to joining AppHarvest, Tony spent 12 years with Windset Farms, a CEA greenhouse producer with more than 250 acres in the U.S. and Canada.

“I expect Tony’s extensive background in controlled environment agriculture and his track record for optimizing the efficiency of core operations and consistently achieving revenue growth will help us accelerate our path to profitability,” AppHarvest Founder & CEO Jonathan Webb says in the announcement.

In case you’ve lost track, AppHarvest now has four facilities in Kentucky:

• Berea—15 acres for leafy greens production
• Somerset—30 acres for strawberries and cucumbers
• Richmond—60 acres for tomatoes
• Morehead—60 acres for tomatoes

I’ve been watching this company from the start, and I’ll keep an eye and an ear out for more news as I hear it.

Right now, everyone is taking a hard look at energy costs and trying to figure out how to grow more efficiently. That means Dr. Peter Ling at The Ohio State University has impeccable timing for this year’s Greenhouse Management Workshop “More With Less Energy.”

Set to take place January 26-27, both in-person at the Shisler Center on the OSU Wooster Campus and online, attendees can not only learn more about efficient growing strategies, but also receive continuing education credits for pesticide recertification in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

The in-person event includes presentations, tours of the Wooster Campus Research Facilities and Greenhouses and Green Circle Growers in Oberlin, and networking, as well as continental breakfasts and lunches. Here’s a sample of some of the presentations:

• Growing crops with less energy—engineering fundamentals, Dr. Peter Ling, OSU
• Managing controlled environments to manage plant diseases, Dr. Anna Testen, USDA
• Approaches to improve energy efficiency and returns on investment, Dr. David Story, Ridder Corp.
• Lighting and temperature strategies to improve energy efficiency in greenhouse crop production, Dr. Jennifer Boldt, USDA
• Grower’s perspective of LED vs. HID lighting, Octavio Perez Rodriguez, Nature Fresh Farms

Program and travel details are available online, as is registration. During registration, keep in mind there are two ways to attend:

In person: Enjoy all sessions and tours, breakfast and lunch, and networking reception.

Virtual: Watch presentations online. Use code VIRT-23 when registering online.

BioWorks has launched a newly formulated biological fungicide called BotryStop WP to control Botrytis in greenhouse vegetable and ornamental crops, as well as outdoor crops.

BotryStop WP is approved for organic and conventional IPM programs, according to BioWorks, and has a four-hour restricted entry interval (REI) and zero-day Pre-Harvest Interval (PHI). The product’s wettable powder formulation is stable at room temperature for 12 months, so there’s no need for refrigeration.

“New BotryStop WP data continue to demonstrate improved efficacy for the treatment of Botrytis,” says Dr. Michael Brownbridge, Biological Program Manager for Disease at BioWorks. “This reformulation provides an easy-to-use, superior resistance management solution for one of the most destructive diseases growers face.”

Here’s how the company describes the product:

“BotryStop WP’s active ingredient, Ulocladium oudemansii (U3 Strain), has a unique mode of action (MOA) that prevents and controls Botrytis cinerea, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Monilinia spp., Xanthomonas and other foliar pathogens. BotryStop WP outcompetes the pathogens for nutrients released by senescing plant tissue and occupies the same ecological niche that pathogens like Botrytis colonize. Without causing any damage to living, healthy tissue BotryStop WP supports healthier crops. This also makes BotryStop WP an excellent disease prevention tool that can be used alone or in a spray rotation for resistance management.”

The company released a white paper on BotryStop WP that includes its development, applications and trial information.

What makes this particular event unique? It’s right up there with Leap Year—it only happens every four years. And while it’s not Leap Year this year, it IS the year for the North American Strawberry Symposium. If you're involved with strawberries, get yourself to San Luis Obispo, California, March 7-10.

This year marks the 10^th anniversary for the North American Strawberry Symposium (NASS), which attracts strawberry growers, researchers and other industry members from all over the world. The event will be held in conjunction with the annual North American Strawberry Growers Association conference, too.

According to organizers, the symposium will include two-and-a-half days of workshops, research and production presentations, poster sessions and a reception, along with a full day of farm tours on March 10.

Here’s a look at the basic schedule:

March 7: Up to eight afternoon workshops, evening reception, 2023 National Strawberry Queen Pageant

March 8: Full day general education session, NASGA Annual Meeting

March 9: Two concurrent educational sessions

March 10: Full-day farm tour

You can visit the NASGA website for more details and to register. If you have questions, contact Kevin or Margo Schooley at info@nasga.org. The association hotel rates are available until February 14.

We're looking for the best and the brightest (under 35 years old) for our annual GrowerTalks/Ball Horticultural Company Young Grower Award. Every year, we—the editorial staff—sort through the nominations to narrow it down to three young nominees (it’s a tough job, believe me). Those three are invited to write a short essay for us for the June issue and join us for the Cultivate trade show in Columbus, Ohio.

There, we have a lovely dinner with our grower and retailer nominees and our judges, then head to the Unplugged event to announce our winners (but in reality, they're all winners!). Whoever is selected gets featured as the cover stories of our September GrowerTalks/Green Profit issue.

Do you have a real dynamo in your operation who you think deserves some recognition? If so, nominate them today! But don’t delay, the deadline is March 1.

Special thanks to our sponsors of the program, Ball Horticultural Company and AmericanHort.