What is Vertical Farming?

Ask a Farmer

One of the biggest risks in producing food is the weather. Uncertainty around rain, heat, frost, wind and other weather-related disasters results in a lot of sleepless nights for farmers and ranchers in this country. But what if we take the largest risk out of the equation? Vertical farming has been developing throughout Canada as a method to reduce risk and provide a localized food option for certain products. Alida Burke from Growcer, a Canadian start up modular, vertical farming company, will explain more about how vertical farming fits into our food system.
Host:
Clinton Monchuk grew up on a mixed dairy, beef and grain family farm outside of Lanigan, Saskatchewan. He received his Bachelor’s of Science in Agriculture majoring in Agricultural Economics from the University of Saskatchewan and Masters of Business Administration in Agriculture from the University of Guelph. Clinton has enjoyed numerous roles across Canada, the United States and Mexico as a researcher, educator, manager, economist and director of trade policy.
In 2016, Clinton accepted the role of Executive Director with Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan to promote farming and ranching to consumers. Clinton understands the value of increasing public trust in agriculture and actively promotes engagement between the agriculture industry and consumers.
Clinton, Laura and their children Jackson and Katelyn, are active partners on their family grain and layer farm in Saskatchewan and cattle ranch in Oklahoma.
Guest:
Alida Burke, CFO and co-founder, Growcer
Alida Burke is the co-founder and CFO of Growcer, which empowers communities to grow fresh, hyper-local produce year-round through its hydroponic modular farms. She fell into her role as an entrepreneur when she saw the impact the local food makes, but still enjoys working with numbers, by leading Growcer’s operational strategy to support customers growing year-round across the country. When Alida is not managing the behind-the-scenes at Growcer you can find her giving back to her local entrepreneurship community or curled up with a good book.
Resources:
Growcer
Modular Farms article
Episode Credits: Research and writing by Dorothy Long and Penny Eaton, Produced and edited by Angela Larson and Michael Jordon, Music by Andy Ellison-Track title: Gravel Road

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