Infinite Acres Opens Pioneering Agricultural Research Center in the Netherlands
The subsidiary of U.S.-based 80 Acres Farms opens a first-of-its-kind Field Lab and Experience Center in The Hague for agtech innovation and collaboration
In an official ceremony, Infinite Acres, a technology-focused subsidiary of the American vertical farming company 80 Acres Farms, opened a first-of-its-kind research center at its Dutch headquarters in The Hague. The Field Lab and Experience Center will enable Infinite Acres to partner with companies in the Dutch agrifood ecosystem to accelerate growth in the vertical farming sector.
“Innovation requires collaboration,” said Tisha Livingston, CEO of Infinite Acres and co-founder of 80 Acres Farms. “By bringing partners into our research center, we’re closing a feedback loop and accelerating our learnings, for the benefit of farmers everywhere. This is a collaborative space where we can innovate to solve global problems.”
Known for its extremely efficient growers and the most advanced high-tech agriculture community in the world, the Netherlands is the natural choice for Infinite Acres to expand its operations.
Elevating vertical farming through best-in-class technology and global partnerships
Infinite Acres’ Field Lab and Experience Center will integrate best-in-class technology and collaborative partnerships to elevate the vertical farming industry, create sustainable farming solutions and bolster the Netherlands’ position as a leader in agrifood innovation. At the new R&D facility, researchers and experts from Infinite Acres will work side-by-side with various global and Dutch companies, including Siemens, Signify, SICK, and TTA, which are directly supporting the project.
In 2023, Siemens and Infinite Acres announced their partnership to build the Field Lab and Experience Center, combining Siemens’ state-of-the-art hardware and software with Infinite Acres’ operating platform and controlled-environment growing technology. The new center will also draw key insights and expertise from Infinite Acres’ R&D facilities in the United States.
“With challenges like a growing population, climate change which amongst many other severe consequences leads to soil degradation, we must rethink traditional food production. Digitalization and cutting-edge technologies such as AI are key to scale the sustainability impact in food production and vertical farming industry, and it is people who develop this technology to positively impact others,” stated Dirk De Bilde, CEO of Siemens Nederland. “The opening of the Field Lab and Experience Center is an important milestone and sets a new standard for collaboration in vertical farming – it shows our shared commitment to a more sustainable future.”
By shortening supply chains, reducing food waste and producing more food with fewer resources, vertical farming promises a healthier and more sustainable future. At the Infinite Acres’ research center, the company and its partners can now expedite the development of vertical farming for more sustainable, eco-friendly and healthy food cultivation solutions around the world.
Harnessing agtech expertise and research talent in the Netherlands
In addition to Infinite Acres’ team of experts, the new center will be open to student researchers from world-renowned research institutes in the Netherlands – Wageningen University & Research and Delft University of Technology – as well as other Dutch and American universities. Infinite Acres is already a member of Wageningen University’s Club of 100 for industry leaders in horticultural innovation.
With countless Dutch research institutes within close proximity to The Hague, the Netherlands’ highly skilled and diverse talent pool in the high-tech and agrifood industries will fuel the research center’s goal of advancing vertical farming research and development.
About Infinite Acres and 80 Acres Farms
Infinite Acres is a Dutch-American technology company with a green thumb. Founded in 2019 as a subsidiary of 80 Acres Farms, Infinite Acres combines Dutch horticultural technology with American manufacturing and processing technology for industry-leading innovation in hardware, software and plant genetics.
80 Acres Farms, its parent company, is based in Hamilton, Ohio. For nearly a decade, 80 Acres Farms has been a global leader in the vertical farming industry, with facilities in the United States and Europe. Today, the company’s production farms supply fresh produce and grab-and-go meals to more than 1,500 retail locations across the eastern United States.
Source: Infinite Acres, Siemens (in Dutch)
10 June 2024