Our Programs

Emerging industries move fast. Vertical farming is no different. USVFA is building its capabilities to support the innovators who are disrupting the way we get food, as well as for their vendors, suppliers and investors, with a variety of programs to make their vision become reality. Our core competencies center on creating policy environments where businesses can grow, which means working to educate policymakers to shape thoughtful rules that will impact the industry, creating platforms to bring creative minds together in order to advance the state-of-the-art, investors who see the value to be generated, and to educate consumers about how fresh, safe, nutritious and safe our foods are.

Policy

As innovators change the way we get our food, policymakers must change the way they look at farming. This includes programs and rules intended to help American farmers, state and local building codes, federal energy efficiency standards, utility rate structures and commodity price support programs. USVFA is bringing together different voices from within the indoor farming value chain to communicate government officials at all levels on the importance of this emerging farming segment and what should be done to allow it to grow.
 

Safety

There are many benefits to farming indoors and quality control is at the top. By growing nutritious leafy greens, fruits, spices and grains in purpose-built ecosystems, farmers are able to keep pests, bacteria, disease and other threats away from their crops. This not only helps to ensure consistent flavor and quality, but also eliminates the need for inputs conventional farms depend upon, like pesticides. Because it is grown near you and in a controlled environment our foods come to you fresher and cleaner!

Science

Indoor and vertical farms take advantage of thousands of years of innovation from conventional farming and blend it with great advances in lighting efficiency, information technology, precision nutrients and systems management to do more with less. Water becomes more precious each day and US vertical farms are finding new ways to get more from each drop, with some farmers using only 5% of conventional farming operations. Precise application, monitoring, and greenhouses that capture evaporated water and recycle it is just the beginning!
 

Education

Being best isn’t always enough. People have to know you’re the best! USVFA is creating platforms, programs and new channels for vertical and indoor farmers to tell their story not only to their neighbors but to the world. Stay tuned for fresh information you can use to guide your shopping, investing, and marketing.