March 13, 2024

By Lynda Kiernan-Stone, Global AgInvesting Media

Elevated Signals announced a new collaboration with mission-driven Vertical Harvest to drive the digital transformation of its vertical farming operations and to act in support of its impending expansion. 

Using food as a medium for meaningful change, Vertical Harvest is a hydroponic, vertical farming company that not only is dedicated to the sustainable production of healthy foods, but also operates an inclusive employment model.

Driving its mission to energize local food economies, Vertical Harvests’ farms are designed for accessibility and are staffed through hiring systems developed for people with disabilities. Along the way, the company partners with civic leaders and local developers to co-locate farms with essential infrastructure, boost local green energy efforts, keep capital in local communities, and reestablish the connection between people, their farmers, and the food they grow. This approach has garnered recognition from global organizations including the World Economic Forum and the Clinton Global Initiative. 

Alongside the company’s social mission, Vertical Harvest ensures each farm is a scalable CEA (Controlled Environment Agriculture) operation that can multiply productivity on very small urban parcels of land using 85 percent less water compared to traditional agriculture – all while being protected from weather variables and pests. 

Its first farm is a state-of-the-art, three-story hydroponic operation located in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. But the company is positioning to undertake a multi-state expansion that will result in an 800-fold increase in cultivation space. This plan includes a 52,000 square-foot facility in Maine slated for this year, and a 60,000 square-foot facility in Detroit, Michigan set to open in 2025. 

However, Vertical Harvest explained that research has determined that the ability to increase margins and cut production costs are key factors to achieving financial viability in the vertical farming industry. 

“The vertical farming industry, initially hailed for its potential to revolutionize agriculture, is facing operational and financial challenges,” said Amar Singh, CEO and co-founder, Elevated Signals. “The novel and complex nature of vertical farming operations has limited the effectiveness of traditional ERP systems for these businesses.”

“Consequently, the industry has largely relied on outdated systems like paper, spreadsheets, and legacy software to manage inventory. These manual methods limit immediate access to precise factory data, which significantly impacts company performance and hurts profitability.”

Stepping into the breach is Elevated Signals’ cloud-based platform that automates the capture of real-time inventory data and significantly streamlines the reporting process. This service provides a unified source that is accessible company-wide and that sets the foundation to leverage AI for process optimization and insights. 

This platform was originally pioneered in the cannabis industry, which is known for being one of the most regulated and vertically integrated industries in the world, thus, setting it apart from its rivals, offering unmatched precision and flexibility by removing manual processes and data silos. 

“Vertical farming operations involve managing a constantly harvested biological inventory, a range of distinct packaging, varying distribution needs, and other unique complexities,” said Michael Chin, chief of farm operations, Vertical Harvest. 

“Before Elevated Signals, our data was scattered across multiple spreadsheets, hurting our ability to make more informed inventory planning decisions and financial projections. Ultimately, this resulted in excessive waste and narrower profit margins.”

~ Lynda Kiernan-Stone is editor in chief with GAI Media, and is managing editor and daily contributor for Global AgInvesting’s AgInvesting Weekly News and  Agtech Intel News, as well as HighQuest Group’s Unconventional Ag. She can be reached at lkiernan-stone@globalaginvesting.com.

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