Today’s podcast kicks off 2023 and introduces our new special series “What Plants Crave from Technology.” In this new series, Dr. Sabeh will be interviewing equipment suppliers, manufacturers, and developers about the unique technological needs for growing crops indoors and greenhouses. To help launch this new series, Dr. Sabeh invited friend and colleague Chris Higgins, President and co-founder of Hort Americas, to talk CEA tech, the needs, the challenges, and the evolution over the past 20 or so years.

Many in the industry know or have seen Chris at events and conferences, where he’s often moderating a panel, sometimes of misfits, navigating a wide range of topics around greenhouses and vertical farming, sustainability in CEA, market trends and business development, and the future of horticulture in the broader scope of agriculture and technology. As President and Co-Founder of Hort Americas, he distributes growing accessories and supplies to CEA growers. As Owner and Founder of UrbanAg News, he disseminates knowledge and know-how to the CEA community. And as an advisor to both academic and industry research pursuits, he often provides a much-needed gut check on what growers are challenged with and what they need to be successful and profitable.

Chris Higgins is President of HortAmericas, a wholesale supply company serving commercial greenhouse, nursery, and indoor farms across North America. He is also the Founder of Urban Ag News, a digital magazine designed to educate and inform the horticulture industry about new technologies, state-of-the-art research, and the current events affecting market supplies and demand.

In the inaugural episode of the "What Plants Crave from Technology" series, Dr. Nadia Sabeh converses with Chris Higgins, President and co-founder of Hort Americas. They discuss the evolution of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) technology over the past two decades, addressing challenges, sustainability, market trends, and the future of horticulture. Higgins emphasizes the importance of understanding growers' needs to drive technological advancements in the industry.