Today’s episode continues 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.

The discussion with Chris Higgins continues, delving deeper into the technological needs of indoor and greenhouse crop production. They explore the role of equipment suppliers, manufacturers, and developers in addressing the unique challenges faced by growers. Higgins shares insights on sustainability in CEA, market trends, and the significance of collaboration between academia and industry to foster innovation.