By Megan Wehring
KYLE – A global urban farming network sets its eyes on building a growing center in Kyle.
As a part of the company's expansion roadmap for the nation, Infarm chose the city of Kyle as the second location in the U.S. The facility will be equipped with more than 40,000 square feet of growing capacity, which will allow for the production of more than 2.2 million pounds of salad per year.
“We are beyond proud to welcome Infarm to the city of Kyle," said Mayor Travis Mitchell in a news release. "Agri-Tech innovations are of growing importance for our food systems and supply. That’s why it’s great to see a global vertical farming leader investing in the region and setting up business in Kyle, creating jobs and making even more sustainably sourced, fresh, local produce available to our region.”
The Kyle location will also be designed with several Infarm modular large-scale farming units that stand up to 33 feet tall, which will ultimately require less space and water compared to traditional farming.
“This new farming model can be as much as 400 times more efficient than soil-based agriculture,” an Infarm spokesperson said, "and uses no chemical pesticides. It requires on average, 95% less land and uses 95% less water through an optimized irrigation system and by recycling water, nutrients and using the evaporated water of the plants. Because the crops are grown closer to the consumer, they also require 90% fewer food miles to get to the consumers' plates."
Added to the more than 75 various herbs, salads and leafy greens the company currently produces, the spokesperson explained that Infarm is expanding its portfolio to include 40 new products this year including mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, peas and strawberries.
Nearly 2 million people will be served in the Central Texas region once the facility opens.
“Opening our next Growing Center in Texas is strategically important for Infarm as Texas and the region around Austin are high potential markets for our fresh produce," said Erez Galonska, CEO and co-founder of Infarm, in a news release. "When fully equipped, the Growing Center will be able to feed more than 18 million people living in the Texas Triangle, bringing fresh produce from our controlled, localized systems that minimize climate and supply chain risk by growing food reliably 24/7, 365 days per year close to consumers."
