Jonathan Webb
The underlying theme of AppHarvest CEO Jonathan Webb’s keynote during the GROW Executive Summit was the importance of investing in the future of controlled-environment agriculture (CEA). Why is this so important? Because, as Webb said, the U.S. will not be able to maintain outdoor food production over the long term.
“When you're running out of water and land, somebody help me understand how growing fruits and vegetables outdoors is going to work out,” Webb said. “It's only going to work if you can use 90% less water and grow in a CEA facility. That’s the harsh reality that we have to deal with.”
Fortunately, investing in the future of indoor specialty agriculture production doesn’t have to be all about money. Here are some suggestions from Webb.
Webb’s background in the solar industry showed him the importance of industry members cooperating to address long-term goals.
“We’re going to need to work together as an industry to accelerate our long-term growth,” Webb said. “Since we’re still in our relative infancy as an industry, there’s no better time than now to come together.”
“If we can get one in 10 Americans, especially children, to increase their fruit and vegetable consumption from one serving a day to three, that will not only increase our own revenues, it will also help drive down health care costs,” Webb said.
It would be great if universities would invest more resources in horticulture programs, Webb said. But as we look not just for new consumers, but for new employees, we need to start with high schools.
“At AppHarvest, we’ve invested in agriculture awareness at seven of our local high schools around Morehead, KY, and will be up to 20 very soon,” Webb said. “Since then, we’ve had 10,000 people apply to work for us. That’s why, when someone tells me people don’t want to work inagriculture, I tell them, ‘Maybe they just don’t want to work for you.’”
Webb has spent a lot of time working with Netherlands-based companies, and he pointed out how successful they are in highlighting the fun and exciting aspects of working in agriculture.
“Once people know where their food comes from, you can also begin changing their other perceptions, including the wide range of jobs available in this industry, from technology to shipping to marketing,” Webb said.
AppHarvest has gone through its share of failures and tough lessons during its first few years of growth. Which is OK, according to Webb.
“If we fail, it’s good for us and for the industry to know what we're doing wrong so they don’t experience our same mistakes,” Webb said. “And if we succeed, it's also good for the industry to know what we're doing right.” If controlled-environment agriculture is going to succeed, it’s going to be together,” Webb said. “The more transparent this industry can be, the better.”
It is time for the controlled-environment agriculture industry to adopt more advanced technology, specifically artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. That is what Morehead, KY-based AppHarvest is doing by combining conventional agricultural techniques with advanced technological tools to grow produce in its 60-acre CEA facility.
Last April, AppHarvest acquired Root AI, an artificial intelligence farming startup that creates intelligent robots to help manage high-tech indoor farms. The robots evaluate crop health and provide real-time information that improves sustainability efforts such as detecting and eliminating pests naturally. The company is also working to develop and deploy robots to harvest produce.
AppHarvest CEO Jonathan Webb says the company aims to bring the advanced technology to the entire industry by selling and leasing it. Webb stressed the technology has the potential to change farming production in the U.S., which could happen quickly.
