The Farm.One podcast team reunites for the first time in 2021 after a restful and celebratory New Year’s break. We start with a catch up and a BIG, HUGE, EXCITING announcement from Rob (what a great way to kick off the new year!). The team also gives an update about what’s happening in New York and some of the plans for this year. 

The news topic for discussion is the 2020 CEA (Controlled Environment Agriculture) Census Report published by Agritecture, a CEA consulting firm, and Autogrow, a provider of farm automation solutions. With 371 respondents from 58 countries, the survey looks at new farmers getting into the industry, the types of farms they’re building and operating, what they’re growing, the technologies they’re using, revenue and funding. 

A few interesting takeaways from the survey: 

• 95% of respondents have a positive outlook on the industry, despite Covid. 
• Many farms that lost restaurant and hospitality clients during Covid turned to CSA (community supported agriculture) / produce boxes.
• CEA is attracting younger people, with 71% of founders in 2020 under the age of 40, compared to 60% in 2019.
• 49% of founders had no prior agriculture experience. 

Links to read more and to download the survey: 

The Packer, Controlled-atmosphere agriculture survey signals 2021 optimism

‍Download the report here