Indoor aquaponic vertical farming company Upward Farms announced plans to add what will be the world’s largest vertical farm to its network. The new 250,000-square-foot facility, located in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, is slated to be complete and operational in early 2023 — providing fresh, locally sourced microgreens and sustainably raised hybrid striped bass to consumers throughout the Northeast and beyond.
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Upward Farms’ aquaponic platform combines the precision, scalability, and year-round freshness of indoor farming with the benefits of whole ecosystem and microbiome-rich regenerative agriculture — waste from the fish is transformed into organic fertilizer for the leafy greens.
Upward Farms grows all of its products at the highest standards of quality and sustainability. Their leafy greens are USDA Certified Organic, non-GMO, and free from synthetic chemicals like pesticides and fertilizers, and their hybrid striped bass are certified for Best Aquaculture Practices, free from mercury, antibiotics, or added hormones. Today, Upward Farms’ washed and ready to eat microgreen salads can be found at Whole Foods Market locations across New York City, and the Company’s hybrid striped bass recently made their debut at Greenpoint Fish and Lobster, available to consumers at their retail location in Brooklyn and to diners and chefs across the many New York City restaurants Greenpoint supplies.
Local production, global impact, unprecedented scale
Upward farms is localizing production of what are today among the most dislocated perishable foods — 90 percent of leafy greens are grown on the West Coast and 90 percent of seafood is imported — increasing access to fresh, healthy, delicious, and responsibly grown food.
Upward Farms’ new facility in Pennsylvania will be 2-4x the size of the next largest vertical farms operated by their sector peers. Not only are Upward Farms’ facilities climate-resilient, but they also reduce water and land use by 95%. The company’s 250,000 square foot (~6 acre) facility will conserve more than 100 million gallons of water and more than 120 acres of land on an annual basis, and eliminate 1.7 million food transportation miles per year.
Upward Farms is investing in the local community and workforce, providing vocational training and upskilling along with more than 100 high-quality, well-paying jobs across manufacturing, technology, and business roles, in addition to 400 jobs throughout the course of the facility’s construction.
“I am pleased Upward Farms has decided to make Luzerne County the home of their new vertical farm,” said Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Dennis Davin. “The commonwealth has deep roots in the agribusiness industry and is known for having a spirit of innovation. This, along with our prime Northeast location, makes Pennsylvania an excellent choice for the world’s largest vertical farm.”