Energy Shift is interested in a promising approach to farming that appears to offer solutions to a variety of climate-related food supply issues and reduce our consumption of fossil fuels. Plenty®, is a company of scientists, farmers, and business people that started over a decade ago at the University of Wyoming and has spread across the country from the original farm in Laramie Wyoming adding farms California and Virginia.

The original location in Wyoming is where Plenty® maintains their research and development center. This is where each crop is tested and how to grow it indoors is perfected. They determine the best levels of hydration, light, and nutrients needed to grow plants indoors looking at what can be grown and taste delicious, indoors. Another thing that is tested there is packaging and transport methods to ensure food quality is maintained, shelf life meets expectations and food safety is assured.

Their second location opened in 2023 in the center of Los Angeles, California— in the area referred to as Compton. The amount of lettuce grown vertically there, in an area within a city block, would typically require 250 acres to produce. By growing indoors, Plenty® creates an environment that can be fully controlled, providing the right amount of light, water, and nutrients needed. Their technology allows them to use less space and water to grow more food and eliminates the need to spray pesticides onto the produce. They use a fraction of the land and water than conventional farms.

The third and most recent project opened in September 2024 in Richmond, Virginia. Referred to as the strawberry campus, it is designed to grow more than 4 million pounds of strawberries a year. The farm will exclusively grow Driscoll’s strawberries. The first strawberries from the farm are expected in early 2025. While most vertical farms are limited to lettuces, Plenty® spent the past decade designing a modular growing system flexible enough to support a wide variety of crops – including strawberries. Growing on vertical towers enables uniform delivery of nutrients, optimum airflow, and lighting, resulting in increased yield with consistent quality.

Every element of the Richmond farm–including temperature, light, and humidity–is controlled through software developed to create the ideal environment for the strawberry plants emphasizing the strawberries’ flavor, texture, and size. Even pollination has been accounted for using a patent-pending method that evenly distributes controlled airflow across the strawberry flowers for effective pollination without requiring bees.

The Plenty® Los Angeles and Richmond farms bring year-round production of fresh produce within a one-day drive of millions of consumers. Growing locally reduces food miles and food waste, and these farms use 97 percent less land and up to 90 percent less water than conventional farming. Plenty® is hoping to spread their innovative approach to farming beyond the U.S., Australia might be the location for their first international effort. To learn more about Plenty® go to: https://www.plenty.ag