{"href":"http://player.captivate.fm/services/oembed?url=http%3A%2F%2Fplayer.captivate.fm%2Fepisode%2F33f2fddf-3a2f-46fa-bb58-bfb5dc7633fe","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Captivate.FM","provider_url":"https://www.captivate.fm","width":600,"height":200,"type":"rich","html":"","title":"S2E21: Ed Harwood - Aeroponics, SOPs & Serendipity","description":"Episode Summary\r\n\r\nJoin Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show Chief Science Officer (CSO) of AeroFarms, Ed Harwood. It is the mission of AeroFarms to grow the best plants possible for the betterment of humanity. With over forty years of agricultural and engineering experience, Ed founded GreatVeggies before transitioning to AeroFarms. In this episode, Harry and Ed share a discussion on the difference between hydroponics and aeroponics, the merits and disadvantages of both and Ed\u2019s never-ending quest to change the world for the better through education, technology and science. \r\n\r\nEpisode Sponsor\r\n\r\nCeres Greenhouse Solutions\r\n\r\nKey Takeaways\r\n03:22 \u2013 Harry welcomes to the show Ed Harwood, who shares new hobbies he\u2019s picked up during the pandemic, the benefits of living in Ithaca, NY and his affinity for poker and reading\r\n11:44 \u2013 What sparked Ed\u2019s interest in biology, agriculture and AgTech\r\n17:08 \u2013 Ed shares lessons he learned from founding his own company, GreatVeggies, and the path that led him to AeroFarms\r\n30:40 \u2013 The importance of having Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in place and obstacles Ed encountered as he transitioned into the role of CSO of AeroFarms\r\n34:15 \u2013 Ed expounds on the difference between aeroponics and hydroponics and the pros and cons to both\r\n36:31 \u2013 Advances in aeroponics technology that Ed has witnessed throughout the years\r\n38:49 \u2013 Ed speaks to the importance AeroFarms places on taste\r\n43:08 \u2013 The work Ed is doing with schools in New York and New Jersey to combat food deserts and improve access to food\r\n49:51 \u2013 Ed speaks to AeroFarms\u2019 involvement with the Lettuce Project initiative\r\n51:39 \u2013 What excites Ed most about the future of aeroponics, a tough question Ed has had to ask himself recently, and what he thinks of being compared to the Wright Brothers\r\n56:22 \u2013 Harry thanks Ed for joining the show and let\u2019s listeners know where they can learn more about AeroFarms \r\n\r\nTweetable Quotes\r\n\r\n\u201cSerendipity \u2013 if you\u2019re ready for it \u2013 will really help you out. If you\u2019re persistently curious, curiosity c an really take you a long way. So, if you want to start a new business, stay curious and be ready for serendipity.\u201d(19:14)\r\n\r\n\u201cThe whole idea here is to do something consistently so that the customer gets the same product over, and over, and over again no matter what time of the year.\u201d(31:06)\r\n\r\n\u201cHydroponics is work with water. So, as opposed to growing in soil, you now move to soilless culture. And I think of it as being broken up into three different parts. In all cases, if you don\u2019t have sufficient oxygen with the water, the plants will die.\u201d(34:32)\r\n\r\n\u201cIf you understand what the spectral needs of the plant are to give you the chemistry that you want, then you can manipulate the plants to become little factories of stuff that is valuable.\u201d(37:50)\r\n\r\n\u201cTaste is everything. It\u2019s the reason the customer comes back. If you can impress a person\u2019s pallet, they\u2019ll keep coming to find you.\u201d(39:07)\r\n\r\n\u201cYou can\u2019t count on what you learned in high school to get you through the next sixty years of employment. It\u2019s just not gonna happen.\u201d(53:09)\r\n\r\nLinks Mentioned\r\n\r\nAeroFarms Website\r\n\r\nEd\u2019s LinkedIn\r\n\r\nLearn More About The Lettuce Project\r\n\r\n\ud83c\udf99\ufe0f\ud83c\udf99\ufe0f\ud83c\udf99\ufe0f\r\n\r\nPodcast Production and Marketing by FullCast: https://bit.ly/3sxZ34y\r\n\r\nSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300,"thumbnail_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/00f450d8-d240-486c-b7ca-50627865795a/image.jpg"}