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Golden Gate Produce Market Completes $8M Transformation
The Golden Gate Product Market, the largest and busiest produce terminal in northern California,
recently announced the completion of a major upgrade to the facility. The expansion comes
just in time to cater for burgeoning growth. To recognize the
completion of the project, Market and Vista Solar, the Bay Area firm
that designed and managed the installation of the solar panels,
hosted a celebration with customers and employees. The event
featured remarks from U.S. Representative Jackie Speier, South
San Francisco Mayor Pradeep Gupta, and Produce Board Member
Steve Hurwitz, CEO and founder of Bay Area Herbs. “The project
has taken four years from conception to completion,” says Hurwitz.
“The original facility was built 57 years ago and at the time, it was
a state-of-the-art facility serving the needs of the fresh produce
industry. A lot of things have changed since then in regards to
food safety, cold storage, trucking, as well as the issues of climate
change and other environmental concerns.”
—freshplaza.com
Puerto Rico Farmers Face Total Loss From Maria
José Roig, 56, tried to stay positive as he surveyed his 150-acre coffee plantation clinging to
the steep, storm-scoured hillsides near Puerto Rico’s southern coast.
Hurricane Maria’s winds of more than 150 miles per hour ripped
away nearly all the leaves on the once-lush tropical landscape,
twisted tree trunks, and exposed Roig’s shade-loving coffee
plants to the sun. “What took 35 years to build was lost
in 10 hours,” Roig says. Puerto Rico’s agricultural sector
was decimated by the storm, and government officials
agreed that a full recovery from Maria’s blow will require
federal assistance. Carlos Flores Ortega, Puerto Rico’s
secretary of agriculture, says the area around Roig’s
farm, near the southern port city of Ponce, is known for
plantains, bananas, papayas, coffee, and citrus crops.
He estimated the island lost 80 per cent of its crops.
—usatoday.com
Nation’s Largest Commercial Hydroponic Greenhouse to Open
The nation’s largest hydroponic commercial greenhouse will open in Monroe County, New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced
recently. Clearwater Organic Farms, LLC, will build a 15-acre, 650,000-square-foot facility to produce organic baby leaf greens
at Eastman Business Park in Greece. The state-of-the-art facility is expected to be completed by the end of 2017. According to
a release from the governor’s office, the project will create 137 new full-time jobs, most of which will be in packaging, shipping,
receiving, and warehousing; 55 of those jobs are reserved for veterans or those who are underemployed. Seeding, growing,
harvesting, washing, packaging, and cold storage will all be done in the indoor facility. Sophisticated computer systems will control
plant growing conditions, plant quality, and energy usage. The facility will use 90 per cent less water and 20 per cent of the land
used to produce field grown alternatives, the press release says.
—democratandchronicle.com
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