New air circulation technology for greenhouses will get its first test in North America at a central Alberta facility growing cucumbers, tomatoes and bell peppers.
Doef’s Greenhouses, just northwest of Lacombe, will get $2.2 million in repayable funding from the federal Agri-Opportunities program to install a Vertifan vertical air circulation system in a new five-acre greenhouse.
“This project represents a remarkable advance in greenhouse systems in cold climates and will be the first commercial installation of the system in North America,” local MP Blaine Calkins said in a government release Thursday.
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The Vertifan system rotates air from the top of the greenhouse and distributes it under the crops to maintain targeted temperature and humidity level, the government said.
The system will also use shade screens and an “innovative” type of diffused glass for improved climate control, energy savings and “optimal” plant growth, by shielding plants from overexposure on sunny days, and on darker, wetter days will allow more of the plants to be exposed to the available light.
The new facility is expected to create 17 jobs and will generate $4 million a year in demand for greenhouse vegetables by its third year.
“This puts us in a strong position to provide fresh top-quality produce to our loyal local consumers year round and replace imported produce in current and expanding markets,” company president Joe Doef said in the government’s release.
The government said the new system, incorporated in Canadian greenhouses, would help growers remain competitive in the market by “maximizing energy efficiency and reducing the need for chemical pesticides.”
The company, which has operated at Lacombe since 1976, currently markets most of its produce through local retailers and wholesalers, while about 25 per cent is sold at six different farmers’ markets in the province.
Doef, who came to Canada from Holland in 1969, grows long English cucumbers, mini cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers and “small amounts” of eggplant and hot peppers at his facility, which currently covers about six acres.
The government’s Agri-Opportunities program targets innovative agri-products, processes or services that are currently not commercially produced or available in Canada and that are ready to be introduced into the marketplace.
The loan for Doef’s project is pending the company meeting program eligibility requirements and the signing of a contribution agreement.
