Windset Farms advances smart farming innovation
Windset Farms advances smart farming innovation
Innovation in the greenhouse vegetable industry is taking shape in Delta, BC, where Windset Farms is advancing a new smart-farming initiative designed to improve how crops are grown, monitored and managed in a changing climate.
To mark the announcement, Windset Farms hosted Lana Popham, British Columbia minister of agriculture and food, to its Delta facility. The visit highlighted the importance of innovation in agriculture and how technology supports local food production, sustainability, and economic stability.
Supported by the B.C. Centre for Agritech Innovation, the project is in partnership with Simon Fraser University, Koidra Inc., Vivent Biosignals and Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands. This international collaboration brings together leading industry, academic and technology partners to develop a data‑driven system designed to strengthen food security and advance more efficient, sustainable greenhouse production across British Columbia.
“This project represents an important step forward for Windset Farms and for greenhouse agriculture in B.C.,” said Tony Kalf, chief technology officer at Windset Farms. “By combining real-time plant data with advanced analytics and machine learning, we are working toward more precise, efficient and responsive growing systems that support both sustainability and year-round food production.”
Beyond technology development, the initiative reinforces the value of long-term partnerships between industry and academia as a driver of local research and development. “These innovations allow us to make meaningful impacts through job creation, new business opportunities, and by helping ensure the security and stability of B.C.’s food supply,” said Kalf.
Popham also spoke to the importance of locally grown produce, adding, “We’re getting much fresher produce ending up on our shelves because farmers are now growing all year round and being able to meet the demand of our domestic market here.”