AlphaCrop complements the well established VertiCrop™ system and is specially designed for smaller commercial growers and amateur growers looking for smaller but still highly cost-effective compact units which demonstrate their commitment to growing fresh produce and reducing food miles.

“This premier unit has been designed to enable root crops such as baby carrots and salad potatoes to be grown, as well as fruit crops including strawberries,” says Chris Bradford, president and CEO of Valcent Products. The company has offices in Vancouver, El Paso, Texas and in Cornwall, U.K.

Plant trials with a variety of crops will commence shortly, and it is expected that AlphaCrop units will complement the production of leaf crops from the company’s larger VertiCrop system. AlphaCrop will eventually be manufactured in three different sizes to suit a wide range of grower requirements.

“So far the performance of the prototype has met all our requirements,” says Bradford, “and within a few days the second prototype will be delivered which has been designed specifically for the keen amateur gardener and hobby grower.”

AlphaCrop can be adapted to a variety of growing methods, employing a hydroponics system or using conventional growing media such as compost, to meet organic standards if required. 

Together with the company’s early success with the prototype comes the news that Launceston College will become the first academic institute in the world to use a vertical growing system both as an educational facility and also to provide fresh produce for their students.  Launceston College has recently been re-designated as a specialist technology centre preparing students for science courses at the university level.

The college will take delivery of the first commercial AlphaCrop unit off the production line which will be used by the Applied Sciences department to introduce students to the concept of vertical farming, and by students in the Hospitality diploma course supplying fresh vegetables for their catering unit.

“We are really excited about the prospect of working with this ground breaking technology,” said deputy principal Claire Penfold. “We already have a close working relationship with Valcent Products who are our neighbours in Launceston, and our students visit their research facilities on a regular basis. When we heard about the AlphaCrop development, we recognized immediately that it could play a key role in providing a practical demonstration of this new technology in a learning environment, and we will be working closely with the Valcent team to explore its full potential.”

AlphaCrop will be distributed throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland by Ikon International.

AlphaCrop will also be distributed through Em-Link LLC, the Boston-based master distributor for Valcent products in the U.S., who have already secured significant interest for the company’s VertiCrop system in a number of major U.S. cities.