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GoodLeaf Farms opens Calgary vertical farm facility

GoodLeaf Farms has opened what’s being called the largest vertical farm in Canada at 96,000 square feet.

Construction of the $52-million vertical farming facility in Calgary was funded in part by a $2.7 million investment through the Alberta government’s Alberta Investment Growth Fund (IGF).

GoodLeaf’s facility is a major step for food sovereignty in Alberta, said RJ Sigurdson, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation. “The company’s vertical farming will expand where, when and how we grow the food we need, providing a sustainable local source for greens in Alberta throughout the year,” he said in a statement.

The facility has also helped generate 92 full-time jobs in southern Alberta.

“This investment underscores the importance of Alberta’s business-friendly policies, including the lowest business tax rate in Canada and one of the lowest in North America,” said Matt Jones, Minister of Jobs, Economy and Trade. “This has helped attract world-class companies like GoodLeaf to set up shop and grow right here in our province, bringing with them jobs and opportunities for hard-working Albertans.”

Headquartered in Guelph, Ont., GoodLeaf is said to be Canada’s first and largest commercial vertical farm. The company’s indoor vertical farms use innovative technology to grow microgreens and baby greens in Canada year-round, no matter the season, climate or weather. The plants are grown in a complex hydroponics system with traditional ebb-and-flood watering to feed nutrient-rich water to the plants, and specialized LED lights that are engineered to emulate the light spectrum to mimic the spring sun — ideal conditions for plants to maximize photosynthesis.