Innovator Spotlight:
JEM Farms
Kingsville, Ontario, Canada
Innovator Spotlight:
Established in 1985 and located in Kingsville, Ontario, JEM Farms is led by Jamie and Paul J. Mastronardi, who oversee more than 50 acres of greenhouse facilities. The cucumbers, mini cucumbers, grape tomatoes, and beefsteak tomatoes grown at JEM Farms provide fresh and delicious produce for local and regional markets in Canada. Within the facility’s expansive greenhouse footprint is a 2-acre facility dedicated to research and development. This year, Fluence and JEM Farms began their collaboration to determine the effects of LED-only lighting strategies compared to high-pressure sodium (HPS). This study, like their previous studies, aims to future-proof their business through the industry’s most advanced technologies and practices.
Evidence is Optimization
With 50 acres of growing space, the Mastronardi family at JEM Farms understands that slight improvements add up to big results. One of their main goals is always to reduce electricity while increasing production. New technologies allow them to produce fresh, quality produce year-round in order to deliver it to local retailers, who want Canadian-grown options during all seasons. Controlling the supply and meeting the constant demand is paramount, for which reason controlling their growing environment with LEDs is crucial. Their 2-acre research facility is the poster child of planning and progress through localized and trusted science.
Project Overview
| Cultivator Name: | JEM Farms |
| Location: | Kingsville, Ontario, Canada |
| Crop: | Main crops: Cucumbers, mini cucumbers, grape tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes & a 2-acre section for cannabis research |
| Fluence Fixture: | VYPR 3p |
| Type of Facility: | Greenhouse |
| Results: | • 10% increase in yield • 40% reduction in energy consumption • Improved crop quality |
Challenges
Quality LightsTranslate to Quality Crops
This ongoing study by JEM Farms and Fluence, in consultation with Saber and the University of Windsor, is shedding further light on the advantages of broad spectrum LEDs for multiple crops and their varieties. In this case, growers are observing not only the effects of lighting (LEDs vs. HPS) on plants and their cycles but also how light affects growers and their working environment. With an emphasis on quality and consistency, the study of environmental inputs is providing useful answers for growers everywhere to achieve maximum and optimal output.
Increased yields by 10% with LED lighting
LED-designated area reduced energy consumption by 40% compared to HPS
Improved working conditions with higher quality broad-spectrum LEDs
