I’ve always been intrigued by vertical or modular farming. It may have been born out of the massive unutilized office space in downtown Calgary over the last several years as the energy industry went through a very challenging period. Beyond that, there’s the bombardment of climate change news suggesting that there will be droughts and extreme weather impacting all forms of farming globally for the foreseeable future. And while climate change is somewhat uncontrollable, I recall seeing that there is a town in California’s San Joaquin Valley that has sunk as much as 11.5 feet over the past 14 years due to subsidence resulting from all the water required for area farming being pulled from underground aquifers. That doesn’t seem very sustainable to me but maybe I’m missing something.

Perhaps I’m getting a little too dramatic, but you get the picture. Supply chains and food security in an increasingly populous and volatile weather world are something we need to be wary of. Tack on a war encompassing some of the best agricultural lands in Europe and things become even more uncertain. We need to secure our food supply and control our destiny in a sustainable way. One company out there leading the charge is CubicFarm Systems Corp. (“CubicFarms”) (TSX: CUB). CubicFarms is a leading local chain agricultural technology company developing and deploying technology to feed a changing world. Its proprietary ag-tech solutions enable growers to produce high quality, predictable produce and fresh livestock feed with HydroGreen Nutrition Technology.

The Company has two core business segments, the Fresh Division and the Feed Division. The Fresh Division operates using the patented CubicFarm™ System, which contains patented technology for growing leafy greens and other crops. The CubicFarm System addresses two of the most difficult challenges in the vertical farming industry, high electricity and labor costs, by using unique undulating path technology. The Crop Motion™ technology allows hundreds of growing trays to move under LED lights along a path from the back to the front of the modules, getting the right amount of light, water, and air flow to maximize their growth. Every 90 to 120 minutes (depending on the crop), approximately 250 trays of plants will pass by you so you can stand in one spot and do all of your harvesting and planting. The undulating conveyor of interchangeable growing trays is housed within a customized 40-foot shipping container and generates far more yield than any other system because the module brings everything to the worker at the front and you don’t need to leave any access hallways for people.

The Company’s Feed Division operates using the HydroGreen Grow System, the Company’s technology for growing nutritious livestock feed. HydroGreen technology has commercialized two Automated Vertical Pastures™, the DG66 (designed for small family farms of 100 – 500 animals) and the GLS808 (designed for larger commercial farms of 500 – 15,000 + animals). This system utilizes a unique process to sprout grains, such as barley and wheat, in a controlled environment with minimal use of land, labor, or water. HydroGreen Automated Vertical Pastures™ is fully automated and performs all growing functions including seeding, watering, lighting, harvesting, and re-seeding – all with the push of a button – to deliver nutritious livestock feed without the typical investment in land, fertilizer, chemicals, fuel, field equipment and transportation. And some of the statistics are quite astounding. A HydroGreen Grow System can harvest daily and produce up to 365 harvests annually while utilizing 95% less water than conventional irrigated field crops. One HydroGreen Vertical Pastures™ (consisting of 12 grow modules) can grow up to 25 million lbs of fresh livestock feed every year while replacing 500 acres of farmland, equivalent to 380 football fields.

Another interesting stat is from a non-binding letter of intent to deliver 96 CubicFarm System modules in an innovative two-level cost-effective building design and controlled environment called a FreshHub, to be installed in Surrey, BC. On 1 acre of land, FreshHub will grow the equivalent of 100 acres of field production. The Company anticipates that the installation of this first FreshHub project will commence in the late part of the 2022 calendar year and be substantially completed by the end of the 2023 calendar year. In the meantime, as of the end of March the Company has a total of 203 modules under binding contract and deposit. The amount of CubicFarm System sales orders that are pending manufacturing and installation is approximately US$27 million.

CubicFarms provides an efficient, localized food supply solution that benefits people, the planet, and the economy. I find the water savings perhaps the most compelling factor behind this story but there are some other pretty interesting numbers. With a market cap of C$183.7 million, the Company isn’t cheap but they are well capitalized (C$21 million as of December 31, 2021) and can sign large contracts like the FreshHub at C$20 million. I am very curious to see how this story plays out over the next several months as I always like to see great IP translate into a profitable business. Especially if it helps create a more sustainable food supply for you and me.

In a recent InvestorIntel interview, Chris Thompson spoke with Hubert Lau, CEO of TrustBIX Inc. (TSXV: TBIX | OTCQB: TBIXF) about TrustBIX’s recent enhancements to their BIX platform to provide end-to-end traceability and chain of custody across multiple supply chains in the agri-food industry.

In this InvestorIntel interview, which may also be viewed on YouTube (click here to subscribe to the InvestorIntel Channel), Hubert said that TrustBIX is a technology company with a blockchain infrastructure to validate information and brand claims for companies. He went on to provide an update on TrustBIX’s recently signed agreement with the Biomass Quality Network of Canada to develop a Biomass Quality Traceability Protocol. Hubert also provided an update on TrustBIX’s recently announced private placement and how the funds will be deployed. Highlighting the strong demand for ESG themed investments, Hubert said that TrustBIX is well positioned to validate claims on ESG from an operational level all the way to the supply chain level.

To watch the full interview, click here.

About TrustBIX Inc.

As an innovative leader in brand promise assurance, TrustBIX provides agri-food traceability and chain of custody value solutions. The Company’s goal is to create a world where we trust more, waste less and reward sustainable behaviour by addressing consumer and agri-food business demands. The proprietary platform, BIX (Business InfoXchange system), is designed to create trust without compromising privacy through innovative, blockchain-derived use of technology and data. By leveraging BIX and its unique use of incentive solutions, TrustBIX delivers independent validation of food provenance and sustainable production practices within the supply chain – Gate to Plate®.

ViewTrak Technologies Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary, provides a suite of hardware and software solutions to the livestock industry in Canada, United States, Mexico and China, such as Auction Master Pro, Market Master, Feedlot Solutions and pork grading probes.

To learn more about TrustBIX Inc., click here

Disclaimer: TrustBIX Inc. is an advertorial member of InvestorIntel Corp.

This interview, which was produced by InvestorIntel Corp., (IIC), does not contain, nor does it purport to contain, a summary of all the material information concerning the “Company” being interviewed. IIC offers no representations or warranties that any of the information contained in this interview is accurate or complete.

This presentation may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and assumptions of the management of the Company as of the date made. They are inherently susceptible to uncertainty and other factors that could cause actual events/results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Additional risks and uncertainties, including those that the Company does not know about now or that it currently deems immaterial, may also adversely affect the Company’s business or any investment therein.

Any projections given are principally intended for use as objectives and are not intended, and should not be taken, as assurances that the projected results will be obtained by the Company. The assumptions used may not prove to be accurate and a potential decline in the Company’s financial condition or results of operations may negatively impact the value of its securities. Prospective investors are urged to review the Company’s profile on Sedar.com and to carry out independent investigations in order to determine their interest in investing in the Company.

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