Tag: Rusty Walker

Food Security and Clean Energy Meet at UN Climate Week

FarmBox Foods LLC and New Alternative Green Energy, Inc. (New A.G.E.) announced the signing of a partnership that will provide food security to underserved communities and support initiatives related to clean energy and environmental stewardship.

FarmBox Foods is a Colorado-based manufacturer of tech-driven, controlled-climate farms housed in shipping containers, and New A.G.E. is a veteran-owned technology company with a portfolio of patented solutions aimed at improving global quality of life.

The containerized farms will be used to produce approximately 100 million servings of nutrient-dense food for people and animals over the duration of the partnership in 450 strategic locations throughout the world. Representatives from both FarmBox Foods and New A.G.E. are attending Climate Week NYC, the largest annual climate event of its kind, from Sept. 22-29, to discuss the companies’ missions and how they fit into larger sustainability goals.

FarmBox Foods brings its agricultural technology to food deserts throughout the world, empowering individual communities to grow their own nutritious food, eliminating supply chain issues and weather-related disruptions, and reducing emissions and other impacts associated with farming and food transport. FarmBox Foods will participate in extended collaborations with other sustainability-oriented companies in New A.G.E.’s portfolio.

Rusty Walker, CEO of FarmBox Foods

“This is disruptive technology that has the ability to change the status quo for the better,” said Rusty Walker, CEO of FarmBox Foods. “We’re eager to work alongside New A.G.E. to collectively make a difference in the world.”

New A.G.E. is launching large-scale hydrogen infrastructure projects focused on making clean energy more accessible.

New A.G.E. leads the way in sustainable solutions with its diverse portfolio, encompassing
on-site hydrogen production, innovative fueling stations, advanced vehicle hydrolysis units to increase fuel efficiencies while reducing emissions, next generation solar technology integration, and water purification technologies. This comprehensive approach addresses environmental challenges across transportation, energy production, and agriculture, fostering a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable future.

Michael C. Wilson, Jr., founder and Chairman of New Alternative Green Energy

“We are always working to change the way that things have always been done if there is a better way to do it”, said Michael C. Wilson, Jr., founder and Chairman of New Alternative Green Energy. “We are excited to work with FarmBox Foods to bring sustainable agriculture and energy together to work towards our mission, the Restoration of Creation, and to change the world.”

New A.G.E. also plans to create farm-to-table communities, also called agrihoods, in record numbers as part of broader economic development initiatives. The mixed-use villages offer residential living with a farm-to-table focus for families seeking a lifestyle centered around simplicity and sustainability.

About New A.G.E

New A.G.E. is a veteran-owned, mission-driven technology company with a portfolio of patented solutions aimed at improving global quality of life. The company’s core focus is on developing clean energy infrastructure, specifically that which makes hydrogen power more accessible, and to reduce the overall environmental impact of the existing infrastructure through its use of Vehicle Hydrolysis Units.

About FarmBox Foods

FarmBox Foods is a Colorado-based manufacturer of controlled-climate container farms that provide communities with the ability to sustainably grow healthy food year-round, anywhere in the world. The privately funded company brings food security and decentralized food production to areas in need through agricultural technology in the form of a Vertical Hydroponic Farm (VHF), Gourmet Mushroom Farm (GMF) and Hydroponic Fodder Farm (HFF). The high-yield, low-carbon-footprint container farms offer an alternative to traditional outdoor agriculture, which is subject to disruption from inclement weather, drought, conflict and more. The cutting-edge farm designs promote easy operation and maintenance while reducing the risk of food-borne illnesses.

FarmBox Foods, CORE Electric Unveil Tree Seedlings for Reforestation

On July 17, CORE Electric Cooperative (CORE) and FarmBox Foods, a Colorado-based manufacturer of controlled-climate farms, unveiled the first tree seedlings for a first-of-its-kind program focused on reforestation of wildfire-affected areas of the Front Range.

CORE’s Vertical Hydroponic Farm is housed inside an upcycled, insulated shipping container that FarmBox is using for research and development, with the goal of replanting blue spruces and ponderosa pines, both native species in Colorado, in places impacted by wildfires within CORE’s service area.

Guided tours of the box and interviews were provided by subject matter experts. CORE and FarmBox Foods’ executive teams also attended, as did research advisers from CSU-Spur and members of the media from 9News and The Denver Channel/KMGH.

“CORE’s partnership with FarmBox has given us an innovative way to support Colorado’s natural resources and continue our dedication to environmental stewardship,” said Pam Feuerstein, CORE’s Interim CEO.

FarmBox Foods began successfully growing tree seedlings and saplings in the controlled-climate container farm in 2021, but the Vertical Hydroponic Farm purchased by CORE is the first to be solely dedicated to tree propagation. FarmBox Foods operates the indoor tree farm at its home base in Sedalia and is conducting research on drought resistance, nutrient dosing, lighting and other growing parameters.

“We couldn’t have asked for a better partner to launch a ground-breaking program like this,” said Rusty Walker, CEO of FarmBox Foods. “CORE is pioneering something that could have a tremendous impact beyond just Colorado, and we have the technology and the team to make it happen.”

FarmBox Foods CEO Rusty Walker Among ‘Who’s Who in Ag’ in Colorado

We’re incredibly proud to announce that our CEO, Rusty Walker, is among the honorees for the Who’s Who in Agriculture awards for 2022. The annual award from the Denver Business Journal and Colorado Farm Bureau recognizes an industry leader’s accomplishments in helping to put food on our plates and generate nearly $50 billion in collective economic activity each year.

Rusty Walker, center, with two of FarmBox Foods’ founders, Tony English, left, and Jake Savageau.

Rusty is featured in the April 1 edition of the Denver Business Journal and was honored during a ceremony on March 31 at Kevin Taylor’s at the Opera House in Denver, alongside other deserving recipients.

Probably the coolest thing about this recognition is that two separate organizations decided to nominate Rusty unprompted. His influence and leadership are a big part of our success story, and we’re glad that people outside of the company see that.

 

Read more about Rusty Walker here

Proudest accomplishment of the past year?

Helping to feed people in areas of need, because no one should go hungry. I’m also proud of helping build a team at FarmBox that truly believes in our mission of empowering communities to grow their own food.

What impact has the pandemic had on your area of focus? 

Sourcing of materials has become more challenging, but the supply chain disruption has thrust local farming into the spotlight in a good way. Hyperlocal farming provides a secure source of food near the consumer without concern for delays related to supply chain issues. The disruption has brought to everyone’s attention how important having decentralized food production is. This disruption provides a unique opportunity for us to focus on a product that can have a meaningful impact. Our farms have come about at an opportune time to bring attention to just how vulnerable we were as a society.

What would you say is the biggest challenge Colorado’s agricultural industry faces today?

Drought conditions would have to be up there. It’s become so much harder for farms to thrive because of weather and climate impacts. Water shortages are a real thing, and we have something that can be part of the solution. Colorado is in a precarious position for a number of reasons and our farms enable people to conserve this important resource. We can help farmers who are struggling with uncertainty and provide a reliable, secure source of nutritious food.

What could the state of Colorado do better to fix it?

Incentivize alternative methods of farming that decrease risk of crop loss, reduce water usage, and have less impact on the environment. We have been embraced by the farming community because we provide a lifeline that enables farmers and ranchers to grow food year-round, and especially during times in which weather negatively affects crop yields. What we’re up against is out of our control, but we provide the ability to focus on things that are in our control.

What’s one thing you wish Coloradans understood about your job that most don’t?

Even though we’re a for-profit company, we’re very much a mission-driven organization. That means people and their right to food security doesn’t get lost in the decision-making process. We’re very intentional about how we have grown, and how we operate, and that’s been key to our success. There are few industries that controlled-environment agriculture doesn’t fit into, and so it’s figuring out where we can have the most impact.

When I was asked to be CEO, it was a blessing. It was taking on the responsibility of carrying on that blessing and all of its challenges, and we have a purpose-driven mission that’s not taken lightly. Anytime you have an opportunity to carry out a purpose like this, you have to know that this is much bigger than myself or this company, because we have something that can have a huge effect on the world. The importance of that is not lost on me or the FarmBox team.

What trends are you watching in your field in 2022? 

We try to take a broad look at trends related to how impactful our farms are in the communities that our farms serve. It’s measuring the impact of our farms in communities where they’re placed, and how that affects those communities, coordinating with local organizations, including 501c3s, in getting these farms where they need to go.

What advice do you have for young professionals in your field?

Continue exploring ways to do more with less by using science and tech to solve concrete problems facing the world. Continued improvement is part of our culture, and I find that’s the best way to go about your professional and personal life. I also think you should never go it alone. You should work on being a team player and surround yourself with people who want to achieve a goal together, and go at it in a selfless way.

What do you do in your free time?

I love to spend time with my family, read, exercise, golf and just enjoy life in Colorado.