Better Future Farms: Fully automated, state-of-the-art greenhouse

The project’s production area is equipped with advanced technology, enabling seamless cultivation and packaging of leafy greens. With innovations such as automated seeding, transplanting, harvesting, climate control, processing and packaging, the facility sets a new standard in Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA).

This approach ensures a year-round supply of fresh, high-quality leafy greens, meeting the increasing demand for fresh produce in Virginia while minimizing labor requirements.

As part of its commitment to long-term sustainability and operational excellence. Van der Hoeven will continue to provide ongoing support to Better Future Farms, ensuring smooth operations and ongoing optimization to maximize the facility's profitability.

Key Partnerships Drive Success
Better Future Farms partnered with Generate Capital, a leading sustainable investment and operating platform driving the infrastructure transition. Generate believes that scalable, sustainable solutions for agriculture have a critical role to play in future-proofing communities. Van der Hoeven provided the engineering, procurement and construction for this project. This led to the creation of an innovative, state-of-the-art greenhouse, demonstrating how Van der Hoeven can meet the growing United States demand for fresh, locally-grown food.

A Step Towards a Sustainable Future
“Van der Hoeven is proud to play a key role in advancing sustainable horticulture in the United States,” said Bas Duijvestijn, Chief Commercial Officer of Van der Hoeven. “This state-of-the-art facility is a significant milestone and highlights our commitment to delivering innovative solutions that meet the demand for fresh, locally grown vegetables. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Better Future Farms and supporting the future of farming.”

Stronger Together
This project is a significant undertaking in partnership with Hortiplan, a market leader in Mobile Gutter Systems (MGS). Both Hortiplan and Van der Hoeven are part of Arvesta, the full-service partner for farmers and horticulturists. Arvesta places a strong emphasis on innovation, sustainability, and knowledge sharing. By combining expertise, these partners have developed the most advanced leafy greens-growing greenhouses in the world, using automated systems to optimize operations from seeding to harvesting.

Positive Customer Response
“The Virginia facility is one-of-a kind and amazing to see how it all came together. The lettuce looks and tastes fantastic. Initial customer feedback has been extremely positive. We look forward to providing locally grown lettuce to our customers year-round for years to come and appreciate the hard work of Van Der Hoeven and Hortiplan,” said David Drescher, CEO of Better Future Farms.

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