PLANT AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS Expands in West Texas

With a vision to modernize the digital infrastructure required to support fresh produce demand worldwide, PLANT AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS (PLANT-AS) announced its expansion to West Texas in June 2023. The modernization of the region’s strong agriculture industry with new technology exhibits strong parallels to the ever evolving and diversifying economy found across the region. The monumental partnership between Lubbock and Amarillo in bringing ground-breaking technology to the Texas Panhandle has not only bridged two hubs but planted a strong foundation for future industry growth through the region.

“As the U.S. population continues to climb, and Texas doubles its population by 2050, the need for more domestic food is vital,” said LEDA President and CEO, John Osborne. “The expansion of PLANT-AS through this regional partnership not only helps provide food for our growing population, but more importantly provides certainty in our food security with cutting-edge technology that traces where and how food is produced. With a Tier One University known for its food safety research and graduate expertise, this expansion of PLANT-AS solidifies the Panhandle and South Plains as the premier region for safe, quality food production.”
 

The expansion includes the development of 13.3M square feet of advanced Controlled-Environment Agriculture (CEA) production facilities on 700 acres where fresh produce will be grown using state-of-the-art hydroponic technology. The company will be deploying a projected $670M in capital expenditure for the project, which will scale up operations over 10 years to employ over 900 full-time positions.

PLANT-AS is an infrastructure service provider delivering both the physical and digital infrastructure necessary to support localized fresh produce demand in all regions of the world. As both Lubbock and Amarillo are communities known for their robust agricultural heritage, locating in the region further enabled the company to pursue its vision to dynamically enable society’s transition to more sustainable methods of food production, distribution, and consumption. Likewise, as the technology sector continues to develop in the region, the advanced production facilities of PLANT-AS serve as modern data centers where production technicians will be supported by artificial intelligence to process crop-cycle data.

The data collected and processed via IBM’s blockchain-supported system is the foundation of a digital infrastructure model that will transform the global food supply chain. From the amount of water usage to growth conditions, every aspect of food production is traced through the technology platform. Monitoring the food production to this degree allows for more transparent food traceability which leads to a more sustainable food supply chain. This expansion by PLANT-AS will provide residents within an eight-hour distribution radius access to real-time tracking of produce, empowering them to make more informed decisions about the food they consume.

From early conversations with the company, it was evident that PLANT-AS and the two communities shared similar values, especially their commitment to bettering the lives of those impacted by this expansion. From the very beginning, people have been the focus of the project. After several conversations and location-specific research, the company found the area’s workforce demographics to be skilled and diverse.

An attractive aspect of the region’s workforce was the strong work ethic. Coupled with the agricultural and technological advantage because of partners like Texas Tech University, West Texas A&M and other higher education institutions, the location of PLANT-AS in West Texas made sense. Improving the quality of life for not only their employees but future customers was also a key consideration for the company. Lubbock and Amarillo apply great emphasis on a work/life balance, as it is a key attractor to the area.

As PLANT-AS Director of Global Brand Representation Sara Gaul said, “The end-to-end impact PLANT-AS will have on existing food systems begins with the agricultural process and extends through the consumer experience. Together, we are building infrastructure for the future, and people are at the core of everything.”