September 30, 2013 | seedstock

News Release: LOS ANGELES, CA—DaVinci, Einstein, Howard Hughes, Steve Jobs – each one a visionary whose unique view of life prompted innovations and inventions that – whether in art, science, industry or technology – continue to shape the evolution of our world. Today, faced with challenges of global warming and water shortages, visionaries in sustainable agriculture are creating unique farming concepts, products, and practices to address the food needs of a growing world population while at the same time developing viable local economic opportunities for entrepreneurs, restaurateurs, and investors.

To learn firsthand from these agricultural innovators how a sustainable future can improve life for us all, plan to attend the 2^nd Annual Seedstock Sustainable Agriculture Innovation Conference – Farming: Fundamentals and the Future Tuesday and Wednesday, November 5 and 6, at UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Among the Ag Futurists slated to impart their insights will be Chef Adam Navidi, a pioneer of the sustainable restaurant community and creator of Future Foods Farms which produces all organically grown products in 2,000-4,000 square-foot greenhouses and is one of the largest aquaponic farms in California.  Joining Navidi is Phil Cruver, Director, President and CEO of Catalina Sea Ranch, the first offshore shellfish ranch in U.S. Federal waters and Sanjay Kumar Rajpoot, founder of Sustainable Microfarms where – from integrated environmental management systems to fully automated greenhouses – they strive to develop new and innovative products and solutions that make the most efficient farming methods simpler, more accessible, and more economical.

“Among earth’s growing challenges, feeding a increasing world population ranks directly alongside climate change and water shortages, as they are all intrinsically and intricately linked,” said Robert Puro, Seedstock’s co-founder. “This year’s Seedstock conference unites the innovators and inventors whose vision will provide the answers and approaches necessary to meet that challenge.”

In keeping with a focus on the future, a tour of the Houweling’s globally renowned Camarillo farm will be featured during the Sustainable Farm Field Trip on Day 1 of the conference. A pioneer of technologies that improve sustainability, food safety, yields, and consistency, the farm’s Ultra-Clima® “pressurized closed greenhouse” structures optimize conditions that allow crops to flourish within the right temperatures, humidity, light, and carbon dioxide levels. Credited as being one of the most technically-advanced and environmentally-friendly greenhouse operations in the world, Houweling’s also employs the first USA installation of a cogeneration power system of new 8.8 megawatt combined-heat-and-power technology. Houweling’s is one of up to three farms to be visited on the tour.

The Seedstock annual conference is a comprehensive, expert-filled program filled with up-to-the-minute information about how to be successful in starting or expanding a sustainable and/or urban farming operation.  As featured on CNBC, the Seedstock annual conference is one of the few events in the country that bring together farmers, entrepreneurs, financers and investors, suppliers, distributors, restaurant owners and others in the sustainable agriculture industry.

Only two weeks remain to purchase conference registration at the “Seedsaver Special” rate. After Oct. 4, full registration rates will apply.  For updates to the program and other information pertaining to the event, ticket prices, program speakers, and registration, please visit http://seedstockannual.eventbrite.com.