Ricardo Barrios, MBA, CPA

At JBS, investing in innovation and higher value-added food is key to our vision for the future and our commitment to sustainable growth. We’re expanding our presence in the U.S. with a new facility in Ankeny, Iowa, which will become our largest bacon and ready-to-eat sausage plant in the country. This $100 million investment is expected to create around 400 jobs and strengthen our ability to meet growing demand for prepared foods. With other recent projects in Iowa, Texas, Colorado, and Georgia, JBS USA has now invested $835 million in 2025 alone, reinforcing our role in driving industry transformation and delivering forward-looking food solutions. #JBS #StrategicInvestment #SustainableGrowth

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Did you know that Foodtech Has Immense Untapped Potential to Supercharge Canada’s Economy? Canada’s agrifood sector is a powerhouse, contributing $150 billion to the national GDP and employing over 2.3 million people. But here’s the paradox: while food processing and manufacturing account for the lion’s share of this economic activity, investment in foodtech significantly lags behind agtech. Since 2014, 44% of Canada’s agrifoodtech investments have gone to agtech, compared to just 56% for foodtech—far below the global average of 83%.  This relative underinvestment in off-farm innovation is problematic, especially considering the value-added nature of foodtech. Food manufacturing is Canada’s largest manufacturing subsector, representing 16.5% of manufacturing GDP. Investments in foodtech can act as an economic force multiplier. Unlike primary agriculture, which focuses on raw commodity production, foodtech creates higher-value products that drive greater economic returns and export opportunities. Supporting the scaling of foodtech companies and the adoption of foodtech by Canadian companies will help Canada's economy and help us to navigate come out of this trade war stronger than we went in. My team and I are working on an action plan to push Canada's food sector toward industry 4.0 using home grown technology. If you want to be kepot informed or be involved, email [email protected].

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Now more than ever, the vertical farming industry needs to be about collaboration not competition. This next step for Growcer in harmony with that: Growcer and Growtainers have teamed up to give people interested in vertical farming the best opportunity to grow year-round. Growcer will continue to be a trusted source for modular vertical farms. Growtainers will offer their expertise in custom builds in containers for customers who are investigating speciality crops or conducting research projects. The Growtainers team will also support large scale projects in warehouses and other environments in cooperation with Growcer. Both Glenn Behrman and I have talked about how we see this industry and we’re aligned in what it takes to be successful in vertical farming: sound economics, sustainable growth, and clarity on what customers really want. 1) We want to set realistic expectations for customers about what vertical farming technology can achieve. 2) We are building businesses for the long haul, not for short-term gain. 3) We see controlled environment agriculture as a tool for growers, when used in the right way with the right expectations. Controlled environment agriculture is not for everyone, but it is a great tool that does achieve incredible things when used correctly. Finally, we’ve observed the hype cycles within our own industry and we want no part of it. We’re always transparent about what container farming is and what it isn’t. Yes, we want to get people excited about entering vertical farming. We’ve seen real examples of where this type of technology makes a meaningful difference, but not at the cost of over-inflating what’s possible. Vertical farming is not a silver bullet, but it can still add a lot of value. Growcer and Growtainers are entering into a strategic alliance to leverage our respective strengths, learn from past mistakes, and move forward in a way that we can feel good about while delivering authentic results to our customers. 

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