Libra Design Establishes CEA Advisory Board with Appointment of Inaugural Members, Mr. Bob Hoffman and Dr. Allison Justice

CEA Advisory Board to drive alignment between horticulture lighting technology, performance and price with current and future needs of indoor and greenhouse farmers

AUSTIN, TEXAS, March 07, 2023 – Libra Design, LLC (Libra) today announced the formation of its Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Advisory Board and appointment of inaugural members,  Bob Hoffman, Chief Science Officer Emeritus of Soli Organic and Dr. Allison Justice, Founder & CEO of The Hemp Mine. The CEA Advisory Board will further align Libra investments in the areas with greatest impact to indoor and greenhouse farming with specific insight from Mr. Hoffman and Dr. Justice to influence the next generation of horticulture lighting.

“Indoor and greenhouse horticulture lighting requirements are nuanced, rapidly changing and most importantly, must address the needs of today’s farmer,” said Travis Williams, Co-Founder & CEO, Libra Design. “We are honored to have Bob Hoffman and Dr. Allison Justice join our CEA Advisory Board and share their invaluable knowledge with Libra and our clients to move the CEA industry forward.”

Bob Hoffman is the Chief Science Officer Emeritus of Soli Organic, a leading grower of organic culinary herbs throughout the United States. He is a pioneer in hydroponic, greenhouse and vertical farming with more than five decades of experience beginning with outdoor landscaping before becoming the first head grower and facility manager for Village Farms in the 1980s. Most recently, Hoffman transformed Shenandoah Growers (now Soli Organic) from a conventionally field-grown operation in 2003 into the controlled-environment operation of today, primarily consisting of greenhouse and indoor cultivation. Throughout his career in CEA, Hoffman implemented new techniques, technology and practices to increase crop yields with a focus on efficiencies and economics.

“Being an inaugural member of the Libra Design CEA Advisory Board is a wonderful platform to help advance the future generation of vertical farm and greenhouse growers by sharing the insights learned throughout my career,” said Hoffman

Allison Justice, Ph.D. is the Founder & CEO of The Hemp Mine, a cultivation, extraction and production business of premium CBD products. A third-generation farmer, Allison was born into horticulture on a South Carolina farm before graduating from Clemson University with a Bachelor of Science in Horticulture. She then pursued a Master of Science in Agriculture from Penn State University before ultimately earning a Ph.D. in Horticulture from Clemson. Prior to The Hemp Mine, Dr. Justice was the VP of Cultivation at OutCo where she implemented breakthrough cultivation techniques and strategies including vertical farming and LED lighting systems.

“It’s no secret LED technology is a vital ingredient to the success of CEA when done right, and a leading cause of failure when not,” said Dr. Justice. “My goal as a Member of the Libra Design CEA Advisory Board is to ensure the voice of the grower and research-based insights are at the forefront of Libra decision making as they pursue their goal of advancing CEA.”

As part of the Libra Design CEA Advisory Board, Hoffman and Dr. Justice will influence the next generation of horticulture lighting from technical specifications and product features that impact crop production to how the products are sold, marketed, and ultimately implemented to improve grower cultivation and financial success. They also have access to the latest LED technology for R&D trials and analysis to ensure Libra product development is in line with market needs.

About Libra Design

Libra Design is a boutique agtech engineering services firm specialized in horticulture lighting. The firm takes a client-centric approach to developing unique LED solutions that simultaneously help commercial farmers achieve their goals while advancing the entire CEA industry. Libra is a proud business member of 1% For The Planet were a portion of every sale goes to addressing our planet’s most pressing issues from deforestation and the climate crisis to food waste and food insecurity.

Contact:

Libra Communications

+1 (737) 471-2746

hello@libradesign.org

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