...HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING...
* WHAT...West winds 30 to 40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph expected.
* WHERE...Much of southeast Wyoming including Cheyenne, Laramie,
Wheatland, Rawlins, and Torrington. This also includes Interstate
25 from Cheyenne to Glendo.
* WHEN...Until 9 PM MDT this evening.
* IMPACTS...Mainly to transportation. Strong cross winds will be
hazardous to light weight or high profile vehicles, including
campers and tractor trailers.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A High Wind Warning means a hazardous high wind event is expected or
occurring. Sustained wind speeds of at least 40 MPH or gusts of 58
MPH or stronger can lead to property damage.
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Nate Storey examines lettuce growing in his then-startup company’s patented vertical towers inside a University of Wyoming greenhouse in 2012. Storey, a UW graduate, is the co-founder and chief science officer of Laramie-based Plenty Inc.
Nate Storey examines lettuce growing in his then-startup company’s patented vertical towers inside a University of Wyoming greenhouse in 2012. Storey, a UW graduate, is the co-founder and chief science officer of Laramie-based Plenty Inc.
The city of Laramie and local business organizations are applying for a $20 million grant to build a new research building for Plenty Unlimited.
Plenty has been heralded as an innovator in farming, and has Laramie business leaders hopeful about its potential for the local business community. It uses vertical farming to grow produce in an indoor area about the size of a big-box store, claiming its method produces crop yields 350 times greater than traditional farming.
Plenty co-founder and University of Wyoming graduate Nate Storey started commercializing vertical farming methods in Laramie in 2011. He joined with Plenty in 2017. The company operates in Compton and San Francisco, California, in addition to Laramie.
If a grant for the company’s new facility is approved, the business could expand even more, retaining 71 pre-existing local jobs and creating 125 more.
The goal of the company is to make it possible to grow food anywhere, as long as there is water, people and power available to make it happen, Storey said during a recent Laramie City Council meeting. He explained that indoor farming is the easy part of the job. The hard part is finding a way to do it as efficiently as possible.
The proposed research and development center would be located in the Cirrus Sky Technology Park, near 22nd Street and Asphalt Lane. It would be used for conducting plant science research to streamline Plenty’s farming methods.
While food from the research and development facility would be experimental in nature and not U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved, it would be available for local farmers to use as compost, Storey said.
“It’s a rapidly growing company in a globally important marketplace with how we are going to feed the world in a water, energy and space-efficient manner over the next generations,” said Brad Enzi, president of the Laramie Chamber Business Alliance.
The city of Laramie applied for the building grant, and LCBA is offering to match with $500,000. LCBA would receive 75% of the net revenues of the building during a six-year leasing period and invest 80% of these back into economic development projects. The Wyoming Business Council would retain the remaining 25% of revenues.
If the plan goes through, Plenty will look to recruit scientists from around the world, and create a pathway for UW graduates and interns to work with the company.
“It’s not just about (agriculture) or energy, it’s about the future, and it’s about opening the doors for young folks who want to get into this thing,” Storey said.
He explained that while previously the company has had difficulty recruiting high-level scientists to live in Laramie, new facilities may help attract them to the job.
“I think there is a future where Laramie is known, and when I say ‘I live in Laramie,’ and ‘I work in Laramie,’ people will know what that means,” Storey said.
Laramie resident Dave Coffey told City Council he hopes the business will encourage more housing developers to consider Laramie as a viable place to build.
Mayor Paul Weaver echoed the sentiment, saying that “a rising tide will lift all boats.”
Wyoming Business Council CEO Josh Dorrell said collaborations between local governments and business groups are an important way to create more economic opportunities in the community.
“It’s important for us to not forget that the companies that are here in the state need just as much attention … as those we are trying to attract from out of state,” he said.
The Wyoming Business Council will consider the grant application this week. Then, it will be sent to the State Loan and Investment Board for approval Oct. 6.
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