Ceres Greenhouse Solutions

09/01/2026

Prairie Plains Resource Institute's new propagation greenhouse is here.

Located in Aurora, Nebraska, this 30'x44' HighYield™ Kit with an inline headhouse gives the Prairie Plains team the space to grow native seedling plugs for their prairie restoration work.

Prairie Plains restores native habitat across eastern and central Nebraska, sourcing seed from over 225 native plant species. Some species are hard to source from seed or don't establish well at restored sites, so the team grows them as plugs instead. That includes native violets, which regal fritillary caterpillars depend on as their only food source.

The greenhouse uses ETFE glazing for up to 94% light transmission, along with SunSense™ controls, a wetwall, and a GAHT® geothermal system for year-round growing. Automated watering and temperature control free up staff time for restoration, conservation, and education work.

Plugs will be growing in the space throughout the 2026 season, supporting Prairie Plains' restoration and educational programs across the region.

Read the full case study on our website: https://ceresgs.com/the-plain-truth-restoring-native-prairies-through-greenhouse-production/

📍 Aurora, Nebraska
🌱 Prairie Plains Resource Institute

08/26/2026

You've heard bits and pieces about this one already, here's the full story. 🌱

Ceres partnered with KWS Seeds to build North America's most advanced sugarbeet research greenhouse in Kimberly, Idaho. The facility gives researchers precise, repeatable control over temperature, humidity, and light across four separate zones, plus a dedicated chamber that simulates winter dormancy so scientists can control flowering on their own schedule instead of waiting on the growing season.

The result is a facility built to support two research programs at once: growing seedlings for sugarbeet trials and studying disease resistance to help protect future crops.

Check out the full case study here: https://zurl.co/cHvEc 🔗

See how Ceres Greenhouse Solutions built KWS Seeds' advanced sugarbeet research greenhouse in Kimberly, ID — precision climate control across 4 zones

08/14/2026

When glass starts falling in your greenhouse, you need more than a patch, you need a permanent fix. 🌿

KWS Seeds, one of the world's leading plant breeding companies, was facing exactly that at their headquarters in Einbeck, Germany. Extreme weather had been cracking glass panes in several of their older glasshouses, and in serious cases, entire panes were shattering and falling into growing and working areas below.

Their first instinct was to install a safety net. But a net dense enough to catch falling glass would block meaningful light from reaching the crop — a tradeoff that was especially painful during Einbeck's dark winter months.

"A net would have caused significant shading in the greenhouse. The resulting loss of light would have needed to be compensated by energy-intensive supplemental lighting. For these reasons, we decided against this option."
— Isabell Blumenberg, Head of Einbeck Greenhouse Facility

Ceres proposed a different solution: replace the damaged glass with ETFE film glazing entirely. Working with our longtime ETFE partner Block, we designed a custom bracket system that allowed ETFE to be installed directly onto the existing glass tracks — no structural overhaul required.

The result? A safer working environment, higher light transmission than the glass it replaced, and a retrofit that's already being expanded to additional greenhouse roofs across the KWS portfolio. 🌱

🔗 Full case study here: https://zurl.co/mKXA4

See how Ceres and Block replaced falling glass with ETFE film at KWS's Einbeck greenhouse—improving safety and light transmission without a net.

08/12/2026

A greenhouse that shuts down every summer isn't a greenhouse, it's a seasonal space. 🌿

That's what Catawba College was dealing with. Their 1,000 sq ft science greenhouse ran great in the cooler months but became unusable once summer heat set in. No cooling. No real airflow. No way to manage humidity. The college thought the glazing needed to be replaced. Ceres thought differently.

The glazing wasn't the problem, the lack of heat management was. So instead of a costly structural overhaul, we designed a targeted retrofit: exhaust fans and intake dampers for real airflow, a fogging system for peak heat, a dehumidifier, a shade cloth system, HAF fans for circulation, and a SunSense™ controller to tie it all together and run it automatically.

Now the greenhouse runs year-round, and Catawba's urban ag, botany, and horticulture programs finally have a space they can rely on in every season.
🔗 Full case study here: https://zurl.co/cfqTA

Ceres retrofitted Catawba College's seasonal greenhouse for year-round use with SunSense™ automation, cooling, and dehumidification—no glazing replaced

08/05/2026

Did you miss last week's webinar? Good news — the recording is up and free to watch. 🌱

Before You Break Ground: Greenhouse Simulation with Real Data is a full technical walkthrough of how Ceres uses dynamic building simulation to design large-scale commercial and research greenhouses — covering thermal modeling, HVAC load calculations, CFD airflow analysis, and humidity simulation using real, site-specific climate data.

One of the core takeaways: a greenhouse is one connected environmental system. Change one design decision and several others change with it. Glazing affects thermal loads. Thermal loads affect HVAC sizing. HVAC sizing affects humidity control. When those interactions aren't understood before construction, the gaps between projected and actual performance can be significant — and expensive to correct.

This session was designed for facility directors, operations leaders, and project planners evaluating major greenhouse investments. But if you're curious about how modern greenhouse engineering actually works, it's worth a watch regardless of where you are in the process.

🔗 Watch the free recording here: https://zurl.co/1DW6P

Before You Break Ground: Greenhouse Simulation with Real Climate Data Greenhouse performance depends on how glazing, HVAC, shading, and ventilation

08/03/2026

We've been getting some really good questions about the Vesta™ (our house and greenhouse product) recently so we decided to write a blog addressing some of the more common questions - mainly regarding the structure's specs and what it feels like to live in a highly efficient home, and also cost comparisons to other housing types.

If you want to fully understand what you're getting with the Vesta™ price point, check out our most recent blog: https://zurl.co/Z2r4S

07/22/2026

Yesterday, we celebrated the grand opening of KWS United States newest research greenhouse facility in Kimberly, Idaho, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony bringing together team members from both KWS Seeds and Ceres Greenhouse Solutions.

The completed project adds two greenhouse facilites to the Kimberly research station: one dedicated to seedling production for sugarbeet trials, and the other focused on advancing plant disease management research. Congratulations to everyone involved in bringing this project from groundbreaking to grand opening!

Stay tuned for an official tour of the finished project!

07/21/2026

What does your greenhouse actually do at 2pm on a July afternoon? What about during a cold snap in February? 🌿

If the answer is based on a rule-of-thumb estimate, you might not know as much as you think.
We're hosting a free live webinar on Wednesday, July 29th at 12PM MST:
📌 Before You Break Ground: Greenhouse Simulation with Real Climate Data

This is a real engineering walkthrough, a working IESVE model running live, covering thermal simulation, CFD airflow analysis, HVAC modeling, and what the numbers actually reveal about a greenhouse design before construction begins.

Whether you're planning a build, evaluating a proposal, or just want to understand what separates a simulation-backed design from a general estimate, this one is for you.

🔗 Sign up for the free event here: https://zurl.co/HEWrA

07/15/2026

Join us on a greenhouse tour at wallyfarms ! Find out how this forward thinking farm is using their Ceres greenhouse space.

https://ceresgs.com/video/tour-ceres-farm-incubator-greenhouse/