베리 인사이트

(Ulsan=Yonhap News) Reporter Jang Young-eun = Ulsan's Ulju region youth agriculture startup "OursFarm" will begin producing and shipping high-quality strawberries in the summer, thanks to support from Ulju County and Ulsan Technopark's youth smart farm dissemination and promotion project, Ulju County announced on the 14th. Founded in 2019, OursFarm manages the entire process from seedling to harvest with its own developed information and communication technology (ICT) based automated cultivation system. This year, the company has introduced artificial intelligence (AI) based growth analysis and prediction technology, achieving a 20% reduction in operating costs and a 10-15% reduction in energy usage, among other advancements in technology. Ulju County and Ulsan Technopark are providing support to young smart farm households, including OursFarm, in various areas such as equipment, technology verification, marketing, and distribution. Strawberries are a representative low-temperature crop, making summer cultivation difficult, but OursFarm succeeded in cultivating the 'Seolhyang' variety in the summer of 2023 thanks to this support. This year, the company has also successfully cultivated the premium variety 'Kingsberry' in the summer and is currently in the midst of its second harvest. 'Kingsberry' is a popular strawberry variety both domestically and internationally due to its large fruit, high sugar content, and excellent aroma. In particular, OursFarm is not only focused on production but is also expanding its distribution network by supplying strawberries through its own brand 'S&S BERRY' to premium markets and online distribution channels, as well as supplying them to processing companies. This summer's supply of high-quality strawberries is expected to contribute to strengthening the marketing competitiveness and increasing sales of its business partners. Moreover, OursFarm is developing an AI cultivation system to overcome seasonal and regional constraints and is even considering technology exports. The company plans to build a sixth industrial business model that encompasses production, processing, distribution, and experience tourism. An official from Ulju County said, "The production of Kingsberry by OursFarm is the result of the technological challenge and effort of young farmers" and "We will actively support young people to settle in agriculture stably and help local agriculture grow into a high value-added industry."

[Gunsan Farmers' Newspaper, Reporter Gu Jeong-min] Gunsan City in Jeollabuk-do is expanding the distribution of "customized multi-purpose smart pesticide sprayers for grape orchards" to reduce labor and improve productivity for grape farmers. The Gunsan Agricultural Technology Center (Director Hwang Kwan-sun) supplied five farms with the equipment last year as a national project pilot, and this year, it supplied an additional five farms with municipal budget funding. The distributed sprayers are the latest equipment jointly developed by the Rural Development Administration and the Gangwon Agricultural Research and Extension Services. They can be easily operated with a remote control, equipped with voice guidance to be used easily by elderly and female farmers, and can perform precise pesticide application on the back of leaves, improving the quality of pest and disease control.

[Korea Farmers' News Agency, Reporter Song Hae-chang] The '2027 Nonsan World Strawberry Industry Expo' has received government approval as the 10th international event in South Chungcheong Province. According to the report, the International Event Review Committee of the Ministry of Economy and Finance finally approved the Nonsan World Strawberry Industry Expo as a government-supported international event on the 7th. Previously, the province had planned the internationalization of the strawberry festival considering the continuous growth of the global strawberry market and the rising popularity of K-strawberries. After setting the goal of an industry expo combining advanced agricultural technology and advanced food technology with strawberries as the theme, the province submitted a plan to host the international event to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs in November last year. The Nonsan World Strawberry Industry Expo was reviewed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and in March last year received approval from the Ministry of Economy and Finance.