Shipshape AgWorks

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Birmingham, AL
Shipshape AgWorks

From urban centers to space research, we design, build, and operate smart farming systems.

Shipshape AgWorks is elevating vertical farming with modular, AI-driven vertical farms engineered for climate resilience, precision efficiency, and sustainability. Founded in 2016 by Dale and Angela Speetjens, Shipshape Urban Farms began with a shared passion for sustainable agriculture and innovative farming. Dale's expertise in environmental design, landscape architecture, and city planning, com

bined with Angela's horticultural and hydroponic knowledge, drive our mission to revolutionize sustainable farming. Operating out of Birmingham, Alabama, our team is committed to expanding through a larger vertical farm in the Birmingham area. At Shipshape Urban Farms, our mission is to empower communities with sustainable agriculture and cutting-edge innovations, creating a greener, healthier, and brighter future for all.

08/30/2025

At 2:45 AM, we stood on Cocoa Beach and watched a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carry our seeds from into orbit.

The Rhodium SpaceAg Veterans mission, led by fic, is sending these seeds to the Space Station National Laboratory to study how crops adapt beyond Earth’s atmosphere—knowledge that could teach us about growing resilient food systems here at home.

Moments like this remind us why we do what we do: food is infrastructure, on Earth and beyond.

08/28/2025

Did you know Disney has a vertical farm inside EPCOT? 🌱

Our team got a behind-the-scenes look at their hydroponic and aquaponic systems on the tour. For us, it was a reminder that advanced agriculture isn’t just about production—it’s also about storytelling, education, and sparking curiosity in the next generation.

07/31/2025

🚀 From space seeds to STEM dreams 🌱

Ojore, son of our CTO and a champ in and out of the pool, gets a first look at the seeds we sent to the International Space Station—and the systems we’re building back on Earth.

Because Seed to System isn’t just a catchphrase—it’s a launchpad. For curiosity. For discovery. For the next generation of thinkers, growers, and explorers.

Whether in a classroom or a lab, on Earth or beyond, we’re helping young minds take root.

07/29/2025

🌻 A Sunflower Green Salad as radiant as its maker!

Presented with care by our dear Linda Soule—Queen Mother and devoted ballet teacher sharing grace both in the studio and in the kitchen.

Fresh, elegant, and fabulously chic—just like her. 💃

🌱✨

07/18/2025

Happy Farm Fun Friday! 🌱

Meet Amelia, our summer intern at our SPARC Lab. She plays french horn, has a green thumb, and a love for regenerative ag!

07/10/2025

Wherever this adventure leads, it started in —and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

We’re growing fresh food and -powered futures across the state—and we’re looking for new partners. Whether you're in a city, a small town, or somewhere in between, this model is built to grow where you are.

✅ Local food
✅ Local jobs
✅ Local pride

🍅 Know someone planting change in their neck of the woods?
Send them our way: www.shipshapeagworks.com/contact
📍 Tag your city—we’re rooting for all of Alabama.

07/02/2025

👀 🌱 Sneak peek: Here’s a first look at the blueprint of the future.

This schematic walkthrough shows the vision behind our newest project in —a state-of-the-art food and training facility built in partnership with the East Alabama Rural Innovation & Training Hub (EARTH).

🎥 Watch the walkthrough.
📍And imagine what’s possible when rural places lead the way.

This isn’t just a building—it’s a living system. A place where innovation meets community, and where the future of food is taking root right here in .

06/27/2025

We’re honored to be featured in Auburn University College of Liberal Arts Perspectives magazine in a piece called “Seeds of Greatness.” It shares how a small farm idea, rooted in , ended up sending seeds to space—and why that matters here on Earth.

This throwback photo of our founders is a reminder: the future we’re growing didn’t come out of nowhere. It came from the belief that Alabama could lead in agricultural innovation.

We’re reviving Avondale Mills.
We’re rapid prototyping in the SPARC facility.
We’re testing seeds in orbit.
And we’re building, with partners across the state—from Auburn to HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology , Innovate Alabama to EARTH —farms that teach, feed, and regenerate.

Because when we say Grow What’s Next, we mean it.

📖 Read the full story:
https://digital.cla.auburn.edu/perspectives-fall-2024/seeds-of-greatness/

06/13/2025

Why ? Because it’s more than just where we started—it’s what shaped our mission.

From to , to , we’re planting systems that are built to adapt, to uplift, and to stay. Our Hybrid Agricultural Bases (HABs) are built in Alabama, for Alabama—and designed to thrive anywhere.

Because when it works here, it can work anywhere.

Want to bring a HAB to your town, school, or grocery? Let’s grow what’s next—together.

Interested in what we are doing with Sylacauga?
Read more: https://www.shipshapeagworks.com/earth

06/06/2025

From Alabama to the Big Apple 🍏

Today, our founders are pitching at —showing how Shipshape’s Hybrid Agricultural Bases (HABs) are growing food, futures, and foundations.

Why Alabama? Because it’s not the easy path—it’s the right one.
Hot summers, legacy infrastructure, deep community ties—this is where innovation must work. And when it works here, it can work anywhere.

From rural textile mills to urban high-rises, HABs are redefining food infrastructure: modular, resilient, and ready to grow wherever they’re needed.

🌱 Want to bring a HAB to your school, store, or town? Let’s talk.

05/14/2025

Big congratulations to our CSO and co-founder Angela Speetjens, named one of Alabama’s Top Women in Tech: 25 for ‘25 by Business Alabama.

Angela’s been quietly building resilient food systems for years—combining engineering precision with ecological vision.

Today, we celebrate her not just for where she’s been, but for where she’s leading us.

Read the Article Here: https://businessalabama.com/alabamas-top-women-in-tech-25-for-25/

05/06/2025

We’ve got a really good team with some really big rings.

Madeline Richardson and Ashvi Patel just graduated from UAB’s School of Engineering—and we couldn’t be more proud. Congratulations, Madeline and Ashvi. You earned those rings—and then some.

🎓 Big brains. Big rings. Bigger mission.

Address

1500 1st Avenue N
Birmingham, AL
35203

Telephone

+12513670160

Website

https://linktr.ee/shipshapeagworks, http://www.shipshapeagworks.com/

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