{"id":11023,"date":"2022-09-14T09:37:10","date_gmt":"2022-09-14T14:37:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.berger.ca\/en\/?p=11023"},"modified":"2024-03-28T14:26:06","modified_gmt":"2024-03-28T19:26:06","slug":"why-more-greenhouse-growers-are-turning-to-automation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.berger.ca\/en\/grower-resources\/hints-and-tips\/why-more-greenhouse-growers-are-turning-to-automation\/","title":{"rendered":"Why More Greenhouse Growers Are Turning to Automation"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Why More Greenhouse Growers Are Turning to Automation<\/h2>\n

Because they have a surplus of working capital, more greenhouse growers are automating their operations, said Charlie Hall, Ph.D., a Professor in the Department of Horticultural Sciences at Texas A&M University. Growers are also spending more on energy-saving measures and production upgrades, including irrigation systems and lighting components.
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\nRead the article<\/a>
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\nIn collaboration with<\/em>
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\n\"Charlie<\/p>\n

Dr. Charlie Hall<\/h4>\n

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\u201cGreenhouse growers are in the best working capital position I\u2019ve ever seen them in,\u201d said Hall, an expert in agricultural economics, including nursery and greenhouse crops. \u201cAutomation is among their top priorities in utilizing this excess cash flow.\u201d <\/span><\/strong>
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But growers aren\u2019t spending on automation just because they have excess money to do so. They need automation because they can\u2019t find the labor to perform many of the tasks inside the greenhouse, Hall said.<\/p>\n

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Business Is Good, But \u2026<\/h3>\n
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Growers have cash because their businesses have been booming the past two years. The global commercial greenhouse market is expected to grow from $26.44 billion in 2021 to $29.42 billion in 2022 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.3%, according to a recent report from Research And Markets. North America is expected to witness the highest growth rate during the forecast period.<\/strong><\/p>\n


\n\"kevin<\/p>\n

Kevin Staso<\/h4>\n

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When the pandemic began in March 2020, greenhouse growers were wondering if their businesses would survive the economic shutdown to slow the virus, said Kevin Staso, Berger\u2019s Sales Director for the Southern U.S. \u201cBut 2020 turned out to be a blockbuster year for a vast majority of growers,\u201d he added.<\/strong> Despite many growers having lucrative years in 2020, Andrew Van Geest, a Greenhouse Irrigation and Automation Specialist for Zwarts Systems, said the pandemic still posed challenges to them, especially when their employees tested positive for COVID-19 and had to quarantine for two weeks. Other employees opted not to come to work in fear of contracting the virus. \u201cI don\u2019t think there are any growers out there that didn\u2019t have a story when they needed employees badly,\u201d Van Geest said.<\/p>\n

Then in early 2021, the Great Resignation began, and employees began resigning from their jobs from many industries in large numbers. Consequently, the big challenge among growers in the post-pandemic world has been attracting labor. And while business has been good, more employees are needed to meet the demands of that extra business.
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Declining birth rates and fewer immigrants, both of which have fallen sharply this century, have also contributed to the labor shortage, Hall said. \u201cWe have 11.8 million job openings, and there are 5.7 million people looking for jobs,\u201d he added. \u201cSo, there\u2019s 1.89 jobs for every person looking for a job.\u201d In the greenhouse industry, Hall said he has conducted surveys asking growers what their major challenges are. At the top of their lists is finding labor. \u201cIt\u2019s a critical issue they are wrestling with,\u201d he noted.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Greenhouse growers are raising wages to attract workers, many by up to 10% and some more than 10%, according to Hall. Staso said the \u201cceiling hasn\u2019t been reached yet\u201d regarding how much growers must pay employees in hopes of retaining them. In addition, some hired employees quit shortly after being hired because they \u201cdon\u2019t want to do the physical aspects\u201d of the job, Staso said.<\/p>\n

The pandemic had an \u201ceye-opening impact\u201d on growers to consider automation, he stated. \u201cGrowers have found automation is a necessity if they want to continue to persevere in the industry,\u201d Staso added.<\/strong><\/p>\n

CRFs added as a topdressing at or just after planting fertilize for the entire duration of their expected cycle. Whereas incorporation into the moist environment of a peat mix during storage and shipping risks early nutrient release into the mix, causing a higher starting EC. Even if the incorporated CRF does not release early, roots in individual pots receive nutrients more uniformly when adding CRF as a top dressing. Adding these additives at or shortly after potting results in better growth and cost savings if equipment and labor are available to do the added work\u00a0(Donald J. Merhaut, 2013).<\/p>\n

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Where to Automate?<\/h3>\n
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There are different automated solutions for different growers, Van Geest noted. \u201cI find that a lot of growers yield a lot of information from other growers. I can’t impress upon growers enough to go out and visit some other greenhouses to see what they\u2019re doing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n


\n\"Pierre-Marc<\/p>\n

Pierre-Marc de Champlain<\/h4>\n

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Pierre-Marc de Champlain, the Director of Technical Services for Berger, said growers will get a solid return on investment if they spend to automate the handling of growing media in the greenhouse.
\n\u201cIf you purchase a bale breaker machine, conveyors, hoppers or potting machine flat-fillers, obviously you’re going to have more efficient transport and storage,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can get more material on a truck load, so you’re going to have less deliveries to handle.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Because of the automated equipment, growers will achieve increased productivity from employees, who will no longer \u201cbe stuck on the soil line\u201d and will be freed up to do other tasks, de Champlain added.<\/strong><\/p>\n

de Champlain said the ideal potting line should be scalable according to a growers\u2019 needs. \u201cFor example, in a large-scale operation you might see two bale breakers side by side feeding a conveyor with a water line to adjust the moisture content of the growing media, which is very important, especially with peat-faced growing media,\u201d <\/strong>he added.
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\u201cWhile you\u2019re loading one bale breaker, you’re continuing to feed the conveyor to continue operations down the line. And then that could feed a two-way conveyor that feeds two separate hoppers for two different potting lines. It’s all about efficiency. It’s all about maximizing your time, so you don’t have employees that are sitting around waiting for you to load the other tower of peat or mix into the bale breaker.\u201d <\/span><\/strong>
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A grower that automates the potting line can help streamline operations and reduce manual handling, Staso added. \u201cYou have one individual on a forklift, going back and forth and bringing in soil,\u201d he explains. \u201cYou have another individual opening bags and feeding the bale breaker. And then you have operators working in the potting line. You can eliminate two or three positions by automating.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

A bale breaker will also allow a grower to gain more uniform soil, which de Champlain said is \u201csuper important\u201d for greenhouse production. A potting machine flat-filler will enable growers to achieve less-compressed and more consistent soil, whereas filling pots by hand can lead to the opposite.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the proper equipment, if it’s calibrated properly and adjusted according to your needs, then it will be much more uniform in the greenhouse and much easier to manage,\u201d de Champlain said. \u201cAnd you won\u2019t require as much labor to get the results you want.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n

Hall pointed out that reducing the number of human touches of plants in the greenhouse through automation will reduce cost. de Champlain added that reducing human touches of edible plants through automation will also improve food safety.<\/strong>
\nVan Geest noted that an even distribution of irrigation, whether it\u2019s from a boom or from a pressure-compensated drip system, will enable plants to grow equally. \u201cSo, when it comes to shipping, where growers are spending 50% of their labor to get product out the door, employees will spend less time cleaning leaves and trying to thread their way through what is shippable and what’s not,\u201d he added. \u201cIt all comes down to consistency. If the consistency is on, growers will save on the back end.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

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An Automation Game Plan<\/h3>\n
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It used to be thought that automation was only for larger growers and that implementing such processes was too complicated for smaller operations. But that is changing. Staso believes automation will become more accessible for smaller operations as it continues to evolve and become more affordable. \u201cBut not every grower is going to have an unlimited budget with automation,\u201d he added.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Growers need to devise an automation game plan that might be based on an operation\u2019s biggest bottlenecks and areas that have the greatest number of touches, Staso said, noting that growers may want to implement the Lean Flow process to determine the steps of how items in the greenhouse are moved \u2013 from the start of the process to the end \u2013 which could help them determine where to automate.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Staso said growers should start small. \u201cI would start with the low-hanging fruit, looking first at some of those entry-level-type automated systems that can improve efficiencies,\u201d he added.<\/strong><\/p>\n

From there, growers can evolve into automation for soil processing and then into conveyors and transplanters, Staso stated. \u201cGrowers need to research the technologies available, talk to the companies that are building them, and look for solutions that are affordable for them,\u201d he said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Cool Factor<\/h3>\n
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While growers are automating because they can\u2019t find labor, they might be able to find the labor they still need because of the \u201ccool factor\u201d associated with an automated greenhouse. Potential employees are more willing to work in a greenhouse if it has cool equipment to operate, Hall said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot only is it the cool factor, it’s also the you’ve-done-something-to-help-make-my-job-easier factor,\u201d Hall said. \u201cIn terms of retaining the employees that growers have and attracting employees in the future, they must demonstrate that they have their overall physical and mental welfare in mind. That’s the automation part of it. It’s making the job, more attractive to folks. Build it and they will come.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many people don\u2019t want to work extended hours, and an automated greenhouse gives this population segment the opportunity to have the lifestyles they seek, Van Geest added. \u201cThey\u2019re not expected to work 12 hours a day, which makes retaining them easier,\u201d he said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

At its headquarters in Saint-Modeste, Quebec, Berger built a state-of-the-art research and development facility about five years ago. Not only did the company receive many applications from people to work in the facility because of its modernization, but employees from other departments at Berger were also applying for positions.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, when you say the \u2018coolness factor,\u2019 it does attract potential employees,\u201d de Champlain said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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