Growers Solve Problems With Precision Horticulture

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My dad, Paul Henne, collecting sap to make maple syrup on our farm with some of his grandkids.

My dad’s hands are covered with sores, nicks, scratches and bruises. It’s the ongoing reward — or drawback — of his ingenuity, as he’s constantly wrenching on equipment or constructing new innovations that will help him get work done more efficiently on the farm. As a kid, I would always marvel at his toughness, and how he would barely notice a new wound, shrugging it off as he kept working, driven to complete his work and bring his idea to fruition. He’s still at it today, and his hands tell the story of the many projects he’s completed over the years.

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I’m guessing many of you can relate, and your hands look similar to my dad’s. After all, ingenuity is the name of the game in this business, where creative thinking to solve problems often leads to revolutionary solutions that automate production, save labor and cut costs. That’s easy to see in Greenhouse Grower‘s Mid-September 2015 Precision Horticulture issue, where we profile several grower operations that have answered a need with technology.

You’ll see how Golden State Bulb Growers tweaked a produce grading and sorting machine to automate its Calla bulb production, cutting labor and increasing productivity.

Green Circle Growers gives us a visual tour of how its customized and highly automated Orchid production line relies on minimal human interaction and has led to increased efficiency and better quality plants.

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Costa Farms invested in solar panels this past spring, as part of its ongoing commitment to reduce carbon emissions and energy costs.

In Michigan, Spring Meadow Nursery invested in the custom-designed PlugSorter ECO to improve the uniformity of its liners.

Finally, Keepsake Plants shows us how it reduced labor from 60 employees down to 28 by automating its Hydrangea trimming process.

And the innovations keep on coming. In recent months, I’ve heard multiple stories about how growers continue to come up with new inventions. Whether it’s buying a pre-designed and manufactured system, or consulting with a company to develop a customized solution that meets your unique needs, the ultimate goal is producing plants profitably.

A year ago, we launched Precision Horticulture, an initiative aimed at helping growers find and develop efficient solutions and products to streamline crop production. Since then, several people have told us they wish they’d coined the term, because it so adequately describes how grower operations have evolved out of necessity to become the plant factories they are today. As production input costs continue to increase and labor shortages require growers to automate, the quick payback, better plant quality and efficiency make high-tech solutions worth the investment — and the nicked up hands. Through our ongoing Precision Horticulture coverage, we’ll continue to help share those ideas.

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