AmericanHort’s Production Technology Conference in Dallas, TX, kicked off on Monday, Oct. 10, with a tour of three local production facilities.
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At HortAmericas’ Demo Greenhouse, Tyler Baras demonstrates transplanting microgreens in an NFT system.
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HortAmericas is trialing a deep water culture system for basil production using floating rafts.
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This vertical hydroponic tower also makes for an eye-catching display of greens production in grocery stores.
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Tyler Baras of HortAmericas explains some of the trials taking place in the demo greenhouse to tour attendees, including AmericanHort President Ken Fisher.
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HortAmericas is also trialing production using dissolved oxygen, which can help plants produce longer roots.
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Southwest Wholesale Nursery sells virtually all of its plants directly off carts, and often turns 150 racks of color perennials each week.
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Southwest worked with a local welder to build home-made racks and carts for displays and sales. Its goal is to have as little hand contact with the plants as possible.
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Conference tour attendees visited one of Seville Farms’ 11 production locations. This location, according to Seville’s Mark Clemmons, features 1 million square feet and supplies for several Lowe’s Home Improvement locations.
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Seville uses a lean-flow system to maintain the highest worker efficiency possible. “It’s not mechanization that helps you with production, it’s how you use the machine,” Clemmons says.
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An Axeon nanofiltration system uses pressure to separate soluble ions from water through a semi-permeable membrane.
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Seville Farms is constantly evaluating new plant genetics.
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Greenhouses are irrigated using a combination of overhead and drip.
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Integrated Botanics is an on-site, independent young plant supplier that sells exclusively to Seville Farms. Young seedlings must be irrigated quickly.
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Plants ready for retail in this marketing display area can be tracked by cost per unit, so the company knows the time and number of people involved in production.
• Hort Americas Greenhouse. The Hort Americas Greenhouse is engaged in active research and demonstration of what it takes to economically grow leafy greens and herbs. We saw displays of five different production systems, including capillary mat systems; deep water culture floating raft systems; nutrient film technique (NFT) systems; hydroponic tower systems; and grow racks.
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• Southwest Wholesale Nursery. Southwest Nursery has evolved over its 77-year history. It first began as a retail facility and transitioned into being wholesale-only as its expertise and renown in growing grew. Self-sufficiency and innovation have been mainstays in this company that employs about 100 people and services within a 300-mile radius. \At this stop, we learned about Southwest’s mobile app, which is used to connect with customers on availability, orders, shipments, and pick-ups; its color-rotation program, which allows for year-round production; the use of technology to limit plant handling and improve overall plant health; irrigation innovations that allow Southwest to control the water supply; and shipping techniques that involve a cutting-edge racking system for quicker turnarounds and on-time deliveries.
• Seville Farms. A Top 100 Grower that specializes in annuals, perennials, and ground covers and supplies both box-stores and independent retailers, Seville Farms prides itself on implementation of lean flow practices. Highlights from this visit included lean flow in action; Seville’s production line from planting to irrigation to shipping; and a close look at Integrated Botanics, an on-site young plant supplier that sells exclusively to Seville.
Check out the slideshow above for some of the tour highlights.