Video of the Week: Blue Radix and Microsoft Collaborate to Solve Scarcity of Crop Expertise
October 28, 2022 Editor’s Note: Each week, Greenhouse Grower highlights a video that shines a spotlight on the controlled-environment industry, from crop protection advice to insider views on plant production at greenhouse operations across the country. Have you recently produced a video you want us to highlight? If so, please send a link to Greenhouse Grower Senior Editor Brian Sparks at [email protected].
Greenhouses around the world are facing many challenges, like labor shortages, rising costs, and high energy prices. But there’s a unique other crisis. The rapid growth of greenhouses feeding and greening the world is not matched by the number of experienced professional growers. And greenhouse growers are aging. There are not enough people entering the industry to replace the increasing numbers of retiring growers. This places an increasing pressure on an already sensitive system. Who will operate the growing number of high-tech greenhouses around the world?
Microsoft wrote an article and made a video about this topic, together with Blue Radix, a specialist in autonomous growing. Microsoft reached out three years ago and helped Blue Radix to develop a commercial version of an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven solution for autonomous growing. This solidified the partnership and helped develop what would become the commercially available Crop Controller service.
“Microsoft Azure helps us to develop algorithms to step into the gap that is growing because of the increasing scarcity of skilled and experienced growers,” says Ronald Hoek, CEO of Blue Radix. “With the help of Microsoft, we enable growers and greenhouse entrepreneurs to produce healthy and safe food for the growing world population. We are also empowered to build algorithms to contribute to the production of healthy and safe food for people all over the world. And with this, we are working together for a better and safer planet.”
Want to know more about the collaboration? Read the Microsoft article here, and check out the video below.
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