January 2023 - 26

PRODUCTION
Construction of a state-of-the-art seed
house put the flat filler, seed machine,
LED germination racks, stratification
cooler and temperature-controlled
germination room under one roof at
Emerald Coast Growers.
" We reduced handling times
by installing mist and irrigation
in many of our houses, allowing
us to propagate and finish on the
same benches, " he says. " This
eliminates the need for movement
between propagation and
finishing houses.
" To improve our energy
efficiency, we use structural
elements such as double poly and
tightening up air gaps to reduce
heat loss, but we also plan our crop locations to take
advantage of more efficient houses versus less efficient
houses. By growing our warmer crops in efficient houses
and cold or finished crops in our hoop houses we have
been able to save a lot of fuel. "
When asked to share his top pieces of advice for
What prompted the need for a new, state-of-the-art
shipping facility was the fact that previously all shipping
was done from their Pensacola facility, but over the
years of increased production volume, the need to move
thousands of trays from production in Milton to shipping
in Pensacola - which is 40 minutes away - became
much too cumbersome, time consuming and costly. With
logistics stretched to the max, it only made sense to
move shipping to Milton. While the benefits to Emerald
Coast Growers are obvious, their customers benefit
tremendously as well. Less plant movement reduces the
risks of damage, delay and product losses due to plant
stress. A win-win for all.
PRIORITIZING INVESTMENTS
Of course, where to best implement efficiency
improvements varies greatly from grower to grower.
When it comes to the top three opportunity areas for
growers to increase efficiencies in the greenhouse, Josiah
Raymer, general manager at Emerald Coast, points to
automation, reduced handling times and lowering heating
costs. Asked how Emerald Coast has leveraged those
three opportunities at their locations, Raymer says, " We
automated the greenhouse venting process, including roof
vents and automated curtains. This reduces labor while
providing more consistent temperature control.
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JANUARY 2023 GPNMAG.COM
growers who want to improve their efficiencies, Raymer
shares these tips: " Automating your temperature
regulation is a two-for-one deal: You save on labor in
addition to getting rid of the temperature spikes or drops,
which can improve plant health. The investment is well
worth the cost. I'd also recommend spending some time
breaking your crops and greenhouses into groups that you
can shuffle around. You may discover some options for
reducing crop movement or heating needs. "
Given that there are many production factors that
growers can't control, such as the input costs of
materials, rising wages and rising shipping costs, it is
more important than ever to take a critical look at one's
efficiencies and to identify and tackle opportunities for
improvement. How often a plant is handled from start to
finish is certainly an obvious area to try to improve. But
growers need to look beyond the obvious and they will find
that efficiencies can be improved in pretty much all stages
and aspects of running a greenhouse.
Growers don't have to tackle it all at once, and it doesn't
necessarily have to be a huge undertaking. Every little
step matters, and eventually they will all add up to better
efficiencies, reduced costs and the ability to achieve
healthy profit margins. One step at a time.
Kerstin Poehlmann is president of Pen & Petal Inc., a marketing,
advertising and public relations firm for the green industry. She
can be reached at kerstin@penandpetal.com.
http://www.GPNMAG.COM
January 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2023
