May 2023 - 32

TECHNOLOGY
GROWTH STRATEGY
by Way of
Automation
Keeping up with technology in production
will help growers improve outputs and keep
business growing through the years.
BY HEATHER MACHOVINA AND ABBY McGARRY
G
reenhouse automation is
the way of the future for
plant production. If you're
not already investing in these
technological advances, you should
consider the options and make a
plan. Automation can decrease labor
and costs, and increase productivity
and profit throughout your business.
Starting with small changes can turn
into big improvements. Let's take
a look at what some growers are
using in their greenhouses today to
stay up to date with innovation and
continue growing into the future.
AN INVESTMENT
Catoctin Mountain Growers
maintains a long-term mindset when
making big business decisions. As a
large grower of annuals, perennials,
mums and poinsettias, Catoctin is
always looking forward to the latest
technology and strategies to keep
business thriving. The business started
as a 1-acre operation in 1985 and has
grown into 23 acres indoors and 10
acres of outdoor production today;
keeping up with innovations was
always a key component in decisions.
Tyler Van Wingerden, vice president
of Catoctin Mountain Growers, says,
" Financially, you have to put more
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MAY 2023 GPNMAG.COM
money up front, but year in and year
out, labor only goes up, cost of plants
only goes up. All those things are
always increasing and becoming more
difficult. So, we try to build in as much
efficiency in the capital side when
we're building a project. That way
those continuing costs that are always
going up, are staying within a facility
that is high-quality and future proof. "
MAKING A SHIFT
" I want to augment the talent
that I have, " Van Wingerden says.
People discuss automation as a way
of replacing labor and while it has an
effect on labor, Van Wingerden thinks
of automation as a way to add value
to the labor that already exists, so it
doesn't have to happen at the next
hire. " I'm not firing the existing team
member, " he says, " but when I add
2 acres or 5 acres, my team of 70
can still be a team of 70. I have 70
people taking care of 5 more acres
of greenhouse because automation
augments their abilities. It allows them
to do more, it allows them to grow
more, it allows them to produce more. "
Catoctin is working on better
technologies for the growing
department. Irrigation can be a
big time sink every day because
of the mundane tasks associated
with it, like turning on faucets
or hand watering crops.
" On this team, you have to have
people who know plants, they can
feel plants, they understand the
biology, understand the science and
how to grow crops, " Van Wingerden
says. Innovation in this area of the
greenhouse will help expand their
ability and give the growers time to
improve other crucial skills they have.
INCREASING PRODUCTION
Spring Meadow Nursery
implemented new automation
on one of its production lines
starting at the beginning of
2022. This reduced the need for
one employee per machine, and
increased its production by up
to 30 trays per person per hour.
" The newest innovation we've
implemented here is the Visser
cart loaders, " says Summer Field,
propagation manager at Spring
Meadow Nursery. " This was
our first year learning and
training the operators on one
production line and how to use
it. " The benefits were so good
that Spring Meadow bought two
more cart loaders this year and put
them on other production lines; now
three of the four production lines
are putting out more trays daily.
" Not only does it allow us to
remove an operator off the line, it
also allows us to add an additional
shelf onto that cart, to haul plants
out into our production facility, " Field
says. This decreases labor costs and
increases rates and timing on each
production line. Being able to add an
additional shelf on each cart gives
an additional five flats per cart.
Previously, Spring Meadow
Nursery installed other innovative
technology like soil filling machines
and a TTA transplanter machine in
their production setup. All of the
automation working together can
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May 2023

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