trends & technology
Of course, the question of automation came up. Won’t
automation solve a lot of the farm labor issues? Maybe,
but probably not. At least not for the majority of small
producers. The fact is automation equipment requires
massive capital investments to build and highly skilled
labor to operate—both of which are in short supply at
most local farms. And why rely on automation to make
farming economically viable? Instead of asking how we
can use machines to minimize the cost of human labor,
we should be asking how we can design a system that
doesn’t need automation to function economically.
Again, it all circles back to accessibility.
The bottom line: Farmers should implement a
growing system that reduces labor costs and does
not require expensive automation technology to be
economically viable.
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All three panelists at Aglanta touched on the impor-
tance of creating an efficient farm layout and workflow.
In today’s technology-based modern farming world,
production is not the problem. Growing in controlled
environments and with proper plant nutrition allows
modern farmers to produce crops with astounding
consistency and quality. Instead, the real issue these
three farmers faced was how to run their growing
operations efficiently while minimizing cost.
Hardej says he thinks about any future vertical farm
as first and foremost a “manufacturing and produc-
tion process.” Treating the farm as a manufacturing
process, as opposed to an art form, means treating it
like an optimization problem. The conventional way
of vertical farming using stacked layers puts farm
owners and their laborers at the mercy of expen-
sive machinery to access their crops. These produc-
tion methods are complicated, inefficient, and costly
because they require so much time spent traveling up
aisles and between layers to do everything from the
initial planting all the way to the harvest.
The bottom line: When evaluating farm equipment
options, look past production. Every system can grow
crops, but not every system can optimize workflows
and maximize labor efficiencies.
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The vertical farming industry is just starting to take
off. Every day, there are new companies promising
to deliver exciting solutions in growing equipment,
lighting technology, climate controls, data, sensors,
automation, consulting, and much more. And some of
these companies will fail. However, if one thing is clear
from the Aglanta panel, it’s that we can learn from each
other’s mistakes.
We now know that exerting more control over the
growing environment, making better use of our
resources, and implementing smart, labor-efficient
growing technology can help us take big strides toward
farming success and giving greater access to better food.
Through more collaborations like the one at Aglanta, I
believe we’ll keep pushing the boundaries of vertical
farming and achieve amazing things.