Todd Cavins Allen Hammer Brian Whipker Gordon Elsbury Irrigation Workshop Todd Cavins Allen Hammer Brian Whipker Gordon Elsbury NC STATE UNIVERSITY Irrigation Workshop 2003

Greenhouse Automation For The Small Grower

Automation is a Tool A tool is both contrived and used for extending the force of an intelligent agent to something that is operated upon.

“Automation is driving the future of the greenhouse industry” And the size of the greenhouse does not matter

Greenhouse size does affect what you automate however Every greenhouse can automate something for a profit

How do you increase profit? increase price lower costs increase efficiency

It is simply not true that: Automation just doesn’t work unless there is a major area of one crop at one time

why automate? make work easier small window of opportunity holiday markets, too much work in a short period of time improved work quality less quality workforce lower labor costs replace unavailable labor labor is your major production cost

Is finding labor a problem? or Is it just easier to deal with automation than employees?

Fingers do not do it better

Automation Look at greenhouse tasks - repetitive - tedious - time-consuming

Study tasks time and motion studies

What are those time consuming hand labor jobs?

What are your major costs? Where does it make sense to reduce production costs? automation is probably your most important cost savings

Take A Systems Approach to Automation “automating a job” “automating a process” Automation should be cost effective It should be a short term investment - one that has a payoff in a very few years Irrigation Workshop 2003

Study your entire greenhouse operation labor saving devices often produce better quality and more uniformity automation often times work location of materials and controls is very important for efficiency and reducing worker fatigue

Automation has a learning curve automation often requires a different approach automation allows worker to better manage the plants automation often increases skill levels Irrigation Workshop 2003

Automation can have added benefits do not use the single minded approach of only considering efficiency or reduced costs

improved working conditions

Do not simply automate your present way of doing things “think new” Do not simply automate your present way of doing things You do not automate your hose - you automate watering

Automation - first things first Watering Materials handling Benches Flat and pot fillers Seeders Transplanters

watering. Ebb and Flood. Trough. Drip. Spaghetti Tubes. Boom. Mat watering Ebb and Flood Trough Drip Spaghetti Tubes Boom Mat Stationary Overhead Sprinklers

Automation it does not have to be complex or expensive

Has made it very easy to automate greenhouse watering Plastic pipe and valves Has made it very easy to automate greenhouse watering

design the system with both clear and fertilizer water fertilizer injectors are very important even in the smallest of greenhouses

Simple and Conservative

Watering Watering is both a science and an art

You can not do it better by a hand

Perched water table Free water The science and the art of watering When to water? How to water? You can apply too little water You can not apply too much water

Hand watering is not better is not cheaper Is not easier

Automation - first things first Watering is the very first thing to automate