Autonomous Growing: a new and better way of being in control

Growing with great ease
Crop Controller by Blue Radix introduces a new and improved way of managing the perfect conditions for the plant with precision and full automation. It leverages AI-driven forecasts and real-time optimizations every hour for 3 days ahead on a 5-minute level. This ensures seamless climate and irrigation control without human interference. Growers get expert human support by Autonomous Greenhouse Managers to monitor the greenhouse and help them achieve their goals with great ease.

Grower journeys towards autonomous growing
Growers across diverse climate zones worldwide are increasingly shifting from manual control to relying on full automation. Learn firsthand from growers who embrace this change.

Regained control of my time schedule
“In the beginning I was still busy checking all the automatic changes in the climate. It was hard to let go of that control. But quite fast, you feel you can let go of that and start trusting the system to make the right decisions,” mentions Humberto Rojas, grower at Finka, Mexico. “It helped me to regain control of my time schedule, Crop Controller reduced the need for constant manual adjustments, ensuring consistent optimal conditions for our crops. Now I can spend more time in the greenhouse.”

Letting go to something better
Jake Knelsen, Grower at Vine Fresh Acres in Canada also speaks about the initial worries that came with ‘letting go’, he mentions his shift in perspective: “The reality is that you are letting go to something better. You can own a new sense of trust, knowing that your crop is in good hands. Crop Controller is doing exactly what we thought it was going to do. We’re steering fully autonomous more than 95% of the time. The crop looks good, no issues and we had a yield increase of about 4%. Zones that are being steered show less mildew. We like what we see and we want more of it.”

I sleep better now
“Computers can do a lot these days, but I initially found it difficult to let things go,” says John Giesbrecht of JPI Farms in Canada. “ When we first started working with Crop Controller, I still wanted to be involved in everything. But that’s no longer possible. The company has become too big and the cultivation too complex. Flipping that switch inside my head was perhaps the most important step. I said to myself: you need help, you’re getting it now, so you must let it go. And to be completely honest, that decision felt like a huge relief. For me, Crop Controller has mainly proven to be a stress reliever. A weight has really been lifted from my shoulders, which makes me feel like we can handle all the work in the greenhouse again. I even sleep better again.”

AI is your friend

“Some growers might think they lose control because of the use of AI but that’s not true. AI is your friend,”  says Arie van der Giessen, Vice President and Regional Facility Manager at Village Farms, Texas, USA. It helps you with the strategy, it helps you with controlling the conditions, it makes life so much easier and  helps us to get better operational results as well. Growing is 24/7, it is very time consuming and takes so much time from everyone. Especially in our greenhouse in Texas where the climate is so harsh, it’s not easy to maintain, the Summers are hot, the Winters are cold. If our growers are going home, they want to be at home and relax instead of checking the climate computer, I’ve done it my whole life. Especially with your smartphone, you keep looking at it. Growing with Crop Controller is way more relaxed.”

The journey from manually managing every detail to confidently letting go of the steering wheel is one that growers in different climate zones around the world are embracing on a large scale. Are you considering the next step in autonomous growing? Take inspiration from those who’ve paved the way. Explore growers’ experiences, the possibilities and proven results that come with Autonomous Growing.

Blue Radix
Read more: https://blue-radix.com/projects/
More information: info@blue-radix.com

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