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There’s a significant efficiency difference between high-tech greenhouses (glasshouses) and warehouse (aka vertical) farms. High-tech greenhouses will not compe

There’s a significant efficiency difference between high-tech greenhouses (glasshouses) and warehouse (aka vertical) farms. High-tech greenhouses will not compete with field farms for staple crops, but they are already profitably supplying fresh produce in many countries.

hbrundage 7y ago
Oh of course, and to be quite honest, I really hope you folks can succeed in your mission. But, I still found that at least locally (in southern Ontario), the unit costs of importing from California still make sense compared to growing locally because of the cost of artificial lighting and the difficulties growing year round. The big greenhouse operations locally grow a premium product that can command a much higher price in order to justify the capex compared to field agriculture or just importing. I assume that premium price would have to go up even more to justify a big investment in automation, right? That's why I was asking if expensive robotics are viable now vs reliant on some change in the market dynamics.
- jelliclesfarm 7y ago
  California’s lettuce production alone is a 3 billion dollar industry. Entire Ag income in Netherlands is around 3 billion dollars. California lettuce farms have a year round growing season and we move from Salinas to Yuma in winter. We grow organic lettuce with cover cropping and crop rotation. Glass houses are NOT more efficient than how we grow in CA. We have water shortage and a labour problem. The main problem is labour. We need robotics to solve our problem. Not data oriented Agtech. Most of the Agtech startups are creating a new sector that didn’t exist before. They are not addressing our throbbing pain point. Labour. Labour. Labour. Even automation solutions needs engineers who need to draw 6 figures to work and live in the Bay Area. It’s still cheaper to hire minimum wage labour and make human beings do repetitive manual labour. There is nothing cheaper than FREE. Sunlight is free. We don’t need energy hungry indoor automation in CA. In east coast maybe..in the frozen northlands of Canada maybe..but CA is an Ag state. We do upwards of 45 billion in Ag income every year. We need real solutions. Every Agtech company wants a piece of the 45 billion dollar pie. They are not working to make it bigger. CA farms are consumers of new tech. Without ROI. Agtech startups need to Keep It Simple. Ping me if anyone wants to discuss this further. [..] GDP From Agriculture in Netherlands decreased to 2544 EUR Million in the second quarter of 2019 from 3071 EUR Million in the first quarter of 2019. GDP From Agriculture in Netherlands averaged 2641.87 EUR Million from 1995 until 2019, reaching an all time high of 3343 EUR Million in the third quarter of 2016 and a record low of 1860 EUR Million in the fourth quarter of 1996.[..]
  - abstract7 7y ago
    I'm not in ag but anybody working on a modular elevated track system? Let the sun shine right thru. Automate a ton of physical tasks, like that one gardening startup (forgot name). Some central unit coordinates it all and offers an api, that way third-parties can program specific bots for specific tasks and its all orchestrated without collisions. Allow a whole industry of startups to build on such physical 'Operating Systems'. Seems so obvious I must have seen it in a sci-fi movie or something and I forgot.

hbrundage 7y ago

Oh of course, and to be quite honest, I really hope you folks can succeed in your mission. But, I still found that at least locally (in southern Ontario), the unit costs of importing from California still make sense compared to growing locally because of the cost of artificial lighting and the difficulties growing year round. The big greenhouse operations locally grow a premium product that can command a much higher price in order to justify the capex compared to field agriculture or just importing. I assume that premium price would have to go up even more to justify a big investment in automation, right? That's why I was asking if expensive robotics are viable now vs reliant on some change in the market dynamics.

jelliclesfarm 7y ago
California’s lettuce production alone is a 3 billion dollar industry. Entire Ag income in Netherlands is around 3 billion dollars. California lettuce farms have a year round growing season and we move from Salinas to Yuma in winter. We grow organic lettuce with cover cropping and crop rotation. Glass houses are NOT more efficient than how we grow in CA. We have water shortage and a labour problem. The main problem is labour. We need robotics to solve our problem. Not data oriented Agtech. Most of the Agtech startups are creating a new sector that didn’t exist before. They are not addressing our throbbing pain point. Labour. Labour. Labour. Even automation solutions needs engineers who need to draw 6 figures to work and live in the Bay Area. It’s still cheaper to hire minimum wage labour and make human beings do repetitive manual labour. There is nothing cheaper than FREE. Sunlight is free. We don’t need energy hungry indoor automation in CA. In east coast maybe..in the frozen northlands of Canada maybe..but CA is an Ag state. We do upwards of 45 billion in Ag income every year. We need real solutions. Every Agtech company wants a piece of the 45 billion dollar pie. They are not working to make it bigger. CA farms are consumers of new tech. Without ROI. Agtech startups need to Keep It Simple. Ping me if anyone wants to discuss this further. [..] GDP From Agriculture in Netherlands decreased to 2544 EUR Million in the second quarter of 2019 from 3071 EUR Million in the first quarter of 2019. GDP From Agriculture in Netherlands averaged 2641.87 EUR Million from 1995 until 2019, reaching an all time high of 3343 EUR Million in the third quarter of 2016 and a record low of 1860 EUR Million in the fourth quarter of 1996.[..]
- abstract7 7y ago
  I'm not in ag but anybody working on a modular elevated track system? Let the sun shine right thru. Automate a ton of physical tasks, like that one gardening startup (forgot name). Some central unit coordinates it all and offers an api, that way third-parties can program specific bots for specific tasks and its all orchestrated without collisions. Allow a whole industry of startups to build on such physical 'Operating Systems'. Seems so obvious I must have seen it in a sci-fi movie or something and I forgot.