4 ms·

We are deploying Dutch greenhouses in the US and have deep roots in the Netherlands - AMA

Aachen 4y ago
Just to check my understanding: a greenhouse, to me, is a structure that keeps in heat from irradiation by the sun and lets crops grow year-round. What's a "Dutch greenhouse" specifically, what makes it different?
- davidhunter 4y ago
  Yes your definition of a greenhouse is correct! By "Dutch greenhouse", I meant industrial-scale glass greenhouses [1] that have evolved in the Netherlands over the last 70 years and, more recently, have been built in other countries primarily by Dutch greenhouse construction companies. These greenhouses are 20+Ac in footprint (similar in footprint to a Tesla Gigafactory) and have a wide variety of actuation - heating, cooling, lighting systems etc. [1] https://havecon.com/en/projects https://havecon.com/en/projects
  - carlsborg 4y ago
    What is the ballpark energy consumption in KwH for one of those units?
readthenotes1 4y ago
Do puns grow like weeds in them?
mythrwy 4y ago
1) Where in the US will these be deployed? 2) What will you grow (produce probably?) 3) If produce is to be grown, how will it be price competitive with field grown produce from the US and Mexico? Will it be "specialty"?
- davidhunter 4y ago
  1) Southeastern US. We will announce exact location shortly. 2) Vine crops (Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Peppers) and berries. No cannabis. 3) Greenhouses are supplying the US market from Canada and Mexico today. So they are already price competitive. Greenhouses are complementary to field farms as a) field farms do not produce during the winter; and b) greenhouses supply higher quality varieties.
  - mythrwy 4y ago
    Thanks! So you will grow on string and do lean and lower? Or use the high lift vehicle to prune and harvest? I've been in some of the greenhouses in Mexico, (Sinaloa to be exact) growing peppers and Asian eggplants. They were fairly simple plastic houses but had strict entry protocols including booties and yellow sticky trap mazes to enter. There is a more complex industrial greenhouse I saw in Utah growing tomatoes on string. Very tall, unfortunately I didn't get to go in. It's next to a power plant and they pipe the expelled CO2 into the greenhouse for increased crop production. I believe it was started by Dutch growers. I'm an agronomist by training and even got on the cover of a seed catalog one year back in the 90s when I worked in Arizona on a veg farm. Previously I worked field tomatoes around Tampa Bay area Florida. Now I program for last 12 years, but still have a big garden every year. I agree on greenhouse quality 100% but but am personally a big fan of soil and compost and dislike hydroponics. Nearly religiously so haha. Really like the idea of localized production centers. Makes a lot of sense for many reasons. I have to say, Dutch growers really have my respect. They are the masters of this craft and even dairies. I currently live in a dairy rich region and many of the owners are of Dutch heritage. Very interesting stuff anyway, thanks for sharing and I will keep an eye on this.
  - mythrwy 4y ago
    Also I didn't realize you were founder of this company. I thought you were just a guy on the internet. Good work! Very interesting ideas in your videos. People think because something looks like a tomato it is all the same. But there is a huge difference in flavor and nutrition as you correctly point out and the idea of optimizing for nutritional quality is so overlooked. We grow on mineral poor soils often because those are taken up over the years however we still get something that is red and tomato shaped so it goes off to the supermarket to be sold after sitting for some long period of time which further degrades both flavor and nutrition. The thing that I am skeptical of (and why I love compost), is that we will ever get a full enough understanding of the interplay between various factors of life to duplicate or balance at the same level. But perhaps I am very wrong. At any rate, I view life as a succession of organisms of which we are a part, and trust management of complexity primarily to evolution and biology because I know I cannot manage complexity at the same level. Admittedly this could be one part naturalistic fallacy and one part article of religious faith and one part hippie wooo but the taste of compost grown produce with good mineral supplementation I have not found elsewhere. But perhaps it is possible hydroponically and I'd really like to see it. Anyway, great points in your videos! More people should know about what you say. It's such an overlooked topic, the real nutrition value of food.

Just to check my understanding: a greenhouse, to me, is a structure that keeps in heat from irradiation by the sun and lets crops grow year-round. What's a "Dutch greenhouse" specifically, what makes it different?

davidhunter 4y ago
Yes your definition of a greenhouse is correct! By "Dutch greenhouse", I meant industrial-scale glass greenhouses [1] that have evolved in the Netherlands over the last 70 years and, more recently, have been built in other countries primarily by Dutch greenhouse construction companies. These greenhouses are 20+Ac in footprint (similar in footprint to a Tesla Gigafactory) and have a wide variety of actuation - heating, cooling, lighting systems etc. [1] https://havecon.com/en/projects https://havecon.com/en/projects
- carlsborg 4y ago
  What is the ballpark energy consumption in KwH for one of those units?

readthenotes1 4y ago

Do puns grow like weeds in them?

mythrwy 4y ago

1) Where in the US will these be deployed? 2) What will you grow (produce probably?) 3) If produce is to be grown, how will it be price competitive with field grown produce from the US and Mexico? Will it be "specialty"?

davidhunter 4y ago
1) Southeastern US. We will announce exact location shortly. 2) Vine crops (Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Peppers) and berries. No cannabis. 3) Greenhouses are supplying the US market from Canada and Mexico today. So they are already price competitive. Greenhouses are complementary to field farms as a) field farms do not produce during the winter; and b) greenhouses supply higher quality varieties.
- mythrwy 4y ago
  Thanks! So you will grow on string and do lean and lower? Or use the high lift vehicle to prune and harvest? I've been in some of the greenhouses in Mexico, (Sinaloa to be exact) growing peppers and Asian eggplants. They were fairly simple plastic houses but had strict entry protocols including booties and yellow sticky trap mazes to enter. There is a more complex industrial greenhouse I saw in Utah growing tomatoes on string. Very tall, unfortunately I didn't get to go in. It's next to a power plant and they pipe the expelled CO2 into the greenhouse for increased crop production. I believe it was started by Dutch growers. I'm an agronomist by training and even got on the cover of a seed catalog one year back in the 90s when I worked in Arizona on a veg farm. Previously I worked field tomatoes around Tampa Bay area Florida. Now I program for last 12 years, but still have a big garden every year. I agree on greenhouse quality 100% but but am personally a big fan of soil and compost and dislike hydroponics. Nearly religiously so haha. Really like the idea of localized production centers. Makes a lot of sense for many reasons. I have to say, Dutch growers really have my respect. They are the masters of this craft and even dairies. I currently live in a dairy rich region and many of the owners are of Dutch heritage. Very interesting stuff anyway, thanks for sharing and I will keep an eye on this.
- mythrwy 4y ago
  Also I didn't realize you were founder of this company. I thought you were just a guy on the internet. Good work! Very interesting ideas in your videos. People think because something looks like a tomato it is all the same. But there is a huge difference in flavor and nutrition as you correctly point out and the idea of optimizing for nutritional quality is so overlooked. We grow on mineral poor soils often because those are taken up over the years however we still get something that is red and tomato shaped so it goes off to the supermarket to be sold after sitting for some long period of time which further degrades both flavor and nutrition. The thing that I am skeptical of (and why I love compost), is that we will ever get a full enough understanding of the interplay between various factors of life to duplicate or balance at the same level. But perhaps I am very wrong. At any rate, I view life as a succession of organisms of which we are a part, and trust management of complexity primarily to evolution and biology because I know I cannot manage complexity at the same level. Admittedly this could be one part naturalistic fallacy and one part article of religious faith and one part hippie wooo but the taste of compost grown produce with good mineral supplementation I have not found elsewhere. But perhaps it is possible hydroponically and I'd really like to see it. Anyway, great points in your videos! More people should know about what you say. It's such an overlooked topic, the real nutrition value of food.