"The grower of the future needs to understand both plants and technology"
Source: HD.com
"The grower of the future needs to understand both plants and technology" The North American greenhouse industry continues to develop rapidly. For Frans Neijenhuis, founder of High-Tech Growers Recruitment (HTG), this is something he sees regularly when searching internationally for growers and greenhouse professionals.
A modern grower also needs to understand climate computers, irrigation, lighting, data and increasingly automation and AI." © Thijmen Tiersma | HortiDaily.com Growing knowledge remains essential According to Frans, automation does not mean that experienced growers become less important. "The perfect candidate may not live within 50 kilometers of the greenhouse.
Knowledge developed in the Netherlands, Canada, the United States, Mexico, Spain or elsewhere can be extremely valuable to a greenhouse company on the other side of the world." An industry that deserves more attention Frans also believes that the greenhouse industry has an opportunity to become more attractive to a new generation of professionals. It is a highly technical and innovative environment with excellent international career opportunities." In October, Frans will be in North America for the Canadian Greenhouse Conference in Niagara Falls, where High-Tech Growers Recruitment will exhibit at booth 123A.
Why this matters: For operators, this is a water-management story. The useful signal is that direct substrate measurements can help cut drain loss materially without giving up yield or fruit quality, which is exactly the kind of controllable efficiency gain a facility can build on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does substrate sensing matter in free-drain strawberry systems?
Because drain percentage tells a grower what already happened, while substrate moisture and EC data show root-zone conditions directly. That makes it easier to cut water loss without guessing.
What is the operator takeaway from this trial?
If the thresholds are understood well enough, growers can reduce drain water materially while protecting yield and fruit quality, which makes sensing an operational tool instead of a reporting tool.
