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Irrigation Workshop

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

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Irrigation Workshop

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

  2. Greenhouse Automation For The Small Grower

  3. 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.

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

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

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

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

  8. 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

  9. Is finding labor a problem? orIs it just easier to deal with automation than employees?

  10. Fingers do not do it better

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

  12. Study tasks time and motion studies

  13. What are those time consuming hand labor jobs?

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

  15. 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

  16. 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

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

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

  19. improved working conditions

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

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

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

  23. Automation it does not have to be complex or expensive

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

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

  26. Simple and Conservative

  27. Watering Watering is both a science and an art

  28. You can not do it better by a hand

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

  30. Hand watering is not better is not cheaper Is not easier

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

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