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NatureFresh IT manager talks tech

It’s not every day when three major IT trends converge for an IT manager. But that’s exactly what happened to Keith Bradley of NatureFresh Farms in Leamington, Ont.

Cloud, Internet of Things, and 3D printing came together for NatureFresh Farms that resulted in the independent greenhouse vegetable producer dramatically increasing its produce yield by close to 30 per cent.

Currently, NatureFresh has 130 acres of greenhouse facilities in Leamington (135 total greenhouses) growing bell peppers and specialty cherry tomatoes. They also have an operation in Delta, Ohio.

A unique part of NatureFresh’s operation is a mobile trailer that has been converted into a greenhouse, which any grower can control from their smartphone. Bradley said the mobile greenhouse is similar to the company’s actual greenhouses and from his smartphone can control the temperature, if vents are open or closed, and watering the plants from anywhere in the world.

An IoT solution for smart lighting helped NatureFresh produce vine plants that can grow throughout the year here in Canada. Without lights, the vines regularly grow to about 40 feet in length by virtue of growing all year long, but adding the lights from October to April increases the yield of the plant.

NatureFresh also installed a 3D printer for building parts for greenhouse operations. For example, the 3D printer created a part that aids in growing tomato plants.

Intel, through its vPro technology, enabled Bradley to provide better remote management of growers’ PCs. There was one instance where a grower in Holland had his laptop die on him. Bradley remotely, through vPpro, rebuilt this grower’s hard drive from his office in Leamington and helped him regain access to other growers in Canada. It’s also been put to use providing remote support to its Ohio operation.

Read more at IT World Canada News
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