Johan Vrijland, JNV Produce:

"The UK is never the first to switch to Dutch greenhouses vegetables"

"People in the UK make decisions quickly but when it comes to prices, they do not make a move quickly. Winter contracts are often fixed up to week 17. This includes Easter," says Johan Vrijland of the Dutch company, JNV Produce. This marketing company focuses solely on exports to the United Kingdom. "The…

The age of robot farmers

It was a hot February morning at Wish Farms, a large strawberry-growing operation outside Plant City, Florida. Gary Wishnatzki, the proprietor, met me at one of the farm offices. In the high season, Wish Farms picks, chills, and ships some twenty million berries—all handpicked by a seasonal workforce of six hundred and fifty…

BayWa and RWA announce competition for robotics solutions in agriculture

In the search for innovation in agriculture, the Agro Innovation Lab (AIL), the joint innovation platform of BayWa and RWA, is breaking new ground: In a special format, the Robotics Challenge, the AIL this year focuses on robotics solutions in agriculture, in particular in the fields of autonomous weed…

Matthew Valantine - Baltimore Innovations

"The key was a reliable system that produced the same package time and time again cost effectively."

A leading United Kingdom packaging company says demand for its tomato slicing machine is growing, as the need for convenience food grows. Baltimore Innovations now has more than 40 machines world-wide, mostly in the United States and Europe – but also in Japan and Australia. Managing Director Matthew…

Alcomij modernizes steel department with new machine

"Quickly producing large volumes of steel in today’s market is increasingly important"

The majority of Alcomij's steel structures are designed and produced on a project basis for various locations worldwide. In order to continue to meet the ever-increasing demand for high-quality (customized) substructure constructions, Alcomij has recently expanded its own steel department with the Adige…

UK: Fieldwork Robotics wins funding to accelerate development of fruit-picking robot

Frontier IP Group Plc’s portfolio firm Fieldwork Robotics has won over £500,000 in funding from Innovate UK. The money will be used to accelerate the development of its raspberry-picking robot. Frontier, which holds a 27.5% stake in Fieldwork, said the funding would put towards a project to create a…

NL: 100th cloth wiper means good reason for cake

Last week, the 100th Stefix 135 cloth wiper was delivered by Steenks. Hünnekens, supplier of garden, park, and agricultural machines, was the lucky recipient. The Stefix is a machine especially developed by Steenks to meet a client's wish, because there was no machine yet to effectively wipe the ground…

Strauss supplies asparagus sorting machines, weighing machines, packaging machines and harvesting aids

"Only harvesting the asparagus to be done by hand"

For more than 20 years, Strauss Verpackungsmaschinen has been producing asparagus sorting machines, weighing machines, packaging machines and, for five years, harvesting aids for asparagus. At the moment, the preparation for this year's season is in full swing. In parts of Europe, harvesting already…

Robots on wheels to compose pallets

Robot manufacturer Boston Dynamics published a YouTube video showing two Handle robots working in a warehouse completely autonomously: one transfers a few boxes from the shelves to a pallet, while the other moves them from the shelves to a conveyor belt. The machines look like ostriches with two legs…

Frutmac solutions to speed up crate opening

Thanks to its 50 years of experience in the food packaging sector, Frutmac managed to reach yet another objective by speeding up the opening of folding crates. The machine to open plastic folding crates is a part of the Boxer range. It is suitable for all the most popular 400x 600 mm crates. Changing to…

Manufactured by Scott Technology

DriedFresh to roll out evolved V2.5 OVDMA dryer

Over the last 15 years DriedFresh have developed and refined a fresh idea for drying nature's food. The company dries from fresh (no freeze-drying required) at low temperatures and Oxygen free. Food for longlife storage with a gold standard nutrient preservation status keeping nature's colours, taste and…

cucumber harvest robot expected 2021

“The entire production process is centred around people”

Before the first harvest robot drives through the greenhouses, millions of cucumbers will still be manually picked. However, robots are already working in packing and sorting. Beltech is one of the companies focused on the development of a harvest robot, but the company has already delivered a packing…

US: Ag robotics startup raises $1.5 million seed round

Augean Robotics, a Philadelphia-based startup developing a collaborative robotic platform for the agriculture industry, has raised a $1.5 million seed funding round. The round was led by ffVC, with participation from S2G Ventures, Radicle Growth, and several others. As part of the round, the company has…

China: Migrant worker exodus creates demand for drone pilots to help farmers

Zhu Beibei has his own company with a team of 30 drone pilots and he pulls in 3 million yuan (US$45,000) a year helping farmers in China spray weed killer. Demand for agricultural drone pilots has risen as the technology matures, enabling a skilled operator to cover more acreage than human effort ever…

US: Industry survey for white paper ‘Automation, AI and the Next Generation of Indoor Agriculture’

As part of the extensive data gathering process for its new white paper, Contain, an alternate finance provider to indoor growers, invites industry members to participate in a survey around its topic, “Automation, AI and the Next Generation of Indoor Agriculture.” The white paper will be released in hard…

"Pure chlorine for disinfected water and a clean pipe system"

Ditches around horticultural companies filling up with residual water is a thing of the past. New regulations in the Netherlands require growers to remove 95% of crop protection products before discharging. But the Dutch grower would not be the Dutch grower if he was not a bit more ambitious. With zero…

Japan turns to drones to replace ageing farmers

As farming communities age and more young people opt for office careers, Japan’s agriculture sector is turning to drone technology. The agriculture ministry plans to use drones to bring farming into the 21st century and make life easier for the shrinking number of people who work the land. Recent leaps…

Especially for the carts and trolley washers

Increasing demand for industrial washing machines

Trays and trolleys are often moved from one production location to another. These product carriers not only transport the products, but sometimes also include unwanted guests: bacteria and viruses. To prevent cross-contamination, the product carriers must be cleaned and disinfected regularly. Unifortes,…

An automatic machine to salt sun-dried tomatoes

One of the most important phases in the drying of tomatoes is salting. It has always been done by hand, in a coarse way and without precise criteria, with the final quality not always living up to expectations. Click below and watch the video! From now on, salting can be carried out in a uniform and…

Herbex II by Ortomec

New electrical harvester for lamb's lettuce

Ortomec , a company capable of adapting its machinery to the various needs of its clients in different countries with completely different soils, has launched the new Herbex II lamb's lettuce harvester. "The new system harvests plants via metal shafts that lift, clean and take the produce from the soil…

Düpmann company puts high-tech processing line into operation

"Compact MOP-200 system represents great efficiency and extreme hygiene"

Last year, the new headquarters of Düpmann GmbH & Co. KG was moved to Borgholzhausen. The company supplies the German food industry with a wide variety of freshly processed vegetable products. These include peeled and custom-cut onions and peppers, carrots, zucchini, cucumbers, leeks, etc. These can…

Swiss machine supplier Villiger scores with new extraction system

"Waste is ultimately halved"

Following the successful launch of the vegetable washing machine at last year's Fruit Logistica, Swiss company Villiger Technik once again managed to develop an innovative process this year. In Berlin, trade visitors were presented with a flexible and reliable system for extracting processing waste. The waste is automatically…

Large assortment of sealed products processed in new packing machine

The Greenery recently starting using a robotized packaging machine. This robot was put into operation in their Retail Distribution Centre in Barendrecht, the Netherlands. The machine will process a large assortment of sealed products according to specific programming. The first production runs were made…

Israeli agro-drone for picking, thinning and pruning

Founded in 2016, Israeli startup Tevel Aerobotics Technologies is a developer of autonomous drones equipped with a one-meter long mechanical claw that can pick fruits, or be used for thinning and pruning tasks in orchards. The company currently employs 15 people. According to founder and CEO Yaniv Maor,…

MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory

Delicate-looking robot gripper can lift 100 times its own weight

Daniela Rus is a professor at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL). The latest work from her team at MIT is a robot gripper that’s designed to pick up objects, but its looks are unconventional, to say the least. Visually, it has more in common with a rubber tulip or a…

Netherlands: New seed line to provide local growers with vegetable plants

For years, Beekenkamp Plants has had a location in Lutjebroek, North Holland, to provide local growers with vegetable plants, mainly cabbage. In 2016 the greenhouse complex was already expanded from 2.8 ha to 4.1 ha. Recently, investments were also made in a new seed line. Construction work on the new…

Pellerano machines: Many novelties

"All the latest modifications are now standard, so we can offer a plastic film uncoiler that does not need any optional equipment in the future. It also allows you to apply all the paddings," stated businessman Francesco Pellerano to FreshPlaza. There are 4 main innovations that greatly improve the use…

Our knowledge and experience as growers helped us develop our sorting machine

A good sorting line is an important part of the production process. When you have a good sorting line, it can be a huge advantage for production quality and efficiency. There are a number of sorting line producers around and therefore it is harder to compete when entering new markets. “One of our goals…

Hensing GmbH uses vending machines for attractive marketing at POS

"With the Regio-Box, we offer a new Touchpoint"

Today's customer wants availability around the clock. With the Hensing Regio-Box, this is also possible for local fruits and vegetables. Managing director Dirk Hensing explains the idea in an interview with the specialist magazine Lebensmittel Praxis. How did the idea for the new Regio-Box come about?…

new Nanobubble generator used at Revol Greens

"Managing Pythium in water while promoting plant growth"

Moleaer expands its innovative product line with the new Bloom nanobubble generator. The patent-pending Bloom, designed specifically for horticulture, unlocks the full potential of oxygen to improve crop production. The Bloom produces trillions of charged nanobubbles, ~80nm in size, dissolving oxygen…

News roundup: Robotics and autonomous greenhouses

Read the latest on the movement towards smarter, more precise and increasingly autonomous greenhouses. What does 2019 have in store for us? OpenGov Asia predicts 11 Tech Trends for 2019 concerning autonomous technology. There is no doubt that universities over the world are following these trends in…

'Harv' from CROO Robotics

"Shrinking labor force needs to be solved with automation"

Both human and machine must find ripe strawberries between the leaves, gently twist them off the stems and tuck them into a plastic clamshell. Each contender has 10 seconds per plant. Then repeat endlessly before the fruit spoils. The future of agricultural work has arrived in Florida, promising to ease…

Machine for easy greenhouse treatments in small spaces

The implementation of treatments in greenhouses can be difficult, due to narrow aisles and the often limited available maneuvering space. That is why a new compact machine has been launched on the market, allowing its operator to easily make very narrow turns. One of the most important features of the…

US: Big farmers to pick their future crops with robots

The future of agricultural work has arrived in Florida, promising to ease labor shortages and reduce the cost of food. Or so says the team behind Harv, a nickname for the latest model from automation company Harvest CROO Robotics. Harv is on the cutting edge of a national push to automate the way we…

video

Packing robot processes 4,000 cucumbers per hour

It’s automation Wednesday! Today we’re informing you about the automation project at Dutch cucumber growers J. and P. Crienen. Over the last months, cucumbers have been packed automatically at their farm. The robot processes 4,000 cucumbers per hour. Robots are marching up in horticulture. With labor…

US farmers using drones to check crop health and increase profits

Pittsburgh-based tech company Skycision is using drones and infrared technology to help diagnose diseases and pests in crops. The company’s goal is to help farmers improve…

Behold! The pepper packing robot

The use of robots is surely one of the main trends that the horticultural sector is experiencing. The dream of automation has always pushed innovation within industries, as it allows not only a better management of the workforce but also a better quality assurance. This is what the pepper packing robot was made for. This video…

CAN (ON): Processing vegetable growers trialing new automated transplanting technology

Ontario's processing vegetable growers are turning to technology in an effort to better meet their labour needs during planting, a short but very busy time of year. Kent County’s Bercab Farms, working in collaboration with Jennen Bros Inc. and Sydenham Farms, has been approved for funding through the…

Tom Coen of Octinion presented strawberry harvesting robot Rubion at Fruit Logistica:

“The robot currently picks a strawberry every five seconds”

All over the world, people are working on harvesting robots, but there wasn’t yet a robot for harvesting strawberries. After the Fruit Logistica last week, that robot has arrived on the market, because Belgian company Octinion presented the Rubion, a completely autonomous harvesting robot that can take…

"New potting machine is start of new generation of machines"

A new generation of machines. That’s how Alessandro Mazzacano proudly describes the new IA3500, that was launched by Urbinati recently. The Italian manufacturer of nursery equipment created a completely electromechanical potting machine. “The machine can be adjusted for local circumstances. This way the…

UK: Centre for Doctoral Training in Agri-Food Robotics launched

A new advanced training centre in agri-food robotics will create the largest ever cohort of Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) specialists for the global food and farming sectors, thanks to a multi-million pound funding award. The world's first Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) for agri-food robotics…

Octinion to present an autonomous strawberry picker at Fruit Logistica

Cuts in labor costs, and fewer damaged strawberries on the shelves

The Belgian R&D company, the Octinion Technology Group, will present its self-driving strawberry picker at this year's Fruit Logistica. This device took five years to develop. According to the developers, this development is essential for the sector. A robot that not only drives itself through the…

Hortec repors rise in sales of planting machines

UK: More investments in horticultural machinery

Hortec, UK agents for Javo B.V. announces the Javo Plus M2.0. The company explains, "it can be very versatile (9cm to 32cm pots with a change-over time of about 5 minutes) and capable of bare root work and bulbs whilst, when set up as a twin system, capable of about 6,000 pots/hour." "The Javo Ecobasic…

"Reduced turning radii with new greenhouse cart"

Carretillas Amate is introducing a new machine for greenhouse growers: an articulated traction group to which certain accessories can be attached, in order to carry out different tasks in cultivation fields along narrow corridors defined between rows of plantations. It is made up of a front structure for…

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