In the ever-evolving world of agriculture, the challenges of labor efficiency, rising costs, and maintaining a motivated workforce have been ongoing concerns. However, innovative solutions are emerging to streamline labor management and improve overall productivity.
The 2023 Global Labor and Technology Report by the Global Ag Tech Initiative delves deep into how technology is revolutionizing the agricultural landscape, particularly in tackling the labor challenges faced by the industry. The report (read the full report here) is a treasure trove of insights, highlighting various aspects:
Ag Tech Tools for Field Labor Efficiencies: The report explores cutting-edge agricultural technology tools designed to enhance field labor efficiencies. These tools promise to optimize labor allocation and make the most of every hour worked.
Attracting Top Talent: It discusses how agriculture companies can position themselves as employers of choice in a highly competitive labor market. With technology playing a pivotal role, forward-thinking firms are creating work environments that appeal to the younger, tech-savvy workforce.
AI Across the Supply Chain: The report sheds light on how AI technologies are being seamlessly integrated into various sections of the supply chain to effectively manage labor challenges. This includes predictive analytics, inventory management, and precision agriculture.
Changing Perceptions: Agriculture is often seen as a physically demanding and less appealing job. The report showcases how some companies are fighting against this perception and making agriculture more enticing for prospective workers.
Innovations for Greenhouse Labor Savings: Greenhouses are adopting new innovations to make labor more efficient. These innovations promise to transform how greenhouse labor is managed and are a key focus of the report.
Perspective on Ag Tech in the Fruit Industry: The report provides valuable insights into how technology is impacting the fruit industry, showcasing trends and innovations.
Michael VanWingerden, COO of Metrolina Greenhouses
Within this rich tapestry of agricultural innovation, the success story of Growmentum stands out. Metrolina Greenhouses, based in Huntersville, NC, faced significant labor cost increases in recent years. Previously relying on domestic labor, a shift occurred around five years ago when the local labor pool could no longer meet their needs. This challenge led Metrolina to explore H-2A labor, which proved to be a "huge win."
With the adoption of H-2A labor, Metrolina experienced impressive labor efficiency gains. Another game-changer was the introduction of Growmentum. Developed over 18 months in partnership with M&S Consulting, Growmentum is a groundbreaking app for task management, labor optimization, and labor planning in greenhouse operations.
Before the advent of Growmentum, labor efficiency tracking was a manual process, prone to inaccuracies and missing data. Growmentum transformed this process, offering a digital platform where every task completed with hourly labor in the greenhouse is 1 and labor efficiency is tracked automatically.
What sets Growmentum apart is its ability to foster accountability and collaboration among employees. It allows teams to compare their performance, promoting motivation and efficiency while also allowing teams to share best practices and learnings that can improve the overall operation. Currently encompassing approximately 30 tasks related to non-shipping and non-production activities, Growmentum is poised to expand its reach to include production and shipping tasks in the future.
In conclusion, the 2023 Global Labor and Technology Report highlights the transformative power of technology in agriculture, and Growmentum exemplifies this transformation. With the right technology, labor efficiency can be optimized, costs can be reduced, and employees can be empowered to perform at their best. Growmentum is at the forefront of this change, and as the agriculture industry continues to evolve, it is solutions like these that will drive progress and productivity.