Latest news with #HavenGreens
CTV News
12-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Ontario lettuce farm using AI to grow greens
AI technology is used to farm greens at Haven Greens in King City Township. (CTV News/Luke Simard)
Time of India
11-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
This one of the most-popular vegetable in Canada is 'forcing' researchers to make robots and the reason has an 'American angle'
File Picture: A member of the military detail adjusts the Canadian flag prior to the arrival of Prime Minister Mark Carney for a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, at the White House in Washington. (Adrian Wyld /The Canadian Press via AP) A groundbreaking project is underway in southern Ontario that could revolutionize Canada's lettuce supply and reduce its heavy dependence on imports from the United States. Currently, approximately 90% of the lettuce consumed by Canadians, particularly during the winter months, originates south of the border, primarily from California and Arizona. This reliance leaves the Canadian market vulnerable to disruptions caused by droughts, wildfires, and escalating costs in the US, often leading to empty shelves and inflated prices in local grocery stores. Canada's most-popular vegetable Lettuce stands as one of Canada's most frequently consumed vegetables, yet its supply chain is particularly susceptible to global disruptions. Operation Sindoor 'Our job is to hit target, not to count body bags': Air Marshal Bharti on Op Sindoor Precautionary blackout imposed across parts of Rajasthan, Punjab 'Indian Navy was in position to strike Karachi': Vice Admiral on Operation Sindoor Recent years have witnessed firsthand the impact of crop failures and transportation challenges in the US, resulting in significant price fluctuations and availability issues for Canadian consumers. As Canada's significant dependence on produce from the United States comes under increasing scrutiny, one Ontario farmer is offering a compelling vision for the future: Locally grown, year-round produce cultivated by the power of artificial intelligence and automation, as reported by CBC Canada. A collaborative effort between Canadian researchers and farmers is cultivating a potential solution: an intelligent lettuce-harvesting robot. This innovative machine is currently undergoing rigorous testing on a farm in southern Ontario with the ambitious goal of enabling year-round, locally-grown lettuce production across Canada. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Want Lower Bills Without Changing a Thing? elecTrick - Save upto 80% on Power Bill Learn More Undo How AI and Robots are aiming to solve the 'Salad problem' Jay Willmot, a farmer and entrepreneur, recently showcased his technology-led approach at his sprawling two-hectare greenhouse nestled within a traditional red barn in King City, Ontario. Speaking to CBC, Willmot outlined his ambition: "From sowing and seeding, all the way through to harvest and packing, no one touches this crop." Instead, Willmot's operation, Haven Greens, relies on multimillion-dollar AI systems and sophisticated machinery. Willmot established Haven Greens to directly address the challenges of the Canadian winter and the myriad of obstacles faced by farmers, ranging from high labor costs to unpredictable weather patterns. He is not alone in this pursuit, with both federal and provincial governments offering incentives to encourage the adoption of agricultural automation, the CBC Canada report noted. Willmot said that the integration of automation and artificial intelligence allows him to maximize his lettuce yield while significantly reducing labor costs, which typically represent the largest operating expense for greenhouse growers. The research team is reportedly optimistic about bringing the automated harvesting solution to market within the next few years. Their immediate focus remains on fine-tuning the robot's performance to ensure optimal efficiency and adaptability to real-world farm conditions. This Canadian innovation offers a beacon of hope for a future where fresh, locally-grown lettuce is readily available to consumers, regardless of the season or external supply chain vulnerabilities. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
CBC
10-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Can machine-grown lettuce help cut Canada's reliance on U.S. greens? This farmer is betting on it
As Canada's reliance on U.S. produce hits the spotlight, one Ontario farmer has a pitch: locally grown, year-round produce, grown by artificial intelligence and automation. In a sprawling two-hectare greenhouse, tucked inside a wooden red barn in King City, Ont., an animated Jay Willmot, farmer and entrepreneur, shared his vision. "From sowing and seeding, all the way through to harvest and packing, no one touches this crop," he said in front of rows and rows of lettuce shoots. Instead, multimillion-dollar AI and machinery does the work; the whirring and clicking of conveyor belts, hooks and levers, fills the space that was once part of his family's horse farm. Willmot built his business, Haven Greens, to tackle the Canadian winter and a laundry list of obstacles that farmers face — from high labour costs to unpredictable weather. He's not alone; federal and provincial governments have offered incentives to encourage automation. Some experts do urge caution though — saying widespread adoption could have unintended consequences. Lettuce close to home Even without AI, a traditional greenhouse, or a vertical farm, would have addressed the issue of year-round growth. It's a route many are choosing to take; Canadian greenhouse lettuce production alone has quadrupled over the last decade, according to Statistics Canada. Willmot said automation and artificial intelligence allows him to maximize the amount of lettuce he can grow, while cutting labour costs, typically a greenhouse grower's biggest operating expense. The company also uses solar power, rainwater and other "energy-efficient systems" to keep costs down, he said. And he says the AI cuts out a lot of the waste that comes with guesswork. WATCH | See how this Ontario farm produces hands-off greens: "We have sensors that measure temperature, light intensity, humidity levels, and pressure levels. Everything within this greenhouse is automated by that central computer to achieve optimal growth conditions." he added. The company says the greenhouse produces more than 4,000 kilograms of lettuce per day. It's being sold through the Ontario food terminal and directly to a number of independent grocery stores. For Willmot, the goal is a reliable product that doesn't need to travel across a continent to hit store shelves. "I was sick and tired of old, slimy, smelly lettuce," he said. When California, where most of Ontario's lettuce comes from, was hit by drought and disease in 2022, lettuce prices hit a record high. "We need this all across the country so that we can build these local food systems that have inherent food sovereignty within them, that fight food insecurity, that can feed our local communities," he argued. Even with the "tens of millions of dollars" in start-up costs for the custom machinery and AI tech, Willmot calculates he can turn a profit on this model, while keeping the retail price "competitive." Less reliance on farm labour It's a business case provincial and federal governments are counting on. Even before trade tensions pushed Canada's dependence on U.S. produce back into the spotlight, there was a push to incentivize agricultural technology, to make Canada more self-sufficient. In Ontario, for example, the government dished out $547,720 in 2021 to Great Lakes Greenhouses Inc, an operation in the heart of Leamington, Ont. — dubbed North America's greenhouse capital for having the highest density of greenhouses on the continent. The cash was to help the company pilot an artificial intelligence system that would "allow greenhouse operators to remotely grow cucumbers and eggplant crops, reducing in-person contact," a provincial press release reads. B.C. also has an On-Farm Technology Adoption Program, offering cost-sharing funding for labour-saving tech like autonomous weeders, harvesters and sorters. The country is heavily reliant on temporary foreign workers for farm labour. Nearly half of the people working in Canada's agriculture sector were employed on a seasonal basis in 2022, according to Statistics Canada. It is a gap that Willmot believes automation can fill. But Canada's Research Chair in Science and Society, Kelly Bronson says, the impact on migrant workers need to be considered carefully. "There's all sorts of ethical issues presented by that labour supply solution in that these workers tend to be very precariously paid, precariously employed in terms of having no legal infrastructure to support them," said Bronson, who has done research consulting migrant farmers. "Many of them really depend on this income. We have to think about the consequences of displacing already the most marginalized actors." Willmot, however, believes Canada's reliance on foreign workers is part of the problem. "For us, we really like supporting people that are here," he said. "I'll take giving local people that live in our own backyard good-paying jobs 10 out 10 times." The company says it has hired 35 full-time staff. A call for a closer look Bronson, who has specifically studied the growth and impact of agricultural technology, acknowledges the excitement around food sovereignty amidst a "geopolitical tariff warfare." But she urges caution — even with the company's solar PV's, rainwater usage, recaptured emissions, and wider net-zero promise. "If you think about the energy costs of sustaining an indoor farming environment, they're pretty huge. And even if you take a fuller view of AI, we know now the environmental costs in terms of data storage, the energy costs, the impact on climate in terms of data, storage facilities." She calls for detailed, independent research into the use and impact of the automation and AI model in Canada's food systems, to test the claims its proponents make. Cambridge University researchers have also warned about potential risks from rapid deployment of AI in agriculture, in a 2022 Nature Machine Intelligence paper, including accidental failure and unintended consequences. "I think it is the future," said Rozita Dara, director of the Artificial Intelligence for Food initiative at the University of Guelph. But she too urges the sector, and governments, to think about who can benefit from this often costly, technology. "We have to keep smaller businesses in mind because we want them to operate and thrive in this situation." Back in King City, Willmot is confident in his vision. The third-generation farmer, and lawyer, i s keenly aware that Canada's farmers are aging out, and the new generation isn't keen to take up the mantle. By 2033, 40 per cent of Canadian farm operators are expected to retire, and Statistics Canada numbers find that 66 per cent don't have a succession plan. We want "to show young people there's exciting stuff happening in agriculture. And we need more people to come in and grow food for Canada," he pitched.
