Go Green’s high-tech approach to growing enables scalability and sustainability.
For Pierre Sleiman, Go Green Agriculture is much more than a farm. The business he founded in 2009 in his college dorm room is a technology and science company.
Go Green applies innovative approaches to produce high-quality lettuce using sustainable agricultural practices. The company leverages a closed-loop irrigation system that consumes 80% less water to grow lettuce and produces 25 times more heads of lettuce per field acre than traditional methods. Robotics and automation complement the Go Green vision of being a “technology company first.”
Early on, Go Green's leadership team realized they would need a reliable control system to enable the automated, high-tech environment they envisioned. Within the 750,000 sq. ft. (70,000 sq. m.) greenhouse, they deployed multiple sensors in various zones to relay data about air circulation, lighting, temperature and irrigation. That data flows back to an Argus Controls system, which automatically adjusts in relation to the constantly changing conditions.
Flexible, adaptable automation
The company selected the control system based on a number of factors,
with scalability, adaptability and collaboration being the three key
desirable attributes.
“When we built this facility in Patterson, we did an extensive review
of what types of technology was out there, and we saw Argus as a
solution to customize our greenhouse and growing operation,” says Ryan
Lesniewski, R&D Director.
A glance at the Go Green operation and it’s easy to see why a
reliable control system is critical. Some of the sustainable growing
practices the company employs include:
Variable frequency drives to help reduce energy consumption
100% water reuse, including the use of a rooftop water storage system that can capture 100,000 gallons (38,000 liters) of rainwater
An energy curtain system that traps heat at night and protects against UV rays during the day
Argus Controls helps facilitate and optimize the various
eco-friendly operations in the greenhouse. For example, the system can
adjust fan speeds or increase the amount of light based on localized
conditions within a particular zone, Lesniewski notes. It can open or
close the shading based on changing weather conditions and adjust to
specific irrigation or fertigation needs.
Partner for the future
But it’s not just the system that can adapt to Go Green’s needs. The
Argus team collaborates with Go Green to develop new
innovations and solve complex problems as they arise.
“We have the option to create custom programs and control setpoints. The Argus team is great for allowing us to explore different ways of
controlling the greenhouse environment to improve overall crop
production,” Lesniewski says.
As an owner, something that’s very important to me is developing relationships that go beyond transactional — developing a level of trust, so when we grow, we know we’ll have a partner into the future.
- Pierre Sleiman, CEO
As the company adds new sensors and technologies, it will become even
more important to have an intelligent control system in place that can
make adjustments based on the influx of data coming from the field,
according to Lesniewski. Pierre Sleiman, CEO adds that "the demand to produce more with less will
only increase as the global population grows and the agriculture
industry contends with labor shortages and climate change."
Having a strategic technology partner on hand plays a critical role in Go Green’s ability to remain nimble and innovative.
