Nature Fresh Farms – Maximizing Greenhouse Yield Using AI Powered by Intel

Keith Bradley, VP of IT and Security at Nature Fresh Farms, presented on how the company uses AI to maximize greenhouse yield. Nature Fresh Farms is a 250-acre greenhouse operation that grows bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and strawberries in a controlled environment, focusing on increasing yield per square meter. They started 23 years ago with a 16-acre greenhouse and a data-forward approach, using computers to control the environment.

Over the years, they have developed around 32 AI models for different aspects of the farm, such as plant growth, pest control, and resource management. These models help the greenhouse transition from a reactive to a proactive state, optimizing conditions before weather changes affect the plants. The models rely on various sensors that collect data on light, CO2 levels, irrigation, and plant nutrition. The technology infrastructure includes a core data center where all the sensor data is aggregated and analyzed.

Nature Fresh Farms has seen a consistent increase in yield due to their AI models and has a closed-loop water system that recycles 99% of the water used. They also utilize natural gas to heat the greenhouses and capture CO2 emissions to stimulate plant growth.

Keith’s team consists of a small DevOps team that works closely with growers to collect and analyze data, which is then used to optimize the entire process from growing to shipping. The team is mostly in-house, with some contributions from vendors, especially from Europe. The company’s IT infrastructure is built on a hyper-converged system that allows them to scale easily and maintain high availability, which is critical as even a few hours of downtime can significantly impact the crops.

The presentation highlighted the real-world financial impact of AI in agriculture, moving beyond stereotypes of AI applications and demonstrating tangible benefits in optimizing greenhouse operations.