January 2026 Business & Management, Technology

Avoiding tech regrets for greenhouse operations By Michelle Klieger

If it feels like a lot has changed in greenhouse growing over the last decade, it has. In fact, all of agriculture has undergone a shift in the direction of more technology. 

From precision equipment to automated sensors and data collection tools, there’s growing pressure to embrace innovation or risk getting left behind. And yet, at the end of the day, every financial decision you make must support the productivity and profitability of your growing operation. How do you determine which technology will offer you the greatest benefit and whether investing in it is feasible for your business?

1. WHAT PROBLEM ARE YOU AIMING TO SOLVE?

A frequent issue I encounter when working with clients is that they haven’t clearly identified the real problem area in their business, so the list of potential solutions is overwhelming.  

In general, the greenhouse industry is experiencing challenges with labor shortages, rising input costs and resource constraints. However, these challenges might affect your business differently depending on where you live, what you grow and your production capacity. 

For example, growers in northern Michigan may prioritize reducing heating costs or competing with year-round production from states like Georgia or Texas. Those in hot, humid climates may focus on shade, ventilation and cooling. 

Depending on what you are growing, your challenges might involve finding and training skilled laborers or leveraging the right machine to perform a task that was previously done manually. If your goal is to lower input costs or use resources more efficiently, data collection and precision technology may be the answer. 

2. WILL THIS PURCHASE COST MORE THAN MONEY? 

We generally associate the word investment with money, but when it comes to leveraging technology in your greenhouse growing operation, it’s a good idea to think beyond the bank account. Can you afford the purchase? How long with it take to pay off the initial investment? Is this a one-time purchase, or will you need to invest in regular upgrades? These are great risk assessment questions to ask. 

Your time, available space, scaling capacity and comfort with new technology are equally important. Growers often overlook these “costs” when making purchasing decisions. A good grasp on how long it will take you and your employees to learn how to safely use, fix and update equipment is important. You may need to consider additional storage or reconfiguring internal infrastructure to accommodate new equipment and increased production. Or, lean into expert consulting to ensure success.  

3. ARE THE BENEFITS WORTH THE COST? 

Once you have a clear picture of the problem you’d like to solve and the options for solving it, perform a cost-benefit analysis. Are the potential benefits worth the money, time and space required? Since we are not all working with the same exact variables, you may find that a tool helps in one area but creates a new issue in another. For example, equipment that allows you to lower fertilizer or herbicide costs might raise your energy bill. 

Or, after you’ve fleshed out the data, you could see exactly where a financial investment, a little time on your end and intentional direction with your employees will allow you to leverage smart tech, robotics or precision farming to produce more and scale faster. Maybe you decide to buy data collection technology that allows you to spot treat plants as they need it. You now fall into a sustainable growing category and local restaurants want to partner with you. Sure, it cost money and took time to calibrate, but in the process you broke into a new market. 

TAKEAWAYS 

While we can safely assume that technology isn’t going anywhere, these innovative tools are no cause for panic. It is highly likely that there is a precision tool, robotic technology or smart sensor that can make your greenhouse growing business more productive, increase your profits and solve the labor or input expense challenges you are facing. A careful process of weighing gains against costs can uncover the exact place in your operation where you can replace a burden with benefit.