Blue Radix’s Crop Controller

Dr. Jake Holley

Lebo Farms, part of the Vine Fresh Acres group, has adopted another AI-driven solution for autonomous crop control: Blue Radix’s Crop Controller. Blue Radix specializes in automating key decision-making for four major greenhouse crops: tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers and eggplants. Their Crop Controller platform autonomously manages climate and irrigation by analyzing a constant stream of data. It integrates with existing climate computers to combine weather forecasts, in-greenhouse sensor data, crop responses and grower-defined strategies, allowing the system to steer the environment in real time without manual intervention.

For growers, this type of automation is increasingly attractive, as labor remains tight and production margins narrow. Lebo Farms, based in Leamington, Ontario, Canada, has already noticed meaningful improvements since implementing Crop Controller in January. According to Frank Neufeld of Lebo Farms, the system has significantly improved heating efficiency, translating into notable cost reductions.

“The reduction in costs has been substantial, making the cost worthwhile and reinforcing our trust in autonomous growing technology.” Frank explained.

He also highlighted the value of the system’s ability to proactively anticipate weather shifts, adjusting the climate ahead of incoming conditions rather than reacting after the fact. This type of predictive control is one of the main promises of AI in greenhouse operations.

Blue Radix has been steadily expanding its presence in the global CEA space and Lebo’s experience adds to a growing list of strong user testimonials. Their website features over a dozen case studies demonstrating compatibility across Priva and Ridder climate systems, showcasing consistent improvements in stability, efficiency and labor savings. Take a look at blue-radix.com/projects. IG