Summers are becoming hotter, the amount of rainfall is becoming more excessive, and hailstones seem to get bigger and cause more damage. Climate change is increasingly having an impact on crops and grower returns. "Shorter harvest seasons, lower yields and reduced product quality are particularly impacting growers of outdoor crops," says Richard Vollebregt with Cravo Equipment. For more than 40 years, the company has been building retractable roof solutions to create an optimal climate for high-tech crops as well as outdoor crops.
In addition to losses from weather events, grower returns are also being impacted by a dramatic increase in input costs. With market prices lagging behind, grower returns are under pressure.
Avocados grown under Flatroof construction.
Controlling the climate
As a result, growers are increasingly looking for ways to increase their returns. First of all, with weather patterns being more erratic these days, they are looking to protect their crops and prevent losses. At the same time, they are also looking to improve their profitability on these crops. "Our retractable roof technology targets both," said Vollebregt. "Not only is it focused on protecting the crop and stopping the losses from extreme weather events, it also helps precisely control the climate which helps increase the revenue per hectare." Controlling the climate enables growers to extend their harvest seasons, improve quality and yields and get a premium price for their products.
Lower cost solutions
Protecting a crop and creating an optimal climate requires an investment. Cravo is well aware that the investment needs to be in line with the value of outdoor crops. As a result, the company has developed a family of four lower cost products that help solve both profitability problems and climate problems. The video below discusses the first of these four products: a Standard Flat Roof construction. In addition to providing control over the growing environment and improving plant health, Flat Roof Houses also reduce the environmental footprint due to lower water and electricity usage. Interested in learning more about the benefits of this lower cost solution? Click the video below to get educated on the system in just a few minutes.
For more information:
Richard Vollebregt
Cravo Equipment Ltd
Phone: +(1) 519 759 8226 x 215
[email protected]
www.cravo.com