ecoation Academy’s Inaugural Workshop at HORTECA Greenhouse: The Benefits of Re-Training in Ag-Tech

Every professional who aspires to be on top of their game needs to keep up with the latest and greatest technology and knowledge that is available in their field. This is why doctors and teachers go to conferences, pilots test drive new jets, and technicians get annual training certificates.

Our industry is no exception. With the wave of new technology and knowledge consistently coming to market, it is important for growers and managers to keep polishing their skills, and to learn about new possibilities.?

We took it upon ourselves to create educational workshops through the ecoation academy at our research and demonstration greenhouse, HORTECA. This was done in collaboration with our partners at Plant Products and Biobest . In our recent inaugural workshop, we had close to 40 growers, IPM managers, crop specialists, and owners who joined us from all around the world.?

Why Re-Training Workshops are so Important

The world of Ag-Tech is changing rapidly before our very eyes. With new technology being released daily, staying up to date on advances in our space is becoming critical for success.?

New technologies and robotics are becoming more cost-friendly and readily available. With these new services, more and more growers are implementing state-of-the-art technology into their greenhouses. The more high-tech greenhouses get, the more important training and education become for your team.

With the concept of robotics-as-a-service, growers are not directly purchasing the technology. Instead, service providers will lease out the necessary equipment, and will take care of the upkeep and maintenance.?

Therefore, with these services, you’re also signing up for the developments that will come alongside the existing technology, as providers will update the equipment when advancements are made. This ultimately means growers implementing new technology must be prepared to re-learn how to use their equipment every time a hardware update is released.

Because technology is constantly evolving, you need to be keeping your knowledge and skills up to date. Whenever hardware gets updated, you and your team will need to be trained on how to keep things running smoothly. You never know when there may be an update to the technology you’re using, so staying at the cutting edge of new tech is crucial.

Market dynamics are also constantly changing, and that requires flexibility and adaptability. The war and economic crisis put a spotlight on areas of operations that were not at the center of our attention in the past. We need to be ready and willing to adapt to change if we want to be prepared for any future turmoil.

By focusing on skill development through workshops like those hosted at HORTECA, you can ensure you and your team are staying prepared for all the changes that the future holds.

Our Goals

Our approach at ecoation for our customers is to provide them with hands-on training and workshops to achieve two objectives

• 1. Tell our customers what is available now, and how they can use this technology to maximize their success.
• 2. Listen to their evolving needs, and take that feedback home, so our wonderful engineers and data scientists can develop new solutions for new problems as they emerge.?

This is a process with two goals in mind: to make our customers successful, and to push the industry forward.?

While workshops and retraining are a great way to improve your team’s productivity and adaptability, it is also a terrific way to network, improve morale, and create a strong culture.

On top of the many educational benefits of these workshops, there are some real advantages in getting to communicate with other growers. This allows growers to exchange ideas, form meaningful relationships, and learn from each other.?

We are proud to provide this opportunity and are thankful to our partners at HORTECA, Plant Products, and Biobest. We’d also, of course, like to thank all the participants who braved a snowstorm to come from all over the world! We’re looking forward to doing it again soon!