In the this session, the Nursery LEAP (Labor, Engineering, Automation, and Production) Team will present results culminating from a USDA SCRI planning grant survey and related topics. The team will describe current labor challenges, limitations of the current workforce, and opportunities through multiple visa programs. Team members will also present the correlation between perceived barriers to adoption, nursery business characteristics, and the likelihood of adopting automated technologies; nursery producers’ perceptions and intent to use automated nursery technologies; and an overview of current mechanization and automation levels in nurseries. Founders of Moss Robotics, Inc. will share their approach to developing and commercializing AI, computer vision, and machine-learning-based technology for the nursery industry. The session will conclude with a facilitated panel discussion featuring all speakers.
Coordinator(s)- Jacob Shreckhise, USDA-ARS, U.S. National Arboretum, McMinnville, Tennessee, United States
- Amy Fulcher, University of Tennessee, Plant Sciences, United States
- Anthony LeBude, NC State University, United States
- James Altland, USDA-ARS, Wooster, OH, United States
Moderator(s)- Natalie Bumgarner, University of Tennessee, United States
Speaker/Participant(s)- Anthony LeBude, NC State, United States
The Nursery Industry’s Labor Dilemma (10 mins)
Summary: Dr. Anthony LeBude, NC State University, will provide an overview of the US nursery industry’s labor challenges and the threat that these challenges pose to the sustainability of this labor-reliant industry. - Margarita Velandia, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
The Role of U.S. Temporary Foreign Worker Visa Program in Addressing the Green Industry Labor Needs: Challenges and Opportunities (20 mins)
Summary: In this presentation, Dr. Margarita Velandia, University of Tennessee, will give a general overview of the H-2A, H-2B, and the TN NAFTA or TN USMCA visa programs and discuss challenges and opportunities associated with each program in addressing the green industry labor needs. - Alicia L Rihn, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, United States
Factors Correlated with the Propensity to Use Automation and Mechanization (20 mins)
Summary: Several of the U.S. nursery industry’s characteristics and actions to address labor issues are correlated with the use of automated technologies. Dr. Alicia Rihn, University of Tennessee, will explore the correlation between perceived barriers of adoption, nursery business characteristics, and the likelihood of adopting automated technologies. - Amy Fulcher, University of Tennessee, Plant Sciences, United States
Nursery Mechanization and Automation Adoption Levels (20 mins)
Summary: Nursery Mechanization and Automation Adoption Levels – Dr. Amy Fulcher, University of Tennessee, will present current nursery mechanization and automation adoption levels and compare the current percentage of individual tasks that are automated with 2006 levels. - James Altland, USDA-ARS, Wooster, OH, United States
Panel Discussion (10 mins)
Summary: Dr. James Altland, USDA-ARS, will facilitate the panel session through thoughtful prompts and questions from the audience to foster enriching discussion. - Anthony LeBude, NC State University, will describe collaborative work led by Dr. Laura Warner, University of Florida, on using Diffusion of Innovations theory to understand growers’ perceptions of nursery technology and how these perceptions shape growers’ adoption of automation, as well as results from a Theory of Planned Behavior evaluation of nursery growers’ intent to use automation from 4 technology clusters.
- Di Hu and Shrijit Singh, founders of Moss Robotics, Inc., will discuss how advancements in autonomous driving and AI have unlocked new possibilities for the green industry. Moss leverages robotics, computer vision, and machine learning to revolutionize field scouting, providing nursery producers with cost-effective solutions for efficient crop management and monitoring. In this presentation Ms. Hu and Mr. Singh will explore Moss’ innovative approach, including a case study demonstrating the transformative impact of their robotic field scouting solution.
