Conversation with a greenhosue specialist: Dann Adair

Report on conversation with Dann Adair – friend of a member of Just Food Co-op and Greenhouse Application Specialist for Conviron – “a leading innovator and supplier of controlled environment systems.”

Dann says his company and his specialty is more high-tech and specialized than would be applicable to commercial produce growing. Still, he offered some opinions as one “who has spent a lot of time in greenhouses.”
1. The challenge isn’t technology. There is readily available technology to support what we are considering.
a. The problem isn’t heating, it’s cooling. At his company’s headquarters in Winnipeg they have a demonstration greenhouse maintained at constant temperature without an external heat source. The trick is to use curtains, shutters or something to hold in the heat as necessary and vents to allow it to escape when the sun is strong. Anyway plants are pretty tolerant.
b. With hydroponic production cleanliness, e.g. in the water supply, is essential so the resulting product has good, uniform quality.
c. Commercial greenhouses typically use plastic (at least initially) rather than glass because it is so much less expensive even though glass lasts a lot longer.
d. Albert Lauer is a good local greenhouse builder. There is another in southern Minnesota whose name didn’t come to mind readily who does more low tech work.

I subsequently located Lauer’s web site as http://www.ajlauer.com/
They describe themselves as “Albert J Lauer Inc. is a family owned company whose business is the design, manufacturing and building of aluminum framed greenhouses. Since 1947 when Albert J Lauer, an engineering graduate of University of Minnesota started his business, we have designed and supplied various custom greenhouses structures. Greenhouses built to fit the growers and users needs, but also built to outlast time.

Albert J Lauer Inc continues to build custom greenhouse structures for garden centers and growers. Greenhouses built to cover the space you have, and fill the environmental needs you require. We continue to strive to meet our customers’ needs with strong custom
structures covered with glass, polycarbonate or acrylic sheets.
2. The challenge is production and marketing – finding or developing an operator (farmer) with knowledge, skill and passion to build a profitable operation.

Dann would be willing to speak to us in the future as we develop more specific needs. His cell is 888-368-9132 and his email is dadair@conviron.com