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Production Challenge
One of the biggest production challenges is managing the crop, according to Gerhart. Each plant must be carefully tied with twine to a strand of wire, which stretches up ten feet from the floor. A skilled crew works all season long, trimming off excess suckers and fruit, sculpturing the vines to bear the weight of the ripening fruit and harvesting the tomatoes as they become ready for market.
The company uses an incentive program to maximize production and harvesting efficiencies. In addition to being paid by the hour, workers are given special bonuses based on the productivity of their particular sections. The incentive system has worked so well that current labor costs are well below what they were during the first crop.
Crews work the vines, standing on top of portable carts that travel up and down the length of the 250-foot rows. The carts are attached to a special rail system, the piping that carries hot water throughout the greenhouse. Workers can easily access the plant at any location.