In the heart of South-Central Alberta, where harsh winters and unpredictable weather can test even the most seasoned growers, Gabriel Forero, Head Grower at Sunterra Greenhouse, (and Indoor Ag-Con 2025 speaker!) is producing high-quality tomatoes and strawberries year-round. Sunterra Greenhouse, part of the Price family’s diversified Sunterra Group operation, leverages cutting-edge controlled environment agriculture techniques to overcome climate challenges and achieve consistent, sustainable yields. In this Q&A, Gabriel shares insights on the role of technology in crop management, sustainability practices, and the exciting future of gene-edited crops in the greenhouse sector.
With Sunterra’s expansive operations, how do you leverage controlled environment techniques to ensure high-quality yields across varying climates and regions?
Sunterra Greenhouse is located in Acme, South-Central Alberta (Canada), where dry air and cold nights throughout the year provide us with very good growing conditions for our crops — strawberries and tomatoes – provided we can manage the indoor climate effectively. However, when the temperature outside is -30°C (adding wind chill it can go down to -45 °C), growing conditions become exceptionally challenging. In these extreme temperatures, we rely heavily on all our growing systems: boilers, 4 levels of heating pipes, hybrid lights and energy screens to achieve 24h temperatures and a consistent environment across the growing season.
Even though we have above 220 µmol of supplemental lights for both crops (full LEDs for strawberry and hybrid 50-50 HPS-LEDs for tomatoes), sunlight is still necessary to prevent ice from accumulating on the roofs and to allow the vents to open. Without proper ventilation, it would be difficult to keep the crops active, strong and productive. Proper management of the greenhouse environment is key to achieving quality and consistent yields, but as a greenhouse we are still somewhat affected by extreme external factors (wildfires, atmospheric rivers, winter storms, etc.).
During these extreme circumstances, we adjust the conditions throughout the day to activate the crop using tools and techniques of CEA, such as fertigation, heating/venting strategies, lighting and use of curtains. These growing parameters require continuous fine-tuning for success – all supported by automation and use of sensors across the growing operation.
How are emerging technologies—like sensor-based monitoring, automation, or data analytics—impacting your approach to crop management at Sunterra?
Crop management has many aspects, but not all of them rely on technology (e.g. manual tasks like lowering plants/trusses, deleafing, harvesting, or pruning flowers are still dependent on people). For greenhouse climate control, energy and water management & labor registration, we use PRIVA software, a leader in the growing space with over 60 years of experience.
Based on my personal experience working in high-tech greenhouses and indoor growing, you need to have a reliable system that can “amalgamate” all sensors and data into one platform, so the grower is able to cross-reference information and adjust the growing parameters quickly and accurately. Without greenhouse automation technology, it will be close to impossible to manage the greenhouse environment, especially under extreme conditions that demand all systems working 24/7 (winter and summer have some similar challenges).
Winter crops, in particular, are unique in a hard way. Growing plants in winter means you are growing plants against nature (short days, no sun for days, nonsense VPDs, angry bumblebees, condensation, tip burn… all kinds of problems, you name it!). That’s why we need all available support to generate an active climate for the plant. Without greenhouse management software, sensors, data analysis , and some automation –all accessible in one solution — it will be hard to optimize production, maximize yield and boost quality in a sustainable framework.
If growers are not data-driven, making timely decisions becomes nearly impossible. Today, its not enough to rely solely on experience and skill; we need technological decision-support tools to successfully grow and manage crops in any growing system across the globe.
Sunterra emphasizes food safety and quality. Could you elaborate on how controlled environmental practices contribute to meeting these standards throughout the production process?
Plants are directly affected by their surrounding environment, and their phenotype and full genetic potential are influenced by environmental factors. Actively managing the greenhouse environment directly impacts the quality and taste of harvested product. A stable environment, supported by automation and environmental controls, provides optimal growing conditions, such as temperature and humidity control, light management, nutrient management , pest and disease control.
By choosing the right cultivars, and effectively utilizing CEA techniques to optimize photosynthesis, we growers can achieve consistent good quality yields, making year-round production possible to some degree, even in fluctuating climates. At Sunterra Greenhouse, we grow the ripe way, always trying to be consistent in quality, flavor and freshness to meet the needs of our clients across North America.
With sustainability becoming increasingly important in agriculture, what measures has Sunterra implemented to improve resource efficiency—such as water use and energy consumption—in your growing processes?
Sunterra Greenhouse is committed to building a sustainable food system in Alberta. Our water use is very efficient. We collect all precipitation (rainwater and snow) from outside the greenhouse, as well as condensation from the interior, and store it in a reservoir for use in our irrigation system. We also UV-treat and recycle all the drain water to save on fertilizer and reduce the use of water by precise fertigation. Also, our soil-less cultivation hydroponic system offers greater control over nutrient supply and root environment.
In Acme, we have our natural gas boilers working at some capacity for around 9 months of the year. The CO2 produced is pumped back into the greenhouse for use in photosynthesis optimization. Our greenhouse has diffused glass on both crops to ensure natural light is distributed uniformly to the plants. Plus, our lighting solution helps reduce our energy footprint. By carefully managing light photoperiod and intensity using our Philips LED Grow Lights, we achieve efficient year-round operations. We also use energy screens to reduce our gas consumption, saving 20% to 40% of gas usage throughout the growing season.
Looking to the future, what trends in controlled environment agriculture are most exciting to you, and how do you see Sunterra adapting to or leading in these areas?
What excites me most (and surprisingly, not many are talking about it) is the potential of new cultivars in the coming years. Technological advancements in gene editing (e.g. CRISPR) will permit scientists to create plants with specific and desired traits. Imagine plants that have been altered at the DNA level – without adding any foreign DNA, no GMO – specifically modified for certain traits.
In the future, I expect new crop varieties with enhanced traits and disease resistance. It’s wonderful just to imagine growing a plant that requires less fertilizer, less water, has more tolerance to environmental stress, has superior yield and is immune to pests and diseases. Additionally, these crops could have extra flavor, longer shelf life with boosted nutritional value.
It sounds amazing, doesn’t it? Good examples of this technology are the GABA-enriched tomato in Japan, the non-browning banana in the Philippines and a vitamin-rich tomato in the UK. I believe not only Sunterra but the entire industry will need to adapt to coming CRISPR-edited crops. This technology will present challenges for the entire agricultural community, including governments and regulators, in the coming years.
Learn more about Sunterra Greenhouse by visiting the website at www.sunterragreenhouse.com
And don’t miss the panel presentation that Gabriel will be participating in during Indoor Ag-Con 2025: “Trends In Canada: Insights From Leading Growers Across the Nation.” On Tuesday, March 11, 2025 from 11:00-11:50 AM PST, Gabriel will be joined by other growers from across Canada to share insights on the latest trends, challenges and opportunities in the industry. It’s a great opportunity to learn from experienced growers like Gabriel about how they are adapting to the evolving landscape of Canadian horticulture and positioning their businesses for long-term success.
